Gander and Ryegrass

I rarely take the time to write reviews because I am seldomly impressed these days, but after our dinner tonight I knew I needed to sing Gander and Ryegrass’ praises! First time dining with them celebrating my husband and my anniversary. Everything we ordered was DELICIOUS! The flavors the plating, the service was all so wonderful. We really enjoyed having some non-alcohol options like their homemade sodas, what a fun treat. Dessert was light but a perfect ending to the meal. Cannot wait to dine here again!

I’ve eaten at Gander and Ryegrass three times, and while my first two experiences were fantastic, my most recent visit left me disappointed. My girlfriend and I arrived slightly early for our reservation for the Marathon (about 5-10 minutes ahead of time). We were seated right away, which was nice, but then sat at the table for about 20 minutes without being greeted or acknowledged by anyone in the restaurant. We didn’t even get water during this time, despite me placing our empty glasses at the edge of the table to make it clear they needed to be filled. What made this even more frustrating was that our server clearly knew we were there. She spent a lot of time at the table to our right—even serving them multiple times—while we sat waiting to be greeted. When she finally stopped by, she asked if we knew about the Marathon, which felt unnecessary since that was the purpose of our reservation. I corrected her, telling her yes, that’s exactly what we were there for. Near the end of the meal, she asked if we were celebrating a special occasion—a question that would’ve made more sense to ask at the beginning, especially since we were both clearly dressed up. She did mention that she was new, which may explain some of the missteps, but it felt like she was very unprepared to serve us or explain the dishes. I feel she should have been paired with a more experienced server to ensure everything went smoothly. As a side note, my girlfriend asked if a drink with lavender-infused vodka could be modified due to her lavender allergy (which I had noted in the reservation). The server responded with, “Oh! I heard all about you!” which felt unprofessional and unnecessary. The food itself was beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious, but the server’s lack of knowledge about the dishes was frustrating. She struggled to answer specific questions and didn’t do a great job presenting the courses. That said, the other servers who brought out some of the plates were fantastic—knowledgeable, professional, and much more in line with the level of service I’ve come to expect from this restaurant. One other side note: if you add the bouquet to your experience, be aware that it doesn’t include a vase, which is surprising given the $45 price tag. Overall, the food was excellent, and some staff really stood out, but the inattentive and unprofessional service from our main server made the experience disappointing. For a restaurant of this caliber, I would expect more consistent service.

Gander and Ryegrass is the best fancy restaurant in Spokane. The food is over-the-top delicious, the service is both impeccable and charismatic, and the folks in the kitchen do an amazing job of tailoring the meals to accommodate "food rules" such as avoiding allergens or coping with other dietary restrictions. Definitely our favorite place to go for a nice dinner.

I followed this restaurant on Instagram and was really looking forward to our meal. They just didn't "nail it". We had the pasta courses & we agreed two of the dishes were very good but the other dishes were not. The wine pairing was very nice though. Our server was wonderful. If I did return I would order ala carte.