Buck & Rider N. Scottsdale

Buck and Rider is one of the better restaurants in this area of town. One thing that I've appreciated after going a handful of times is the level of consistency of service and food. It's actually quite impressive!Just like most places, there are dishes that are popular but it really comes down to preference and what you enjoy eating. I always appreciate the fresh, seasonal fish options and you definitely can't go wrong there! I also appreciate the crab cake - all crab and no filler (they even say that on the menu). The crispy rice and the crudo are also good options. I don't go here for the sushi rolls but they do make a mean steak. They're great for special occasions like birthdays. It's always important to make a reservation. It's not impossible, you just have to plan in advance. They take bigger parties and do a good job of managing service for those larger tables.Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. Always a go-to when we want to go out for lunch/dinner.

Food: 4/5. while the crab cakes, scallops, oysters & my summer veg - the tomatoes three ways - were great, I had a bite of my friend's grilled halibut (they offer it pan-seared or grilled, she chose grilled), & it tasted like chicken; it was weird, it was rather dense, dry & meaty & had the consistency of overdone grilled chicken breast. I wasn't a fan & apparently she wasn't either because she didn't finish it all.Service: 3/5, at best. I wanted to think some of the mistakes were due to B&R being busy & loud & maybe the result of mishearing us, but it was the response to one of the mistakes that left me confident it was the server. First came my mom's question about the red blend on the wine list. She asked if it was sweet, to which the server said it was & that she should like it, & she responded by saying she doesn't like sweet & is looking for something a bit more bold, & they said "well, it's actually not that sweet & is considered bold," which was flip-flopping. She ended up getting a glass but not liking it, & then ordering a cocktail instead. NBD, but I guess my point is, if you don't know, don't guess or tell the guest what you think they want to hear - find out from the bar or grab a taste.The service situation that really got me, though, was when I ordered the spicy tuna roll as an appetizer for the table. He asked if we'd like anything else put in then, & I said no, we needed time for anything more than that, but could we please get the roll with light rice. He said he'd never made that request to the chefs before but that it should be ok. I said ok, if they'll do it that way, great, if not, no worries, so that he knew it could come out normally.Later on, I ordered a few oysters for myself & the three of us ordered our meals. The oysters came, but no roll. Then the meals came, still no roll. When he stopped to ask how our meals were, I said great, but we never received the tuna roll. His response was, "that was because of the back & forth - you said you needed more time to order, so I didn't put it in." I said, no, I had said we needed more time to order anything in addition to that, but I asked about the light rice, & you said you'd ask about it when you ordered it. I never heard anything more, so I thought the light rice was ok & that it was coming. He said, "oh, my misunderstanding, do you want me to put it in & try to have it come out right away?", & I said no, We had wanted it as an app & now our meals are here, that's ok. His response was "well, I already said it was my fault, I've offered to have it come right away, I'm not sure what else you want me to do." I was taken aback by his response. Let me be clear - there was no apology. It wasn't like, "I'm so sorry about that! Let me remedy this for you, I can't believe you missed out on the roll!" It was more of "oh. This happened because I did as you told me to" & then a sort of pivot to more of a "welp, I said it was a mistake, get over it." Keep in mind, this place isn't cheap & I guess I expect a different level of service at that price point. Later, we received the bill & the wine my mom didn't drink & had traded in for a cocktail was on it, so we had to ask for it to be removed. & still, we all tipped him over 20% bc of my time in the industry & being forgiving for folks in it. Maybe we shouldn't have. Another example: I explicitly asked for a dirty martini, with regular, not blue cheese, olives as I can't stand blue cheese. & guess what olives came in my drink? Anyway.Ambiance: 4/5. I like the environment, decor, layout, etc. but it was really rather loud, making it hard for us to be able to catch up. Happy hour: haven't directly experienced the benefits. it bugs me when restaurants that don't have a clear distinction between their bar & dining area only allow those in the "bar" to get happy hour specials. I could almost touch folks seated at the bar, but being in the "dining area," we couldn't get HH pricing. Just a pet peeve of mine. Further note on happy hour: It "sort of" albeit loosely alludes to particular areas for HH on their website, but unless you know their inside name for their bar & designated areas, you wouldn't catch it. (No guest, without having dined their before, would know that "happy hour available at abby's oyster bar, alcove and patio bar" would translate to "this means happy hour is in the bar only & the dining area is not an area included in this list & therefore not eligible for HH pricing. Make sure you're seated accordingly.")I digress. Food is good, although I encourage anyone to get catch of the day as pan seared. & don't go during happy hour HH unless you're willing to wait a potentially long time for that seating area or else be prepared to sit elsewhere & pay full price.

One of my Scottsdale faves is Buck & Rider!This restaurant always has a high energy to its ambiance. Food is phenomenal and service is always great!Getting a seat can take some time when theyre at their peak hours, but it's worth it!I've had a variety of food here and love their oysters, caviar, hamachi Crudo, and chicken. Their cocktails here are incredible too. I especially love the espresso martinis here!Buck & Rider also has a vestaboard, which I love! It definitely adds to the energy the restaurant has. They also have misters and fans outside which help you deal with the heat.I highly recommend giving Buck & Rider a shot!

We saw that there was a Happy Hour at Buck & Rider, so we stopped in to get a bite. This place was crowded on Father's Day! They provide complimentary valet service of needed. The atmosphere of this place was lively and energetic. Modern, classy decor.Luckily, we got in a bit early and was promptly seated at the bar. All the bartenders were nice. Especially Seth and Michael, who took really good care of us. We got to chat with both of them, and they recommended some of their favorite dishes on the menu. We found out they were friends outside of work.Happy Hour: Every day from 3 pm to 7 pm. We ordered some small bites.RAW OYSTERS: served with Thai chili, mignonette, cocktail sauce, mustard sauce, or horseradish. Their in-house Thai chili mignonette was so good, you could just drink it as is!-PEALE PASSAGE, WA: medium brine. This was recommended by Michael and was definitely our favorite.-OLDE SALT, VA: crisp and briny-VA VA VOOM, MD: medium brinePERUVIAN SCALLOP ON THE HALF SHELL. This was really good! I'm so glad we ordered this. This was both Michael and Seth's favorite.BAJA SHRIMP CEVICHE: Sea of Cortez wild shrimp, cucumber, tomato, cilantro, avocado (4/5). Classic, and they give you a huge portion.SMOKED TROUT DIP: Ducktrap Farms trout, saltines, watermelon radish (5/5). Rich, elegant, and delicious.FRESH BLUE CRAB CAKES: jumbo lump crab NO FILLERS!, pommery mustard, farmers market vegetable (5/5). Again, the portion size was large and definitely made with sweet lump crab only. It's a must try!We were so full, but we were easily talked into dessert. Their take on a Banana Cream Pie: Carmel sauce, bananas, chocolate drizzle (5/5). The vanilla pudding part was denser, creamier, and thicker than other pies. Buck & Rider will definitely be on my list of favorite dining places.

This continues to be one of my favorite spots, and definitely the best oysters in town. Possibly the best sushi as well, surprisingly!They've added a chocolate cake to the dessert options, along with the stellar lemon meringue pie and something banana. The chocolate cake is good but very rich. The lemon meringue is still my favorite! (I don't like bananas so I've never tried that one)On the recent fresh sheet was a Temaki Tuna Tartare. This was fantastic! A tuna tartare served in a little dish with kizami wasabi (pickled) with wrappers to make hand rolls. I hope they do this more often!

The service here feels top tier. Very attentive bartenders, management, service, etc. The HH roll was better than expected, the texture was great. All the cocktails were on HH which is nice too. The only thing I REALLY didn't like, but am hoping it's a fluke and will check next time - is that my bill came out to just under $22 including tax, my receipt told me that an 18% tip was $6.94, which is actually 27%..and while that might not make a difference in a $22 tab, it would on a $220! Something to keep an eye on.

This was a fantastic meal from start to finish. We visited this evening to celebrate a birthday & it truly felt special. The food was wonderful. Do not skip over the bread. The charbroiled oysters made me miss New Orleans. The crab cakes were some of the best I've ever had (lump meat for days and little to no filler). Lastly, the banana cream pie was decadent. And again, all of the staff were attentive and friendly. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Well, generally, we love B&R. Unfortunately, our last visit was just not up to their normal par. My future in-laws made reservations stating it was to celebrate a new engagement (me and my fiancé - their son). The hostess was kind and asked us to wait a few minutes, but that turned into 30 minutes. We asked the hostess if we would be seated soon and it appeared they forgot about us. We were then seated outside and just beyond the misters and a massive fan, so the 105° heat was really uncomfortable. We did our best to enjoy the evening, but eating hot food on a hot day with hot wind blowing around made it difficult. No one came around to ask if we were comfortable and we were all legitimately sweating. As far the food goes, it's always good. The burger my fiancé ordered was overcooked, but other than that we were satisfied with the meal. It just felt hard to enjoy given the circumstances.I did email them the day of our service and never heard back from anyone addressing my message. It's a disappointment because we have been very happy and loyal B&R customers for four years. We always tell friends, family and strangers they have to try B&R. We will go back for sure, but it just might be a minute so we can forget about this less than lovely experience... and, in the future during summertime, I will always specify I want an indoor table only.** Update: Someone has reached out and said they did send an email regarding my concerns from our last visit, but that the email was somehow kicked back to them. They have apologized and I have modified my review. While it was not their best performance, we still love B&R and hope for better visits in the future.

This place really does rock it. From the very fresh seafood, to the service, libations and overall vibe. Our waitress was most helpful and her suggestions were 100% spot on. Try the Banana Creme Pie!Reservations are highly suggested for Happy Hour seating area and during lunch. Worth the visit and good value!

Our waitress was absolutely lovely, the food was delicious and the environment was so fun. My husband and I went for our anniversary and it was the perfect place. We didn't feel like we needed to overly dress up or down. We will definitely be back!