The Greenbriar Inn

We’ve been going to the Greenbriar for years… decades. Its a beautiful setting away from downtown. They do many things right. We always enjoy the table-​side caesar salad, oysters and good cocktails. Last night our family went there for dinner. I have to say I was appalled at the portions for the prices. On a positive note, I had the Beef Wellington and it was beautifully prepared… and delicious. My husband ordered «rack of lamb.» The rack consisted of two lamb chops… for $ 42. A dish of sea scallops and shrimp for $ 38 contained two small shrimp and two small scallops. That’s terrible. It was the size of a small appetizer. The lamb was delicious but charging $ 21/​lamb chop is ridiculous. The waiter said they served the lamb in small portions to keep the cost down — otherwise it would be a $ 60 meal? Really? Why? Boulder Lamb is sold all over town. I’m friends with the owners. You don’t have to pay $ 21 for one lamb chop. Additionally, there was hardly anything else on the plate. A piece of broccolini… and a swirl of some kind of purée/​potato. Our bill was several hundred dollars and My father-​in-​law left hungry. That just isn’t right.
We appreciate and don’t mind paying for fine dining. We have been loyal customers of the Greenbriar for years… but even though last night’s meal had some highlights, I’m not sure we’ll be going back. Although the food is usually quite good, the cost for what you get now is almost insulting. Additionally, the service was ok but pretty slow. Our waiter would leave for long periods of time and was nice… but a bit forgetful. If they are experimenting with a new menu, they really need to re-​think their decisions or they will lose their loyal customer base.

Copy of the letter sent to the owner
Every year my friends and I celebrate two of our birthdays at Greenbriar. We tend to sit in the bar by the fireplace and have always enjoyed ourselves. The service and food is usually exceptional.
Last night, we were the table of 4 seated by your fireplace in the bar. As you are aware, our service was really poor. We watched other guests who arrived after us be served and those guests even leave before we were served our food. And, even when we were finally served, we asked the waiter if we could order another drink and he said he would send someone back. The person only came back after we were almost finished eating. There were at least 3 times that I caught the bartender’s eye and motioned for him to come over and that he went quickly past us and back to the bar without acknowledging us. I asked the hostess several times for better service and she seemed too stressed and almost like I was bothering her. We had different waiters all night so no one who really cared about our table and the service we were provided with.
The flatbread was very dry and my friend hardly ate it. The fries were tepid and the Bernaise sauce didn’t taste like Bernaise. The lamb burgers did not have the usual condiments on them. We had to flag someone down to have sauces that come with the meal brought to us.
Yes, you apologized and didn’t charge us for our food. We did, however, pay for our drinks. Yes, you were busy last night. But since we had reservations several weeks in advance I would think that your staff would have been ready for us.
My friends and I spent the ride home talking about where we would go next year instead of how much we liked The Greenbriar’s service and food.
What a shame.

We went here for the champagne brunch for our anniversary. The staff was attentive and kind. And the food on the buffet was fresh and delicious. And unlimited champagne for mimosas kept my glass full! We definitely recommend the Sunday brunch for a special occasion, or even just if you feel like treating yourself after a long week!

A favorite elegant dining experience. Great menu. Creative presentations. Sumptuous tastes and traditional favorites never disappoint. Memorable for special occasions with family or friends and especially for celebrations. So much goes into creating the perfect experience with food and surroundings. I enjoyed celebrating my birthday most years at this lovely location and especially this year with family. Beautiful music.

I was looking for a good resturaunt to eat at with my family. After making the reservation I look at the menu and it was not appealing or kid friendly. We got there and had to tell the hostess that we had cancellations from 12 people to 8 people. After they sorted that out we were seated by the manager. The manger told us about a vent that was blowing cold air and he said he would take care of it. We were given our menus and had 15 – 30 minutes to look at the menu then met our waiter 10 minutes after that. We ordered 4 ceaser salads and 2 house salads2 steaks 2 scallops and 2 pork chops and one kids noodles. 30 minutes later we got bread that was marginal and we were denied (complements of the kitchen) aka time wasters twice. All through that time the air vent kept getting worse and we informed multiple people many times. We figured out that a party of 12 was waiting and needed our table fast so things picked up halfway through our salads. We were rushed into our entrée. The only thing warm was the kid noodles. The pork chops weren’t cooked right and everything else was cold. All the sides tasted horrific as well. While all this was going on I was litteraly going through hypothermia with 2 heavy jackets on me and several trips to the luke warm fire place. The table of 12 had to be seated somewhere else because our waiter was litteraly waiting on everyone else in the resturaunt was walking around setting up and taking down the same tables the whole time we where there. The hostess had to come help as well. The staff that wasn’t doing anything where sitting around yawning. We finally finished our horrific food with the manager already offering us free deserts. The manager asked us if we wanted to look at the desert menu and we said yes the two times we were asked. We ordered ice cream and the bannana foster for two (actually every one ordered their own because they were so hungry.) It
took us 30 minutes to get our bite sized ice cream and get our check. The total ended up as about $ 375. We got there at 5:30 and left at 10:00. We were asked to come back because it was «one of those nights for them» but we will probably be going to McDonald’s next time. This restaurant was rate top 10 is Colorado but it should be rated worst top 10 in colorado. At the end I walked out felling warmer than I felt in the resturaunt. Maybe they can use the money we gave them to fix the heater.

First, to be clear, I love salt. I usually add it to most food, especially meat. So you can imagine my surprise when my steak at the Greenbriar was way, way too salty even for me to eat. I’m talking, a wave knocks you down at the beach and you get a mouthful of seawater salty. I’m talking, makes you want to puke salty. So, I get it, someone bumps the salt shaker in the kitchen and ruins the dish. But the server and the manager weren’t particularly apologetic about it and, other than knocking off the $ 38 charge for the steak (thanks for not charging me what I couldn’t eat), didn’t particularly care about whether I was happy. To add to the joy of the night, I noticed that every time I leaned back in my chair, my brand new sports coat seamed to stick to the chair back. When I mentioned this to our sever, she simply joked, «That’s how we keep you here.» When I got home, I discovered that the back of my new coat was covered with some sort of sticky food. Don’t go here. Boulder has far better alternatives.

After wedding brunch buffet was delicious, the eggs Benedict was superb and the prime rib was excellent. The desserts to die for and the staff was very attentive. Wish I could have ordered from the menu though, I will be going back.

Boy what a difference a year can make. We were so looking forward to another visit this year even though the location was quite inconvenient from where we were staying. Drinks were very good but sort of slid downhill after that. Gone was the manager (owner?) who is welcoming and informative about menu and other things. Replacing him was a manager who looked very young and disinterested in the restaurant or its guests. Food was just okay and far too pricy for what is presented. I had an excellent filet with accompaniments. Husband had halibut that was not at all worth $ 38.00. The mussels appetizer was nothing special. Sent back one glass of wine only to receive another of the same bad quality. Tasted like the stock isn’t moving fast enough and it’s going bad. Dessert was ordered but not eaten. It had bad texture and didn’t taste like anything. It was supposed to be black forest cake. Manager seen walking around but never any attention given to our table. Service not up to par for the prices charged either. It was just not the classy one of a kind eating experience of the past. Perhaps that explains the nearly empty dining room. It was one of the main things we were looking forward to do on our trip to beautiful Colorado. Sorely disappointing for our anniversary celebration.

The beef Wellington was delicious. Even though I was barely hungry I couldn’t stop eating it because it was possibly the best I’ve ever had. Table side Caesar was excellent.

At the end of April I retired and was given a $ 100 certificate for Greenbriars by my old group. Today was our (Jackie and myself) 34^th wedding anniversary. So off to Greenbriars we went.
Sadly there was a massive wedding party going on and this seemed to effect the service and quality of the cuisine. I can only say this was a massive disappointment. The food was really tardy in being delivered (as were the drinks) and when the food did arrive it was tepid. (2 courses ordered, arrived at 6:40PM and left at 8:55PM).
I ordered the Beef Wellington. The pastry was undercooked, all the vegetables on the plate were near cold to tepid. For $ 40 this was outrageous. I complained to the waiter, I’ll get the manager he said. 35 minutes later the manager arrived. The table next to us, after hearing me, said they had the same issue. Trout that was cold. By now Jackie had finished her meal (and from what she said that was not upto par) and there was no way I was going to have her wait another hour.
I don’t think anyone there was even too worried. I had the distinct impression that they were making so much money from the wedding party, that they considered the «Saturday night punters» a bit of a nuisance.
Great shame, I know have a $ 50 certificate, Yes, one of the worst dining experiences ever and was charged $ 50 for the pleasure. I’m not even sure that I actually want to go back again.
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Since writing this I have heard from two friends who basically had exactly the same experience.
Jen wrote: I totally understand. I have had a similar experience the last 3 times I went for happy hour. Exact same experience. Large party/​wedding left us with horrible service and food was ok. I also asked for the manager and he came about 30 minutes later. I almost walked out. It used to be a great place to go. I’m sorry for your experience.
Amber wrote: I think they make the bulk of their money on wedding parties, and don’t care much for regular diners.
SO TIP: When you book your table ask if there is a wedding party that night and if there is, find an evening when there isn’t. You might get better service and hot food.
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My friend John (UK based) wrote: Nig, I think over here I would have refused to pay !
If you have to call the manager there is normally a financial compromise offered.
I though about what John said, this was our 34^th wedding anniversary and they basically offered us nothing except to ask us to pay for a couple of overpriced drinks and starters.
A ruined evening, thanks Greenbriars.

The BEST Beef Wellington I have ever had was in this small, quaint restaurant. It was amazing and the ambiance outside was spectacular. I 100% recommend visiting this restaurant for dinner and doing so in their outdoor seating area. A wonderful date spot.

We were seated once we walked in at our reservation, which is really nice. The food was interesting, creative, and delicious. The staff did an amazing job explaining to us what we were eating and where in their garden they get their ingredients from. The exterior of the restaurant is pretty. It reminded me a lot of a miniature scenic version of scenes from the newest cinderella movie. It is very picturesque. They were also nice giving my boyfriend and I a quieter place for our first fancy dinner!

Amazing food, but needs improvement on service. Very slow to get our meals last night. Last time we were there they had a thermostat issue and was so hot we almost walked out. Why can’t a great restaurant like this fix the simple stuff. Time for a new manager.

Service was excellent, food was awesome, atmosphere was fantastic. We will definitely be back.

OK.
The service was very good.
The food was OK.
I would never spend that much money again.

I love this restaurant, and tonight I got to introduce it to a couple of my girlfriends. We had a fabulous evening, that was made even better by our bartender, Tyler. The ambiance, the food, the drinks, the attention … well done!

Phenomenally quiet location. We love coming here when the weather is nice, as their patio is gorgeous. Definitely not a cheap place, but they do everything well. My wife and I will bop down here once and awhile and split something on their bar menu with a few cocktails. We have had a few successful family dinners, and always try to make it down for their pre-​fix for restaurant week.

Came here for their champagne brunch.
The food was decent, and I suppose «decent» is to be expected for a buffet brunch.
The thing that got me, was that a champagne brunch includes «UNLIMITED champagne». Lies. Absolute lies.
One more glass than they expect you to have, and they’ve magically run out of sparking wine.
I paid my $ 50, I’d like what you promised me.

Our mostly-​vegetarian family of four, including two children one of whom has Exceptional Needs /​is profoundly disabled, recently had a lovely Easter brunch here.
Right off the bat I have to say how over-​the-​top delighted I was with how accommodating the staff were pre-​visit: when I called to make the reservation, when they called to confirm our attendance, and then the day of. Because of our youngest child’s Needs I have to be uptight so he (and therefore, we) can have a positive, enjoyable experience. Some places get a bit uppity, but truly, I was just thrilled with how thoughtful their responses and ideas were so as to make it a successful brunch for our whole family.
Well, this is clearly a well-​oiled operation because there were quite a stream of us arriving a la meme fois and the cheery, attentive ladies at the front desk had us all squared away in good order. The buffet was well-​stocked with all kinds of tidbits including quite a few vegetarian options, all of which were clearly marked.
The food was okay, about what I’d expect for a very busy day. If I’d ordered it off a menu I probably would have been disappointed, but I have a different expectation of both a buffet and of a buffet on a very busy day. The food was all at the right temp, it was plentiful (we never opened a container to find it low or empty), and there good choices — not a ton of choices (which I LOVE but which mightn’t be feasible in such a small restau). Given that it was April 20, I was THRILLED with the delicious watermelon (my second favorite fruit), and the pot de cremes were terrific. My eldest child raved about the crème brûlée, and my husband and youngest were very keen on the bacon and gravlax (or smoked salmon — I didn’t get close enough to thoroughly investigate).
This was our first time at the Greenbriar Inn so I can only say that given my expectations on a busy Easter Sunday for brunch I was pleased with the food. If it were any old Sunday I would, admittedly, expect better and more.
However, the Greenbriar Inn will now always rank VERY HIGHLY with me because of how kind, thoughtful, and accommodating they were in making a little developmentally disabled child (and his family) have a good time, and that there were dedicated vegetarian offerings.

The Greenbriar is a beautiful older restaurant with a good brunch buffet. It’s the kind of place my grandmother really enjoys. I think the brunch is reasonably priced and the food is really very good. I haven’t done dinner there in over a decade so the four stars is for brunch only.
It seemed like the place was staffed entirely by high school aged kids who were trying, but a bit oblivious. For a high-​end brunch, I was disappointed at how often my water glass sat empty and how many times I had to ask for more water and more hot water for my tea.