My review in no way goes toward the server staff. Both times I've been here, they are very friendly and attentive. BUT-- Last night was my second visit to Big Walnut Grill. Again, I was there to see a band, this time it was my husband's band. BWG charges a $6 cover charge for all their live entertainment. Upon entering with my husband, I had three people come up to me separately to find out if I was "with the band" because if I wasn't, they would be sure to collect their money. The last person pulled out a guest list and verified my name was on it and handed me a bracelet. I ordered a mozzarella sticks appetizer and 3 cocktails through the evening. The appetizer wasn't that great beyond something I could pull out of the freezer and heat up myself. The cocktails are very weak for the price. My total bill was $37. The last time I was here, I had spent $75 for me and my kiddo, and they still came to my table to collect $6 for the band. As the band gets started, I get a phone call from the parking lot, that my husband's cousin and his wife were denied entry because they had their 17 year old with them. There were children sitting in the dining area! What establishment turns away business like that? That 17 year old is s musician herself and was just out to see her cousin play with her Mom and Dad. They then took her home and came back. Apparently the woman at the door accused my husband's cousin's wife of flipping her off, threatened to call the police and then kicked them out, and wasn't going to return the money, but then she did. First of all, I think it's awesome that a small town such as Sunbury has a place for live music, and the acts they choose are people I want to get out and see, but their tactics need to change! I can't tell you how many people I had talk to that day that told me they do not like BWG for one reason or another. It is sad that you feel accosted for a cover charge (and a charge that is way too steep especially when drink and food prices are so high) and are met with so many rules and regulations that are not visibly posted. As I write this, I decided to rate them the one star they deserve. They really need to change things if they want to stay in business. The bar was only a quarter full last night, and most of those people came with the band. They turned away 3 people. Not very customer friendly. I will not be coming back. read more

Came on a Thursday night and it took a very long time for our food to arrive even though it was a basic order of chicken and fries. However it was worth the price and the environment was fun. Great location and good staff. Can't beat the half priced specials! read more

Great atmosphere but DANG it's cold in here. Outside temps have changed and AC is on, ceiling fans are on and they say the manager (who is not here) is the only person that can turn it all off. what a shame because it's a great place but COLD! read more

They charge 1.5% surcharge for paying with a credit card. Who does that with no warning until check arrives? Who carries cash?? We wont return. read more

Pretty legit place with good appetizers and drinks. Tons of TV's for watching sports Patio is nice and tables are spread out nicely inside read more

Have not been here for a long time. Decided since we up in Sunbury we would stop for dinner. Fantastic food. Had the Brisket Comb with Brisket and Half Chicken. Brisket was tender and moist as was the chicken. Wife had had half slab of ribs. They were very good and moist. We both had Baked Beans. They were fantastic with flavor. Natalie was our server. Very attentive but not hovering. Checked each time she passed by. Great Night. Will definitely be back soon. Beer prices were great. read more

Went here with my group after golfing, was seated immediately which was great, all staff wearing masks which is important to some readers (myself I don't mind TBH). Got the buffalo chicken sandwich which was juicy, thick, & had some good kick to it but not enough where it's miserable. Good sized sandwich for the price so that was a plus, 3/4 of us all ordered the buffalo sandwich & there were no complaints. The only reason I didn't rate it a 5star is that it took almost 20-30min for our food to come out. Granted we just played 18holes so we were super hungry but that's a little excessive on time. Will still be willing to come back again & try something different on the menu. read more

Delicious ribs! Fall off the bone type ribs. The fries will have you coming back for more. Service was slow but due to CoVid I'm sure they're short staffed. My wife had a burger and enjoyed it all. I just wish I didn't have to get ahold of the manager to replace my daughters cheeseburger with a grilled cheese like we ordered. read more

My first trip here was very good. Fish and Chips, cole slaw, etc...all fantastic! Brought my wife back for lunch. For me, fish and chips, and my wife had BBQ ribs...again all excellent! Service has bern equally good on both occassions. So top marks! read more

Wasn't sure if it was going to be good food ,and it wasn't! It's bar food and bar food could be good but this wasn't! We had potatoes skins , Margherita pizza and fish sandwich . The skins were cold ! Server brought it out no plates and never came back to see if we needed anything. Then our meal came out ... the margherita pizza wasn't made like any margherita pizza I've ever had , no fresh basil or mozzarella and again no plate ! Fish sandwich was good but the fries were cold ! Needless to say I Won't go back ! read more

My wife and I drove on a vacation trip to Buffalo, NY and we stopped at Sunbury going there and returning home. Each stop meant a different motel. Each time, someone at the front desk recommended Big Walnut Grill for dinner. This review covers those two meals. First, the onside of Big Walnut was like Sunbury's version of the Oktoberfest. There were around 20 flat screen televisions surrounding a central area where customers ate, drank and made merry. One motel gave us a coupon for a free appetizer. We selected the 10 fried chicken wings. Those drumettes were huge- something so rarely seen. On the first night I ordered their BBQ ribs.They served me ribs, but the were the pieces of a rack and some rib tips. Did I pitch a fit and send them back? No. this one's on me. On the next trip, I again ordered BBQ ribs, but, this time, specified what kind of ribs I expected. This time, the ribs that were served were thick, meaty and moist. One of my sides was french fried sweet potatoes. I'd never cared for that dish, but what Big Walnut served was really good. My wife liked both her meals. Big Walnut Grill was a fun place. If we lived in Sunbury, we'd be in here quite a bit. Parking was ample and our service was great. Aside from one glitch, I was very happy with the food served here. Five stars for Big Walnut Grill. read more

Great local establishment. And the food is good. You can tell the staff is trying very hard, even when they don't have enough people I really like it here. read more

This restaurant is over priced for the food quality. We so wanted to try this place, after moving to Centerburg Ohio. Today, 6/27/2022, I called at 11:15 am for a take out order for two of us, after my husbands surgery. I want to treat him with something new, and thought we could just take it home for him to eat; then rest. We didn't get our food until almost noon. This was not anything special or customize in anyway. Two fish meals and two desserts. They said on the phone, 15 mins, this order took 45 mins on a Monday. They took the order for dessert that was still frozen, and asked after I was there 10 mins, if that was ok or they could replace with a cookie. This was a $60.00 lunch on a Monday, don't waste your time or money. read more

I made reservation for NYE for dinner and The Street Players. The Street Players were advertising their show for NYE in late November. Getting details about reservations was cumbersome. I called weekly for 3 weeks trying to get information and each time the person I spoke with at BWG couldn't tell me anything. Finally, two weeks before NYE I was able to make a reservation. There was a limited NYE menu, which wasn't mentioned in any advertising or promotion that I was aware of. Both the selections and prices were very reasonable though. My wife chose the shrimp cocktail and Grouper. The shrimp were quite good, deep fried and dusted in black and white sesame seeds served in a martini glass with sweet Asian slaw and a sweet a spicy sauce for dipping. Two thumbs up! The Grouper was flavorful and a nice portion size. The side salad was average. I chose the crab cake appetizer and Beef Tenderloin. The crab cakes were minuscule with too much moisture; the two sauces on the plate along with a veggie relish were too salty, but the flavor was okay. The tenderloin was SPOT ON medium rare; tender, succulent, and a nice portion size. The Caesar side salad was okay, with the flavor of lettuce coming from a plastic bag, rather than fresh. The roasted potatoes were as bad as the tenderloin was good. Very minimal roasting, no browning whatsoever, completely tepid upon arrival. There appeared to be several types of potatoes and perhaps a root vegetable I couldn't identify; the flavor was especially off putting. The atmosphere was festive, The Street Players were excellent, the dance floor was insufficient, but didn't keep us from having a great time. We needed to leave due to a personal emergency, unfortunately our server could not be located for more than 10 minutes with several staff members looking for her. This was our first visit to BEG; we'll probably return in the future. read more

They food was great and service was quick! The manager noticed my 6 year old wasn't eating and asked why? We told her we checked online menu before we left cause she wanted corn dogs but when we got here it wasn't on the menu. She promptly went back and made them for her within minutes!! Great customer service! First time being here and we'll definitely be back. read more

I see the disappointing reviews but my family has had great success with Big Walnut Grill. There are plenty of options and even our kids walk away happy. The various specials are nice as well...with a family of 5 we always love discounts! What to order...burgers are tasty. Get the crispy chicken salad and have the chicken tossed in buffalos sauce. Good pizza and flatbread options too. The pasta isn't the best but it's still pretty decent. read more

The oven fired penne pasta was not at all what it was described to be. The menu described it as sweet italian sausage, tender chicken, green and red bell peppers baked in an garlic cream sauce and topped with bubbly cheeses. What we got was grayish lumps of meat in a sparse lukewarm watery white sauce and a few hunks of congealed cheese. Props to the waitress who was extremely nice and friendly! Atmosphere was good. But the food definitely doesn't match description. The dis was so bad we could not eat it. read more

Big Walnut Grill - "Oven Fired Penne" - American Near Me - Sunbury, Ohio

I ordered a chopped salad and it was wonderful. I have a dairy allergy and they let me substitute and made sure no dairy came in contact with my food. My husband ordered wings and they let him have two different sauces. Great service and I would recommended Big Walnut Grill to everyone! read more

We went to a car show yesterday. We wanted to see some friends and visit for a while. We were a little parched so we went in with a table of seven. We were told it would be about a 30 minute wait. We waited. Got seated at a big booth. No problem!! Our server came over and took our drink order. Within 15 minutes he took our order. Perfect right? Not really, he came over to the table after an hour to tell us that he forgot to hit the send button. I was really surprised that he found it amusing. We only ordered a flatbread, two chicken lettuce wraps, a Waldorf salad and an appetizer. This process took 2 hours. Food was good but over two hours!!! We came for the car show. A manager did comp the food and we paid for our drinks. Much appreciated but... read more

I would really love to see this place be successful, because it's somewhat local to me and I'd love all our restaurants to thrive. They've gotta step it up though. They've got a prime spot and a beautiful, well-kept building. Then you walk in and find bland food, dishes with weird flavor profiles that don't make sense and don't work (Salmon w/ sickingly sweet sauce? Just- No!) and bad bar food, (not GOOD bar food), that seems like it came from the freezer section at Kroger. To be fair, I love International food bursting with flavor. BWG doesn't promise that. However, I know good American food too and this isn't it. Don't even get me started on the attempts at Southern cooking. Jambalaya? JambaSADya'll. I have to say though, the place is often busy. It clearly appeals to a lot of locals. Maybe there are just a few good dishes ppl stick to that I haven't found yet? I can't figure it. I will say this- the staff is usually pretty great, with rare exception. That definitely counts for a lot in my book. They have a newer outdoor dinning area that looks like it'd be a nice spot to eat with friends on a warm summer night. I'd just like some good food to go with it. If it's gonna be an American food joint, let's have some hot chicken. Stick to your ribs pot roast. Blackened shrimp pasta. Brisket w/ greens and homemade Mac n cheese. Fried chicken with loaded mashed potatoes. Stuffed peppers.... I guess it's easy to say when I'm not the one looking to hire good cooks and pay for supplies, rent & utilities. A girl can dream though. read more

Food is mediocre at best. They forgot my salad dressing in my to-go order. Husband had to go back to get it. They didn't apologize or offer anything for the inconvenience, which is ridiculous when he had to drive all the way back. I called and complained and was told I would be refunded for the salad, but I never was. read more

I have no idea why this place has terrible reviews because it was awesome. Outdoor dining with umbrellas, service was kind and attentive, and so many menu options that anyone could find something to their liking. read more

It's been awhile since we had tried the BWG and for good reason. We went there tonight to give it a shot. We got a seat right away, but that was the only thing that was quick. After sitting awhile someone acknowledged that our waitress had not served us yet and they got our drink orders and served us our waters. We then proceeded to wait more and saw several other tables get service and no one paid any attention to us. We finally gave up and left. Won't ever go back again. Horrible customer service! read more

Came here the weekend of Halloween because it was too rainy and cold to be outside. Our party was 2 adults, 2 kids. Our server was really friendly and cheerful. I ordered a bowl of lobster bisque which came out lukewarm/cold. It proved to be a hassle to locate and flag down the server, so I just ate it as is. It was good, but would have been much better hot...or even warm. After our table spent nearly $100 on dinner and drinks, we were not-so-politely informed that we would be required to fork over an extra 6 bucks per person because they had a band coming in that evening. It didn't seem to matter that we had just spent a bunch of money on dinner.....they were going to make us pay whether we wanted to see the band or not. I mean, I can understand charging a cover for folks showing up later, but customers who were already seated at a table eating?! Wrong, wrong, wrong! This is not the way to do business or to earn mine. read more

I was there yesterday afternoon with 2 friends. From out of town and first time there. My friends live close by and said it was good. We had a very nice lady seat us and a great waitress. I got the fish sandwich and fries with no bun. Excellent fish and 2 very nice size pieces. My friends dinners were also very good they said. We got there about 12:30 and left about 2. The lady who seated us was at the door and opened it for us. She stepped outside and we talked for a short time. I told her I was on my way to a medical facility for a biopsy for the cancer I have. She took my hand, asked me my name and said she would pray for me. She was just a great person. If you read this I'm sorry that I don't remember your name but trust me I will always remember the kindness you showed me. I will be back again in the future. read more

Zero stars ******* Still trying to get the foul taste out of my mouth of the pork nachos and smoked wings. How do you screw up nachos and wings? Our friends are moving to Florida and we wanted to have a going away party for them and they recommended this place. We checked Yelp prior to going tonight and did not have a good feeling about it. The nachos had very little cheese and iceberg lettuce. Who puts lettuce on nachos? We ordered the pulled pork on the nachos. If you did find some pork in the nachos mess it was probably mostly fat. One huge piece, the size of my palm was nothing but fat. Once you did find some meat, it was so bland. It had very little taste. My dog's chew toy tastes better. Now to the wings. I can't really pin point what was going on there. They seemed to have a fair amount of fat on them and my husband said they had a chemical taste. We are now enjoying a nice Donatos pizza to get the taste out of our mouths. We had a large group of around 40 and I have to say the wait staff did a very good job. Unfortunately that didn't make up for the incredibly nasty food! Fortunately we will never have to go there EVER AGAIN! read more

Was here on May 15-23---had not been here in a long time! Tried to give them another try---BEWARE---they are now charging their customers for THEIR credit card fees! It might have been OK if we had been given the option to pay with cash or card but did not know this was happening until we had already paid with cc! Our server said they had posted signs about this in the front of the restaurant and on the wall to the bathrooms--we looked all over in the front but did not see any sign! Did not go to the bathroom --how stupid to post something there if they did! The server also told us that the GM did not want them to tell the customers about this shady deal---Maybe Dave Yost AG of Oh should know about this ? If this is what restaurants are going to do to us customers I know I won't be going out to eat at any of them The food here was just OK nothing special and not worth some of the prices--paying the cc fees and tipping!!! read more

I will preface this by saying that I wanted a decent meal, and a drink to toast my grandmothers memory after passing earlier today. I was not depressed, or cantankerous. Tuesday night (1/2 price pasta & pizza). I sat at the bar near the kitchen entrance watching the food go out, to help me decide on something other than between two buns. It's as loud as expected for sports on multiple TV's. However, the volumes are mute, and the jukebox music is on. I was greeted, and the staff was friendly and neat in appearance. I ordered a cocktail with multiple details, and all were met precisely. I chose the Macaroni & Cheese pasta with grilled chicken. The one I saw looked very plain, so I asked for my chicken to be extra seasoned in any way. It was over cooked with the burnt side down. The kitchen had to know it when they took it off the grill, and again when they sliced it for the meal. I consider that laziness, or lack of effort for quality. I sent that back and tried a Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Either I would have designed this dish better, or laziness & lack of effort. The chicken was breaded, not grilled. Maybe the breading soaks up more buffalo sauce. It's pizza, finger food, not knife and fork. Cut the toppings into bite size pieces. A piece alone is fine, but add into that bite, crust, sauce, cheese, LARGE chunks of Bleu cheese, and large pieces of onion. Too much. The sauce... Truly lazy to dump a bowl of coated chicken onto a pizza, followed by ALL remaining sauce in the bowl. That person decided that my pizza should have a wet crust, unable to pick up without a fork. I left a lot of that meal on the plate. If I wasn't depressed when I went in, I was now. I washed my hands in the bathroom, and the sink area was tidy and clean. Didn't look around at the rest. Now, I pay my check, push away from the bar to leave, only to discover a stain. The front of the bar had not been clean, and I was leaning into someone earlier's dinner. It's too bad. I really wanted a nice place nearby that was not primarily known for carryout or drive thru. I counted 4 mgmt/owner types there tonight. I spoke with 2. It will be a while, or a change in mgmt sign that will lure me back. read more

Big Walnut Grill - Food stains on my shirt from the dirty bar. - American Near Me - Sunbury, Ohio

One of The Best Kept Secrets in Central Ohio!! Where to begin...?? First...Great Location. Safe and beautiful Spot in Sunbury opposite side to Kroger's. The Patio is Super Nice & Clean!! Inside we have The Ultimate Sports Bar/Family Restaurant with I counted no less than 20 T.V. Screens. The Menu... is HUGE!! I had their Meatloaf Special one day then what they call "The Mad House" which is basically a Grilled Cheesed Burger unique to anywhere I've ever eaten before. You have got to try their Sweet Potato Fries!! Service was EXCEPTIONAL!! Very friendly and polite staff!! Our Server was probably one of the absolute best we've had in Ohio!! 5-STAR RATING from me for Food, Folks and FUN Redefined!! New Waffle Dessert was a fantastic SURPRISE today!! Our To-Boldly-Go Orders are always prepared at Warp Speed!! Definitely One of my Favourite Restaurants in The Great Buckeye State!! CAN NOT WAIT to WATCH COLLEGE & NFL FOOTBALL this Fall at BWG!! Thank you!! read more

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Enjoyed our visit here. We both had flat bread pizza. I had pepperoni. It was very cheesy. Enjoyed mozzarella cheese sticks too. Food was quick and hot. Waiter very attentive. read more

Waiting over an hour for mediocre food. The wait staff was really nice but everything else was pretty poor. read more

We are locals and would really like to see this place succeed. Unfortunately the manager that was working on July 5th around 7:30-8pm is not helping their cause. We ordered the chicken nachos and the two of us ordered the chicken salad. All three plates had extremely dry chicken so when we were asked how things were we explained our experience. The manager accused us of not knowing what smoked chicken should taste and feel like. When I told him that if that is how it is suppose to be than maybe we just shouldn't come and get the chicken anymore. He said he'd take care of it and then walked away. Turns out he went inside and was telling an employee how he would like to "punch me in the face" but forgot to look over his shoulder where another member of our party was standing. Completely unacceptable behavior. There were 8 people in our party and none of us will be returning. read more

In Columbus from Saint Louis, MO visiting a friend. Wanted some smoked meat. My friend said Big Walnut Grill. Great choice. First off, they had my favorite hard Cider, Angry Orchard. Made me happy! Next we had the smoked chicken wings. Loved the rub! So meaty! Perfect amount of smoke! Quite a variety of sauces! We asked for 3 on the side. Sweet BBQ, Asian Sesame, and my favorite sweet chili! Really enjoyed them! I ordered the smoked chicken special. Half chicken with mashed potatoes and cole slaw. The chicken was even better than the wings! The meat was so juicy. Seriously cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes we fresh made. Lots of butter some of the skins to let you know there were fresh. Coleslaw was very tasty too. You could tell it was house made and very fresh. The last thing on the plate was a great surprise. A piece of sweet cornbread! So good!!! Hope to come back soon! Would love to try the ribs! read more

We was invited to the Vets Lunch. We drove in and picked up a sack lunch and stayed in our truck to eat and listen to the program. The lunch sack had a great club sandwich, chips, apple and a dougnut with a bottle of water to drink. The program was led by Glen Evans. He included a pray, singing of the National Athem and rollcall of all the militiary branches. Even with the wind and rain it was a great program. Thank you Glen and Donna Evans, Jon Self(owner of BWG), all the staff of BWG and all the people who helped remember the Vets. read more

Every time I visit the Big Walnut Grill the service is marginal but Father's day takes the cake. Waitress took the order and disappeared. The wife and I had the brunch buffet which was empty and you had to wait for plates. No drink refills. 1 1/2 hours to finally get the check. Food was marginal at best . I get the fact it was busy but this is way beyond that to the point nobody cared. read more

Service was fair . Food was marginal at best. Quality of pork on Nachos was very poor. Smoked wings was nasty in flavor ! Go to Gallows on Bethal Rd way better. By far. read more

We tried this place twice since this is close to where we are staying. Unfortunately it was really mediocre each time. I'm giving an extra star only because their Smoked Prime Rib was pretty tasty. Everything else was underseasoned and frankly just bland. I tried the ribeye and it was super thin and overcooked. Did they even use salt n pepper? Nope! The 2nd time I ordered a bacon cheeseburger thinking it would have some flavor due to the bacon. Much to my dismay even the bacon didn't help. Unless we go back for prime rib night I don't see us returning. read more

Sorry but I don't think this place is improving at all I always believe in giving a place a second chance in this case several second chances however I don't think they'll be another I had the rib combo platter and French onion soup the soup had good flavor and a ample amount of cheese however The bread in the soup was actually some type cracker that remained hard and unpleasant in texture The platter came with ribs and your choice of another meat and side dish there were about five pieces of ribs that about 2 inches long they were meaty but were dry and overcooked and had the taste of burnt reheated food My second choice was the chicken tenders which on previous visits was one of the things I did like however I don't think they are preparing them in the same fashion as before they were rubbery and had a very strong taste and smell of fish For my other side dish I chose the slaw I didn't notice until the end of the meal when I got the bill that it had never arrived The waitress did offer to give me a take-out order of slaw but to me that was kind of pointless I would have to say the service was very good (with the exception of forgetting the slaw) our server was friendly and did ask me several times if everything was OK however I just didn't feel like sitting at a table explaining my opinion of their food to the staff, management or owner, I am not looking to have "it" taken off my bill I just want good food prepared correctly with love read more

We went there to see a band we have seen sing many times. The food had very little flavor. The house sound guy made the band sound like crap. Will not be going back to this place read more

Thought we would try. Wings were excellent, Ribs were fatty and not enough meat mostly cartilage big disappointment. Had to have been spare ribs i thought they were baby backs. No plates. I had to use a napkin for my plate. Nice waitresses and service. I left a big tip anyway. We will go back for wings and try something else next time were in town. read more