I'm updating my last review based on a recent experience with the service at CF. My previous review regarding the food still stands, so please take a look at it for that aspect. We'd always had good service at this CF, but our most recent experience was fairly terrible. We visited around 4:30pm on Friday, February 6. The place was mostly empty, but there was no hostess at the front. We waited a few minutes. The manager (I believe) finally walked by and helped us. (We appreciated that, because some managers at some places think they are too good to fill in at lesser positions.) We took a seat in the bar area. Our server came by fairly quickly, and though she seemed frazzled and scatter-brained, she was also pleasant. We ordered two cocktails. After we did, she made an odd little comment. "I'll probably end up making them," she said. But we didn't pay much attention to that. Then we waited. And waited. No drinks. Usually, at this CF, drinks arrive quickly. We could see the bartender behind the bar. A white guy with closely cropped hair and a bushy beard. But he wasn't making drinks. He was rummaging around under the bar, over and over again. So, there Sweetie and I were, talking. Music was playing quite loudly. We were sitting as far from the bar itself as possible (on the south side), when, through the noise and distance and over our conversation, we heard the bartender loudly say, "F**k this s**t." Wow, okay. The table next to us, containing about 12 Muslim women and little girls in hijabs, all stopped talking and turned to look. The bartender was crashing and banging things behind the bar, pulling things out from underneath, slamming them around. Nice. Then, again very loudly, he said, "F**k happy hour." Even nicer. And he just kept rattling and slamming and banging things. Needless to say, the entire atmosphere was very unpleasant at that point. Not a nice relaxing Friday anymore. Finally, we could see the bartender making our drinks. But he was clearly royally pissed off, making the drinks with no care. That became even clearer when the drinks arrived. The mint leaves in my mojito hadn't been muddled, just thrown in as an afterthought, so the resulting concoction had no mint flavor. The entire drink tasted like nothing but simple syrup- extremely sweet with no flavor of any kind. I tried muddling the mint with my straw, but that didn't help much. I've never sent back a drink before, anywhere, but I sent this one back. We had already ordered food. When it arrived, we ate a little of it, but soon had the rest packaged to go. We just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. We paid and scurried away, glad to be the f**k away from there!
(2)
Andrew N.
So I'm probably one of the few visitors to Boulder that dared to eat at a chain restaurant while visiting such a gastronomically rich city, but I did. And I did it more than once hoping that each time it would get better. And it didn't. I'm not going to write a long review because I would be merely regurgitating what other reviews are saying. I will simply reiterate that service is spotty. There are either too many or too few waiters. You either get a genuinely nice waiter or someone that just "wants to do their job" and nothing more. I went there went it was busy and I waited, I went when it wasn't busy and I waited the same amount of time.
Came in on a Thursday night at 9 pm the wait was twenty minutes. They sat us down and offered us bread and we waited for 25 minutes for bread. A table came in ten minutes behind us and they got bread even though they only ordered cheesecake and waters. The manager came out around 9:40 and tell us that they ran out of bread 30 minutes ago and I told him the table who sat down after Us got bread and he looked baffled that his lie was not valid. It was ridiculous. We got waiters who were too busy attending to other tables to even say anything or bring refills. I never complain and never write these but this was infuriating.
(1)
Eddie P.
Today I did the small plates of dynamite shrimp & crab cake rolls - tied to a side salad which was HUGE!!!! Great 1000 island dressing! Go heavy...
(4)
Immanuel D.
This is by far one of the worst places in Boulder to eat. First and foremost, the servers here are racist. This isn't just speculation, I heard this from a 4-5 people who work there. They would constantly make fun of different races and say certain races of people didn't tip them well. Such as, "black and Mexican people never leave good tips." Mind you the servers here can make $300 dollars a night, but they STILL complain. After knowing the people who work here, do yourself a favor and never eat here. These people don't deserve your money. The male servers are also incredibly sexist and are the type of people to spit in your food. This is not a good place to take your family. Plus, there's so many local businesses in Boulder that really go for quality. This place is just a crappy chain that banks off ignorance of people coming to Boulder who don't know any better places to eat. Oh, and if you go for the cheesecake, remember NONE of the cheesecake is made at the restaurant, they ship it all in FROZEN. If the cheesecake is your favorite, get a slice at take-out without tipping. If you go here please know a large amount of workers here are just drug-binging alcoholics that make fun of customers behind their back, especially the servers. This is coming from someone who knew several of the workers.
(1)
Blair C.
The only reason you'd eat at Cheesecake Factory is for their namesake of cheesecake. Their menu food is subpar and nothing to brag about.
(3)
Jina S.
Food was amazing but the service was NOT. For starters, the menu is incredibly vast which I enjoy very much giving as there is an option for everyone and an option for every craving. They have almost everything you could imagine. I had the tomato basil pasta which was delicious. It had chunks of mozzarella and tomatoes accompanied by grilled chicken and a pesto drizzle. To die for!! However, my fantastic meal was the only good part. When I walked in the door I was greeted by a hostess who told me there would be a 10 minute wait. We proceeded to wait 45 minutes for our table. When I asked the hostess if she could give me another estimate she simply said "another 10 minutes", which she had said 45 minutes ago. Not appreciated. I don't have a problem waiting for my table, but don't tell me 10 minutes is the wait when I have to wait almost an hour... And then when I confronted the hostess about her lack of honesty towards me she rolled her eyes at me and was very rude. It was quite unprofessional to say the least. Needless to say I won't be going back for awhile. I'm very disappointed. My meal would've been that much better if the service had been up to par as well. I'm still appalled at the attitude the hostess had towards me and am surprised to how she is still working there. I will definitely be calling the manager soon to discuss my experience.
(1)
Kelcie S.
Irving was our waiter the other night. He was spectacular and if I ever decide to go again I will ask for him. He was the right amount of attentive and was extremely polite. I would give five stars souly based ok him, although the food was not wowed me this time. I have ate at several different cheesecake factory's and I was not impressed at all at the quality of food at this location on a Friday night. I thought it was a little odd there wasn't a wait on a Friday night, now I know why. I ordered a Caesar salad which was too notch and not overloaded with dressing. My main course was the garlic noodles with shrimp.... Paying $18 a plate there was no flavor not could I taste the garlic in the dish and the shrimp was over cooked to the point it wasn't chewable. I haven't ordered this dish before but I'll stick with their appetizers from now on. My bf had a simple pepperoni pizza.... When it came out to the table the dough wasn't cooked all the way. There was grease dripping off the pizza like it was from a New York dive pizzeria. He had them take it back and they were very nice about the situation as they took the pizza off the menu and gave him a piece of cheesecake on the house. Our other guest had the chicken katsu and she loved it soo much. Perfect flavor and cooked to perfection. I won't give up on this chain but definitely not going to that location any time soon.
(3)
Tenth F.
Very bad service and food is normal. Do not order any fish they are all frozen.
(1)
Andrew P.
WORST SERVICE SINCE MOVING TO COLORADO Went here a week ago. I would love to list the pros. But I have none. So here are the cons. #1 Arrived, the hostess didnt even greet us. We had to get her attention. She looked like she just rolled out of bed. Wearing dirty black leggings, a spaghetti strap shirt with her bra strap exposed, two different colored socks (pink and blue WTF?), and casual sneakers. Is there even a dress code here? #2 Asked for a booth and was looked at like it could not be done then after insisting she the hostess sighed and sat us there. #3 Waited over 10 minutes just to see our server. Ordered everything at once to make things quicker. Wings, Salmon, and A burger Medium. Wings took 30 minutes just to arrive. #4 Food arrived 30 minutes after the wings. The medium burger was well done. After i cut it open to show the server it was completely over cooked. He said, "That looks pretty medium." (Are you kidding me? You say you are sorry for the mistake, take the food away, and make sure you get it re fired.) #5 Instead of getting to it. He sets the burger down next to the POS and decides not to re ring it but to go to another booth and talk to another guest for 8 minutes. I was dumbfounded. I finally had to tell him to re fire it and put it in a box to go. It came out 15 to 20 minutes later and the whole time we were never approached by the server or the manager about the issue. It took us over an hour and a half to get our food and for one of us to have our meal. A ticket time for lunch should only be from 12 to 14 minutes. Its just so odd. It seems like the place was being run by people who were there to just collect a check and go home. No passion, no desire to show their guests a good time. Nothing. Needless to say we will not be going back there. I can only hope this keeps some people from experiencing what we did.
(1)
Sean V.
This place doesn't deserve any stars at all!! Service was HORRIBLE! My sister made reservation 2 weeks in advance for a party of 25 to celebrate her daughter's graduation. A call was made to confirm the reservation. We waited for over an hour and a half, and later being told that it was a waiting list not a reservation. Some of us complained to the manager, but they didn't care to help resolved the issue. Needless to say we will NOT be coming back. Thanks Cheese Cake for ruining the special moment. Thanks BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse for taking all 25 of us in at a short notice and your wonderful service.
(1)
Renate Z.
OK food & bad service. My daughter and I were there for afternoon tea. Stayed only for 20 minutes, got asked if we need the check 3 time! Still paid 20% tips because it's holiday and we wanted to stay happy. Then 5 minutes later we found out my daughter left her key collection on the table. We went back, received cold face and told no one found anything. Well, will never come back.
(1)
Lisa B.
I love the cheesecake factory, but this location is terrible. When it first opened in Boulder, I was excited, and went there somewhat regularly. I went today for the first time in a long time, and everything about the experience was awful. The service was slow. The food came out completely wrong. The server didn't "make it right" in a way that is super annoying when you are paying $17 for a salad it comes out missing Half the ingredients that are listed on the menu. For two people, no appetizers, no dessert, drinking water, the bill comes to $50 with tax and tip. There is way better value, service, and food on Pearl Street. Sad to say this was my last visit
(2)
Ken C.
The Cheesecake Factory is always a nice option for semi-special occasions, like birthdays, get-togethers, highschool proms, etc. They are extremely popular, can accommodate large parties, and of course have those delicious cheesecakes. But apparently being so popular doesn't mean the restaurant can handle the strain. We came on a Friday night, which was understandably busy. We were given a wait time of 15-20 minutes, but ended up waiting 30 with nary an apology. Okay, aggravating but no big deal. Until we waited another 10 minutes before being greeted by our server. I noticed he had been triple seated so not his fault. He was brisk, efficient, and polite but so noticeably strained that I felt rushed for my order and fearful for his throbbing forehead vein. The rest of the dinner was prolonged between each step with drinks, the meals coming out, and the check being settled. Our server did all he could, but I felt pretty bad for him. Cheesecake Factory has a great set-up to be a default restaurant. The vast menu, fair prices, huge portions, and gimmicky dessert shtick is a good formula to people please and make the restaurant an easy choice when the question is, "Where do we want to go to celebrate something but don't want to look up a new place?" Easy recipe for popularity. But a corporate chain restaurant should have scheduling down pat. The staff seemed to know what they were doing but were hurried and kept looking at us like "where did all these customers come from??" Overstretched and it was obvious. Hopefully it was a one night fluke because the restaurant was on par with everything else as usual.
(3)
Ian M.
This place is the worst. I keep coming back, though, because my mom sends my girlfriend and I gift cards to it on almost every holiday. In total, we have probably been to this location around 10 times in 5 years and each time was a negative experience. The funny thing is that my mom began giving us gift cards to Cheesecake Factory long before we lived in Boulder, so I truly do feel like these problems are unique to this location. We went last night and our main objective was to play it safe. In other words, we decided against looking at the massive menu and ordering what we thought sounded good and instead ordered based on what we thought the kitchen could make successfully. I got a crispy chicken sandwich and my girlfriend got chicken alfredo. The chicken on my sandwich was over cooked and completely dry. The real disaster, though, was my girlfriend's dinner. We had planned on sharing dinners with each other by swapping our plates back and forth across the table. Her plate came out so hot that after waiting for it to cool down she finally just gave up on it ever cooling down and gave me a bite on a fork -- it was terrible! Literally, it tasted nothing like alfredo, only garlic and mush. Obviously the reason the plate was so hot was that it had been microwaved. Really? Almost $20 for a chicken breast, noodles, and sauce and you guys can't make it fresh? It's worth mentioning that my favorite thing at Burger King used to be a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which they removed from their menu many years ago. It cost about 1/4 what I paid for my dinner last night and I actually mentioned during dinner that BK made better chicken sandwiches. We are the kind of people that never complain at restaurants. I sat there and ate my chewy chicken sandwich and told the waiter it was fine. My girlfriend decided she had to say something about her dinner. She did and they brought her a complimentary piece of cheese cake. I guess that a $6 piece of cheese cake makes up for an inedible $20 dinner? Oh well, I guess it's time to politely ask my mom to consider sending us gift cards to just about anywhere else.
(1)
John S.
I thought the service was rather slow for such a quiet late lunch on a Wednesday. Ordered the lunchtime salad and pizza combo. Took about 10-15 minutes for the food to come out and got my salad and pizza at the same time. Would have been nice to get the salad first. Good food and friendly service. Nice sitting outside on Boulder's Pearl Street mall.
(3)
Diana D.
So, so bad. I had the Cobb salad because it was a gluten free option. It came with no bacon and I asked if it was supposed to have bacon and the waitress said not theirs. Which on the menu it clearly says bacon. It also had no dressing and I asked about that and she looked at me like I was crazy. I know a dry salad when I taste one. Finally we shared a piece of cheesecake, Godiva chocolate because it was listed as the only gluten free cheesecake. I was sick for over 7 hours because something had gluten in it. I'll never go back. What a horrible experience and meal!
(1)
Travel G.
I had a $25 gift from a friend, so while passing through Boulder decided to stop for some cheesecake and hot tea. Love the Pearl St. location! We were seated quickly and our server was super friendly. Really relaxing atmosphere. Would suggest you stop in to get warmed up this winter!
(5)
Dale C.
Meal was a microwave dinner but much more expensive. Waitress was not to be found, no coffee refills, took forever to get the check.
(1)
Jeff C.
Didn't eat a full meal here, but rather just stepped in for dessert, and I have to say I was impressed. I ordered the kahlua coffee cheesecake which was very rich and tasty. The waiter was clearly fishing for a big tip, but that's obviously not a problem as that will generally just result in great service.
(4)
B M.
Food was good but unfortunately I found a hair in my food near the end of my meal.. Gross! Let server know and then got the check... No comp and no manager came by.. Yes my food was almost gone by the time I found this gross hair but attention to that is necessary.. My guess is he didn't notify a manager partly because he was just double sat... I can only hope that normally they would address this better than doing nothing because getting someone else's hair in food is is gross.
(2)
Joseph D.
My g/f went here for dessert because the kitchen had a 30min wait. So we figured why not let's go. We both ordered different types of cheesecake chocolate mousse and banana and it was too cold. The consistency was hard and the bananas they serves as a garnish were brown. We both let disappointed having expected a lot more.
(2)
Conner G.
I had an awesome brunch at the Cheese Cake Factory this past Saturday. My waiter Adam was attentive to my drinks when they were low and took my order in a timely manner. The food was great and so was the service. Prime patio location on pearl.
(5)
Jennifer C.
Couldn't have had a better lunch than today's lunch. Great atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff. I enjoyed the shrimp bacon club sandwich with fries.... the sauce was amazing and the shrimp were flavorful. I'm so glad I was able to try (my sister's) Asian lettuce wraps. The Chipotle dipping sauce was on point. I will definitely order that next time I find myself at a cheesecake factory.
(5)
Ka B.
Well, it's a chain restaurant. Good portions, good waitress. It was only a 20 minute wait for a Saturday evening but it was fine we just walked around the mall and came back. Overall, I wasn't super thrilled with the food for what I paid. It wasn't terrible (it was a pretty presentation) but it's just not very memorable or unique... Probably will not go again unless prompted by others. Even the cheesecake is a little whatever and was still frozen in the middle. My mom makes a better cheesecake!
(3)
Erin K.
I really like this place. If you have ever been here you know the menu is great (as big as a book) so everyone is happy! Great date night spot
(4)
Laura B.
If I could give zero stars I would. Our evening began with listening to the manager scream at servers, over customers tables, and heads, to get their attention. Then we ordered drinks. My friend was excited to try his first Mojito. He was served a glass full of slimy brown mint. We sent it back and got the same dang thing! Just a bit less slime this time, but still old, brown, bug eaten mint! We decided to leave at that point. After all, if the bar is willing to serve bad things, what will the kitchen do? Did I mention the manager said, "There's nothing wrong with that". Boo!
(1)
Mighty B.
There should be an option for ZERO stars. I love cheese cake. A good cheese cake can be the perfect part of any meal or day. A bad cheese cake can be a colossal disappointment. Which brings us to the cheese cake factory. Over the weekend I and some family members went to the cheese cake factory to get a quick dessert. Upon entering this establishment we were greeted with great disdain from a staff of pompous self-centered hipster wannabees. Every service employee we dealt with acted like it was a displeasure for them to even acknowledge our presence let alone converse with us enough to serve us. Not being regulars we had some questions about the long list of cheese cake options. The person taking care of us (or actually the person avoiding taking care of us) acted like it was our fault that we did not know everything on the menu. After a couple of questions he rolled his eyes at my sister and started talking to a coworker about some party they were going to later. That was just the tip of the ice berg so to say. We found no one there to be friendly, helpful, knowledgeable or efficient. The extremely poor service would have been tolerable even the desserts lived up to the expectations alluded to by the name. Alas the food was more of a letdown then the service was. Most of the cheese cake came out frozen. Instead of remedying the situation the server told us to just let the cakes warm up over time. Not the right answer by the way. The cheese cake that was not frozen was mediocre at best and no worse than most chain restaurant cheese cakes. Definitely they are not worth the $8 - $10 price tag when other places sell a better product for around five bucks. But the biggest problem that I had was as follows. I asked for a New York style cheese cake with no toppings. The server said to get the original. I asked if this was a true New York style and not a key lime or lemon type. He looked at me funny and assured me that it was. I asked again if it was firm and sugary as apposed to fluffy tart cake. With a huff, he again said that it was a New York style cake When the cake came it was definitely not a New York style and tart enough to make me pucker. When I pointed this failing out to the server he said that it was too late to do anything as I had already taken a bite out of it. He also said that I would know what not to get next time.
(1)
Nancy F.
I absolutely love their cheesecake! My favorite is the Brownie Sundae with a cherry on top. It is gorgeous! It always looks like artwork when it comes my way. Hate to dig in, but you have to! We always split it, and frankly it is a meal in itself. We have eaten from the menu too, but have to say, it is nothing overly exciting, usual chain fare. I always come for the cheesecake and tea because it is 5+ stars! Service is always good, but sometimes there is a bit of a wait. It is on Pearl St., so that is normal. Location, location.
(4)
Jose M.
Overwhelming number of choices. A bit expensive but portions are generous. Foods are delicious!
(4)
Meeeeowww W.
We were here today for lunch. We were seated on the patio and waited nearly 15 minutes to be greeted by a server. (I also watched other tables wait too long to be greeted by other servers.) Our entrees (there were two of us) came out five minutes apart, and even then they forgot the side of bacon my father ordered. That came later with no apology. I ordered the orange chicken- it was overcooked, bland, and needed more sauce. Our server was just awful! We paid up and she just placed the book on the table and rushed off, not saying thank you or anything. Completely unprofessional and rude. We tipped 10% which was 10% more than she deserved. We will never return to this Cheesecake Factory. I assume the management here is terrible which would explain the bad service. Don't waste your time and money at this dump!
(1)
Renu D.
I have been to this location of cheese cake factory three times - all the three times with a big group of friends to celebrate something special. we are regular people who 'do' go to a chain restaurant to celebrate. So this rating ranting and the review has nothing to do with this being a chain restaurant. that cleared, lets get going. The food is ok at this place. Not spectacular, but kind of, I can eat it on one of those days. But I can not say the same about the service. On the earlier two occasions, I found the service lacking, but last night it just went all the way to a million minus stars and more! They do not take reservations on a Saturday night. Okay!! so we went and submitted our group name and waited 45 minutes for our table. after we are merrily seated, we order our wines, cocktails and other drinks and the apps. so far so good. And we have a lady wait staff for our table. she comes out with water for everyone and wants us to move our hands, limbs and whatever else we can from the table because she "is not strong enough to hold that weight" and wants to put the tray on the table! If I was the server, I would make 2 or 10 trips back to the kitchen and move fast on my feet ! It would not have been a big deal if the rest of the meal had gone well! since that did not happen - it IS a big deal!! you would expect a wait staff member to know how to open a bottle of wine! wouldn't you ? Oh no! she comes with the bottle of wine and says, ooh I am sorry I don't know how to open the bottle !!! WHAT! Remember my peace loving hubbz? he patiently explained the process to her. No luck! she did not understand. so he demonstrated the method to her. All this while I kept thinking, she should have asked for help from another staff member. Anyhow, she happily lets my hubbz open the bottle and then serves the wine. And we wait for the appetizers and the rest of the drinks and food. I can really write a tale of woes on this but the long and short of it was that none of the food we ordered came on time, she entirely missed an order of appetizers and never ever bothered to check on us. One of our friends ordered scotch on the rocks, which came in a funny and cheap looking glass. I have never ever seen scotch served like that. It was hilarious and insulting at the same time. The icing in their 'serving cheesecake ' - they served wrong entree to one of our friends - not once, but twice. We had to wait for about 30 minutes for them to get the entree she ordered . Which was after their serving/kitchen staff kept on almost throwing the plates on our table because they were hot. If it were not for the gratuity already added for our party, I would not have paid a single penny as tip !! The food - 3 stars the service! oh well!
(1)
Megan B.
Just visited tonight for an early dinner with the family. First, let's state the obvious - this is a huge chain that serves a ton of people, so this is not a gourmet stop. However, there are a couple places where I think CF should get credit. First, this chain is incredibly consistent - hadn't been in years, and never to this location, but I ordered some old favorites and they were just as I remembered. Secondly, for the amount of food you get, the price is really decent. That said, their food is prepared pretty heavily and can be too rich - I usually opt for a salad for that reason. Their luau salad is my favorite (rec dressing on the side), but I've enjoyed all the ones I've tried. Also, their avocado egg rolls are delicious, no getting around that. Some other favorites I remember are the stuffed chicken tortillas and cashew chicken. Their cheesecake can definitely be too rich/sweet. Tonight we tried the lemon raspberry, which was fairly light and rather tart - a nice change. We were seated quickly by a friendly hostess, and the service was just fine. All in all, I'd go back again, especially if I needed a larger venue or was with picky eaters - there are so many options!
(4)
Kaitlin P.
This review is exclusive to their catering. We had a prior catering option fall through the day of a company lunch that day so I contacted Cheesecake Factory to see if they could help. While they were able to come through for us last minute, I was not happy with the food brought to us: The person I spoke to that morning made recommendations based on the number of people we have so I ordered food based on those recommendations. We could've gone with an order 1/2 the size and it still would've been more than enough. I realize the portion sizes at CF are HUGE, but this was so over the top and it was a big inconvenience on what to do with the food afterwards. We ordered basic pasta + salads. The pastas were so over-salted, which prevented people from wanting the second/third helpings that I desperately needed to get rid of. The salads were fine and of course the bread was amazing (that and the fact that they could help us out last minute are the only reason for the star). We regularly order food from businesses on Pearl St for employee meals. Cheesecake Factory will not be a location we order from again.
(1)
Sally H.
This is my very first one star review. When I started doing yelp reviews I vowed to myself that I would not rate a business one star. The reason behind my thinking is I truly believe a bad review hurts a business; that is if the business serves its customers. The Cheesecake Factory did not even serve my party. The incidence occur earlier this evening when my family went out in celebration for my niece's graduation. Since we knew that so many of us were to attend dinner we made a reservation two weeks prior for a large party of 25 at 6pm. Part of the party arrived tremendously earlier to dinner and others trickled in before the reservation time. Overall, we were all there before six. Ten after six, we were told by the manager that they were waiting to set-up our table because the party before us were still lingering around. We were also given the option to split our group into two for faster service, but we opted out because we wanted to celebrate this special occasion together as a family. Time passed by and we still were not seated. We asked the front what was going on and was told we did not have a reservation. We were simply put on the waiting list. Meaning that we had to wait for the next available seatings. However, here's the kicker, Cheesecake Factory had called the day before to confirm our reservation. After the initial explanation of the delay in our table, we sat around for another forty-five minute to be told that we did not have a reservation and we had to wait longer to be seated. That is simply ridiculous and I felt awful for my niece. She absolutely loves this place and it was her choice to dine here. Luckily, we called a place near by and they were happy to take all of us in with such short notice. This location puts a bad taste in my mouth.
(1)
Tana N.
Our first time there... One waitress took our drink order. Other waiter took our order. Someone else brought us our food. We were never checked on. Never offered refills on our drinks.. Which I could have used! Never brought bread which I planned on having with my food. We weren't asked if we wanted dessert. So we paid and left. Wrote on bill Poor Service. Waiter said that we were overlooked because they switched waiters in the middle. Really? Left a review in their website and never even contacted! Won't ever go back!!
(2)
William W.
Sat outside in the pearl st mall. Great food good service. Loved sitting outside to people watch. The service outside was unusually good, as it usually feels like the forgotten section in a lot of places. It wasn't so here.
(5)
Josh B.
Great late-lunch, early-dinner service. Accommodating and friendly staff. The food was terrific. Affordable and fun.
(5)
Jeanine C.
I took my two daughter's to this restaurant on a college visit 4/19/13. My daughter that goes to CU picked the restaurant based on the good food and service we have at the Oak Brook, Il one. The food was not worth the money. I ordered the Skinny Petite Tenderloin for $24.95 that was grisly and couldn't eat half of it, it made me sick. I told the waitress and nothing was done. I didn't want to cause a seen or upset my daughters on this short visit, so I let it go. I also thought that the service was lacking, the waitress did not know that menu at all. I also noticed that the party of 4 in the next booth were so loud and obnoxious that surrounding tables and booths of people asked to be moved to another area. The ones that stayed you could tell were very annoyed and made for an unpleasant dining experience. Where was management to address these loud people-nowhere. My thoughts are that the management of the location is poor at best. To allow bad meat for one of the most expensive items and then not do any adjustments-you lost my business and I will enjoy telling my family and friends of this poor handling and experience. My bill came to $83.60 and then with the tip $100.00-I hate to stiff the waitress, just hope she gets better. My daughter's brought back the rest of their meal with them, and they never finished it, "too greasy and gross" and they put it. What a waste of my money, I will never go back to this restaurant again!
(1)
Jess C.
Always great food and a great atmosphere guaranteed! With such a large and diverse menu you won't have trouble finding what you're in the mood for. Also this location is on Boulder Colorado's famous walking mall, a great relaxed place for shopping and strolling.
(4)
Ramon G.
Wow, it's been years since Cheesecake Factory was even an idea for a Saturday night dinner. But sometime hunger can do strange things to a person... Well the place still has what it takes to be a decent dinner location. Great service, gigantic menu with lots of choices and a great location. I have to say I'm not a fan of the size of the menu or the ads but heck, you get a lot of choices if you're with picky eaters. The proportions are huge so we usually split a dish and get an appetizer. Location is great on the Pearl Street Mall so if you choose not to get cheesecake for dessert you can hit up other places along the mall. I say give it a try and don't let the "C" word discourage you. (chain)
(3)
Marcus J.
The Cheesecake Factory used to be one of my favorite, if relatively overpriced, places to go. My wife and I first met at the Boulder restaurant, so used to enjoy going back occasionally. However, this restaurant is now on our no-go list, after the last three very disappointing visits. The service is much worse than it used to be, the cocktails appear to be watered down, and the food is pretty terrible - for example, they'd burnt (badly) the meatloaf on both occasions that we tried it. I don't quite understand what's happened to what I thought was a restaurant that provided consistently decent (if not exceptional) food, but something's gone wrong and they've lost a patron.
(1)
Amy F.
The menu is too long, the wait is often too long, and the poor waitstaff is almost always being unfairly harassed by visiting CU parents and is thus a bit apathetic. And yet, we're still regulars here because: 1) We only come in for apps and/or cheesecake. Occasionally we'll get a real meal, but that's only when we're with a big group that really wants to eat there and we still usually just split the Thai lettuce wraps. 2) If the wait is over 15-20 minutes, we skip it. Since service is slow, we also don't go if we have a strict deadline (trying to make a show within the hour, etc). 3) Smile and be extra friendly to your waiter, and I guarantee you'll get better service. The cheesecake selection is great, and so is the cheesecake. It's not "NY style," but if you think of it as its own special kind of cheesecake-like dessert, you'll be fine. And yes, it's expensive BUT look at the portions! I mean, my God! We always split something and 90% of the time still bring home left-overs. For three meals, it's a fair price!
(4)
Shawn S.
Food is always AMAZING and the service is equally so. I do wish, however, that they would just drop their prices a bit and not make each meal enough to feed a family of 4! Pasta is typically great as a leftover but nothing is ever as good as it is fresh..so just feel like I waste so much food when I go here. I had the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta: Honey Glazed Chicken, Asparagus, Red and Yellow Peppers, Peas, Garlic and Onion in a Spicy Chipotle Parmesan Cream Sauce. YUMMMY! And we tried the Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel cheesecake which made my ass grow just by looking at it but I still licked the plate :) All-in-all..a safe bet for a great meal and good service along with a guaranteed necessary trip to the gym the next day.
(4)
Kasey H.
Went here on 8/3/12 while vacationing in Colorado with my boyrfriend. We had already had dinner & walked the strip mall on Pearl, & dropped into the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. We're from the Eastern part of Washington state, so we've never been to one before. The service was fine, but by the time the check came, we were astounded. Expected about a $20-30 tab, & the total came to $43.99! The breakdown of the check was as follows: One strawberry lemon drop for $11,50 (I've never paid that much for a mixed drink before in my life, even in the ritziest places; plus it tasted horrible, & was less than half the size of the Long Island), one Long Island Iced Tea for $9.25, one Reese's peanut butter cheesecake for $8, one peanut butter chocolate cheesecake for $7, & ala mode (ice cream) for $5. The ice cream, instead of being a $2 add-on for my boyrfriend's plate, came in a separate bowl with 2 piddly scoops of ice cream that would barely be larger than a teaspoon each. My boyfriend could have sworn the menu said his drink was $6.75, which was why he ordered it, but when I asked the waitress, she brought back the menu to show us, & it was a different menu than we had ordered from (we had the full menu, which included drinks; she brought us a separate drink menu only). I resigned myself to the horrific bill & we paid it, but I made the check out for $46 even, with a $2.01 tip. I realize now that it may seem contentious to sign a bill with a 2.01 tip, but at the time, I was only thinking of making the amount a whole number, & yes, I wasn't going to tip overabundantly for an outrageous bill. When I checked my bank account today, now that I'm home, I found that they charged me $47! It isn't the extra dollar that pisses me off; it's the general experience altogether. I thought for a moment that they may have misunderstood my writing, but I write very clearly & it would be difficult to interpret a "2" as a "3" in the tip, & even more so to see a "7" instead of a "6" on the total. This has happened to me before, though, at other restaurants where I was slighted, & I think wait staff will do this since most people won't contest a dollar overcharge. In addition to the bill fiasco, my boyfriend & I chose to dine outside, since the weather was so nice. About 5 feet out from the outdoor seating fence, was a pair of facing benches, on which a group of about 5-10 hippies lounged with their dog. Apart from the overly loud conversation they were having about not working for "the man" & the politics of the world, when one of the tables near us vacated, one of the women snuck over to the fence, vaulted over barefoot (I'm not a prejudiced person in general, but this girl reeked like she hadn't showered in months), & grabbed the plate of leftover food the customers had left. She vaulted back over the fence & proceeded to eat it by hand with her fellows. The part that almost made me lose my stomach, though, was that the dog was one of her "fellows", & they were letting the dog get up & lick the plate & food in the same places they proceeded to lick it from. It was not an enjoyable experience, & what surprised me more was that none of the wait staff said anything to them, giving me the impression that my food was likely to be ripped off the table at any moment. The only decent things to relate: they are open late, which is nice. The waitress, before the bill came, was friendly, & the cheesecake was awesome, though expensive. Despite that, we both plan on being back in the area in the next few months, & suffice it to say, never plan on dining there again. We felt completely misled & walked out of there feeling robbed. Although on this trip the per-person fare was less than $61, we realized that if we had dined there & had dessert, plus drinks, it would have been well over that amount.
(1)
Lyn Y.
I have been here a few times now, and I have never been disappointed! It's pricey yes, but you can seriously order anything your mouth might be dreaming of....because they have such an extensive menu. The atmosphere is awesome, because it is chill and elegant; however, no one shuns you if you walk in in your running clothes. Waitstaff is attentive and well educated, despite the daunting menu. Oh forgot to mention, the Well-Mannered Dirty Martini is perfect....it comes with Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives! All Capitalized because it takes an attentive bar tender to stuff those things each night!
(5)
Margaret A.
I'm actually a fan of the cheesecake factory, but at this location the service is horrible. The few times I've gone, the service has been slow, and the servers seem miserable. The last time I went, the waitress took forever to take our order, then when I asked things about the menu- instead of saying, " let me find out for you," she told me she wasn't sure. She would ask the same question over, so if I ordered vanilla ice-cream she asked, "What flavor ice-cream would you like?" Ugh, I just told you... In terms of food, and locale- everything else was fine. But they should be the same no matter where you go since it's a chain. I've always had great service at the various locations I've been to, usually the servers are woking hard for good tips. I guess I'll have to wait to go to another city to get my future cheesecake factory fix, or next time I'll have to order to-go.
(2)
Jimmy B.
Excellent food. Excellent service for a group of 14.
(4)
Elizabeth S.
I normally would give this restaurant a five star, but after going and seeing that they have shrunk their portions, I cannot do so. This is the first time I have been at this location. I was a regular customer located at the two Cheesecake Factory's in Las Vegas for many years, and ate there all the time. I thought all locations served the same portions because they do the same menu; but today the appetizers we normally got in Vegas were HALF the size for the same price. Way overpriced for what we got. The regular dinner salad used to be huge, in a big bowl, today it was just a small tiny salad on a small plate and cost me almost $7.00, and they no longer put anything on it, just plain lettuce and spinach. We did not order a meal, so not sure if the meals got smaller in size. The cheesecake is always delicious (but too pricey), and the food menu has a great selection. Food is very tasty, and it used to be our favorite place to go, but now that I am getting half of what I used to get, and spending the same amount, and even more since they did raise their prices a bit, I doubt I will drive out of my way to go back there again. Staff was friendly, service good. What made Cheesecake Factory so nice was the large portions and fair price. Not anymore.
(3)
Mo C.
The food at Cheesecake Factory is just always fantastic. This is a chain that has high standards and I for one appreciate that. The passion fruit iced tea is always great. This time around I had the grilled salmon lunch with asparagus and green beans (instead of rice). Yum! The patio at this location is particularly cool, as it faces Pearl Street, which is great for people watching. Unfortunately, your meal will get interrupted occasionally by those looking for a couple of bucks for various reasons. But, there are often street performers with everything from juggling to instrumentals to breaking dancing. Just a cool spot. PS- Try the low carb cheesecake! It is phenomenal! My cousin said it was better than the Kaluha one she ordered :)
(5)
Debbie R.
Basically the Cheesecake Factory is the Cheesecake Factory. If you've been to one, you might as well have been to them all. The food is usually good but 'commercial' tasting (think Applebee's, Chili's, Friday's et al) - really nothing special. The menu is HUGE with a ton of delicious sounding options (their marketing team is genius). It's so big that they even have ads in it (slightly weird to me). Their portions are far too big and I've found most don't reheat well the next day (this is when you'll discover just how oil-laden the food is) so it feels a bit wasteful and expensive (the price appears appropriate for the portions but if you can't consume it all then it's a little expensive - I'd rather they give me less and charge less). There's usually a wait even when you're looking at empty tables and it seems to take longer than it should for food to hit the table. If you get the bread and butter, understand that the butter is usually cold (pet peeve). It's a decent place to eat as long as you understand what you're getting. Now, their cheesecake is delectable and you'll find options you couldn't have even imagined. Just don't plan to have cheesecake after eating dinner there as you'll be too full. My favorite time to go is after have a late-ish, large-ish lunch somewhere else then just stopping in cheesecake factory for dessert (in lieu of dinner). This is when I've truly loved and enjoyed the Cheesecake Factory experience most and I've never had a bad piece of cheesecake there.
(3)
Zubey L.
okay let me first start by saying i've been coming here for a good 6 years or more. When I first started coming.. it was great.. wait staff were on it.. food was hot and delicious... then this place got 5 stars. Over the years.. and especially the last year or 2 this place has gone down hill ... i won't sit here and review every time i've been in but I ill review when i was there yesterday. So being skeptical about returning after about 6 months... i was hopefull they would have gotten their act together... Did they??.. HECK NO! its was even worse then before!!!!! 1st we ordered drinks. the waitress was pretty good about getting them to us fast... my wife ordered the Strawberry Lemonade.. IT WAS RANK!!!!! either it had gone bad... or they threw rotten strawberries in there.. sent it back. then it took about 10 minutes for her to come back and take our order. I got FIsh and Chips, My wife got the Herb baked chicken.. my mother in law got the Jamaican shrimp. so we sat there and waited... and waited ... and waited for our food.. FINALLY 50 minutes later she brings our food. My fish and chips... COLD!! the fries... COLD AND SOGGY!! the coleslaw.. was HOT!! yes HOT !! like they heated it up... the tarter sauce.. was OLD smelled rotten.. asked for more.. they brought it right away and it was fine. so i ate as much of the fish i could since that was the only thing half edible .. my wifes chicken... BLECH... nasty... not good wasn't even cooked all the way through.. My mom's Jamaican black pepper shrimp? it was decent.. but they forgot the plantains so we asked them for them.. they brought them.. looked like they have been sitting there or hours.. cold... dried out.. THat is it we are never going back.. and will tell all our friends and family to never go again. If i could give this place NO stars I would. HOWEVER.. the cheesecake is bomb.. but expensive.
(1)
Kelsey B.
I love going to cheese cake factory. Lunch portions are huge! Server are very friendly and helpful. Of course, the cheesecake is decadent!
(4)
Chris M.
Mostly I am just a fan of their huge food servings! And chicks dig this place so that is another bonus.
(4)
Erin H.
All of my visits to the Cheesecake Factory have been ok. The food isn't bad, but it certainly isn't anything special either. On the plus side, you can find something to please just about anyone as their menu is almost as long as the phonebook. In my opinion, they'd be better off reducing the number and types of choices and focusing on doing a few things really well, but hey, it's a chain. I don't go often so it always takes me forever to get through the menu, which I don't like. But, again, the food has always been ok and the cheesecake is usually good. The thing about this particular location is that there are so many other restaurants I like nearby that I'm always disappointed when people want to go here.
(2)
Evil S.
Eaten here twice in the last year and both times the service was great and the sticker shock on the food passed when the giant plate was brought out.
(5)
Michelle P.
How can you go wrong with Cheesecake Factory? There is something for everyone there - have you seen the menu? It takes about 20 minutes to decided what the hell to order. We arrived STARVING! Bread and butter were yummy and so were our drinks. For the appetizer, we ordered shrimp tempura. Super good and crunchy. Loved the green onions they place on top and the tipping sauce complemented the shrimp. For dinner I ordered their chicken carbonara. Loved the creaminess and bacon bites in the dish. I thought they did an excellent job of making it - one of the best I have had. They brought my hubby's shrimp pasta jambalaya half ways through my meal. The waitress said that there were too many jambalaya ordered that the cook missed one and it happened to be my husbands. Fortunately they didn't charge us for the dish. For dessert, hands down: Tres-Leches Cheesecake!
(4)
Suzie S.
After falling in love with their location in Park Meadows I chose the Boulder location to celebrate my son's graduation with a large group of family. The server for our table was conscientious but can't say that for the rest of the support staff up front. Very disappointing and not interested in our comfort. At a cost of $200 for the nite, I felt we deserved some effort. The food here was good but overpriced. It was not nearly as good as the Park Meadows location and I admit I had second thoughts on my choice after our meal was served. I tried the new black bean burger that took the place of my favorite portobello sandwich and not impressed. I would prefer smaller portions on most items and lower prices so that I could enjoy a meal plus the tasty desserts. As always the expansive menu can be overwhelming. Cheesecake is always excellent. Would I go here again, probably not. Parking was down the street in garage and managers did not comp parking tickets like in downtown Denver so that was additional expense for all of us. Would I recommend this place, not likely when the Pearl Street Mall has many options that would likely provide better customer service and quality of food. But take me to Park Meadows and I would be quick to patronize that branch.
(3)
Noelle B.
I've been to the Cheesecake Factory in both Chicago and Denver. It was several years ago and I remember the place being fancy and delicious. I didn't get the same experience last night at the Boulder Cheesecake Factory. First, I think the menu is ridiculously long. I'm sure the menu has always been that long but it was insane. Next, the bread was disappointing. It was very cold and was served with packets of butter you'd find in a diner. I expected more from the Cheesecake Factory. My boyfriend and I both had burgers. That's why I bumped my review up to three stars. The food was good. It wasn't anything truly amazing but I did like the different types of burgers they served. It was very creative. Fortunately the Cheesecake was spectacular. We had a plain cheesecake with fresh strawberries and it didn't disappoint. At least CF is still serving their signature dish just right. Two more things. One, we were disappointed in the glassware. We were served our water in plastic mugs that you may find at Chili's. They were cloudy with use. We thought a place that touts itself to be 'classy' would at least serve us water in glasses. And two, the music was TERRIBLE. We heard everything from Kelly Clarkson to Janet Jackson to some rock music and then easy listening. The music was loud and didn't quite fit the ambiance of any restaurant. Something low and mellow would have been much better. My experience there felt very much like I was at a chain restaurant. I know CF is a chain, but in the past it's never felt like that.
(3)
Kent R.
Mediocre food at good food prices. A menu laden with ads to increase the sense of consumerism. Indifferent staff who can't wait to get off work. What's not to love?
(1)
True M.
I went to this Cheesecake Factory for my dorm mate's birthday. First off, the food is overpriced. I ordered one of the burgers and although it was good, it was not worth how much I paid for. I also ordered the cheesecake and it came out delicious, but it was EXPENSIVE. I think I could have gotten way better food on Colfax, than the Cheesecake Factory. The waiter we had lost my credit card as well and took a while for me to find, and I left the cheesecake factory angry. Yeah this place is good, but it's not worth the price, especially for someone who is going to college at CU. I seriously don't have money to waste at this place..sorry
(2)
John C.
OK people, how can you give this place a bad review? If you're a chain-hater, kindly recuse yourself and refrain from writing a bad review just out of principle. This restaurant should be judged for what it is, a casual restaurant that offers tasty food at a reasonable (but ot cheap) price in a timely manner. Let me tell you my credentials first. I've been to this place at least 200 times over the last several years. Sure, every experience wasn't perfect, but I can say with high statistical reliability that the service is good 95% of the time. Without going to a 4 or 5 star restaurant, you just don't get that kind of reliability anywhere else. I will say that during the evening hours on peak dining out days, the service gets strained by the sheer volume of traffic they handle. I usually take a late lunch during the week or midday on a weekend. Some of my favorite food choices are the Thai Lettuce Wraps and the Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp. That is some serious chomp! Oh, and the Miso Salmon is to die for. Not just to die for, it's to kill for. the Navajo Sandwich is a tasy lunch treat; try it with cooked carrots instead of the fries for a more healthy version. I really can't remember the last time I ordered something I didn't like there. I seem to remember some sort of Asian dish that had too much sauce... The portions are ridiculously huge. My biggest challenge is getting out of there without feeling like a whale. An appetizer will do fine if you're not that hungry. Otherwise, force yourself to take some home with you. Besides a bewildering array of cheesecakes, they have other scrumptious desserts. Chris' Outrageous Cake is, well, outrageously delicious. Prices are not cheap. $7 for a slice of cheesecake, for example. However, I am willing to pay extra for consistently good service and food that is consistently delicious. And you will never be hungry an hour later, unless you are half grizzly bear and are nearing hibernation time. I'm a booth man, and this place is loaded with booths. Big ones, little ones, medium ones. Oh, and did I mention the restrooms are clean and nice, with those fancy automatic faucets and extra high privacy walls between the urinals? Nice!
(5)
Leslie R.
The best food on the planet! Its my FAVORITE restaurant! & I have a lot of favorites! The Boulder Cheesecake Factory is overly crowded with no where to wait for tables, that's a pain, & the waiters/waitress & hosts are friendly but not over the top friendly. But they're good! & the restaurant itself is CLEAN, great atmosphere & FANTASTIC food! Definitely recommend ANY Cheesecake Factory!!!
(5)
Jim N.
Great lunch here after shopping a few hours on Pearl Street, en-route from Estes Park to Colorado Springs. We've been fans of Cheesecake Factory for year; but, this was our grandkids' first visit. They had great meals, good lemonade, and fries....they were very happy; adults had a mixture of things, all excellent. Prices were pretty reasonable, considering how much food is served. We took home enough for lunch the next day. This is a solid choice for lunch or dinner.....don't be afraid to share a plate or a salad (they're that large)
(4)
Phil M.
Cheesecake Factory is awesome. I really don't understand giving this place any less than 3 stars - those that do must be food snobs or chain haters. The menu is extensive which reminds me of the diners back East where I grew up and nothing like anything else you will see in the Dencer/Boulder area. I've been here several times (as well as the Denver location which is the exact same experience as the Boulder location except maybe Denver is more crowded) and each time the food has been delicious, service has been awesome, and the atmosphere/ambience perfect. --BEGIN RANT-- I'm really sort of getting sick of the automatic 2-star deduction that some people give chains. I like a local/unique restaurant as much as the next guy but when many of the local options are far inferior (not the case for Boulder typically, I admit) I am glad to have these options in town! --END RANT-- Oh, and the cheesecake (and selection thereof) is amazing!
(5)
Anita Y.
Brunch on the patio on a hot summer day. I have no complaints. Service on spot on. The food was delicious; we tried the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Strawberries and the Crab Hash with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise. Real, fresh strawberries. Not a syrup-y frozen concoction. Real crab meat, not K-rab from a kani roll. It was so delectable, we cleaned our plates (although our " hot day" sensibilities were crying out for a more judicious serving) set off for home on auto-pilot under the hot July sun, and settled in for a post-feast nap.
(4)
Ricky S.
High price low quality. Pasta is too oil. I just can't eat more after I had a quarter. Cheese cake is not as good as expected. Two cream flowers are big enough but I'm here to have cakes but not the cream. Strawberry topping can only be admired but not tasted. Cheese is soft. Maybe it's just the style I don't like. In such a kind of quality and price, we got the table by waiting for 20 minutes.
(2)
Sarah K.
Mediocre food that's gone down-hill over the past few years. I used to think this place was incredible; now I feel that it's typical, sub-par and overwhelmingly chicken-oriented. The ads in their menu makes the place appear as a sell-out--why am I interested in jewelry when I'm supposed to be choosing a meal from your rediculous 20-page menu? The waitstaff mingle in small groups between serving and occasionally look over your shoulder (a little too frequently) while gossiping about the latest staff-related drama. Save it for the kitchen. I ordered teriyaki chicken; the skin was rubbery and the chicken was wierdly shaped--didn't know chicken breast grew with two drumbstick bones sitcking out on either side. Luckily (sorta...) the rice was swimming in teriyaki sauce (the best part of my meal) so that moistened the meat a bit. I felt ill the rest of the night. The other people in my party didn't rave about their food either. It all seemed very typical with little creative flair--proof that the chefs are trained to crank out the hundreds of dishes on the menu all day and with little enthusiasm. Definitely speaks to the "Factory" aspect of the place.
(2)
Elise M.
It seemed for the longest time that I was the only person on earth that hadn't been to a Cheesecake Factory. During parent weekend in Boulder our group of about 25 adolescents and parents decided to give it a shot. The menu is the one of the most overwhelming things I have ever seen. It's like a short novel of sub-par food. Now that I've been there a couple times, I feel wrong every time I order something, because I haven't even read the other half of the menu. Plus, it's filled with advertisements! An ad for Bob the plumber is the last thing I want to look at when I'm ordering my food. It's cluttered and annoying. When the food does come, I won't lie, it isn't terrible. It's just so overwhelmingly mediocre. The plates are plain (I usually like a good looking plate of food) and most of the food is deep fried. I usually leave satisfied, but with a stomach ache. I try to order the cheesecake every time I go because that is, after all, the point of the place. It's alright. I just feel like if one type of food is the shining glory of a restaurant, it should blow me away when I eat it, not make me feel like I'm eating gourmet playdough.
(2)
Becky S.
The Cheesecake Factory in Boulder is no different than any other. I rather enjoy their pork chops. I also really enjoy their patio, it's right there on Pearl Street so it's great people watching. There's also a small room to the left when you walk in that provides for a small-restaurant feel instead of the usual dining hall feel of other C.F. locations. I've never gotten bad service, but everything about this place is just average. Except the patio, that's great. Drinks could be a little cheaper.
(3)
Colie J.
It is with a heavy heart I give this particular CF 3 out of 5 stars. I have only ever had issues at 4 out of the 20+ I have visited. This one's food is really hit or miss. I ordered a Sunday Brunch breakfast style Monte Cristo that I had at Ceasar's in LV and this one's bread was soggy. Sent it back and it came out just a little more cooked than the first time, but still soggy. I was so excited to be living in a place with a CF again. I have been about 6 times and 2 or 3 the food just hasn't been up to par with my other experiences. My favorite dish is stuffed chicken tortillas, but at any other CF EVERYTHING on the menu is good. They have a pretty good bar menu from 4-6 M-F where smaller appetizers are served for $3-6. If you are in a city with a CF try it, just with this one I can't vouch it will be a good day.
(3)
FX H.
Good food, fast service, meal was present and cook as order,... Excellent food but service was little lack of attention due busy....
(4)
K B.
Food was great, good service, with a unique atmosphere.
(5)
Shannon B.
Yes, I realize this is a large chain restaurant, and a lot of people "boo" large chains, but this one is really worth trying! This is one of my very favorite places to eat. Everything I've eaten here so far has been great, and I've tried a lot of the menu. The ambiance is incredible, inside and out. The service is always very good. We have a 2 yr old and they always bring her a plate out first with bread and bananas on it, that she loves and eats up! The prices are a little on the high side, but the entrees are large enough to split (sometimes with 3 people), and I'm a large woman who loves to eat! So, the food is definitely worth the price! I highly recommend it.
(5)
Hallie M.
I went because a friend fell in love with one of their chicken dishes and wanted me to experience the place. I generally avoid all chains. The bread before the meal was very tasty, can't go wrong with hot bread. Unfortunately while the tables around us were eating their bread while looking over the menu I had to ask our waiter to bring us some when we ordered our entrees. I got a lunch special of the day, catfish breaded in pecans, and expected it to be along the same price of the regular lunch specials, ten or so dollars. When the bill came my meal was sixteen dollars! The fish was pretty good, but catfish is a cheap fish. They gave me enough potatoes to serve a family, which I didn't need. I'd have preferred an overload of veggies. I shared a piece of tiramisu cheesecake. It was alright, nothing to make me ignore all of the great food of Boulder to go back and have again though.
(2)
Robin P.
Great lunches! Very large for the price and great variety. I don't like cheesecake much, but I love the key lime cheesecake. I like the BBQ salad more than the oriental chicken salad.
(4)
Carl S.
I ate here once with my then fiance. I had fish and chips and it was horrible. I don't remember what she had but I don't think she was very happy either. My fish was cold and the batter had separated from the fish. That means, overcooked... The fish itself was also separating. I'm just really glad we had a gift cert. so our dinner was only a few dollars. I won't ever eat at this place again.
(2)
Neil A.
If my most recent visit had been my first to this location, I would have given it only 3 stars. However, on the strength of earlier experience with this and other locations, I am holding the line at 4. Obviously, this place can be a characature of itself, with the monstrous portions and epic broad-ranging menu. Still, I don't think it's fair to just look at that and dismiss it out-of-hand. If you get something that reheats well, the value is very good as you can often get 2-3 meals out of one visit. With the size of the menu, not everything is going to be great, but there are some nice dishes to be found amongst all of that. The latest experience was a bit of an adventure. The 2-year old had 45 minutes of running around outside during the wait and was a bit hyper (chucked a plate onto the floor, breaking it). After we ordered entrees, another server came up with a couple of random plates of food, thinking they were for us. A couple of minutes later, the actual entrees came, but the server had mistook my order, so I had a while to watch my wife eat before they finally got my order (shepherd's pie) correct. I've had it before here, and generally like the dish. It was fine this time, but not as good as I've had other times here. When we got to dessert, it got really interesting. While we figured out cheesecake for ourselves, we ordered sliced strawberries for the little one. That took about 15 minutes(!) to come out, and the cheesecake we ordered took at least another 15 minutes. The waiter was very apologetic, saying that the bakery was backed up and that they had some new people up there so things weren't going great. I'm generally pretty forgiving about these things, but it is hard for me to imagine a job requiring much less skill than what we needed from the bakery: 1) Slice strawberries in half (if they aren't presliced), toss them on a plate and put some whipped cream 2) Slice a premade cheesecake (which is probably also presliced), toss it on a plate and put some whipped cream 3) There is no 3 - you are done! What did you think, you're cooking a risotto or a filet mignon or something? Very odd. Anyway, the waiter was very apologetic, but didn't choose to do even a slight bill adjustment after all the screw-ups. We didn't request or necessarily expect anything, but it would have been a nice gesture after the various problems.
(4)
Michelle N.
I get a tid bit nostalgic when I am on Pearl Street at the Cheesecake factory.. memories of college brunches, lunches and dinners roll through my dome and I smile. Being back in Boulder for a short visit, I happily ended up here for dinner. The menu was awesome and abundantly full of options, even for me with all of my food allergies. Brit, our server was AMAZING! I can't even recall the last time that I had such good service. She was especially accommodating of my allergies, so I made sure to tip her well. We ordered the sliders for an appetizer. They were incredible. Until last night, I had forgotten how damn good sliders are! No joke, I am now thinking of hosting Friday slider night. The drinks were well endowed with liquor, and the latte was just what I needed before hitting up the Pearl Street bars. The quesidilla and orange chicken entrees were good, but we might be more adventurous with our selection upon the next visit. I love Boulder and I think that it has the best Cheesecake Factory of the entire chain.. at least from what I have experienced.
(4)
Aaron H.
Cheesecake factories are all the same. Overpriced but decent food and drink. Gimicky and chainy. In boulder there is so much good food that this is hardly worth your time. Why three stars then you ask.? It is because of one spectacular appetizer. The Buffalo blasts(pic included)! For $8.99 they pile your plate ridiculously high with the fried, triangular beauties. filled with shredded chicken buffalo sauce and maybe cheese. Served with a side of hot sauce and blue cheese. These are the only reason to go the the cheesecake factory in boulder.
(3)
Mark M.
How incredibly disappointing - the big chain pulls through with a very good meal. My son stared at my wife and I in disbelief , wondering who had invaded our shells - we wanted to go try the Cheesecake Factory. The ethnic, local, organic, mom and pop, crew was going corporate. I went with an open mind and was surprised by my experience. Greeted by a team 5+ bubbly teens who quickly and efficiently seated us in a window booth that proved to be quite and comfortable. Down side was the kiddy mess smashed into the window from the prior party. Waitress was quick with water, (2 no ice - one with with out batting an eye) specials of the night and our drink order (local fix of Fat Tire). Our initial drink order was accompanied by the prompt reply of "Noooo Problem" our first of night of her seemly universal response to any request , order or question. But I got used to it "Nooo Problem". With only three people and the knowledge that the portions were huge we ordered three things. All came out quickly. I put aside my snooty chain predisposition and realized that everything we ordered was great: Tuna Salad Tataki - Very rare seared tuna with lettuce, big beefsteak tomatoes (ripe mid-winter after a blizzard of 06), and avocado in a light Asian dressing. Ranch burger - Big - bigger than big - giant. Cooked med-rare. Great flavor texture with thick crispy bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. The portion of fries seemed diminutive compared to the burger. Chicken wraps - Grilled chicken, beautiful bib lettuce, grated carrot and marinated cucumber, and noodles. Three sauces for dipping each rated very good compared with other "real" Asian restaurants. None of us like cheese cake so we did not sample the name sake. Overall better than even my low expectations would have thought. I will go back for the times when like the other reviewer state "you want to make sure everybody comes out happy".
(4)
David Z.
Well, it's hardly a local business, but with the huge menu of mostly hit (not miss) dishes, it sometimes "hits the spot." Try the fried avocado egg roll thingies for appetizer, if you are not on a diet (other than Atkins!). Also good are breakfast burritos and some of the pasta dishes.
(3)
Marie E.
I love the Cheesecake Factory, but this location doesn't do it justice. The table was dirty when we sat down, and the food wasn't that great. I will go back to the Cheesecake Factory, but probably not this location.
(2)
Ratha O.
I had the garlic pasta with only 5 pieces of itsy..bitsy.. minute shrimps. Talk about Shell-Fish!!! You don't get what you pay for! However, their cheesecake with strawberry sauce and whip cream is pretty tasty!! I'd probrably go back..just for the dessert!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Amy E.
I'm updating my last review based on a recent experience with the service at CF. My previous review regarding the food still stands, so please take a look at it for that aspect. We'd always had good service at this CF, but our most recent experience was fairly terrible. We visited around 4:30pm on Friday, February 6. The place was mostly empty, but there was no hostess at the front. We waited a few minutes. The manager (I believe) finally walked by and helped us. (We appreciated that, because some managers at some places think they are too good to fill in at lesser positions.) We took a seat in the bar area. Our server came by fairly quickly, and though she seemed frazzled and scatter-brained, she was also pleasant. We ordered two cocktails. After we did, she made an odd little comment. "I'll probably end up making them," she said. But we didn't pay much attention to that. Then we waited. And waited. No drinks. Usually, at this CF, drinks arrive quickly. We could see the bartender behind the bar. A white guy with closely cropped hair and a bushy beard. But he wasn't making drinks. He was rummaging around under the bar, over and over again. So, there Sweetie and I were, talking. Music was playing quite loudly. We were sitting as far from the bar itself as possible (on the south side), when, through the noise and distance and over our conversation, we heard the bartender loudly say, "F**k this s**t." Wow, okay. The table next to us, containing about 12 Muslim women and little girls in hijabs, all stopped talking and turned to look. The bartender was crashing and banging things behind the bar, pulling things out from underneath, slamming them around. Nice. Then, again very loudly, he said, "F**k happy hour." Even nicer. And he just kept rattling and slamming and banging things. Needless to say, the entire atmosphere was very unpleasant at that point. Not a nice relaxing Friday anymore. Finally, we could see the bartender making our drinks. But he was clearly royally pissed off, making the drinks with no care. That became even clearer when the drinks arrived. The mint leaves in my mojito hadn't been muddled, just thrown in as an afterthought, so the resulting concoction had no mint flavor. The entire drink tasted like nothing but simple syrup- extremely sweet with no flavor of any kind. I tried muddling the mint with my straw, but that didn't help much. I've never sent back a drink before, anywhere, but I sent this one back. We had already ordered food. When it arrived, we ate a little of it, but soon had the rest packaged to go. We just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. We paid and scurried away, glad to be the f**k away from there!
(2)Andrew N.
So I'm probably one of the few visitors to Boulder that dared to eat at a chain restaurant while visiting such a gastronomically rich city, but I did. And I did it more than once hoping that each time it would get better. And it didn't. I'm not going to write a long review because I would be merely regurgitating what other reviews are saying. I will simply reiterate that service is spotty. There are either too many or too few waiters. You either get a genuinely nice waiter or someone that just "wants to do their job" and nothing more. I went there went it was busy and I waited, I went when it wasn't busy and I waited the same amount of time.
(2)Scott L.
Returned to TCF to sit on the patio-café which has one of the better venues for people-watching on Pearl Street and took my own advice: just order cheesecake. This time the service was AMAZING. Our waitress, Mary, was extraordinarily attentive, and seemed genuinely concerned about our welfare as humans, not only as guests. TCF should clone this girl.
(5)Leticia G.
Came in on a Thursday night at 9 pm the wait was twenty minutes. They sat us down and offered us bread and we waited for 25 minutes for bread. A table came in ten minutes behind us and they got bread even though they only ordered cheesecake and waters. The manager came out around 9:40 and tell us that they ran out of bread 30 minutes ago and I told him the table who sat down after Us got bread and he looked baffled that his lie was not valid. It was ridiculous. We got waiters who were too busy attending to other tables to even say anything or bring refills. I never complain and never write these but this was infuriating.
(1)Eddie P.
Today I did the small plates of dynamite shrimp & crab cake rolls - tied to a side salad which was HUGE!!!! Great 1000 island dressing! Go heavy...
(4)Immanuel D.
This is by far one of the worst places in Boulder to eat. First and foremost, the servers here are racist. This isn't just speculation, I heard this from a 4-5 people who work there. They would constantly make fun of different races and say certain races of people didn't tip them well. Such as, "black and Mexican people never leave good tips." Mind you the servers here can make $300 dollars a night, but they STILL complain. After knowing the people who work here, do yourself a favor and never eat here. These people don't deserve your money. The male servers are also incredibly sexist and are the type of people to spit in your food. This is not a good place to take your family. Plus, there's so many local businesses in Boulder that really go for quality. This place is just a crappy chain that banks off ignorance of people coming to Boulder who don't know any better places to eat. Oh, and if you go for the cheesecake, remember NONE of the cheesecake is made at the restaurant, they ship it all in FROZEN. If the cheesecake is your favorite, get a slice at take-out without tipping. If you go here please know a large amount of workers here are just drug-binging alcoholics that make fun of customers behind their back, especially the servers. This is coming from someone who knew several of the workers.
(1)Blair C.
The only reason you'd eat at Cheesecake Factory is for their namesake of cheesecake. Their menu food is subpar and nothing to brag about.
(3)Jina S.
Food was amazing but the service was NOT. For starters, the menu is incredibly vast which I enjoy very much giving as there is an option for everyone and an option for every craving. They have almost everything you could imagine. I had the tomato basil pasta which was delicious. It had chunks of mozzarella and tomatoes accompanied by grilled chicken and a pesto drizzle. To die for!! However, my fantastic meal was the only good part. When I walked in the door I was greeted by a hostess who told me there would be a 10 minute wait. We proceeded to wait 45 minutes for our table. When I asked the hostess if she could give me another estimate she simply said "another 10 minutes", which she had said 45 minutes ago. Not appreciated. I don't have a problem waiting for my table, but don't tell me 10 minutes is the wait when I have to wait almost an hour... And then when I confronted the hostess about her lack of honesty towards me she rolled her eyes at me and was very rude. It was quite unprofessional to say the least. Needless to say I won't be going back for awhile. I'm very disappointed. My meal would've been that much better if the service had been up to par as well. I'm still appalled at the attitude the hostess had towards me and am surprised to how she is still working there. I will definitely be calling the manager soon to discuss my experience.
(1)Kelcie S.
Irving was our waiter the other night. He was spectacular and if I ever decide to go again I will ask for him. He was the right amount of attentive and was extremely polite. I would give five stars souly based ok him, although the food was not wowed me this time. I have ate at several different cheesecake factory's and I was not impressed at all at the quality of food at this location on a Friday night. I thought it was a little odd there wasn't a wait on a Friday night, now I know why. I ordered a Caesar salad which was too notch and not overloaded with dressing. My main course was the garlic noodles with shrimp.... Paying $18 a plate there was no flavor not could I taste the garlic in the dish and the shrimp was over cooked to the point it wasn't chewable. I haven't ordered this dish before but I'll stick with their appetizers from now on. My bf had a simple pepperoni pizza.... When it came out to the table the dough wasn't cooked all the way. There was grease dripping off the pizza like it was from a New York dive pizzeria. He had them take it back and they were very nice about the situation as they took the pizza off the menu and gave him a piece of cheesecake on the house. Our other guest had the chicken katsu and she loved it soo much. Perfect flavor and cooked to perfection. I won't give up on this chain but definitely not going to that location any time soon.
(3)Tenth F.
Very bad service and food is normal. Do not order any fish they are all frozen.
(1)Andrew P.
WORST SERVICE SINCE MOVING TO COLORADO Went here a week ago. I would love to list the pros. But I have none. So here are the cons. #1 Arrived, the hostess didnt even greet us. We had to get her attention. She looked like she just rolled out of bed. Wearing dirty black leggings, a spaghetti strap shirt with her bra strap exposed, two different colored socks (pink and blue WTF?), and casual sneakers. Is there even a dress code here? #2 Asked for a booth and was looked at like it could not be done then after insisting she the hostess sighed and sat us there. #3 Waited over 10 minutes just to see our server. Ordered everything at once to make things quicker. Wings, Salmon, and A burger Medium. Wings took 30 minutes just to arrive. #4 Food arrived 30 minutes after the wings. The medium burger was well done. After i cut it open to show the server it was completely over cooked. He said, "That looks pretty medium." (Are you kidding me? You say you are sorry for the mistake, take the food away, and make sure you get it re fired.) #5 Instead of getting to it. He sets the burger down next to the POS and decides not to re ring it but to go to another booth and talk to another guest for 8 minutes. I was dumbfounded. I finally had to tell him to re fire it and put it in a box to go. It came out 15 to 20 minutes later and the whole time we were never approached by the server or the manager about the issue. It took us over an hour and a half to get our food and for one of us to have our meal. A ticket time for lunch should only be from 12 to 14 minutes. Its just so odd. It seems like the place was being run by people who were there to just collect a check and go home. No passion, no desire to show their guests a good time. Nothing. Needless to say we will not be going back there. I can only hope this keeps some people from experiencing what we did.
(1)Sean V.
This place doesn't deserve any stars at all!! Service was HORRIBLE! My sister made reservation 2 weeks in advance for a party of 25 to celebrate her daughter's graduation. A call was made to confirm the reservation. We waited for over an hour and a half, and later being told that it was a waiting list not a reservation. Some of us complained to the manager, but they didn't care to help resolved the issue. Needless to say we will NOT be coming back. Thanks Cheese Cake for ruining the special moment. Thanks BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse for taking all 25 of us in at a short notice and your wonderful service.
(1)Renate Z.
OK food & bad service. My daughter and I were there for afternoon tea. Stayed only for 20 minutes, got asked if we need the check 3 time! Still paid 20% tips because it's holiday and we wanted to stay happy. Then 5 minutes later we found out my daughter left her key collection on the table. We went back, received cold face and told no one found anything. Well, will never come back.
(1)Lisa B.
I love the cheesecake factory, but this location is terrible. When it first opened in Boulder, I was excited, and went there somewhat regularly. I went today for the first time in a long time, and everything about the experience was awful. The service was slow. The food came out completely wrong. The server didn't "make it right" in a way that is super annoying when you are paying $17 for a salad it comes out missing Half the ingredients that are listed on the menu. For two people, no appetizers, no dessert, drinking water, the bill comes to $50 with tax and tip. There is way better value, service, and food on Pearl Street. Sad to say this was my last visit
(2)Ken C.
The Cheesecake Factory is always a nice option for semi-special occasions, like birthdays, get-togethers, highschool proms, etc. They are extremely popular, can accommodate large parties, and of course have those delicious cheesecakes. But apparently being so popular doesn't mean the restaurant can handle the strain. We came on a Friday night, which was understandably busy. We were given a wait time of 15-20 minutes, but ended up waiting 30 with nary an apology. Okay, aggravating but no big deal. Until we waited another 10 minutes before being greeted by our server. I noticed he had been triple seated so not his fault. He was brisk, efficient, and polite but so noticeably strained that I felt rushed for my order and fearful for his throbbing forehead vein. The rest of the dinner was prolonged between each step with drinks, the meals coming out, and the check being settled. Our server did all he could, but I felt pretty bad for him. Cheesecake Factory has a great set-up to be a default restaurant. The vast menu, fair prices, huge portions, and gimmicky dessert shtick is a good formula to people please and make the restaurant an easy choice when the question is, "Where do we want to go to celebrate something but don't want to look up a new place?" Easy recipe for popularity. But a corporate chain restaurant should have scheduling down pat. The staff seemed to know what they were doing but were hurried and kept looking at us like "where did all these customers come from??" Overstretched and it was obvious. Hopefully it was a one night fluke because the restaurant was on par with everything else as usual.
(3)Ian M.
This place is the worst. I keep coming back, though, because my mom sends my girlfriend and I gift cards to it on almost every holiday. In total, we have probably been to this location around 10 times in 5 years and each time was a negative experience. The funny thing is that my mom began giving us gift cards to Cheesecake Factory long before we lived in Boulder, so I truly do feel like these problems are unique to this location. We went last night and our main objective was to play it safe. In other words, we decided against looking at the massive menu and ordering what we thought sounded good and instead ordered based on what we thought the kitchen could make successfully. I got a crispy chicken sandwich and my girlfriend got chicken alfredo. The chicken on my sandwich was over cooked and completely dry. The real disaster, though, was my girlfriend's dinner. We had planned on sharing dinners with each other by swapping our plates back and forth across the table. Her plate came out so hot that after waiting for it to cool down she finally just gave up on it ever cooling down and gave me a bite on a fork -- it was terrible! Literally, it tasted nothing like alfredo, only garlic and mush. Obviously the reason the plate was so hot was that it had been microwaved. Really? Almost $20 for a chicken breast, noodles, and sauce and you guys can't make it fresh? It's worth mentioning that my favorite thing at Burger King used to be a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which they removed from their menu many years ago. It cost about 1/4 what I paid for my dinner last night and I actually mentioned during dinner that BK made better chicken sandwiches. We are the kind of people that never complain at restaurants. I sat there and ate my chewy chicken sandwich and told the waiter it was fine. My girlfriend decided she had to say something about her dinner. She did and they brought her a complimentary piece of cheese cake. I guess that a $6 piece of cheese cake makes up for an inedible $20 dinner? Oh well, I guess it's time to politely ask my mom to consider sending us gift cards to just about anywhere else.
(1)John S.
I thought the service was rather slow for such a quiet late lunch on a Wednesday. Ordered the lunchtime salad and pizza combo. Took about 10-15 minutes for the food to come out and got my salad and pizza at the same time. Would have been nice to get the salad first. Good food and friendly service. Nice sitting outside on Boulder's Pearl Street mall.
(3)Diana D.
So, so bad. I had the Cobb salad because it was a gluten free option. It came with no bacon and I asked if it was supposed to have bacon and the waitress said not theirs. Which on the menu it clearly says bacon. It also had no dressing and I asked about that and she looked at me like I was crazy. I know a dry salad when I taste one. Finally we shared a piece of cheesecake, Godiva chocolate because it was listed as the only gluten free cheesecake. I was sick for over 7 hours because something had gluten in it. I'll never go back. What a horrible experience and meal!
(1)Travel G.
I had a $25 gift from a friend, so while passing through Boulder decided to stop for some cheesecake and hot tea. Love the Pearl St. location! We were seated quickly and our server was super friendly. Really relaxing atmosphere. Would suggest you stop in to get warmed up this winter!
(5)Dale C.
Meal was a microwave dinner but much more expensive. Waitress was not to be found, no coffee refills, took forever to get the check.
(1)Jeff C.
Didn't eat a full meal here, but rather just stepped in for dessert, and I have to say I was impressed. I ordered the kahlua coffee cheesecake which was very rich and tasty. The waiter was clearly fishing for a big tip, but that's obviously not a problem as that will generally just result in great service.
(4)B M.
Food was good but unfortunately I found a hair in my food near the end of my meal.. Gross! Let server know and then got the check... No comp and no manager came by.. Yes my food was almost gone by the time I found this gross hair but attention to that is necessary.. My guess is he didn't notify a manager partly because he was just double sat... I can only hope that normally they would address this better than doing nothing because getting someone else's hair in food is is gross.
(2)Joseph D.
My g/f went here for dessert because the kitchen had a 30min wait. So we figured why not let's go. We both ordered different types of cheesecake chocolate mousse and banana and it was too cold. The consistency was hard and the bananas they serves as a garnish were brown. We both let disappointed having expected a lot more.
(2)Conner G.
I had an awesome brunch at the Cheese Cake Factory this past Saturday. My waiter Adam was attentive to my drinks when they were low and took my order in a timely manner. The food was great and so was the service. Prime patio location on pearl.
(5)Jennifer C.
Couldn't have had a better lunch than today's lunch. Great atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff. I enjoyed the shrimp bacon club sandwich with fries.... the sauce was amazing and the shrimp were flavorful. I'm so glad I was able to try (my sister's) Asian lettuce wraps. The Chipotle dipping sauce was on point. I will definitely order that next time I find myself at a cheesecake factory.
(5)Ka B.
Well, it's a chain restaurant. Good portions, good waitress. It was only a 20 minute wait for a Saturday evening but it was fine we just walked around the mall and came back. Overall, I wasn't super thrilled with the food for what I paid. It wasn't terrible (it was a pretty presentation) but it's just not very memorable or unique... Probably will not go again unless prompted by others. Even the cheesecake is a little whatever and was still frozen in the middle. My mom makes a better cheesecake!
(3)Erin K.
I really like this place. If you have ever been here you know the menu is great (as big as a book) so everyone is happy! Great date night spot
(4)Laura B.
If I could give zero stars I would. Our evening began with listening to the manager scream at servers, over customers tables, and heads, to get their attention. Then we ordered drinks. My friend was excited to try his first Mojito. He was served a glass full of slimy brown mint. We sent it back and got the same dang thing! Just a bit less slime this time, but still old, brown, bug eaten mint! We decided to leave at that point. After all, if the bar is willing to serve bad things, what will the kitchen do? Did I mention the manager said, "There's nothing wrong with that". Boo!
(1)Mighty B.
There should be an option for ZERO stars. I love cheese cake. A good cheese cake can be the perfect part of any meal or day. A bad cheese cake can be a colossal disappointment. Which brings us to the cheese cake factory. Over the weekend I and some family members went to the cheese cake factory to get a quick dessert. Upon entering this establishment we were greeted with great disdain from a staff of pompous self-centered hipster wannabees. Every service employee we dealt with acted like it was a displeasure for them to even acknowledge our presence let alone converse with us enough to serve us. Not being regulars we had some questions about the long list of cheese cake options. The person taking care of us (or actually the person avoiding taking care of us) acted like it was our fault that we did not know everything on the menu. After a couple of questions he rolled his eyes at my sister and started talking to a coworker about some party they were going to later. That was just the tip of the ice berg so to say. We found no one there to be friendly, helpful, knowledgeable or efficient. The extremely poor service would have been tolerable even the desserts lived up to the expectations alluded to by the name. Alas the food was more of a letdown then the service was. Most of the cheese cake came out frozen. Instead of remedying the situation the server told us to just let the cakes warm up over time. Not the right answer by the way. The cheese cake that was not frozen was mediocre at best and no worse than most chain restaurant cheese cakes. Definitely they are not worth the $8 - $10 price tag when other places sell a better product for around five bucks. But the biggest problem that I had was as follows. I asked for a New York style cheese cake with no toppings. The server said to get the original. I asked if this was a true New York style and not a key lime or lemon type. He looked at me funny and assured me that it was. I asked again if it was firm and sugary as apposed to fluffy tart cake. With a huff, he again said that it was a New York style cake When the cake came it was definitely not a New York style and tart enough to make me pucker. When I pointed this failing out to the server he said that it was too late to do anything as I had already taken a bite out of it. He also said that I would know what not to get next time.
(1)Nancy F.
I absolutely love their cheesecake! My favorite is the Brownie Sundae with a cherry on top. It is gorgeous! It always looks like artwork when it comes my way. Hate to dig in, but you have to! We always split it, and frankly it is a meal in itself. We have eaten from the menu too, but have to say, it is nothing overly exciting, usual chain fare. I always come for the cheesecake and tea because it is 5+ stars! Service is always good, but sometimes there is a bit of a wait. It is on Pearl St., so that is normal. Location, location.
(4)Jose M.
Overwhelming number of choices. A bit expensive but portions are generous. Foods are delicious!
(4)Meeeeowww W.
We were here today for lunch. We were seated on the patio and waited nearly 15 minutes to be greeted by a server. (I also watched other tables wait too long to be greeted by other servers.) Our entrees (there were two of us) came out five minutes apart, and even then they forgot the side of bacon my father ordered. That came later with no apology. I ordered the orange chicken- it was overcooked, bland, and needed more sauce. Our server was just awful! We paid up and she just placed the book on the table and rushed off, not saying thank you or anything. Completely unprofessional and rude. We tipped 10% which was 10% more than she deserved. We will never return to this Cheesecake Factory. I assume the management here is terrible which would explain the bad service. Don't waste your time and money at this dump!
(1)Renu D.
I have been to this location of cheese cake factory three times - all the three times with a big group of friends to celebrate something special. we are regular people who 'do' go to a chain restaurant to celebrate. So this rating ranting and the review has nothing to do with this being a chain restaurant. that cleared, lets get going. The food is ok at this place. Not spectacular, but kind of, I can eat it on one of those days. But I can not say the same about the service. On the earlier two occasions, I found the service lacking, but last night it just went all the way to a million minus stars and more! They do not take reservations on a Saturday night. Okay!! so we went and submitted our group name and waited 45 minutes for our table. after we are merrily seated, we order our wines, cocktails and other drinks and the apps. so far so good. And we have a lady wait staff for our table. she comes out with water for everyone and wants us to move our hands, limbs and whatever else we can from the table because she "is not strong enough to hold that weight" and wants to put the tray on the table! If I was the server, I would make 2 or 10 trips back to the kitchen and move fast on my feet ! It would not have been a big deal if the rest of the meal had gone well! since that did not happen - it IS a big deal!! you would expect a wait staff member to know how to open a bottle of wine! wouldn't you ? Oh no! she comes with the bottle of wine and says, ooh I am sorry I don't know how to open the bottle !!! WHAT! Remember my peace loving hubbz? he patiently explained the process to her. No luck! she did not understand. so he demonstrated the method to her. All this while I kept thinking, she should have asked for help from another staff member. Anyhow, she happily lets my hubbz open the bottle and then serves the wine. And we wait for the appetizers and the rest of the drinks and food. I can really write a tale of woes on this but the long and short of it was that none of the food we ordered came on time, she entirely missed an order of appetizers and never ever bothered to check on us. One of our friends ordered scotch on the rocks, which came in a funny and cheap looking glass. I have never ever seen scotch served like that. It was hilarious and insulting at the same time. The icing in their 'serving cheesecake ' - they served wrong entree to one of our friends - not once, but twice. We had to wait for about 30 minutes for them to get the entree she ordered . Which was after their serving/kitchen staff kept on almost throwing the plates on our table because they were hot. If it were not for the gratuity already added for our party, I would not have paid a single penny as tip !! The food - 3 stars the service! oh well!
(1)Megan B.
Just visited tonight for an early dinner with the family. First, let's state the obvious - this is a huge chain that serves a ton of people, so this is not a gourmet stop. However, there are a couple places where I think CF should get credit. First, this chain is incredibly consistent - hadn't been in years, and never to this location, but I ordered some old favorites and they were just as I remembered. Secondly, for the amount of food you get, the price is really decent. That said, their food is prepared pretty heavily and can be too rich - I usually opt for a salad for that reason. Their luau salad is my favorite (rec dressing on the side), but I've enjoyed all the ones I've tried. Also, their avocado egg rolls are delicious, no getting around that. Some other favorites I remember are the stuffed chicken tortillas and cashew chicken. Their cheesecake can definitely be too rich/sweet. Tonight we tried the lemon raspberry, which was fairly light and rather tart - a nice change. We were seated quickly by a friendly hostess, and the service was just fine. All in all, I'd go back again, especially if I needed a larger venue or was with picky eaters - there are so many options!
(4)Kaitlin P.
This review is exclusive to their catering. We had a prior catering option fall through the day of a company lunch that day so I contacted Cheesecake Factory to see if they could help. While they were able to come through for us last minute, I was not happy with the food brought to us: The person I spoke to that morning made recommendations based on the number of people we have so I ordered food based on those recommendations. We could've gone with an order 1/2 the size and it still would've been more than enough. I realize the portion sizes at CF are HUGE, but this was so over the top and it was a big inconvenience on what to do with the food afterwards. We ordered basic pasta + salads. The pastas were so over-salted, which prevented people from wanting the second/third helpings that I desperately needed to get rid of. The salads were fine and of course the bread was amazing (that and the fact that they could help us out last minute are the only reason for the star). We regularly order food from businesses on Pearl St for employee meals. Cheesecake Factory will not be a location we order from again.
(1)Sally H.
This is my very first one star review. When I started doing yelp reviews I vowed to myself that I would not rate a business one star. The reason behind my thinking is I truly believe a bad review hurts a business; that is if the business serves its customers. The Cheesecake Factory did not even serve my party. The incidence occur earlier this evening when my family went out in celebration for my niece's graduation. Since we knew that so many of us were to attend dinner we made a reservation two weeks prior for a large party of 25 at 6pm. Part of the party arrived tremendously earlier to dinner and others trickled in before the reservation time. Overall, we were all there before six. Ten after six, we were told by the manager that they were waiting to set-up our table because the party before us were still lingering around. We were also given the option to split our group into two for faster service, but we opted out because we wanted to celebrate this special occasion together as a family. Time passed by and we still were not seated. We asked the front what was going on and was told we did not have a reservation. We were simply put on the waiting list. Meaning that we had to wait for the next available seatings. However, here's the kicker, Cheesecake Factory had called the day before to confirm our reservation. After the initial explanation of the delay in our table, we sat around for another forty-five minute to be told that we did not have a reservation and we had to wait longer to be seated. That is simply ridiculous and I felt awful for my niece. She absolutely loves this place and it was her choice to dine here. Luckily, we called a place near by and they were happy to take all of us in with such short notice. This location puts a bad taste in my mouth.
(1)Tana N.
Our first time there... One waitress took our drink order. Other waiter took our order. Someone else brought us our food. We were never checked on. Never offered refills on our drinks.. Which I could have used! Never brought bread which I planned on having with my food. We weren't asked if we wanted dessert. So we paid and left. Wrote on bill Poor Service. Waiter said that we were overlooked because they switched waiters in the middle. Really? Left a review in their website and never even contacted! Won't ever go back!!
(2)William W.
Sat outside in the pearl st mall. Great food good service. Loved sitting outside to people watch. The service outside was unusually good, as it usually feels like the forgotten section in a lot of places. It wasn't so here.
(5)Josh B.
Great late-lunch, early-dinner service. Accommodating and friendly staff. The food was terrific. Affordable and fun.
(5)Jeanine C.
I took my two daughter's to this restaurant on a college visit 4/19/13. My daughter that goes to CU picked the restaurant based on the good food and service we have at the Oak Brook, Il one. The food was not worth the money. I ordered the Skinny Petite Tenderloin for $24.95 that was grisly and couldn't eat half of it, it made me sick. I told the waitress and nothing was done. I didn't want to cause a seen or upset my daughters on this short visit, so I let it go. I also thought that the service was lacking, the waitress did not know that menu at all. I also noticed that the party of 4 in the next booth were so loud and obnoxious that surrounding tables and booths of people asked to be moved to another area. The ones that stayed you could tell were very annoyed and made for an unpleasant dining experience. Where was management to address these loud people-nowhere. My thoughts are that the management of the location is poor at best. To allow bad meat for one of the most expensive items and then not do any adjustments-you lost my business and I will enjoy telling my family and friends of this poor handling and experience. My bill came to $83.60 and then with the tip $100.00-I hate to stiff the waitress, just hope she gets better. My daughter's brought back the rest of their meal with them, and they never finished it, "too greasy and gross" and they put it. What a waste of my money, I will never go back to this restaurant again!
(1)Jess C.
Always great food and a great atmosphere guaranteed! With such a large and diverse menu you won't have trouble finding what you're in the mood for. Also this location is on Boulder Colorado's famous walking mall, a great relaxed place for shopping and strolling.
(4)Ramon G.
Wow, it's been years since Cheesecake Factory was even an idea for a Saturday night dinner. But sometime hunger can do strange things to a person... Well the place still has what it takes to be a decent dinner location. Great service, gigantic menu with lots of choices and a great location. I have to say I'm not a fan of the size of the menu or the ads but heck, you get a lot of choices if you're with picky eaters. The proportions are huge so we usually split a dish and get an appetizer. Location is great on the Pearl Street Mall so if you choose not to get cheesecake for dessert you can hit up other places along the mall. I say give it a try and don't let the "C" word discourage you. (chain)
(3)Marcus J.
The Cheesecake Factory used to be one of my favorite, if relatively overpriced, places to go. My wife and I first met at the Boulder restaurant, so used to enjoy going back occasionally. However, this restaurant is now on our no-go list, after the last three very disappointing visits. The service is much worse than it used to be, the cocktails appear to be watered down, and the food is pretty terrible - for example, they'd burnt (badly) the meatloaf on both occasions that we tried it. I don't quite understand what's happened to what I thought was a restaurant that provided consistently decent (if not exceptional) food, but something's gone wrong and they've lost a patron.
(1)Amy F.
The menu is too long, the wait is often too long, and the poor waitstaff is almost always being unfairly harassed by visiting CU parents and is thus a bit apathetic. And yet, we're still regulars here because: 1) We only come in for apps and/or cheesecake. Occasionally we'll get a real meal, but that's only when we're with a big group that really wants to eat there and we still usually just split the Thai lettuce wraps. 2) If the wait is over 15-20 minutes, we skip it. Since service is slow, we also don't go if we have a strict deadline (trying to make a show within the hour, etc). 3) Smile and be extra friendly to your waiter, and I guarantee you'll get better service. The cheesecake selection is great, and so is the cheesecake. It's not "NY style," but if you think of it as its own special kind of cheesecake-like dessert, you'll be fine. And yes, it's expensive BUT look at the portions! I mean, my God! We always split something and 90% of the time still bring home left-overs. For three meals, it's a fair price!
(4)Shawn S.
Food is always AMAZING and the service is equally so. I do wish, however, that they would just drop their prices a bit and not make each meal enough to feed a family of 4! Pasta is typically great as a leftover but nothing is ever as good as it is fresh..so just feel like I waste so much food when I go here. I had the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta: Honey Glazed Chicken, Asparagus, Red and Yellow Peppers, Peas, Garlic and Onion in a Spicy Chipotle Parmesan Cream Sauce. YUMMMY! And we tried the Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel cheesecake which made my ass grow just by looking at it but I still licked the plate :) All-in-all..a safe bet for a great meal and good service along with a guaranteed necessary trip to the gym the next day.
(4)Kasey H.
Went here on 8/3/12 while vacationing in Colorado with my boyrfriend. We had already had dinner & walked the strip mall on Pearl, & dropped into the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. We're from the Eastern part of Washington state, so we've never been to one before. The service was fine, but by the time the check came, we were astounded. Expected about a $20-30 tab, & the total came to $43.99! The breakdown of the check was as follows: One strawberry lemon drop for $11,50 (I've never paid that much for a mixed drink before in my life, even in the ritziest places; plus it tasted horrible, & was less than half the size of the Long Island), one Long Island Iced Tea for $9.25, one Reese's peanut butter cheesecake for $8, one peanut butter chocolate cheesecake for $7, & ala mode (ice cream) for $5. The ice cream, instead of being a $2 add-on for my boyrfriend's plate, came in a separate bowl with 2 piddly scoops of ice cream that would barely be larger than a teaspoon each. My boyfriend could have sworn the menu said his drink was $6.75, which was why he ordered it, but when I asked the waitress, she brought back the menu to show us, & it was a different menu than we had ordered from (we had the full menu, which included drinks; she brought us a separate drink menu only). I resigned myself to the horrific bill & we paid it, but I made the check out for $46 even, with a $2.01 tip. I realize now that it may seem contentious to sign a bill with a 2.01 tip, but at the time, I was only thinking of making the amount a whole number, & yes, I wasn't going to tip overabundantly for an outrageous bill. When I checked my bank account today, now that I'm home, I found that they charged me $47! It isn't the extra dollar that pisses me off; it's the general experience altogether. I thought for a moment that they may have misunderstood my writing, but I write very clearly & it would be difficult to interpret a "2" as a "3" in the tip, & even more so to see a "7" instead of a "6" on the total. This has happened to me before, though, at other restaurants where I was slighted, & I think wait staff will do this since most people won't contest a dollar overcharge. In addition to the bill fiasco, my boyfriend & I chose to dine outside, since the weather was so nice. About 5 feet out from the outdoor seating fence, was a pair of facing benches, on which a group of about 5-10 hippies lounged with their dog. Apart from the overly loud conversation they were having about not working for "the man" & the politics of the world, when one of the tables near us vacated, one of the women snuck over to the fence, vaulted over barefoot (I'm not a prejudiced person in general, but this girl reeked like she hadn't showered in months), & grabbed the plate of leftover food the customers had left. She vaulted back over the fence & proceeded to eat it by hand with her fellows. The part that almost made me lose my stomach, though, was that the dog was one of her "fellows", & they were letting the dog get up & lick the plate & food in the same places they proceeded to lick it from. It was not an enjoyable experience, & what surprised me more was that none of the wait staff said anything to them, giving me the impression that my food was likely to be ripped off the table at any moment. The only decent things to relate: they are open late, which is nice. The waitress, before the bill came, was friendly, & the cheesecake was awesome, though expensive. Despite that, we both plan on being back in the area in the next few months, & suffice it to say, never plan on dining there again. We felt completely misled & walked out of there feeling robbed. Although on this trip the per-person fare was less than $61, we realized that if we had dined there & had dessert, plus drinks, it would have been well over that amount.
(1)Lyn Y.
I have been here a few times now, and I have never been disappointed! It's pricey yes, but you can seriously order anything your mouth might be dreaming of....because they have such an extensive menu. The atmosphere is awesome, because it is chill and elegant; however, no one shuns you if you walk in in your running clothes. Waitstaff is attentive and well educated, despite the daunting menu. Oh forgot to mention, the Well-Mannered Dirty Martini is perfect....it comes with Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives! All Capitalized because it takes an attentive bar tender to stuff those things each night!
(5)Margaret A.
I'm actually a fan of the cheesecake factory, but at this location the service is horrible. The few times I've gone, the service has been slow, and the servers seem miserable. The last time I went, the waitress took forever to take our order, then when I asked things about the menu- instead of saying, " let me find out for you," she told me she wasn't sure. She would ask the same question over, so if I ordered vanilla ice-cream she asked, "What flavor ice-cream would you like?" Ugh, I just told you... In terms of food, and locale- everything else was fine. But they should be the same no matter where you go since it's a chain. I've always had great service at the various locations I've been to, usually the servers are woking hard for good tips. I guess I'll have to wait to go to another city to get my future cheesecake factory fix, or next time I'll have to order to-go.
(2)Jimmy B.
Excellent food. Excellent service for a group of 14.
(4)Elizabeth S.
I normally would give this restaurant a five star, but after going and seeing that they have shrunk their portions, I cannot do so. This is the first time I have been at this location. I was a regular customer located at the two Cheesecake Factory's in Las Vegas for many years, and ate there all the time. I thought all locations served the same portions because they do the same menu; but today the appetizers we normally got in Vegas were HALF the size for the same price. Way overpriced for what we got. The regular dinner salad used to be huge, in a big bowl, today it was just a small tiny salad on a small plate and cost me almost $7.00, and they no longer put anything on it, just plain lettuce and spinach. We did not order a meal, so not sure if the meals got smaller in size. The cheesecake is always delicious (but too pricey), and the food menu has a great selection. Food is very tasty, and it used to be our favorite place to go, but now that I am getting half of what I used to get, and spending the same amount, and even more since they did raise their prices a bit, I doubt I will drive out of my way to go back there again. Staff was friendly, service good. What made Cheesecake Factory so nice was the large portions and fair price. Not anymore.
(3)Mo C.
The food at Cheesecake Factory is just always fantastic. This is a chain that has high standards and I for one appreciate that. The passion fruit iced tea is always great. This time around I had the grilled salmon lunch with asparagus and green beans (instead of rice). Yum! The patio at this location is particularly cool, as it faces Pearl Street, which is great for people watching. Unfortunately, your meal will get interrupted occasionally by those looking for a couple of bucks for various reasons. But, there are often street performers with everything from juggling to instrumentals to breaking dancing. Just a cool spot. PS- Try the low carb cheesecake! It is phenomenal! My cousin said it was better than the Kaluha one she ordered :)
(5)Debbie R.
Basically the Cheesecake Factory is the Cheesecake Factory. If you've been to one, you might as well have been to them all. The food is usually good but 'commercial' tasting (think Applebee's, Chili's, Friday's et al) - really nothing special. The menu is HUGE with a ton of delicious sounding options (their marketing team is genius). It's so big that they even have ads in it (slightly weird to me). Their portions are far too big and I've found most don't reheat well the next day (this is when you'll discover just how oil-laden the food is) so it feels a bit wasteful and expensive (the price appears appropriate for the portions but if you can't consume it all then it's a little expensive - I'd rather they give me less and charge less). There's usually a wait even when you're looking at empty tables and it seems to take longer than it should for food to hit the table. If you get the bread and butter, understand that the butter is usually cold (pet peeve). It's a decent place to eat as long as you understand what you're getting. Now, their cheesecake is delectable and you'll find options you couldn't have even imagined. Just don't plan to have cheesecake after eating dinner there as you'll be too full. My favorite time to go is after have a late-ish, large-ish lunch somewhere else then just stopping in cheesecake factory for dessert (in lieu of dinner). This is when I've truly loved and enjoyed the Cheesecake Factory experience most and I've never had a bad piece of cheesecake there.
(3)Zubey L.
okay let me first start by saying i've been coming here for a good 6 years or more. When I first started coming.. it was great.. wait staff were on it.. food was hot and delicious... then this place got 5 stars. Over the years.. and especially the last year or 2 this place has gone down hill ... i won't sit here and review every time i've been in but I ill review when i was there yesterday. So being skeptical about returning after about 6 months... i was hopefull they would have gotten their act together... Did they??.. HECK NO! its was even worse then before!!!!! 1st we ordered drinks. the waitress was pretty good about getting them to us fast... my wife ordered the Strawberry Lemonade.. IT WAS RANK!!!!! either it had gone bad... or they threw rotten strawberries in there.. sent it back. then it took about 10 minutes for her to come back and take our order. I got FIsh and Chips, My wife got the Herb baked chicken.. my mother in law got the Jamaican shrimp. so we sat there and waited... and waited ... and waited for our food.. FINALLY 50 minutes later she brings our food. My fish and chips... COLD!! the fries... COLD AND SOGGY!! the coleslaw.. was HOT!! yes HOT !! like they heated it up... the tarter sauce.. was OLD smelled rotten.. asked for more.. they brought it right away and it was fine. so i ate as much of the fish i could since that was the only thing half edible .. my wifes chicken... BLECH... nasty... not good wasn't even cooked all the way through.. My mom's Jamaican black pepper shrimp? it was decent.. but they forgot the plantains so we asked them for them.. they brought them.. looked like they have been sitting there or hours.. cold... dried out.. THat is it we are never going back.. and will tell all our friends and family to never go again. If i could give this place NO stars I would. HOWEVER.. the cheesecake is bomb.. but expensive.
(1)Kelsey B.
I love going to cheese cake factory. Lunch portions are huge! Server are very friendly and helpful. Of course, the cheesecake is decadent!
(4)Chris M.
Mostly I am just a fan of their huge food servings! And chicks dig this place so that is another bonus.
(4)Erin H.
All of my visits to the Cheesecake Factory have been ok. The food isn't bad, but it certainly isn't anything special either. On the plus side, you can find something to please just about anyone as their menu is almost as long as the phonebook. In my opinion, they'd be better off reducing the number and types of choices and focusing on doing a few things really well, but hey, it's a chain. I don't go often so it always takes me forever to get through the menu, which I don't like. But, again, the food has always been ok and the cheesecake is usually good. The thing about this particular location is that there are so many other restaurants I like nearby that I'm always disappointed when people want to go here.
(2)Evil S.
Eaten here twice in the last year and both times the service was great and the sticker shock on the food passed when the giant plate was brought out.
(5)Michelle P.
How can you go wrong with Cheesecake Factory? There is something for everyone there - have you seen the menu? It takes about 20 minutes to decided what the hell to order. We arrived STARVING! Bread and butter were yummy and so were our drinks. For the appetizer, we ordered shrimp tempura. Super good and crunchy. Loved the green onions they place on top and the tipping sauce complemented the shrimp. For dinner I ordered their chicken carbonara. Loved the creaminess and bacon bites in the dish. I thought they did an excellent job of making it - one of the best I have had. They brought my hubby's shrimp pasta jambalaya half ways through my meal. The waitress said that there were too many jambalaya ordered that the cook missed one and it happened to be my husbands. Fortunately they didn't charge us for the dish. For dessert, hands down: Tres-Leches Cheesecake!
(4)Suzie S.
After falling in love with their location in Park Meadows I chose the Boulder location to celebrate my son's graduation with a large group of family. The server for our table was conscientious but can't say that for the rest of the support staff up front. Very disappointing and not interested in our comfort. At a cost of $200 for the nite, I felt we deserved some effort. The food here was good but overpriced. It was not nearly as good as the Park Meadows location and I admit I had second thoughts on my choice after our meal was served. I tried the new black bean burger that took the place of my favorite portobello sandwich and not impressed. I would prefer smaller portions on most items and lower prices so that I could enjoy a meal plus the tasty desserts. As always the expansive menu can be overwhelming. Cheesecake is always excellent. Would I go here again, probably not. Parking was down the street in garage and managers did not comp parking tickets like in downtown Denver so that was additional expense for all of us. Would I recommend this place, not likely when the Pearl Street Mall has many options that would likely provide better customer service and quality of food. But take me to Park Meadows and I would be quick to patronize that branch.
(3)Noelle B.
I've been to the Cheesecake Factory in both Chicago and Denver. It was several years ago and I remember the place being fancy and delicious. I didn't get the same experience last night at the Boulder Cheesecake Factory. First, I think the menu is ridiculously long. I'm sure the menu has always been that long but it was insane. Next, the bread was disappointing. It was very cold and was served with packets of butter you'd find in a diner. I expected more from the Cheesecake Factory. My boyfriend and I both had burgers. That's why I bumped my review up to three stars. The food was good. It wasn't anything truly amazing but I did like the different types of burgers they served. It was very creative. Fortunately the Cheesecake was spectacular. We had a plain cheesecake with fresh strawberries and it didn't disappoint. At least CF is still serving their signature dish just right. Two more things. One, we were disappointed in the glassware. We were served our water in plastic mugs that you may find at Chili's. They were cloudy with use. We thought a place that touts itself to be 'classy' would at least serve us water in glasses. And two, the music was TERRIBLE. We heard everything from Kelly Clarkson to Janet Jackson to some rock music and then easy listening. The music was loud and didn't quite fit the ambiance of any restaurant. Something low and mellow would have been much better. My experience there felt very much like I was at a chain restaurant. I know CF is a chain, but in the past it's never felt like that.
(3)Kent R.
Mediocre food at good food prices. A menu laden with ads to increase the sense of consumerism. Indifferent staff who can't wait to get off work. What's not to love?
(1)True M.
I went to this Cheesecake Factory for my dorm mate's birthday. First off, the food is overpriced. I ordered one of the burgers and although it was good, it was not worth how much I paid for. I also ordered the cheesecake and it came out delicious, but it was EXPENSIVE. I think I could have gotten way better food on Colfax, than the Cheesecake Factory. The waiter we had lost my credit card as well and took a while for me to find, and I left the cheesecake factory angry. Yeah this place is good, but it's not worth the price, especially for someone who is going to college at CU. I seriously don't have money to waste at this place..sorry
(2)John C.
OK people, how can you give this place a bad review? If you're a chain-hater, kindly recuse yourself and refrain from writing a bad review just out of principle. This restaurant should be judged for what it is, a casual restaurant that offers tasty food at a reasonable (but ot cheap) price in a timely manner. Let me tell you my credentials first. I've been to this place at least 200 times over the last several years. Sure, every experience wasn't perfect, but I can say with high statistical reliability that the service is good 95% of the time. Without going to a 4 or 5 star restaurant, you just don't get that kind of reliability anywhere else. I will say that during the evening hours on peak dining out days, the service gets strained by the sheer volume of traffic they handle. I usually take a late lunch during the week or midday on a weekend. Some of my favorite food choices are the Thai Lettuce Wraps and the Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp. That is some serious chomp! Oh, and the Miso Salmon is to die for. Not just to die for, it's to kill for. the Navajo Sandwich is a tasy lunch treat; try it with cooked carrots instead of the fries for a more healthy version. I really can't remember the last time I ordered something I didn't like there. I seem to remember some sort of Asian dish that had too much sauce... The portions are ridiculously huge. My biggest challenge is getting out of there without feeling like a whale. An appetizer will do fine if you're not that hungry. Otherwise, force yourself to take some home with you. Besides a bewildering array of cheesecakes, they have other scrumptious desserts. Chris' Outrageous Cake is, well, outrageously delicious. Prices are not cheap. $7 for a slice of cheesecake, for example. However, I am willing to pay extra for consistently good service and food that is consistently delicious. And you will never be hungry an hour later, unless you are half grizzly bear and are nearing hibernation time. I'm a booth man, and this place is loaded with booths. Big ones, little ones, medium ones. Oh, and did I mention the restrooms are clean and nice, with those fancy automatic faucets and extra high privacy walls between the urinals? Nice!
(5)Leslie R.
The best food on the planet! Its my FAVORITE restaurant! & I have a lot of favorites! The Boulder Cheesecake Factory is overly crowded with no where to wait for tables, that's a pain, & the waiters/waitress & hosts are friendly but not over the top friendly. But they're good! & the restaurant itself is CLEAN, great atmosphere & FANTASTIC food! Definitely recommend ANY Cheesecake Factory!!!
(5)Jim N.
Great lunch here after shopping a few hours on Pearl Street, en-route from Estes Park to Colorado Springs. We've been fans of Cheesecake Factory for year; but, this was our grandkids' first visit. They had great meals, good lemonade, and fries....they were very happy; adults had a mixture of things, all excellent. Prices were pretty reasonable, considering how much food is served. We took home enough for lunch the next day. This is a solid choice for lunch or dinner.....don't be afraid to share a plate or a salad (they're that large)
(4)Phil M.
Cheesecake Factory is awesome. I really don't understand giving this place any less than 3 stars - those that do must be food snobs or chain haters. The menu is extensive which reminds me of the diners back East where I grew up and nothing like anything else you will see in the Dencer/Boulder area. I've been here several times (as well as the Denver location which is the exact same experience as the Boulder location except maybe Denver is more crowded) and each time the food has been delicious, service has been awesome, and the atmosphere/ambience perfect. --BEGIN RANT-- I'm really sort of getting sick of the automatic 2-star deduction that some people give chains. I like a local/unique restaurant as much as the next guy but when many of the local options are far inferior (not the case for Boulder typically, I admit) I am glad to have these options in town! --END RANT-- Oh, and the cheesecake (and selection thereof) is amazing!
(5)Anita Y.
Brunch on the patio on a hot summer day. I have no complaints. Service on spot on. The food was delicious; we tried the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Strawberries and the Crab Hash with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise. Real, fresh strawberries. Not a syrup-y frozen concoction. Real crab meat, not K-rab from a kani roll. It was so delectable, we cleaned our plates (although our " hot day" sensibilities were crying out for a more judicious serving) set off for home on auto-pilot under the hot July sun, and settled in for a post-feast nap.
(4)Ricky S.
High price low quality. Pasta is too oil. I just can't eat more after I had a quarter. Cheese cake is not as good as expected. Two cream flowers are big enough but I'm here to have cakes but not the cream. Strawberry topping can only be admired but not tasted. Cheese is soft. Maybe it's just the style I don't like. In such a kind of quality and price, we got the table by waiting for 20 minutes.
(2)Sarah K.
Mediocre food that's gone down-hill over the past few years. I used to think this place was incredible; now I feel that it's typical, sub-par and overwhelmingly chicken-oriented. The ads in their menu makes the place appear as a sell-out--why am I interested in jewelry when I'm supposed to be choosing a meal from your rediculous 20-page menu? The waitstaff mingle in small groups between serving and occasionally look over your shoulder (a little too frequently) while gossiping about the latest staff-related drama. Save it for the kitchen. I ordered teriyaki chicken; the skin was rubbery and the chicken was wierdly shaped--didn't know chicken breast grew with two drumbstick bones sitcking out on either side. Luckily (sorta...) the rice was swimming in teriyaki sauce (the best part of my meal) so that moistened the meat a bit. I felt ill the rest of the night. The other people in my party didn't rave about their food either. It all seemed very typical with little creative flair--proof that the chefs are trained to crank out the hundreds of dishes on the menu all day and with little enthusiasm. Definitely speaks to the "Factory" aspect of the place.
(2)Elise M.
It seemed for the longest time that I was the only person on earth that hadn't been to a Cheesecake Factory. During parent weekend in Boulder our group of about 25 adolescents and parents decided to give it a shot. The menu is the one of the most overwhelming things I have ever seen. It's like a short novel of sub-par food. Now that I've been there a couple times, I feel wrong every time I order something, because I haven't even read the other half of the menu. Plus, it's filled with advertisements! An ad for Bob the plumber is the last thing I want to look at when I'm ordering my food. It's cluttered and annoying. When the food does come, I won't lie, it isn't terrible. It's just so overwhelmingly mediocre. The plates are plain (I usually like a good looking plate of food) and most of the food is deep fried. I usually leave satisfied, but with a stomach ache. I try to order the cheesecake every time I go because that is, after all, the point of the place. It's alright. I just feel like if one type of food is the shining glory of a restaurant, it should blow me away when I eat it, not make me feel like I'm eating gourmet playdough.
(2)Becky S.
The Cheesecake Factory in Boulder is no different than any other. I rather enjoy their pork chops. I also really enjoy their patio, it's right there on Pearl Street so it's great people watching. There's also a small room to the left when you walk in that provides for a small-restaurant feel instead of the usual dining hall feel of other C.F. locations. I've never gotten bad service, but everything about this place is just average. Except the patio, that's great. Drinks could be a little cheaper.
(3)Colie J.
It is with a heavy heart I give this particular CF 3 out of 5 stars. I have only ever had issues at 4 out of the 20+ I have visited. This one's food is really hit or miss. I ordered a Sunday Brunch breakfast style Monte Cristo that I had at Ceasar's in LV and this one's bread was soggy. Sent it back and it came out just a little more cooked than the first time, but still soggy. I was so excited to be living in a place with a CF again. I have been about 6 times and 2 or 3 the food just hasn't been up to par with my other experiences. My favorite dish is stuffed chicken tortillas, but at any other CF EVERYTHING on the menu is good. They have a pretty good bar menu from 4-6 M-F where smaller appetizers are served for $3-6. If you are in a city with a CF try it, just with this one I can't vouch it will be a good day.
(3)FX H.
Good food, fast service, meal was present and cook as order,... Excellent food but service was little lack of attention due busy....
(4)K B.
Food was great, good service, with a unique atmosphere.
(5)Shannon B.
Yes, I realize this is a large chain restaurant, and a lot of people "boo" large chains, but this one is really worth trying! This is one of my very favorite places to eat. Everything I've eaten here so far has been great, and I've tried a lot of the menu. The ambiance is incredible, inside and out. The service is always very good. We have a 2 yr old and they always bring her a plate out first with bread and bananas on it, that she loves and eats up! The prices are a little on the high side, but the entrees are large enough to split (sometimes with 3 people), and I'm a large woman who loves to eat! So, the food is definitely worth the price! I highly recommend it.
(5)Hallie M.
I went because a friend fell in love with one of their chicken dishes and wanted me to experience the place. I generally avoid all chains. The bread before the meal was very tasty, can't go wrong with hot bread. Unfortunately while the tables around us were eating their bread while looking over the menu I had to ask our waiter to bring us some when we ordered our entrees. I got a lunch special of the day, catfish breaded in pecans, and expected it to be along the same price of the regular lunch specials, ten or so dollars. When the bill came my meal was sixteen dollars! The fish was pretty good, but catfish is a cheap fish. They gave me enough potatoes to serve a family, which I didn't need. I'd have preferred an overload of veggies. I shared a piece of tiramisu cheesecake. It was alright, nothing to make me ignore all of the great food of Boulder to go back and have again though.
(2)Robin P.
Great lunches! Very large for the price and great variety. I don't like cheesecake much, but I love the key lime cheesecake. I like the BBQ salad more than the oriental chicken salad.
(4)Carl S.
I ate here once with my then fiance. I had fish and chips and it was horrible. I don't remember what she had but I don't think she was very happy either. My fish was cold and the batter had separated from the fish. That means, overcooked... The fish itself was also separating. I'm just really glad we had a gift cert. so our dinner was only a few dollars. I won't ever eat at this place again.
(2)Neil A.
If my most recent visit had been my first to this location, I would have given it only 3 stars. However, on the strength of earlier experience with this and other locations, I am holding the line at 4. Obviously, this place can be a characature of itself, with the monstrous portions and epic broad-ranging menu. Still, I don't think it's fair to just look at that and dismiss it out-of-hand. If you get something that reheats well, the value is very good as you can often get 2-3 meals out of one visit. With the size of the menu, not everything is going to be great, but there are some nice dishes to be found amongst all of that. The latest experience was a bit of an adventure. The 2-year old had 45 minutes of running around outside during the wait and was a bit hyper (chucked a plate onto the floor, breaking it). After we ordered entrees, another server came up with a couple of random plates of food, thinking they were for us. A couple of minutes later, the actual entrees came, but the server had mistook my order, so I had a while to watch my wife eat before they finally got my order (shepherd's pie) correct. I've had it before here, and generally like the dish. It was fine this time, but not as good as I've had other times here. When we got to dessert, it got really interesting. While we figured out cheesecake for ourselves, we ordered sliced strawberries for the little one. That took about 15 minutes(!) to come out, and the cheesecake we ordered took at least another 15 minutes. The waiter was very apologetic, saying that the bakery was backed up and that they had some new people up there so things weren't going great. I'm generally pretty forgiving about these things, but it is hard for me to imagine a job requiring much less skill than what we needed from the bakery: 1) Slice strawberries in half (if they aren't presliced), toss them on a plate and put some whipped cream 2) Slice a premade cheesecake (which is probably also presliced), toss it on a plate and put some whipped cream 3) There is no 3 - you are done! What did you think, you're cooking a risotto or a filet mignon or something? Very odd. Anyway, the waiter was very apologetic, but didn't choose to do even a slight bill adjustment after all the screw-ups. We didn't request or necessarily expect anything, but it would have been a nice gesture after the various problems.
(4)Michelle N.
I get a tid bit nostalgic when I am on Pearl Street at the Cheesecake factory.. memories of college brunches, lunches and dinners roll through my dome and I smile. Being back in Boulder for a short visit, I happily ended up here for dinner. The menu was awesome and abundantly full of options, even for me with all of my food allergies. Brit, our server was AMAZING! I can't even recall the last time that I had such good service. She was especially accommodating of my allergies, so I made sure to tip her well. We ordered the sliders for an appetizer. They were incredible. Until last night, I had forgotten how damn good sliders are! No joke, I am now thinking of hosting Friday slider night. The drinks were well endowed with liquor, and the latte was just what I needed before hitting up the Pearl Street bars. The quesidilla and orange chicken entrees were good, but we might be more adventurous with our selection upon the next visit. I love Boulder and I think that it has the best Cheesecake Factory of the entire chain.. at least from what I have experienced.
(4)Aaron H.
Cheesecake factories are all the same. Overpriced but decent food and drink. Gimicky and chainy. In boulder there is so much good food that this is hardly worth your time. Why three stars then you ask.? It is because of one spectacular appetizer. The Buffalo blasts(pic included)! For $8.99 they pile your plate ridiculously high with the fried, triangular beauties. filled with shredded chicken buffalo sauce and maybe cheese. Served with a side of hot sauce and blue cheese. These are the only reason to go the the cheesecake factory in boulder.
(3)Mark M.
How incredibly disappointing - the big chain pulls through with a very good meal. My son stared at my wife and I in disbelief , wondering who had invaded our shells - we wanted to go try the Cheesecake Factory. The ethnic, local, organic, mom and pop, crew was going corporate. I went with an open mind and was surprised by my experience. Greeted by a team 5+ bubbly teens who quickly and efficiently seated us in a window booth that proved to be quite and comfortable. Down side was the kiddy mess smashed into the window from the prior party. Waitress was quick with water, (2 no ice - one with with out batting an eye) specials of the night and our drink order (local fix of Fat Tire). Our initial drink order was accompanied by the prompt reply of "Noooo Problem" our first of night of her seemly universal response to any request , order or question. But I got used to it "Nooo Problem". With only three people and the knowledge that the portions were huge we ordered three things. All came out quickly. I put aside my snooty chain predisposition and realized that everything we ordered was great: Tuna Salad Tataki - Very rare seared tuna with lettuce, big beefsteak tomatoes (ripe mid-winter after a blizzard of 06), and avocado in a light Asian dressing. Ranch burger - Big - bigger than big - giant. Cooked med-rare. Great flavor texture with thick crispy bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. The portion of fries seemed diminutive compared to the burger. Chicken wraps - Grilled chicken, beautiful bib lettuce, grated carrot and marinated cucumber, and noodles. Three sauces for dipping each rated very good compared with other "real" Asian restaurants. None of us like cheese cake so we did not sample the name sake. Overall better than even my low expectations would have thought. I will go back for the times when like the other reviewer state "you want to make sure everybody comes out happy".
(4)David Z.
Well, it's hardly a local business, but with the huge menu of mostly hit (not miss) dishes, it sometimes "hits the spot." Try the fried avocado egg roll thingies for appetizer, if you are not on a diet (other than Atkins!). Also good are breakfast burritos and some of the pasta dishes.
(3)Marie E.
I love the Cheesecake Factory, but this location doesn't do it justice. The table was dirty when we sat down, and the food wasn't that great. I will go back to the Cheesecake Factory, but probably not this location.
(2)Ratha O.
I had the garlic pasta with only 5 pieces of itsy..bitsy.. minute shrimps. Talk about Shell-Fish!!! You don't get what you pay for! However, their cheesecake with strawberry sauce and whip cream is pretty tasty!! I'd probrably go back..just for the dessert!
(3)