Kendall’s Tavern & Chophouse

I came here for the first time a few weeks ago for a late Mother’s Day dinner and it was fabulous! Our server was attentive, but not annoying, (you know, not asking you if you’re alright every 5 minutes), and the food came out quickly. I ordered the Whisky Burger and it melted in my mouth. The bacon on it was to die for– I mean that thick, juicy, wish you had more kind of bacon. My mother got the Pot Roast and she told me it was one of the best dishes she has had at a restaurant. Overall, we were very happy with Kendall’s and we will definitely be back again.

I have been golfing at Bunker Hills on Thursdays for many years and it would be great if we could go in there and have a nice dinner and some drinks after golf like we always used to do for many years. I thought last year was as bad as service could be, especially considering the huge prices. I was actually happy to hear they now have new ownership in the restauraunt this year and had high hopes for Kendall’s. On my first try this year, they had a waitress shift change in the middle of my order ½ hour after ordering my burger. Turns out the first waitress never placed my order or something and it took over an hour to finally get something to eat. Why would I pay $ 16 for that? They ended up giving it to me to go for no charge, which is an improvement from last year when I had the EXACT same type of experience one time where they still charged me for a cold burger. Anyway, right now, I’m eating my free to-​go burger at home and typing my review here because I’m still a bit upset. My wife is mad I got home so late. So I give them one star because at least the burger is pretty good. They really should lower their prices or make a meaningful change with their service. It seems like the same crappy service as last year, and prices seem even higher. At least they apologized tonight and were very nice about it. I really liked my waitresses tonight, they were nice and I don’t want them to get in trouble since i’m not even sure who’s fault it was. Hopefully it was just a coincidence that I had one bad experience on my first try here this year, but it just seems like too much of a coincidence since I had the same crap last year.

I am loving this new restaurant. The food is excellent. My perfect meal consists of the garden salad and the beef skewers. The skewers are tasty and fresh. The perfect blend of veggie and meat protein. Love them.
The waitstaff have improved over the past few months. The staff for Sunday morning brunch left a lot to be desired when the meat carver kept pulling his phone out between guests.

I’m giving them 4 stars as the food was really good. The Caesar salad I had came with super fresh Parmesan cheese and it was huge! My wife and I split a few things and it was more than enough food.
The atmosphere was good, we sat at the bar as it was very busy. It was super loud but I don’t mind that, some might. The only down side was the service was about 3 stars… the guy was nice but it took a while to get drinks and his attention at times… Th prices were reasonable and I would definitely go back.

Food was great, but service was abysmal. Made a reservation, still had to wait 30+ minutes for a table, Hostess was totally unhelpful and all she had to offer was, «Would you like to speak to a manager?» We sat at the bar to wait for our buzzer to go off (reminder: We had a reservation) and it took 10 minutes to get the Bartender’s attention. There were actually 2 people behind the bar, washing glasses, chatting with other staff and customers, not serving drinks, and yet it took 10 minutes for them to notice that 4 people had sat down. Right after being told by the hostess that it would be an additional 35 minutes (making it 50 minutes since our reservation time) our buzzer suddenly went off and we were seated, thankfully. Once we hit the dining room the experience was ok, our service was friendly and the food was great. It didn’t outweigh the unprofessional initial experience leading up to it, though. We were so excited to try a new place nearby but they have missed the mark on many things. Leading up to this reservation we had received a coupon in the mail, it expired 2 days before we went to use it and they wouldn’t honor it — the coupon was to entice new customers to try out a new restaurant — I do understand expiration dates but 2 days? Make an exception when we already had a less than pleasant experience. I attempted to contact them via their Facebook (which they actively post on) asking about Veteran’s Day specials and a variety of other things. They regularly read the messages but didn’t reply — why have an active social media page if you aren’t going to communicate with your customers? If I could break up the ratings I would give 1 star for service/​professionalism and ¾ stars for the food.

We had lunch today on the way to take the cat to the vet. 2^nd time we’ve each had a burger, and both times they were excellent. Great tasting meat that tastes like good beef should. The fries were good and the cheese curds we started with were also recommended. They wee very lightly battered and tasted fresh. Service was very prompt and very attentive, overall another good experience.

Good food, great drinks and drink specials. Sunday’s they have a buffet and all you can drink mimosas

Mediocre brunch at best. Very disappointed in the offering — the French toast was hard on the edges and the hash browns were burnt on the bottom and a bit raw on the top. There are many better options in the Twin Cities.

I’ve been there 2 times. Seated in the bar area and possibly the worst service I’ve ever had both times. Food is so so. All it has is a nice scenery. Won’t be going back.

I’m a tough grader and I may go back to give it another try because the potential is there. BUT — arrived at the bar and sat and sat and finally went to find a server. The bloody Mary’s are picture perfect. One of our group ordered ginger ale and was told it did not come with refills because it was «not a regular soda» which is good to know but when asked which were the regular sodas the server didn’t know. After dropping off the drinks we didn’t see her again until we flagged down someone for the bill. In the dining room the service was attentive and pleasant but had more of a coffee shop feel not what you would expect from a restaurant of this scale. Of the meals In our group the sirloin was the only one that was worth considering again. We also had the pot pie that was so so and the fish and chips that were dreadful as well as cold. Stick with what comes off the grill.

Went here this afternoon and was really happy with the renovation. They added a lot more space to the bar roughly 12 4 top tables which makes this place have a greater opportunity. I had Billy the bartender as my bartender a very nice guy who gives good service and is always cracking jokes a fun person to enjoy lunch with. The place is slow during the day busy at night so depending on what kind of atmosphere your looking for go accordingly. The food was good I had a whiskey burger was pretty please with it only thing was bacon was over cooked but that will happen from time to time. Overall was good experience Billy is highly recommended by me he usually works days tho so I’d advise lunch in the bar if your looking for an hour lunch break!

Friday not dinner club. Tried this place because it is close to home and quite honestly we thought we should try some things in the «hood». We arrived around 6 15 on a Friday night, the place was packed, I always take that as a good sign. They have a Chop House and Tavern. It was an hour wait for the Chop House without a reservation and on the Tavern side you were told to just hover when you saw someone getting ready to leave. Kind of awkward, one of the managers took pity on us and kept an eye on a table for us. Once we were seated our waitress showed up fairly fast with menus and took our drink order, it was busy in there and you could tell she was worried about spending time at our table because she had so many other tables. She did bring a sample of beer so one of us could try it before buying it, which was nice. We ordered some apps., some cheesecurds with tomato jam and ranch dressing and onion rings which also came with ranch dressing. The cheesecurds were pretty tasty, the tomato jam was very good. The onion rings, while giant in size were flavorless and spendy for the amount you got. I am pretty over this whole ranch dressing with everything though. We ordered our dinner, three different burgers and a BLT. The burgers are only cooked to medium — well, even if you ask for it a little less done. The burgers were ok, a little on the dry side. I had the black and blue, there was not a lot of blue cheese flavor to it, though. On a good note, the buns on the burgers were very good. Sort of sad that was the highlight to the burgers. On to the BLT. That was cold and over mayo’d. From the toast not being warm to the bacon being ice cold. It took us a bit to flag down the server and tell her, she asked what she could do. We just asked her to remove it from the bill and take it back. She said she would have the manager come over and talk to us. The manager showed up about five minutes later. I always have a problem when a service person will argue with you about how something is done. She told us that a BLT is always cold, even the bread, then she said that the bacon should have been warm. The sandwich is served on toasted bread, last time I checked, TOAST was bread, that was toasted, to make it warm and, well, toasty. They did take it off the check. All in all, our server was very nice and did her best. I think a big part of the problem with this place is it is a long walk from the kitchen to the dining room tables and while they do have food runners, it just doesn’t seem to work well. We will probably not return, we can get a better burger at the VFW.
UPDATE, It’s been about three weeks, never did hear back from them about my Unilocal

Very likely our new favorite restaurant! What a great surprise this place was. I really hope it makes it as it was quite dead in there right at prime dinner time.
The atmosphere is very classy, but there is really no need to dress up. Everyone in the restaurant was casually dressed. Even the servers wear t-​shirts. I love that you can smell that awesome wood fire grill/​pit/​rotisserie as soon as you walk in!
We started out with cheese curds as an appetizer. They were really good and seemed to have a very unique batter coating. Not like most you find around here.
I had build your own burger with bacon, oinion sraws and A1-​mayo, it was phenomenal! That wood fire grilled flavor is out of this world. My wife had a similar burger straight off the menu and my son had a rotisserie garlic chicken melt sandwich. (can’t remember what it is called), but I tasted it and I will certainly be getting this next time!
This place is a total gem and I cannot wait to go back!

I was expecting this to be really good based on the Write up in the paper this past summer and the fact that it is owned by the sane folks as Victory 44 but it is far below expectations! We went to celebrate my Husbands birthday, he had the pasta and I had the 6oz. Sirloin which was $ 18.95 and included a potato with a couple of veggies on the side, salads are extra. The steak was cooked well just not a lot of flavor. I wish we would have gone to Texas Roadhouse instead… better food and great prices! Everything as average in taste, high in price with the exception of the chocolate lava cake which was wonderful! Was really hoping for a great place close to home… hopefully it will get better with time!

My friend and I went here for lunch and brought our infants with us. The staff was very welcoming and accommodating. We shared a burger and the fish and chips. Both meals were excellent! We both said we would definitely come back. Our server was very nice and attentive.
I think people may not know this little gem is here due to it being on the bunker hills golf course, but if you’re in the neighborhood and looking for a tasty and comfortable spot to eat I would highly recommend it.

First time here since the new owners.
The ambiance is fantastic — so warm and cozy feeling.
Food — I just had a club sandwich but it was really good. Lots of mayo probably helped, but just a good quality sandwich. My husband had the half a chicken and really liked it, though they serve an actual HALF of a chicken. It’d be nice to have it cut into pieces for ease of eating. I didn’t have one, but saw a wedge salad and it looked great for the $ 5 or whatever it is — gotta love a good wedge.
Another dining guest had the Chicken pot pie which looked delicious with the puff pastry crust.
Service needs some help. It wasn’t terrible, but the server was very young and didn’t seem to know the menu too much. And when asked which is better a burger or flatbread her only response was «The burger is more filling.» Again, not BAD service, but not as nice as I’d expect.
We will go back for dinner and I also want to check out happy hour and the giant pretzel appetizer!
Extra bonus — the bathroom has a shower since it’s part of the clubhouse.

My wife and I had our first dinner at Kendall’s just after their reopening. The new interior and setting is warming, presenting some of the best casual dining ambiance we have found anywhere in the Twin Cities.
The layout struck me as odd, to begin with. There is a fully open kitchen facing the dining area, which, in turn, is divided into the bar and dinner seating by the hostess station. At first we were confused why we had to walk halfway across the restaurant to be seated, but quickly realized that there were no fewer than three entrances the hostess would have to address.
Immediately it is evident that the Staff was quick, diligent and attentive. Nothing was out of sorts for our server and everything we asked for (and my wife is an a la carte stickler) was responded to accurately, quickly and with a smile. The seating arrangement provided an uncrowded feeling, even though the restaurant was packed. Good thing we had reservations!
To the food.
The menu variety is impressive without pandering. Kendall’s has a clear picture of what they are when it comes to their food. From an amazing (massive) soft pretzel appetizer to an inventive Tavern burger to one of the best prepared sirloins I have had in the last several years. This place serves quality without being prohibitively costly.
In the two months they have been open, my wife and I have eaten there eight times. Kendall’s is boon to the Coon Rapids area and deserves the attention of the North suburbs as a clear and accessible alternative to Twin Cities’ staples such as Tilia, The Strip Club and the Jax Café.
I have read that a few people find their food items to be bland or that Kendall’s is too «spendy». To that I would ask, «what are you ordering?» I am a huge fan of spice and found many of their offerings meet many of my flavor notes. And as far as cost, I can only assume they are as inexpensive as they are to get people hooked (as I am). If this level of food and experience is out of your dining price range, Coon Rapids has ample drive-​thru restaurants for you to frequent (leaving more table availability for me).
In the end, Kendall’s is ideal for us. We will be there as often as my wife lets me.

Great menu and very attentive service. It’s a don’t miss if you’re in the area! The Mushroom Flatbread is fresh and flavorful. My wife had the Chicken Pot Pie and raved about it’s taste & texture. The prices are reasonable although a little pricey for the area… I welcome that though.

First time dining here as Kendall’s! What a great surprise! Beef bites good, but onion ring with it was fantastic! Braised Pot Roast is what I have been looking for! Salted Caramel Panna Cotta could temp the pants off of Jesus… Excellent service at the bar… even when totally packed. +++

Great food, great selections. A great space. The updated décor is beautiful.
The bar selections are great, lots of shareables, handhelds, brick oven flat breads, super burgers and chop house favorites.
You can eat at the bar for a fun energetic meal or go to the restaurant for a quality dining experience .
Loved it!