Bonfire — Restaurant in Amherst

We were so excited to try Bonfire, to say it was a disappointment was a huge understatement. We were greeted at our table by the server and that was the best part of our experience. The manager(?) was at the bar maybe doing paperwork, and was having to nod or shake her head when our server was asking her if they had items we were ordering. They didn’t have the Reuben, no Mac n cheese, no mushrooms for the risotto…so we got the ribs and cowboy burger. We waited and waited, every table that came in after us was served. After waiting for nearly an hour and no communication from anyone (the server and manager?) who walked by us SEVERAL times, never checking on us ..never asking if we needed more water…NOTHING. I finally had to go to the bar and asked how much longer it would be. I told her we had been there for an hour. No one even acknowledged me so I went back to our table. We were going to leave, but about 10 mins later here comes our food. No explanation or apology as to the delay. The ribs were rubbery and burger was over cooked and the bun was so hard I couldn’t eat it. I had to ask for napkins, ketchup and no silverware was offered for the slaw. No one asked how the food was. I had to ask again for more water, I then took the opportunity to ask what happened with our order. We were told it was cause the ribs weren’t done and there was only 1cook and everyone else was at an event! We were never offered an apology or even a discount. We will NEVER be back. It was absolutely unprofessional on all levels, the food...

Was very excited to try bonfire , had been wanting to try it since they opened, just never out in Amherst. We got there around 215 and was greeted by the waitress and received water , unfortunately that was the only good part of our visit. The other employee was just sitting at the bar appeared to be drinking a beer, doing paperwork possibly? When we were ordering I wanted the Rueben and Mac and cheese , but was told they were out of both , so I asked if the ribs were available. The server said yes, so ordered them. After an hour of waiting my partner went to the bar and asked where our food was that we’d been there for an hour. No response , about 15 mins later our food arrives. Her burger had been sitting under the heat window so long the top bun was toasted and too hard to eat , the ribs… they were tough and chewy. We received no apologies or even an explanation. Eventually we had asked the waitress who claims “ oh the ribs took longer than expected” I would’ve rather have been told in the beginning that the ribs weren’t available than be made to wait an hour + for tough ribs, an overcooked burger with hard bun and soggy fried onions. It was a horrible...

I was pretty disappointed after my visit for lunch. I ordered the Cowboy burger and asked for lettuce and tomato on it. Burger came and there was no lettuce and tomato on it. The burger itself was pretty small for $15. Asked for medium rare and it was more like medium. I got the mac n cheese instead of fries as my side. It was pretty bad. Didn’t taste like much and it was SO greasy. There was a pool of grease that the noodles were sitting in. Didn’t even finish it. Ordered a Caesar salad as well and it was nothing special. Go down to road to The Filling Station for a burger. It’s cheaper and much better. You can fully customize your burger with all of the toppings they offer too. If you’re looking for local beef and a better ambiance, then stick with Bonfire. It’s a shame that, with the extremely limited selection of restaurants in Amherst, Bonfire couldn’t be better. I don’t think I’ll be back. $60, including tip, for two people was nowhere...