The Orchard House Restaurant — Restaurant in Idaho

After reading somewhere about how great this place was we could not wait to try it. We read about them researching the Idaho winery trail. We arrived at about 12:23 P.M. Sunday July 12th. We walked in the front door to 3 staff behind the front counter that avoided eye contact with us for about 5-10 minutes it was super awkward. One of the young ladies finally said someone will be with you soon. Another 5 minutes went by, we are still standing by the front counter eagerly awaiting some help. This time a young man said "we are trying to catch up so I figure you guys would rather sit out here in the lobby area then at your seats waiting for us". I thought that was strange but I said nicely "ok". Another 10 minutes went by and a nice lady I think a manager said "can I add your name to our waiting list", I said sure and I gave her my name. We waited about another 10 minutes and they finally got us seated, ya like 20 minutes sitting in the lobby........ During this whole time there were several empty cleaned spots we could have and should have been seated at minutes after our arrival. They got our drinks quickly and took our order right away, it was approximately 12:50 now. We sat for another 15 minutes and were offered a refill on our coffee to which we both said "no not yet". Another 15 minutes went by still no food but we did get a refill. The manager or at least that is what I am thinking she was explained how bad they were backed up in the kitchen and apologized. I nicely said oh that's too bad this is our first time here and I know she was being sincere. She appeared to be the only one hustling and caring about the customers. Her response was "oh great ok we will try to make it your best experience ever". Another 15 minutes went by still no food, my wife and I were trying to decide whether or not to place money on the table for our two coffees and bolt. We agreed that we would do that as soon as it reached 1:35 P.M. It was about 1:30 and a young lady said let me go back and check on your order. We are now at 1:35 P.M. my wife and I looked at each other and said ok lets go. I placed a 5 dollar bill under my coffee cup which I felt was plenty for 2 cups of coffee and we walked out. We got about 30 ft from the door and our waitress yelled "hey your food is ready now would you like to come in and eat". My wife said to me "do you wanna go back and eat"? I said turning around looking at our waitress in the eye "no, we waited for over an hour and we are both really hungry. After walking out of a place that had others not happy I was not about to come back in and face the embarrassment. I bet this is only the 2nd time in my life I have ever done anything like this this and I am a very patient person, I always give people the benefit of the doubt. But its a two way street. I can accept a bad day, a tough day, an understaffed day and of course things out of their control. But to not offer a salad, appetizer or something simple on the house after waiting an excessively long time??? This is plain and simple not placing value in its customers. I will probably give them another chance after some time has gone by and they fix the issues...

I used to give this establishment 5 stars! Has ownership changed in the last year or two? The last 3 visits this fall and just most recently on December 13th was quite disappointing. I know WiFi is sketchy in the area, but surely one can go back to hand writing orders as the mistakes made to our orders are consistent and I can't believe that others are not having the same problems. Even with a small party at our table, they kept bringing out the wrong potatoes. The biscuits and gravy were not a breakfast buttermilk biscuit & sausage gravy, as ordered, but a dinner roll was brought out with gravy on top that you would normally put on top of mashed potatoes! I have ordered the Teff pancake and highly enjoyed it in times past. This time it sat on the plate and felt and tasted what you would imagine a lump of concrete to be like if served on a platter. When we told the waitress, she thanked us for the feedback and offered toast in it's place BUT didn't bring it out till we were done eating! At what point is food inedible and more attention not made to prioritize the replacement. Last time I ordered a cappuccino, it came out as a latte'. On top of that, the waitress did not even ask what style of cappuccino I wanted at time of order. The place was almost empty but it still took 2 to 3 times longer for us to receive our meal. The time before that, they mixed up all of our meals and gave us stuff we didn't even order. Needless to say, when folks stop coming to a restaurant because of poor service and less than quality food, that restaurant will soon have to close it's doors. We can certainly find other places, just like we found Orchard House, once...

Ok, this place is one of my top places I've ever been to, in terms of shock value and how damn tasty the food was. We came here from Ste Chapelle's Winery (See my review for that place, it's fantastic), and I literally missed this place on the road the 1st time. It's tucked away next to a small gas station, and honestly I didn't even see it at first. It's kind of small, and initial impressions from the outside were so-so.

Once inside, you notice how unique and cozy the whole vibe is in there. Lots of dope decorations, medium sized dining area (very clean), and some cool gifts at the gift shop. Shock value is increasing, I'm liking the place more and more. The female waitress was very friendly and bubbly.

Now to the best part (and probably why you're going to be coming here), the food! 1 word? DAMN! Everything we ordered came out so damn good, I was shocked. If you're coming here, you MUST get the Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms, trust me on this one. Little pricey, but they were so good and presentation was very nice. My party ordered Fish & Chips, Seared Salmon Salad, and Farmboy Burger. Everything was so tasty and fresh, I was surprised how this little restaurant can produce such amazing food, seriously... I'm STRAVING now looking at the photos I took of the food there.

My suggestion is to go to Ste Chapelle's Winery that's close by, have some drinks outside in the fresh air to get the appetite growing, and then come straight here, and go beast mode...

This place is 5 stars EASSSSY....Trust...