Foundry Food + Tap — Restaurant in Pleasant Valley Township

In a recent effort to get out and explore more of the new area of Bettendorf around TBK off Middle Road, I decided to get dinner at Foundry Food + Tap. Of the places I've been around Competition Drive recently, this is definitely my new favorite.

I certainly wasn't the only person who decided to come to Foundry tonight, either. As I entered, it became quickly apparent that the place was packed. I soon overheard the hostess tell another group that the wait for their seven person group would probably be at least 35 minutes. I got a little discouraged, but inquired how long the wait would be for one person and was delighted to hear that I could eat at the bar.

I quickly secured a stool and metaphorically strapped in for my meal. Even though she was clearly very busy, the bartender took my order (gin & tonic tonight for me, feeling a bit more spicy!) and soon I had my drink. For a well gin & tonic, it was pretty good. Definitely had the right combination of herbal and quinine-esque zing I was looking for tonight.

I opted for the Los Quarto Cerdito for my entree. It took about 20 minutes to get to me, for which the server apologized (nothing in my mind to apologize for - you guys were really busy!), soon after I began to tuck in. This is the best thing I've ordered anywhere this week! The noodles (curly cavatappi) were spot on Al dente, the sauce was flavorful and had a great blend of the sweetness expected from a marinara and some forward spiciness, and the four pigs (sausage, pepperoni, salami, and capicola) added extra depth to the dish without overwhelming it with extra greasiness. The ciabatta garlic bread was also toasted and well seasoned, a true compliment to the pasta.

I had some extra time while waiting and eating to ponder the space itself. Like many of the other newer spaces along Competition Drive, much of the overhead contained the typical sharp industrial look due to the uncovered black framing/supports, small accent lighting, and exposed HVAC. The Foundry stands out in what it has added to these however, in a few ways. First, the area above the full service bar has drop ceiling tiling that is reminiscent of early 20th century buildings in other parts of the Quad Cities. I quite like the choice - it gives the new space an air of age when it is quite obviously brand new. They also had strung garland along the HVAC ductwork, which looked quite festive.

I'm looking forward to returning here sometime in the spring or summer, hopefully to be able to sit on the patio. I also want to try one of their burgers. This experience was fantastic and I can't wait to come back here. Thanks for being a great new space...

The first time we ate here, it was. PerfectI don’t eat coleslaw at all but when I tasted theirs, I was really impressed. The steak is something I’ll be coming back to. The server was really good that we gave a really good tip. We ate in the morning—and yes, it’s relevant to my review.

The next time we ate here, before Christmas, at around 4-6pm the perfection of our first visit was stepped on with dirty shoes, like how one of the staff who was decorating just stepped on the couch and left shoe prints on the seats that we sat on. Kinda unhygienic but we like the food so yeah, it’s okay. Then the server came, we ordered the drinks we like, got the drinks, and waited for our order. Server served us refills that were not what we ordered as she was slurring her words, seemingly tipsy, or maybe she just talk like that, until she gave our take out to the other table, said sorry and laughed about it. Yeah, the server seemed kinda drunk. The experience was ruined so we didn’t really wanna stay there longer. The coleslaw sucked, and I have deduced that I guess it is better to eat here in the morning to lunch but not after. Unlike other restaurants, I guess the food’s taste isn’t consistent to how it should be made. It was really disappointing.

Next time, if someone is decorating an area, close that area to people who will eat. You are dealing with food here. I would accept this if we were eating at some fast food restaurant, but with the price of the food, that is not acceptable. We wanted something special that night but yeah, experience was ruined. We’ll never eat here in the...

We visited The Foundry recently and were pretty disappointed overall. The young hostess was friendly and welcoming, but unfortunately that’s where the good service ended. Our server, Melissa (I believe that was her name), seemed short, disinterested, and like she didn’t want to be there. She was training a younger red-haired guy who was actually very kind and respectful, but she didn’t set the best example.

The food was subpar. The cheese curds were overly greasy and tasted low quality. We also ordered the nachos and a chicken sandwich with fries. The nachos were a letdown, cheap greasy chips, barely any toppings, and again, just low quality. The chicken sandwich looked okay, but barely got touched, and the fries were awful, dark, overcooked, and tasted like the fryer oil hadn’t been changed in a while.

To top it off, they added a $1.50 service fee to the bill, which felt unnecessary and not well-communicated. I’ve been in the restaurant industry for over a decade, and I know fees like that should be baked into your menu prices, not tacked on at the end, it just doesn’t look good for the image.

The prices didn’t match the quality, and the experience overall just felt sloppy. I hope they can turn things around, but at this rate, I don’t see them keeping doors...