I dined at garlic Mike's. The food was great. However I do not like the up selling, non disclosure! I asked a salad and they gave offer it with pinenuts and blue cheese. However afterwards I found a charge for each. I really don't appreciate the up selling - non disclosure! Very disappointing. But the food was good. read more

Food and service excellent. However, the fowl language coming from the kitchen was disappointing when you are anywhere really, but especially at an upscale , nice sit down restaurant. It's so disrespectful and rude. read more

"On the way out there was a bug on the counter." Seriously? Garlic Mike's is not your big-city, linen napkins restaurant. It's situated literally on the banks of the Gunnison River, doors open in the summertime with customers and waitstaff scurrying around making sure everyone has a good time. There's a reason Garlic Mike's has been around as long as it has - customer loyalty and consistent Italian food. Yeah, it's not a quiet bistro with candles and soft music. There are other places in Gunnison County where you can find that, but GM's has never tried to compete with that ambience. It's a place to take the family for a good time and great meal. And by the way, dollar for dollar, it's still a very good value. read more

I'm a Gunnison local for over 20 years and Garlic Mike's is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in the Valley. The staff is always very welcoming, attentive and friendly. The foods even better. The Brodetto is my personal favorite. You can't go wrong with the Chicken Marsala. read more

Absolutely loved our experience here. The food is absolutely world-class. Best prime rib we've ever eaten. Recommend reservations (not required) which can be made the day before. Arrive early and enjoy the beautiful bar area riverside. They've done a wonderful job accommodating social distancing by extending the dining areas to charming outdoor heated tents. We arrived at 5:45pm and were seated immediately for our 6pm reservation. We were there about a hour and a half, which we were fine with. This was an enjoyable, leisurely dining experience for us. We saw other patrons who were in and out quickly at their request. read more

The chef in this restaurant is an absolute a-hole. I wanted to substitute a-hole. I wanted to substitute pasta for something else with my meal, he had the nerve of saying no. Two days ago I came to this place and had a positive experience, but today the chef decided he had the right to tell me what to eat. I wasn't asking for a free meal. What a jerk! Will not be returning to this place. On my way out there was a bug on the counter. read more

My husband and I are in town visiting. It's his birthday so we came for dinner. Ambiance is good. Service was horrible. Only 1 waitress w a full house. She came by asked if we wanted drinks or appetizers, we said no but we were ready to order n she abruptly walks off without taking our order making us sit there confused as she's going around taking other people's orders ignoring us. I get up to find her and she's still ignoring us. So strange. She definitely needs to brush up on her manners. Ruined our date. Will never come here again simply by the lack of service. read more

I placed a review on a popular travel website and below you can see my review and Mikes response, which I think speak volumes of his disdain for customers Reviewed 2 days ago Mediocre quality at a high price The food was so so. We had 10 in our party and two had overcooked chicken parm which took effort to cut and one balsamic chicken that was actually burnt. My wife had Marsala and the breading didn't stick and fell off into the sauce. My vegetables were partially cold. Lesson 1 Train your cooking crew and have the wait staff inspect the food prior to serving The place was fairly busy and we didn't see much of the wait staff. We needed forks since they took ours with the appetizer, need more bread and got it. Yet 10 minutes later. They never came back after serving to ask how the meal, until check time. Lesson 2 Hire more wait staff and poor or limited service is mostly a management problem Mike's response to a customer that paid over $500 for a family gathering and I did not even mention his garlic fries are limp Mike Busse, Owner at Garlic Mike's Italian Cuisine, responded to this review Responded yesterday Lesson 3. Shut your cannoli hole. There is a staff shortages pandemic across the country. read more

Good food; during summer days a little slow service because of the great number of customers. Fall season is wonderful dining.

Service took an extraordinary long time frame. Don't waste your time. 2 hours for pasta and all I did was ask for a bottle of wine and was treated like crap. Don't go to this restaurant! read more

This place couldn't have crashed further after Covid. Nobody gives a care about service, timeliness or quality. Stay away if you've never been before or are thinking of coming back. They blame it on not over loading the kitchen...I didn't realize it took 30 minutes to get a cocktail...that doesn't come from the kitchen. Staff neve mr checked on us but by the way...they're a "two hour" restaurant. Go pound sand Garlic Mike's....been coming to CB for 40 years and you are dead. read more

Had Mothers Day brunch, the food, staff were excellent and this it is on the river with an outdoor heated patio

We chose Garlic Mike's based on it being the top-rated Italian food in Gunnison. I now think all those glowing reviews are based on people being impressed by the upscale atmosphere (and prices). Judging on what really matters - the food and the service - it's just average. We've had many meals that were better at Olive Garden for about half the price. [Update] "I really don't think you have any idea what you are talking about." Really? I didn't see you at my table. I described our experience accurately. Sorry you don't like it. read more

Make sure you have a reservation! We were fortunate that they were able to squeeze us in on a Saturday night! The hostess/manager was great! She sat us in a cute tent outside and waived the tent fee. Everything was delicious from the filet mignon to the tortellini to the seafood pasta. We got the recommended peach pie for dessert, but would've been nice to have it ala mode. It was just ok. It was my birthday and we were told we would get a free cannoli but did not. We also asked for a bottle of red wine to go, which we also did not get, but at least we were not charged for it. read more

Garlic Mike's - Italian Near Me - Gunnison, Colorado

Had a large party of twelve just after Christmas. We were seated promptly. Servers were attentive and very accurate with the orders. We had a variety of drinks (wine, cocktails, sodas) before ordering. Several people chose pasta dishes, there was also a steak, a chicken, and a shrimp dinner. Everything was hot and tasty! The included salads are always a treat to start the meal. We have visited Garlic Mike's several times over the years and never have we been disappointed! read more

AMAZING!!!! We got our wedding catered from Garlic Mike's and they were fantastic! Throughout the whole process they were so helpful and informative. Not to mention, their food is delicious!!! They have many options for party trays. For our wedding we ordered the party trays of Caesar salad, seasonal vegetables, baked ziti, lasagna and cannolis! The restaurant is so cute and cozy for a date night or accommodating for a big family dinner. On their regular menu they have a build your own pasta dish, you pick the pasta shape, sauce (they have 6 different kinds!) and meats or other toppings. Garlic Mike's is well known in the Gunnison area and is always highly recommended! read more

We hunt near Gunnison every couple of years, and we visit Garlic Mikes on each trip. It's something that we all look forward to as "part" of a complete trip. Never had a bad dish, and service has always been great. People reviewing otherwise are clueless. Not to mention the river bar. What a setting, what a place, can't wait to return. read more

Don't waste your time. Extremely slow service, food was subpar. Incredibly over priced. Whiskey smash was excellent! read more

Don't let this basic name fool you! This restaurant actually has a sommelier. We sampled wine and settled on a great Old World Italian wine to complement our meals. I ordered the spaghetti and meat balls. The meat balls were light and tasty. I've never had veal before, but these could have been made from that. I didn't ask. The spaghetti and sauce was flavorful and cooked to perfection. My partner ordered gnocchi. Whoah. That dish was simply divine. It was smooth and non-starchy. The cream sauce was lighter and garlicky with tender mushrooms and peas. The ambience was family-friendly and quaint. Better make reservations here! read more

A group of seven of us met here for dinner last Monday evening - seems like this is one of the elite "go-to" restaurants in the Gunnison area. I ordered the Cream of Mushroom Soup and the New York Strip Steak Carbonara - medium well. The menu lists the steak as a 12 oz. Steak with a unique dark color and robust flavor. Little did I realize how prophetic this description would be. I also ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a glass of water. The Mushroom soup was to salty - if it had less sodium in it - it would have been a lot better. When our food came out - the steak was crispy - as in burnt. I took a couple of bites to test it - it was indeed burned - and everyone at the table noticed and commented on it. I flagged down our server and pointed this out. I decided to switch steaks upon the recommendation of one my fellow dining companions (he had been to Garlic Mike's many times). So I switched to the Sirloin Steak Giovanni. It is drenched in a mushroom and Chianti wine sauce and Balsamic glaze, with a side of roasted potatoes and vegetables. Finally my replacement steak came out - everyone else had pretty much finished eating - so they were waiting on me to finish... The Sirloin Steak Giovanni was excellent. The flavor of the meat was full and robust, (this steak was not overcooked) and the wine sauce/glaze was mouth wateringly good! If I was rating this place on the soup and the first steak - it would have earned 0 stars. However, they recovered nicely with the replacement steak. What I don't understand is how they let a piece of meat like that go out of the kitchen. "Medium Well" does not mean burned. The service was good - the place was fairly popular so she was definitely moving about the place at a good clip. I will come back here again. read more

Garlic Mike's - Italian Near Me - Gunnison, Colorado

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Mike is the most genuine and generous person whom you would ever want to meet! We have been patrons si ce DAY ONE! We absolutely love this place. To call it a " Restaurant " is demeaning! It is a family place, a friends place , a center point for love! read more

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Amazing food, service, and ambiance! will definitely be back the next time I'm in the area!

Great food, but our service tonight is horrible. We've sat here for 2 hours and have been served lukewarm food, empty water glasses, and basically ignored. read more

Excellent cuisine and great service - very pleased with the entire dining experience!

What a great restaurant. We went last night, beautiful Fall night, started with cocktails on the river at the River Bar. Wow, gorgeous river setting, nice music, a perfect spot to bring people. We had reservations for 8, a nice table inside the restaurant was set up for us. All of us loved our selections. I had the best CO lamb chops, perfectly cooked. The filet minion was a hit with 2 of the folks, as was the chicken balsamic dish and the scampi dish. From start to finish, Garlic Mike's was so good. I highly recommend this Italian restaurant. We will now take all our out of towner friends, even though Crested Butte is about 25 min drive totally worth the drive. The food, the service and the ambiance is so good. We felt it was great value as well. read more

We went there to celebrate a birthday, which is the only way we would probably pay as much as we did for the food...and especially the glasses of wine. The wine we chose (a house white and a house red) were $15 a glass. You get a good amount, but still quite pricey, in my opinion. I got the Chicken Piccata with mashed red potatoes and vegetable medley (grilled green beans, carrots and yellow squash). Not too bad. I've had better, honestly. You need reservations because, right now, the seating areas are spread apart. And if you want to sit near the river (and a fire pit) call early to get your reservation in. Our reservation was for right when they opened (5:00 pm) and there were no river tables available any more. As I mentioned, we went to celebrate a birthday. My husband had called to make the reservation and to tell them it was a special occasion. The hostess that seated us mentioned it when we checked in...wished a happy birthday...but nothing else was done about it, even though a couple of times during the night, we heard the servers singing to a birthday table. Just would have been nice to actually feel like we were being celebrated...even if it had just been a free little scoop of gelato or something. Overall, a pretty nice experience. We walked down to the river and it was indeed beautiful. read more

It's amazing and such a beautiful view outside I wold totally recommend for dinner but more of a fancy place read more

It seems that Garlic Mike's is full of diners every evening that they are open, but I'm not really sure why. The food is just barely "OK" nothing at all special, and definitely over priced for the quality. We have dined her a few times over the years, and decided recently to give it one more chance. Never again. We're done with going there. There are so many better restaurants in nearby Crested Butte, we will never go here again. The mystery to me is why are they always busy? I guess their business is based on tourists that just don't know any better. read more

We've been fortunate enough to enjoy Garlic Mike's delicious fare in many different ways--in the restaurant, the riverside bar, and a private event. Each has been as good or better than the other. Time spent at the restaurant is sure to delight. Cocktails are taste and the wine selection is broad. The off is perfectly prepared and incredibly delicious. Whether you're there for a date night for two or a gathering for an occasion, you won't be disappointed. The waitstaff will ensure your time there is perfect. During the milder months, times spent out by the river for cocktails and appetizers are a perfect way to end the day, network with a group, or simply enjoy a scenic end to your day is time well spent. We so enjoyed our visits to the restaurant, we invited Mike to come to our home to entertain our friends for a holiday meal. Micke provided us with a truly memorable experience. He made planning and coordinating the evening very easy and worry-free. Once the meal started, Mike and our server had all of us smiling, laughing, and enjoying the meal. Before we knew it, adults and children alike were engaged in the process of dinner and were welcome to look over Mike's shoulder and pick up tips and tricks along the way. Best of all, our formal dinner was relaxed, fun and an event we'll all remember for some time. Food, fun, and service are bountiful no matter where you choose to experience Garlic Mike's! read more

The River bar was interesting. Cool "ambiance" with an interesting set up on ordering food and drinks. The menu outside is lackluster. It appeared they just had noodles cooked and then threw marinara or Alfredo sauce on top when ordered.The portions were small, and expensive for what we got. Not worth the price, the food was mediocre and I left hungry. Giving it two stars because maybe inside is better? read more

When we walked in, I immediately regretted my outfit of jeans and a t-shirt! The waitstaff was dressed really sharp and so were most of the guests. I was nervous we'd be put in a dark corner near a back exit, but the hostess was so sweet! We didn't have a reservation, as this was a spontaneous dinner. But she said she'd put us in a nice booth, and it was a great spot. She was super awesome. And our server, Jesus, was equally spectacular. He was on the ball, quick to take our order, bring courses, and check-in with us. He also answered our questions. We asked him for some of his favorite menu items - he mentioned the specials and a few regular items, one being the gnocchi. It's served with peas, shrooms and bacon in a cream sauce. I've never cared much for gnocchi, but I figured why not give it another shot. Now I'm far from a gnocchi expert, I don't eat it often and my family never made it growing up. But the handful of times I've had it, it's been on the hard/dense side. But that's not the case at Garlic Mike's! It's pillowy and melt in your mouth. What an incredibly soft texture. I'm not sure if I'm converted to a gnocchi fan quite yet, but all of the components together were really tasty. Worth trying for yourself! My partner got one of the specials of the day, and he said it was pretty good. We also had calamari as a starter - tasty and a very generous portion! Also, the complimentary bread was extra yummy as it's paired with an herbed butter, which definitely elevated it. You might be wondering why only 4 stars instead of 5. It really comes down to the price and the dessert. We were looking at the dessert menu and I noticed the cannoli and the tiramisu were both $8.50. I wondered how could a cannoli possibly be the same price as tiramisu. $8.50 seems expensive for a cannoli. So we opted to split the tiramisu. Yes, it's a "basic" thing to order, but you can tell a lot by how a restaurant makes tiramisu - whether they use mascarpone, what kind of liquor they add, etc. Well, when it arrived, I realized why it was the same price as the cannoli. The portion is very small, I was super ticked off I had to share it with another person, haha! It was served in a champagne coupe type of glass rather than in a neat square on a plate, and it was topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the side. I would have traded the whipped cream for more tiramisu, and i would have cut down on the chocolate sauce. Also, it was a little dry, but perhaps it was that particular cut. Long story short, I wasn't over the moon about their tiramisu, but my partner enjoyed it. I might go back to try their cannoli. I feel like for $8.50, it's gotta be one helluva cannoli. I'll post an update whenever I do - I saw they do a baker's dozen of cannoli for $25, maybe they're a good item to bring to parties and get-togethers. Oh also, they have flyers for something called "float and dine." Sounds like it could be fun! Can't think of many restaurants that offer a unique activity like that, pretty neat. read more

We had an amazing meal. There are many choices for everyone's tastebuds and they offer gluten free pasta. We had the Brodetto di Presci and the shrimp laurino, both had amazing flavor. There is a reason they have such a high star rating. read more

An excellent place to visit when in Gunnison. Perhaps not the best Italian restaurant we've ever been to, but first rate none the less. Food and service was excellent and the unique venue on the river makes for a terrific dining experience. Be sure to make a reservation. read more

Extremely overpriced, terrible food, and horrible service. If I could give this place 0/5 I would. Each of our meals were around $30 per person, and we sat outside in a tent. My water glass was dirty (I asked for a new glass and the waitress acted offended/irritated), and then I NEVER got a refill. My Lasagna had a hair in it. My husband ordered the Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo (build your own) had three small slices of chicken. Terrible, terrible, terrible. I usually never leave reviews, but this is the worst restraint and experience I've ever had. read more

Updated review... we said we'd never go back, but wanted to give it another chance. I'm 50/50 on the experience. Our service was 5/5 hand down. Jesús was absolutely phenomenal and made our experience this time worth while! That man deserves a raise! He was very attentive and even recommended certain wines based off our entrees etc... pre and post dinner drinks 5/5 also! Unfortunately, our food was extremely bland. We got fried green tomatoes as an appetizer- okay, but not really any flavor for the tomatoes themselves or the sauce it's served with- plus they were burnt. I will say the Caesar salad was very yummy and my favorite part of dinner. I got the build your own pasta with pesto and chicken and my husband got the tortellini. It looked amazing, but unfortunately was soooo bland. After adding half the Parmesan shaker and lots of salt it tasted like more than oil- same for my husband. I really want to like this place because the atmosphere and service are awesome, but I really think the cooks should be tasting sauces before serving them. We'll probably try again the next time we visit, but only if Jesús is working! He made the experience worth coming back. read more

Wow. This place was recommended to us, and we loved it. We got bread and garlic butter that was clearly homemade. We got calamari with marinara sauce as an appetizer. The marinara sauce was fantastic! I wish there was more garlic in it, but you need to "cater to the masses". I loved it and finished the marinara sauce with my spoon. We split the tortellini entrée that was recommended to us by our server. It did not disappoint! I ordered a glass of Conundrum, red blend, wine and it paired perfectly with our dinner. We loved it and can't wait to go back. First for the fantastic food, secondly because I loved the staff! read more

Loved this place! Staff, ambiance and food were all great. we are going back for more before we leave this town. Be sure to make reservations, it is popular! read more

If you call and make reservations and they tell you that you don't need them, go ahead and make them anyway before driving 30 minutes to find out you did in fact need reservations. Hostess was very rude telling us she would never say that and she wouldn't budge. Not going to attempt coming here again. read more

Ambiance, apps and service were good. The veal and the eggplant parmigiana were over fried with a slice of unmelted cheese. The sauce tasted like it came from a jar of ragu. Could have been easily much better. read more

Lived up to the name! Wonderful food! Great wine list, awesome staff. Definitely a must stop when in Gunnison!