Rustlers Front Street Grill — Restaurant in Lynden

Came here for a Father’s Day lunch around 1 pm. We didn’t realize they were closing at 1:30 pm; they said they could seat us right away but that there was likely a 50 min wait for food. This was the first sign something was off—competent restaurants at full capacity should have no problem churning food out of their kitchens at much quicker speeds. Perhaps they had call outs or something, so I can forgive that. Everything after we were seated, though, made me want to forgive Rustlers less and less.

First, service. The waitress seemed less than interested in serving us. Brief, disinterested, lacking enthusiasm. Felt like we were a burden to serve, rather than a joy (and nothing about our presence warranted such an apathetic vibe from her; truly, we were happy to be there and hopeful for a good lunch, content to wait the 50 min because my grandparents like the place).

Second, atmosphere. This is where Rustlers really shines, I think. It’s so cute and cozy. The western theme is awesome, and I love how each part of the restaurant feels like its own little room. Each space comes alive perfectly with tasteful, themed decor.

Third, food. This is on the same level as service. Super underwhelming, if not concerning. I ordered a chicken caesar salad, something so basic that to mess it up is, frankly, embarrassing. There was wilted lettuce, some even so far wilted as to be brown and on the verge of rotten, as well as pieces of Parmesan rind amidst the Parmesan shavings (anyone who knows how to handle parm knows that the rind isn’t for serving). Additionally, their timing on food was really off. Different dishes of our party came out minutes apart and several parts of dishes were cold (cold toast, cold fries). It’s just obvious the kitchen was super unorganized and lacking.

So there you have it. Really dissatisfied, would only go back if dragged there by someone who convinced me to give them another go. And honestly, I do think they’re likely much better than what we experienced. Sadly, all I experienced, however, was the experience of Rustlers feeling...

I don't normally give reviews but I couldn't let this one slide. My wife and I ordered some steaks to-go. My order was ready when I arrived and I went back to my car and noticed they forgot the soup and salad. not really a big deal so I went back and got them, the girl at the counter even included an extra order of soup, nice! or so I thought... I like Zuppa Toscana, it's probably one of my top 10 favorite soups. This was one of the worst soups I have ever tried. It was thick, overly creamy and bland. It looked like premade canned soup/bagged soup product and it was unacceptably bad. My wife ordered medium rare steak, it was still very rare and had to be recooked... meaning my food was cold by the time I got to eat it. So overall not a great experience. I've included a recipe for Zuppa Toscana, please consider dropping the premade soup.

Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients: 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage (or substitute mild sausage based on customer preference) 4 slices bacon 1 medium onion diced 3 medium potatoes (diced or sliced, diced will hold up better) 1 cup chopped kale 3 large cloves of garlic minced 1 cup heavy cream 5 table spoons Knorr Chicken Bullion powder 10 cups of water Black pepper to taste (Optional ingredient Parmesan cheese)

In a large stock pot cook Bacon and set aside to cool and chop. Add Italian sausage to the pot and cook it. Add onions to the pot with sausage and residual bacon grease to soften and add the minced garlic half way through the onions cooking. Deglaze using the water and add Chicken Bullion, potatoes, Kale to the pot along with the chopped bacon. Once the potatoes are softened to your liking turn off the heat, add the heavy cream and pepper to taste. (optionally finish with...

Excellent GOLD STAR Team Hannah and Kaitlyn they were the Ulimate Best Team Rustler Restaurant Hustlers!!! I happened to visit around 730 pm forgetting earlier closures start Sunday, this won't happen again yet both ladies were so friendly accommodating me with genuine upbeat attitudes while like lightning blurs cleaning up TOGETHER 10 tables all at once while being so FRIENDLY PROFESSIONAL AND TOP NOTCH SERVICE 10 STARS FOR THEM BOTH, as well as Chefs and rest of staff there a very well oiled machine!!! I ordered their classic Chicken Alfredo with Ceasar Salad,, and I had ample left overs to take home. Hannah also remembered my favorite side request from before and when first walked in she was handling about 7 tables solo, and everyone there was so pleased with her service despite there being a short staff. (Other restaurants were shut down due to not enough staff.) She was Olympic standard Lead staying focused on all that needed to be accomplished, and her equally Olympic Teammate Kaitlyn went into full throttle clearing all tables, trash and floors along with other closing duties. Despite the behind scenes chaos when someone calls out sick these ladies kept the atmosphere in the restaurant so peaceful chill, clean organized and much gratitude their kindness along with their genuine positive attitudes as well as smiles and then topping off my already wonderful experience to share "GOOD TO SEE YOU & LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN SOON!!!" I definitely...