The Commons — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

Our first time dining at The Commons coincided with the recent Heritage Hill Homes Tour. We'd been told by a few friends & acquaintances it was worth checking out.

Taking a break from the Tour, we ducked in for lunch and were immediately greeted by the hostess. She told us that they got slammed and were caught off guard by the Tour which meant they were short staffed.

Shown to our table, a server came by a few minutes later; we then and there placed out orders. Figuring the situation was such, we assumed knowing what we wanted would make things easier for her. Plus, the fact that there really wasn't much in the way of menu selections.

Fifty minutes later our food arrived. Fifty minutes.

In the ensuing time, no one came to apologize for such an absurdity. Yes, the server came to replenish our water decanter but she behaved as if we were invisible.

Comic relief in the form of someone named Beth stopped by to make conversation and spout inanities of which neither of us cared. Again, no acknowledgement of why food was a no-show 30 minutes into her stand up routine.

While my double-cheese burger was essentially good it was missing the added item I requested. The fries were pathetic. My husband's Classic Breakfast looked as if everything on the plate was thrown together from items bought at Meijer's frozen food section. Wow. It was a pitiful excuse in any manner of dining out.

Server (Party S.?) swung by to say - not ask, mind you - "I know ya' lovin' that burger!" One of the cardinal sins in being a server is never, NEVER assume your customer is enjoying their meal by making such proclamations.

Okay, let's address the hostess' warning. There's several things wrong with her claim: Commons paid to advertised in the Tour program; they were only two of the five dine-in establishments listed. The other three were take out.

Since we had nearly an hour wait time, we surveyed the floor noticing only 50% capacity. That's slammed? Also, our seating was situated with a view of the plating window. All the while we witnessed several episodes of confusion with some servers unaware of which order was which.

Additionally, a few servers were chained to the back area socializing with no urgency it seems to insure diners were well taken care of.

Comedienne Beth then arrived nearby with several orders, shouted out the contents, brought them to the adjoining table - the patrons denied it was theirs - and then walked away. We told her those were our orders.

Look, the restaurant business has always been a difficult and risky proposition. I saw that with my own eyes growing up. But there's no excuse for shoddy behavior and ill-preparedness. Sorry. But if a restaurant pays for advertising their business in the midst of an event with intention to lure patrons then claiming ignorance is disingenuous.

If one wants the real deal, there's a good many places in the Heritage Hill neighborhood with superior operations and considerably...

Good food. Hard to find, but worth it.

Commons Cheeseburger - $16: A high quality thick and juicy patty cooked to medium or so. The bun was good and held the whole thing together well. The white american cheese was a different direction than I usually go with a more serious and commanding taste, but it played the concert well with the rest of the tastes, especially with the caramelized onion and dijon aioli. The aioli was a sweet compliment and alteration to the flavor that brought it back enough to enjoy the commanding flavors.

Fries (comes with the burger): Shoestring fries (or almost), my favorite type of cut. These were a little light on the salt. I did not add salt because it wasn’t that bad. They were cooked to perfection, but lighter color. They were wonderful overall for sure. It was about a standard portion of fries.

The price was a bit on the expensive side, but I think it was mostly justified. The presentation of the food was of a cheap diner, but the flavors were quality for sure.

Service: Good and positive. The burger arrived quickly. Almost no one gets the same water glass and you get a pitcher of water so you don’t have to wait for refills.

Atmosphere: It was a rough cut place, but cozy. Medium to loud music which made conversation difficult, but not impossible.. Tables and chairs, booths, bar seating, and more. There were games sitting out available to play and couches with coffee tables. The table we were seated at was tiny and high, but almost no seat or table matched the others. Everything was unique. It didn’t feel disorganized, but intentional. Also, the bathrooms had candy in a dish. I don’t remember seeing that anywhere else so that was cool.

Conclusion: The food was fantastic, but the experience was a mixed bag that was mostly okay. If you are eccentric, you’ll love this place.

Visited on a...

We went to the Commons for the first time and had to find parking around the corner because we couldn't actually find a spot to park nearby. We walked around the building for a bit and found the entrance on the left side of the building with the old velvet ropes getting our attention first.

We ordered a drink and the Tatchos. The Tatchos were pretty good (the pickled serrano's were a nice touch) and GIANT. We could have probably just left it at that but we both ordered individual food as well. I got the Korean wings and my partner got the Cheese Steak.

The wings were a good size, piping hot and covered in a dry rub with sauce on the side. I had to wait a while to dig in, they were that hot. They were good but I could only eat a few after the Totchos and a beer.

My partner didn't really really like his Cheese steak much. He said it was average bar food. I would definitely say my experience was above average.

Overall the vibe is a little weird and tucked away. It's a strange place but not in a bad way. I would definitely go back for a drink or an appetizer. It's very low key and...