DRAKE-Downtown Bend — Restaurant in Bend

Our recent brunch experience was lackluster at best. Menu items were boring, the food we received was mostly like warm, and the sides were clearly precooked and then reheated (though not very well). $19 for 2 slices of bread with some cherry flavored cream cheese between them and 3 slices of cold bacon with a texture more like bacon jerky.

The menu boasts a $24 bottle of champagne that is not actually champagne, but instead sparkling wine. To some that may not matter, but if you know anything about wine, this is a major faux pas. It’s served with your choice of juice. We selected orange juice and it was poor quality, either from a can or a shelf stable box. If you’re only going to provide 4oz of OJ for a bottle of cheap bubbles, at least make it good quality.

The restaurant was busy with a weekend breakfast crowd, but nothing extraordinary. There were still available seats. Still, our server never bothered to check back with us so we weren’t even able to let them try to correct the cold sides. There were people sitting at the counter who failed multiple times to get a servers attention so that they could obtain a coffee refill.

Overall, I wish I could say better things about this restaurant, but they aren’t warranted. It was a simple, diner menu that wasn’t exciting, tasty, or even well executed. Service was also unremarkable and inattentive. Prices are that of a fine dining restaurant establishment, which this definitely is not.

Try the restaurant next door. It...

I, for the life of me, cannot understand why people have left bad reviews for Drake. I drove in from Montana after a 9 day honeymoon and by sheer luck, found this place. I did read reviews and looked at the menu to see if it was something I was interested in. From the moment my wife an I walked in, we had a wonderful experience. A gentleman (unfortunately, I do not remember his name) greeted us at the door and seated us. He inquired about our day and was very polite the whole night. As I glanced around the restaurant, I noticed he was very responsive to all patrons. That was very nice to see. Our waitress was very responsive to our food and drink orders. We had the the Bang Bang Shrimp for an appetizer, my wife had the Pork Chop entree, and I had the Swordfish entree. Everything was cooked perfectly. I even commended the cooks after dinner and before leaving. My pearl couscous was fenominal. I even stated to my wife, that it tasted like my homemade pasta salad. Drake, I will be trying to mimic your dinner side! This place was super busy. Not all tables were seated, but the staff seemed to give everyone there needed time and were, just like our table, asked constantly if they were good or needed anything else. The two adjacent tables from ours were also commenting on how good their food was. I'm not a local and again, sheer dumb luck I stumbled upon this gem. I can say, I'll definitely be coming back for the food and...

Tried drake tonight for the first time. The food was great and the staff was very friendly. We sat outside with our dog and were checked on very frequently despite them having a full house inside. The food is a bit expensive but worth it for the quality. My water was still refilled even after getting my check and card back. That's wild.

I have one minor gripe, something that's holding them back from reaching their full potential. I noticed that most of their clientele is older and I think I have the solution to help them draw in a younger and more passionate crowd. All they'd have to do tailor some of their menu to mimic singles by the multi-platinum Canadian superstar with which they share a name.

Some of it would be very simple like calling their fried pickles the best I've ever had (because they were) or renaming their peach salad preach salad and other parts would take a bit more effort. I'm talking a rissoto called "rice for what", expanding their dessert menu to include poundcake and "God's flan," maybe a combo plate with their crispy duck leg and fried chicken called "two birds, one pan," I mean honestly these things write themselves. The possibilities are endless! I'm looking forward to visiting on my next trip to bend and I hope you'll embrace your name and there'll be some champagne papi on...