Spruce Farm & Fish — Restaurant in Boulder

First, I would like to state that I NEVER leave negative reviews. I've worked in retail and the service industry in the past, so I'm aware of the manner in which disgruntled patrons make a mountain out of a minor issues. In addition, front-line staff often bear the brunt of this when the issues start from the top. However, Spruce provided easily one of the worst dining experiences of my life. I'm inclined to believe this place is unfit from top to bottom.

I walked in and was seated in the back of the restaurant although there were plenty of open spaces available in the front. Once again, I know how these things work so I just assumed I was assigned to the section with the least amount of people. Then, an interracial couple was seated in my section. And another. Couples of other races came in between these couples and they were seated either at the front or by windows. I told myself I was thinking too much so I proceeded with my order. When my food arrived to my table, it was cold. I received my food at the same time as a table of four and this table was seated at least 15 minutes after me. It doesn't matter if the food was hot because it was flavorless as well. The dishes were plated wonderfully but the taste was borderline inedible. The waitress could not care less about checking in with us and instead she bumped around to other tables in the section. This section, of course, was now packed because of the odd seating arrangement they elected to use. It was clear other sections were emptier than my section now. We finally had to get her attention by yelling out at her because she was in such a rush to pass by my table. Once again, I won't name names because it is unfair to the individual front-line worker. Her service was poor, and possibly even biased, but that poor service and bias was the result of training and learned behavior.

I, obviously, take "that" accusation seriously, which is why I'm hesitant to use that word for this review. However, I'd like this staff to stop for a moment and think about the optics. Was it intentional or just poor judgment. I can't say. I just know intent doesn't matter and the service I received was poor.

Since I enjoyed by brief stay at Hotel Boulderado, I thought it was odd to have such a stark contrast for dining options. This restaurant does not meet the standards set by Boulderado at all. Since this was the last meal of my stay, it dampered the entire experience. Not only will I not return to Spruce, I doubt I'd ever stay at...

Walked into this cute spot on a whim. The interior is a very cool combo of art deco and Italian renaissance/Spanish revival architecture.

The door is off to the side of the main entrance to the Boulderado. We were seated and given water immediately on a saturday. This is a far cry from many other spots in Boulder where long lines dominate the breakfast and brunch scene.

We ordered a phenomenal bloody mary ($7). The best I've had in Boulder to be honest. My mimosa ($7.5) was mostly champagne, I'm not complaining but can I get a bottomless please?

We started our food order with the deviled eggs ($7.95). Presentation was stunning but left something to be desired from the taste. Overall the deviled portion of the eggs were fantastic. They were however a little colder than room temp. Cold reduces flavor impact and unfortunately the umami element was lacking. There's a fresh citrus taste that plays nicely with the roasted tomato flavor. The best part is the fatty pork that topped the dish.

Our main course was a jalapeno cheddar biscuit ($12.95) with a side cinnamon roll pancake ($5.95). The cheddar biscuit comes with poached eggs that were done perfectly. The pico de gallo was the sleeper of the dish. It was bomb. The cheddar biscuit was certainly cheddar in flavor but I'm not sure it was spicy enough for jalapeno. Overall the dish was solid and delicious. It is a solid southwestern inspired biscuit breakfast dish alternative that brings some innovation without getting too crazy.

The cinnamon roll pancake was insanely sweet but what do you expect when you combine a buttered maple syrup flapjack and a iced cinnamon breakfast pastry that's topped with cinnamon rolled apples? It was spectacular and my pancreas hates me but whatever. The apples were a fantastic touch and again this is another dish that brings a culinary twist to two american breakfast staples.

For the price, the ambiance, and no wait this place gets a solid 4 stars. In respect to Boulders breakfast scene it deserves 5 stars. For the discerning breakfast aficionado it cannot by any means be compared to a fancy brunch spot in a major metropolitan food hub but, for the price point Spruce Farm and Fish had culinary flair and interesting albeit orthodox menu choices. I want to finish the review by saying this spot is a total gem in Boulder and...

I don’t write 1 Star reviews too often, but my husband and I were so disappointed in this meal/night that I have to. We dine out in Boulder occasionally & there are a tonnnn of options for great food. So when you completely butcher an entire evening while charging $160 for a basic, lackluster dinner, it needs to be documented.

For Valentines we wanted to get out and enjoy ourselves for our first married Valentines and our last before our baby arrives in 7 weeks. Covid era has been a weird year and we love supporting local! We don’t do gifts but splurge on a dinner experience instead. We were looking forward to it.

We made a reservation and they sat us up top - it was pretty and cozy! That’s where the nice ends.

Service was poor. Server also after being told I had an allergy to goat cheese, brought me the food I said I was allergic to, then acted surprised and completely obviously forgetting that we even discussed subbing the goat cheese for another cheese, because he brought me the correct allergy free food out the next time... with no cheese.

Brought our entree right after our salad arrived. Awesome, so now the food would be cold.

$69 for my filet and lobster and the lobster was about 4-5 tiny tsp worth, and rubbery, and my husband is absolutely convinced it was more crab meat than lobster. Steak was decent but undercooked but the bacon was good. Sadly the food was cold, so, it was decent for cold steak. Never brought me a steak knife. I sure enjoyed cutting cold bacon wrapped filet with a dull butter knife.

Dessert probably cost them about .50 cents to prepare. A tiny little chocolate torte and three pieces of strawberries tossed on. It was Valentine’s Day!!! We literally hit Whole Foods on our way home and grabbed a real dessert.

We waited so long for dessert we were more than ready to leave.... no offering of drink refills, coffee, tea, nada with dessert. Just eventually dropped it Off and left not to be seen again for another several moments with the bill.

We’ve been here before for breakfast but after this night, we will never return. It was literally offensive to serve such a bad meal, with bad service, while charging so much money, in a place where food is done right at so many places around (Boulder). We are so bummed our...