06/20/09

Price verses quality

by bbeerlovr

Ambitious menu with inconsistent delivery. Huge kitchen and enormous number of staff, but not polished considering the premium beverage and food prices. Prices align with top restaurants, but the setting and service devalues the experience. Beer prices pay the overhead so avoid entrees.

• Pros: Beer selection, location
• Cons: Price, service

05/17/09

Great Food, Great Beer

by Bww

The food was spectacular, the beer selection is great, the service was attentive and helpful. The Happy Gnome is a great neighborhood bar.

• Pros: The Beer Selection
• Cons: Seating

03/07/09

The Happy Gnome needs HELP!!!

by CremeBruleeLover

I have been to the Happy Gnome probably 20 times over the past couple years. Since the first time I began my patron relationship with the Gnome, I have been increasingly dissappointed.

The service is average once in a blue moon. Overall, the servers need to learn how to be a good server. You should smile, check in with your tables regularly, offer water, the basics. They are never happy. I have sat for at minimum 20 minutes before anyone even brought menus, waited for a beer for 30...

The menu and price of the food always tricks me into thinking I am going to get a well cooked, nicely prepared, delicious meal. I usually get something slopped together, with gross ingredients, prepared with little culinary knowledge. I think their cooks might be toddlers. The only thing ever worth ordering is a burger, the most basic of bar food. They seriously need to hire some decent cooks back there and a real chef who knows how to make a pasta dish that is worth $14. Don't even get me started on the desserts. They're an abomination. The Gnome also stinks and has fruit flies.

I continually give the Gnome a second chance to reimpress me with service and dining, and this past visit was the last straw. I ordered "Spicy Babaganough", which ended up being canned eggplant with Siracha. They didn't even add Tahini! It was seriously gross and disappointing. The server seemed completely unaware of how to handle a return on food.

The only thing worthwhile about the Gnome is the beer. And really, you can get beer anywhere. It is also a dollar higher than most bars of the same caliber.

I would love to see some new managment and a revamp of the kitchen, rehiring of servers, before I could ever consider giving them my money again. If they want to keep their undeserved title of a nice bar/restaurant, they need a lot of help.

• Pros: Beer is good, but expensive
• Cons: Everything else