Cayton’s Burger Bistro

Dinner was great watching the beautiful sunset. Our waiter, Ky, made it especially fun! Highly recommend!

Cayton’s is one of those places I loved to watch transform. I went before it was a Burger Bistro, and while I enjoyed it I found the change to be something I welcomed with open arms. Fantastic creativity when it came to the variety of burgers, unique shakes and an overall great atmosphere. Now, if only they could figure out when they wanted to serve.
Let me take you back a week so you can understand why I had trouble with something so simple. A group of us had planned on going out Monday night after we completed a project. I knew previous I had eaten there around 4−6pm, and after telling my colleagues about their food we couldn’t drive there fast enough (while obeying speed laws, of course). Lo and behold our surprise to see the place dead at 6. After further research we found they changed hours. Understandable, with how the Dove Mountain area suffers for business in the summer. Ok, I will try again on my own next week. After all, it was my fault that I did not look into their hours before arriving. Or so I thought.
Next week, I stopped in at just after 4. Perfect, they’re still open and they do not close until six. I walk in to sit at the bar and see four gentlemen there, so I look for a small table. A worker there, bringing out fries to one of the bar patrons, asks me if I was there for drinks or food. I replied both, only to find out the kitchen closes at 4.
What?
I’m not sure I really understand the decision behind this, as when I was in there were only six individuals in the place. Of those six, it looked like only a few were actually having drinks and it primarily looked like they were just chatting. I can’t imagine that just bar business is worth staying open unless it is directly for the golfers. However, if that is the case there is also Ignite and Core up at the Ritz. I’m not even getting into the fact that if the kitchen is closed why are they even serving apps to bar patrons, and apparently not serving anything else. I could understand a reduced menu, but the gentleman I talked to said the kitchen was closed.
So, either this was a special service done for one of the bar customers or perhaps some sort of secret society thing.
I knew I should of brought my decoder ring with me.
Further information showed that lunch only goes until 3, so whoever decided that the kitchen should only be open for another hour just made things even more bizarre. This especially becomes misleading by the hours listed online, as there is no mention of this on either the main website, Unilocal,Google or anywhere else I searched. I must confess I am struggling to understand why a place that is dubbed a «Burger Bistro» would spend a portion of time it is operational to only function as a bar. Doing a bit more digging, they seem to operate on a full schedule from Thursday until Saturday.
Now I’m really confused. Why only those days? Even further, not even advertising this just creates confusion for potential customers when the place is probably fairly scarce for business as is. I would rather the place only be open when it plans on actually functioning as what it was established to be, instead of creating two separate identities.
After all that was said and done, I decided that I should probably stop going until the winter season approaches so I know when they’ll go back to normally functioning hours (I hope, anyways). That way I know that they’ll be serving delicious burgers and milkshakes that you can’t get anywhere else in Marana instead of spending a portion of time just functioning as a bar under the name of a «Burger Bistro». Which is the real shame here, because you can’t find gourmet burgers like this in the area and I’ve enjoyed the various burgers I’ve tried here as well.
Perhaps if they want to continue doing this, they should consider a name change. I rather like «Cayton’s Burger Bistro, but only until 3−4pm on Sunday through Wednesday. Then we’re just a Bar». Even if it is a bit long, it certainly won’t create any misunderstandings.

They aren’t lying when they say the milkshakes here are to die for! We had the pleasure of dining here during a visit to the Ritz and I am very happy we did! This is a part of the country club portion of the Ritz, so it’s along the golf course and a little drive from the hotel itself. They are known for their savory burgers and mouthwatering milkshakes. We dined on the patio as the sun was setting and the weather was just about perfect. It’s such a serene environment and they do an excellent job of creating a similar ambiance in the restaurant.
While sitting by the fireplace, we both ordered burgers. I went for more of a classic burger with cheese and avocado and then we split the fries. Typically, you think, well a burger is a burger anywhere you go and so I wasn’t expecting anything much different. However, there is absolutely something different about this burger. It had the perfect flavor and was just the right amount of juicy inside the brioche bun. It was hard not to gobble up every bite! For dessert, we splurged with their famous milkshakes. They come out in a glass, along with the metal milkshake container with extra shake. I ordered the peanut butter chocolate and loved every minute of consumption.
If you’re in the area or staying at the Ritz, I highly encourage you to stop in for a visit.

We live about 3 miles away and have eaten here over 10 times usually with out of town guests. My wife and I usually order something different and share so I’ve tried most everything on the menu. Sit outside on the patio if you want the views and desert/​golf course/​sunset views. Service has always been good/​excellent. Food is excellent for the price. They have music, usually a guitarist who sings. For a casual place with good atmosphere at a reasonable price it’s hard to beat.

Nice burger, stunning views, excellent service!

We chose the Ritz Carlton for our most recent staycation over Memorial Day weekend. Due to the high volume of guests at the resort, they opened Cayton’s up for dinner on a Sunday night. We had a pretty large group, so we played it safe and went with the restaurant that could accommodate us all, and they certainly did! Upon arrival we were directed to a private dining room. From a service stand point, I’d say it was a five-​star experience. The staff was super friendly and extremely patient with our rowdy group. The food on the other hand was A-​Ok. Cayton’s menu lists over ten different gourmet burgers, salads, sandwiches and even adult shakes, including one called THE DUDE. That alone might we be worth an additional star.
Menu items come with catchy names like «Home on the range» (a buffalo burger), the Belushi and the No Substitutions (a quarter pound burger with three cheeses, pancetta, bacon and a bunch more). Burgers are no more expensive than Zin Burger. I ordered the Home on the Range buffalo burger which was served with oaxaca cheese, guacamole, and cilantro mayo with a side of tater tots. I should’ve gone with the Belushi. The patty was bright red and definitely appeared undercooked for my taste, but considering it was a buffalo patty, which tends to be leaner, I’m guessing that was the intention of the kitchen. Several others in our group ordered the Jabroni which was loaded with two patties, pancetta, capicola, mozzarella and a few other items I can’t recall. It was definitely a heavy choice! The hit of the night was definitely the DUDE shake.
Since we were there at night we didn’t get to catch the views of the golf course. The restaurant itself is certainly upscale. Since I don’t golf, I don’t imagine myself returning here for a meal anytime soon. It appeared as though the bathrooms also served as locker rooms for women, which were not very clean. Perhaps this was an oversight, given that they opened up on an off-​night.
Over all, Cayton’s was a fun choice for our group. We were especially thankful for the shuttle to and and from the resort, otherwise we might have ended up on the 10^th green… alone…in the dark.

Ate here yesterday for lunch. Burgers, fries and hummus were all good. A bit overpiced but overall they compare favorably with Zinberger. Salads were also good. However, the wine is really overpriced for such a small pour. We had both Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc and both were $ 14. Almost no one there for the two hours that we occupied a table. Maybe a bit better pricing and they might draw better. Going to check out happy hour.

Wonderful Burger… I can see why it was voted the best burger place in Tucson, but the service is pretty bad for such a high end place. The waiter said sorry for the bad service, they were short staffed, but really, a Sunday lunch during the season is not the time to be slow. No excuse other than bad management. Nothing comes with the $ 12.00 burger, sides an additional $ 5.00, Good bar and bartender. But unless you have a lot of time to wait, don’t go.

I almost don’t want to say anything as to let the secret out. We love going here and love food and wine! The staff knew our name from a previous visit and reserved our favorite table. Sign up with their local Ritz club and get 10% off your bill. They automatically deduct it when your in their system. Highly recommend bbq ribs, burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Salads are fresh and tasty too. One of our favorite places.

The setting is incredible and gorgeous — very upscale for a burger bar. Sitting outside and catching a sunset here is very memorable. The Kiva room is also pretty sweet. We had pulled pork sliders, housemade chips, guacamole, pita chips and several different kinds of dips. The food was decent. I loved the prickly pear margarita! I would give 5 stars for the venue and 3 stars for the food so it balances out to 4 stars. I still think the best burgers I’ve had are in California; this spot didn’t prove me wrong. I was here 2 years ago before Cayton’s became a burger bar and I think the food has slipped somewhat.

My family and I LOVE Cayton’s! Anytime we want to feel like we are on vacation in a nice place with amazing views, we go eat at Cayton’s. We recommend this place to all our friends and once they try it, they understand why we love it.
The food is delicious, we have yet to order something that wasn’t tasty. the burgers, sandwiches, sweet potato fries and shakes are our favorites.
Service is always great as well.
Will definitely continue to go back.

My wife and I consider ourselves gourmet burger aficionados. We enjoy going out for a nice, relatively inexpensive meal (as compared to dropping hundreds on a meal at one of the nicer places in town). We’ve been to most of the highly rated burger restaurants in Tucson, including those listed on the Tucson Weekly best burgers list. Ever since Cayton’s became a burger bistro, I’ve been wanting to go. First of all, I found the service there to be second to none, as is to be expected at any Ritz Carlton facility. The ambiance was very nice, lots of nice art on the walls. But as other reviewers have mentioned, I thought it was really odd that they had a roaring fireplace going when it was 100 degrees outside. As for the menu, I was interested to find out that there are variety of things other than burgers on the menu, like ribs and pasta. That might be a good thing… or that might be a bad thing (I thought this was a burger bistro; if there are other things on the menu, are people really coming here because the burgers are noteworthy?). I ordered the CC burger, my wife ordered the most expensive one ($ 14…can’t remember the name), and we also ordered the regular fries and sweet potato fries. We both agreed that the burgers were very good, cooked as we had requested. And although I found the flavor of the Angus to be good, it was lacking some of the juiciness that I prefer. I have to admit, the restaurant that we use as the benchmark for an excellent burger is Zin Burger — its juicy, the flavor is wonderful, and the sides are delish. One thing about Zin Burger that we like is that the sweet potato fries come with yogurt dipping sauce that best compliments the sweetness of those fries. We often wonder why the other restaurants that serve sweet potato fries (like Cayton’s) don’t have something like that. Overall, our experience at Cayton’s was very good, certainly not a disappointment, but I would have to say that Zin Burger still tops the list. If you are looking for a nice, semi-​casual place to take your golf buddies after a round, this might be the place.
Oh, I should also point out that the actual restaurant is tucked away in the corner of the golf club. My wife and I had a hard time finding it because there is really no signage pointing to it. After walking around for 10 minutes, we finally found it. They could probably do a better job of placing some signs in the parking lot or on the walkway to tell you where to go.

For of us went for dinner last night. The house potato chips were excellent, though some might find them overcooked (I like them that way). Shared an order of the mussels, which is one of the reasons why I rated 4 stars instead of 5 — they were small.
The bison burger was very good, but I ordered medium rare and it came out medium. My wife ordered the crab cake with the recommended whole wheat bun and she thought the wheat was overpowering.
The best thing on the menu is the sweet potato fries — crisp on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. One order will easily do for two people.
The view from the patio is one of the best in Tucson, and the happy hour prices are really quite good. I’d go back for the happy hour and enjoy the view with a half-​price Dragoon IPA.
The server was very attentive without being bothersome. Overall, the ratio of employees to guests was very high, no wonder they have to keep prices high.
Our bill was $ 56/​couple, a lot to pay for burger, a fries, a beer and an appetizer, but considering the setting its a nice special occasion destination.

Wow, this place was fantastic! My friends and I were staycationing at the Ritz Carlton and someone suggested Cayton’s for dinner. After a long day at the pool, it was perfect! We took the shuttle over and were immediately greeted. We were told the sunset from the patio was amazing, so we asked to be seated out there before dinner. We were quickly served our drinks and thoroughly enjoyed the view. Truly worth catching! We then were escorted inside to the private wine room where I had the most phenomenal short ribs ever. Everyone’s meals were great and the service was amazing. If you are out that way, Cayton’s isn’t to be missed!

The atmosphere is somewhat snooty. Nice looking, but you can feel the attitude of the employees and the patrons. Our server maybe thought he had seen me before and called me by someone else’s name. (This was our first time there!)
The server was reasonably attentive otherwise.
While my dinner (crab cake burger) was really good, as were the tater tots, my wife’s sliders were inedible. She asked and confirmed catsup on the side, but it was on the burger anyway. The meat was dry and there were peppers which was NOT stated on the menu. (Big No-​No!)
But here is what really had me annoyed: we both ordered margaritas, on the rocks, with NO salt. My wife watched closely as the bartender made them. He loaded the rims of the glasses with salt and poured the drinks from the shaker. Then, after discovering his mistake, he poured the drinks back into the shaker allowing much of the salt to go in there with it. Then poured it back into new saltless glasses. Guess he thought no one was watching. When the server brought them to us, we mentioned the action. He offered us fresh drinks, but we declined.
While he did offer new drinks, we do not know if he said anything to the bartender. Given the feel of the place, and the actions of the bartender, we will not return.
Grossly over priced. You are paying for the pleasure of dining with the cream of society. I’ll wager my tip was far greater than the guy with the $ 90 golf shirt.

I despise this place. My wife has a friend that likes the ambiance and the view, so we go whenever she has a birthday or wants to get the gang together, but I absolutely dread it every time. The staff is friendly enough, but it’s readily apparent that you’re paying for the setting and not the food. It doesn’t take much to impress me (after all, I am a repeat customer at 3 star establishments — but they’re 3 star establishments with 3 star prices), but I have never had a single meal here that was worth the money or even the drive. High prices and lousy food combine to make this a automatic out. Unfortunately, I know I’ll be right back here as soon as the princess summons…

Wonderful meal, fabulous service and incredible setting. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Cant write a review of the food because on a TUESDAY at 6pm with the place half empty we were told that they couldnt seat/​serve us since we didnt have reservations… there were just 3 of us and there wasnt even a ‘hey, do you want to sit at the bar?’ or ‘sorry; please come again’ thrown in. So while the setting was beautiful I probably wont venture all that way again.

Excellent place to view the sunset. Food and service is very good. If you are staying at the Ritz or just want a good place to watch a sunset and have drinks and dinner go, you will not regret it.

Tranquil and enjoyable either after a round of golf or just because. This is the clubhouse to the beautiful Jack Nicklaus golf course at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain. Cayton’s serves up «American Comfort Cuisine with a Southwestern Flare». They have a nice Happy Hour from 3−6PM that locals should really head out there to enjoy. The fish and chips on the menu is A-​MA-​ZING! it is slightly spicy with a light crispy breading and the dipping sauce is tangy/​spicy… definitely has the «Southwestern Flare». Any of the food we tried was great! Great patio to enjoy the cooler weather months in Arizona. Very romantic in atmosphere, makes for a nice weekend date.