Elote Cafe
Elote is the Sedona restaurant out-of-towners ask us about by name — chef Jeff Smedstad's modern Mexican landmark has been refining the same short menu in Uptown for nearly two decades, and the room is warmly lit, exposed-beam, and built around the food rather than the view. The eponymous elote appetiser is one of the best small plates in Arizona.
Why we send guests here
350 Jordan Rd in Uptown Sedona, twelve minutes from our West Sedona properties. This is the one our guests text us about after the trip — a kitchen that has been doing the same handful of dishes at the same high level for nearly twenty years, run by a chef who travels Mexico every off-season for new recipes. The eponymous elote (fire-roasted corn with lime, cotija, chile) is the appetiser to order; the Cochinita Pibil (slow-cooked pork in achiote and orange) and the smoky tetela are the entrees regulars repeat. When to go: Tuesday or Wednesday — they take reservations on weekdays only. Walk-in Thursday through Saturday means a seventy-five-minute wait by 5:30 PM (the bar opens early; put your name down and walk Uptown until they text). $55–$70 per person before drinks. The mezcal flight is the move if you want to drink something interesting. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Stay nearby
Most of our Sedona vacation rentals are within a ten-to-fifteen-minute drive of Elote Cafe — the West Sedona properties especially. Browse the full Sedona Haven Rentals properties to find a 2-to-5-bedroom home with a hot tub, full kitchen, and the kind of outdoor space that lets a long dinner end on the deck back at the house. Book direct and save on OTA fees.
