The Sexy Roman restaurant inside the W Scottsdale (a vibrant, luxury lifestyle hotel) was christened to reflect its identity as a “mischievous,” sultry, and high-energy take on Roman and Mediterranean dining. Created by the Alliance Hospitality Group, the name signals a playful, glamorous nightlife vibe rather than a traditional, quiet trattoria. Uh oh, as a culinary historian, those terms conjure images of “dining” taken to extreme. At its immoderate peak, the Roman dining lifestyle hearkens back to the days of baccanalian excess, wild and rowdy celebrations dedicated to Bacchus, the god of wine.
A bacchanalian feast involved massive wine-drinking, chaotic dancing, and a total breakdown of normal social rules. Chronicled some 200 years after the peak of the practice, writings offers a scandalized and extremely colourful account of the bacchanalia. Frenzied rites, sexually violent initiations of both sexes, all ages and all social classes were all part of the celebrations. Large amounts of wine and food apparently prompted participants to lose all inhibitions. Wild, chaotic parties featuring heavy drinking, loss of normal behavior, and unrestrained physical or sexual celebration were more than commonplace; they were expected. Hmm, much as I love to eat, I probably would have limited my participation to dinner.
Sexy Roman may not invite or all its guests to “let it all hang out” as in bacchanalian feasts of yore, but it does invite guests to “Indulge in la dolce vita—turned all the way up.” Sexy Roman is self-glossed as “where seductive Italian cuisine meets opulent design and electric energy.” It’s a venue “where seductive Italian cuisine meets opulent design and electric energy.” It’s not every restaurant that can live up to its billing, particularly when such promises as “seductive Italian cuisine” sounds precursory to a night of romance.
The extravagant locale, showcases a sleek, contemporary décor with functional lighting (It’s been proven that dim lighting helps romance by lowering stress, boosting confidence, and triggering biological relaxation responses). If you’re into adult beverages, make your way to the glowing black marble bar top and lounge with plush couches, slide-away window walls. Weather-permitting an outdoor dining deck is where you’ll want to be for an unbelievable al fresco experience. Sexy Roman officially opened on June 2, 2025. Within a year, it was named one of America’s “Top 50 Independent Restaurants for 2026” by FSR (Full Service Restaurant) Magazine
Sexy Roman’s kitchen is helmed by James Beard-nominated chef Jason Franey, a three-time finalist for the James Beard Foundation (JBF) “Best Chef – Northwest” award (in 2012 2013 and 2014). Before his stint in Seattle, Chef Franey spent six years training and working with Chef Daniel Humm, helping Eleven Madison Park’s kitchen in New York City achieve its high acclaim and three Michelin stars. Chef Franey wanted to move to Phoenix, ostensibly to escape the rain. With star-studded credentials from the kitchen, we knew we were in for a superb meal.
What we hadn’t quite expected is just what a warm and pleasant experience we would have. My Kim had just spent eight days and nights at the paragon of healing Barrow Neurological Institute so our visit to Sexy Roman was a celebration of her path to health. Everyone from our hostess to the restaurant’s general manager visited our table to ensure our experience was a good one. Service was absolutely extraordinary with Caesar (pictured above) leading a team of very capable and attentive servers. Caesar is reminiscent of the old-time Las Vegas waiters. His explanations of the restaurants featured fare were thorough and flowery enough to make our mouths water. After we had finished our meal, the general manager waited with my Kim until I could retrieve our car. You don;’t find such kindness at many restaurants.
In no way is Sexy Roman a cliche “red sauce” Italian restaurant. Think high-end, upscale, luxurious and extravagant, not. that there aren’t several items on the menu you might see at an Olive Garden. (That, my friends is the only time I’ll ever use Sexy Roman and Olive Garden in the same sentence. It’s akin to comparing a Ferrari Testarossa with a Chevy Vega.) The dinner menu starts with an admirable Antipasti, eight inviting starters you’ll be hard-pressed to select only one. The “bread service” features a rosemary focaccia with stracciatella and tomato jam. Caesar was positively effusive about the stracciatella.
Insalate (salads) is the third section of the menu. Each is tempting enough to make it your dinner entree, but do so only if you’re on a strict diet. There are too many tempting and tantalizing options on the Pesce Crudo (raw fish) section of the menu. First is the seafood tower (Maine lobster, oysters, salmon tartare, dungeness crab, shrimp cocktail) available in two sizes. Also on the menu is Tsar Nicoulai Caviar (whipped burrata, egg yolk, egg white, shallot, chives served with potato chips), a true indulgence. Eight items adorn the Pasta section of the menu, including lasagna (short rib bolognese) and bucatini (cacio e pepe), two dishes whose genesis is Rome. Pollo E Pesce (chicken and fish) follows suit. Lastly is the carne (meat) section. Additions (sauces) and sides are oh so tempting too.
Sexy Roman invites you to “Escape to Italy This Summer with Sexy Roman’s Limited-Time Prix Fixe Dinner.” Available Sunday through Thursday alongside Sexy Roman’s full à la carte menu, it’s a steal at only $70 per person. Here’s how it’s described on the website: “Designed for lingering over great food and even better company, the experience invites guests to curate their own evening. Begin with your choice of antipasti, from Roman-Style Meatballs and Burrata to Half Dozen Oysters or Shrimp Cocktail. For your main course, choose from Italian favorites including Lumache Alla Vodka, Bucatini, Chicken Parmesan, Burrata-Stuffed Tortellini, Roasted Salmon, or Chicken Piccata. A shared side for the table—think Black Truffle Mac & Cheese, Parmesan Fries, Broccolini, or Grilled Asparagus—brings everyone together before ending on a sweet note with Stracciatella gelato served alongside a warm NYC-style molten chocolate chip cookie.” The Escape to Italy menu made the most sense for my Kim while I had a very specific item in mind.
As we perused and contemplated the menu, Caesar ferried over some lavash, a complimentary pre-dinner bread service item served alongside grissini (pencil-thin, crispy baked breads) and cheesy batons with a tangy tomato jam before the meal. Coated with sesame seeds on one side, the lavash was a crispy receptacle for the tangy tomato jam (very similar to a tapenade). That tomato jam transformed an otherwise blandish cracker-like bread into an exciting preprandial dish.
Burrata has become a rather de rigueur offering at many Italian and fine-dining restaurants. With most burrata servings, you know what to expect and are rarely disappointed. Nor are you over the moon in love with the dish. Burrata (basil pesto, campari tomato, fennel) was my Kim’s first selection on the “Escape to Italy This Summer” prix fixe menu. It was undoubtedly the best burrata dish we’ve ever had! By far!!! The basil pesto was vibrant and herbaceous with a bright, peppery flavor from ultra-fresh basil. The whipped burrata was creamy and milky, a nice departure from its mozzarella cousin. Campari tomatoes, highly prized for being exceptionally juicy, sweet, and low in acidity offered a perfect balance of sugary flavor and a satisfying, crisp “pop” when you bite into them. There was no hint of artificial ripening. Shaved fennel offered a subtle anise flavor.
My entree–and the reason I didn’t go for the “Escape to Italy” menu–was the pan-seared branzino (chili bomba sauce). Chili bomba sauce (also known as bomba calabrese), is a fiery, chunky Italian condiment made from crushed Calabrian chili peppers, oil, vinegar, and salt. It packs a bright, smoky, and medium-to-hot spice level (generally ranging from 25,000 to 40,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). I don’t normally introduce piquant elements to seafood (other than cocktail sauce to shrimp), but it somehow made sense with the branzino. Branzino is a very mild, slightly sweet, and clean tasting fish, with no strong “fishy” flavor. It’s a white fish with a tender, moist texture that easily flakes apart when press your fork into it. Pan-searing made the skin a bit crispy, but that just made the branzino more delightful.
Robbie, one of the outstanding nurses who took care of my Kim, told us not to skip the bucatini (cacio e pepe) at Sexy Roman. A fellow epicure with a firm grasp of the metropolitan Phoenix dining scene, Robbie isn’t much for hyperbole, but he did wax poetic about the cacio e pepe, a classic Roman pasta dish whose name translates directly to “cheese and pepper.” This dish consists of just three core components: pasta (such as spaghetti or tonnarelli), freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and black pepper. We’ve had cacio e pepe a number of times, but never with bucatini, a thick, long Italian pasta made from durum wheat that resembles spaghetti but features a hollow hole running through its center. Its name comes from the Italian word buco, meaning “hole.” In a dinner replete with “bests,” the bucatini may have truly stood out.
When restaurants serve lobster mac and cheese, we’re invariably left disappointed. Caesar promised we would not be disappointed in sexy Roman’s Black Truffle Mac & Cheese. That’s as much a prophetic statement as it is an understatement. The black truffle mac & chese was superb, perhaps the best mac & cheese I’ve ever had (and I’ve “invented” a number of great mac & cheese dishes). This indulgent side dish was rich, decadent, creamy… Think of any favorable adjective you’ve ever ascribed to mac & cheese and Sexy Roman’s version will fit the bill. The black truffle imparts earthy, savory, and rich notes, featuring prominent umami notes.
My Kim’s final course was a phenomenal Stracciatella gelato served alongside a warm NYC-style molten chocolate chip cookie. Stracciatella means “little rags” in Italian and refers to three different foods: a creamy soft cheese, an egg drop soup, and a chocolate-chip-like gelato flavor. Our favorite stracciatella as a cheese comes from Fat Olives in Flagstaff. Our favorite stracciatella as a gelato now comes from Sexy Roman. This classic Italian gelato features a rich, sweet milk base flecked with fine, crunchy shards of dark chocolate. Though my Kim usually eschews dark chocolate, she thoroughly enjoyed Sexy Roman’s version. The NY-style molten chocolate chip cooke was also a big hit. Every chocolate chip cookie should be so molten, so rich, so unbelievably good.
Nikki Buchanon, one of my very favorite restaurant critics anywhere, may have expressed her experience at Sexy Roman best: “Truth is, I entered Sexy Roman a skeptic, and can you blame me? It sits at the edge of Scottsdale’s notoriously rowdy Entertainment District, hardly a bulwark of culinary excellence. But what I couldn’t have known until my first delightful bite of grissini is that the place is much more than martini carts and performative tiramisu. There’s authenticity to go with the vibe, and the whole crew, from hostess to server to busser to Franey himself, seem fixated on the customer experience. I think that’s pretty sexy.”
Sexy Roman delivers an upscale, high-energy date-night destination with stunning design, standout housemade pastas, and fun theatrical tableside service. Any meal at this superb establishment is worthy of celebration.
Sexy Roman
7277 East Camelback Road
Scottsdale, Arizona
(602) 609-7002
Website |
LATEST VISIT: 23 July 2026
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$$$
BEST BET: Stracciatella, Lavosh With Tapenade, Burrata, Pan-Seared Branzino, Bucatini (Cacio Y Pepe), Black Truffle Mac & Cheese
REVIEW #1535