Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar

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  Totally hung over from a night, (honestly day), of drinking with a gaggle of MMA fighters that we had just watched the night before... I woke up and needed to watch NBA, get food, and get a beer.  So I walked into the Applebee's I was close to, (yes, I know, I said Applebee's). Sat down at the bar, ordered a beer, hangover food and a Rolling Rock on tap.
  The bartender, Kacey, so on the ball and quick with refills and quips. I'm not usually a fan of chains but had a great day and a awesome experience.

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  Posted on 06.02.13 Lattigo P.

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  Let me start by saying that there is nothing spectacular about Applebee's.  The service is always good (but never great) and the food is always good (but again, never outstanding).  But isn't that what we all expect from an Applebee's?  Really, what can you expect from a chain restaurant?
  
  Anyway, with all that being said, this Applebee's did change my mind about most.  I hadn't eaten Applebee's in probably 15 years before I ate here with my husband.  My whole party got very ill at one of their restaurants so many years ago that the memories just haunted me!  Luckily, I've never gotten sick from this one and I hope I never will!
  
  This tends to be our back-up restaurant if all of our other plans fall through (as I'm sure it is for most of its patrons).  I almost feel like there are too many choices to order from, so we spend a lot of time staring blankly at the menu.  Don't worry, we tip our servers well for "dealing" with us!  All in all, they're just okay and I'm perfectly okay with that.

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  Posted on 03.13.13 Alyson A.

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  Unfortunately, my first 1 star review.  Strangely enough, the one star restaurants has something in common with five star restaurants.  I'm still remembering my dinner a few days later, just not in the same way.  When talking about bad food, in my book, it boils down to two categories.  Either a bad concept or bad execution.  Applebees had both.  I ordered an appetizer trio with cheeseburger sliders, classic wings, and potato swirls.  At first, the server brought me boneless wings instead of classic wings.  I was like "oh, I ordered classics".  They said, "no problem, I'm sorry, we will fix it".  10 seconds later, they bring out classic wings.  I was like, wow, that was fast.  After I took a bite of the wings, I realized what they had done.  They just had some old stale wings just laying around just for an emergency like that.  But even if it the wings were cooked fresh, the hot sauce they put on it, is just off.  I think they want to be different, but the sauce wouldn't work with yucky or good wings.  The cheeseburger sliders were passable in execution, but the bread was very doughy.  As far as those potato chips, they were okay, but the concept of having a queso to dip it with just didn't work.  But to top if off, I could see the cheese separate from the liquid.  Wow.  
  This wasn't my first choice, unfortunately, Bull and Bush was packed and we couldn't wait.  I really wanted a beer, so that's why we came here.  I was a victim of time, geography, and price point at the wrong time.  However, in retrospect, I have no one to blame but myself since I didn't use my Yelp skills.

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  Posted on 02.08.13 Brady K.

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  Got curbside to go, but we almost always eat inside. My oriental chicken wrap had no dressing on it. They may have changed the recipe, but for the years that it has been my fave, the chicken salad inside was DRESSED and then had a really strong dipping sauce on the side. Not so this time. The tortilla had clearly ripped in half when they wrapped up the wrap, but it was tossed in the box anyway. It was in five pieces and I couldn't eat it as a wrap...I don't order the salad because I want a wrap. Duh.
  
  If the oriental chicken salad recipe has changed and no longer has that yummy sweet dressing, then I have no reason to go back! If it was supposed to have dressing...curbside buyers beware.
  
  Of the three meals,we would have sent all three back (2 super rare burgers that were ordered medium and medium rare). I really felt that not much care went into our meals because we couldn't complain.

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  Posted on 01.29.13 Kate M.

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  Sat at the bar... Service was fast and the staff was friendly. I had the steak with shrimp and parm sauce. It wasn't quite cooked mid rare like I ordered but was close enough. Overall I had a decent experience, but the fool wasn't worth the price.

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  Posted on 12.10.12 Robb B.

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  Well.  Where to start?  We didn't have to wait, so that was good.  Or was it?  Thankfully we got a booth.  Our waitress came and got the drinks, but was in such a hurry that we didn't get the appetizer ordered.  No problem, but we were thinking of doing the 2 for $20 deal.  We ended up deciding to not do the 2 for $20 because we wanted to try the Green Chili Cheese Fries topped with local football & ESPN radio personality Mark Schlereth's own green chili recipe that is advertised all over.  I've been wanting to try it and when I saw they had it topping some cheese fries, I thought... wow perfectly gross, delicious, and absolutely a must-try.  BUT, again we were going to do the 2 for $20 deal and it wasn't part of that.  So, we picked our own separate entrees.
  
  Our waitress came back with our drinks, but again was off so fast that even though we were waiting for her, we couldn't get the appetizer order in.  Once she finally made it back to us, the 3rd time we'd seen her, we ordered the appetizer.  But, she informed us that they didn't have any of the green chili at the moment.  Bummer!!  So we said, ok, come back in a sec, we are going to do the 2 for $20 deal and need to pick out what we want.  Off she goes.
  
  We picked all the new items from the selections on the menu, and here comes our waitress back again and tells us that actually they do have some green chili, it just got in.  GREAT!!! but we are going to do the 2 for $20, until she says that she just put the order in.  Ok, now we have to go back to what we ordered originally.  
  
  It quite possibly was one of the most difficult ordering processes I've ever had to mess with.  However, she was polite, quick, and actually laughably loud.  
  
  The appetizer came.  Great!  (See picture)  Well it was great, except that there was hardly any green chili on the fries at all.  They were WAY over salted/spiced and half of them were crunchy and hard.  Sigh.  The best part of them was the small bits with the actual green chili on them.  Otherwise no thanks.
  
  Entrees came, and were average.  Nothing great, nothing bad.  Drinks were always filled.  The manager stopped by to ask us how everything was.  I couldn't bring myself to complain directly to him.  It would have been too long of a story, and I wasn't out to get free food or mess with that.
  
  There is no way I'll ever go back.  Period.  Ever.  There are WAY too many other good restaurants in the area at about the same cost.

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  Posted on 11.29.12 Joe J.

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  Applebee's is Applebee's.  I kind of put Applebee's, Friday's, Denny's maybe any chain restaurant that ends in an apostrophe s in the same category.  they're not spectacular, but they're not bad.  
  
  my friend and i stopped in here cause we are both on weight watchers and know that applebee's has WW approved entrees.  wow, was i disappointed.  they had only 3 ww options.  either applebee's in general has paired down their menu or this particular location was ww unfriendly.
  
  i had with me a dining out companion (ww points book) and i was desperately pouring over the menu trying to find something i could enjoy that wouldn't break my piggy bank (aka ww bank).  ;)
  
  i asked daniel s, our waiter, a question about the lunch v dinner portions and he didn't know, but actually went to look it up for me.  what's more, he came back with a paper print out of their ENTIRE MENU with nutritional info!  i swear, a beam from heaven came down and shined on him.  i was SO thankful.  
  
  i ended up ordering a bbq bacon cheeseburger & french fries and only eating 1/2 of it (i was craving something bad, and if you only eat 1/2 of it, it's not too terrible).  when daniel brought it out, he brought me a box (as to not be tempted to eat the whole thing) WHAT A SWEETEHEART!
  
  when i decided not to keep the other half for later - the craving had passed - his manager came by to check in and pre-bus our table.  i told him i changed my mind about taking it home and asked if he could toss it.
  
  when daniel came back to check on us, he confessed to having seen his manager in the back and he nearly jumped him cause he thought he took it in error.  AWE!!!
  
  the staff in general is kind, courteous and professional.  this was such a great experience and i'll definitely be back in the future.

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  Posted on 08.17.12 Meredith C.

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  let me get this over with quickly. They didn't have the BBQ ribs, I had what the server recommended, A fajita wrap with fries. My boyfriend had the pita with meat balls.. Well wrap was ok fries cold and kinda soggy for my taste. the pasta well my boyfriend said it wasnt good and the meat balls were cold, oh yes and that hot wings were ok but not spicy at all as we ordered them. Service could have been better since we were her only table eating that night.

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  Posted on 08.03.12 Karen G.

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  Woah.  Go against the grain much?  I had to double check to make sure I had the right Applebee's!  Anyway, my roomie and I went there yesterday for an early dinner and our waitress was awesome.  My roomie took advantage of the happy hour 1/2 off price and got quesadillas with one of their margaritas.  This woman knows her margaritas!  And she loved it.
  
  Me, I had one of the best burgers I've ever had.  (And I know my burgers!).  It was a promo item called Bourbon Bleu Cheese Bacon or some such.  This thing was so moist, and I asked them to cook it as pink as they were allowed.  They did.  The seasoning and also the pink sauce on it was so delish.  It almost tasted like a blackening spice.  Fries were good, not great, but I wasn't there for the fries.
  
  Then we had mini desserts for $1, which were surprisingly tasty and not just one bite.  
  
  I swear, all the above is true and I don't work for Applebee's. :)  We even asked the manager how long the promo would run for that burger, and he said first week in May and it might even get on the permanent menu.

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  Posted on 04.01.12 Kelly Q.

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  For a chain restaurant, Applebee's is what it is.  I just popped in for some fries and a beer after a rugby match last night.  For $4 and change I got a huge basket of fries and a tall Rolling Rock.  There's not too much to mess up with that order.
  
  I will say that I've had some not-so-great service experiences here, but they've all been at night.  When I used to work nights, I'd just pop in to the bar and order my lunch there.  There is a female bartender that was usually in there during the day and she was just awesome.

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  Posted on 03.04.12 Joe D.

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  Applebees is applebees... A place meant to cater to the lowest common denominator of food.  I would never go here willingly, though I was dragged here.
  
  Though I must say, the big Rolling Rock for $2 on happy hour was at least an ok thirst quencher.  The service was slow, but pleasant.
  
  Denver isn't Colorado Springs... there is actually good food here.  Why go to Applebees?  This place should not exist...

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  Posted on 09.30.11 Kyle H.

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  The service was awful, we waited an hour for our drinks and appetizers. When our food came it was wrong, cold and took us over an 1 and half to get it. The waitress was rude and unapologetic.

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  Posted on 08.05.11 Marisol L.

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  This place is so horrible that it is painful to actually have to PAY for the food and service at this restaurant!! As a mother of three, even with their 99 cent kids nights, I still despise this place, and after last nights experience, I can honestly say I believe I have had enough and will never step foot into that hole again. Let me explain...
  
  1. Shortly after our food arriving we realized we only had 2 sets of silverware for 5 of us, and after waiting patiently for about 3-4 mins, we had to try to "find" our server who was no where to be found. After my boyfriend got up from the table and got her attention, we waited for her to walk to the front of the restaurant, grab another set of silverware, assist 2 tables on her way back to our table - waiting another 3 mins for silverware to arrive.
  
  2. Both my boyfriends and my steaks were under cooked and overly salted. I ordered mine medium, and he ordered his medium-well, and they both came out medium-rare. Neither of us could stomach finishing our steaks.
  
  3. We had to ASK our server for refills, she didn't offer once. We also had to ask for a to-go box to take our undercooked steaks home to finish cooking.
  
  4. And here is is- the icing on the cake.. the final straw.. As we were sitting there "trying" to enjoy our meal, I smelled cigarette smoke mid-bite, and I looked up to see that a male server was standing outside the side door of the restaurant, holding the door WIDE open, attempting to flirt with a female server who was out there smoking. In a matter of seconds the area where we were sitting reeked of smoke. I was so disgusted! This is a family restaurant, and I have my children here - and now we get to inhale smoke with our dinner!? Are you kidding me?!
  
  I never said anything to the manager...probably because he didn't even manage to come around and ask how things were. Oh wait, I guess that is #5 on my list. All though It is probably a good thing he didn't, he would have gotten an earful, and if he was as incompetent and unprofessional as his waite staff, I am willing to bet I would not have been satisfied with his response. And I am not one to complain about service, I usually just quietly take my business elsewhere, but this may have been THE WORST of all restaurant experiences I have ever endured... and therefore my inspiration for this review. No Applebees has ever impressed me with the service, food or anything else... but the Colorado Blvd location, has got to be THE WORST!!

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  Posted on 07.20.11 Sara G.

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  I'm not into chain restaurants, so it's not s huge shocker at the rating.
  I went there with a group of my male friends & my sister. The guys got their appetizers & main course before we got our 1 appetizer that we were splitting, which was the only thing we ordered. The food was ok & I would have given them a better rating if the service was better.

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  Posted on 06.13.11 Andre'a H.

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  Applebee's is Applebee's people.... we don't go there for the amazing cuisine.
  
  But with that said the reason behind my one star was awarded to our server. I wish i had a trophy with me that night because he would have received my vote for "You should NEVER have become a server" award.
  
  He must really hate his job because he sure looked like he hated us and we had just sat down. Our entire dinner he was rude, fake, and pushy.
  
  Service is everything no matter how crappy the food is.

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  Posted on 06.06.11 Lauren L.

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  It's hit or miss. It seems like the hits for me come when I have a waiter and don't sit at the bar. What can you expect though, really??

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  Posted on 05.12.11 Tommy S.

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  It's been MANY years since I dined at Applebee's. And after my recent experience, I remember why my friends referred to it as "CRAPplebee's."
  
  The menus were filthy and needed some wiping off, the prices sure are creeping up there too! We ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and the chips were so strange -- they seemed like stale cardboard.
  
  I have been CRAVING the chicken fajita roll up that i loved from YEARS ago. I ordered it. I should've gone with chicken strips instead. I bit into TWO bones during my attempt to eat it and ended up just spitting the food into a napkin and asking the waiter to take it from the table.
  
  This place is over priced and needs a major quality overhaul. I'd eat at Chili's over this place ANY day.

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  Posted on 05.03.11 Erin J.

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  Sit at the bar, happy hour everyday 3-6pm, order the sliders and ask about $1 Jello shots.

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  Posted on 02.27.11 Amber G.

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  I'm normally not a fan of chain restaurants, but this Applebees is NOT Like a Chain!
  
  With that being said, here are the pros:  gorgeously remodeled interior! Great colors, comfortable seating, warm atmosphere, friendly staff, great food!
  
  Cons - it's a chain restaurant.
  
  Would I go back - YOU  BETCHA!!!!  My husband and I love going to this Applebees! No problems with anything there.  We eat in the bar, and it's still really nice, warm, comfortable, etc., etc. etc.  
  
  Go there, you won't be disappointed!

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  Posted on 01.01.11 Kimberly S.

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  I was craving chicken fingers the other day, and remembered a friend of mine who has kids, recommending Applebees. So I ordered some for pickup.
  
  The girl who answered the phone was really friendly, and when I picked  up my food, curbside, she was even cooler. Great service...at lease with pickup. I like the idea that you don't have to get out of your car and go in...that made my day.  I would rather make food like this myself, way better, but I was not feeling well..so having someone else make me $11 worth of comfort food was fine.
  
  The food I ordered was good. I would order it again in a pinch. Kinda skimped on the fries though..but I didn't mind, they weren't awesome.

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  Posted on 10.10.10 Kelly R.

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  Wanted to go out for liquid dessert about 7 on July 4.  Didn't want to go far and the usual place closed early.  The pomagenate marquarita was yummy and the bartender so cute and friendly.  Watch those prices, tho, you might want to stick with the beer.

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  Posted on 07.07.10 cindy b.

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  Tritonal's much anticipated return this week to San Francisco (and first appearance at Ruby Skye) has me reflecting on what I like to call my Trance Around The West adventure from two months ago. Two nights, two cities (Denver, Los Angeles) and five DJs (Mat Zo, Tritonal and Myon & Shane 54 at Cosmic Evolution party and Rank 1 and Ferry Corsten along with a host of others at the Nocturnal Festival).
  
  Applebee's was dinner before Cosmic Evolution.
  
  This was definitely San Francisco meets the midwest. The look on our waiters face when I asked if the fried food heavy menu had any hidden turkey or veggie burgers was classic. I think he smirked. I was mentally judgmental. I was able to get some grilled chicken, though had the same exchange when it came to fries vs. salad.
  
  That's cool dude, smirk away, at least when I go home and go back to work, I don't have to look at that Friends poster from the 90s hanging in the bathroom.
  
  Applebees, the place the 21st century forgot.

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  Posted on 11.05.09 Jason B.

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  What was I thinking?
  
  Well, I was thinking it would be funny to have a blog and/or full-color coffee table book that was all about visiting Applebee's around America. Applebee's claims to be for "eatin' good in your neighborhood," but since there's once in -every- neighborhood (they're as ubiquitous as McDonalds now), are they really that good? And how much do they vary from 'hood to 'hood? My plan was to start with my own neighborhood Applebee's and then work my way up to one Applebee's per state capital.
  
  Sadly, I gave my project up after my very first visit. Oh, there were good things about eating at Applebee's. For one, I love it when there are about 20 different picture-book like menus on the table. It's even better when all of the pictures of food contain "action shots." You know what I mean: drinks fizzing over, croutons falling onto salad, onion slices cascading down the sides of a burger...the pictures of the food were more intense than a James Bond movie! I was prepared for some XXXtreme eats, I tell you!
  
  The other thing I enjoyed was the bathroom area's circa-early 90s glamour-shots of actors and musicians. It brought back big mems to see Meg Ryan in shoulder pads, and Alanis in her jagged little pill gear.
  
  The service was entertaining, yet annoying. Our waiter was a young chap who insisted on talking like Mr. Burns about 40 percent of the time, took forever to bring out our Guinness, and insisted on speaking in German to the German customers behind us. He pronounced "danke shoen" as "danke shoe." I could have handled this, and might have even found it endearing, had the food not been tragedy on a plate.
  
  My partner in crime ordered the appetizer combo with sliders, cheese sticks, and spinach dip. The sliders were dry, the cheese sticks were microwaved, and the spinach dip had both the look and consistency of snot. I think it might have been made with a can of soup, much the way my grandmother made tasteless casseroles with cans of soup. My own chicken wrap was more like a bad quesadilla; the cheese had melted the tortilla together and hardened, capturing the chicken and vegetables in its gluey grip.  The french fries my wrap came with weren't bad, exactly, but they were boring. My mouth may have fallen asleep while I was chewing them.
  
  The Guinness, however, was good.
  
  The next time I have an idea like this, I'm just going to try very hard to remind myself that bad food is not funny.

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  Posted on 12.03.08 Leslee W.

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  This was the worst Applebee's experience I've ever had. For a chain restaurant, Applebee's is not as terrible as Nichole seems to believe. The food is the same food you find at other similar chains. My favorites include the Oriental Chicken Salad, Oriental Chicken Wrap, and the Turkey and Bacon Ciabatta. I typically look forward to the Chips and Spinach Dip appetizer, and it's one of the rare sit down establishments that has Mountain Dew. Needless to say, I'm happy to eat at Applebee's when I'm in the mood.
  
  Unfortunately, the service as this location was absolutely horrific. I don't remember what night of the week we visited, but the server was weeded with only 3 tables. Hopefully she was new. She didn't have a pen to take our order, so my husband gave her one. It took her 5 minutes to bring our drinks, which she got switched up. Our food came out promptly, sans appetizer and the dipping sauce I requested. Luckily, a manager was walking by and we brought the lack of appetizer to his attention. He offered us a free dessert, but I didn't get the impression that he cared, especially since our waitress was only one table over, leaning up against the booth talking to the people at the table in a very casual manner.
  
  The food was fine, but I'm not taking my chances again. If I want Applebees, I'll go to another location. We left her a small tip, considering the pen we gave her was worth $2.

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  Posted on 03.03.08 Heather B.

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