Spice Trade Brewery & Kitchen — Restaurant in Greenwood Village

EDIT: I appreciate the professional and thorough response from the business. I have modified my review to 4 stars. To confirm, the food and beer were good and the staff was friendly. My concern was that customers need to have a transparent process before they make payment instead of after, which I am glad the business spoke to.

ORIGINAL: My family and I ate at Spice Trade while we were up in the Denver area after a Girl Scout event. We thought both the beer and food were good, though slightly on the pricey side ($8.75 for a hazy IPA, $18 for a burger, $10 for a kids meal). I would have rated Spice Trade 4 stars if it weren't for a combination of frustrations.

First, when I ordered my burger, I had asked for a side of ranch. When it was brought out to me, it was missing the ranch. I explained to the person who delivered the food that I had ordered ranch and it was missing and asked if I could have some ranch. This person returned with a side of a ranch. I was then later double-charged for a single side of ranch. This would not have been a big deal, except...

...Except that Spice Trade has a policy of not allowing you to see an itemized bill before you pay. When you enter, they ask for a credit card when you first begin your order. When your meal is finished, they ask if you want to charge the credit card on file and provide you with a device that lists your total bill and has options to click for a tip. There is no way to confirm your charges are accurate or correct. Instead, they require you to pay without actually seeing any of your charges. It wasn't until later, when I received my receipt, that I noticed the additional charge.

Additionally, their tipping options require you to tip on the state tax. So, when I clicked 20%, not only did I tip 20% on the cost of food and drinks - which is standard practice - I also tipped 20% on the ~$5 of Colorado tax. You should not be required to pay a tip on the Colorado tax, that makes no sense - you should not have to tip for being taxed.

Again, none of their current payment processes is transparent to the customer. You can have erroneous charges on your bill that you are not allowed to see but are required to pay. And their system (where you click on a tip percentage) has you tip on the portion that is a Colorado state tax, which I'm assuming is to drive up the amount that patrons tip.

Ultimately, we liked their food and beer, and thought the staff were friendly, but the experience was overshadowed by what we felt were deceptive...

This is now the second time I have been to this place, because I live out of the area, but when I'm in the area I make it a point to check out Spice Trade. I was super impressed the first time I was here, but this last visit was phenomenal. What I love the most about this place, is the uniqueness of their beer line. I mean, they made, and I had a been called buffalo chicken. (or something to that nature) and holy snap, it tasted like a spicy buffalo piece of chicken, as weird as that is, but it is what it is. It is amazing to me how they can mid create a beer, and translate it perfectly to a flavor. And they are consistent at their craft and it sets them apart from other breweries. Now take that, and pair with a fantastic menu and you have a one stop shop. Their food menu, in my opinion, can cater to anyone's taste. I actually ordered the Pickle Fries (I actually always get pickle fries/Fried pickles anywhere I go) and they were absolutely delicious. On top of that, the dipping sauce is to die for. I also got the Gumbo dish, I was no where near the mindset to eat gumbo, but something about the description veered me away form getting the chicken sandwich, and boy oh boy was I happy I made that decision. It was perfectly flavored, awe3some portion size and very well presented. But wait, I'm not done yet, I thought I was, but then of course the server asked if I wanted dessert, and I was in no way expecting to get dessert, cause at this point I was over my food limit, then she said "we have a smores bread pudding" and like pickle fries, bread pudding is something I just always have to try. This amazing plate didn't even come on a plate, it was a warm, gooey, mouth watering cast iron dream. Had all the things, Bread pudding, chocolate, marshmallow, and my favorite childhood cereal, golden grahams (picture attached). I really do not have to say anything more. So, all in all, go to here, enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the awesome staff, and grab a pint glass or a T-Shirt to...

Service 5/5 , Food 4/5, Beer 2/5, Price 1/5 - This review is after the third time we’ve been here. (I’ll update if and when we go back)

Beer- The first time the beer was just ok. Second time, the beer was great, then this last time the beer was absolutely terrible. One beer I liked before tasted like soap this last time. I’m not sure what’s going on here with their beer, but multiple beers we’ve had before that were good or just ok, were NOT good this last time. It’s seems really inconsistent which tells me maybe turnover with brewers… who knows. It’s not the same quality each and every time, based on our experience.

Food- The food has been really good every time. Big fan on burgers, spicy chick sandwich, BBQ and especially the adult tots. They are really good. BUT, all of the food is pricey for portions and what you get.

Service / people - all three times were great so that was the saving grace for us. After 3 times, I probably wouldn’t go again if the bartenders and wait staff weren’t such nice people. I may go again, as I I want to support them…

Prices - here with their prices, or seem like owners know Greenwood Village DTC is an affluent area, and try to take advantage of their location. BUT if they are going to do that, they better have the best beer and food in the state for the prices like that, and they really don’t. Not even close actually. It seems like everything here is 10-25% more expensive than it should be… BUT as busy as it always seems to be when we go or drive by, I highly doubt that the prices...