Burntwood Tavern — Restaurant in North Olmsted

So….. I debated about writing this review. I have eaten here for the last 3 nights (staying at a nearby hotel) and it has been great. Friendly bartenders, good wine and great food. Last night was a different story. It actually felt like a different restaurant. I know it was Valentine’s Day and it was busy, but I always sit at the bar, and for those of us traveling for work and away from our loved ones, that’s no fun either. I sat down at the bar and the bartender came over after about 5 minutes to clear the food and crumbs. She was a little short with me but I didn’t think much of it. It took her 5 minutes to come back for my drink order. She dropped my drink so fast I couldn’t place my food order. Another 5-6 minutes goes by and she’s says “ oh, do you want to order food?” Um, yes, it’s dinner time and I have a menu in my hand. She takes my order. My food comes all at once -salad and meal- a pet peeve of mine. Not her fault but I also notice that I have no utensils. I try to catch her attention, but she’s clearly more interested in the men at the bar. The woman next to me also tries to get her attention. It’s about 5 more minutes and 3 “excuse me”s before she looks at me and says “what???” I ask for utensils and she says that someone will have to get me some. The woman who brings them to me 3 minutes later tell me that “it’s not my job to do this, but I’m helping out”. By now, my food is cold. I take 2 bites and can’t eat it because the sauce is congealed. I eat the salad and push the rest away. The bartender doesn’t say a word to me. She calls the manager (who also says nothing) over and then hands me a check. They took off $15 out of a $24 meal and I only ate the side salad. I questioned her and she said “ well, you took a few bites of the food”. As I was getting out my card to pay, she calls the manager back and points at me and says “she’s not happy”. The manager takes off the entire meal ( which was not the point). At no point did I get an apology or even an excuse. I hear lots of stories about waitstaff being treated badly but what about when they treat customers badly?? I have no choice but to eat out when I travel for work, but I do have a choice of WHERE I eat. I was looking forward to eating at this place for the rest of the week. They have good food and a decent menu. But now someone else will get my money. Sorry to say that some people should not be in the...

Thank You, Burntwood Tavern My daughter and I celebrated her birthday at Burntwood Tavern, and it was a truly memorable experience. This was our second visit, and while I would’ve returned sooner, I’d forgotten where it was tucked away along Great Northern Boulevard. It’s a bit hidden, and I missed it several times while driving by—but I’m so glad we found it again. Our first visit was incredible. The manager, Chris, was absolutely exceptional. He generously comped most of our meal because our server was new and still learning. That gesture was completely unexpected and deeply appreciated. The food was excellent, even with a bit of a wait.

This time, we had another wonderful dining experience. The appetizer—a specialty deviled egg plate—was visually stunning and even more pleasing to the palate. Perfectly seasoned, with crispy bacon on the side. I wouldn’t have ordered it myself, but since it was my daughter’s birthday, I agreed to try it—and I’d absolutely order it again. Our dinner selections were equally impressive. I had the fresh rainbow trout with rice, vegetables, and a specialty salad. Everything was delicious. My daughter ordered the shrimp tacos, which were exceptional. We shared bites—she had one of my generous fish slices, and I had one of her tacos. We both left happy and full.

As we were leaving, our server Brittany was attentive, professional, and clearly seasoned in her role. My daughter remembered Chris from our first visit, and Brittany kindly went to let him know we were asking about him. He came out to greet us, and we had a wonderful conversation catching up. Coincidentally, it was only his second day back after having left the establishment for a time. I’m so glad Burntwood Tavern welcomed him back—he’s a gem, and his presence elevates the entire experience.

Burntwood Tavern is, without question, the best dining spot in the Great Northern Mall area. While I have many favorites nearby, this restaurant stands out above the rest. Thank you, Chris and Brittany, for making our celebration so special. We can’t wait to return!...

Met with my wife for an impromptu lunch that we've been talking about for a while. It was the first and last time. I ordered the Angus Cheeseburger (medium) and fries and my wife ordered the salad and lobster bisque. The service was okay at best, but slow. The restaurant had just opened and it was nearly empty. Nonetheless, our meal took about 20 minutes to prepare.... Okay, considering 2-3 minutes on each side of the pre-prepped patty, a couple minutes on the fries cooking at the same time and the rest just to be put on a plate or bowl. 10 minutes should have been stretching it. Out came our food. It looked great! The "lobster bisque" was, by far, the worst "lobster bisque" we've ever had. I'm not sure what it actually was, but lobster bisque it was not. My wife's salad was decent... It was a salad. My burger ordered medium came out WAY over well done. WAY over. While we were waiting, my wife actually mentioned, "are they killing your burger?" They were. I was starving and short on time during a work lunch, so I couldn't send it back. It didn't help that our server never stopped by to see if everything was okay. When she finally came by to bring the bill, I told her that the cook killed the burger. Initially she took it as a compliment. After I clarified, she mentioned that the executive chef was the one that prepared our lunch......... Wow. Then, GET THIS, she had the nerve to say that next time I should order it medium rare. 😳. I told her that medium is medium. Am I supposed to keep a mental repository of everywhere that screws up a burger to order it according to their standards and not according to THE standard? We left hysterically laughing at how bad it was. We will never be back. I'm actually ashamed that I dragged my wife there, instead of going out to Chick-fil-A right down the road which would have been 10 times better and about half the price. Don't bother going. It's really not worth your time as it wasn't worth ours, anyway. Manager, please don't reach out to me to try to make this mess better. It's clear the lack of...