The Walnut Room — Restaurant in Denver

I honestly think I'm giving The Walnut Room 4 stars based almost solely on the service we received. Let this serve as a PSA for those waiters and waitresses out there that are surly and could care less about your meal: I may not remember the place or even the food but I will remember when someone treats me with kindness and smiles.

The place was fairly busy at 6 pm on Friday night but when we saw the sign that said "seat yourself", we lucked out because we headed to the last two top table empty on the patio. Jerry was our server and he was SWAMPED. Based on that fact alone, we didn't expect the kind of service we received from him. Even though he really didn't have the time to be cordial with us, he was. By my own admission, I'm a high maintenance diner. I'm very much Sally Albright when it comes to ordering. (if you're too young to know who that is, Google it.) Last night, after a hellacious week at work, I might have been even MORE high maintenance than usual. Still, Jerry hung in there with me and didn't make me feel like I was a PITA.

We had drinks (beer, bourbon and coke) and an app of buffalo chicken bites. All good. My husband requested that his salad come out before his meal. You wouldn't think you'd have to make that request but you'd be surprised how often meals and salads come out at the same time. Regardless, Jerry timed it perfectly. I had ordered the Cow Town sandwich (which is basically a French Dip). When it arrived, I noticed that the provolone cheese was practically non-existent and I casually mentioned that there was hardly any cheese but that I loved cheese. No worries because Jerry whisked it away, came back a few seconds later to tell me that it was being "cheesed up", and before I knew it, here comes my sandwich dripping with ooey gooey provolone. YUM.

There was no way to finish all that food so as I'm typing this, I'm looking forward to a leftover Cow Town sandwich. And while this place is kind of your average pizza/sandwich bar, they have a gem with Jerry, who is above average when it...

My family and I sat ourselves when we walked in. It didn't appear to be super busy as there were plenty of tables open near the bar and a few out on the covered patio. We waited probably about 15-20 minutes before we got our drink order taken (a single beer) was taken. It took a bit to get a beer considering how not super busy it was, but brushed it off due to low staffing (bartender and one server). When we were finally able to order our food, we were told it would take about 20-25 minutes to get food, which isn't a terrible wait. We probably placed our order around 1 PM and it was starting to get a little busier. I remember checking my watch at 1:20 after the bartender told us it would be just a few more minutes before we got our food.. At 1:50 PM, we finally got our salad and again were told our pizza was coming out in minutes. After a family that had come in AFTER us and was larger got their food about 10 minutes later, we had pretty much had it. At least the bartender was reasonable and told us our order was comped for the delays, but it still took until about 2:20 PM (a full hour and a half roughly after we ordered) to get our one pizza.

Understand that stuff gets backed up, but... it wasn't super busy to begin with and honestly, just be up front about the issues. Don't keep telling us the food will be out in a few minutes, then .. ignore us for 20 minutes. Also, only having two people in the kitchen seems like a recipe for disaster. I wanted to get another drink but I was never even asked even after my beer glass was cleared.

Food was fine and it's a nice looking place, but this is a one and...

Wife and I enjoyed a concert and dinner here. The food is good and enjoyable, but I didn't feel it was exceptional by any means. Nice summer patio and atmosphere. Waiter was kind enough to let us take our food into the venue and close out our tab with him as we were worried about being able to get a seat, and as it turns out, rightfully so. You can order food at the bar in the venue as well which we didn't know. Though there really isn't a waiter serving the small tables in there so you're having to go to the bar for everything. Food service was incredibly slow for what it is. Whether in the restaurant or venue. Venue: you'll want to arrive early if you want a seat. Though talking to someone who had been there before, the tables in there may be a new addition which made it kind of weird. Tables were crammed in one corner and along the stage. Left others to stand in the back which made it feel oversold. Glad we were able to get a table. I wasn't sure if they were going for the intimate small venue with table service kind of feel or a small secluded private bar type environment. I would prefer the prior, but I think the latter vibe of the place was winning out. Though they really were at odds with each other. Overall it's a nice small venue but seating does get uncomfortable...