Bonfire Craft Kitchen and Tap House Surprise — Restaurant in Surprise

Updated review. Lunch visit, seated immediately, a lighter lunch crowd. Noticed on the menu many items are Food Network recommended (?) the was also a board sign at the front station that the restaurant/bar can be seen on Guy Fieri' s Drive-in,Diners and Dives. Cool! This visit I ordered the Chicken Club, with choice fries, salad, I choose salad and our Jolie listed all ingredients to be sure I wanted them on the sandwich and the salad. The grilled chicken club was huge , grilled perfect, avocado, tomato, lettuce and 2 bacon strips. $15.99 . My hubby ordered 20 wings, 10 medium sauce and 10 Arizona Gold. They were cooked perfectly, tender, fall off the bone. The Arizona Gold sauce was delicious. I didn't choose any of the Food Network specials because they were all "smoked flavor" and I'm not a fan of that. 4 stars because no subbing available to get burgers to a turkey burger. They do offer Plant based . Our server Jolie was great, friendly and helpful. Glad to see Bonfire has gotten media recognition!! Good variety in their menu. Offer wood fired pizza . For lunch several salad choices. I ordered the chicken caprese . Something different: cold salad, pasta, chicken chunks, mozzarella cubes, cherry tomatoes with Italian vinaigrette. First serving the pasta wasn't cooked all the way. Our server, Lindsey insisted on getting it replaced . Was MUCH better the 2nd time ! Very filling , took half home . We also ordered their All Anerican Burger with side salad instead of fries . Burger very thick , salad had lots of goodies like tomatoes , onions and olives . Burger cooked exactly to our liking . To our surprise , when we go the bill , our server Lindsey had the chicken caprese salad removed from the bill. Great customer service! Restaurant was chilly so bring a sweater . Unisex bathrooms . Large restaurant, great for groups . Visited again and ordered the Chicken club with coleslaw . Great meal! They did not skimp on the avocado , chicken tender , lots of flavor and the best coleslaw I have ever had . My husband had the Big Mo burger and said it was great also . Our server Mathew was very attentive , personable and ready with the refills. Great place to make a Go-to restaurant! Visited again on a Saturday night . Very busy, 20 min. Wait. Ordered 1/2 rack bbq ribs . Does not come with any sides. Had side salad $5.95 extra, nothing special for that price. But the ribs were tender and BBQ sauce very good, generous. Served with pickles and pickled onions. Husband had the buffalo wings, 20 meaty big wings. With celery and carrots , plenty of dipping sauce. Good for 2 meals. Despite the crowd, service was...

So tonight was my first experience at bonfire. I was bringing a group of 14. One of the group and myself were the first ones there so we walked over to the bar had a drink. The bartender was good drinks were fine. The rest of the group showed up so we paid our tab at the bar, took our drinks with us and sat at a table. The waitress took our orders. Everything was fine. The food was very good. Midway through the meal asked for another cocktail pushed my empty glass aside and the waitress brought my drink. We were done soon after and the waitress brought our tabs. She gave me mine it was correct and then she took it back and said she forgot something. She brought it back with another drink added to it, and I said no you only brought me one drink. She said no, I remember bringing you two. I said here's my empty glass from the bar and here's the glass that you brought me. Where is the other one and she said I took it now we all had glasses in front of us numerous people had two drinks and I said maybe you brought it to someone else and she said no, I distinctly remember bringing you two drinks

No, these drinks were only 450 but her attitude was very condescending and nasty for a young person she said I'm gonna go get my manager I said OK. She was gone a bit, so I walked over to the front where she was talking with the manager, (Freda) who looked over at me and didn't say a word. She and the waitress just looked at each other like I was an idiot. I said I don't mean to cause a problem over $4.50. However, I only ordered one drink from the waitress She said I distinctly remember looking at you and bringing you two drinks. This was a table of 14 and the place was very busy. I said look, you can either take this off my bill or she's not gonna get a tip one orthe other. The waitress (Katarina) stalked away, and the manager look down at her seating chart. asked, are you gonna ring me up here and she said yes yes I'm taking the 450 off. What else do you want? Really annoyed. I said that's fine. I just want to make sure you were going to ring it up here. She took the $4.50 off. I added a five dollar tip for the waitress because she was very pregnant and I figured she needed it but I find the behavior and arguing with me from both of them to be very unprofessional and really just rude. I tried to be as nice as possible...

et me start by saying I’ve been in this industry for 25 years—long enough to know a thing or two about food. I’m an Exec Chef, my partner’s a Pastry Chef and CIA grad. So when I sit down at a place, I’m not just looking for a meal. I’m looking for authenticity, craftsmanship, and a bit of respect for the ingredients.

I asked the owner what the best thing on the menu was, and he raves about their “house specialty,” the Monsoon pizza. Golden sunshine sauce, mozzarella, chicken, bacon, banana pepper, jalapeno—then after baking, they add pineapple, grape tomatoes, and a ranch twist. Sounds promising. He tells me it’s “unbelievably good.”

Well, it could’ve been… but it wasn’t. Canned jalapeños and pineapple tidbits on a pizza? Really? I don’t care how you spin it, that’s just lazy. Tomatoes should’ve been blistered, not served raw like they’re straight from the grocery aisle. Fresh pineapple and fresh-cut jalapeños, please. The brine from those jarred peppers, combined with the canned pineapple and raw tomatoes, just created a mess of off flavors. There’s no way this is your “house specialty.” It’s more like a half-baked idea that never fully came to life.

The burgers? Meh. Fine. But I paid for bacon and they forgot it. Oh, and they didn’t drop any ketchup. That’s not just a mistake; that’s a lack of attention to detail, and that’s unforgivable when it’s not even busy.

And let’s talk service. It was a mess. They didn’t pre-bus any tables, so there were multiple plates, glasses, and empty drink cups scattered all over the place. We were left with a cluttered table throughout our entire meal—apps, entrees, drinks—all of it sitting there until we left. No one cleared anything. And I get it, maybe it was an off day, but this isn’t a mistake that should be made when you’ve got a staff on hand, and it’s not even crowded.

Now here’s the kicker: Guy Fieri went there. And if Guy Fieri is showing up at your joint, you better be bringing your A-game. If this is what he’s endorsing, then WTF? The level of mediocrity was off the charts.

On a bright note, the wings were actually pretty solid—some of the better ones in the area. I’ll give them that.

Listen, if you need help, I’m happy to offer my consulting services. Because right now, what you’re doing isn’t...