Alter Ego

Head's up for folks-this place is in the Canopy by Hilton, which I did not realize when I made the reservation. Oops. Perhaps I didn't look carefully enough. Our table bordered on the lobby, but there are tables deeper in the restaurant where it might be less apparent that you are eating in a hotel. The decor is modern with green velvet booths, white bistro tables, bar seating, and a wooden high table with high chairs. We made a reservation for brunch the night before, which turned out not to be necessary. There was plenty of room when we arrived at 9:30 am on a Sunday. We were greeted almost immediately, even though it wasn't immediately clear to us where we should check in. Our server was attentive, even though she seemed busy with a number of other tables. The food was good. Two of us had the standard varsity breakfast. Mine with poached eggs, the other with sunny side up. We were happy with these dishes, which are pretty standard American breakfast fare. My partner had chocolate croissants with a strawberry banana smoothie. He noted that the chocolate croissants were very chocolatey but appeared to have been pre-packaged. It isn't a bakery and they aren't advertising their pastries as the star of the show here, so fair enough. They have some more fun and adventurous choices on the menu than we went for today (like chicken and waffles). I'm not sure if we'll be back because there are many more places for us to explore in Tempe, but this was a solid spot for breakfast.

Stopped here before a show at Gamage during their brunch menu. Beautiful, bright room with large glass garage doors that would be open when the weather is nice (was 100 and getting hotter when we were there). Interesting ceiling too. Fast and friendly service. Decent variety on the menu. I had the SRIRACHA CHICKEN SANDWICH and my wife had the EGOCADO TOAST, but being better that average and good portions. The Chicken sandwich had a bit a heat too! And a better than average Bloody Mary. Was a good idea to stop there before our show.

Be sure to use valet for them to cover parking! We didn't realized it was apart of the Canopy hotel but we were able to access it from the street side. A little sign might help but not a big deal for us. Our server Faith was amazing! I had just flown in and my mom wanted to grab some brunch before doing some errands so we popped in to Alter Ego since it was like 8 mins from the airport. Faith welcomed us with some water and brought the hot tea pots we ordered. We are easy so she took our order immediately. Once our food arrived ( it was delicious too) she was sure to bring some condiments and check in on us to make sure we were enjoying it.

We came here for after-dinner drinks and to check out the roof top view. The bartender was friendly and welcomed us even though we weren't eating dinner. I went the route of the El Jefe brink with mezcal, prickly pear, and lime. The smokey flavor of the mezcal paired perfectly with the prickly pear and lime flavors. My husband had an old fashioned that he enjoyed as well. The view from the restaurant/bar is great for that part of Tempe. You can see the surrounding area and that night we enjoyed watching the monsoon storms that were coming in/out of the area.

Need to update hrs so guest don't show up and see they aren't actually open. Waste of a drive. I did share with the bartender, and she said well you should have looked at the website. Why look when it clearly says you are open.

VIBES: 4/5FOOD: 3/5DRINKS: 4/5SERVICE: 1/5VALUE: 1/5The only occasion I would give the okay to dining at Altar Ego (not a recommendation, just an okay) is if you're staying at the hotel/in the area and don't want to go far for a drink, and don't care about paying up for that. I really enjoyed the espresso martini. I would say if you go, sit at the bar because table service was very subpar. Slow, no water refills, etc. My friend's chicken was raw. Our waiter took it back and apologized, asked if there was something else he would like instead, and that was it. It kind of felt like this was just a regular occurrence for them. Compare this to my fav brunch spot (Windsor's), where my friend's salad was mistakenly made non-vegan, and they whisked it away, made a new one, and comped the meal. The aesthetic was pretty and the bathroom was 5/5, but I'm one for value and the value is extremely lacking here. There are so many better options in the area.

Great ambiance! Very open and upscale. Plenty of parking around (free street parking on Sundays). They had a good crowd but I was still able to be seated right away. The mimosas looked heavenly. I went with the protein açaí bowl with a side of chicken sausage. Everything was delicious and under $20 total. There are still plenty of items on the menu I'd like to try. Service was pleasant and efficient. I really enjoyed my meal!

Service was amazing, Carl was speaking highly about the Pear Salad, so I decided to try it. Carl didn't let me down. The Pork flat bread was to die for. The Pork Belly was juicy, though there were some crispy ones in there. Though who doesn't like the Burnt ends of a pork belly. The restaurant is modern style with light music in the back. This is my second time eating here. I will come back again. 100/10

We enjoyed our meal at alter ego. I'll admit, it was a little overpriced. However, the portions were decent, and the service was outstanding. We never had to ask for more coffee or water. I got the avocado toast on the gluten free bread, which is also soy free and vegan friendly. Also got the side of breakfast potatoes (so good!) and a bowl of fruit. As you can see, it's actually fresh fruit, which rarely happens! Definitely would recommend for a nice relaxing meal.

Oof! Not good. Cocktails were okay, which was the only saving grace. Calabrian pizza came out without the arugula, which is one of maybe 5 ingredients listed for the pizza. Pork belly was significantly overcooked. It's really strange given they have only a handful of menu items, but seemingly none of them are good.