The Common Good - Aurora — Restaurant in Aurora

(UPDATE) I really contemplated updating this review since I had such a good experience the first time but I have to be honest. Went this past Saturday for a second visit and was pretty disappointed 😞 I ordered a simple smash burger and a pancake. The pancake was pretty good but the burger WAS NOT a smash burger. It reminded me of the pre-formed costco burgers, thick, dry and not even some salt and pepper added. To make matters worse the bread it was served on was the consistency of bread that has been microwaved and if you don't eat it fast enough it turns tough. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to go on a Saturday during brunch (even though thats when it should be the best), maybe the kitchen staff was overwhelmed not sure but it was a completely different experience this time around. I tried to blame it on trying new menu items but my husband ordered what my mom got last time, Salmon Benedict and it was not as good as it was the first time. I was really happy we found this place but now I'm questioning the consistency.

(ORIGINAL 6/4/2025) Perfect place to have my birthday brunch! My husband, my mother and I are all pretty particular about the freshness and quality of food and we had no complaints! I ordered the shrimp and grits (dove in before I could snap a picture 😅) which was perfectly seasoned and creamy it was so good my husband ordered it as a second dish for himself after he tried mine. He had a potato dish with eggs and that was great as well the potatoes and veggies were seasoned very nicely eggs cooked well. The salmon Benedict surprised us all the most how masterfully the egg was poached the hollandaise was beautiful and the salmon and tomatoe were a perfect compliment. Our server Veronica was delightful and did a great job checking on us being we were the only ones outside its sometimes easy to forget those parties but not Veronica. It may have been coincidence but it was perfect timing when she brought my husband's second dish right as he was finishing his first. Amazing food amazing service. We will definitely be back and so grateful my husband found this gem to celebrate my birthday...

Gotta love a chef who understands the ingredients!

We ordered off the brunch menu on a late Sunday morning. I'll get to the food in minute, but first - the downside. The seats were full, and despite the required reservations, staffing seemed a bit off. We were seated almost immediately, but waited for water and coffee service for almost 15 minutes. When the waiter did stop at the table to let us know he would be with us soon, I asked for H20 & lemon wedges. About 7 minutes later, water and coffee arrived, but no lemon, even after asking twice more.

The waiter was a pro though and when our order arrived, the hostess helped bring out the hot food. It appeared that the waitstaff did not have the benefit of bussers or runners for such a busy time.

The good news was the quality of the food more than made up for the issues of service & the awful acoustics; (Hotel management really needs to hang some noise buffers off the ceiling. It was impossible to have a decent conversation during our meal.)

So, back to the food. In a word; superb. The table ordered Eggs Royale, (they called it the Common Good Salmon Benedict), a side of thick bacon, cooked perfectly to order and the Mushroom Cavatelli.

With the exception of the hollandaise being a tad salty, (Benedict), everything else was excellent. Roasting the tomato added a depth of flavor to the Benedict assisted in reducing the liquid on the muffin, and the accompanying potatoes were well received by all; including by one in our party who usually won't eat potatoes!

My own dish, the Mushroom Cavatelli, was almost perfect. The parm broth sauce was creamy and delicate. The cavatelli was appropriately chewy and the mushrooms delicate but still flavorful. Even though I am accustomed to a more robust parm broth base, this sauce was excellent and the flavor layers signaled to me that the chef likely knows his mad food science. I will go back to try the Little Gem Caesar and, maybe, the Colorado Hash, which was the daily special offered.

Just hope the front manager can pitch in to help the...

Normally, I don't leave too many reviews unless they are excellence. However, looking for a breakfast place being new here to Denver, I went by the reviews which you gave it a pretty decent review. However, upon approaching girl behind the counter, was quite pleasant and took me to a table and I sat down. Maybe about 5-10 minutes, the waiter shows up and kind of looks at me waiting for me to talk. So I ordered my food which took about 15 minutes or so to come out and when I got it it was missing the fruit that I asked for the toast is not there and his attitude was, oh I'm getting it. He brought me the fruit? The toast which wasn't toasted barely, drenched with butter and at this point I did want to complain. She said okay and never came back. I saw him again I said hey. Can I please have some coffee? Eventually he came back. The eggs were good. I've never left bacon on the plate but I did this time because it was so hard and chewy and very salty. Would I go back here again? Probably not. I believe customer service and a restaurant is the most unfortunate thing that you can offer. The food could be riding, buddy. If you have a good waiter or waitress they give you top notch service, he probably wouldn't even notice that had mag gets coiling all over it.. I hope this is a lesson for the person who served me. I even rode on the invoice. Says better service gives you better tips and he only got his 15% which normally I give 20...