Adrift — Restaurant in Denver

If I am giving this place 3 stars it’s only thanks to the service we got from Chelsey and because the food ordered was still pretty decent.

l walked by with my husband and my best friend this past Saturday evening; my friend who was visiting from out of state- was looking for a fun and trendy place to have a nice dinner. I had come across Adrift on TikTok and it seemed like a place to be at so I suggested the location.

We arrive and I walk up to the host stand and I waited a few min because Eddie (the host) was not there. Chelsey, who happens to be the runner comes by and greets me and breaks it down to me that a reservation would have been recommended and our wait to be seated would be approximately about a two hr wait. So I looked to my party to see what we wanted to do and we had obviously decided to go elsewhere- we were just outside the restaurant trying to find another place nearby when Chelsey comes out and apologized for the misinformation and says to me that we could be seated in about 5 minutes. She walks back inside and I went to collect my party.

I walk inside and talked to Eddie(host), who was now at the podium. I asked if I could put my name down or if I should just wait on the side to be seated. He looked at me as if I was crazy. I explained that the previous hostess (Chelsey) had let me know I could be seated soon. He seemed to be patronizing me when he was telling me Chelsey was just the runner and he was the only host.

He walked away and made his way to Chelsey- i could not hear what he was saying but it certainly seemed like he was scolding her. Either way he comes back and says to me that he is sitting us in a “non seatable table” and takes us to a very dimmed area.

We were not upset about it since they “tried” to accommodate us but everything just seemed to keep going downhill after this.

We waited a long while before our server (Omar) even came to us, we did notice that he went to check on other tables a few times and still had not made his way to us. Luckily Chelsey came by to apologize for all the mishap and took our drink order and then a few min later took our order for some starters. When Omar FINALLY came to check on us, he took our entrees order and advised us that the kitchen was out of rice - I had to completely change what I wanted to order- would have been nice to have known prior to handing over the menu. Anyway, my friend had ordered the rice bowl without rice and when it finally came - what a shocker! Her plate had rice ! -_-

This was definitely a horrible experience. Was really bummed out that my friend left with a bad impression and that I had suggested this spot. The food was great but if they offer take out I would recommend to do that instead of waiting and be given lousy customer service.

If you decide to make your way in Chelsey might be the best bet for a good time and...

Adrift Tiki Bar in Denver is an absolute gem and a must-visit for tiki enthusiasts. We made reservations ahead of time, and while the atmosphere wasn’t the dark and moody vibe typical of most tiki bars, the bright, fun decor and appropriate music more than made up for it.

Now let’s talk drinks, the real reason to visit a tiki bar, right? Our server was fantastic, offering excellent recommendations and delivering top-notch service. We ordered two classics:

MAI TAIMade with overproof Jamaican and Guyanese rums, orgeat, lime, and dry curaçao, this drink was funky, refreshing, and full of flavor.

ZOMBIEA bold and boozy blend of rums, lime, grapefruit, pomegranate, falernum, cinnamon, Angostura bitters, and absinthe. This Zombie was one of the best I’ve ever had—powerful and perfectly balanced.

Both drinks came served in beautiful tiki mugs, as they should. They didn’t skimp on the rum, and the flavors were bold and unforgettable. As a collector of tiki mugs, I would have loved to take one home, but unfortunately, they weren’t for sale.

We also decided to order some food to go along with all that rum. We shared the steak bites, mushrooms, and a sesame cucumber salad, and wow, i need a moment.... what a fantastic choice. The steak was tender and perfectly cooked, with the mushrooms adding a rich earthiness, and the cucumber salad bringing a refreshing, tangy crunch. Honestly, it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a tiki bar, hands down.

I don’t live in Denver or even Colorado, but I can confidently say I’d drive to the airport, go through security, sit on a plane for a few hours, rent a car and go to A drift again. This place will always be a must go when I am in town. The people who live close are the lucky ones. A Drift has earned a permanent spot on my list of must go destinations whenever I’m in town. To those who live close make sure to visit and...

Cute theme bar. Very well done. Unfortunately, that's where it ends.

The biggest thing here is that they seemingly don't want people.

Direct reservations were a nightmare even two weeks out. Open Table reservations are $5pp.

Our reservation was for 12, we were given a table for 10, and our stay had an expiration time, too.

They will not split checks other than in three even parts. Clearly, they need a better POS.

Drinks are $18 each, which would be fine except...

Service was awful. Our server didn't listen, and he lied.

Clearly, they don't want medium-sized groups, but instead of saying that their max size is six, they just treat groups terribly with reservation hoops and payment nightmares.

I wasn't willing to order. I didn't want to be part of the insanity of trying to split a check that was split in random thirds. And by this point, I didn't want to give any money to this business.

I guess others felt the same, because our group gave up and left without ordering any drama-infused cocktails.

ETA: Defensive response from the owner conveniently ignoring key parts of the review. 1) For our "Direct reservation", they claimed Open Table has all their policies. We didn't use OT (because $5pp) but maybe put all that stuff on your site instead of on a third-party one. 2) "Large parties"; our group was capped by Adrift at 12....but the table was still only for 10. That's a medium party, not a large one. Just make the limit 10 if that's what you want to do. 3) No regard for customers with the inability to set up the POS to take multiple checks.

It doesn't really matter; we'll...