The Garlic Knot — Restaurant in Colorado

Where to start… we have been loyal garlic knot customers for 20+ years. We’ve tried other places, but find ourselves coming back time and time again. However… our experience tonight with Brian might make us rethink the decision next time. We online ordered 2 pizzas, garlic knots, and an oil and garlic pasta. Upon receiving our delivery, the pasta had cheese on it, which is a problem because the person eating this item is lactose intolerant. I called the restaurant and asked if they could send us a replacement. I was met with initial hesitation before Brian, the manager, got on the phone when I was then met with resistance. Brian claimed that because we did not add a note nor specification for no cheese, we needed to order a new one. This would be fair except… nowhere on the menu does it say the pasta has cheese? Nowhere can I leave a note? And nowhere can I select no cheese? Brian told me “it’s Italian food you should assume it has cheese all Italian food has cheese!” I told Brian he could send us a new pasta or I will drive down there and have this conversation in person. To my shock, Brian enthusiastically replied “I have all night”. So alas, I got in the car, brought the pasta, and suited up. Upon arrival, Brian informed me that I could either pay for a new pasta with no cheese or take the cheese pasta. I explained that the menu does not have cheese (a common allergen) listed as an ingredient. As Brian sat there trying to find the word “cheese” on the menu, he slowly realized I was right. Eventually he did say I was right, and mentioned he doesn’t write the menu and that the cheese was merely a garnish. Doesn’t matter Brian and garlic knot owners, it still can make people sick if it’s just a garnish! Brian tried to tell me that he’s seen a cheese-less pasta ordered before. So, right then and there, I pulled out the online ordering system. And guess what! It was IMPOSSIBLE. We could’ve stared at the online system and menu all night, it would not have been possible (photos included). Regardless, I am a paying customer, give me the pasta? Eventually it was no longer about the pasta (as he did agree to give me a replacement pasta) and became about Brian’s lack of customer service. To argue with a customer in front of a full restaurant? Insane. But it doesn’t stop there… Brian literally told me that he “lives for moments like this” after I apologized that the people who wrote the menu and online system shouldn’t be putting him in this position. Brian.. you live for this? Crazy. All of this could have been resolved had the menu specified there would be cheese, I was given the option to remove the cheese or add a note, or had Brian exhibited good customer service and just sent me a new pasta. Hell, I would’ve been satisfied had he offered for me to come pick up a new pasta! I hope Brian receives some customer service training and I hope that the menu and online ordering system is updated. People literally die by accidentally consuming common allergens that are not disclosed on a menu/ingredient list. It is not on the customer to assume an ingredient is in a dish. It’s on the restaurant to disclose that, whether a main ingredient or garnish. I hope things change before someone tries to...

Ok. I am a pizza snob. I grew up between Philly and New York, and it was almost impossible to get bad pizza. It's always something. The sauce. The crust. The cheese. And national franchises are simply the worst. I have lived in pizza deserts for far too long. Ladies and gentlemen...I give you the Original Garlic Knot in Littleton Colorado.

The smell of the place was old school New York. The sauce, the spices. Did I mention garlic? Oh baby! My daughter and I ordered garlic knots ( of course!) and a Mulberry Street pizza.

The pizza was a bit of brilliance, half red pizza, half white. I had never seen that combo before, and it was perfect.

We chatted with the owner, a former New Yorker who carried the recipes from Queens to it's current location. I missed his name, which I regret. He was affable, and charming...but the food?

The crust was New York style perfection. Not too thick. Not too thin, with just the right bite texture. (I did mention that I was a pizza snob?) The sauce was the just right blend of tang, without the acid. The cheese mix on my side was perfect...just the right amount of mozzarella and ricotta.

I warned the owner I might make rude noises after the first bite. Pizza can have a memory, and this brought me back home. Did I mention that the prices were reasonable?

So even if we have to drive the 9 miles from home,this will be our go to pizza place. The decor is NY too, but simple. Where I come from, you aren't going to a great pizza place for the art.

I...

They get to the spot fast so two stars for that. Otherwise I would give them zero stars. Being a business owner, you dont tell people "not to come on busy days". This is the second time theyve forgotten things I specifically asked for, PLASTICWARE! We got salads, how the heck do you eat salads without forks?? We are not at home and dont have silverware lying around. They have forgotten it multiple times. Busy or not, these are things that should be checked before being delivered!! Anyway last time they ran some plasticware over but this time, JAYDEN (supposedly the manager on duty) said "sorry, we are extremely busy, try not ordering on a Friday". WTH!?!?! I'm sorry I got hungry on a Friday and thought of your business!! What a joke, wont be ordering from there ever again and our employees wont either!! Plenty of Italian places around that value our business and will recheck an order before delivering to customers!!...