Iruna

Went here for my bday over xmas vacation with my huge family. We were visiting, and this was suggested as a great place to go.
It definately is good. The food is very flavorful and small portioned. Mostly because it is so rich you can’t eat too much of it.
We had the bacon wrapped dates or figs, which were sooo good. Then we sampled a cheese plate, had olives and garlic, some artichoke dish that I can’t find on the menu and the octopus. Also we tried filet mignon and the trout. Everything was delish.
They have really good drinks too, my sister ordered this gosh I don’t remember but it is raspberry vodka with st germain, club soda I think, cranberry juice and lemonade. Soo good.
The ambience here is super low lighting, super low key and feels warm and inviting. The décor is very modern but still makes you feel cozy. And it kinda feels romantic actually.
Although we were in big party, I can’t say that I liked sharing my food lol. I think it would be the perfect place if you were with your special someone. Actually I think it would be a great anniversary place or valentines even, very upscale and fine dining. I’ll come back here again, probably with my boyfriend as he didn’t come with me on my vacation.

Yet another iconic Scottsdale eatery that I could not wait any longer to go visit.
We were a bit taken back by the spartan interior as I expected something more intimate then what we were greeted with. The service started off with a bang as we navigated with the servers help thru the tapas menu.
We elected to have each member in our party of 4 to pick two tapas for a group-​share. The tapas came out at a very reasonable interval. The food was delicious and well prepared. Out of eight tapas items… each one was delicious and unique. The allure of the venerable «paella» forced our hand in ordering both the chicken & chorizo and the seafood paella… wow were we very happy as the modestly sized paella’s were perfect sized for sharing and equally delicious.
Tapas should be more popular in the U.S. then it is, but unique restaurants like Iruna bring the Catalunyan fare to the masses and it will only be a matter of time before Tapas becomes more of a staple then a unique treat.
Iruna is a killer restaurant.

Same owners as Sol Y Sombra; unfortunately not the same magic. Sol Y Sombra (now closed) was one of my favorites — great tapas and just a super cool vibe. Perhaps I was just lucky on my Sol Y Sombra visits but the tapas at Iruna didn’t impress.
Atmosphere-​wise, Iruna does have some interesting points but overall came off sterile and cold with almost no vibe at all; their seating definitely being a big part of this. If I recall correctly the setup I got was basic booth on one side — minimalist chairs on the other. Contrast this to the warm sexy vibe of Sol Y Sombra with their big inviting booths and dark club like atmosphere. Being in Old Town Scottsdale, Iruna has the area appeal but at the same time is on the Southern end so it misses the Northern action.
Service was very good and plates came up fast so no complaints there but it just didn’t make up for the mediocre taste and restaurant feel.
Recommendation: There is a lot of hype around this place which I simply don’t get. Try going some day but don’t put on your short list; there are better places to try first.
DISHES SAMPLED
*** Bacon Wrapped Dates ***
I love bacon wrapped dates. These though were just OK; not as good as the ones I’ve had back home in Chicago. I found the cheese (Gorgonzola or some blue variant???) to not blend and to be a bit overpowering. I also thought the dish overall were just a touch too dried out.
*** Scallops with Ajo Blanco ***
This was probably my favorite dish of the night. Still not extraordinary.
*** Gambas al Ajillo ***
Looked great but the Shrimp were somewhat tough and overall the taste just didn’t pop.
*** Snapper dinner entrée ***
A close second to the Scallops but visually could have been more appealing and as with the Shrimp was a touch bland.
*** Tortilla Espanola ***
An egg and potato dish; again just OK.
*** Chistorra ***
This braised Chorizo dish may mislead some; the Chorizo is not tender and juicy as some may think from the «braised» description. Regardless, I found this dish to be quite tasty though it won’t be to everyone’s liking.
*** Patatas Bravas ***
This item was the big surprise to me and not because it was good but because I had such higher expectations. Come on! This is a simple dish and Iruna comes with so much talk: «OpenTable Diner’s Choice»,
«2010 Phoenix Magazines Best New Restaurant», etc. To not get this one right is just mind boggling. The potatoes were dry, the dish was extremely oily, and the flavor almost no kick. Hey, do I see a pattern here?
*** Pollo Colonial ***
I found this chicken dish dried out and extremely salty. Wasn’t horrible but I certainly wasn’t craving more or even wanting to finish for that matter. Also, didn’t the description say sweet and sour???
*** Red Sangria ***
Bad sangria at a Spanish tapas restaurant is like the kiss of death. Iruna you broke my heart, you broke my heart. OK, that may be overplaying it a bit but I wasn’t impressed.

Warning: This review is mostly based on service and lack of information, rather than food!
We came here for happy hour and I was going to give this place 4 stars, but they get minus 1 for not advising us where to sit for happy hour prices… and no, I didn’t think to ask «geee…what is the designated happy hour seating?» We were the first people there and they just told us to sit where ever we wanted. Also, by the time we left, there was only one other couple and they were definitely not getting the happy hour prices either.
Note: Happy hour seating is ONLY at the bar and bench.
The food and selection was tasty but I’ve had better in San Diego. I guess I need to try the other tapas joints in the area to provide a better comparison. And I do agree with others that it is a bit pricey, but some of the dishes were worth it. The red sangria was lack-​luster. The lamb was good, but small for the price. The croquettes were a little bland. I think my favorite was the Patatas Bravas with was just roasted potatoes covered in a tomato sauce. It was very basic but tasty and satisfying.
The bill came to approx ~$ 60 without tip, and when we checked the happy hour prices on some of the items we ordered, we ended up paying an extra $ 20 at least to sit at a table instead of the bar.

The first time I strolled into this lovely place — I was blown away. People here are so friendly and inviting and I cannot get enough of it.
Iruna has the best Sangria of all time. Most restaurants add soda to Sangria — it should never be made that way but Iruna does not — they actually know what they are doing.
Food — One Word — AMAZING!
I had so many dishes here — happy hour boasts lots of discounts. I ended up sharing with other people at the bar — everyone is very inviting and almost like family.
Highly recommended.

3 friends and I went for restaurant week. Iruna has great ambiance and charm. The service was top-​notch, and our server made excellent wine recommendations. The desserts were amazing. The other food was just ok.
Here’s what we had:
tapas — tortilla espanola (which was complimentary) was delicious; chistorra (chorizo in cider w/​baby artichokes) was also good; pan con tomate was surprising because it didn’t seem to be tapas. rather it was huge chunks of grilled bread that didn’t work well to distribute flavors and was oily.
entrees — trout with salsa navarra, eggplant, roasted peppers, onion and tomato was very nicely cooked and had a nice balance of flavors. filet mignon with tomatoes and salbitxada was order medium rare but delivered very well done and over-​salted. It was refired, and v2 was the right temperature but still over-​salted.
we glanced at the patio on the way out which looks fantastic. We return to try some other tapas and sangria on their outdoor couches.

Food, Service, Ambiance: EXCELLENT!
Menu Item Recommendations: Serrano Ham & Manchego, Chistorra, Spinach & Goat Cheese Croquettas, and Brussel Sprouts with Thyme.
Their red sangria is quite good; get a pitcher :)

Keep in mind it is Tapas and the food was good. The bacon wrapped dates were good along with the scallops. The filet mignon was good but not I’ve never seen filet mignon so small. The lamb with mustard mint was interesting.
For the price… I could have went to Mortons.

I hadn’t been to Iruna since the Unilocal Event last year. We made reservation for a party of 8 and were seated immediately upon our arrival.
It was awesome to go with a big group because I was able to sample almost everything on the menu.
A few of my favorites:
Dates — Everything is better wrapped in bacon.
Chistorra — Spanish chorizo, while a tad hard the flavor was excellent
Scallops with White Asparagus — Perfectly cooked
Brussel Sprouts — Roasted with Thyme
Gambas — Big and juicy
Trout — Very moist and the rub was smoky and spicy
I was also pretty amazed by both the quail and the duck. Each are items I would not normally order, and each were delicious. Actually, I think the quail was once of my favorites that night.
The service was excellent, our drinks were always full, and the food timing was perfect. We finished off with a shot of espresso and were off to enjoy the rest of our evening.
I have to remember to come back for ½ Price Bottles of Wine on Wednesday’s!

Checked out Iruna for the first time and I enjoyed myself! I got a little lost trying to find it so just note that it’s right on Scottsdale Rd, right next to RA, facing north (hope that helps!). While there, I shared a few tapas with a friend:
* Sliced apples, fennel, walnut with grapefruit (didn’t realize fennel was so delicious, especially made like that!)
* Spinach and goat cheese croquettas (only thing to compare it to is a fancy mozzarella stick but so much better!)
* Patatas Bravas (I love me some potatoes and these were in some kind of creamy sauce that was divine!)
We had one other tapas that was mahi mahi I think. For not being a big fish eater, I thought it was nicely cooked and just the right amount of flavor. It made me open to trying other dishes like it!
Cool little place that doesn’t make you feel like you are in the heart of downtown Scottsdale. I think there is a coupon on
that I’ll go find before coming back again.

A huge disappointment. I had been looking forward to getting to Iruna and experiencing what I thought would be an experience to all the good food, service and times once had at Sol Y Sombra. Joke was on me and my friends!
I would give the service 1 star, but because a few of the dishes were very tasteful, I am giving two stars. The waiter was nice, but did not belong in the service industry. He called us «dudes» (I wasn’t on the beach and he wasn’t wearing swim trunks, no need for «dude»), he kneeled on the table bench directly behind us, basically breathing down my neck when he talked (gross), never asked us how the food was, even when we didn’t touch more than 2 pieces of the calamari (that was saturated in oil and desperately needed a few squeezes of lemon). He took dishes away that we were not finished with.
The food was good — some dishes were great and some were not good at all. The romesco sauce served with the croquettas was delicious! I could have eaten just a side of the sauce alone. It has just enough spice and the flavors were spot on. The trout was another delicious dish. The fish was cooked to perfection and everything on the plate hit the palette in all the right places.
The calamari was awful. It was over fried, and instead of serving with a lemon wedge, was served with a citrus aioli — the concept would have been great if worked with the dish. Even after taking the lemon from my water and squeezing on the dish, it was not appetizing.
If you check them out online and want to go try them for happy hour — sit at the bar (maybe on the patio, I didn’t ask) but we were seated in the actual dining area and then told the HH menu was only available at the bar. No biggie, but not the best way to attract repeat customers.
The space itself is very nicely decorated, it was comfortable and had a lot of details that worked well with the rest of the décor.
Overall, I think they did a great job with the space, if they tweaked just some small things with some of the food items, they could make them much better and as for service — contrary to popular belief, just because you’re in Scottsdale, doesn’t mean your staff should be wearing Ed Hardy t shirts and calling customers «dude».

I’ve been missing Lola’s Tapas for about a year now and have been in search of a new Tapas place. Tapas Papas Fritas is good, but more formal than Iruna. Iruna felt more casual while still being trendy and nice inside. The sangria was muy yummy. I recommend signing up for their e-​mail list, better yet– I recommend signing up for ALL email lists (you almost will always be rewarded with something gratis). Anywho, I recommend Happy Hour to dip your feet in the water. You like, go back for dinner!
What I ordered (and will most likely order the next time I go back):
Serrano and Manchego– so simple, yet so yummy
Artichokes and Clams in white sauce– this was an interesting choice for us, but I was very pleased. the white sauce wasn’t overpowering as it sometimes is
Pollo Colonial– a fantastic alternative to wings– don’t get confused. They are nothing like regular wings, but do use chicken wing meat in a great aioli type sauce
Patatas Bravas– papas weren’t dry or overcooked. The sauce was interesting, it was like an explosion of pimenton, but i like pimenton so it worked.

The saving grace of Phoenix! After a dismal experience at T. Cook’s, we decided to find a place where people are more accepting and the food is not bland and boring. Unilocal reviews steered us to Iruna. Thank you, Unilocal.
It seems to me that the few trendy people left in Phoenix hang out at Iruna (and Mabel’s on Main). It also seemed like one of the many places we visited where people didn’t look at us like we are aliens. Being an interracial gay couple, we didn’t feel comfortable at many places in Phoenix, but Iruna was different from the rest of the crowd.
We knew it would be a good dining experience as soon as we noticed a diverse group of patrons, unlike many other places we visited in Phoenix. And by diverse I don’t necessarily mean race/​ethnicity, I mean people with different fashion styles, different looks, seemingly different walks of life. I was worried that most of Phoenix was starting to look alike until we went to Iruna.
Food: tapas done right. Chef Brian Barry with his impressive resume, having worked at popular restaurants on both coasts in the past (Gramercy Tavern in NYC — one of the best places to dine in the entire country), serves great food in a fantastic atmosphere.
Ensalada de Pato — crisp duck confit, organic pears, toasted almonds, and mache. The best of the lot. Crispy duck combined with pears and toasted almonds provides a burst of salty, sweet, and nutty flavors in your mouth while the mache helps you take it to a different level. Simply brilliant!
Pulpo en Escabeche — baby octopus marinated with peppers and olives in a spicy smoked paprika escabeche. Lightly charred baby octopus served over spicy and vinegary escabeche. An amazing combination of flavors.
Pan roasted quail with crispy Serrano — half a quail roasted with crispy Serrano served with lentils, white grapes, and natural jus. The natural jus adds an exquisite flavor to the lentils. The man thinks it is the best dish on Iruna’s menu, I think it is the second best… almost as good as Ensalada de Pato.
Brussel sprouts with thyme and calamari completed our wonderful meal. Service was perfect, our waiter made the right suggestions and never left our cocktail glasses empty. The best part was when we saw the chef outside and thanked him for a great meal… he was happy that we took time to thank him. After we told about our lackluster experiences in Phoenix, he said he knows the right place for us and took us to Mabel’s on Main for a drink. That’s what I call a «cool» chef!
We would totally write Phoenix off if it wasn’t for the saving meal at Iruna. Thank you for saving our anniversary weekend. We will definitely dine here if we ever come back to Phoenix.

Gosh — so we were in Phoenix for a weekend: knowing no one — we had to figure this out all by ourselves… it is easy Phoenix is um well different, let’s just leave it at that. So through some research, instinct and guessing we found Iruna-​a breath of fresh air!
Just to get this out of the way: I only gave four stores because the cocktails were poor quality– this is 2011 if you want to be swank get you a mixologist today.
Back to the good stuff — the cutest hostess if not the cutest woman in all of phoenix greeted us with a SMILE and a can do unassuming I am going to take care of you attitude (reminder this is phoenix). Place was cute yea yea the Miro mural is cliché (but this is phoenix). While I think it is super wasteful to offer outside seating and then provide propane heaters (this is phoenix) and it was super cute outside and the music was loungey and perfect for our evening — oh hey and uncute but super informed server.
Now for the food — yea! real food ! roasted quail=perfect PEREFCT — crispy, juicy, tender, yummy — duck confit with pear and some super special almond yumm (note to chef crumble/​break the almonds for flavor and sharing)
Grilled baby octopus, not very localvore, but impressed that this is even on the menu (this is phoenix) and lovely!
gosh did I mention the quail? We had a lovely cheese plate, brussel sprouts, gosh calamari and yea we ate way too much and it was all super — we will go back next time we are in Phoenix!
So then Chef Brian stops by our table asks us about our food we explain how thankful we are to have found such a spot and the food is yummy good great portions and he invites us to Mabel’s on Main-​rewrite he drives us to to Mabel’s on Main.
Stop in — order wine not cocktails — you will have a super meal…
Note to the nosy middle aged couple next to us — yes we are gay yes we are biracial please stop staring (oh yea this is phoenix).

Sorry Iruna, I can’t give you the «Just opened Pass» anymore. In an attempt to give Iruna a redemption from our first visit, my hottie and I met up with another couple for «happy hour». As it turns out, we were unable to get HH pricing because we were sat at a table inside. We requested outside seating but the host said, «I don’t think we have anything outside» If I knew that was going to be a $ 50 difference in my bill, I would have made him check!
The good:
1. Wine selection
2. Red Sangria
The bad…
1. Pan con Tomato… oops they forgot the tomato, garlic and salt, so I basically got bread!
2. Spinach and goat cheese sticks… burnt once again, I mean even Arby’s has mastered frying cheese!
3. The prices are ridiculous for the small portions and quality.
I don’t mind spending over $ 100 on a meal for two people and hardly getting any food, if 1) every bite is savory and delicious or 2) if it’s a really cool place. Iruna is neither of these! In fact we left, went to RnR and got more food.

So here’s the scenario:
A foodie website with lots of citizen reviewers is holding an event at your restaurant. You go in knowing the people at the event will in all likelihood write reviews of your restaurant.
Do you:
A. Treat the attendees as if you are doing them a favor, run out of food early and generally put out the feeling that you would like the whole ordeal to be over as fast as possible so you can get these folks out of your establishment.
B. Seize the opportunity to put your best foot forward and capitalize on the opportunity to present your great food and friendly, professional staff to the reviewing community, in the hopes of receiving praise and business in return.
If you chose B you do not run Iruna.
To be honest, I am not privy to the negotiations and such that go on between Unilocal and a restaurant hosting an event. I do however have a solid grasp of business and marketing.
In my opinion, Iruna’s behavior at the recent Unilocal event reflected answer A above rather than B. It was unfortunate.
The food varied from good to mediocre. I heard some folks got more than a few morsels, I’m not sure who they were.
I experienced attitude from staff members myself and witnessed a number of other people receive the same. I was frankly quite surprised. It was clear to me the staff did not grasp the opportunity they were presented with and viewed the event as a problem to get through.
As a contrast, I attended a Unilocal event at The Breakfast Joynt over a year ago. The staff and management was pleasant and welcoming and the food was very good. I have returned to The Breakfast Joynt 6 – 7 times since the event.
I won’t be back to Iruna.

When stepping into the open and contemporary space at Iruna, one gets a small taste of Barcelona. Exposed brick is on one wall, covered with abstract art which is something one can see throught the city. Wooden beams run across the exposed ceilings. A wall mural depicting «La Seu» cathedral brings the concept home.
We started the tasting adventure with their signature «Ginger limonata» (sky Ginger vodka, muddled with candied Ginger, fresh lemons, lemonade, and Sierra mist) and a Red sangria (wonderful bouquet and spicy taste with its 5 different types of brandy, still Spanish wine, oranges, lemons, limes, and apples)
Next came the chilled vegetable soup, «Gazpacho» which has a tart flavor and is very robust for being a chilled soup. Not my cup of soup…
However, what followed after made up for it completely. Possibly my favorite item on the menu was the bacon wrapped bleu cheese and date, a gorgeous flavor combination.
The taste barometer went down a notch again with the Chistorra — a Spanish chorizo braised in cider with crisp baby artichokes. Perhaps it was the way the chorizo is prepared, but it was too dry and too spicy. The smokey flavor would indicate that the sausage had been smoked, explaining why it was so dry — I think the chorizo wanted a partner with more flavor, not the artichoke.
Other menu items that were sampled were the toast with asparagus and romesco sauce, Serrano ham, as well as the roasted eggplant with tomato, onion, and peppers.
Seafood paella with shrimp, mussels, and calamari was also on the menu, though something was lacking with the flavor.
The highlight of this tasting experience were the Patatas bravas (a crunchy, well seasoned potato with paprika) and the cauliflower in parsley broth (huge fan!!!) These were two menu items that I sorely missed when Sol Y Sambra closed its doors at Market Street.
Now, luckily, the tapas are back. There are many more items of note on their menu, many of them seafood and beef. Our particular visit was part of an event where a selection of items from their menu were provided for sampling. We will return to explore all of the flavors Iruna has to offer.

I would definitely go back! My friend had signed up for something and had a free pitcher of Sangria coupon, so we hung out during Happy Hour. I ordered the tomato toast and gazpacho and enjoyed both. The tomato toast had a «sneaky» spice to it (probably just the garlic), and the gazpacho tasted as though it was made from fresh tomatoes.
Between myself and two friends, we ordered 6 small dishes plus our dessert. The sangria was free, but I was pretty surprised when our bills were each only $ 12 or so. The service was great, and the waiter at the bar constantly refilled our waters and/​or sangria.
The only complaint I would have is that during happy hour, you sit at the bar area. It was sometimes hard to hear and see everyone sitting like that. Also, parking can be messy in that part of Scottsdale. Luckily we avoided that due to the time of our arrival. Also, they do not take Discover, which is my credit card of choice.
Update:
I think some of my other friends will probably not return now. I went again with some friends for just a few things and Sangria. It was pretty much dead, yet we were rushed to pay our check. I was trying to count my cash, and the waiter kept asking for what we wanted to do. I asked if we could have some time, and it was like day to night — suddenly not so Mr. Friendly. Ah well, I live in Phoenix… not really in my neck of the woods. After that, we got some stares from the staff, although the patio was completely empty — no one else was waiting!

Sometimes you get lucky and find yourself in the right place at the right time.
My girlfriend and I went over to Iruna after another event to check them out. Lucky for us, it was the grand opening party and all the food and drinks were free.
The paella was really good with lots of shrimp. The tapas they passed around were tasty as well. My favorites were the bacon wrapped dates and the tortilla espanola which is a traditional Spanish egg tapa.
We liked both the red and white sangrias.
This is a cool place and I’ll be back to get some more Spanish food and wine very soon.

It was the summer of 1994…
Salamanca Spain.
I was there for a six week study abroad program, and I loved every moment of it, but I particularly loved the culture and the food!
This all came back to me last night when I went to Iruna for their grand opening. I felt like I was back in Spain as I drank sangria, people-​watched, enjoyed the fabulous service, and of course, savored samples from Aaron May’s latest menu…
The tortilla espanola was my favorite, but I was also a fan of the gazpacho and the artichoke and clams. One look at the regular menu and there is a ton more comida that I’ll have to try.
If you like any of the following, let me know:
*ensalada de arroz con atun
*pulpo a la gallega
*paella
*spinach and goat cheese croquettas
*calamari con pimenton
*gambas al ajillo
*any /​all of the vegetable sides — gotta get that verdura in!
We can set up a tapas date and share!
And it looks like their «hora feliz» (4:30 — 6:30 daily) has some awesome deals!
I’d like to eventually travel back to Spain to relive that summer, but in the meantime, I look forward to making do at Iruna!