Corrida — Restaurant in Boulder

We've loved Corrida for dinner and wine, but the brunch left us wanting.

It's interesting that this is a highly specialized restaurant with expertise in fine Spanish wines, but we've had waiters at least four times we've visited that didn't know the first thing about the menu or food in general. In fact, we've traveled through Spain many times and have had a better understanding of some dishes than some of our waiters. Not all by any means but about half.

There are never gluten free options bread wise so unless you can have the gluten free crackers you're SOL for burgers, sandwiches, starters etc. Generally, however, they find a way to make a plate. I get it, this is not a place trying to please everyone and that's okay. So let's talk about brunch.

Friendly people always, but the waitress had no answers about the menu, how dishes are prepared, if there's dairy in hollandaise (it's butter and egg), or what oil is used in the salad dressing. No biggie, we figured it out together. We ordered, received our drinks and waited.

The olives didn't come. We finally asked after the second round of drinks and they comped us the olives. Thanks but they would have been better earlier.

Three of four dishes came and they got about a quarter into brunch before mine arrived. No biggie. It really wasn't much food and I was finished immediately. I had a salad with bacon and an egg. Meh. The rest of our party was also meh about the brunch. After brunch I ordered coffee and it was so intensely bitter and so acidic that the oat milk instantly curdled. I let the waitress know and instead of making it right, she agreed with me that they have terrible coffee.

Then comes the check and for that much money we should have had a waitress who knows the menu inside and out, better service without needing to remind her about forgotten dishes, they could have attempted to make a better cup of coffee, the food should be the best I've had, the waitress should be helping to find options for dairy and gluten free, she should have suggested a dessert suitable for my limitations, and there should have been more, I don't know, pizzazz. The meal was brutally expensive and we left hungry and dissatisfied agreeing to never come for brunch again.

It's still great for date night but too expensive for this kind of brunch and for our kids in particular. We might not come back for brunch as there are much better options in town, but it's a great place for...

I visited Corrida with my girlfriend for her 31st birthday a few nights ago. She had been several times before and spoke highly of it, but this was my first visit.

Starting with the positives, the host was excellent—warmly acknowledging her birthday both when we arrived and again on our way out. We had originally booked an Alpenglobe, but after realizing how cold it was, he quickly accommodated our request to move inside, which we really appreciated. The food was also fantastic, making that part of the experience enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the service was a major disappointment. Our server was inattentive throughout the night, despite the restaurant being nearly empty. After taking our food order, she disappeared for 20–30 minutes while our drinks sat empty and our cleared plates went unnoticed. She spent more time chatting with the bartender and going in and out of the patio area than checking on our table. We eventually had to flag down other staff members just to get a drink menu and place another order.

Even something as simple as a dessert menu required multiple requests, and it was only after the bartender overheard us complaining that he reminded our server to bring it. By the end of the night, with the restaurant practically empty, it still took over 15 minutes just to have our check taken. We noticed the few other tables she was serving were also waiting an unusually long time. Frankly, I’ve received better service at most chain restaurants than what we experienced at Corrida.

Beyond the poor quality of the service, for a birthday dinner, the night felt pretty underwhelming. Aside from the host, no one acknowledged the occasion or made any effort to make it feel special. After such a disappointing experience, I called the next day and left a message to speak with a manager, but I never received a call back. I suppose they’d rather I leave a negative review than address my concerns directly.

While the food was excellent, the lack of attentive service—especially considering the price of the meal—made it difficult to fully enjoy the evening. My girlfriend, who previously loved this restaurant, left with a sour taste in her mouth and said she likely won’t be returning for any special occasions...

I’ll pass next time. We’ve been to Corrida several times and it’s always pretty good. We go to a lot of nice restaurants in Boulder and this one was on our list for mixing it up a little. I’ll just say it right up front that I can’t stand their required 24% tip. They’re very upfront about it on their website. I’m a diehard democrat and even I found it hard to swallow. It takes guts to tell your customers you can’t pay your staff a living wage unless you require a 24% tip when your average 2 top check must be $200. Also, if you’re going to require a 24% gratuity, you better deserve it. Our reservation tonight was at 8:15. We were seated in some chairs and told there wasn’t a table ready and they would seat us when they could. They brought us drinks around 8:45 and we were seated at 8:56. I was a little annoyed by then, so I checked. Our server was very nice and definitely competent. I would not put him on par with servers at some of the fancier places in Boulder, like Frasca. My husband ordered a Sauvignon Blanc. The server didn’t tell him they don’t carry it. He brought him something else and told him he would like it. I thought that was pretty presumptuous, but luckily, my husband did like it. The queso appetizer was fantastic and the steak was good and has been every time I’ve been there. The Potatoes Bravas was not as good as it usually is. I ordered our cheesecake with the peach preserves on the side and it was served with the peaches on it. I’m not very picky about those things in general. Again, if you’re going to require a 24% gratuity, the service needs to be exemplary. Maybe the owner should consider a little less profit or a little more training. Honestly, our overall experience was pretty good except for the wait for our table. If this sort of thing doesn’t bother you, the rooftop really is nice and you’ll...