Slow service, eggs are cold and pancakes are tough as nails. Waste of time and money.

It turns out I'm an idiot and didn't know this place is fairly well known for being one of the best in Tacoma. I had an amazing meal when I picked the desayuno enchilada for an afternoon lunch. I went to work and raved about how good and had multiple coworkers laughing at me that I didn't know about one of the low key gems in Tacoma. Only drawback was a little bit of a wait but the wait was exactly what I was told and it was worth it. read more

I had heard great things about Cook's Tavern and was excited to try it, especially the latest Hawaiian menu. We decided to go for dinner and while the service was great, the food was very mediocre. We got the "Poke #2" as an appetizer, which this week was a Lomi Lomi salmon. The flavor was alright but it only came with 3 taro chips. It could have definitely used a few more. I got the Hing Mui Island Porchetta. The flavor was good but my pork was overcooked. Also, the dish is supposed to come with Taro Mash, which I was really excited about, but it ended up being regular mashed potatoes with a few tiny chunks of Taro thrown in. I absolutely love Taro so that part was highly disappointing. Please don't call it Taro Mash when it's mostly regular ol' potatoes. My husband got the curry bronzed fish and this week's market fish was a blue marlin. He said the flavor was tasty but his fish was overcooked. We also shared a side of "Spam spiked macaroni salad". It barely had any Spam in it and definitely needed salt (which more Spam would have helped with that). For dessert, we got the Waimea Nut Crunch Strawberry Cheesecake. The filling was good but the strawberries on top were pretty old, both in taste and in appearance. The chocolate macadamia nut crust on the bottom of the cheesecake was rock hard. I'm not even really sure what happened there. Overall, the flavors of the food were good but the execution was definitely off. Despite the average food experience, the service was great. Our waitress was super nice and attentive. The restaurant itself is really pretty and the Hawaiian décor is nice. read more

My boyfriend and I love Cook's!! From the inventive rotating menu to the friendly, knowledgeable staff, we keep coming back. We bring all our friends and family here!! Keep doing what you do! read more

Would not recommend this restaurant during their "transition" time, 3p-5p. You can only order from the Happy Hour menu, which is very limited quite small, and the staff is distracted with the turnover process and not very attentive. Our waitress was nice but spent most of our meal on the bar writing on the menu board. My sister's macaroni and cheese was burnt, and for the simple food we ordered, it took a long time to get our food. My sister has eaten here before and enjoyed it, but we were very disappointed today. read more

The service was awesome but I wasn't impressed with the food. The empanadas were dry and all I could taste was the pastry, the lamb burger was dry and spicy (maybe I missed that part in the description) and the kids mac and cheese was caked in cheese! And not in a good way. A lot of money was spent and I wasn't impressed. read more

We were introduced to this place when we first moved to Tacoma and it remains one of my favorite restaurants. So far I've only done brunch here but it's fantastic and I'd like to try the dinner soon. There can be a wait because it's popular and busy but worth the wait. Tried things like breakfast hash, eggs Benedict, French toast, and pancakes. So far everything is phenomenal. I like the decor and ambiance too. read more

The ribbon salad was a tasteless mix of brown edged lettuce with a nearly tasteless dressing. The spaghetti carbonara would be better if made less gooey and the pancetta more browned. Our salads were followed far to soon by the spaghetti. read more

Cooks Tavern has good food (if pretty typical for Tacoma) but excellent service!

Really dope vibes. Definitely a great spot for drinks and a hang out. Mason was super helpful and friendly when It came to ordering! Will definitely come back when I'm in town read more

You've got to check this place out for yourself. The menu rotates seasonally and they do different themes. We ate there Thursday night. We walked in 45 min before closing time and we're treated like family friends. The Texas themed menu is AMAZING! We started with the Queso and it was even better than I could have predicted. Serranos can be super spicy, and when I read they were serving the cheese with chipotle dusted chips I was honestly nervous about the spice, but the flavor of the chile shined through without all the heat. SO delicious. The Earl Grey cocktail also hit it out of the park. The burger was cooked perfectly, it melted in your mouth and the house made pickles were unbeatable on top. Sam was our server and I can honestly say we've never been taken care of better. He was attentive and chatted with us casually. The entire staff went out of their way and I will be back! read more

My son and I went to try it out. He ordered biscuits and gravy, his standard test for a breakfast place. He said it was the best he ever had away from home. I tasted the gravy, and agree completely. One word of caution, though: the serving was more than enough for two. Go with a friend and split the order! He also ordered the grilled cheese sandwich, just in case he didn't like the b&g. He didn't care for the cheese combination. He prefers plain cheddar. It was served with a carrot decoration of some kind, which he said was fiery hot. I ordered the Tavern Stack -- two blueberry pancakes, two bacon strips, and two eggs. The bacon was great, and the eggs were soft scrambled, as I requested. The pancakes were good, but thick, and more than I could finish. I had read, in one of the other reviews, that the service was slow. It did take a while for our food to arrive, but then the place was pretty full. I plan to return to try some of the other things on the menu. It has an interesting variety of choices. Next time I'll go for lunch. read more

We have been here twice- one time during dinner and the second during lunch. Dinner was great! I don't know what happened he second time. We waited a long time for our food and when it came out we were shocked to see burnt potatoes with the Eggs Benedict. We were told potatoes here are twice cooked, however they were unappealing and I didn't eat them. The Benedict itself could've been perfect but it was so salty it was hard to eat. The sad little cup of melon and a side of ketchup did not match well with the meal. I was disappointed that I paid $14 for this. Overall the atmosphere and the service is good here, but I do think they have problems in the kitchen. read more

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Cooks Tavern isn't the best, but it isn't the worst either. I expected a little more due to all of the amazing reviews this place has, but left unimpressed. It's nestled in a nice, safe area of Tacoma. I'd equate it to a sophisticated Applebee's. Worth a try but definitely could think of places I'd rather dine out to in Tacoma. read more

We were so excited to try this place as we had been watching it's construction, eager for a new neighborhood eat. We went on a Monday morning and seemed to arrive just before the rush. I ordered clean up on aisle 12 and my boyfriend ordered pancakes with scrambled eggs and we both drank coffee. My meal said a poached egg could be added so naturally I requested that atop the veggies. It also came with toast and I asked if there was a gluten-free toast option and the server said no. Understandable, however what was not cool was when he asked me how wanted my eggs cooked. I repeated my request for poached but the server seemed confused and insisted that I further specify by either over-easy, over-medium or over-hard. I was so confused by this thinking that a poached egg is pretty exclusive in it's preparation yet due to his persistence I agreed to over-medium. So needless to say I ended up with fried eggs definitely not poached and was disappointed. The waiter apologized once he saw my unhappiness a few minutes after our food came out and suggested that they could remake the eggs. I declined as the restaurant was now packed and we had been there for some time already and needed to get on with our day. Aside from the egg error, the portions of both our plates were small and nothing special flavor wise. I assumed he would give us a discount or coupon to encourage us to give it another try but none of the such. It was ~$35 for our meals and coffee, which seems a little steep for breakfast considering I had just been to Zell's Cafe, in Portland, a few days before where I paid less for the same plus for 2 boozy drinks...Just sayin'. The redemption (2 stars) is that I did note they have an early morning special on $4 Mary's & Mimosas and perhaps with a egg-informed server could make for a better overall experience. read more

Not vegetarian friendly. My girlfriend tried the "Clean up on Aisle 12", which was advertised in the menu as having asparagus. She received a plate with a very tiny portion and bland unseasoned potatoes. The waiter said the menu was a typo, and it didn't come with asparagus. They also forgot to serve her toast on the side, and when reminded brought out bland dry toast. I ordered the "Desayuno Enchilada", which was actually very good and came with a homemade biscuit and freshly made jam on the side. It was amazing the difference in the veggie vs meat plates. Our waiter was not consistent and refilled my coffee once at the end of the meal. Despite our complaints, there was no attempt to discount our price or even an apology for the "typo" in the menu. If you're a vegetarian, you'll probably want to skip this place. read more

I absolutely love this place. The happy hour menu is wonderful and their food is consistently good. What really sets this place apart is the service. I've been in several times and Sam is hands down one of the best servers I've ever had. He's attentive, friendly, and quick with getting whatever we need. He's a huge reason why my friends and I keep coming back to this place! read more

We love this restaurant! The food and friendly service and a bit of history with the bar. This old bar was brought in from Montana and has a Lion face carved near the top that used to light up with red eyes to warn the patrons that the law was coming. Was supposed to be from an old brothel. Amazing food and love the decor! The restaurant feels fresh due to it changes it's theme every four months and makes it interesting along with the menu. The food is fabulous! We've been back a couple of times now and are now forever customers! read more

I rarely give one star reviews but this can't be helped. This place is just bad. Slow unattentive service. I was with a large group so it's understandable for it to take a bit of extra time but this was sooo slow. I ordered the tavern salad, mostly because I can't eat most of what they offer, and it was such a sad salad. The menu made it sound like the salad came with stuff on it but it would have been more accurate if it was labeled plain mixed green lettuce instead of "Tavern Salad" on the menu. They give you a chunk of bread with hardly any vinegar. They don't even bother to slice the bread for you which is awkward to have to slice it yourself in a large group because you have to touch all of it. Next time I'll go to Stanley and Seaforts where the bread is sliced and customer service is what they are known for. I don't mind spending more if you're getting better quality ingredients and customer service but that was not my experience here. What a disappointment Cooks tavern is! Afterwards I went next door to brewers row to get real food. read more

Weird vibe. I felt like I was genuinely inconveniencing them by being there. I walked up to one of the staff to order something to go, and she something to the tune of "Did you want something?", like I was a stranger standing too close to her at a bus stop. Salad was ok. Vibe was weird. read more

I'm a fan, but it has been hit and miss. Instead of saying "we're out of that", they have made a substitution without involving that person called The Customer. Duhh... Higher prices for breakfast items than would think necessary. The place screams "Leftists Only, please" read more

Great food and great service, don't be fooled that it's just a tavern, it way more. Really have to try this place, I'll definitely be back to try more, had breakfast for lunch and it was wonderful. read more

Absolutely smashing, perhaps the best restaurant in Tacoma right now. Great bar, great service, great food, reasonably priced.

My friend and I came in for breakfast the other morning, and John wasn't even our server but was still very attentive! He made both of our days! Will definitely be back for the great food and great service! read more

Stopped in the other week on my day off for a late brunch and to relax at the end of a bicycle ride. No bike parking fyi. I ordered standard breakfast fare and a pint. Good quality food but portions were a bit on the small side. Friendly although not prompt service. Overall a good experience and I will return. It was nice weather and they had the large windows open which was nice. read more

This place is great. Never been disappointed. Love all of the variety of the menu and the unique way they serve regular meals. My coworker is vegan so it is nice they have lots of interesting things that work there too. We go there frequently for brunch type meals since their breakfast are always amazing! read more

Absolutely delicious every time we go. The staff is always friendly and I will definitely be back again. Tonight's service was impressive even though they were busy. read more

Delicious food, great service, reasonable prices. We've had breakfast, lunch, and dinner here, and are always eager to go back.

Anytime I have out of town visitors, breakfast at Cooks is a must do. One of my Tacoma faves!

Absolutely superb lamb burger. Hint of spice balanced with red onion and peppery arugula. Balanced finely with goat cheese spread. Nice on tap menu as well. Nice addition to the north end! Open ambiance with fresh opened Windows. Fine displays of art to complement the fine dining. read more

We had read the reviews and decided to try this place. The food was good. The menu didn't have a tone of choices, but my Cubano sandwich was loaded with flavor and my husband's lamb burger was excellent. Our server was great. Overall, I liked the atmosphere - not too loud, nice decorations etc. read more

This place is great! We love the food and atmosphere... it can be a tad busy and pricey ... but worth it! Try it out you'll be happy!

Stopped in on a whim and large trumpet sighting. Best gumbo I have found in a long time and possibly the state. Great neighborhood joint and now a solid go to. read more

Ok first things first, what kind of tavern/ bar/ alehouse runs out of a type of beer ? This one as one of our party the night of 2/15/20 found out. Very sad . My husband and I met our friends (another married couple) and one of them told our other friends the wrong time to meet us so they were an hour later in arriving. So, with that there we ordered our 'appetizers' I got their Brie En Croute it was ok, I guess. For my meal I ordered their Chicken and Waffle. The chicken was very good nigh perfectly breaded (if you don't mind a half dollar sized joint in a section of the chicken. ) The waffle was really good, the maple syrup amazing! For dessert I ordered the Big Easy Beignets . They were very good but bit too much powdered sugar added. The chocolate sauce was FANTASTIC and since I don't eat alot of that in general was able to give 2/3 of it to a tablemate who got a Sea Serpent Sundae ! The atmosphere was great very lively with volume to match! The service was understaffed, and lacking because of it. I could have given 5 stars if the service had been better and they had not decided that because we were 6 people but 3 different bills they would have us tip 18%. NOT cool people. If we were 1 bill of 6 folks that would apply but 3 seperate checks, really ? For mediocre service ? I'll pass. read more

Perfect portion of food. Biscuits are amazing. My eggs came over done and the waitress noticed when she sat down the plates (no jiggle). She ordered us new ones with no hesitation. Great atmosphere. read more

My husband and I have been wanting to try this place out for awhile and finally did last night. The theme they have going on right now is Cuban and all the dishes we order were delicious! We had the ceviche, croquettes, and tamale. All were so good! We will be definitely back for more. Can't wait to see what theme they will have next! read more

I heard from a friend about this place. Upon going in an looking at others meals was stoked! Got my food looked good that was short lived. biscuit was hard as a brick potatoes were so salty couldn't eat an my pancakes had huge chunks of unmixed batter. An to top it off couldn't even get a refill of water. read more

really cute neighborhood place. we usually come here for breakfast with my grandparents, but we have also come for dinner a few times and the food is excellent. we were in today and it was super nice outside so they had the windows open, our waitress was fantastic, and it didn't take very long at all for our food to come. overall wonderful atmosphere, most certainly will be coming back read more

I would give 10 stars If I could. Awesome food, drinks and service staff. I had a party of six and when given my check our server informed us that a gratuity is added for my party size (so honest) but my experience was so awesome we gave her an additional 20%. Upon leaving the manager asked me if I made a mistake by over tipping (so honest) I said no she gave us awesome service. We can't wait to come back to dine again! read more

My husband and I accidentally discovered Cooks Tavern one day and oh how happy we are that we did! My husband had tried a lot of the items on the menu, he works close so he goes there often. I on the other hand go probably once a month. I'm a sucker for the pancakes because they are so good! It's a great atmosphere, great food, friendly service! Love it here!!! read more