Windsor Mill Tavern — Restaurant in Windsor

We arrived early for Saturday lunch, about 11:30. The place was somewhat full, but OK.

There was apparently some event there called something like Champagne on Main. But they were still open.

That event may or may not have been OK but it had an official photographer who kept getting in everyone's way and even went behind the bar and hovered over food and drinks without washing.

We watched a server knock a "salt tray" on the floor, pick it up and put it back. I suspect she heard us say "no!" and did then discard it, but still not wash her hands.

We ordered the deviled eggs, two bowls of Bison chili and a Reuben to share. For drinks an IPA and foofoo coffee with a little less spice. We also asked for an extra plate since we were sharing.

The IPA arrived in the wrong type of glass for an IPA and we were informed that the coffee came from "pods" so she could not change them.

The eggs arrived and were very good, but way too cold, sort of Popsicle style.

Then the Chile, which was excellent. Probably the best Bison chili we have had.

The the Reuben. No extra plate despite the request. We asked the server to bring one and he never did.

The Reuben was the worst we can remember having. The "beef" was the beef, it was very tough and not really very warm.

The owner did eventually reach out to me yesterday and we have now spoken. He does seem to care and it is not clear why he took so long to respond. He believes that it is a "google" issue and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He asked us to try again and will be sending something to us, so I will report back.

I look forward to his assurance here that the photographer who hovered over peoples food will not be allowed behind the bar again. This is simple cleanliness and he certainly managed to seem dirty.

The owner did agree with me that many of the issues are his due to bad training of his staff.

We did discuss how a competent kitchen manager could have ever allowed that Reuben out of the kitchen and as yet have no answer to this.

Update: The owner posted a response and requested a phone call. We spoke at length. He was GREAT and asked that we give him another try. He even sent a gift card good for $50.

Having said that, $50 really is not enough here, not close to what we had spent, but it was good.

We went back. Happened to be a Monday. There was a burger special. We had it. We had one brie/fig and one teriyaki pineapple. Both bade with Bison.

They were good size. And they were rather good.

Ordered fries with each, one sweet potato, one regular. We requested no salt but were told that they were pre-salted. SAD!

Do I really want to go to a venue that buys pre-salted fries, or is too lazy to make m fries without salt.

I note that we still have no assurance that unwashed people will not be allowed behind the bar.

Neither the owner nor the GM were there. Manager on duty was GREAT! Bar-tender was GREAT

SO, I have upgraded my review and improved the ratings. They still have work to do though and we won't be rushing back.

Have since reduced my rating, see below.

went back again. This time the staff did not realize who we were. Did the Reuben, as a test.

The Reuben was really bad and the staff were really dirty. I asked for the manager who was licensed for food service. Was told that there was no one else available.

IMHO the worst Reuben, no food safety manager available and owner who cares enough to respond but not enough to be there.

When I have an assurance that someone with ownership cares enough to be there, I'll be there. Till then, I'll avoid, and suggest...

The Windsor Mill Tavern. As a former resident of 3 years: to remember the massive wooden Mill and think how great it would be if they reconditioned the structure into a large brewery only to be disheartened by the fire of 2017, entering the place for the first visit overtook my visual senses. Typically, I try to visit a place more than once before giving anybody 5 stars. In this case, having experienced the gradual chain of events leading to the discovery, my first impression; this is a success story. I may update the stars to 5 if and when the food proves consistent. The bison kabobs wrapped in bacon are a hit. The meat of the shrimp -dense and clean. The Brussels and Beets are a work in progress. I feel like there’s a heavy orange honey or pumpkin liquor reduction that could be high temp glazed on upon the Brussels and Beets. Follow me here, I am a fan of the dish for its health conscious orientation, already. The flat bread ingredients and presentation is stellar, the sauce is a hit. The total environment is why I love Windsor and the State of Colorado in general. The people here get it. This is my first visit to a semi-underground patio. The wall scenario is inviting, secure, angular in an artistic measure and the service entrance is in close proximity to the bar/kitchen. Perhaps my host is their #1 customer because the place was packed, 7:30 Friday evening on a picturesque day, and when we ordered food, food arrived. I recommend to all food and atmosphere compassionate travelers passing through The United States on Interstate 25, (I dare say that Interstate 80 is close enough to merit the detour and) exit at Fort Collins, Hwy 392 and drift east into Windsor and DRIVE SLOW with respect for the townsfolk. You will find the place is busy and the food is great and the people are curious-friendly to those of us who take care of ourselves and each other.

They Did it!! They fixed the old Mill!!!

Thank you for reading my amateur review, Former Resident Mahogany Way, Severance, Co 80550 (2015-2018). I did not want to leave NoCo. My uncle called and said, “Your mom needs help.”, so I pulled the rip cord. It’s nice to see the world revolves while we are home caring for the family that brought us here together. Thank you for having me back in FoCo, day 2. -Robert...

I visited for my mom's birthday and had Erica as our waitress.

She checked in quickly when we arrived, and things started great. I was impressed with the lively and warm atmosphere. It took a while for us to get drinks, but I didn't think much of it at first.

The food was okay, but in general, the quality and quantity did not justify the prices. My lamb wasn't particularly hot when it arrived. I asked for some more horseradish, and by the time that showed up, the lamb was cold. That was disappointing.

At the end, we decided to order another round of drinks and pay. The drinks took longer than the box or the check to arrive/be returned. We finally started enjoying the second round of drinks when our waitress Erica came back with the check again. She had given us the wrong check, and she openly admitted that it wasn't the first time she had made this mistake. When I tried to talk to her about it, she ran off before I could express my thoughts, clearly uncomfortable and unwilling to face up to her mistake. It's funny because if we hadn't been waiting for the very slow second round of drinks to arrive, we would have left, so there would be no returning to the table to ask me to pay again.

Ironically, she mentioned that if we had left earlier, our whole ticket would be comped, which seemed like a pretty damning thing to say in my view. So basically because we were waiting for the very slow drinks, we ended up having the end of our birthday dinner evening made awkward and weird. It would have been a lot more professional to not mention it and eat the cost. I took the difference out of her tip, and maybe the mistake won't happen a third time.

I'm not coming back. There are loads of places dying for business, and when we do take the time to go out on a special occasion, it should be something better than what we get at home (good service, fast and fancy drinks, excellent food, etc.). Nothing we experienced tonight was worth paying the upcharge for.

Tldr waitress' repeat mistakes tainted entire evening. When I pay that kind of money, I expect better. Not...