Aspen Tap House — Restaurant in Champaign

I really wanted to like this place. I really did. But after two visits I have to give up and move on. The estimated wait both times has been 25-30 minutes and the actual wait was closer to 45 minutes. The service is VERY slow. You maybe see your servers 4 times the whole time you are there. So good luck getting extra ketchup if you need it! Maybe I just got bad luck in both cases, but neither of my servers had any knowledge of their beer menu. The first time the food was "ok" at best. The second trip I ordered their "feature" burger who the server said was Their best burger. Something with brew bacon jam and an egg. It sounded good. It was not. I ordered it medium rare. The burger they brought me was well done and it was covered with completely burnt charcoal blackened hard pieces of what I assumed to be bacon. As soon as she brought it to the table it made the whole table stink of fried grease. It was awful. It was like eating charcoal. Because someone else brought it and I never saw the server and had been in the restaurant for over and hour at this point without food I went ahead and choked it down after scraping the charcoal pieces off the top of it. When she finally came to ask about it I politely said it tasted like burnt grease and showed her the black crispy pieces and told her to smell it and explained that awful smell is how it tasted. A manager came to the table and asked about it and I explained the same thing to him. He said he would go look into it. Well my family was done eating and at this point we had been there for 2 hours. I explained that I didn't complain for a discount but rather for a hopeful improvement. The manager never returned, never offered any explanation for the awful food, and provided no discount on the bill. Before leaving, we used the restroom; left our coats on the table, our leftovers on the table and a half of a beer that I paid $8 for that I hoped to finish. When we returned my kids' leftover pizza box was gone, my beer was gone and the table was cleared. So we had to be patient with their slow service the entire lunch, but then they rushed us out the door! The same manager who was going to "look into my burnt awful burger" walked by so I asked him what happened. He said we assumed you left. I pointed at the table and said "with my phone and car keys on the table, and our coats on the chairs?". The whole concept and theory is something I was really excited about. Being a farmer and hearing about their Indiana farm raised beef I really wanted this place to work for me. After two VERY slow visits, poor service, terrible food, I wont be going back and have to suggest you skip the pain and don't go. This place will...

This is the only place in the whole of Champaign IL that I found has a REAL bison burger. AND they know how to cook it!

My bill came to $40, but I ordered a burger (with an extra patty), a side of fries and an appetizer. And I included a tip.

Medium rare was medium rare. The burger came with onion rings on it. The meat could've used a smidgen more salt, but otherwise it was juicy, well cooked, and tasted like bison.

The fries I got on the side were next level! Some of the best I've had in the area. 10/10 recommend.

I also got an order of fried mushrooms because I'm a forest goblin and need them anytime I see them. They were. By far. The BEST fried mushrooms I've ever had. The batter was lite and thinly crispy, they weren't cooked to the point there was no mushroom left, and the batter itself was delicious.

I would've like to have seen a bit more of Aspen CO in the decor, but the place is fun and funky in a very attractive way.

The staff were equally amazing! I unintentionally put the hostess through the ringer with my order lol (I'm an overthinker), but she was a great sport and everything got ordered quickly. The staff all seem to like and care about each other which is HUGE for any restaurant but seems a bit extra special here.

I'm a little sad to be moving out of state now that I've found this place.

10/10 I recommend stopping by here. It's a welcoming spot that's great for a daytime lunch, or evening drinks. They have a little something for everyone on the menu, including an Impossible Burger (for the vegans among us).

Go check it out, you will NOT be...

I work as a 3rd party delivery driver, and I have also been here a few times with my family. As a delivery driver, the employees backburner and ignore delivery orders. It's very frustrating. Delivery orders are for customers too. You're lucky if you get in there after 7pm and a person is actually at the host desk. The orders are not even started until we get there, which ends up not only costing us money but we are also the ones who get to take the heat over a long delay. NOT every restaurant does that!!! The company has not changed their delivery driver instructions since Covid, and the employees will NOT bring drivers the orders without a fight. They also told me they cannot use their own drive-up carryout door because that room is "jam-packed" with old equipment and boxes. This sounds like a fire hazard and should not be a thing. If this is true, it's unlawful and very dangerous, especially for a bar and grill.

As a customer myself, the food is pretty average and unimpressive. But the worst part is the service. It is the worst service I have ever seen. Anywhere. Just last night, several people entered the restaurant and we were all standing around waiting quite some time for the hostess to come over and greet and seat us! Why??? This is part of the job.

This store needs a little surprise visit from a few...