Burnt Toast Restaurant

I went here for a breakfast business meeting. I liked the eclectic atmosphere. I liked the miss matched tableware and napkins. The waiter was nice and laid back. I had the porridge. I’ve never had porridge before so I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t like it but I asked for some brown sugar to put on it and the waiter was very accommodating. The portions were very big and I had more than enough apple juice. I liked that. The vibe here is great and if I visit the city again, it’s definitely a place I will likely visit again.

Worst. Breakfast. Ever.
How can a place that looks so good be so damn crappy? My gf and her friend and i went here for breakfast and not only did we wait an unreasonably long time for service, but when my pancakes came out, they were literally unidentifiable as pancakes. if i had to describe them without using adjectives like «gross» and «foul» and «indedible», i’d say that they were sort of a mix between a crêpe and a piece of matzoh bread. they were so unappetizing that i wondered if the cook even saw them before they left the kitchen… how any self-​respecting chef would let those be served is beyond me!
also, because of their mis-​matched glassware, my girfriends «small» oj was about twice the size of my «small» oj
oh and the service was pretty much terrible…
yeah, i’d say that even one star here might be kind of a stretch.

It pains me to do this, because I really want to love Burnt Toast, but the wait staff ruined it for me for the last time. I ended up getting coffee refills for myself, they got our drink orders wrong, after taking 20 minutes to deliver them, left us without utensils. We had to flag our waitress if we wanted something. And the porch was only ½ full of people.

I feel like I’m eating lunch in the kitchen of my best friend’s house when I’m here. I love the atmosphere, and the food is rather tasty as well. The one downside would be the over priced sandwiches, $ 8.50 for a BLT! Otherwise, it is a fantastic place to grab a cup of coffee and read the news.

If you’re looking to eat within 2 hours of walking in the door, this may not be the stop for you.
I’ve eaten at Burnt Toast before, and it’s a pretty good spot. Nice atmosphere and solid food. The problem is the terrible service. I recently went there on a Friday morning and after waiting 10 minutes to be seated, readied myself for what promised to be a delicious plate of green eggs and ham. Being seated was the highlight of the experience. We constantly had to flag down our server for coffee, for water, to order, for more coffee, and to ask why, after 50 minutes, our order still hadn’t come. I’ve never worked so hard in a restaurant that wasn’t my employer.
No apologies were made and it was only after another table got up and left because their order was taking so long that we learned that there was only one cook in the kitchen. I feel confident everyone in the restaurant that day had the same experience we did. You’d think you’d get a few bucks knocked off your meal to encourage you to come back, but no gesture was made to fix the poor experience.
Four thumbs down. I’ve sworn off toast.

this review should probably actually have a 2.5 star rating, but I’m rounding up for god measure.
The atmosphere is cute for the Hill. Has a very University-​run down type of feeling to it. There is ample outdoor seating (well, at least comparable to the area). They have great live music in the evenings as well.
I visited here on a quest to try all the coffee joints in the area. They were supposedly know for the Chai (they said as much at the restaurant) so I went for it. It was WAY too strong for my palate, at least. Super spicy, and tasted home made which is normally a good thing but in this case wasn’t). I couldn’t even finish the drink, which in all my life has never been the case until now.
The service was friendly and competent. The breakfast foods looked good, but I can’t testify to that, only the yummy smell. Had I had a good Chai, I probably would have gone back, but as it wasn’t, I didn’t.

Came here for brunch after seeing they have tofu scramble (I’m vegan). For starters, I discovered the tofu scramble has eggs in it. Weird. So I ordered it w/​o eggs. Whatever. But it comes and there’s only like 3 little cubes of tofu in there, and they aren’t seasoned at all. There’s a lot of oily veggies that are similarly unseasoned, including several strips of ginger, which was super weird (again). It was basically a ginger-​uncooked carrot-​onion-​spinach stirfry with some bits of tofu in there. Not good. Also, I chose olive for my side of bread, and it was pretty gross – it was mushy, the onion to bread ratio was way off, the one olive in it was odd-​tasting, and it seemed old because the onion and garlic in it had turned that blue color they get when they’ve spent too much time together. I suspect it might have tasted better last night (or the night before?) However, the potatoes that came with the scramble were decent, the fresh organic orange juice was great, the atmosphere was nice, and the service was friendly. There is nice outdoor seating. I’d come again for oj or tea or something, but not for food.

Let me set a scene for you…
We step into Burnt Toast on a snowy Saturday in May, grateful for the burst of warmth and comraderie that the little restaurant exudes. People are lined up all the way from the entrance to the hostess station, waiting to put their name onto the list. A promising sign! Those already seated are digging in, happily conversing with their tablemates, people at neighboring tables, passing waiters, etc; everyone looks relaxed, satisfied, and warm.
But upon closer examination, I notice some oddities. A bill with a credit card on it sitting at the edge of a table, ignored for upwards of ten minutes. A group in a corner with cleaned plates, looking around and tapping their fingernails on the wood of their table. A waitress dashing out to the porch with her arms full of glassware, setting it down on the ground to quickly drag a table halfway indoors. How many waiters are there, anyway?
Two, as it turns out. Three, if you count the woman who is alternately filling water glasses and cleaning the bathroom. This, for a room with upwards of fifty customers. Plus, the waiters consistently disappear into the kitchen for minutes at a time — one has to wonder: are they perhaps doing some of the cooking, too? Not surprisingly, they are harried and completely incapable of caring for as many people as they’re called on to care for.
Though I sympathize with the waiters and would certainly hate to be in their position, I can’t use that to excuse the absolutely terrible experience we have there. The hostess tries to put the name of the group behind us on the waitlist before ours, and gets stroppy when we correct her. Both coffees we order turn out to be undrinkable, with the espresso nearly indiscernable from the regular coffee. And though we order our food at the same time as the people at the table next to ours, they are scraping the last dregs of egg off their plates forty minutes later as we wait for any sign of our meal.
Our waiter, though he has whipped past us a bunch of times during our wait, finally notices the craning of our heads and the anticipatory look on our faces, screeches to a halt behind us, and asks, ‘Have you folks gotten your bill yet?‘
Upon telling him that, no, we haven’t even gotten our FOOD yet, he rushes into a frenzy of apologies — he doesn’t know what could have happened, he thought it had been out fifteen minutes ago, and so on — but he rushes into the kitchen and comes out two seconds later holding our plates. They have clearly been sitting in the kitchen waiting to be picked up for a while, because the potatoes are cold, the hollandaise sauce is curdled, bubbles have formed and frozen on the steak’s limp surface, and the ham is rubbery. Plus, as a testament to hurried cooking, my ‘poached’ eggs are actually hard-​boiled, and one of my companion’s ‘scrambled’ eggs have been cooked for maybe 30 seconds, as the whites are still runny.
We never receive an apology for the mix-​up or the obviously neglected food, and the (exorbitant) bill is placed before us at precisely the same moment our food is (and at the same time that our waiter rushes away, scarcely to be seen again). But, hey! The orange juice is freshly squeezed and the fruit bread is shockingly tasty! Still, unfortunately, I have no choice but to hit this place with one star.

We had dinner last night at Burnt Toast, and it was great! The interior of the place is super cozy, and is romantically lit with candles. I have read the previous posts about poor service, but our waitress was super attentive without being overbearing. In other words perfect. Maybe breakfast is busier, and that is where the poor service post are about?
To the food! The bread was orgasmic! Almost pastry-​like with sauteed onions or garlic. The menu is on a chalkboard as the food changes each night so they can use fresh and local ingredients. We started with a pear fig Gorgonzola salad, which we loved. I had the beef Bourguignon with whipped potatoes and carrots. The Bourguignon sauce had a great rosemary flavor. The rest of the table had the homemade tagliatelle, it came with either an anchovy and interesting broccoli, or tuna. They have a good selection of wines and micro brews (my fiancé was stoked they had Arrogant Bastard, Young’s double chocolate stout and more). Looks like they have a good happy hour too.
Everyone at the table was talking about how we will have to make Burnt Toast a tradition, because we had such a great time. They have wine tasting and appetizers Thursday nights for $ 15! We are going this Thursday!

I used to really enjoy eating here. The Amanda’s Breakfast was my favorite. The down side to Burnt Toast is that its on the hill in Boulder and they only hire college kids. The service is somewhere between unreliable and and terrible. I’ve actually had to wait over 30 minutes for them to open when the staff comes in hung over. The food isn’t remarkable except for the orange juice which is great. There are so many great places to eat in Boulder putting up with the service at Burnt Toast isn’t at all worth the effort or the time.

Well, this has always been a hip spot, but I’ve never liked it. Never once had a satisfying meal here. The place looks nice and has a cool atmosphere but what can I say about a place with poor food? The only thing I like is that they serve Bhakti Chai. Ahhh I don’t know why every seems to like this place so much! The food sucks. That’s right, I went there.

Bo-​Ho. That is my one word description of Burnt Toast. The food is great, they just got a liquor license, and if you have the time to chill on the Hill in Boulder this is the place for you. They have an awesome patio too. Ch-​check it out!

I like this place, like, enough to make the commute for some of that chai french toast they got. Or, the buffalo steak and eggs. Or, the daily baked breads and pastries. Or, the really nice coffee they serve up, and espresso drinks, too, that they prepare with a manual press.
And people say the service is slow, but look at the top of the menu, they have a disclaimer: Surly service (and something about burnt toast and/​or coffee).
But at least the servers are clean and, from what i’ve experienced, pretty helpful.
It can be pricey and the portions are more european, meaning you’re not gonna get gobs and gobs, but, hey, Quality over Quantity folks; it goes a long way.
And the patio is quite lovely.

Quintessential Boulder — Bohemianesque, slow (okay, maybe poor) service, but really really good food. If you’re looking for a quick in-​and-​out typical American style breakfast, this is not your place. But if you do have some time to kill and are looking for healthy fresh Colorado cuisine, this is the city’s best brunch spot. Also try to make Thursday night wine tastings with local bands setting the mood.
Must Eat: Chai French Toast, Huevos Rancheros

Take a look around back before you venture in the front… but beware, you will probably consider skipping your meal there. I have had the misfortune of stepping through their trash and junk-​strewn back yard many times on my way to the apartments upstairs, and I can tell you for certain that if the inside of their kitchen is anything like the scene out the back door, I would stay far away. Bonus points for the trays of cooked food that I see sitting on top of the electric transformer box on many mornings. Why they wouldn’t cool better in the outdoor fridge they keep ten feet away, I don’t know… though I’m sure they provide plenty of tasty morsels for the rodents that must take shelter in all the junk they leave lying around. Somebody should call the health department!

Funny thing: Sandra W, when she wrote her original review about this place, she was on her laptop while the drunk waiter was careening around talking about how good his White Russians were, and indeed they were pretty good. How do I know this, well I was there. It was actually the first time I heard about Unilocal,from old Sandra W, who has flew the Boulder Coop for San Fran.
As to Burnt Toast itself, it has a specific image that it is pushing, one which many people won’t get along with. Thus, if you are looking for good food, snappy service, and decent prices (which is what you usually look for in a restaurant) prepare to get disappointed; I think Mark M’s review is spot-​on. However, if you are looking for a good place to kick back, have some wine or booze, talk with or flirt with the waiter and in general have a relaxing time for a price, then Burnt Toast has got your number. The place is low-​lit, friendly, and has lots of interesting quirks (such as menus placed in old books).
The last time I was there was back in February on one of those snowy nights when my co-​workers and I decided to get a bottle of wine. The service was exceptionally friendly, as noted, since the waiter was plastered. Thus, we got free White Russians, and even free crack-​bread since it was sitting unloved in the corner and we just pointed at it and the waiter brought it free of charge. Now, when I say crack-​bread, I mean that this is some of the best bread I’ve ever tasted in my life. I know this is probably due to the fact that it has a pound of butter per square inch in it, but at that time, I didn’t care much.
Another sweet thing about this night was that not only were we getting free drinks but there was a cool local reggae/​folk sort of band consisting of two people playing for the occupants of the restaurant at 11:30: i.e. just us. They were cool and were just playing for the love of the music you could tell, so we complimented them enthusiastically.
But as an actual restaurant, with the usual product being food, not atmosphere, I personally don’t recommend the place. Burnt Toast is mad expensive, and you don’t get too much for what you pay.
Still, I have a fond spot in my heart for BT

I was basically Burnt Toast family for a year so Ellen and Buddy totally get the five stars. I originally fell in love with their amazing croissants and potato bread and from there grew to love the staff. Yes, the service is slow, but they even advertise it as such. And no, it is not a place to go if you have any kind of time constraint. Sunday mornings at the Toast were magical and I can relate with another reviewer that I had some of the most magical and tragic times in my life at this place.
The last time I went they had just gotten their liquor license so I can only imagine having a bloody mary with my meal!
Long live Burnt Toast… one of the last bastions of Boulder hippydom alive and kicking.

Yo Dude, can you say sloooooooooowwwwww, like really slowwwwwly.
OK, maybe this spot is the wrong choice for a workday lunch on a schedule but they weren’t crowded and you figure that if you order a salad and sandwich «how long can it take»? Well it took a long time to get an answer to that question. The answer is «a very long time».
I can handle slow when the food is great. I am not looking for ultra attentive snappy service, just prompt — sorta and good food.
After the wait the resulting food was fair at best. The $ 8.50 entrée salad was tiny and my wife’s response was «let’s go home so that I can eat lunch now that I have had my starter salad» (she is tiny herself so this is not amazon complaining about the portions). My toasted sandwich was OK but seemed to have set under the heat lamp too long so that rather than being crunchy and hot it was warm, dry, and stale. The home fries were the highlight of the meal as was the nice touch of room temp ketchup in a bowl instead of refrigerated ketchup from a cold bottle. These two items saved this review from a one star.
I went to Burnt Toast this time thinking that my slow experience several years ago had to be an anomaly and I should give them another chance. Amazingly enough this place has survived in the Boulder restaurant market and it is still slow and the food is still only OK.
So would I go again, only if had stayed up all Saturday night, enjoyed some substances to make mellow and had no plans for Sunday except answering how slow can a restaurant be.

It’s like eating at home, but messier. The place is ‘sloppy’: the staff, the restaurant, the clientele and that’s the best part. I haven’t heard great things about the dinner menu, but the weekend brunch is fantastic. They have some of the best fresh baked bread I’ve ever had; one with figs & nuts, another with cheese & garlic. The breakfast menu during the week leaves out some of my favorites. I could hang out on the porch for hours & sip bloody Marys. Good times & the best cheese plates ever!

«How many white Russians have you had?» Not enough, according to the drunken bartender. «Its wonderful.» I’ve always loved the ambiance of Burnt Toast. There is simply a sunny disposition to the place. Each table is really individual, and in fact, downright cozy. Breakfasts are spectacular and nighttime wine tastings to local music and poetry only enhance the grandness. Really charming. I’ve had some great mornings here. Some of the slaphappiest. But now that I come back, also some of the saddest :)