Boulder Cork

Food was great, service not so much. Waiter disappeared for long periods of time and had to chase other people down to get drink refill. The trout however was delicious.
Service should match your prices.

The Boulder Cork has great traditional American food. I have been there multiple times over the years and the food and service is consistently great! It is the only restaurant in town that has my all time favorite appetizer, a traditional shrimp cocktail. They also have fabulous steaks, a great wine and drink list, and my go to meal, Scallops with sweet potatoes and spinach.
They also occasionally have unusual meat and seafood specials. My last meal there, I had succulent and large mussels that were the best I have ever had. They also have a happy hour that is one of the best in town!

A group of 8 of us went to Boulder Cork today to celebrate Mother’s day and a dear friend’s graduation. Frankly, I was shocked at the disappointing level of service and poor food quality. I’d heard about the Cork for quite some time. It came highly recommended and I had been told it was a «Boulder institution». Maybe that’s part of the problem… they feel they’ve established their reputation so they don’t have to try anymore?
We had a reservation so we were seated and received our bread baskets and drinks fairly promptly, but that was the end of the good service. We waited over an HOUR for our food to arrive and during that time we didn’t see our server at all and we were never asked if we’d like our drinks refilled or if we needed anything. We just sat there with empty glasses staring at our crumb-​filled bread plates.
After an hour of waiting, I was served a floppy, lukewarm lobster ravioli in desperate need of salt and an extraordinarily overpriced hunk of iceberg lettuce while my dinner companion got the wrong order entirely. And at that point, everyone is so hungry you eat the subpar food anyway because its not worth sending it back and waiting another hour.
My son, who I was treating to a special night out for Mother’s day, was served MICROWAVED KRAFT MAC & CHEESE. I was taken aback that a so-​called 4 star restaurant with an average entrée price of well over $ 20 (who actually has an in-​house, homemade mac & cheese on the menu) would serve this. I mean kids are guests too and this is a special treat for us.
But it wasn’t just the microwaved slop they brought us… when I kindly asked the server if it was Kraft from a box, I got a very snotty reply of, «well that’s what kid’s expect and I didn’t think I had to explain the menu to you.» It was like a slap in the face of rudeness. On Mother’s Day. To me, a mother, on a rare night out.
The rest of our party were disappointed in their overcooked, overpriced, heat lamp killed, salt deprived dishes too. Not once during dinner were we asked if we wanted more wine or needed anything else. Again, I had to flag the server down every time we had a request. At one point, I took my kiddo to the bathroom, only to come back and find they had randomly decided to remove his chair from the table. So bizarre. Sad that the food expediters and water guys were nicer to us than our server was.
I really couldn’t find one redeeming quality here. The wine/​champagne was good, but I can get that anywhere. The manager did replace the mac & cheese with actual food and took it off the bill and while that was the right thing to do, I couldn’t get over the way the server treated us. I will never pay that kind of money for that level of service and food quality when there are so many other great restaurants in Boulder where the servers are kind, prompt, attentive, and the food quality is leagues above. There’s no way in hell I’ll be back and I wish I would have read the reviews here first.

Stick to lunches in this one. The Cork used to be the go-​to steakhouse in Boulder but has apparently had to cut back in the kitchen as well as the service areas. On a Friday night with not enough staff we waited for over an hour to be served and then the burger was cold, the lamb chops were way overdone, the halibut was cooked to death. Who wants to send food back after waiting so long eating bread and butter. It’ll be a long long time before we return if ever. Too bad.

Best happy hour in Boulder. Doors open at 4:30 with people waiting in line. The ribs are a must try– very meaty, with little fat.
Happy hour is served only in the bar and it fills up quickly. The only reason for 4 stars is that it gets very noisy. Sometimes it is hard to carry on a conversation !

Holy cra##ola; strong cocktails! My marg knocked my socks off! Early dinner menu 5 – 6. Zzzzzzzzz OMg. Ask me later. I’ve typed the wrong the nf 7 times!!! I get ve up!

Had been hearing about the Cork for years, and finally decided to stop in for happy hour.
Overall, it was good. The have a smaller drink selection than other places for happy hour, and while the wine and beer were priced well I thought the mixed drinks were on par for non-​happy hour pricing elsewhere.
They have a fantastic selection of happy hour food! The artichoke was excellent and fresh with both butter and a great curry mayo.
The loaded nachos with smoked chicken was also good; smaller than what you would get in a sports bar, but the quality was much better.
The kettle chips were fantastic! Lots of blue cheese and arugula, crunchy and fresh. We could have scarfed down another order of those!
Prime Rib sandwich as just so-​so. The meat was served cold and tough and no worth the price at all — would not suggest or order again.
The mud pie dessert bites were lick the plate phenomenal and had real whipped cream! Definitely a great way to end the meal.
I would definitely stop back again for the happy hour to try some of the other items on the menu! A tip — get there early! We got there around 5 and grabbed the last table. Service was also really good (except they kept trying to snatch our plates before we were done :))

My boyfriend and I are new to Boulder and wanted something fancy and romantic. So I made a reservation. It’s recommend because a group walked in to see if there was a table available they where Booked until 9:30pm. We where seated right away. But the table was not the greatest. Seated in the corner the tables are very close to each other literally my boyfriend moved the whole table away from another table. I’m a small built lady. That’s how close the tables were. We enjoyed out conversation but could hear other couples conversations. We chose the special for 55 dollars we got a 3 course meal Cesar salad was good. Prime rib was ok. The thing I didn’t like was the host would come around a fill our glasses of water. But he like I said the tables are so close the host literally had his ass in my face. My love and I made the best of it but will not go back.

I honestly just don’t understand what happened to this place. Did the old owners sell out and then the new ones tanked it?
Well, whatever happened, I never come here anymore.
When I first moved to Boulder in 1992, The Cork was a good restaurant, not great, but good. Since it’s pretty close to our home, my family would came regularly for dinners, Sunday brunches, and the occasional special event, but it has gone steadily downhill since around 2000, and everyone I know agrees with me.
The service is very iffy, and more often than not, it’s plain terrible. The food is mediocre at best. Most of it is overcooked and/​or unappetizing for any number of reasons. Quite often, our orders would be messed up, dishes put in front of the wrong people, ordered items never brought out, the bill would be wrong, wrong, wrong, and the servers didn’t seem to care! Even our simple ice cream orders were served practically melted.
The last time I came in (about 3 years ago) was with a friend from out-​of-​town who chose it, though I did warn him I couldn’t stand the place anymore, but he insisted and was paying. We came for happy hour drinks and appetizers and we sat in the bar. The service was horrendous! Even the bartender kept disappearing, to where???
We just couldn’t stomach any of the food. The Ceasar dressing on my side salad was very watery and the salad itself boring as can be. My drink wasn’t passable either. I ordered an Irish whiskey (top name brand I drink regularly) straight up. My glass smelled of chlorine and/​or dish soap, and the whiskey was notably weaker than it should be. This is the same brand I buy and drink at home, so I knew it was off. I think they either watered it down or switched it with a cheaper brand, both common bar tricks, I’m afraid. And that chlorine detergent smell really ruined it completely. One sip was all I gave it. I tried to get the bartender’s attention, but he was totally ignoring me and when I got up to come to the bar, he hastily disappeared before I was close enough to put my drink on the bar. On top of that, our waitress never came back into the room to check on us or are order after she dropped it off.
After waiting another 10 minutes for someone to come back in, I went to speak to the hostess and asked her to send in the manager, but guess what, she couldn’t leave her post and didn’t seem to care one iota about anyone or anything. We finally walked out, leaving a note on our table about the incredibly poor service, the terrible food and drinks, and went to the Boulder Café for an excellent dinner (though it’s now out-​of-​business, sadly).

I have always enjoyed the food at The Cork. Stopped in for a quick bite and to do some work. Salad was fresh and delicious.
Burger was served cold with a soggy bun because the waitress was too busy enjoying the football game with her boyfriend sitting at the bar. She did not smile once until she got excited about the football game or when she talked to her boyfriend. Watched her chew her nails and serve food and beverages after having her hands in her mouth.

Our first visit to the Boulder Cork was for my husband’s birthday and we loved every minute of it. The food was incredible and the service was great. Plus, the complimentary cake that they brought out for my husband was more than enough for all four of us to share! Definitely a pleasant dining experience.

Great service –excellent atmosphere. Awesome food – nice broad menu
Best know for steaks – but offers a great full menu
Put this place on your list

We visited for a last minute celebration with the family and enjoyed ourselves. The filet was good and the smoked mash potatoes are a different take than the usual side. I had the scallops and they were tender and tasty. My husband tried the fish of the day (trout) and he was not very impressed– he said it was «just ok» and was not sure he’d go back. The ambience was not what we expected, a lot more cafeteria like than steakhouse. The waitress didn’t appreciate my husbands joke about the kids menu but that’s ok– I usually don’t laugh either. ;)

The service was amazing. Food? Not so much.
The trout was soggy not crispy. The artichoke was way under cooked. The Mahi dish was tasty but way over priced for what it was.
I highly recommend any of the salads. They’re all very creative and delicious. But again.. Pricey.

Filet during lunch hour was very tender. The asparagus was large and tasty also. Finished off with the Apple fruit crisp which was delicious. The inside of restaurant has nice atmosphere and an outside patio. Wait staff were very courteous, polite and prompt. The waiter Casey was very good at doing his job.

So Boulder Cork isn’t your traditional style steakhouse; its brightly lit and relatively lower prices, while still providing exceptional service and fancy paper towels in the bathrooms. On the night we came in, they had a limited menu due (the 2015 graduation menu) because I guess there were so many reservations that weekend. Apparently, they have a really great happy hour menu, but weren’t offering it during graduation weekend.
The graduation menu consisted of a variety of starters and salads, the aka carte steak and sides menu and a complete entrée part. We started with some salads. The Caesar salad was probably one of the best I’ve ever had. I loved the very acidic dressing and the lettuce was super fresh and crunchy. Even the croutons were great. I also tried some of the wedge salad, which was also good, but if I’m ever back, I’d still k with the Caesar :)
I had a bit of trouble deciding on my entrée. The scallops really caught my eye, but I thought since it was my first time, I should probably get a steak. I ended up going for the teriyaki steak, and coming from Hawaii, where teriyaki is a staple, I can say that the Teri sauce was good! The steak however was a little chewy, and the sides weren’t exceptional (I tried the creamed spinach and sautéed mushrooms). Most of our table had the prime rib, and there were no complaints.
Our waiter and busboys were exceptional. The waiter took he orders of the females in our party first and came by consistently to check on us. I also liked that he told us the specials of the day and included the prices! Being Chinese and all, I like knowing how much my dinner is going to cost me before I order it, so I hardly ever order specials when the waiter doesn’t tell me the price.
I’d definitely recommend Boulder Cork for the salads and prime rib and exceptional service. There is also plenty of parking and it’s pretty centrally located in Boulder.

Update: Went back a week later to take advantage of the early bird special. We got their about 2 minutes till six and were a just a tax obnoxious about getting our order in on time.
The waiter was a french guy, wish I knew his name so I could give him kudos. I was in the restaurant business for over 20 years and consider myself a bit of a foodie. Point is I’ve been waited on a lot.
This might be the best service I’ve ever received. He was funny, polite, didn’t talk down, non pretentious. Everything was perfect. The 5^th star is for him alone.
Brilliant. Made my week.

I love the Boulder cork for numerous reasons. I think the prices are pretty fair and reasonable for the quality of food you’re getting and the overall experience. I’ve been here several times and have never had a bad experience and have had some of the best steaks I’ve ever had.
For starters try the steamed artichoke, to light and is delicious dipped in the aioli sauce. The scallops are really tasty, they are sweet and creamy but not over bearing but I would say to get any of the steaks over this just because they are even better.
My personal favorite steak is the teriyaki sirloin, it’s relatively inexpensive and is seasoned to perfection. To accompany your steak try the smoked mashed potatoes, they have just the right amount of smokey flavor that truly enhances the overall taste of the dish.

I’ve been here twice and both times the food has been extraordinary! I had the Mahi-​Mahi fish bowl and it was out of this world. The staff is super friendly. I will be back to try a steak. I highly recommend this restaurant.

WOW… my husband was right Cork is absolutely fantastic! Every time he is in Boulder, once or twice a month, he goes to Boulder Cork. He usually pulls up a seat at the huge bar area and orders their Prime Rib sandwich.
I had the pleasure of going to Cork the other evening and enjoyed every bit of it. Our server was really friendly and knew the menu. Again what you would expect from a Boulder restaurant.
Of course my husband had his usual but I started with the Baked Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto with Fontana cheese. It was good but very cheesy. And of course as cheese bakes it gets oily.
My entrée was delicious! I had the Fish Bowl. It had Mahi-​mahi with lots of veggies in a wonderful curry sauce.
After all of that we were too full to think about dessert.
Oh btw, the beers are good here and the bar drinks are good. I had a dry martini a bit dirty and it was exactly perfect.