Willow Creek Restaurant

I’m glad every other reviewer enjoyed this restaurant, but we will never go back. Maybe it was just a bad morning for the restaurant?
We went for brunch on June 19. After being seated, our server wished all three of us females a Happy Father’s Day, which seems odd (especially since my husband and daughters’ father died in March and that’s why we were going out to lunch someplace special). I’m sure she meant well.
My daughter ordered the Albacore sandwich for $ 16 on a brioche bun. I assumed it would be like a grilled tuna steak? It literally said ‘Albacore Sandwich’ not salad– but it was tuna salad. I can make white albacore tuna salad at home. The bun looked like one of those pretzel buns.
I ordered a crab omelet and it was very well made, but only about two tablespoons of crab meat in it. However, the ‘home fries’ served with it ruined my plate and were what inspired me to write this review. They were those little squares of deep fried potato that Le Peep always served and that you can just buy frozen at any grocery store. So disappointing! Brunch for three was $ 100 and I guess I would have felt better about it had it been an extraordinary experience.
Also, they say it’s on the lake? I’m spoiled because I grew up on water, but it’s in a shopping center across the street from the lake, OK? Please, there’s a big difference.
Love Evergreen, love the lake, love the area, but we’ll have to avoid this place in the future.

Neat little place to eat right on the lake, we were initially a little frustrated ending up at the only non shaded outdoor spot on such a hot day. But aside from that our experience was pretty good. Wish we would have came for dinner instead, our meals were good & we both really liked the fries. I would come back more than likely!

Very good lunch. Had the pulled pork sandwich with salad. Pork was very tender with nice flavor and slaw complimented it well. Bun was excellent. Would add a pickle relish instead of spear as it would be perfect compliment to the tastes.
Service was great and nice view off the patio.

You will absolutely thank yourself for dining at Willow Creek. I can’t rave about them enough!!!

Lunch: I ordered a Chicken Caesar and ice tea. It was just under, by small change, $ 20. Now I don’t mind paying that for lunch but it better not be soggy with too little lettuce and no Parmesan flakes. Soggy. It was really a sad little Caesar. Should have taken a photo. I’d give this a 2 star but it gets three for ambiance. After reading other reviews it seems they are lacking some quality controls when it comes to the details. This restaurant is better than this and I hope it begins to take notice of people’s concerns. I’ll give it another shot and hopefully can then hopefully update my review reflecting a higher quality experience.

My husband and I drove up from Denver last night and were thrilled with this great find. Gorgeous setting on the patio overlooking the lake, but the ambiance inside was just as lovely. Great wine list and the food was creative, beautifully prepared and presented. It reminded me of some of the Napa and Sonoma restaurants close to the vineyards. We are heading back next weekend to share with some friends! Kristopher and Curtis and their staff made us feel like we were treasured guests. Loved the added touch of hummingbird feeders everywhere on the perimeter and enjoyed watching them fly in for more red sugar water. Definitely a special place and worth the drive to Evergreen Lake.
Janet and Stuart Kritzer
Cherry Hills Village

I am a part-​time local resident and it is one of my first stops when I come home. I am a bit of a foodie and very particular, they have a small menu but it’s delicious! The ambience is perfect and the staff and owners are very friendly. A must go to while in Evergreen!

The venue is a five especially on the patio, the staff was great. I ordered a martini was was cold without charts of ice, my husband ordered a Bloody Mary it was bland and flavorless, no salt on the rim. My husband had the fish and chips that were good but not better than any other restaurant but more expensive, the coleslaw that came with it needed more vinegar. I had the chicken sandwich which was good but would have Been better if it was cold. Expensive but great view difficult parking.

Wonderful wonderful wonderful! Great wine selection, they have a whole separate menu for it. Cocktails are great too, both for dinner and dessert. The cooks worked well with my food allergies and made sure everything was done correctly. Dessert was absolutely fantastic crème brûlée, expensive for a regular night but definitely worth the splurge every now and then.

Evergreen, Colorado– My experience started with a phone call letting us know if it rained Willow Creek would not have a place for our party and would cancel our reservation. I should have stopped there but we all had our heart set on the views so I returned the call and kindly asked them to make the appropriate arrangements for indoor seating at which point I was told we could use umbrellas on the patio. I visualized the discomfort of my family– senior citizens and small children included-​, reuniting after years, dressed in their best, dining in the pouring rain sheltered only by table umbrellas. I could not believe the idiocy of this recommendation. I asked the manager to please figure out appropriate seating, and to expect us as scheduled. Thankfully, when we arrived we had a place to sit indoors. For the most part, we did enjoy the multi-​course meal, wine, and beer. While I would rate the food at 4 stars, many family members rated it lower due to portions, temperature, and over seasoning. We all rate the staff as 1– a generous rating. We were enjoying our time together, reminiscing over drinks and dessert and were rudely interrupted by staff who loudly asked us to leave. A discrete request to the head of the table would have been a best-​practice response. Apparently they prefer a more bold approach as evidenced by other reviews. Beyond embarrassed, we wrapped things up, paid our bill (overpriced food and beverage) and enjoyed the rest of the night at our hotel.

Totally my favorite place in Evergreen by far. Sure I can’t eat here all the time because it is expensive, but it is special.
Great location and views, the best service ever (with what I am sure they make in tips I can see why). My average dinner ticket with my wife is well over $ 200, but we like nice wine.
This is my go to in Evergreen for special occasions or anytime I wanted consistent great food and service.
Love this place!
Great location, views, service, food and superb wine!

My in laws took me here for my birthday recently and I was so impressed. The food, ambiance and service were all top notch. I can’t wait to return and plan to when the weather is nice and the patio is open! What a gem!

Whether it is meeting the girls for a cocktail on the patio or enjoying a fine meal with friends, this place never disappoints. Menu is always evolving and everything is fabulous.
Make reservations early for your special times.

This place is fancy – the kind of place you bring your parents to when they’re in from out of town. You can say to them, «see? I know of fancy restaurants near the lake in which to brunch. Let us dine, m’ma!»
And that’s what we did. And it was a great result! Their omelettes are actually amazing. The smoked trout one was killer – I’d get that again in a heartbeat.
The service was prompt and friendly, our order was taken down and delivered without a flaw. Will I go here when it’s just me and my man, schlubbin’ on a Saturday? Probably not. Will I bring the family here when they come to town, so they don’t have to watch me spill watery coffee on myself at Breakfast King? You bet.
Let’s hope they pick up the tab.

I made it clear that I did not eat red meat or pork. We spent some time discussing the brunch menu bc it was so limited and most dishes contained red meat or bacon. They offered to make me a grilled chicken sandwich that is on the reg lunch menu. After about 15 – 20 min wait they brought me out a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon on it. Attention to detail is lacking.
The food is avg-​good that’s why I still gave it 3 stars.
Would probably avoid in the future.

Mixed review here — I will break it all down.
Venue — Close to five stars. The location is beautiful and sitting out on the deck on a cool summer evening is delightful. The atmosphere is casual and rustic with a magnificent view of Evergreen Lake and the surrounding Mountains.
Food — The food was good to excellent. I was with a group of friends and there were positive to mixed reactions to their dinners. Excellent were the Rabbit Pappardelle, and the Salmon, very good was the Fall Risotto, and just OK was the Rigatoni. There was also a nice selection of wine, beer and drinks available. Overall, four stars.
Service — This is where things got a bit spotty. We had reservations so were seated right away. Staff were friendly. We let our server know that we were on a timeline as we were attending a show later that evening. He said he would accommodate that. We ordered our meals right away along with drinks. Bread and the drinks were brought promptly. Our meals also came out promptly as was promised, but not all was as requested. One of the risotto was requested with Chicken. It came without. Additional parmesan was requested, but it did not come until about halfway through the meal. The chicken did eventually appear, but also came after much of the dish was consumed and was presented on a separate plate and then plopped on top of the remaining risotto. We had to flag down a server to get our check and then again to pay.
Value — Not bad for the quality of food. The tab, with drinks, was around $ 200 for five people.
I would probably come back again if I am in the area. I know my hosts are regular diners here and It is one of the nicest restaurants in Evergreen.

I was really expecting better from this place with all the 5 star reviews.
Great location. Decent Antipasti. Burger ordered medium was served rare and barely cooked. The bacon on top of it was also under cooked. I’m not sure how they got the cheese to melt. I ate it anyway because I hate sending food back, but it was close. Unfortunately, the rare meat revealed the mediocre quality of the ground beef. The salad it came with was all leaves, no tomato, cucumber, anything? My wife had the salmon sandwich which was served open faced. She said is was OK. Not a resounding review from her. Service was very good.
Really nice location on the outside deck. I did notice that at 2:00 in the afternoon we were the only table not having an adult beverage — maybe that’s how they get away with the mediocre food and get such high ratings on Unilocal — nothing like a wine buzz at 2:00 ;-)
Looks like a great spot for dinner and friends have recommended it, so we may try it again. But…

My name is Rebecka Evans, Owner of
. I’m a food junkie, restaurant reviewer, recipe creator, food competitor and food photographer. I tell you this not to boast, but to give insight to my background as a gourmand. I want to share my honest opinion and review of my recent dinning experience at Willow Creek.
Last week I had the pleasure of attending my nephews wedding rehearsal dinner at Willow Creek Restaurant in Evergreen Colorado. We were 80 people strong, visiting from as near as Evergreen Colorado, and as far away as Alabama, Florida, and California; a diverse group of folks to say the least, and one set on having a great time with family and friends.
I met up with Kari Allen, Event Planner and Assistant Manager for Willow Creek, to discuss venue set up with the grooms mother (my sister-​in-​law), about 2 hours prior to the event. Kari was not only accommodating, but kind and open to suggestions about seat placement and room layout. She even offered us a complimentry glass of champagne but we opted to wait until the party, as we still had some driving to do. From start to finish, Kari and other waitstaff were personable, pleasant and accommodating in every way.
The atmosphere is warm with mountain décor, as full length glass windows invite guests to view Evergreen Lake, residing only a few hundred yards from the restaurant. Candles, and string lights add their soft glow to the room, as the hum of people conversing over shared joy of the upcoming nuptials, grows louder with their excitement. Commissioned art hangs on the walls giving off color and texture for the eye. As the sun sets, the outdoor patio is teaming with hungry hummingbirds, flitting from one feeder to the other. From my perspective, this is one of the most romantic dinning rooms I’ve experienced: the perfect venue for a wedding rehearsal dinner.
Chef Curtis Lincoln’s menu was impeccable.
Braised Pork Belly with Pomegranate, Cranberry Gastrique appetizer, was my favorite Hors d’œuvre of the night. I ate several of these little morsels throughout the cocktail hour however, I was so busy photographing the event and socializing, I can’t remember any other appetizers. My bad!
Dinner featured, Pesto Encrusted Salmon, Coffee Encrusted NY Strip, and a Vegan Vegetable Risotto; the portion were perfect.
As we were seated for our meal, the waitstaff served a delectable, crusty, warm bread; made in-​house and served with whipped butter. The yeasty, bread recipe originated in Nantucket, where it’s rumored, a small ‘mother sample’ of yeast, was whisked away by one of the chef owners, prior to moving to Colorado. So delicious, I could have eaten my fill on just bread alone.
Just then, a cup pf porcini and chanterelle mushroom soup arrived at my table; dotted with fresh roasted corn and a touch of truffle oil, the flavors were robust and satisfying. The soup could have used a pinch more sea salt for my taste, but delightful nonetheless. Other guests were served a mixed green salad with balsamic dressing.
I chose the Coffee Encrusted NY Strip as my entrée selection. It was cooked a perfect medium rare, with a crusty sear to keep the red juices safe within the meat. The coffee rub was to die for, with just a hint of sweetness, and a kick of cayenne. I was told the marinade consisted of 16 different ingredients unfortunately, the recipe is a SECRET! I’m guessing the recipe included, espresso beans, cayenne, garlic salt, paprika and pepper, now I just have to recreate the dish to determine the remaining 10 ingredients. All that said, the steak was delicious!
The other entrée selections were plated beautifully and my fellow dinners assured me their dinners were just as perfectly prepared and tasty as mine!
Dessert consisted of a miniature bar with an assortment of delectable sweets. I had the house-​made blueberry ice cream, the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Cooking for 80 people can be a daunting task especially, when creating a fine dinning experience. Willow Creek Resturant lived up to the task, leaving our group filled to the brim with the finest of dinning experiences. If you’re in the market for a romantic dinner for just 2 or need to book a larger group, look no further… Willow Creek Restuarant is the place for you. Just saying!

I must start this out by saying that I’m surprised Unilocal hasn’t filtered out some of the negative reviews. It sounds like a dissatisfied large party is trying to bring down the Unilocal rating due to a poor experience.
Having said that, our experience was absolutely wonderful. I would say we were more of a 4.5, but I’m rounding up to a 5 simply in the hopes of blocking out some of those one stars. And the service was definitely 5 stars all the way.
When we arrived, we did not have a reservation, as it was a last minute decision, but we were quickly accommodated. We were seated on the lovely balcony overlooking the beautiful mountains and lake. Once our server (oh, how I wish I remembered her name!) found out that I’d been ill during the entire trip, she immediately went out of her way to make me as comfortable as possible. While the rest of our party enjoyed the appetizers, she ensured that I had plain bread to nibble on, and she also went to the kitchen to plan out a bland meal for me to enjoy. Even without seasoning, the chargrilled chicken breast that was prepared was extremely tender, and the slight smoky flavor more than made up for the lack of seasoning.
Of course, the rest of our party thoroughly enjoyed their meals, even snagging dessert at the end.
And it’s the little things, really. When our server noticed that I was chilly, she immediately went to retrieve a blanket for me, even arranging it around my shoulders.
All in all, the kind steps taken and the attention to detail went such a long way in helping us feel that we were able to salvage a bit of our trip before we left the next morning. Needless to say, when we return to Denver, we will definitely be paying Willow Creek another visit!

Perfect place for a relaxing dinner. Came up here for a business meeting and was pleasantly surprised by the location, quality of food, service and friendly atmosphere.
Go for the Salmon with fresh fava beans that are in season now. Highly recommended.