Overall good experience. We tried the small plates, and amongst that I enjoyed the Patata Bravas with its garlic aioli sauce, the perfectly smoked mushrooms of the Pan de Setas. Tried the Berenjenas, which was a coal roasted eggplant, and I didn’t quite enjoy it. It had a smoked flavor but not much else in terms of a seasoning or flavor in the eggplant itself. The Pulpo Ala Gallega was interesting, since I haven’t had Octopus before. The meat was tough on a bed of what tasted like Mashed potatoes. The Pato is a duck dish, and again it's a slightly chewy, slightly tender meat but was nothing out of the ordinary. Overall, good menu selections.
Food: 1
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
Peter Fox
Dining at Cooks & Soldiers was an outright disaster, and not because of the food. The kitchen delivered an impressive 4.5-star meal, but the service was so shockingly bad it completely wrecked the experience.
A Promising Start That Meant Nothing: The evening began on a high note with an outstanding host—warm, engaging, and thoughtful enough to acknowledge our birthday celebration. His welcome set high expectations, making what followed all the more frustrating.
Service: A Complete Trainwreck (1/5) From the moment we sat down, the service was an unmitigated disaster. Our waitress, Josh, took a solid 8-10 minutes just to appear. She rattled off some recommendations but disappeared when we were ready to order. Another 8-10-minute wait before she finally returned.
Then came the agonizing cycle of neglect:
Club sodas with lime? 10-minute wait.
Straws? Another 8-10 minutes.
Extra butter for the bread? Forget it—it never showed up.
Dirty plates? Sat untouched for 10-13 minutes.
Dessert menu? We had to flag down another waitress just to get one.
Dessert order? Another long wait before our server resurfaced.
At no point did she check in on the food or acknowledge the ridiculous delays. It wasn’t just inattentiveness—it was a total absence of service.
The Food: The Only Saving Grace (4.5/5) The kitchen deserves better than the front-of-house staff they’re stuck with.
Mountain Bread – Wonderfully textured with a wild salt accompaniment that elevated it.
Bikini – A refined, elevated take on a grilled cheese sandwich, with Iberico ham adding depth.
Txangurro (Blue Crab) – Had potential, but the excessive breading and butter drowned out the crab rather than enhancing it.
Piquillo Relleno (Beef-Stuffed Peppers) – Well-balanced, though the grease from the beef should have been drained.
Pato (Sliced Duck Breast) – The duck was cooked flawlessly, though the portion was small.
Pulpo a la Gallega (Octopus) – A true standout, with perfect seasoning and execution.
Final Verdict: Service Destroyed This Meal There’s no getting around it—Cooks & Soldiers serves phenomenal food, but the appalling service makes it not worth the trip. Dining should be about more than just great flavors; it’s about hospitality, attentiveness, and a seamless experience.
Would I return? Not unless they overhaul their service completely. No meal, no matter how well-executed, is worth this level of frustration.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Mizz Layd.
First time visitor. Waitress was amazing. She explained the menu in detail and ensured we did not over do it by ordering way to much food. The atmosphere is low light, very dim. It was very popular for seating large groups. Although we would return for the food, I highly doubt if we will give their desserts another chance. The cheesecake had to be expired because after two bites...that was enough to cause food poisoning within hours.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aron
On March 8th, my wife and I enjoyed dinner here. We had the Bikini, Chistorra Envuelta, and Pollo Basquaise. The Bikini was evenly toasted with a slight hint of butter that made the sandwich melt in your mouth. The Chistorra Envuelta was a joy to have, the semi-sweet glaze elevated the dish. They were a delight with or without the aioli. The Pollo Basquaise was well done, the chicken was moist, the tomato base did not overpower the other herbs and vegetables included in the dish. After the meal we did not have room for dessert, but I wanted to try the Basque Cheesecake, so we ordered one to go. After returning home I sampled some of the cream and cheesecake, the cream was sour. The next morning, I came down with a fever and chills.
Unexpected what I was looking for, no real choices for non beef or pork eaters. My food was unsatisfactory, very mountain chared chicken, bread was burnt. Not a place for real food eaters.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
greta vanderloop
Cocktails + conversation + companionship is what this spot is all about. C&S is a solid happy hour snack spot, or like us, we sat down (party of 3) each ordering two tapas to share for the table.
These tapas style dishes are shaped around Spanish, and a touch of the Mediterranean Cuisine. The restaurant features crafted cocktails, farm to table style small plates, and a warm inviting atmosphere. Especially love when opening the doors to the restaurant you can immediately smell the wood fired grill.
Our experience was good, nothing to brag on service, but toward the middle part of our meal, we were greeted by Jared another server who lifted the experience. We will return, likely with another group of friends.
Dietary restrictions: Team is very forward on asking allergies upon entering the restaurant and at the table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bikini Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Duck Breast
Paul Fraser
An upscale Tapas restaurant with a creative menu, great service and good atmosphere! We had the $85/person Chef Curated Menu. Multiple creative dishes were served in waves. Overall food was pretty good and unique, the meat main was excellent! While a nice place with great decor and ambience, it is really packed with tables and pretty loud, difficult to enjoy the conversation over the volume in the dining area, so if you are looking for a lot of discussion you may find that a bit challenging during peak hours.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Megan
Dietary restrictions: Grest
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
Isaac Toussie
What a total disappointment. Don’t understand the high ratings at all. Food was horrendous, we were sat at our table 30 minutes after our reservation time, and if it weren’t for the friendly somm I’d say the service was lacking. $138 for a dry aged ribeye that wasn’t just overpriced, but was one of the worst steaks I’ve ever eaten in my life was the nail in the coffin. It had no marbliziation and no spinalis (the cap of the ribeye which is the most desired part), and just tasted like weird smoke. Total bill was $350 plus $15 for valet for 2 people for one of the worst meals in recent memory. Hard to imagine it wasn’t an off night given the other reviews here, but I won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Megan Thomas
I’ll be honest… not really my favorite. But nothing was BAD at all. Taste is very subjective and I personally didn’t care for the flavors that much in a lot of the dishes we ordered. But the service, drinks, and ambiance was great! I’ll def come back for drinks and the potatas bravas bc let’s be real… those were the star of the show for me.
Overall good experience. We tried the small plates, and amongst that I enjoyed the Patata Bravas with its garlic aioli sauce, the perfectly smoked mushrooms of the Pan de Setas. Tried the Berenjenas, which was a coal roasted eggplant, and I didn’t quite enjoy it. It had a smoked flavor but not much else in terms of a seasoning or flavor in the eggplant itself. The Pulpo Ala Gallega was interesting, since I haven’t had Octopus before. The meat was tough on a bed of what tasted like Mashed potatoes. The Pato is a duck dish, and again it's a slightly chewy, slightly tender meat but was nothing out of the ordinary.
Overall, good menu selections.
Food: 1
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
Dining at Cooks & Soldiers was an outright disaster, and not because of the food. The kitchen delivered an impressive 4.5-star meal, but the service was so shockingly bad it completely wrecked the experience.
A Promising Start That Meant Nothing:
The evening began on a high note with an outstanding host—warm, engaging, and thoughtful enough to acknowledge our birthday celebration. His welcome set high expectations, making what followed all the more frustrating.
Service: A Complete Trainwreck (1/5)
From the moment we sat down, the service was an unmitigated disaster. Our waitress, Josh, took a solid 8-10 minutes just to appear. She rattled off some recommendations but disappeared when we were ready to order. Another 8-10-minute wait before she finally returned.
Then came the agonizing cycle of neglect:
Club sodas with lime? 10-minute wait.
Straws? Another 8-10 minutes.
Extra butter for the bread? Forget it—it never showed up.
Dirty plates? Sat untouched for 10-13 minutes.
Dessert menu? We had to flag down another waitress just to get one.
Dessert order? Another long wait before our server resurfaced.
At no point did she check in on the food or acknowledge the ridiculous delays. It wasn’t just inattentiveness—it was a total absence of service.
The Food: The Only Saving Grace (4.5/5)
The kitchen deserves better than the front-of-house staff they’re stuck with.
Mountain Bread – Wonderfully textured with a wild salt accompaniment that elevated it.
Bikini – A refined, elevated take on a grilled cheese sandwich, with Iberico ham adding depth.
Txangurro (Blue Crab) – Had potential, but the excessive breading and butter drowned out the crab rather than enhancing it.
Piquillo Relleno (Beef-Stuffed Peppers) – Well-balanced, though the grease from the beef should have been drained.
Pato (Sliced Duck Breast) – The duck was cooked flawlessly, though the portion was small.
Pulpo a la Gallega (Octopus) – A true standout, with perfect seasoning and execution.
Final Verdict: Service Destroyed This Meal
There’s no getting around it—Cooks & Soldiers serves phenomenal food, but the appalling service makes it not worth the trip. Dining should be about more than just great flavors; it’s about hospitality, attentiveness, and a seamless experience.
Would I return? Not unless they overhaul their service completely. No meal, no matter how well-executed, is worth this level of frustration.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
First time visitor. Waitress was amazing. She explained the menu in detail and ensured we did not over do it by ordering way to much food. The atmosphere is low light, very dim. It was very popular for seating large groups. Although we would return for the food, I highly doubt if we will give their desserts another chance. The cheesecake had to be expired because after two bites...that was enough to cause food poisoning within hours.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
On March 8th, my wife and I enjoyed dinner here. We had the Bikini, Chistorra Envuelta, and Pollo Basquaise. The Bikini was evenly toasted with a slight hint of butter that made the sandwich melt in your mouth. The Chistorra Envuelta was a joy to have, the semi-sweet glaze elevated the dish. They were a delight with or without the aioli. The Pollo Basquaise was well done, the chicken was moist, the tomato base did not overpower the other herbs and vegetables included in the dish. After the meal we did not have room for dessert, but I wanted to try the Basque Cheesecake, so we ordered one to go. After returning home I sampled some of the cream and cheesecake, the cream was sour. The next morning, I came down with a fever and chills.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bikini Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Unexpected what I was looking for, no real choices for non beef or pork eaters. My food was unsatisfactory, very mountain chared chicken, bread was burnt. Not a place for real food eaters.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
Cocktails + conversation + companionship is what this spot is all about. C&S is a solid happy hour snack spot, or like us, we sat down (party of 3) each ordering two tapas to share for the table.
These tapas style dishes are shaped around Spanish, and a touch of the Mediterranean Cuisine. The restaurant features crafted cocktails, farm to table style small plates, and a warm inviting atmosphere. Especially love when opening the doors to the restaurant you can immediately smell the wood fired grill.
Our experience was good, nothing to brag on service, but toward the middle part of our meal, we were greeted by Jared another server who lifted the experience. We will return, likely with another group of friends.
Dietary restrictions: Team is very forward on asking allergies upon entering the restaurant and at the table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bikini Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Duck Breast
An upscale Tapas restaurant with a creative menu, great service and good atmosphere! We had the $85/person Chef Curated Menu. Multiple creative dishes were served in waves. Overall food was pretty good and unique, the meat main was excellent! While a nice place with great decor and ambience, it is really packed with tables and pretty loud, difficult to enjoy the conversation over the volume in the dining area, so if you are looking for a lot of discussion you may find that a bit challenging during peak hours.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dietary restrictions: Grest
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas
What a total disappointment. Don’t understand the high ratings at all. Food was horrendous, we were sat at our table 30 minutes after our reservation time, and if it weren’t for the friendly somm I’d say the service was lacking. $138 for a dry aged ribeye that wasn’t just overpriced, but was one of the worst steaks I’ve ever eaten in my life was the nail in the coffin. It had no marbliziation and no spinalis (the cap of the ribeye which is the most desired part), and just tasted like weird smoke. Total bill was $350 plus $15 for valet for 2 people for one of the worst meals in recent memory. Hard to imagine it wasn’t an off night given the other reviews here, but I won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
I’ll be honest… not really my favorite. But nothing was BAD at all. Taste is very subjective and I personally didn’t care for the flavors that much in a lot of the dishes we ordered. But the service, drinks, and ambiance was great! I’ll def come back for drinks and the potatas bravas bc let’s be real… those were the star of the show for me.
Restaurantji Recommends
Christian was awesome.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Cheek Croquetas
Dietary restrictions: They have a full Gluten Free menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible food and service! Highly recommend the chefs experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love this crew! Definitely recommend the Chef’s Choice for a large party!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious Spanish-inspired menu. Had an amazing wine, the Diáz Bayo 15.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Patatas Bravas, Smoked Mushrooms, Chistorra in Blanket, Pork Cheek Croquetas
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