For forty years I have enjoyed the good food at the Gondolier. Have always make it a point to eat there during my 3 or 4 visits to Boulder each year. So, a friend and I arrived to have dinner at 8 pm. On Thursday. We were turned away (says open until 9 on Yelp). I questioned how this could be, and was told it just was that way, that they can decide to close when they like. Really? To make it worse, the pony tail employee laughed at us on our way out the door. How things change. Have loved this place, but bad customer service is worse than mediocre food. Sad.
Tarl Cabot
The best tasting Italian food you will ever have. Heartwarming comfort food in my house for decades. However the noodles were better when made by owner Jan Kugel back in the 80's and 90's on 28th and Valmont.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dennis Gibbons
Great food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots and Sauce, Spaghetti Carbonara
Bob Johnston
Food was very good as usual. Had a bit of an issue as we went to pay the bill. When we first got there, I asked the server for separate checks. Two couples. The couple we dined with had a substantially bigger bill because of their entrees, salads, drinks, etcSo, no problem with separate checks. We'll, when the server presented us with the two checks she said " I just split the total down the middle"That's not what I asked for. Why would she do that?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Rico Ruiz
Excellent food & service. Our reservation at 5:30 was perfect. Just before it got busy for the evening. All items that say "spicy" are indeed spicy. Adding the Italian sausage to the penne & shrimp plate was awesome. Most tender sausage I've ever had. Excellent pace of meal, as we ordered appetizer & drinks before the main course. Enjoyed the meal, added dessert at the end. Soft & airy Tiramisu with a fresh cup of coffee was excellent to finish off the meal. Quick & easy access to the Boulder Turnpike.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Kalwitz
Best Italian food around. The spaghetti is one of a kind and so delicious! Same with the tiramisu, it’s unbelievably amazing! And don’t get me started on the garlic knotsParking: Sometimes busy but it’s free and available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Bread, Meatball
Megan Ahern
I got the spaghetti carbonara and it was terrible. I’m very easy to please when it comes to pasta, but this was so bland and had very mushy over cooked homemade noodles. 0/10 would not recommend. My husband said the gluten free noodles were good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Victoria Bryan
80th Birthday Luncheon Ruined!On Tuesday, January 16, I called the Boulder Gondolier in the late morning and spoke with a man (I assume he was one of your managers but didn't get his name). During our lengthy conversation, I asked whether we could please have a Reservation for a Birthday dinner on Saturday, January 20th at 2 PM. I explained there would be 15 to 17 people and that we'd appreciate sitting in the front part of the restaurant near the windows. He took my husband, Frank's, name for the Reservation and asked me to call him today, Friday, Jan 19 to confirm the number of people we would have. I told him that if the head count were 17, the extra two would be kids and they could squeeze together. He told me it was "helpful to know that the extra two would be kids."As he asked, I called the Gondolier this morning to give them the head count. One of the female managers answered the phone, but I didn't get her name. She said there is no record of the Reservation for Jan 20 under the name of Frank and that besides, they already had a party of 20 reserved. I asked her when the party of 20 was coming and whether we could still come if their reservation was later and didn't conflict with ours. She told me "I can't tell you when their reservation is and I can't give you a reservation." This manager was very rude to me. I was upset that she would not try to work out something to accommodate us, and asked her what I should do since we had a lot of people driving up from Denver for the Birthday celebration. Her patronizing response to me was "well, you should have planned ahead." When she rudely said this to me, I realized that she did not believe me about my call on Tuesday with the Gondolier to make the reservation for Jan 20. She put me on hold and checked with one of the male staff members (she said he was the other manager), who told her that he had told me on Tuesday that they couldn't give me a reservation. This is a lie on his part. He and I talked for quite some time on Tuesday, and especially about the head count and how his knowing that 2 potential guests would be kids was helpful for him to know. Again, he told me to call today, Friday, Jan 19, to give the restaurant the final head count. So, for me, the Birthday celebration has become stressful. We had to find another location last minute and contact the 13 other guests to tell them that the Gondolier reneged on their reservation with us for Jan 20 and let them know about the new, last-minute plan.This experience is extremely unfortunate. I am angry about this. I am a a long-time Boulder resident whose family started going to the Gondolier when it was a new business located at 1600 Broadway. We've continued to be frequent, supportive Gondolier customers at all the various locations where the Gondolier has moved over the years. We eat there often and frequently take out family meals to eat at home. I doubt we'll be eating at the Gondolier any time soon, if ever again, after this experience.
Service: 1
Miriam Hamilton
Best homemade pasta!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fred W.
This was a very strange experience. First, I had a group of people I brought in for lunch. The staff were engaged in a wine tasting, so there was no hurry to seat us. Once we were seated, our hostess went back to the wine tasting and left us sitting for around 15 minutes before taking our dinner order-even though the restaurant only had four other people in it. Once we got out food, it was weird. I am not sure what the dish was supposed to be, but it was not eggplant Parmesan. It was really more like a poorly constructed attempt at an eggplant lasagna with a pitiful side of small dried up spaghetti and what tasted like jar pasta sauce. No one really liked the food. Sorry, not for me.
I've been dining at Gondolier for a good 20+ years -- since back when they were on Pearl St. I would have to say this is my favorite place to get pasta in Colorado. The noodles are thick and fluffy, made in house. If you want some casual Italian dining, bomb pasta, at an affordable price, I highly recommend Gondolier!
Basically this is the best Italian restaurant on the face of the earth. Been coming here since I was a little kid and the pasta tastes exactly the same. Not too many places where you can get home made pasta, let alone home made spaghetti.
Food: 5
Katie Almanza
My office ordered a large takeout order, the food was packaged great, the staff was friendly and helped me walk everything to my car. Everyone loved the food and I can’t wait to go back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marly Mattson
Yummy! Been on the road for 10 days! BEST meal we have had! Highly recommend it. Don’t hesitate to go and enjoy!
For forty years I have enjoyed the good food at the Gondolier. Have always make it a point to eat there during my 3 or 4 visits to Boulder each year. So, a friend and I arrived to have dinner at 8 pm. On Thursday. We were turned away (says open until 9 on Yelp). I questioned how this could be, and was told it just was that way, that they can decide to close when they like. Really? To make it worse, the pony tail employee laughed at us on our way out the door. How things change. Have loved this place, but bad customer service is worse than mediocre food. Sad.
The best tasting Italian food you will ever have. Heartwarming comfort food in my house for decades. However the noodles were better when made by owner Jan Kugel back in the 80's and 90's on 28th and Valmont.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Garlic Knots and Sauce, Spaghetti Carbonara
Food was very good as usual. Had a bit of an issue as we went to pay the bill. When we first got there, I asked the server for separate checks. Two couples. The couple we dined with had a substantially bigger bill because of their entrees, salads, drinks, etcSo, no problem with separate checks. We'll, when the server presented us with the two checks she said " I just split the total down the middle"That's not what I asked for. Why would she do that?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Excellent food & service. Our reservation at 5:30 was perfect. Just before it got busy for the evening. All items that say "spicy" are indeed spicy. Adding the Italian sausage to the penne & shrimp plate was awesome. Most tender sausage I've ever had. Excellent pace of meal, as we ordered appetizer & drinks before the main course. Enjoyed the meal, added dessert at the end. Soft & airy Tiramisu with a fresh cup of coffee was excellent to finish off the meal. Quick & easy access to the Boulder Turnpike.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best Italian food around. The spaghetti is one of a kind and so delicious! Same with the tiramisu, it’s unbelievably amazing! And don’t get me started on the garlic knotsParking: Sometimes busy but it’s free and available
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Bread, Meatball
I got the spaghetti carbonara and it was terrible. I’m very easy to please when it comes to pasta, but this was so bland and had very mushy over cooked homemade noodles. 0/10 would not recommend. My husband said the gluten free noodles were good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
80th Birthday Luncheon Ruined!On Tuesday, January 16, I called the Boulder Gondolier in the late morning and spoke with a man (I assume he was one of your managers but didn't get his name). During our lengthy conversation, I asked whether we could please have a Reservation for a Birthday dinner on Saturday, January 20th at 2 PM. I explained there would be 15 to 17 people and that we'd appreciate sitting in the front part of the restaurant near the windows. He took my husband, Frank's, name for the Reservation and asked me to call him today, Friday, Jan 19 to confirm the number of people we would have. I told him that if the head count were 17, the extra two would be kids and they could squeeze together. He told me it was "helpful to know that the extra two would be kids."As he asked, I called the Gondolier this morning to give them the head count. One of the female managers answered the phone, but I didn't get her name. She said there is no record of the Reservation for Jan 20 under the name of Frank and that besides, they already had a party of 20 reserved. I asked her when the party of 20 was coming and whether we could still come if their reservation was later and didn't conflict with ours. She told me "I can't tell you when their reservation is and I can't give you a reservation." This manager was very rude to me. I was upset that she would not try to work out something to accommodate us, and asked her what I should do since we had a lot of people driving up from Denver for the Birthday celebration. Her patronizing response to me was "well, you should have planned ahead." When she rudely said this to me, I realized that she did not believe me about my call on Tuesday with the Gondolier to make the reservation for Jan 20. She put me on hold and checked with one of the male staff members (she said he was the other manager), who told her that he had told me on Tuesday that they couldn't give me a reservation. This is a lie on his part. He and I talked for quite some time on Tuesday, and especially about the head count and how his knowing that 2 potential guests would be kids was helpful for him to know. Again, he told me to call today, Friday, Jan 19, to give the restaurant the final head count. So, for me, the Birthday celebration has become stressful. We had to find another location last minute and contact the 13 other guests to tell them that the Gondolier reneged on their reservation with us for Jan 20 and let them know about the new, last-minute plan.This experience is extremely unfortunate. I am angry about this. I am a a long-time Boulder resident whose family started going to the Gondolier when it was a new business located at 1600 Broadway. We've continued to be frequent, supportive Gondolier customers at all the various locations where the Gondolier has moved over the years. We eat there often and frequently take out family meals to eat at home. I doubt we'll be eating at the Gondolier any time soon, if ever again, after this experience.
Service: 1
Best homemade pasta!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was a very strange experience. First, I had a group of people I brought in for lunch. The staff were engaged in a wine tasting, so there was no hurry to seat us. Once we were seated, our hostess went back to the wine tasting and left us sitting for around 15 minutes before taking our dinner order-even though the restaurant only had four other people in it. Once we got out food, it was weird. I am not sure what the dish was supposed to be, but it was not eggplant Parmesan. It was really more like a poorly constructed attempt at an eggplant lasagna with a pitiful side of small dried up spaghetti and what tasted like jar pasta sauce. No one really liked the food. Sorry, not for me.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've been dining at Gondolier for a good 20+ years -- since back when they were on Pearl St. I would have to say this is my favorite place to get pasta in Colorado. The noodles are thick and fluffy, made in house. If you want some casual Italian dining, bomb pasta, at an affordable price, I highly recommend Gondolier!
Good Italian food, period!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Homemade Spaghetti
Basically this is the best Italian restaurant on the face of the earth. Been coming here since I was a little kid and the pasta tastes exactly the same. Not too many places where you can get home made pasta, let alone home made spaghetti.
Food: 5
My office ordered a large takeout order, the food was packaged great, the staff was friendly and helped me walk everything to my car. Everyone loved the food and I can’t wait to go back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yummy! Been on the road for 10 days! BEST meal we have had! Highly recommend it. Don’t hesitate to go and enjoy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna