12th Street Tavern — Restaurant in Albuquerque

[Note: This is a review about the poor service received, not the food or atmosphere of 12th Street Tavern, which I'm sure are fine.]

I was with a group of UNM graduate students who came over from school to watch the game against Clemson yesterday (3/22). Our group organizer was told the day prior to come by 12:30 to grab a table for 8 people and came at 12:10, originally getting seated at a 2-top as to not take up space unfairly while waiting for our other group members to show up by 12:30. Our assigned waitress (who was professional and kind), then moved us to a larger table outside where we could wait for the remaining members of our group to arrive.

As the waitress was taking our drink orders, a person who I presume was the manager, a short man in a blue polo, approached belligerently and interrupted, telling us that we couldn't sit there because all 8 of our group members weren't there. (Context: it was not yet 12:30 and our other members were held up in an exam review on campus that ran late.) When others from our group DID arrive, they were held in the lobby and prevented from joining us outside. Our waitress tried to explain that she moved us to the table outside, and that it was fine because she was still serving us, but he would have none of it.

For additional context on how ridiculous this was, there was only one table of other folks outside and several large, open tables remaining. Only small parties of 2-4 people waiting in the lobby were waiting to be seated; we were not taking up space from anybody.

As we called our remaining group members to try to hurry them along, the manager continued to come out and yell at us about how "this is just how they do business." By the time he decided to actually make us leave, we had be waiting for perhaps 5 minutes, 8 mins tops, and had already decided to leave on our own accord because we were so taken aback by how rudely we were talked to and treated. We were lucky that Buffalo Wild Wings on Iliff across the river was graciously able to accommodate our group and provide us with excellent service on short notice, despite also being very busy.

Now I'm sure someone from 12th Street will come here and say we were unruly, or that we were explained the rules "several times" and "didn't listen." What they won't tell you is the above context, or how absolutely, unabashedly rude they were to a low-key, completely sober and respectful group of graduate students who just wanted to patronize a local establishment and cheer on their school, who planned ahead and were considerate of the staff to the best of their abilities.

I'm a young Millennial, not a Karen. I support service workers because I've been one and know how tough it is, especially for big events like game days. I never leave negative reviews (you can look at my post history) – I believe that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. But I felt so incredibly disrespected after my brief visit to 12th Street Tavern that I had to say something to warn other folks. This place is not worth your time and...

Extremely disappointing! I ordered the bacon blue burger and my mom ordered the rib-eye and added an extra side of Mac and cheese. She ordered hers rare and I ordered my burger medium. We waited about 20 minutes plus before we asked if the food was going to be much longer. Our server (who was great) went to check on it. He brought the food out and my mom noticed that she didn't get her Coleslaw that came with the meal. I started eating my burger but was not what I ordered. It was just a cheeseburger. I thought I had misordered and didn't want to make a big deal of it. We asked for a to-go box and when we got the bill I noticed I had ordered the right burger but was served just a plain cheeseburger. I told the server Sebastián that I wanted to complain, he told me he would talk to management and see what they could do. The manager went to the back with him and after a few minutes she didn't have the nerve to come out to talk to me. She sent him to tell me that if I leave the other half of the burger they could give half off. Horrible management!! I left the burger after the whole ordeal but paid the full amount. I hope they get better from here. Maybe new management or training the...

Absolutely fantastic from the service, to the food, to the drinks!

I’ve been here a few times now and tried a few different menu items. You honestly can’t go wrong with anything. Particularly the chicken sandwich, and the fish and chips are really good. Their food is incredibly well done at reasonable and affordable prices. The only critique I have regarding food has to do with plating. The plates/trays that food is served on are sometimes a little too big. This leaves food items spaced far apart, unintentionally giving the illusion that there is less there than desired. However, as I said before, the food is truly fantastic quality, taste, and value.

The service has been excellent. Servers are very friendly and often on top of refilling drinks even during a rush.

That atmosphere is welcoming, fun, and clean. The inside has good character without cluttering. There are TVs all around the restaurant, an abundance of natural light from see-through garage doors, a cute little patio, and a variety of seating at different levels (tall stools, regular chairs, booths, bar seating).

Overall, very great place! 10/10 would...