Wook Chung
Google
La Hacienda is pure class. If you are seeking for a traditional Spanish-Mexican-Southwestern meal, perfect for a date night or a high-class business meal, and even comforting enough to bring the entire family, look no further.
The decor is pristine and teleports you to a medieval and serene villa in Mexico or Spain. It's spacious, lots of clay and wood, and leather. It sets you to a "proper" mood where you definitely can be haughty in a good way, but not uncomfortable or unnatural. Class oozes from every nook of the large restaurant, split into variety of sections and room to contain noise and bring in the cozy feeling.
As expected, service is impeccable and top notch, easily rivaling the best steak restaurants. Again, you will have no issues feeling right at home, served well, and feel special. Our server Aaron was just great - nailed the balance of leaning in but not being bothersome.
The food is great (although could be better). Every ingredient is fresh, fresh, fresh. The freshly made guacamole was literally a delight. Try the sampler and taste the differences. All the dishes also come out visually extravagant and Instagram-ready, although I don't think it adds to the taste.
Now let's nit pick. The fish tacos could've used a bit more personality, especially with the salsa or the fish marination itself. Again, great, but wasn't mind-blowing. The plaintains were also good but I'd say was over-queso'd, making the balance slightly off. Same goes for the corn. In general, the food is great because of the love and care in the preparation with fresh ingredients. It's just that the flavor needs to be fine-tuned, just a bit.
The most disappointing aspect was the churros, where the churro was simply a crisp and didn't have the substance to back it up inside. Really, this is the one thing that you must nail at a restaurant of this caliber.
Even with these shortcomings, I still give La Hacienda 5 stars. There simply is no other experience (that I know of) as such in Phoenix/Scottsdale where you can dress up, walk around the beautiful patios of the Fairmont, and have a great night out with your loved one.
Will absolutely return for those special occasions.