Five Palms Steak & Seafood

Epic Fail on all levels. Upstairs Happy Hour on Friday night, 40+ min.‘s to get a drink … yes even water! ALL staff was incompetent and had absolutely no clue. Every table on the patio was furious. Food was ordered but never arrived, Live Band was setting up, technical fail 3 times. This was my 2^nd time and my last. Nice building. I hope the next owner will have better training and management.

What a nice local spot. We have had dinner in the bar twice now and so cute! The bartender (Joe) is a gem! He knows all his customers by name and is so sweet! Their wild caught King Salmon was delicious but a little on the small side as far as portions go. We loved their wedge salad (but we subbed romaine)!! Also their bread and French onion soup is made to order so a must try! And there is a darling piano player on Thursday night. Not sure about the other nights but today was Thursday. Lol.

20 minutes and counting… No drinks, hell no menu. Now, 20 minutes later and no zin? This is a review in progress… Ok, actually no this isn’t a review in progress, I will stick with my rating. I wouldn’t trust this place with a special evening if they can’t even handle a happy hour with seniors!

So I visit Five Palms often as I live near there and I usually get very good service in the piano lounge. My last visits were less than exceptional though, because of one particular reason. I had the displeasure of witnessing an extremely inebriated woman who both times had to be escorted out of the establishment because of her condition. The first time I witnessed this, she was sitting next to the pianist on his bench, crying on his shoulder, and making a general nuisance of herself which was obviously interfering with the lovely performance. The second time, was a couple of weeks ago. I was sitting at the table next to her, and she was making derogatory comments about the restaurant’s owner and the establishment in general. Again, she was blatantly intoxicated to the point where she was slurring her words. Wondering who this woman was, I inquired about the identity of this returning nuisance, and was informed that this was Lester’s wife. I was absolutely appalled to find out that Lester was the General Manager of Five Palms and this person was his wife. I love the atmosphere, the food, the service, and especially the music, but I now have reservations about returning to Five Palms because of this woman’s behavior. I have a hard time understanding why such a fine establishment would allow an employee’s spouse to behave in such a fashion, let alone the General Manager. This should be addressed immediately.

We rang in the new year with the Five Palms prixe fixe menu, and with a little more attention to detail, Nino can elevate this classic foothills gem into a truly great restaurant. Our foie gras mousse with heavy on the poached pears and light on the goose liver; the arugula salad was mostly spinach, and the lamb porterhouse was measely (no ribs). However, the cioppino was hearty and generous, each delicious bite thick with perfectly steamed shellfish, fat sea scallops and juicy shrimp in a rich spicy stew worthy of coastal Spain. Those in our party who ordered the end-​cut prime were over the moon. The desserts were hit and miss as well. The semifreddo was too frozen, the baklava cup with crème anglaise was airy but odd, and the cheesecake with pecan caramel sauce was decadent and superb. The service is always attentive and knowledgeable, although one shouldn’t have to ask for water refills or worry about crumbs at this level. All in all, the six of us spent around $ 1,000 for dinner (including an excellent bottle of ZB) and while we were all happy, a little more polish would be appreciated. Olivo’s (the upstairs bar) offers one of the best patio views in the city. Please lose the plastic plants on the patio. As one comedienne in our party noted, «Those plastic plants are way too East L.A.»

Went to Five Palms to celebrate New Year’s. The restaurant was nice and the piano player was perfect. The food was really delicious. The price was really expensive, which I knew beforehand, but for $ 89 a plate, I would expect better service.
Our server seemed like it was her first day.
It took 20 minutes to get water to the table. We asked for another bottle of wine on more than one occasion, but it didn’t come until after one of us asked the status of the bottle. The server claimed we never ordered it and then couldn’t find the wine we wanted. I had to go back to the chilled wine and get it myself.
Our first course came after the second, and only when we requested it. The third course came immediately after the second. I had to pretty much scarf down my soup because she brought my lamb so quickly. One of my friends had to scrape her salad onto the next plate and none of the prime rib was cooked properly. After being told that they had ordered their prime rib Medium, despite the prime rib she brought being Medium Rare and rare, she just gave them to my friends and didn’t offer to fix it.
We had planned to stay there to ring in the new year, but after paying my $ 250 check, I didn’t feel like staying.

We go through Tuscon a couple of times a year and decided to stop by a «steak house» and looking at their web site they said they served Prime Rib on Thursdays, so why not give them a shot.
Arriving on time, we were instantly seated and offered menus. Upon reading the menu I discovered that they indeed do serve Prime Rib but only on Fridays and Saturdays.
Well, based on the image of me cutting into a hot delicious piece of PR, I was immediately disappointed that my plans got sidetracked.
We could have made arraignments to come on Friday but had already committed with friends to meet them elsewhere.
Damn, little details matter. Anyway, we ordered our appetizers along with a bottle of wine, from them limited wine list, on their menu, I didn’t ask if they had another wine list, but based on what they listed on the menu it was underwhelming.
After what took an exceptionally long time our appetizers did arrive and where delicious. I ordered the king crab legs, the wife had her garlic butter escargots. For the entrée I was sold the wagu rib steak which I ordered rare, the wife got sea bass. The bass was presented in a tagine style dish and the rib eye came with a bone as long as my arm, I guess to allow me to eat it by hand if I had the druthers. I opted for a knife and fork, Sadly my meat was presented and arrived medium.
Because the Wagu was so well marbled, it was still juicy, because it thickness of the steak was about ½ inch, it was easy to see why it was overcooked. The waiter immediately brought out the grill master and offered to cook another piece of meat for me. I opted to keep it, especially since it was still delicious even though it could have had a tad less salt bestowed upon it during the cooking.
The price was expensive, and what I really appreciated was the concern the staff had, from the waiter to the chef, even to the maitre’d that were willing to make the situation right.
We often eat out and in most places they usually shrug an issue off with some lame excuse or nonchalant diatribe, here they genially did everything in the power to make it still an enjoyable situation. Also bring out a complimentary glass of wine for both of us, and comping the dessert proved that they wanted to see us back.
Guess what? We will be back again, based on our treatment and stellar service from the waitstaff and management.
There are about half dozen so called steakhouses in Tucson, which we have all visited, this one provided us with the best experience so far.
Bravo, keep up the good work.

Went to Oliva for happy hour. What a disappointing experience. Food was below average. My husband had the lamb. It was dry and not prepared as ordered. I had the beef sliders from the happy hour menu. These were not prepared as ordered and tiny, tiny. We are quite familiar with wine and we were not served the specific Pinot Noir that we ordered. Service was slow and not particularly friendly. Not going back.

I had the pizza which was delicious. They had my favorite kind of wine, garnacha. I loved the view also.

I really, really enjoyed this place. Way more than I thought I would after walking in. Granted, we only had drinks and dessert here, but it was such a fun time!
We came in to celebrate my dad’s birthday, courtesy of my Godfather. We were to go upstairs in time to be able to peruse the martini menu, order drinks, and have a toast at sunset. My dad and I walked in while my mom and husband tried to find somewhere to park, and we noticed first off an out-​of-​date looking couple sitting in the bar. They had on extravagant, 80’s style outfits, and while they looked out of place here, they looked like they went together really well.
We sat down, and when the rest of our party arrived we ordered our drinks. We got the Mayan Ruin, the «something or other» Sunset, the «something or other» Sunrise and the Run Of The Roses. All of our drinks were amazing! I got the Mayan Ruin, which was delicious. It was a chocolate martini, which I had never had, with cayenne pepper thrown in. SO yummy, but really, really rich. I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it.
After we ordered drinks, we found out the people that looked so out of place when we walked in were part of the live music for the night, part of the 80’s And Gentlemen band! They were really loud, and I wasn’t sure how my parents would react, but they were singing and dancing and having an awesome time! I guess if the music and drinks and service and atmosphere are great enough, they can change the mind of someone who was sure her parents weren’t going to like the live music.
We also got this weird dessert pizza. It was ok. My mom and husband really liked it, but my dad and I, while we thought it was good, thought that it wasn’t the best thing ever. This really is just a matter of taste. It had pears, feta cheese and caramel sauce. It just didn’t sit right with my taste buds, but half of our party thought it rocked. Nothing against the pizza itself, it just wasn’t for me.
The view was gorgeous. It’s an absolutely amazing spot to watch our famous Tucson sunsets! I’m looking forward to my next visit. Maybe I’ll even try the food! It sure looked yummy coming out!

Well the setting is wonderful. There is a street light so you easily pull in their private parking lot. I found lots of space to park on a Thursday.
The outside catches your attention. You can see the exposed patio that looks like it was teleported from a Mexico beach.
The entrance is quite grand and spectacular. Hey, I am a kind of mom and pop place kind of guy but I do respect amazing opulence and beauty. The massive stained glass as you enter freezes you in your mad tracks to get upstairs.
It is very posh inside like a high end club. I was treated very nicely throughout my visit there. There is a small army of wait staff — and they pump hard. Good looking folks and quite cheery.
I love the upper bar area and the patio because of the view.
I tried just some bits of food so far. I was there to hear music on Thursday night — Tesoro plays. It tasted very good. I did study the menu and found it to be very different and an adventure that will call me back.

Our party of 5 came for Happy hour at the downstairs piano bar. What a treat. Not only was the food/​drink «happy hour» deal really outstanding, but the place is very classy.
What made things really special was the entertainment, especially a saxophonist who was just amazing. We stayed beyond the happy hour for another drink because we really loved the entire experience.

My husband and I were denied access in a very casual way– they locked the doors when we walked up then unlocked them when we walked away. It was during business hours. Mind you we pulled up in an Audi and were wearing jeans but we’re otherwise dressed up for a night out. Very offensive. Not sure if there’s a demographic being catered to– but whatever it is we didn’t fit it.

This is for the upstairs. The view is beautiful and they have great happy hour specials but the 3 times I have been here the food has been so/​so and service has been terrible. From disappearing waiters to spilled drinks to messed up orders, you would think this was a training facility, instead of the high class establishment it markets itself as.

The Five Palms is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Tucson. The stained glass ceilings, dark woods, copper bar, etc are gorgeous. Even the restroom is beautiful!
Our dining experience was elegant. We were serenaded by a wonderful violinist, and our waiter was very attentive. I had the petite filet, which was served with mashed potatoes and green beans, and it was cooked to perfection. After dinner, we went into the bar and listened to Susan Artemis, who is very talented, play the piano and sing Christmas carols and standards.
I can’t say enough nice things about The Five Palms. It is nice to see more upscale restaurant with great food in town.

Really should be rating this a zero as we were never given the opportunity to eat or drink due to service issues.
It started when getting out of the car, there is a sign pointing to the right for the wine shop and the stairs going up to the Bar and Grill (where we wanted to go). This led to a closed door so we had to walk all the way back around the restaurant and the ask the maitre d of the main restaurant who pointed to interior stairs providing an alternative. Confusing.
Walking into the bar upstairs, there really is no formal greeting station. We stood confused for a little while and then bus boy told us we could sit wherever we want. So we went out to the patio and found a table with a nice view in the corner.
We then sat for 15 minutes watching the city lights waiting for someone to bring us water or even acknowledge our presence. The bar was NOT full or busy — one table of four outside, a couple of others inside plus 8 – 10 people around the bar.
So we stood up and left. The waiter stopped us midway and was extremely apologetic, but 15 minutes is my limit. The maitre d was also apologetic as we walked out and said she would talk to the management about it.
Bottom line is that it doesn’t matter how good the food or view (which is very nice) if you can’t get served. There are too many other places to go in La Encantada to have to suffer that much of a wait.
(Happy ending was getting a nice window-​side table at Acacia after we left Five Palms…)

Hey Hey! Me and a buddy wanted a nice steak and bourbon after a round of golf. We decided on Five Palms based on reviews and it’s proximity to the Weston La Paloma.
It had an awesome atmosphere and a very well stocked bar and wine selection. We enjoyed a Manhattan, an Old Fashioned and a couple cold beers.
For dinner I had the Prime Ribeye and Wedge Salad. The entrée included mash potatoes and and a vegetable. The steak was good, but I ordered it Pittsburgh Rare and it lacked any real char.
The restaurant was a little understaffed, so the service did suffer a bit. They were also out of Oysters, so that was also a little disappointing. Overall a good experience, I would go back for sure.

The amazing chipotle sauce w/​shrimp tempura! Rich, quality, tasty! Can’t go wrong! Give it a try!
First let’s start off by saying this is a place to experience fine dining, fine meals, and an amazing view! I have been here several times now and each experience was just marvelous.
My company even brought our CEO’s and VP’s here to dine in the luxury area of the restaurant. Like I keep saying to myself, it really reminds me as if I’m dining on the titanic. The waitresses stand by and wait for anything that you may need along with refills and taking your plates away super prompt. Now that’s luxury dining!
They also have a mini wine cellar and cigar cellar you can simply walk to and choose to enjoy with or after your meal! The best part is that if you buy a certain amount of wine you are given your own personal locker to store the wine so every visit you make, you have your own little wine locker. Now that rocks!
Alright onto the food, I’ve had their shrimp burger which is just mouth blowing! The flavor is just so good, especially since burgers are good already, let’s make it a shrimp burger boosting it up even more. The sauce it is served with is a chipotle like sauce, which is perfect with the burger. This is a must order.
I also ordered a lamb chop on a difference visit and that was also pretty delicious. I ordered it cooked «Blue» which in Australia means to sear the meat for 5 secs on one side and 5 secs on the other. BAM done! The cook was perfect and the meat was just tender with quality flavor. Definitely good to enjoy with one of the wines served there.
Overall this is one of my favorite place to dine. Especially when I want to dress up and just feel like I’m on the Titanic! :)

Fui un sábado por entrar Pascua y había poca gente, nos toco muy buen servicio y la comida estaba muy bien preparada y de buen sabor.
El lugar muy bien decorado y agradable. En general fue muy buena experiencia.

What a poor experience, and I didn’t even try anything.
Came here the other day for happy hour, which is advertised on the website as going until 7. When we were arrived, we were told that it recently changed and is now only until 6. This didn’t work for our group as several people had not arrived yet. We pointed out that the website didn’t state that, and that if that was the case, we would likely not be staying. The manager offered to extend happy hour until 6:05– how unhelpful is that! We decided to take our group elsewhere.
I don’t understand a restaurant that would rather lose a group of 8 than give specials currently advertised on their website. I will not be coming here again.

A happy hour meeting with my ladies tonight and Five Palms impressed! The restaurant is gorgeous and elegant and the servers are very personable. There seems to be quite an after work crowd here and several of us got a little lost while trying to find our party. Made our way upstairs to the outdoor patio and then tried to get inside from up there but the regular door wouldn’t open. A server saw us and opened one of the glass wall panel doors for us. She asked about our group and immediately knew where to send us ~ downstairs to the bar area.
While making our way through the upstairs I caught a glimpse of one of the upstairs private dining rooms and it was stunning. The room was being set for a party and everything looked exquisite.
Once we found our party and my entire group was finally together it took a while to place our orders. But our server Jarrod was apologetic and funny at the same time. The happy hour specials are fantastic! From that particular menu, any beverage AND any appetizer was only $ 8 for the two. That’s a surprising deal. I had the tamarind frozen margarita and the shrimp and white fish ceviche and there is no way I could have gotten this deal anywhere else in Tucson. The margarita was delicious and fun while the ceviche was perfectly spiced. The portion was perfect, I just wish they had given me more than 2 tostadas for my dish. Kinda forced me to stick that big serving spoon in my mouth to finish off all the ceviche that wouldn’t fit on my two little tostadas. I really enjoyed my happy hour «meal» as did all the members of my party.
Current happy hour offerings include beverages choices of tamarind frozen margaritas, house red, house chardonnay, white sangria, Bud Light, Miller Light, Full Sail Session and vino verde. Appetizer selections include paella, a pasta dish, tomato soup, chicken Caesar salad, sliders, fried fish, a french dip panini and the ceviche.
Choose any of the listed beverages and any of the listed appetizers and your bill will be just $ 8.49. That my friends, is quite the happy hour deal.
I’d love to try their dinner entrees or «fine dining» but it seems a bit out of my price range. But totally within my range for happy hour!