Tonto Bar & Grill Celebrates 30 Years

Photos courtesy of Tonto Bar & Grill

Cave Creek restaurant offers fabulous food, service and views

In 1994, John Malcolm, one of the founding partners of Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek, was visiting the area for a golf vacation and saw an opportunity.

“When I came out here in 1994, Cave Creek Cave was like the Wild West,” Malcolm said. “There were Western bars and the Boulders resort but nothing in between.”

Tonto Bar & Grill is located at Rancho Mañana, which was a dude ranch in the 1940s before becoming a golf club. Tonto started as a bar and grill to serve golfers with an all-day menu, and it caught on quickly as there was nothing like it in the area. As the area grew with more golf communities and diverse clientele, from corporate executives to retirees, Tonto expanded its menu with higher-end items like steak and seafood.

“Tonto has grown from a golf club restaurant into a community restaurant,” Malcolm said. “We have generations of customers with families coming in with kids dining in the same place where their grandparents have come for decades.”

Malcolm credits excellent service, high-quality food and amazing views for Tonto’s longevity. “People love our patio views of the golf course and the Sonoran Desert,” he said. “People can come in for a casual or elevated meal, and we have options on the menu that can please everyone, with everything made in-house.”

While some menu items change seasonally, several dishes have been on Tonto’s menu from the beginning, including the onion-crusted walleye, Pacific Coast sanddabs and German pork schnitzel. Other favorites include the Tonto burger, bourbon barbecue glazed short ribs and wood-grilled salmon.

“When people come to Tonto Bar & Grill, they are walking into a historical experience,” Malcolm said. “We are blessed to be here for 30 years because of our dedicated employees, the support of the community and the dining experience we provide.”

For more behind this Frontdoor, visit tontobarandgrill.com.