The Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen

Now that the new chef and manager are here the quality of service and food has improved tremendously. Was skeptical based on the old reviews but we are always greeted kindly and made sure we are taken care of, my wife has a gluten allergy and the manager came out and ensured which menu items she could order. The speak easy is a 5 Star as well with fantastic custom drinks and a great date night ambiance.HIGHLY RECOMMEND

This review is for the speakeasy and food. My husband and I enjoyed the ambiance and craft cocktails. The bartender (can't remember his name) was engaging and sharing his extensive knowledge on the cocktails. We appreciated that! The drinks are very good but overly priced. Now, the food. We were unimpressed by the the charcuterie board. It was served with no crackers or any bread. For the price we expected something spectacular. The cheese were simple everyday cheeses. The artichokes and mushrooms are just too wet for a charcuterie board. Overall, it's a nice spot and we'll come back again!

The first clue came after ordering coffee but instead receiving an ice-cold cup of disappointment.Next, it was clear that the manager was serving customers instead of managing. Considering the small number of patrons this raised a red flag. The service was painfully slow. When we did get our appetizer it was good and, while not cold, it certainly wasn't hot.We had placed our order but after a long while we asked the manager to cancel it and bring us the bill. I'm just glad we kicked the plug out of the wall before we could experience even greater regret.Do better Craftsman; at least try to live up to your name.

This review is for the Speakeasy located behind the front desk at the Craftsman Cocktails & Kitchen. We botched the password, but they let us enter anyway. We had tried to come in the previous evening, but the Speakeasy bar area has limited capacity and it was a busy Friday night. CON1. Some of the specialty drinks can be pricey. My frugal Sister-In-Law is still mentioning the $24 drink that she ordered (see picture). Gayle's gin martini was $15, while my Belgian-style tall boy was $8.PROS1. Dark, classy, cozy and comfortable seating and bar interior. The 4 of us took a seat at one corner near the "fireplace". The ambient noise levels conducive to good conversations. 2. Very attentive and professional waiter service, and with a nice professional booklet that explained the drinks. 3. Regardless of price, our drinks were all very good. They also have a separate food menu.

The food here is just meh. Nothing special and actually feeling somewhat limited. Typically, when you go to a restaurant that serves very few things, those things need to SHINE. Otherwise, there's nothing else to catch your fancy. And that's what it's like here. They do have some nice drinks, at least? My husband had the fish and chips. He's somewhat of a fish and chips connoisseur so it's what he always has to try at every restaurant that services it. Both he and I rate the batter fry to be at a 4/5. But the fish chosen inside was too soft so that it didn't really hold up to the batter. You bit into it then it sort of disintegrates after the crunch of the exterior. So inside (sole) was 2/5. Sole by itself is awesome. Just not inside fried fish batter. I had the ahi tuna salad. I don't know how to describe their tuna as anything other than dry? I've never had an ahi tuna that broke into pieces when you poke it. It LOOKED normal. Except when you tried to put it on your fork or eat it. Then you could tell something was wrong. Perhaps maybe it used to be frozen instead of fresh? But definitely not worth the price. And the prices here are extravagant when compared to other restaurants in this area. You could eat at the restaurant on top of the mountain or golf course, get live music, be seated in MUCH more comfortable chairs than cafe tables, and with an awesome view for the same price. For what you get here, it's SO not worth it.It was really dark inside but while clean, it didn't feel like it was dark on purpose. More like it was dark because they forgot to add lighting. And the table/chairs are really uncomfortable. It feels like eating in a dark sandwich cafe that happens to have a bar inside. Add with the overpriced, bad food? I'd not come here again. But the staff was SUPERB. That's really what my two stars are for. The staff was beyond nice and super friendly. But I would just take them and shift them into a better restaurant, imo.

I'm ELATED that this spot has become available to Buckeye!! My husband and I love finding new places to have a drink or two and this place did NOT disappoint! The ambiance is great! Inside gives me classy and modern vibes while the outdoor space offers corn hole and amble sitting space. We came here for the first time around 2pm on a Saturday and it was not busy at all! Which I personally feel shocked by. Our bartender at this time was Jacob and he was extremely attentive and provided great customer service. We found out about the speakeasy and came back at around 6:30pm. The speakeasy was a VIBE with soulful RnB playing in the background. Our mixologist Andrew and server Nico were AMAZING!! The drinks were ON POINT!! My husband and I go out quite a bit and I can honestly say that Andrew makes the best drinks on the West Valley that I've tried! He made me a drink with Appleton Rum, Pineapple juice, Mezcal, and few other ingredients that I love and I'm calling it "Sumthin Special". And the food....OH...MY....GOODNESS....!! We ordered a "shareable" Lamb Lollipop Racks which I personally don't think is shareable because it only came with 3 chops but it was SOOO good! The flavor was different. It was kind of sweet because of the blackberry glaze, a little spicy, and savory. We also ordered the Yoshoku Steak which was cooked to medium rare perfection! Please see my pictures. We will be making this place a regular since it's so close to home! We hope to meet you there one day!

Seeking 3.5. Rounded up as this is a new place. Not overly busy on Friday at 5 which a side benefit is nice to walk in and sit down. Fish fry , cod fish was decent not too greasy but a little small. Fries were limpy and not crisp slightly over seasoned. MaltVinegar a nice touch. Pricey as fish fry is $28 (nearby the Vic is $22, Verrado Grill $23, and Culver's $17). I wanted to order a local beer but they only had beers from Aurora Illinois. A little too far for freshness. Also the beer menu is on a board in the bar, so they really need to add to paper menu with other drinks. I may have ordered one. Lemon tart tastes a day old with soft crust. Salad was tasty. Service was very good.

I was really hoping I would like this place, it being new to our area and all. The service was good so let's get that out of the way. No real ambiance per se inside this restaraunt. The indoor section felt like a garage w tables added. The outside patio under the tin roof wasn't bad but not sure it would work when it's over 105 degrees outside. It was warm outside when we ate there but they should have had the fans on, not sure why they didn't. The food was average, at best. I had the Fish and Chips ($28). I am not a cheapskate by any means and don't mind paying for a good meal but $28 for the serving I got was sparse (see the photo). My fries were cold too. Wife had the Angler Tacos but she said the salmon was dry. However, the side salad was excellent she thought. The Huntsman burger($20) my guest had was, well just a burger. I think the picture of the burger is a good comparison to the restaraunt as a whole. It is just there, nothing more nothing less (Note: Their burger game better improve drastically with the burger place on Verrado way that just opened up). I had the brownie and ice cream desert and I must say that was pretty darn good! To sum it up, we have been waiting for months for this place to open but we left disappointed. IF we do come back it won't be for a while. We just weren't impressed with anything here, except for the chocolate brownie!

Great service, love the patio and amazing tasting food. I had the pulled pork and a stout, delicious My husband had the pastrami and wine and it was perfect. We highly recommend this location and will for certain be back. As some reviews stated, there were a few items they were out of but we just chose something different and it wasn't a deterrent for us. They were out of chicken strips but our kid chose the cheese hamburger and loved it. Flexibility is best anywhere you go. Don't let the "bad" reviews stop you from trying this place.

Folks, I'm going to give this one 5 out of 5 stars. Be sure to ask your greeter or your server about their "secret speakeasy" (you need the secret word). After your meal, you'll want to pop in for a craft cocktail. Be sure to book your next event, happy hour, business meeting, wedding reception, etc.Atmosphere: The ambiance was fantastic, the music was light and jazzy, the whole place was clean, the dining room, restrooms... I even snuck a peek at the kitchen, which was beautiful and spotless. Aimed at the 30+ professional crowd. This place has got it all!The food and drinks were delicious and fresh. The menu was beautifully simplified, with great variety. Clearly their focus is freshness and quality. They even make their own pickles! The fries were awesome!The wait staff greeted us as soon as we came in. Since it was just me and a buddy, we decided to sit at the bar. As soon as we sat down we had a glass of water...and Kait, our server took great care of us. Not only was she pleasant to chat with, but she was equally knowledgeable about bar stuff.. The Craftsman brews/distills many of its own spirits... their house Bourbon was lit! Definitely give their "Old-fashioned" a try! Pushing their boundaries, I asked for a beverage not found on the menu and their mixologist came out and "bam!," fixed me up very nicely!Check out the pics and video attached. I'm definitely going back to this place... can't wait to organize my next workplace happy hour and order the charcuterie!