I've always had a great time at this place. Â It get's pretty crowded and getting a table can be hard during the peak times but the drinks are amazing and food is great. Â Â Happy hour drink specials are also very good. Â This is a go to spot whenever we have friends visiting, just wished they stayed open longer on weekends.
Review Source:I would give Pepper Smash 3 stars because the drinks were tasty, however the combination of poor service (albeit friendly waiter) and mediocre food knocked this down to 2 stars.
For a friend's birthday, 13 of us came here for dinner on a Saturday night. We got the table inside right next to the garage doors (open for a nice breeze). The ambiance was hip and energetic, and I was so excited to try a new place at Legacy.
Right off the bat, the waiter was super friendly and attentive. My bf and I were late, so we ordered after everybody else. We expected our food to come out later, but we didn't expect everybody else's food to come out extremely sporadically. A couple people received *half* their entrees first, then 10 minutes later, another 2 plates would come out. It was like the kitchen was just releasing food whenever it was done. The entire night, people were eating in intervals. By the time the birthday girl received her food, half the table was already done eating with their plates stacked up since there was 0 table room. What a let down!
I ordered my burger medium rare, which came medium at best. It was well seasoned, but was too dry. The waiter had disappeared for a while by then, so I just ate it. The mac and cheese, which I was so excited for, tasted watered down, and the panko breadcrumbs were too dry and overwhelmed the mac. It had the mouth-feel of eating saltine crackers - ack! My friends did enjoy the braised short ribs, but that was pretty much it. We ordered the creme brulee for the birthday girl which we all tried. The top was overly burnt (so much that it had the nastiest ash flavor), and the custard had an oddly dense texture and terrible flavor. Capitol Grille's creme brulee was WAY better. Actually, a lot of places have better creme brulee, unfortunately.
It definitely seemed like Pepper Smash's kitchen isn't able to keep up with crowds and the food suffers for it. As for drinks, everything we ordered was delicious. I ordered the Pear and Berry which was so fresh and light, while the bf enjoyed his Autumn With the Gods and Old Fashioned.
Look, I came here to get a drink made with liquid nitrogen. It seems like a bucket list-ish thing to do, and I had never had one. Very cool drink presentation and that's obviously what the $10 is for. But otherwise, I can't say it tasted like $10 worth of a drink! This place seemed a little pricey overall for what was offered (both in the food and drink department), so I probably won't be back, especially since there are so many other places in Legacy to eat and drink for a better value.
But for one showy drink, definitely stop in for a bit.
Extremely creative speciality drinks. The triple M's the best! (it's like a frozen strawberry daiquiri) Cotton candy one is fun to drink, but a little to sweet for my palate. I'll def be back to try some of their other drinks!
Oh, and order their mac and cheese or hummus for some finger foods to pick at!
For a place billing themselves as a "cocktail kitchen" this was a bit of a disappointment. If you've been to any of the craft cocktail bars in Boston, NYC, Chicago or SF, this will be a let-down for you. Service was great, it certainly seems busy enough, and drinks were fine - but does not live up to its name. Things got off to a rocky start when the first 2 drinks I chose from the menu were unavailable - because they were "fall drinks". It was now late April - print new menus already!
And for a "cocktail kitchen", the menu is surprisingly skimpy - a modest amount of choices at best. What is available unfortunately is more gimmick than true craft cocktail - smoking bourbon in a glass jar resulted in very little effect; the only other odd items available involved cotton candy (which basically becomes simple syrup by the time it hits your lips); and finally liquid nitrogen - which basically leaves you with a frozen drink. But what was probably saddest was that the drink with the sautéed veggies - including the smashed red pepper - for which I would only assume is the signature drink of this establishment - went unordered but anyone in the bar for the 2 hours we were there on a busy Friday night (I know this because we sat at the bar right in front of the sautée station - and the pan was still shiny clean by the tme we left). A fun place in a fun part of town, but just did not meet expectations......
Cute place and great service. Loved the drink menu and several drinks were pretty tasty...Smoking Dr. Pepper, Eden's Garden and Strawberry Fields. The downer for me was the nibbles we ordered, mainly the hummus. Yikes, the runniest, flavorLESS, hummus ever. Overall it's an ok place but I'd prefer to spend my dolla dollaz on top shelf martinis and good eats elsewhere.
Review Source:I had a whiskey sour, which is pretty much all I ever drink. Â My companions tried some of the mixology goodness - That F'in Lemonade, Eden's Garden, Strawberry Fields, and the Smoking Dr Pepper. Â Trying the smoked Maker's before adding the Dr Pepper was a HUGE mistake - tore up our throats. Â After adding the whole bottle, it was much better, but probably not something we would order again. Â Eden's Garden and Strawberry Fields were the table favorites I think, and the Lemonade was a repeater too. Â Great concept, fun crowd, amazing people watching as our table was right in the doorway looking out. Â I personally avoid the Shops at Legacy as much as possible, but I'd come back sometime with friends.
*side note, nothing to do with Pepper Smash - they had shot girls in that night from Jim Beam with the new Jacob's Ghost Whiskey - being touted as more "mixable" and smooth. Â Um. Â No. Â Tasted just like every other time I've had Jim Beam. Â Not a fan.*
I recently visited on a Sunday and took advantage of the Happy Hour by ordering the Mediterranean flatbread pizza and PEI mussels in coconut broth.
The mussels came out and ranged from cold to luke warm, the coconut broth was an after thought. Â Probably my first sign that I should send them back but I "musseled" through it. Â The flatbread pizza also seemed unevenly cooked as the edges were nice and crispy but certain portions of the crust still soft and not crispy at all.
I ended up getting sick from one of these two items, probably the mussels, and spent the next day in bed.
Overall, considering the range of restaurants around the Shops at Legacy, I would not recommend this one.
I have heard good things regarding this place and finally got to experience it for myself for a friends birthday. Twelve of us jammed into a high-top table, and got to ordering from the drink menu right away. Not only do they have a large selection, but the drinks are delicious (and they should be for the price). I ordered one (can't remember the name...it obviously did its job) that had a cucumber in it and had it served on the rocks. It was light, even in flavor and simple, which something I love. About three of them later, I was feeling no pain. :)
For the meal, I split with a friend and ordered refreshing take on a Greek sampling of olives, chicken, with some Indian infusion of basmati rice and veggies. The meal was big enough to share and was very tasty.
The only kicker to the restaurant, and perhaps why I have knocked it down a star, is the service. Though our waiter was great and offered many suggestions based on my questions, the general service was off. Some of us received our food too early (should have gone to another table), the birthday girl was the last to receive her meal by 20 minutes and we weren't sure what was going on half the time with staff other than our waiter. Seemed a little crazy.
Fingers crossed the next time I go back, it won't feel the same way, because I really want to give this another shot.
This place makes me feel like a red headed step child.... Â overlooked and neglected. Â And how?? Â On a slow Sunday afternoon. Â The patio (a 10x10 slab that happens to have a few picnic tables on it) was packed but the bar area? was completely dead. Â They only had one server working and were completely understaffed (No fault to the server). Â
Drinks were good but nothing to write home about. Â Tried the Strawberry Fields, the Smoking Dr Pepper, the Eden's Garden, and the Pepper Smash. Â Enjoy them while you can, they last about 4 sips.
I didn't have a bad experience by any means, but can't give more than 3 stars here. Â Where can I get a cold beer around here?? Â Definitely not Henry's Tavern.....
I read the other reviews and can see their point of view as they are the Bud Light, Taco crowd. Â Â
The service here was spot on. Â From the hostess, to the bartender, to the server. Â The trick here is to not go by the menu. Â Menus are for you McDonalds people and ordering by the numbers. Â This isn't your place. Â Engage the bartender and he will make anything you want and do it with flair. Â I told him I liked GlenLivet and Jameson. Â I got the best tasting drink that contained both ingredients and it was done with flair. Â The glass was lit on fire. Â Yes!!, Lit on fire. Â My date ordered a special drink as well, and it was also done to perfection.
We ordered items off of the menu and the server didn't blink an eye when my date made several substitutions and special requests for her meal.
I hardly ever give out 5 stars. Â This place was worth it. Â If you want to order a margarita and the #12 off of a menu, then stay away. Â If you have some adventure and are want to try something new then this is for you.
As far as over priced drinks, my specially made to order was $9. Â Very reasonable for the effort that was made.
Going here and not drinking is like going to the movies and sitting in the lobby the entire time. Â You are missing the point.
We went here for lunch today because our original destination had a long wait and because we saw shishito peppers on the menu.
We had no drinks as husband and I both had to return to work.
First, let's start with the shishito peppers. Â They get credit for having them, but that's about it. Â They were good, but they were also slightly overcooked and slightly over salted. Â The same dish is both cheaper and better prepared at Whisky Cake.
Next, we tried to order the Tacos, but at noon and with the place mostly empty, we were told that they were out. Â Not planning on having much business?
We ordered the southwest salad and the coriander chicken. Â The chicken was good, but the salad was nothing short of shameful. Â First, overdressed. Â Second, the steak was at best old. Â I am 100% sure is was not cooked that day and suspect that it had the potential to make us sick had we eaten more than one slice. Â There was one random chunk of avacado, a random blob of sour cream and too much shredded cheese. Â Everything about this salad said "sloppy". Â Shame on you Pepper Smash for even letting this disaster leave the kitchen, much less charging $9 for it at lunch.
The service was nice enough, but painfully slow and inattentive. We were there for nearly 90 minutes and ended up just estimating the amount and leaving cash on the table.
Drinks were overpriced and very poorly executed. Â Between my friend and I we tried 4. Â 2 of them were undrinkable and the other 2 were just o.k. Â All of them were weak for the price...for the same price you can go next door to Mi Cocina and get an excellent drink.
Thank god we didn't eat any food here. Â After pulling up their "C" food establishment score and reading about fly strips above food/ other violations I'd be beside myself.
This is an update to my previous review on 7/17/12:
We re-visited Pepper Smash last month just because we were in the area and wanted to see if anything had changed. A couple of things to mention: Â I was VERY happy to find that they've re-vamped the cocktail menu! Â The names of the cocktails made more sense, although they still managed to keep the creativity. Good job guys! I was able to order a delicious, beautiful strawberry champagne cocktail (YAY!!), and the waitstaff was MUCH friendlier and engaging than the first time we went.
My better half had a few bourbon cocktails which he thoroughly enjoyed! And I have to say: although some people don't like to see it, I LOVE to see my bartender taste my drink with a straw before serving it to me. That tells me, "Hey, I care about this creation I've made for you and I want it to be the very best!" Â Thanks for that!
We didn't try the food as we just popped in here for cocktails, but I'd definitely be open to stopping by Pepper Smash to sample some more cocktails and give the food another shot.
Just 3 stars this go-around because I'm still a little skeptical....but keep up the good work guys! I'm hoping you can change my mind in the future and win my 4 stars!
I came to Pepper Smash for a drink with coworkers during the work week, and had a very dichotomous experience. The ambiance of the bar is very cool, and I could see myself hanging out there for a while, but the drinks themselves left a lot to be desired. I can tell that the mixologists behind the drink menu are trying to be inventive, but the execution was less than perfect.
I got a concoction that involved cotton candy, orange soda, and vodka (I think). The bartender actually fired up the cotton candy machine to make fresh cotton candy - if "fresh" is ever a term that can be applied to cotton candy - which I thought was a really nice touch. She put it in a martini glass and poured the soda and liquor over it to dissolve the sugar, which was also fun to watch. However, the drink itself tasted exactly like its components- lots of sugar, and lots of alcohol. To be quite honest, I've made better-tasting drinks in college. My coworkers were similarly unimpressed with their cocktails, so we left after one round.
This is a unique place. If you want an adventure, it's worth a visit. I'm so tired of the cookie cutter restaurants and bars - this breaks the mold. I saw fire, liquid nitrogen, and duct tape being used to create drinks! Give it a try, the drinks are outstanding, the food is good and the atmosphere is, well interesting. Price is moderate.
Review Source:Good cocktails and decent appetizers. Staff was sparse and seemed confused about welcoming walk-in customers. Â A new place should greet folks who are willing to choose a place with a confusing name especially when there are 8 other options within a block. Overall they were cordial though one bartender seemed challenged in the people skills department. Give it a try.
Review Source:Pepper Smash has a lot of mixed reviews. My wife and I went the other night with a group if friends and I can see why the reviews are all over the place. Â Pepper Smash does some things good and other things not so much
Location and Atmosphere: Â Good. Everybody likes The Shops of Legacy. Pepper Smash is trendy and hip. It's not a real big place though.
Drinks: it's a cocktail kitchen. They can be a bit pricy but they're pretty good. The ladies liked the nitrogen infused Triple M's Explosion, Â I tried the F***ing lemonade. It was good, but not a very big drink. Tall skinny glass with lots of ice. I nursed it. Next round I tried the Smoking Dr Pepper. Much better choice. It's made with Makers Mark. Nice strong pour. Very smooth and very good. I could drink a lot of these.
Food: Â The small plates (appetizers) were really good. We had the lamb sausage flatbread, spicy coriander chicken, and macaroni and cheese. The chicken tasted like General Tso's chicken. Kind if made me wonder if they buy it at Costco and nuke it in the kitchen. It was good though.
Large plates ( entrees) were hit and miss. The short ribs were a hit. The shrimp and grits were good too. The grilled hangar steak was a complete miss. It looked like small steak medallions served over mashed potatoes. My friend said it tasted fishy. Very weird. My burger was also a miss. I ordered it medium and received it well done. I overlooked that but couldn't overlook how salty it was. I couldn't finish it. Luckily it's served with a ton of fries.
Service was excellent. Our waiter was very good. He also removed the steak and burger from our bills.
Bottom line: we'll go back for drinks and appetizers but we'll stay away from the entrees. .
I've been here a handful of times since it's opening. While a very cool concept it seems not all together. I've never been blown away by the food and it definitely lacks focus. Is it Mediterranean, Greek, or New Southern/Texas cuisine? The best I've had off the menu was the Grilled Hanger steak. All other items...meh. Texas Lollipops...are chicken wings. I admire the creative notion of the menu and somewhat see the vision Chef Vijay has but it misses the point. The menu itself...a comic? Why? There is no comic theme within the restaurant. It's more comical than fun.
I've generally had good service here albeit my last visit had a hiccup. We got to the restaurant and had to wait for seats...no biggie. Well...while we were waiting and next up for a table we were told that a couple who had missed their reservation would be getting seated at our table. What the what? A couple who had MISSED their reservation...no fault of mine...would be getting seated over us who had been standing near an hour. You've got to be kidding. Luckily a couple left the bar and we sat at the bar. The Manager bought us our first round so that was a nice gesture. I think one thing I'm finally fed up with is the price for the amount of food served. Mind you, mediocre food.
I don't mind paying a lot for good food and I understand high end restaurants are more show than portion amount. Well if you're going to charge for small amounts of food...it best be memorable. I've been here enough to taste different apps and dishes each time. Same results. I should stop being crazy and expecting a new outcome. I would immediately streamline the menu, re-evaluate the menu and start new. If you wanna be Bolsa or Vic Tango's (as Vijay was quoted as saying he wanted to mimic)...got a long way to go.
All in all, I would say this place is OK. Nothing special except cozy atmosphere. Good place for HH or starting a night off.
We came here for drinks and found an impressive array of unique cocktails, including fire smoked cocktails, fruit cocktails made with real fruit, pepper mojitos and other fun drinks. The beers, however are not very good. They think they've found a good selection, but they're generally subpar (e.g. Coors Batch 19, Belgium's Palm). I can't comment on the food; we just came here for drinks.
Review Source:I live in the shops at legacy where Pepper Smash is located, so after seeing the chefs pervious modern Indian restaurant (sutra) fail I was delighted to see he was re opening as a totally different concept...a cocktail kitchen
Since its opened I've been to pepper smash 4 or 5 times and it's ideal to take suburban friends who wouldn't venture downtown.
However the cocktails (and food) just don't compare to other bars of this type (private social, Victor Tango, Cedar social etc)
The concept is spot on with mixologists replacing bartenders but Pepper Smash just misses the mark.
I've tried many of the cocktails and now just fall back onto the cucumber (greyhound I think) just because the drinks have been hit or miss the times I've been
The bartenders, hosts, chefs etc are all very friendly and I really want to like this place more but they are just not there yet
Unfortunately for pepper smash there are better places to eat within walking distance and better/cheaper places to drink
Still i will go back especially to take people because it is the only place in the burbs that I have found to make cocktails worthy of photographs. It might not be the best tasting cocktail you have ever had but who doesn't like a smoking martini glass brought out for a fun, festive night
Oh yay! I'm a fan! Â I would definitely frequent this place if I lived in Legacy Village. The Mediterranean pizza and the hummus appetizer were super delicious and fantastic. The specialty cocktails are reason enough to go to pepper smash. The restaurant is really pretty small but has a cool, relaxed vibe.
Review Source:So I think the reviews are hitting this place fairly on point. There is a great "wow" factor when you walk in and see the setup, bartenders in their element mixing and playing with some very interesting concoction ideas...and then it is time to order. There were two of us and the bar seats were taken, so we opted to grab a spot standing next to the large, strangely designed protruding centerpiece that divides the bar into two sections. I was talked in to ordering the house specialty, which was quite delicious, all three sips of it....if not for the ice the small glass would have been a quarter full, with ice it was 3/4 full. I also ordered an Edens Garden for the wife, which after 15 minutes of standing around still had not arrived. I asked the bar back about the order and he approached the "mixologist", who was so lost in his flaming of a single orange peel he could barely take the time to look up, and had no clue about the order. We snagged a table to that opened right next to where we were standing and that really threw the serving staff off. We told the server we had been waiting 15 minutes for a drink and would be out of his way asap, and 10 minutes later our drink actually did arrive. While my wife was drinking her drink (which was tasty) 25 minutes after me, I decided to close out so we could get across the street. Paid the manager my tab, tipped out well and then on Monday check my statement....they double charged me!
So many better places in the location....
I stopped by here with a friend last Saturday night for a drink. Â It was a full house inside. Â The bartenders took a while to ask for our orders. Â We had some other guy behind the bar take our orders, yet he told us he wasn't allowed to make drinks. Â So, we all just chatted up with him for a while since he was nice. Â
If I ever come back here for the food, I will update my review. Â Until then, this review is based alone on how long it took to get drinks (all we ordered were lemon drop shots).
I tried 3 different drinks the last time I was there and I will say I found a couple that I like. Â This is a small divey place with hand made concoctions. The waitress we had, Carly, was super nice and helpful. Â The places was fairly busy and the staff was able to manage. We did not eat, so I can't say anything on the food, but it sounded good :) Â The tripe M explosion is probably my new favorite thing. Â It is like strawberry through a straw. Â The adult snocone was super strong and needed a little more sweetener, but overall not bad.
I would say don't go by all of the reviews on here. Â This place is working out some kinks and is worth a try. It is small and sometimes very busy. Â Be patient and know that any small place would be busy on a Friday or Saturday night. Â The drinks are worth the pennies you spend.
PLEASE READ MY STORY AND DO NOT GO TO PEPPER SMASH!!
I wanted to take my daughter out on her 21st birthday for a cocktail. Â I searched places close to me in town and found this place that sounded cool and perfect for the night. Â The only thing "cool" was the reception the three front desk girls gave us when we tried to get a table. Â They were very COLD towards us, in fact. Â They told us upon arrival that they had no table available - that it would be 45 minutes. Â I asked if they had a list of people waiting and if could they add us to it. Â They looked put out - but said yes. Â Since they had virtually no waiting area, I then asked if we could walk around the local businesses while we waited. Â They said, "Sure." Â I asked them, "How will I know if a table becomes available? Â Can I give you my number and you call me when a table is ready?" Â They promised they would call me when our table was ready. Â At the time, I thought it kind of strange how they seemed NOT to want take my reservation - but decided to forget about it.
My family and I walked around the local businesses for AN HOUR - no phone call. Â We decided to go back to Pepper Smash and wait there until a table opened up. Â My husband and I sat and waited (my kids kept walking around because they didn't like the way the three girls acted towards us. Â I know now that should have tipped me off right there). Â As we waited, we saw several customers leave the restaurant. Â We thought there would surely be a table available now. Â So we kept waiting. Â Then a few more people left. Â We thought, "Any time now!" Â Then a man comes in and says he has a party of 4 (we had a party of 5) and they would love to be seated quickly. Â One of three girls goes and checks the seating inside the restaurant. Â When she came back, she sheepishly told him that he may have to wait for a table. Â NOW THIS IS THE PART WHERE I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING PUNK'D ---- Â He said (loudly) that he was a really good tipper and that he and his friends really would love a table right now. Â All of the sudden, one of the three girls said, "OK. Â You're table is right this way" ...and they seated his party immediately. Â Â I was shocked!!
My husband wanted to leave immediately - and he did. Â But I stayed and asked for the manager. Â I explained to the manager what just happened over the course of the past hour, being brushed off and ignored by his staff and everything. Â He assured me that is not what they meant to do - but, nevertheless, that is exactly what they did - they brushed us off. Â
So I can't rate their food or drink, and, as I will never go there again, I NEVER will be able to rate it. Â If there was a way to give this place "ZERO STARS," I would! Â But this website site makes you at least give it "1 star" - so that's what I did.
Whatever you do - DO NOT GO TO PEPPER SMASH!!
I was very excited to try this place out when I heard about it. Â Their online menu made it look like a fun place.
I am sorry to say that this place was an extreme let down. Â
WHAT I DRANK: For drinks, the server started us out with water which was warm. Â Gross. Â I ordered the Sunkist & Cotton Candy Martini because that was the only drink that semi-appealed to me from the menu. Â Â I do appreciate that the server warned me that the Sunkist & Cotton Candy Martini was sweet. Â That is exactly what I was going for, but I was at least glad to get a forewarning.
The drink menu was ALL OVER THE PLACE. Â I got the feeling they were trying too hard to be strange.. just for the sake of being strange. Â Rosemary in your adult beverage? Oooook.
When my Sunkist & Cotton Candy Martini arrived, it was really cool. Â It was a martini glass full of cotton candy and the waitress poured the mixture over it to dissolve the cotton candy. Â The taste, however, was a major disappointment. Â The drink prices are also extremely ridiculous. Â Really? $10?! This isn't New York, sweeties. Â The drink I had didn't even have any alcohol in it. Â
WHAT I ATE: Pepper Smash Trio of Corn Tacos. Â It wasn't extremely horrible, but it wasn't really something to write home about either. Â Something about the corn tortilla tasted weird. Â My tacos cost the same as my ONE DRINK. Â Crazy!
OUR SERVER: Kind of weirded us out. Â I was sitting on the booth side of the table with my back to the wall, and my friend sat across from me with her back facing the bar. Â Every single time our server came over, she put her arm around my friend's back like she was trying to give my friend a side hug or something. Â it was the strangest thing ever. Â I am sure the server was just a warm-hearted person or something, but not everyone wants to be touched by random strangers they don't know.
Bottom line, I won't ever be back. Â Good concept, poorly executed.
I think Pepper Smash comes across as trying a wee bit too hard to be "we're grown-ups and we're having fun!" Â But, I had a pretty good time there for dinner the other night regardless. Â Our reservation was at 8 but they accommodated us pretty easily when the first half of our party showed up about 20 minutes early. Â
The drink menu was pretty interesting but seemed really all over the place. Â I tried the signature pepper smash cocktail (very good, but still doesn't beat the VT version) as well as an avocado tarragon margarita. Â When I ordered the marg, the waitress warned me that the consistency was weird because there were chunks of avocado in it, but she assured me the flavor was good. Â Well, I ordered it anyway and had no beef with the consistency, but I did not think it went well together at all. Â It was a bunch of sour, tangy ingredients that didn't really complement each other too well. Â Meh, it was interesting though. Â I think everyone else liked their drinks.
For appetizers we got the ceviche tostadas (small portion- four small chips with stuff on them, but had a great spicy kick and tasted good) and the chicken lollipops (not much actual chicken on them but again tasted good). Â Dinner was hanger steak, shortribs, truffle mac n' cheese, and rack of lamb. Â The hanger steak that I tried was a bit tough, and I couldn't tell that there was any chimichurri on it. Â The shortribs were EXCELLENT. Â Would definitely get those again next time. Â Truffle mac was awesome as well, and I'm usually a little leery of stuff with truffle oil because it seems a bit gimmicky to me. Â Super good though. Â The rack of lamb had great flavor but it was overcooked.
Service was really friendly, and a bit slow but I didn't think it was unreasonable--added to the fact that there was a huge birthday party in there at the same time (the birthday boy got an AWESOME cake with a giant sparkler on it!) we were ok with it.
I'd recommend giving it a shot--I'm not sure it's worth the drive from uptown for me, but if I lived in the area I'd definitely be back.
I definitely agree with many of the yelpers. Even I was excited to try this place but very disappointed.
The cocktails are unique but I was surprised that there is no consistency. Same drink ordered twice came out totally different. The second time I ordered Peppersmash, there was hardly any alcohol and there was less of pepper taste. Prices are way too high for the quantity of drinks in tiny glasses with less alcohol and more ice.
The service is another area which needs drastic improvement. 3 people served and took care of us. There is so much chaos that you could see. There is not much space inside though the decor and lighting looks good.
The food does compensates. Got the Chicken lollipops  and Beef Short-ribs with Onion rings. The sauce for the lollipops and the Beef short-ribs was tangy, spicy and finger licking good. The two stars is just for the food.
aww man, i was excited about this place when I saw that it was a "cocktail kitchen".  It really is just not.  I think that the idea is nice, and the drink descriptions seemed appealing.  It was hard to choose, but just  so poorly executed as we later found out.  I don't usually write bad reviews, but I just have to on this one in hopes that they will change some things and make it better so I can have the experience I imagined I would have while I was waiting for this place to open.  I think the bartenders might be making everything poorly..... not sure.  The drinks we had were so incredibly sweet that they tasted like something a 13 year old girl would make after discovering what simple syrup is.  The first drink I got had tarragon in it, and there was SO much tarragon and so much simple syrup in it that I had to take it back. The glasses they put the drinks in were pretty awful too.  AND most of the drinks say they have "an oversized ice cube", that wasn't the case, just crushed ice.  Which is not a big deal to have crushed ice, but don't write that in your menu if you can't deliver every night.  They have snow cones there, I had the blackberry gin snow cone, and that was actually WAY less sweet than all their other cocktails. weird.  I hope this place makes some changes because there are not many places in this area with this concept. Â
As far as the food, I don't think its as bad as some fo the reviews, but we only had two apps. Â Hummus was good and so was the ceviche. Â But the cocktails just ruined it for us. Â
I want to give a 1 star, but I am giving a 2 because the service was good and the food wasn't as bad as the drinks. Â
moral of the story: If you want $10 drinks that taste just like theirs, go to Chillis.
I met a friend after work one evening at Pepper Smash to grab drinks and dinner. First, we ordered our drinks... I was lame and ordered wine. But my friend got the Mint Mango Basil Mojito. It was so watered down she couldn't even drink it! We sent it back and the one she got after that was OK but didn't really taste like a mojito.
Then we ordered our food. We got a Mediterranean Flatbread and the Corn Taco Trio to share. I am pretty sure the waiter just forgot to put the order in because about fifteen minutes later, he looked at us mouthed "shit" and went into the kitchen. He then emerged and told us "just a few minutes, they are working on your food". The food came out and it was EXCELLENT! Now I dont know if it really was that good, or if I was starving because it was thirty minutes after we ordered.
For now, I will the give the place another try, maybe. The food is great but the service is awful. Train your waiters to be more attentive and hopefully you'll survive in the neighborhood!
Judging on the mixed review, I'll affix the ASH WARNING LABEL: to each their own. If someone tells you something sucks, well maybe it does, but you won't know til YOU try it!
Oh Chef Vijay Sadhu we meet again!!! You may recall my previous encounter with Chef Vijay in a previous review of Sutra. Yes, I'm convinced Vijay took my words to heart, closed that Epic Fail known as Sutra and gave birth to Pepper Smash!
Well, "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat" cuz Chef Vijay may have something here! What's to like? The ambiance! This place is cool! Nice and laid back vibe to kick it with your entourage or squeeze. Love the stylish seating lining the wall, bar tables, and mini patio. Perfect for the Shops. Oh you got it right here Vijay! Where Sutra brought cricket (noise), now you've got the Legacy goers in droves!!!
Tapas? Yes please. I crush small plates, I hate eating huge proportions when out & about that renders me lethargic, my stomach feeling like a huge wad of jello, and an ineptness for intercourse. If dazed and confused, go with the ceviche tostados, spicy texas chili lollipops (that name sells itself) and the Hummus and Olives (Chef Vijay left some Sutra DNA in this dish with the delicious naan bread, but I dare not ask for a Tandoori dipping sauce! Luckily the hummus dip is just right (2 pts for Chef Vijay). All dishes were high on presentation and taste.
I didn't sample the entrees so I will abstain from commenting, but I took a gander at other tables and the big plates look appetizing.
The drinks are good. Hater reviews can hate, but it says "Mixology" across the damn menu. Mixologists play chemistry, bartenders tend bar. Such drinks cost. Enough said. The females in my party tried the Triple M's Explosion. I sampled, it was tasty, but dudes be sure to put it in a man glass, don't violate the homey code.
Chef Vijay, we've had our differences, but I feel you may have something here. Definitely like the look and feel of the restaurant, and the drinks and tapas are tasty. Pepper Smash is ASH Real Estate. I'll be back.
I was pretty excited to try this place when I first saw the sign in at the Shops. Â I love idea of a cocktail kitchen. Â I really liked the feel and look of this restaurant when I walked in. Â It was a Monday night so we had our pick of seats. Â We chose the bar. Â The bartender and others behind the bar were all really attentive. Â I started with a Mint, Mango, Basil Mojito - - it was pretty good, very refreshing and not sweet at all. Â My friend started with the Watermelon lemon-lime infused smoked margarita. Â She also enjoyed it. Â The drinks are just different and offer interesting ingredients. Â Maybe someday I will be bold and try the more exotic ones :)
We then shared several small plates; Serrano Ham Croquettes, Ceviche Tostatas, Truffle Mac & Cheese and the Prosciutto Flatbread. Â My favorite of the bunch was the ceviche - light, flavorful and fresh. Â I enjoyed all the food, but nothing knocked my socks off. Â And its no joke when they say "small plates." Â
Our second round of drinks included the Asian Pear Mojito and the Smoking Dr. Pepper. Â I loved the Pear Mojito, I think probably one of my favorite drinks ever.. not sweet and just super yummy. Â Now the Smoking Dr. Pepper is a different story... they literally smoke the bourbon with wood chips. Â The drink tasted very "campfirey"...my friend only drank half - it was a bit much. Â Interesting concept, but too weird.
Overall, I will return to this place. Â I was a little disappointed that they were not able to offer any frozen drinks or ones that included liquid nitrogen. Â I was really surprised when they told me they couldn't make those..I mean, you've only been open for 2 weeks - wouldn't you have everything on the menu available?! Â Good experience, good quality food and fun atmosphere.
Huge disappointment. I'm not sure how long this has been open, but it was ripe for an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares." I had a front-row seat to the head chef barking at his confused kitchen staff. One of the six people at our table waited 10 minutes for his dish -- despite the fact that he'd ordered the same taco plate three others got. My pulled pork flatbread only had meat on one half. You get the idea.
But the kicker was when I started coughing and tearing up. I kept drinking water, thinking something had gone down the wrong tube. Nope. The bar had sauteed dozens of jalepenos. Thanks.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
