Restaurant

Top 5 Restaurants Near Our Sedona Rentals

Our curator's pick — the five Sedona restaurants we book ourselves and send every guest who asks. Below the list you'll find dedicated pages for each one with addresses, signature dishes, and the right night to go, alongside fifteen more locals' favourites we use on every other night of the week.

Cuisine: Curator index
Area: Sedona

About the Sedona dining scene

Sedona has about 90 restaurants for a permanent population of 9,700 — a remarkable density for a small mountain town — and the quality has climbed sharply over the last decade as chefs from Phoenix and Los Angeles have moved up here for the lifestyle and brought serious kitchens with them. The scene splits roughly into three camps: tourist-trail spots clustered in Uptown that serve southwestern standards to the day-trip crowd; destination patios built around a red-rock view that draw a weekend dinner crowd from Phoenix two hours south; and locals\' favourites tucked into strip-mall storefronts in West Sedona that survive the slow summer months because the staff at the resorts eat there on their nights off.

The five restaurants below span all three categories — a destination patio (Mariposa), an Uptown landmark (Elote), a fine-dining institution (Cress on Oak Creek), a red-rock-view casual spot (The Hudson), and a wood-fired pizza place that is the most consistent kitchen in town (Pisa Lisa). We have eaten at all of them in the last six months, often with our own guests, and these are the five we book ourselves on a date night. Make a reservation for all of them — Sedona\'s tables fill earlier than you think, especially on weekend nights from March through November.

1. Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill

700 SR-89A, West Sedona — 10 minutes from most of our rentals. Cuisine: Pan-Latin grill (Argentine, Brazilian, Peruvian influences). Atmosphere: Architectural patio with the most unobstructed sunset view of any restaurant in Sedona — the dining room is built to frame Capitol Butte and Cathedral Rock through floor-to-ceiling windows. The Lisa Dahl-designed space is dramatic, the patio fire pits are gas-fed and lit nightly, and the room hums with conversation. Right night to go: Sunset reservation, weekday. Book three weeks ahead for weekends. The bone-in ribeye and the wood-grilled octopus are the dishes to order; the cocktail program is excellent. Expect $80 per person before wine.

2. Elote Cafe

350 Jordan Rd, Uptown Sedona — 12 minutes from our West Sedona properties. Cuisine: Modern Mexican; chef Jeff Smedstad has been refining the menu here for nearly two decades and it shows. Atmosphere: Warmly lit, exposed-beam dining room with an open kitchen and a small patio; not built around a view but built around the food, which is the right priority. The eponymous elote (fire-roasted corn with lime, cotija, and chile) is one of the best appetisers in Arizona; the Cochinita Pibil (slow-cooked pork in achiote and orange) and the smoky tetela are the entrees regular guests order on repeat. Right night to go: Tuesday or Wednesday — they take reservations on weekdays only (walk-in only Thursday through Saturday, which means a 75-minute wait by 5:30 PM). $55–$70 per person.

3. Cress on Oak Creek (at L\'Auberge de Sedona)

301 L\'Auberge Lane, Uptown — 14 minutes from our West Sedona properties. Cuisine: New American fine dining with a strong seafood lean. Atmosphere: Tucked into the L\'Auberge resort along Oak Creek; the patio is creek-side and the sound of the water is genuinely part of the meal. Service is the most polished in town. The tasting menu changes seasonally; the à la carte menu always includes a wood-fired fish, a beef option, and a vegetarian course built around whatever is good at the moment. Right night to go: Any night you want a special-occasion dinner — anniversary, birthday, proposal. Reserve the creek-side patio specifically when you book (it is the table you came for). Expect $130–$180 per person with wine; the tasting menu runs $190 prix fixe.

4. The Hudson

671 SR-179, between Uptown and the Village of Oak Creek — 6 to 12 minutes from most of our rentals depending on which side of town. Cuisine: Modern American — burgers, salads, fish tacos, plus a serious entrée menu (short rib, pan-roasted salmon). Atmosphere: Casual but considered; the patio sits on a low ridge with a direct view of Bell Rock and Castle Rock to the south. This is the spot we send guests for their first dinner of the trip — the menu has something for everyone, the kids\' menu is real food not nuggets, the wait is rarely over 30 minutes on a weekday, and the patio is heated through winter. Right night to go: Any night. Book if you want a patio table at sunset; walk in for the dining room. $35–$55 per person.

5. Pisa Lisa

2245 W SR-89A, West Sedona — 5 minutes from most of our West Sedona rentals. Cuisine: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, salads, antipasti, gelato. Atmosphere: Bright, family-friendly, busy. The wood-fired oven is the centrepiece and the pizzas come out blistered and slightly chewy in the way the best Neapolitan pies do. The Bee Sting (soppressata, mozzarella, basil, hot honey) is the one to order if you only get one. Right night to go: Tuesday family night or any weekday for the fastest seating. Walk in; they do not take reservations. The 30-minute wait on a Saturday is worth it. $25–$40 per person.

Beyond these five

Honourable mentions we send guests to depending on the night: Mesa Grill at the Sedona Airport (sunset view, comfort food); Cucina Rustica in the Village of Oak Creek (Lisa Dahl\'s Italian sister restaurant to Mariposa); Open Range Grill in Uptown for a no-fuss steak; and Indian Gardens Cafe up Oak Creek Canyon for the best breakfast burrito in the area.

For Visit Sedona\'s full restaurant directory and seasonal openings, see the official Visit Sedona restaurants guide — they keep the closures and new-opening list current.

Dedicated pages for each of the five — addresses, signature dishes, the right night to go, and how each fits a night of your trip: