Maple & Ash

Maple & Ash Scottsdale occupies a corner of the Scottsdale Waterfront, a dining district built around canal-side patios and high-end retail just south of Fashion Square. The restaurant built its national reputation in Chicago before opening this Arizona outpost, translating a fire-driven steakhouse concept into a brunch service that runs every Sunday and has become one of the more talked-about weekend reservations in the East Valley. This guide breaks down what the brunch actually delivers, what it costs, and how to plan a visit around it.

Maple & Ash Scottsdale sits at the Scottsdale Waterfront near Fashion Square Mall, serving Sunday brunch from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM with bottomless mimosas, seafood towers, caviar service, and wood-fired entrees. Expect to spend $60–$150 per person. Reservations are essential; book two to three weeks ahead and arrive at opening for the calmest seating and freshest raw bar selection.

At A Glance

Deep Origins, Architectural Evolution & Cultural Significance in Scottsdale

Maple & Ash began in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, positioning itself as a rebellion against the stiff, tableside-cart formality of old-guard steakhouses. Its founders built the brand around open-flame cooking, a see-and-be-seen bar scene, and a hospitality style that leans loud, social, and unapologetically indulgent. The Scottsdale location, opened at the Scottsdale Waterfront, extended that identity into a market saturated with traditional chophouses and resort dining rooms. Scottsdale’s Waterfront corridor itself is a relatively recent development, transforming a stretch along the Arizona Canal into a dense strip of contemporary architecture, luxury retail, and destination restaurants over the past two decades. Maple & Ash’s arrival here signaled a shift in how Scottsdale diners approached weekend brunch: less about quiet resort patios, more about a produced, high-energy event built around bottomless beverage programs and visual spectacle. The restaurant’s interior design echoes an industrial-luxe aesthetic — blackened steel, warm wood paneling, and an open kitchen anchored by a wood-burning hearth that functions as both cooking apparatus and design centerpiece. That hearth is not incidental; nearly every hot dish on the menu passes through live fire, a technique carried directly from the Chicago flagship and treated as the brand’s signature culinary identity. In a city where brunch culture often defaults to poolside buffets or casual patio spots, Maple & Ash carved out a niche for a dressier, reservation-driven brunch built around theater — flaming cocktail presentations, tiered seafood displays, and a bottomless model that turns the meal into a multi-hour social event rather than a quick weekend bite.

Signature Highlights & Detailed Offerings

The brunch menu splits into raw bar, brunch classics reimagined with steakhouse ingredients, and the wood-fired mains that anchor dinner service but appear here in scaled formats. The seafood tower — offered in tiered sizes — typically includes oysters, jumbo shrimp, king crab, and lobster, priced by tier and often running well past $100 for the largest presentation. Caviar service is available as an add-on, priced per ounce, served with traditional accompaniments of crème fraîche, chives, and blini. On the cocktail side, the Martini Tree is the visual centerpiece of the room: a branch-like stand holding multiple martini glasses, designed for group orders and constant photography. The bottomless mimosa and Bloody Mary programs run for the full 10:30 AM–1:30 PM window, with the Bloody Mary bar allowing garnish customization that ranges from classic celery and olives to shrimp skewers and bacon. Brunch plates draw on both classic American brunch staples and steakhouse technique — think a wood-fired steak and eggs pairing a fire-charred cut with eggs cooked to order, alongside French toast, avocado toast elevated with crab or lobster, and egg dishes built around house-cured meats. Tower Hour, offered Monday through Friday from 5–6 PM, is a separate happy-hour program featuring $2 oysters and $40 mini seafood towers, distinct from the Sunday brunch service but worth noting for repeat visitors who want a lower-cost entry point into the raw bar program.

Sensory & Spatial Walkthrough

Walking into Maple & Ash during Sunday brunch, the first impression is sound — a dense, upbeat playlist layered over conversation noise and the clink of champagne flutes being refilled table to table. The material palette leans dark: blackened wood, leather banquettes, brass fixtures, and low-hanging pendant lighting that keeps the room feeling intimate even at full capacity. Large windows and patio seating along the Waterfront canal let in strong late-morning Arizona light, which by midday brightens the room considerably and makes the patio tables among the most requested during the temperate months (October through April). The open kitchen and hearth sit visibly within the dining room, adding a layer of ambient heat, visual movement, and the smell of charred wood and searing meat that permeates the entire space — this is by design, meant to signal freshness and theater simultaneously. Seating skews toward larger group tables and booth configurations built for shared plates and celebratory occasions; solo diners or couples will find the bar seating a quieter, faster-paced alternative to the main room. As the 1:30 PM brunch cutoff approaches, the energy peaks — later seatings tend to be louder, more crowded, and slower on service given the volume of bottomless drink refills being managed simultaneously.

Insider Visitor Strategy & Pro Tips

• Book two to three weeks ahead for Sunday brunch, especially around holiday weekends (Mother’s Day, Easter, NFL Sunday game days) when tables sell out within days.
• Arrive at or near the 10:30 AM opening for the calmest room, freshest raw bar selection, and best odds of a patio table.
• Request patio seating specifically when booking between October and April; summer patio seating is often closed or limited due to heat.
• Order the Martini Tree only for parties of three or more — it’s priced and portioned for group sharing, not solo indulgence.
• If budget-conscious, skip the bottomless package and order à la carte cocktails plus a smaller seafood tower tier to control total spend.
• For photography, the hearth-side tables near the open kitchen and the canal-facing patio rail offer the strongest natural light and backdrop; avoid flash photography near the open flame cooking area out of courtesy to kitchen staff.
• Business casual to upscale dress is the norm — shorts and flip-flops are discouraged even at brunch given the restaurant’s dinner-house identity.

Curated Half-Day Neighborhood Pairing Itinerary

Start the morning with a pre-brunch walk along the Scottsdale Waterfront itself, tracing the Arizona Canal path for roughly 15–20 minutes past public art installations and the Soleri Bridge, an engineered pedestrian crossing designed by Paolo Soleri that doubles as a solar calendar. From there, walk five minutes to Scottsdale Fashion Square for a pre-brunch browse of galleries and boutique shops before your reservation — this keeps the stomach empty and appetite sharp for the seafood tower ahead. After brunch concludes around 1:30 PM, walk roughly ten minutes south into Old Town Scottsdale to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), a compact but well-curated contemporary art space ideal for an hour-long digestif visit. Close the afternoon with a coffee or dessert stop at one of Old Town’s independent cafés along 5th Avenue, a strip known for Southwestern jewelry galleries and small-batch coffee roasters, wrapping the full circuit in under three hours without needing a car.

Practical Logistics & Universal Accessibility

Maple & Ash Scottsdale offers valet parking directly at the restaurant entrance, typically priced in the $10–$15 range with validation sometimes available; self-parking garages throughout the Scottsdale Waterfront and adjacent Fashion Square complex offer free or low-cost alternatives within a five-minute walk. The restaurant does not sit on a Valley Metro light rail line — Scottsdale has no rail service — so most visitors arrive by car, rideshare, or on foot from nearby resorts and Old Town hotels. The dining room and patio are step-free from the main entrance, with accessible restrooms on the main level. Reservations are managed through OpenTable and the restaurant’s own website; walk-ins are accepted but rarely seated promptly during Sunday brunch hours. Payment is standard credit and contactless; an automatic gratuity may apply for larger parties. Dress code leans business casual to upscale casual — collared shirts and dresses are common, athletic wear is discouraged. Bag policies are informal with no strict security screening, though large bags may be asked to be checked or stored given the compact bar and hearth-side walkways.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time does Maple & Ash Scottsdale serve brunch?
Brunch runs every Sunday from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, with dinner service resuming afterward daily from 5 PM.

How much does brunch cost per person?
Expect $60–$150 per person depending on whether you order the bottomless mimosa package, seafood tower size, and any caviar or add-on selections.

Do I need a reservation?
Yes. Sunday brunch reservations should be made at least two to three weeks in advance through OpenTable or the restaurant’s website, especially around holidays.

Is there parking available?
Valet parking is available on-site for roughly $10–$15, and self-parking garages within the Scottsdale Waterfront complex are within a five-minute walk.

What is Tower Hour?
Tower Hour is a separate weekday happy hour (Monday–Friday, 5–6 PM) offering $2 oysters and $40 mini seafood towers, distinct from the Sunday brunch program.

Is there a dress code?
Business casual to upscale casual is expected; shorts, flip-flops, and athletic wear are discouraged.