The Best Restaurant In The US For Mother's Day, According To Yelp
It's hard to remember a time before Yelp, the crowd-sourced restaurant-reviewing app that has been around for almost 20 years, according to Eater. Yelp debuted in tech-happy San Francisco back in 2004, and — as anyone who likes eating out knows — the company's ascent has been nothing short of extraordinary. Regularly relied upon by diners, especially those who are traveling, the app can help find the perfect place for dinner or drinks — as long as you're comfortable relying on fellow amateur reviewers' opinions, and not those of a professional.
A time when many people turn to Yelp is undoubtedly on holidays, when many go out to eat. According to FSR, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, New Year's Eve, and Easter are four of the most popular days for eating out in America. Mother's Day, however, trumps them all. In 2018, the National Restaurant Association found that 34% of all adults would go to a restaurant on Mother's Day, and this year is not likely to be an exception. If you haven't already made reservations for the day — and heads up, it falls on May 10 this year, so the clock is ticking — you might want to take a look at Yelp's list of the 100 best restaurants in the country for Mother's Day, which crowns an upscale spot in Scottsdale, Arizona as its top pick.
Café Monarch is an Arizona favorite for classic fine dining
If you like to consult Yelp before booking a restaurant reservation, then you might be interested in the crowd-sourced reviewing app's list of the 100 best restaurants in the country for Mother's Day, published on its blog on April 28. The blog entry shares that in order to come up with the list, Yelp first looked at restaurants across the U.S. for reviews that contained many references to Mother's Day, then assigned ranks based on other criteria, "including the total volume and ratings of reviews." Its top pick is Café Monarch, a fine dining restaurant that a 2018 Phoenix review called "breathtakingly expensive" — but also "well worth it for a special occasion." Tripadvisor agrees, ranking Café Monarch as No. 2 on its list of the best fine dining restaurants in the nation.
The restaurant, which has a 4.5-star rating on Yelp and a 4.9 on Open Table, doesn't mention the upcoming holiday on its website, but past years' Yelp reviews cite both brunch and dinner celebrations at the eatery. On its current menu, Café Monarch lists a four-course dinner tasting menu, with dishes such as spring onion soup with duck confit, venison with apple bread pudding, and amaretto cheesecake. Throw in one of the restaurant's Aztec Fire cocktails with spicy tequila and fino sherry, and mom is sure to be a happy camper — as long as you don't stick her with the bill.