Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub — Local services in Idaho Springs

Watch your check. Auto gratuity is added on top of both kitchen fee AND tax. No check provided to review before payment.

We always stop in Idaho Springs for grub on our way up to the mountains two or three time a year, so we’ve tried most of the establishments once or twice. Been to Tommy’s many times, but pre-Covid was the last. The service was a little slow, but not a big deal at all. The issue started with the food.

The nachos were really inadequate for the price. They had a white/yellowish nacho cheese, not grated melted cheddar or other cheese and were “deconstructed,” so one couldn’t tell how slim the toppings were until getting into them. Not a great value at all. Can’t stress this enough. The wings were also extremely dry. The rest of our food (mostly sandwiches/burgers) for a family of five was really good however. The fried chicken sandwich stood out.

I would not have written a review if it were not for what the title mentions, however. When I asked for the check, I was only showed the total by our server with the usual tipping options of 20%, etc. I asked for a read out or a printed check and was told that she can give it to me after the transaction closes. I stated that I would like to see it before paying to ensure its accuracy. The server was verbally polite, but either was not used to this or was busy and annoyed, as she definitely would rather not go do it. The additional hassle was the time it took to go back to the system to print one. When the check came, as feared, a 20% tip option on the POS that brought to the table was charged on top of the kitchen fee and tax. I left an 18% tip on top of food and beverage as a result. Should have left a 15% to send a stronger message.

I get that a bustling microbrewery may not be 100% spot on with grub, but to gouge its customers with hiding the auto tip basis is beyond tacky. It’s worth my time to share with the world. Not going...

Tommyknockers is usually one of the highlights of our trips to Colorado, and we always look forward to stopping. Our trip last night was very disappointing. The fish tacos, which we bragged about to so many, have changed since our last trip. It's not one solid piece of light fish anymore with amazing sauce and flavor...but little solid dark pieces of fish with no flavor but the lime I squeezed over. The buffalo burrito with green chili looked amazing, but didn't have any flavor and was just meat and sauce in a tortilla. It wasn't a busy evening (there were many open seats) yet our bartender was all over the place. She even made the comment they weren't busy enough for her to be so busy. She forgot our order and came back to ask, which isn't a big deal, but then when we were ready to leave, getting her attention to go containers and our check paid was difficult. She was talking to a couple of guys and making several trips to the back for whatever they needed. A guy, who appeared to be the manager, came over and took care of us. The bartender then came back and grabbed my husband's credit card as he was going to put it away, and started opening up our to go containers to see what she needed to charge us for...not cool! When we said we'd already paid, she said she thought it was a to go order? We were sitting at the bar, in her section, the whole time! I struggled with giving a place we loved a lower review, but everything has always been on point before. We weren't asked by anyone how our visit was, so I'm updating my review. I'm not sure we'd go out of our way seven hours to...

We went on a Sunday afternoon around 3pm ish. They had a wait and you could tell they were understaffed but still trying their best. They have an outdoor covered area to sit as well as a large area inside. They are dog friendly inside and outside! They even gave us a dog biscuit and a dog menu with things like burger patties, chicken, and puppucinos. They have a large beer menu and unique ones like green Chile lager and peach sour. We also ordered the wheat beer, the nitro IPA and the mountain west IPA. The food menu has some unique offerings too that you don't normally see at restaurants let alone breweries. We were greeted quickly after being sat but took a while for our rounds of drinks, presumably because the bar was backed up. We ordered the poutine burger with elote street corn and the edamame spring rolls. They were all fine and good but nothing super spectacular. They also have 6 packs that you can purchase as well. As we were leaving we could see that they were caught up and the folks around us waited way less for their food than ours. Overall we spent a decent chunk of time here between waiting for our table and being served but we still enjoyed our visit. Just know they can get busy. All employees we encountered were friendly to people and dogs including the manager. Note there is a 4% sustainability fee and also 10% tax. So those will raise your bill so just be aware so you aren't surprised at the end. There is pay parking around the backside of the building that stretches to Beaujo's and Westbound and Down...