Tavern 4&5 — Restaurant in Eden Prairie

The food was decent but nothing spectacular, and the service wasn't great.

From my research online, I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the lackluster service and the mediocre food.

When our server, Matt, greeted us, he was cold and straightforward without being welcoming, not even making eye contact. I brushed it off and maybe thought he was having a rough night.

The three of us ordered waters to start while we were browsing the drink menu. When Matt came back, my sister asked whether they served "the drinks in the copper cup" because she's boujie and gets annoyed when Moscow mules are served in glasses. The server said yes, but "not the mocktail version", immediately insinuating that we were children trying to drink underage. When she clarified that she meant the one with alcohol, he sounded annoyed and gruffly asked for her ID. She looked at me expectantly and asked for her wallet and ID (she asked me to grab her wallet when we left, but I didn't because I knew I was paying, so I figured she didn't need it; it didn't even cross my mind that she'd need to be carded since we've both been of age for years and rarely get carded).

Since she didn't have her ID, the server wouldn't get her a drink. As someone who was a server for almost a decade, I could understand this.

I thought maybe if we could pull up a photo of her ID, that would suffice. I found one and showed him when he came back, asking if that would work. He didn't even look and immediately said no because he needed to see the back, too. Again, understandable. It was worth a shot since it has worked for me before.

I ordered a drink for myself at this point and gave him my ID. It took forever to get the drink I ordered, and it didn't get to the table until shortly before the food came out.

After setting down the drink, the server started walking the other way and snapped his head back to look over his shoulder, finally making eye contact - with the drink that I just brought to my lips. The entire situation was disconcerting and weird. I went from almost entirely being ignored to being watched like a hawk, and I didn't know why. I once again shook off his strange mannerisms.

I took another sip (the Violet 75 was, indeed, delicious - my favorite part of the night) and slid the drink to my sister, telling her she had to try it. I've spent my entire adult life sharing sips of beverages with my friends and my parents even let me try sips growing up, so I thought nothing of it. Before she even took the drink in her hand, the server bounded up to the table to loudly and rudely say that she's not allowed.

Now, this is where I had a problem. Instead of explaining to us politely that it wasn't allowed, he watched me like a hawk, waiting for his "underage drinking" fantasy to come true (again, note that we're closer to 30 than 20). I'm absolutely delighted he thought we looked so young, but I didn't appreciate him treating us like children. The entire experience after that was uncomfortable for everyone at the table - and Matt, too, I'm sure.

Shortly after, we got our food (I do commend them for bringing it fast). Everything was hot and fresh, but I wasn't ecstatic about the flavors. The chicken in my lemon chicken piccatta-esque dish was crispy but overcooked. The sauce was indeed lemony but lacking. The general consensus at the table was that the food was fine but nothing special. Lastly, Matt didn't come out to check on us until we were nearly done with our food. We also had to wait a good amount of time to pay, so I gave him my card next time he came around before even being presented the tab.

For the record, I never did give my sister a sip, and I still tipped him 20%, but the entire experience was uncomfortable.

Overall, with the rude way the server treated us from the start in combination with the mediocre meals, I don't think I'll ever be back, and I'm sure Matt will be more than happy to hear that.

Ending on a positive note, we got placed in the back of the restaurant, and it was wonderfully quiet with a...

I'll be honest, I've had lunch here on three occasions because my husband, in-laws and friends have always chosen it. The first two times I was not all that impressed and when someone suggested we eat here recently, I was reluctant but majority rules. As expected, the noon hour was particularly busy, but the hostess was great and found us a table for 4 right away. It was actually a large booth near the bathroom. Generally, I'm not a fan of sitting by the bathroom for obvious reasons and I think they've managed to address this by making sure to have plenty of air freshener consistently circulating. I know this because I could smell it anytime someone opened the bathroom door. That said, it did not interfere with our meal at all.

I do like rotisserie chicken and I think the problem has been that I wasn't ordering the right things. Who knows. This time around I ordered the healthy bowl with a side salad. Both were very good. The only downside was the amount of work that went into mixing the healthy bowl. I'd prefer that it was already cut up and mixed together. Could also use a bit more chicken. Overall though, I was pleased with my selection. My husband ordered the cranberry walnut salad with a bowl of chicken wild rice soup. He didn't finish his salad because he felt it was too salty, but I was happy to take it off of his hands. I think he might have been tasting the spicy walnuts, which I wasn't much of a fan either, but I can see how they work in this salad. Personal preference.

The service was great considering how busy they were and overall, it was a pleasant experience. I now look forward to my...

I have never been so offended by a restaurant worker, server 93. My girlfriend and I were having a nice brunch this morning. The food was great, the service was decent and the overall experience was satisfactory. I almost asked for a dinner menu because we recently moved to the area, and are always looking for new places.

The entire experience was soured by our server. We were seated in the booth nearest to the kitchen and after our waitress gave us our check she totally abandoned us. We were in no hurry, and the restaurant wasn't very full, so there seemed to be no rush. When we finally got her by our table again, I asked for more coffee. She seemed annoyed and said, "sure" as she was quickly walking by. She went back into the kitchen where she complained to the rest of the staff about how we had the audacity to ask for more coffee! We were in the restaurant for roughly 45min. She made multiple comments about us to the kitchen staff, who all snickered. Then she ran made multiple trips in and out of the kitchen before refilling our coffees with the pitcher right next to our booth.

I have never been so disrespected by a restaurant staff member. She is server number 93. I had half a mind to remove my 20% tip and reciprocate her "F you", but I know there are many more hands than hers associated with the tip, and our meals, and I didn't want them shorted.

In addition to my Google review, I will be contacting Tavern 4&5 directly and amending my review to reflect how they respond to...