The Office Tavern — Restaurant in Burlington

I’d like to start off by saying that I used to really enjoy this place, but throughout the last several months, quality has really gone down. This by no means has to do with any of the staff, as the staff I’ve encountered have always been friendly each time I’ve gone. This review has more to do with the cocktails. I don’t know if it’s ingredients or the bartender doesn’t know what they’re doing, but the last few (actually several) drinks I’ve gotten here, are not good and by this I mean the overall taste. An example, a cosmopolitan I got here just a few days ago, the cranberry juice in it (if that’s even what it was) tasted like it had been sitting out for who knows how long, simply put it tasted old and almost medicine like. I’ve had several cosmos in my life that I know what a good cosmo tastes like and I’ve had good cosmos here before so not sure what happened. I know this place has a rotating menu, which is fine, but according to some staff, if there is a past drink that you’d like them to make, they can make it for you.. this has not been the case as all of past drinks I’ve asked to be made have never been able to be fulfilled. This is usually an ingredient issue or the bartender simply doesn’t know how to make it. I also asked for the “bartenders special” once that had been posted just a few hours prior on The Office’s IG and the bartender asked me what it was. Shouldn’t the bartender know what the drink is especially if it’s being called the bartenders special? I’ve tried going back several times to the Office, maybe they were just having a bad day I thought, but everytime I go I am just further disappointed with the drinks. The quality isn’t great, the taste isn’t great, if my drink involves soda water it usually tastes very flat, and overall I just feel the drinks are not consistent in the way they are made. Me and my friends have asked why the same drink we’ve previously ordered looks a completely different color the 2nd time around. There’s been times where ingredients have been omitted so they’ve remade it and while it’s appreciated, it is inconsistent. Once again, this by no means has to do with the friendliness of the staff, all the servers/bartenders I’ve interacted with have been kind and attended us the...

I visited The Office Tavern on a Saturday night. We chose our seats. I havent been in here since it was the Varsity. The place feels more open, cleaner, updated. It looks great. The bathrooms were clean and updated.

My date and I ordered the spinach dip appetizer, fish tacos with a side of Mac and cheese, and a burger with smoked blue cheese and a side of sweet potato fries. For drinks I ordered the Margarita Flight and my date had a gin & tonic.

The margarita flight advertised a classic margarita, spicy pineapple, guava, and a prickly pear. All of them were unbalanced; heavy on tequila, light on the advertised flavor. The classic margarita, guava, and prickly pear -each tasted like watered down juice with tequila. The pineapple margarita tasted like the juice had been stored uncovered in a fridge with either old food or pungent foods. I found the margarita flight disappointing.

My date said the fish tacos were good. The Mac and Cheese side was creamy, but bland. My burger was stacked high with onion. The only sauce was the garlic aioli spread on the bottom. I removed half the onion. The burger patty was thick and well cooked. No pink in the center. The patty itself was under-seasoned. It would have been helped by some basic salt and pepper. Thankfully, the blue cheese flavor is strong and gave the burger a kick. The sweet potato fries side was mid. The fries were well cooked, but again, lacked flavor. I'm sensitive to salt, and even I think the fries needed salt.

For those of us on the thicc side, the bar stool seats are far too small. They dug into the back of my thigh. I felt like I was sliding off my chair. There are lower tables with regular patio chairs.

The service was fantastic. The server was attentive and friendly.

Maybe we visited on an off night. For a Saturday night, the place was pretty quiet. I can tell that someone has put their heart (and wallet!) into updating and improving this bar and the ambiance. I hope that they get things figured out in the kitchen and the bar so that people make this Tavern a...

First: Would have been a 5 star if they hadn't destroyed their menu with dull food pairings and typical pub food made exactly like typical pub food. I'll still patronize this place occasionally because of their fun cocktails and cheese curds but I likely won't be getting actual food again.

Pros: the outdoor seating is heated, quiet, and moderately blocked from wind. The indoor seating is loud but there's a variety of seating choices if you need distance from the loud people. The atmosphere is cozy in spots and group themed in other spots, so whatever kind of party you have, there's room for it. The bathrooms are always clean, gender neutral, and I LOVE the orange Cintas equipment as spots of color. I also enjoy the staff!! Emma specifically, is so fun and attentive, she deserves a raise, for sure. The cheese curds are the best cheese curds I've had outside of Wisconsin.

Cons: ....and that's about the only thing that's good about their menu anymore. I just had the mac and cheese and it's literally Kraft white cheddar flavored with a lot of dairy and a spackling of green onions on top, which you think would taste good, but unfortunately only worked with their OLD Mac and cheese recipe, not this new, supremely basic American flavoring. Each side now costs $2.50 and the appetizers cost as much as an entree, $16.00 on average. I understand they had a Chef change recently that caused the menu to change, but what they've changed it to has not kept pace with the old menu. You will not have a cheap bill, but you will enjoy it if you have a...