Silk District Pub

This place started out well. The patio has a great view of downtown and the wait staff was friendly. But that's about all this place has to offer. The fish tacos are a joke and I'd be embarrassed to serve them as a chef or an owner of an establishment. The burger was way to charred and flavorless. The best thing was the beer. Hard to mess that up. We will not be back and I would not recommend this place to anyone.

So yesterday I tried out a new location for dinner & drinks with some friends (Silk District Pub on Exchange). The weather was absolutely gorgeous so naturally everyone, including us, wanted to sit outside. There was one server. Yes you read that correct, one. He had the entire outside patio to himself, naturally most parties were larger (4-6 people). Please keep in mind 3 out of the 6 people in my party (including myself) had previously worked in a restaurant setting so we completely understood where the understaffing is coming from and/or what it looks like. Especially this day in age. The food was delicious, and they even had Bosnian themed food specials. Did we wait longer for our drink orders? Yes. Did they probably over seat the patio due to only having one server? Yes. But these individuals are trying to make a living too. From back of house to front of house. The pandemic has touched everyone financially, emotionally, and mentally in one way or another. So riddle me this...when out in public to eat, please be kind to your wait staff. I promise you they are trying their best with the staffing that they have. Everyone in their Mother is hiring, not just restaurants. Every business is looking for help. It’s time for the ones who haven’t worked the last 14 months, and are completely able to, to start helping society out. With summer weather/outdoor patios, occupancy is opening up to 100%, and no longer having to order food while drinking, places are just going to get busier. As to my server last night, DJ, thank you for taking care of my table. Your efforts did not go unnoticed (only food runner, only server, only one bringing bar drinks), and I will definitely be back 🙌🏻 Not to mention the view on the water wasn’t half bad either.

I've been to this place at least 3 times since it has first opened 2xs way B4 COVID and this 1 last time after. Each and every time it has reinforced my opinion that the location and outside are the most notable. The staff are friendly enough, however we went last night and it seemed like we were lucky that they even seated us. I understand COVID and staffing issues. But it is on the pricier side and if we're spending the money, we want to feel welcome. It took the server over 15 mins to bring drinks. She said she would take our order after she set down a water at another table. She didn't come back and I watched her go to many other tables included others that were seated after us and cleaned tables. We wound up leaving because we didn't want to have to talk ourselves into having a good time for spending that much money. I've worked in the restaurant industry and when a server or servers are this busy other staff come in to lighten the load. I'm not sure if it was the owner but someone was help seating and they should have helped with the other parts to lighten the load . In past experiences they either didn't have many items on the menu or the food wasn't prepared well. We went to another restaurant and had a great time even though it wasn't on the river, which was the main reason we went there. It's too had because we really wanted to be there and like it, and would have been repeat customers. We are also super generous tippers...often 25-50% of the bill and with how many people they had I would have appreciated even mediocre service. But there was hardly any...in these times we need to be mutually appreciative. Also we called ahead to make a Reservation and was told not needed. When we got there we were asked if we had a reservation , told they may not have anything but wound up fitting us in with a table (there were at least 6 outdoor tables open) asked if we could be seated closer to the water and was told they were for other people who weren't seated yet. Did not leave a good taste in our mouth starting out. The bartender was helpful and accommodating though. Each time I go I hope the service food issue is just a fluke. But with time and money resources being limited we decided not to risk it and I'm thankful leaving was the best decision.

Friendly service both times we went.The first time, the two of us enjoyed the patio on the river,with our bikes right next to us. It was fairly busy for an off time, so the single waitress had to hustle, but she was polite and professional. We never felt rushed when I ordering, she asked about our preferences to make recommendations,for and offered us a taste of an unusual beer to ensure we wanted to order it. The order took a bit, but she got the calamari to us still hot and perfectly crispy. We had a large party our second visit, on a slow Sat afternoon. They were taking orders at the bar, but food was then brought to our table. The lobster Mac and cheese was so heavenly that after sharing a taste, we had to fight off our friends to keep our lunch! The drinks were good, and everyone enjoyed the many dishes that were ordered. The bartender was jovial and we hung out enjoying the conversation on the history of the restaurant, and the building. A great spot with a scenic city view for stopping on a bike tour, friendly, professional staff, and rich, delicious food. What more could you want?

A chillax bar/restaurant on the Genesee riverside, open outdoor seating and lights give an excellent ambiance for A date night. The food we had was good the blue cheese Cajun burger was Delicious while my wife's shrimp salad sandwich left something to be desired. all in all we will definitely visit again protip: On saturdays the bar next door has live music.

First of all..they charge $2 for ice if you get liquor on the rocks. Second of all, my boyfriends order literally never came and our waiter had no idea. He assumed everything was fine because he was too busy flirting with patrons at the bar instead of looking after his tables. The food also isn't worth the price tag, in my opinion. We won't be returning 👎