Great little restaurant in Chico. Prices are in line with the quality of food, so you definitely get what you paid for.

First word that comes to mind is pretentious. The median household income for Chico, CA is reported at $42,334. Having a menu that underperforms for the price charged in a small town is purely taking advantage of those visitors unaware. This is not SF. Two very small pieces of meatloaf for $28.00 or chicken for $26.00 which sadly was not cooked completely ensured we would not be repeat customers. White tablecloths and excessive pricing do not necessitate fine dining, especially when sitting on a bocce ball field. I will say our waiter was superb. He is commended on his attention and food descriptions. read more

Sat on the outdoor patio and had the best evening since I've moved back to Nor Cal. Chris (the new owner) was the server, she was a total doll and made some terrific recommendations. Away I went with ordering some of the deliciousness she advised. I inquired about a Riesling or Gewurztraminer, she brought out a sample of both and WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!! I decided on the Riesling (had 2 glasses, mmmm good). The appetizer ordered was the pan roasted artichoke with soy sauce aioli, it wasn't anything to write home about, a bit bland and super oily. However, it went well with the wine so I didn't complain :) The main dishes ordered were originally going to be the chicken enchilada's (which they ended up being out of, waaaaaaaaa!!!) Instead, I ordered the pan roasted chicken breast with creamy polenta an artichoke caponata (minus the capers, why? Because capers are GRODY) as well as the chicken skewers which were quite tasty. *See photos* Finally, the absolute BEST part of the evening...? The dessert. OH MY.GAWWWWD. I could have eaten 10 but chose to be a lady and only have a few bites.... the rhubarb mini pie with home made strawberry ice cream plopped on top.... #DIVINE. I've never known of (or really heard of rhubarb) anything much less a rhubarb dessert. I'm SO GLAD I tried something new, this dessert blew the roof off and now, I'm addicted. To compliment the outstanding pie, a port was also sent to the table, which was just as delicious! I'm pretty sure I'll be visiting Red Tavern just for dessert and wine, my new fav place on the Esplanade for sweets, awesome service and of course the magical little outdoor patio under the stars. I'm a fan! read more

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We went to Red Tavern early on Valentines Day. We sat at the bar for sparkling wine and appetizers. We ordered Brussel sprouts, oysters & pulpo (octopus). Each of the dishes were outstanding. The octopus reminded me of how it's prepared at some restaurants in Spain. The service was both professional and timely. I applaud Red Tavern for having Scharffenberger bubbles on the menu. It's a excellent wine for a fair price. While our favorite server was not working that night, we will most definitely return. read more

Quite possibly the best food in Chico. Patio is lovely during good weather and inside is more quiet then most restaurants which is good for ppl that are hard of hearing. read more

Nice but it needs a piano. They're not many places and she could go listen to piano music and it's always nice to listen to a good piano player so it would be nice if this restaurant had a piano and a piano player. read more

My partner has many dietary restrictions and Red Tavern has some great vegan options! The cocktails are rotating and great, I personally get the meatloaf every time. read more

A lovely, quiet atmosphere to enjoy every, single delicious morsel. Our birthday party of four enjoyed excellent cocktails and the Alsatian Tartar Flambé in a relaxed atmosphere. We then ordered entrees, the Lobster and Shrimp Pasta, the Atlantic Salmon, the Grilled Petite Fillet Mignon, and the Mushroom Pasta (added chicken). We also ordered the roasted beet and burratta salad to share, and a couple of delicious glasses of wine. The birthdays girl chose the lava cake for her complimentary birthday dessert. I cannot stress how delicious every bite of every diners food was. This is a must go, and if you are lucky, as we were, you will be waited on by the extraordinary Sydney! read more

We have enjoyed the food and the outdoor patio here in the past. Unfortunately, we won't be returning due to our experience this evening. We made a reservation over a week ago for 6 (noting that there would potentially be 7) on the patio. When we arrived, we were told "it's prom weekend" and we would be seated inside. We were told that messages were left to let us know of their decision to prioritize the prom go-ers rather than the Mother's Day crowd, which is what we planned to celebrate. I received no messages or would have cancelled the reservation as we do not enjoy dining there indoors. The owner was rude when the waitress let her know we would need another chair as the indoor table was set for 6. This prompted us to leave as the entire situation and lack of professionalism in managing tainted the celebration. read more

Delicious- had the meatloaf and it was comfort food at its finest! Ambience is very French bistro like. Service was friendly! I'll return for sure! read more

Excellent brunch on the patio! Chicken and waffles is amazing. Best I have had. The music is the best relaxing vibe, and bottomless mimosas for 6$ you can't beat. Great service. Great atmosphere. read more

Red Tavern - Filet hash (just okay) and chicken and waffles (excellent!) - New American Near Me - Chico, California

This was my first time at this restaurant, i read the reviews and booked a table for 12 for our Company Christmas party. Absolutely everything was perfect. All of the entrees were perfect and came out together. The wine, the appetizers, dessert, all spot on. In a time when good service at a restaurant is challenging, Red Tavern couldn't have been better. Thank you read more

Adding to D.A and Richards response. I am the husband that moved the fan. It was clear staff could not give a fan, they were being used. 15 minutes after a table cleared I had enough of the flies. Literally 15 flies flying around one plate. The fact that the hostess confronted me about moving a fan from an empty table, a table that remained vacant for an additional 20 minutes was uncalled for. She was very rude about it to be honest. Not what I call customer service. You guys should take a page from Urban Kitchen, Nashes or Sierra Nevada. read more

It has been about five years since went to the Red Tavern. Twice in fact, once for lunch and then, a couple of weeks later, for dinner. I was a little disappointed both times. The restaurant is intended to be fine dining but it did not quite reach that level. Five years went by. By chance a friend and I have birthdays very close to one another. We decided to go to Red Tavern for one dinner, and, if we liked it, to come back again for the second honoree a couple of days later. The food is much improved. The Portuguese fish stew was so lovely. I had it on both occasionsn. Ameatloaf entrée was declared just a touch dry, but very tasty. The coq au vin also got high marks. The dessert was a trifle too sweet(although reasonable bines could disagree on what too sweet is) service was consistently high, but not quite too. A full five stars level. I don't want to quibble: two people can eat the same dish on different days and have a slightly different impression of the food. But overall I would say our weekday meal was not quite as tasty as the weekend meal. For service was very good. They had a full house both occasions, and the staff seem to manage it well Red Tavern has looked much the same, and been decorated the same, as far as I recall. It would benefit from some sound deadening decor, but otherwise, I think the building is charming. In warmer weather, the outside seating is both comfortable, and with a European flare. I certainly would recommend it and think the quality is worth the price. read more

WAIT TIME LONG AND CATERPILLAR IN MY SALAD. I've gone to Red Tavern on 3 occasions before and had the food be delicious and the servers extremely nice and welcoming but this 4th time today was odd. I ordered a take out of my usual order of the filet mignon and ceaser salad at 7:30pm. They told me to come at 8:15 to pick it up. I arrived a bit late at 8:20 and they said it was a 10 more minute wait. I didn't mind so I waited but didn't get my food until 8:40pm. I understand covid has made restaurants extremely low staff so the wait wasn't too much of a problem to be honest, and I left a 20% tip. But when I got home and opened up my salad to eat it there was a full living and moving caterpillar on my top lid (meaning it had been laying atop my salad). I understand again though that these things can happen and that nature occurs like this so I called to complain respectfully and they apologized and comped my salad. They also said that they would talk to their kitchen and runner staff to make sure this doesn't happen again and that they already wash their vegetables in a 3-wash process. I don't have any ill-feeling towards Red Tavern but honestly I threw away the salad cause it put me off so much and it ruined my appetite for the rest of my meal. I definitely think I'm gonna stay away from Red Tavern for a bit even though it's currently my favorite restaurant inI just hope no one else has this situation in the future. read more

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This is our absolute "go to" every visit to Chico. Food is really good, they can handle fish really well...it's all good. Good cocktails and service is very friendly and professional. A lovely outdoor dining patio has made our Covid times easier. read more

One of the best restaurants in Chico. Service is amazing, food is incredible, owners are thoughtful... highly recommend.

Well I always dislike giving negative reviews, but I have to be honest about this experience at Red Tavern. It was not a good experience at all. We sat there for a good solid 10 minutes to start waiting to be greeted, and to put in our drink orders. After 10 minutes we ordered our drinks, which I got a Bloody Mary ( I will say a very good Bloody Mary). There were about 4 people who walked by us the entire time, we did not get or waters refilled, we did not receive the bread basket that every other table had, and the people working were more focused on everything and anything else but paying attention to us. Please note, we were one of 3 other tables, it was not busy at all. Then I ordered my food which came out wrong. I think the server is to blame here . read more

Been there at over 5 times in the last few years, and quality of food is inconsistent. Service is usually good. Went for Valentine's Day weekend, and the menu had changed from the on-line menu, and was difficult to find something for me to eat, as I don't eat red meat and don't like mushrooms. Luckily I eat fish, but the Halibut was so dry it was pretty much inedible. And the scarce (but good) sauce wasn't enough to make up for that. My fiancé got the seafood pasta dish, and although the fettucine pasta was good, it was meh...salad was the best thing about the dinner, but for the prices should've been better. My fiancé said that the food tasted like left-overs (not fresh). read more

Excellent food, very different with a flare! Place was clean and has a very nice atmosphere

Several people recommended this place and sadly it was a huge let down. Right off the bat I felt like an annoyance to the staff , even though we made a reservation... Once we were seated waiters and waitresses avoided our table and eye contact for 30 min, helping everyone around us. Really just not the vibe at all! As we left they wished us a good nice as if they had helped us. Good stuff, do better Red Tavern read more

You have to check out Red Tavern. This place's quality has come and gone over the years as ownership and chefs have changed, but they are firing on all cylinders right now! My entire meal was prepared with finesse and included gourmet items like Jamon Iberica and Foie Gras. Really, really good!!! Rivals the quality and types of offerings we are used to in San Francisco. UPDATE: it seems the owner is now the executive chef. The menu has become boring and they have lost their creativity. And execution is lacking -- our salmon was badly over-cooked. Sad to see this happen to what I used to consider Chico's best fine dining. read more

After revisiting I was pleased to enjoy an outside alfresco diner with friends. My previous visits had sour reviews for this or that but tonight service was on point and our meals were delivered hot and freshly prepared to out delight. read more

I had not been since before COVID. I don't recall it being very good the last time either. My guests picked the restaurant as it was to be a little celebration, my treat. One guest order halibut, as did I. I have never seen halibut sliced thin, and seared (cooked) to dry! Both of us agreed is was very strange and very disappointing. It was served over succotash, which was also overcooked and seemed a very odd pairing. The Steak Riso was a lite meal, for a man. All in all, with beverages etc. it was way overpriced for the quality of the dishes. read more

Had a bad experience at the Red Tavern!!! Waiting an hour for the food is just not ok. We will never go back! I would not recommend anybody eating there. We were ignored most of our time there. We have a 5 year old autistic daughter. And she can be difficult at times... I don't see this place lasting very long. Covid-19 or no covid-19.... Red tavern is a DIVE!!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME AT THIS PLACE!!!! read more

We have been to dinner her twice and the food is excellent. The bartender was great as we had to sit at the bar and wait for a table. Highly recommend this restaurant read more

Red Tavern is, in my opinion, the best white table cloth dinner in Chico. Every single thing we ordered was FANTASTIC. Wonderful staff and so happy we found you. Can't wait to come back on our next visit. read more

Red Tavern - Beef Stroganoff, Cornish Game Hens, Portuguese Stew AMAZING - New American Near Me - Chico, California

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Want a fancy dinner? Visit this restaurant, they will treat you well and the food is amazing.

Three stars because it was average. We enjoyed the ambiance inside and the waitress was attentive. The Cesar salad was lacking flavor. Meatloaf: I had this dish. The first several bites were tasty but I got bored after that. I also didn't care for the peach chutney so I scraped that off the meatloaf. Filet mignon: One person in my party got this. No complaints from him about the taste, but he mentioned the high price so I would guess he was not blown away. Gnocchi: The other person in my party got the gnocchi, and she was NOT a fan. Many comments were made that they tasted store bought and rubbery. She was highly under the impression that they were in fact not homemade as described on the menu. The sauce was okay, but it seemed kind of greasy (in appearance, at least). We shared the sticky toffee pudding for dessert. Not quite sure why it's called "pudding" (like bread pudding I guess) when the description calls it cake? It's cake. It would have been better if it was served warm. And it was a little dry. Seemed like a pre-made frozen dessert to me. Doesn't make my list of recommendations, but I wouldn't turn down an invitation to return. read more

The best restaurant in Chico by far. The ambience is classy and relaxing. Our server Maggie was attentive, answered all our questions, and gave amazing recommendations. The food was PHENOMENAL. We had appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts. We asked to have a slow pace and the courses were timed perfectly for it. The standout stars were the octopus, the halibut, and the sticky toffee pudding. Will definitely be returning here whenever we are in town. read more

Red tavern was absolutely excellent accommodating our wedding party. I could not ask for more professional and attentive service than Rich and Cris. I am truly thankful for the incredible evening they gave us. Between hosting a band, incredible food, a beautiful space, impeccable service, we were floored as a new bride and groom. Granted they could produce incredible food and service for a party of 70, I guarantee their attention to detail on all aspects is the best in town. Thanks red tavern!!!! #1 best ambiance and food in chico, it's rare to find such intimate owners. read more

Thursday night. No reservations for 4. The hostess was gracious and sat us at a table outside by a heater. Drinks came beautifully prepared-no waiting. Meatball appetizer and broccoli/cauliflower Appetizer was delicious. Dinner perfection. Thank you Chef! Thank you hostess, thank you bartender, and thank you to our waiter. My only suggestion is do not put the silverware in the glasses, set them on the table. read more

Food was amazing first time there and enjoyed the cocktails and appetizers!! Plan on going again!

I've always found Red Tavern to be a great location with amazing service and local ingredients. Their menu items tend to be unique - this is the first place I ever had rabbit - and the food is always delicious. Recently I have popped in to have a few of their signature cocktails and was not disappointed. Their cute bartender makes a great drink and had a smooth Texas accent to go along with excellent service. Sure can't complain about that! I'll be bringing my ladies there for happy hour soon to be sure. read more

Hubby and I used their new online ordering system for my birthday last week. I ordered filet mignon and it was perfect...so delicious. Hubby had Mary's chicken and we shared a cheese plate. The food was cooked wonderfully and looked beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday meal! read more

We went here Saturday night for my son's birthday. There aren't a ton of upscale restaurants up there. We started with the frites & brussel sprouts. Both of those options were great. I had the Bavette and the meat was just tough. The polenta had food flavor but it was lukewarm. I also had the beets & burrata. No flavor at all. For the cost of this meal...nearly $300 without alcohol, I expected much better food. The rest of the people in our party enjoyed their food. I am not the person that sends food back. In this case, I'm not sure sending it back would have done anything. Our server was great. He was very attentive and enthusiastic. read more

We're new to Chico and really wanted to check out Red Tavern. We have heard good things and are used to high quality dining experiences. We decided to make reservations for dinner at 6:45 pm. I called to make reservations at the patio but called again a couple hours later and changed it to inside dining in consideration of my 80 year old mom because I didn't know how well heated the patio was and didn't want her to get cold. I was told that they only had a table for five available inside at 6:15 which was just fine. When we arrived, the hostess said our reservation was for the patio and when I told her it was for inside, she insisted that I must have made the reservation on line (I didn't!) because sometimes there are inconsistencies when making reservations on line (unacceptable explanation!). I explained to the hostess that each time I called I spoke directly with a person who answered the phone. The hostess went to speak with someone and took a while leaving us standing by the entrance. When she finally returned she informed us that they were going to sit us down once they were able to rearrange the tables to accommodate us and make a call to cancel someone else's reservations (!!!!). We were very put off by this. First, we DID have reservations and second WHY tell your customers that you had to rearrange tables and cancel someone else's reservations in order to accommodate them when it was the restaurant's error?!? This made us feel very uncomfortable and frankly unwelcome. Thankfully the rest of our dining experience at Red Tavern was very good, our waitress was VERY attentive and pleasant and the food was great! We will definitely return because they deserve a second chance and we're hoping this was just an isolated situation. Hopefully the hostess will be nicer... or it may be our last time there.... Only three stars because of the rude hostess.... Otherwise would have given five stars. read more

This was a great surprise. Had the special eggplant lasagna. And a couple of appetizers so so good. Great atmosphere. We were not dressed Up but they are very friendly. Felt at home. Perfect for that special date. read more

amazing well worth the $ really nice ambiance excellent menu I have been ordering gnocchi for decades and this was by far the best I have ever had. read more

I've been going to Red Tavern for years and I've literally NEVER had a single bad experience. My first Valentine's Day with my college sweetheart was spent there. We sipped champagne while enjoying a beautiful rack of lamb, unaware of the fact that 7 years later, we'd be searching for a place to host our rehearsal dinner. Red Tavern quickly jumped to the top of our list. Rich and his team were incredibly accommodating in the months leading up to the dinner. I went back and forth a few times between wanting to have the dinner on the patio or inside and Rich was consistently patient and flexible. Ultimately we elected to eat inside. Our guest count was 26 but on the day-of, I texted Rich asking if we could add two more people last minute. With no hesitation, he assured me that it would be no problem and that they would make it work. Our guests had a wide range of palates (a couple vegetarians and one vegan) but Rich worked with us to come up with an exquisite menu of locally sourced foods that would appease everyone - the Goat Cheese Croquettes ended up being particularly loved. Over the course of the night, I can't think of a time when any glass wasn't full or on it's way to being refilled. The pacing at which the dishes were brought out was perfect. The servers were both polite and helpful. Honestly, I feel like I could just keep listing all the things that went right but for the sake of brevity, I'll just say that not a thing went wrong. Red Tavern is an absolute treasure. If you're looking for an upscale and affordable place to host your rehearsal dinner, seriously do yourself a favor and get in touch with them now. You'll thank me. read more