Yard House — Restaurant in Lakewood

My husband and I went to Yard House this last Tuesday for our anniversary. We go here often and have always had a good experience. We entered the restaurant at a little after 6 pm. There wasn’t a hostess for seating so we waited by the desk. Two employees were engrossed in what looked like command central behind the desk, maybe the controllers for the TVs? A few minutes went by, one of the guys looked over his shoulder at us and then went back to the electronic board. After a few minutes, another employee came up to the desk and seated us way back in the last two person booth as far from the front desk that you can go. The booth is right next to a small station where a few wait staff can hang out. No one brought water, menus or spoke to us for several minutes. My husband and I talked and talked and then I made eye contact with one of the wait staff just hanging out. He came over, apologized and said he would find our waiter. After a few more minutes, our waiter appeared with out any comment about the wait. I unfortunately don’t have his name. He had strawberry blonde hair and a mustache. We ordered chips and guacamole and our dinner orders and drinks. He disappeared again for a long time, our orders were brought and we didn’t see him again for a long time. I finally flagged down a woman and asked if she could bring a couple of limes to squeeze on the top of the guac. She returned fairly quickly with the limes and left two drinks on our table - that we didn’t order. Our waiter never circled back to ask how our dinner was. At some point, my husband flagged down another employee to let them know that someone was missing their two drinks. Eventually our waiter reappeared, he said the drinks were delivered to the correct table and brought the check. I then observed that our waiter was going where the money is, at least two tables of 6 or 8 people. We paid our bill from the kiosk at the table. My husband then realized that he wanted to change the credit card, we waited and waited. We finally asked a female hanging out in the area next to our booth if she could back out the charge and use a different card. She was extremely helpful. She made an adjustment to the charge kiosk and re-ran our card. This whole time, our waiter was singularly focused on the bigger customer tables and had no clue what was going on with us. An aside, while we were eating our dinner, another male waiter with dark hair had cleared his two large tables and was sweeping up debris from the floor and slamming the broom into the metal scooper. And I do me slamming. All in all, not a pleasant anniversary dinner. We have been here many times and have always enjoyed every part of the evening. ...

This experience was amazing! For our first time visiting, we started of with drinks and and appetizer of the Cheese Curds. These are ones of the best things I have ever put in my mouth! Paid with my goblet of draught Blue Label Chimay, I was having a tough time deliberating which sauce was better, the spicy honey or the horseradish... So I dipped them in both (per our awesome servers request) and KABLAM! It was a flavor explosion in my mouth. For dinner we moved along to the Nashville Hot dinner plate with the sweet potato pancakes and the Lobster Noodles. Since my main pick was the Lobster Noodles, I chose a draught glass of Delirium. It's floral and slight citrus paired will with the seafood in this fish. Each bite was like a portal to other moments in my mind when I had enjoyed exquisite moments in which I also had amazing seafood, moments I would not have remembered with anything less than brilliant. Busting with flavor, I highly recommend. My cohort and I shared both of our meals to get the best of both worlds. My take on the Nashville Hot? This was better than the highly acclaimed Chicken and Waffles that we used to love. The Nashville Hot puts that dish to shame! Perfectly fried chicken breast, crispy and beautifully flavored crust with a tender and pleasantly flavor infused interior. The spicy pepper honey sauce poured over and a side of ranch in case you want to diddle the heat. The dish was adorned with fried sage, which was absolute perfection. This was one of the best chicken dishes, if not THE BEST I have ever had. There is nothing boring about these flavors, the huge selection of beer and ales will never leave you bored. Stuffed, but not about to say no to dessert (because with food THAT good, they HAVE TO have an amazing dessert, right?) We opted for the Creme Brulee Cheesecake and two spoons. It was absolutely dreamy, soft, yet sense and creamy with a perfectly crisp torched sugar topping. Amazing.

This is not a meal that I forget anytime soon.

*On a side note... I want to shout out that the waitress ran after us in the parking lot to reunite me with my phone that I had left under my napkin somehow. I'm...

Yard House - Lakewood, CO ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Bonus star for Juliana’s flawless vibe)

Came in hangry, left mildly less hangry but fully entertained. First off, shoutout to Juliana the bartender, who juggled a packed bar with the finesse of a Cirque du Soleil acrobat and still managed to pour my IPA with the head of a unicorn's blessing.

We came for just a "quick bite"—which, like all good intentions, turned into a full-blown appetizer adventure. We ordered the Spicy Tuna Stack and Chicken Lettuce Wraps (because health, duh), and just as we were about to gnaw on the napkins waiting for food, the manager showed up and promised us free apps for the delay. Plot twist: the apps still appeared on the bill like ghosts of a forgotten Groupon. But honestly, it wasn’t even that long of a wait, so I guess we paid for the drama. Worth it.

The Spicy Tuna Stack looked like it had its own PR team—it was photogenic and spicy enough to clear out your sinuses and past trauma. The Chicken Lettuce Wraps were crunchy little pockets of protein joy—basically the gym membership I’ve been avoiding.

The drink menu? As long as my college thesis and way more satisfying. They pair IPAs with entrees like it’s a matchmaking service. I didn’t know I needed my burger to be soulmates with a hazy IPA, but now I can’t live without it.

Did I browse the entire menu like I was preparing for a quiz? Absolutely. Will I come back to actually eat the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger, the Korean Cheesesteak, and maybe something off the pizza or taco section just for chaos? You bet your crispy brussels...