I'll give you the short version to start with, but I think you should read the rest of this review to hear more about our excellent dining experience at Cayton's.
The food was outstanding, the service was phenomenal (more on that later, but I'm not using that word lightly), and the ambiance was not only safe but warm and very comfortable.
The phenomenal service started before we'd even arrived at the restaurant, when I'd contacted them by email to inquire about gluten-free options, and engaged in a very helpful, informative, accommodating, yet personal conversation with a few of the restaurant personnel, including the gracious chef Peller himself, who assured me we'd have plenty of gluten-free options (usually, we get one or two options but when chef let us know they have a dedicated fryer and other equipment, so the number of gluten-free options actually exceeded our expectations even at that! It's great to know you can trust your gluten-free dining experience including the management of the risk of cross-contamination. You just don't see that kind of accommodating approach that much from other restaurants. Cayton's really delivered on this aspect, as well as all the others.
But for us, eating out is not just a matter of whether we can get gluten-free items, but the quality of the food and service. Our server, Joe, was on top of his game. I'd seen other reviewers mention him by name and I can see why now. And I'm sure the other servers are very good as well, but Joe just had a pleasant demeanor, a solid knowledge of the menu (both food and drink), great timing (checking on us to see if we need anything else), and an engaging personality. It was really pleasant having Joe as our server.
We were very fortunate to have chef Peller stop by our table and to be able to converse with him. He's got a very engaging personality and he is putting out dishes that are not just solid but memorably excellent. I mean, the food quality at Cayton's Burger Bistro is absolutely top notch!
Don't dismiss the tater tots as just another comfort food appetizer. These babies were amazing! First of all, the presentation was great, in that metal mesh basket, so you can see that delicious load of tater tots sitting there, waiting for you to dig in. Secondly, the texture was just perfect. The way you remember tater tots from your childhood, but I sincerely doubt the tots you had as a child tasted nearly as good as these. Crispy on the outside, tender and fluffy on this inside, with true potato flavor and a little spice. I don't even know how he does it. I mean, there's not only no oily residue on the tots, but you're not even gonna see it on your fingers. You just keep on grabbing another one and enjoying.
Chicken drumettes were also great, very nice crispy outside and tender inside, but it's hard to compete with the tater tots. Next time we may even go for the mini pork shank "wings" (the dish is called "if pigs could fly"). Just a lot to choose from here.
Burger itself was excellent, I really loved how I could taste that little char on the outside, but still have perfectly (medium well) cooked temperature, delicious beef flavor, and the right amount of cheese and lettuce. In fact, I think he might have actually placed the slice of cheese immediately next to the bun, which I thought was a nice touch (instead of placed atop the burger patty), because it changes the dynamic in a good way, I think you get a better balance of meat/cheese taste that way, it was almost as if the cheese slice was part OF the bun. Anyway, definitely a solid burger, with several preparation options.
Happy hour is a great deal, too. Pretty nice quality $6 wine glasses, very pleased with both the white blend and the Pinot noir. And plenty of dishes to choose from. And in terms of our comfort level related to health and safety practices related to COVID, we couldn't have felt more comfortable. Staff were wearing both masks and gloves, tables were spaced more than adequately far apart (plus it's a nice big dining area, so it's easy to separate folks safely), patrons were required to wear masks (including to/from the restroom), it was just good to see them taking it seriously.
It really was just a very pleasant and even special dining experience.
For us, Cayton's Burger Bistro demonstrated not just the ability to make dining out during the COVID pandemic work, but that you can actually have a wonderful meal and a very enjoyable dining experience - just like before the COVID days.