Dinner at Toca Madera in Scottsdale, AZ

My friend Kate came into town and we decided to book a late night dinner at Toca Madera in Scottsdale. 

Toca Madera is a Mexican restaurant that takes traditional Mexican cuisine and puts a modern twist on it, utilizing  locally-sourced ingredients to create unique and flavorful dishes.

We went on a Saturday night, and sat in the dining room. There is also a lounge area that offers happy hour 4pm-6pm and 9pm-close. I was under the impression these were very separate areas, so we booked in the dining room. However, if we were to do it again I’d sit in the lounge to take advantage of the happy hour. No matter where you’re trying to dine, make sure to book early. We made reservations two weeks out and still had to settle on a 9:30pm reservation. 

We started off with a couple of drinks and some appetizers. Kate ordered the Winnie de Pooh and I ordered the Ghost Rider margarita which gets set on fire when it arrives to your table. For appetizers, we went with the calamari frito and the baja style poke, both which were delicious. The poke is a good size portion for the price, filled with good chunks of ahi and the sauce that comes with the calamari is so good!

THE GHOST RIDER COCKTAIL AT TOCA MADERA

While we were enjoying out apps and drinks, a fire dancer came out and danced to a couple of songs. Speaking of which, the music in this place is LOUD. You’ll definitely have to speak up when talking to each other and the wait staff, as deep house music fills the space.

We decided to forego ordering full mains and instead shared the carne asada tacos and the manchego truffle fries.  The tacos were okay and not really worth their price tag, but the truffle fries were really good. We also ordered another round of drinks. Kate ordered the hibiscus margarita and I tried the agua fresca. All the drinks we had were really good, which is another reason I’d like to revisit this place during happy hour.

Dining at Toca Madera is a very nice experience, perfect for celebrations, a romantic evening, or as a special treat. I would definitely recommend coming and trying the ghost rider margarita, the calamari, and the poke. If you’re on more of a budget, come during happy hour and save some money off apps and drinks.