Gilgamesh Brewing: The River — Restaurant in Independence

Let me preface this by saying that I hardly ever write reviews or give feedback. When I do, it is almost exclusively negative, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

My partner and I decided to try this place. We ordered burgers with fries, and an order of wings. The wings were fairly tasty. They weren't amazing or anything, but fairly good.

Before I describe the burger experience, a few notes on the restaurant and staff. The industrial bar thing they were going for was kind of cool, I could see the end goal for the atmosphere they were trying to create. The environment felt very testosterone filled.

I'm not sure how to describe the burger experience. I have never experienced something like this before. The ingredients should have resulted in something delicious and flavorful. It was a good burger on paper. But it actually tasted like... Nothing.

I don't mean to say it tasted bad, I mean it tasted like nothing. Like eating oxygen on a counterfeit brioche bun. It was the most empty food experience of my life. Halfway through I felt like it was a lot of work and began questioning my own motives for continuing to eat it, and began looking forward to the experience being over.

The fries were cold and unimpressive in flavor. The spicy ketchup they give you is delicious, though I think you can probably achieve the same effect by mixing chili powder in your ketchup at home. This place felt rather overpriced for what you get.

At the end of the meal my partner and I looked at each other and said, "We should have just gone to...

Full disclosure: I know the owners so keep that in mind, but this is still my honest opinion. They are hardworking, wonderful people who give back to their community and value their employees and customers. I have been all three of Gilgamesh's restaurants and as far as ambience goes this is the best. It is an older building and has a large outdoor area in the back. You can sit up high and see the city. As well there is a stage for live music in the future. This is a great place to sit back, have a few beers, and enjoy a beautiful area. Regarding the food, I have had two pizzas ( the Columbia without bell peppers and the John Day both 12 inch sizes). The crust is a thin style with a crispy edge. The Columbia had great quality ingredients and was a meat lover's dream. The John Day had more flavor profile but I would attribute that to the ingredients (salami, pancetta, green olives, shiitake mushrooms, and basil). It was a little saltier which didn't bother me at all. I enjoyed the saltiness and didn't think it was overpowering. The ingredients complimented each other nicely. If I wanted a pizza that was more unique in flavor profile I would order the John Day again. If I was in the mood for a classic style pizza the Columbia hit the spot. I think it was a great idea for them to pair pizza and beer. Between the great outdoor seating area, the indoor seating (old, rustic building), and awesome food with great beer this is a fantastic restaurant in a...

Having been to other Gilgamesh locations... I had expectations that, unfortunately, were far from met. Full disclosure, we visited as a large group with reservations- with 20+ guests you expect things to take a little longer, but that wasn't the issue. The venue itself has a ton of charm and character- we were upstairs (with reservations)- the tables were dusty and sticky. The railing was so dusty I could legibly write my name on it and cobwebs were presently abundant. There was no apparent preparation of our arrival. No water, napkins, utensils- just dirty tables. Hosting out of town work guests- this was a huge disappointment. The food, as others have commented, had no taste. Pizzas were cooked perfectly, but litterally had little to no flavor. With an extremely limited menu- pizza, burgers, salads and few appetizers- one would expect flavorful execution. Mararitas were served using tonic/soda water and a "gin and tonic with a twist of lime" was made with lime juice- so sour and horrible it was returned. I will say, the staff worked hard and made every effort to do a good job. Like many places of business these days, the assumption was that newer staff lack experience and propper training. It will be some time before we try this location again in hopes they work out some of...