Elote Cafe

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! I got back from Sedona last night and I’m back on the road today. I’m heading to Toronto today for a few days for my cousin’s wedding. Oof, spending the next 10 hours in a car after traveling by plane yesterday is not something I’m looking forward to. But moving on, like I mentioned in my post yesterday where I talked about my last day in Sedona, I went to Elote Cafe for dinner that night.

When looking up restaurants in Sedona for my trip, I came across Elote Cafe with rave reviews and so many people saying this was the place to try. In general, the food I ate my entire trip didn’t disappoint in the slightest, but this restaurant is the one I heard the most about. This Mexican cafe is supposed to feature traditional, gourmet cuisine. The owner/chef says he learned everything he knows about Mexican cuisine through his 15 years of traveling through the country. However, rumor has it that he is in the middle of a divorce and his soon to be ex-wife says these are all her family’s recipes. Ooh, the drama and intrigue!

Anyway, I read online and heard from many Sedona residents while in town that the wait to get a table can be insane so it is best to get there right when the restaurant opens at 5pm to avoid waiting in line for 2 hours and believe me, they were right! When I arrived at 4:35pm, there was already a lineup. There were between 20-30 people ahead of me so it wasn’t too bad since it meant that I was still going to get seated in the first seating.

While waiting in line, there are some tables, cornhole, water and when I was leaving I overheard the hostess tell some patrons that there was water and popcorn available while they waited. Obviously, they’ve thought of everything since waiting is par for the course here!

We were seated quickly once the doors opened and the service was excellent.

For appetizers we ordered short rib tacos and empanadas. Sorry the photo came out a bit blurry!

The appetizers were so amazingly delicious that we knew right off the bat that we were going to be in for a treat. The short ribs were melt in your mouth soft and the empanadas were unlike any I’ve ever had before. They were filled solely with cheese and the dough was so soft.

I washed this all down with a white sangria which was the perfect mix of sweet and sour.

For my entree, I chose the carne asada which was really tasty. I usually like my meat cooked more on the well-done side, but this was actually really good. Each entree came with a side of rice and beans and tortillas for the table.

Everyone loved their meals; there wasn’t one person who didn’t!

Of course, we had to make room for dessert because everything else was so scrumptious so far. We chose the Mexican Chocolate Pie to share and it. was. amazing.

It is very light, which is great because I can’t eat much of a rich dessert. It was very much like a chocolate mousse texture. Served with some chocolate syrup, toasted almonds, and whipped cream, it was the sweet end to a very good meal.

I definitely recommend a trip to Elote Cafe if you find yourself in the Sedona area and I highly recommend getting there before it opens so you’re not waiting in line for hours!