Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Allen

Long but positive review: From the moment I walked into Lazy Dog (Allen location) to place a carryout order, I was met with genuine warmth and hospitality—even before I ordered a single bite of food. I had never been before and wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I was kindly greeted by Jackie and Mallory at the front desk. They made several thoughtful recommendations and invited me to sit and take my time deciding.

While sitting there, I was approached by Celeste, who asked if she could join me for a moment. Unbeknownst to me, Jackie and Mallory had shared that it was my first time, and Celeste went above and beyond to make me feel welcome.

Celeste also shared some of her favorite items on the menu and told me she had already placed an order for a free appetizer and dessert—without me even asking. She also brought over a couple other treats just to make my return experiences special too. While I later found out that a free appetizer is customary for first-time guests, what stood out was how intentional, warm, and personal everyone made the experience. They were simply being excellent at what they do.

I hadn’t even had food yet, and I already knew I’d be coming back.

When the food did arrive? Even better than expected. I ordered the pot roast sandwich and fries (Celeste’s suggestion), and both were phenomenal. The parmesan chips appetizer was delicious, and the butter cake she recommended for dessert was absolutely divine. Knowing I love sauces, Celeste even included six or seven different dipping sauces in my to-go bag just so I could try them all. I mean—above and beyond.

There was one item that was accidentally missed from my order, but when I called, the team was apologetic and gracious. They invited me to return and assured me it would be ready whenever I came back. Honestly, the service had already been so exceptional that I didn’t even mind—and yes, I’m already on my way back just a few days later.

It’s rare to receive this level of care, kindness, and customer service, and I want to be sure that the leadership at Lazy Dog knows that Jackie, Mallory, and especially Celeste were the reason I not only stayed but became a returning guest. They made me feel seen, appreciated, and welcomed without any expectations. In a world where service can often feel rushed or transactional, this was the complete opposite. Thank you all—truly. You’ve got something...

Update October 2023: same scenario, out to dinner to celebrate the last night on town with the kids. They offered a completely different menu than the last time we visited. Kids got the Mediterranean dip appetizer and it was delicious! I got the fried chicken dinner and I ate too much of it, it was so good!! Hubbs got the pulled pork sandwich and said his fries were 'flipping' outstanding! The entire family was pleased. Richard was out server and he was attentive to our needs and gave incredible suggestions!! On our last night visiting our kids (we live in Michigan-they live in Texas), we chose lazy dog. There was no waiting, we were seated right away. I was truly impressed with the interior decor. The birch looking trees by the concierge lent an air of nature. The metal dog sculptures were pretty awesome. I loved the beams in the high ceiling, very cool and I am inspired to create something similar in my own home. The fireplace wall was awesome, huge and the deer head mounted on it was unique and fitting. The restaurant was clean and spacious, easy to see from the road. Our waitress was Margaret and she was very friendly, knowledgeable seemed happy to be there. She brought our drinks right away. My son enjoyed the Alaskan Halibut. He raved about how good it was. The rest of us were slightly disappointed. IMO, the lazy dog takes the usual menu offerings but puts their on twist on it. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just didn’t meet our expectations. The queso was orange cheese with a different flavor-not bad, but not what we were expecting either. My daughter got the fried chicken meal. The seasoning in the breading was, different, unusual. Four of us tried it, the only one that really enjoyed it was my son. I got the pot roast beef dip. That was good and tasty. Both I and my daughter enjoyed the sandwich. The onion rings didn’t have much taste and I found them unremarkable. Hubbs got the cheeseburger which he liked and my acquired daughter got the all American burger which she liked. The portions of food were generous, but I felt the prices were high. I’m glad we tried this restaurant, but it is not going on my “must return” or...

Between the hours of 11am to 4pm Monday through Friday this would be a 5 star review. Hear me out..

My wife and I are here often enough to be members of their Campfire Club, and this is one of our favorite places to have lunch together. The buffalo cauliflower is great. The chicken tortilla soup, grilled cheese, burgers.. all fantastic. The service is always friendly and attentive. For lunch. I literally can’t say enough good things about this restaurant when we go for lunch on weekdays.

However, during dinner and on weekends it’s like this becomes a completely different place. The service is average at best. The food is rarely hot and a lot of times just not done well. The portions are also smaller for some items even though the meals cost more at dinner time.

Examples: We usually ask for a booth to sit in. At lunch, even when it’s busy this is never a problem and we are always willing to wait if we need to, but at dinner multiple times one hostess in particular will tell us it’s going to be a 20-30 minute wait even though we can clearly see multiple open booths. It’s obviously just a lie to see if we will change to a table since she always seats us almost immediately after we say we will wait.

The buffalo cauliflower at dinner time is almost always over or undercooked and has almost no buffalo sauce on it. Like tonight the cauliflower was so over done it was just mushy. Lunchtime is always perfectly cooked and sauced!

The last example I’ll give is waiting for service and being ignored half the time. I understand when it’s packed and super busy refills will take longer, but even when it’s not busy at dinner it still takes longer and the server will walk right by like you don’t exist sometimes.

If you’ve made it this far, I just want to say this. You will absolutely love this restaurant, their fresh food, friendly service and unique meals! Please don’t let the negative parts of this review keep you from trying Lazy Dog. I promise you will love it… just...