Phenomenal food! The owners here are great folks, almost always working along side their employees. This has been one of my favorite places to eat in Owensboro for over 20yrs. Choice cut steaks, cooked to perfection. Every steak is displayed by the butcher-before it's cooked. giving the customer a real sense of what "Choice" means. The salad bar is amazing, always fresh. Everytime I go in, I'm full before the entree arrives (from the salad bar) Selection always includes a handmade cheeseball, homemade soups, and fresh baked bread. If you haven't been to Briarpatch, you have missed out!!!! read more

Excellent. Excellent salad bar and soup. I had the grilled shrimp and really enjoyed it. Delicious bread loaf. Very reasonable prices. It's like an upscale family restaurant. Beats a chain steak house any day. Last time I was here was 20 years ago and it was as good as I remembered. read more

I love the salad bar & hoppin John soup, One of my favorite places to eat. Everything including restrooms were spotless.

My sister and I stopped at Briar Patch while in Owensboro. What happened had nothing to do with COVID; there were plenty of staff and tables were intentionally spaced apart. I ordered a steak and salad and my sister placed her order. I ate the salad which was just average. After twenty-five minutes, I expected to see a steak arrive...then thirty minutes and I asked the waitress about my steak.....then thirty-five minutes and still no steak! Forty minutes later I have lost my patience and my appetite and told the waitress to cancel the order. My sister had already finished her meal by this time. Finally, a manager comes over. I explained it to him, and he stated that he would only charge me for salad/drink, but it was still on the tab, so I had to go find him. I will NEVER EVER eat or recommend anyone to eat at this restaurant!!! read more

Well I tried it again. Epic fail. The restaurant was basically empty and yet they decided to seat a family of 13 right next to our table and another young couples table. I remember when people dressed up and wore dresses and suits to eat at the Briarpatch. This large cabal of people looked like the wanted to eat at Golden Corral but got lost. So obviously the ambiance went right out the window. Between the adults yelling at each other and the multitudes of kids screaming for Momma, your guess is as good as mine as to who the actual parents were, our nice quiet meal with our son who was in town to visit was impossible. Ah but the sad story doesn't end there. I had a simple order, medium rare tuna. That should have come out with a dark pink center. NOPE! It was way past well done and for some reason they must think you are impressed if the cast iron skillets they serve food on is just slightly cooler than the surface of the sun. They could have put a raw tuna steak in the griddle and it would have been well done by the time I got it. Hey cooks, that's right, cooks as you are no where near chef status, you don't put fish in hot stoves to serve. Fish, especially fine fish cooked rare or medium rare is served on a room temp china plate. Sad to say but for a nice evening avoid this place. There won't be a third try for me. read more

We have been going to the Briar Patch since I was in high school. Now I go every time I visit Owensboro. It is my 91 year old Dad's favorite restaurant. Never disappoints. Great steaks and try the ground round. read more

Back in town looking for restaurants and remembered my last visit here. The steak wasn't edible. Service was below average. Atmosphere dark and tired looking. Yikes. read more

This was our first time visiting. We live out of town and had heard it was a good local spot to try. We went with 4 adults and 1 kid on Easter eve at 7:00pm. We only had to wait maybe 5 minutes for a table. It's very cozy and quaint. We sat downstairs and the floor was filthy from food where obviously kids had eaten previously. But it bothered me that they didn't clean it up the whole time we were there. That aside the service was fast and friendly. They have a great salad bar with lots of toppings and sides to choose from and is included with the entrees. Soups are included as well. Warm and fresh loaves of bread came to the table. We were all stuffed before our entrees arrived. Two of us ordered the filet and shrimp and were very satisfied. Another the beef tips, chicken cordon blu and grilled chicken for our kiddo. We all enjoyed it with no complaints. Next time I'll remember to wear my stretchy pants! read more

Briarpatch - Filet and shrimp - Bars Near Me - Owensboro, Kentucky

Amazing salad bar. The food could use some improvement as well as the building itself. It looks like a hanky hotel lobby. Get rid of all the fake plants and terrible wall paper. Its a pain to look at when I'm spending 35 bucks on my meal. read more

Head still above water but slowly declining from when I was younger. They are treading dangerously close to becoming the restaurant "that use to be" the best in the area. Spend some money, do some painting, get back to basics in the kitchen. You can shine again or you can be a memory, you choose. read more

I recently ate at the Briar Patch with my husband. We have always heard that it was the best place in town to get a steak and that is what we wanted. The Briar Patch offers a variety of steaks and you can order as many ounces as you want. My husband got a sampler and I got the filet. The atmosphere is nice. The sweet tea is the best I've ever had and the staff was friendly. But bottom line, we came for the steak and was very disappointed. It was cooked correctly but was the blandest steak I have ever had. It had no real taste at all. My husband felt the same. I thought maybe it was just us, but my parents went there a couple weeks later and made the same comments. read more

Good food @ reasonable prices. I've been there twice recently and enjoyed both meals. I like the huge salad bar too. Thye don't pretend to be fine dining. This is a nice family restaurant. I haven't tried out the bar yet, but I don't remember there being any crowd in there. read more

Good food. Nothing to really write home about. Burger was dry.

I've never had a bad meal here but last night it was an epic fail. I will say the filet was ok but my sister's prime rib was not good. She ordered it rare. The 1st two that were brought to her were over done. The last one was RAW in the middle. We were nice about it and the waitress was upset that it was wrong. They did take the prime rib off of our bill, thank goodness. Looks like Gordon Ramsey needs to pay a visit to this once wonderful restaurant. read more

Ate here with my son and his wife, and it was real good, but not amazing. It is larger than it used to be, the salad bar is larger and is GREAT, but my steak was not as thick or as tender and flavorful as I expected for a rib-eye. It was good, though. I like the ambiance and the glass booth where you can see the cook fire-grilling the steaks. Didn't care much for the tasteless, greasy-cheesy potato-skins we had as an appetizer, but my son had requested the spinach/artichoke dip with tortilla chips and they were out. Waitress was very friendly and courteous. I hope to go back again sometime. read more

Big salad bar that is fresh. Food is hit or miss i think. Whats the deal with the tiny drink glasses? Do you like running your servers around every 4 seconds to fill a glass? Don't avoid , but don't get excited either. read more

The price point for this establishment is way off because it appears they pass off cheap quality food at a premium cost. The steaks used to be great but have really gone down in quality. Much better restaurants in town, If you are visiting our great town please eat at one of the other establishments if your looking for good food. read more

Best salad bar I've ever had! Wonderful service and friendly staff! This family owned restaurant is sure to not disappoint! You will be greeted by warm welcoming smiles and prompt servers who ensure your drink is NEVER empty! Briarpatch is as quaint as it is charming and is sure to please even this most diverse palate! read more

Briarpatch used to be a regular go to for our family after church. As a kid I loved the fish in the waiting area, and I also loved their dinosaur chicken nuggets. I loved the cheese ball on the salad bar, and my brothers always loved the hoppin Johns soup at the soup bar. (We have the recipe now to make at home) We haven't been here as much, but we came for my birthday dinner and it was good. They brought me out a sundae which was nice. I got the chicken tenders, which were great, my only complaint was that the breading was somewhat soggy and would fall off. Not a huge deal, still very quality chicken. The rest of my family got steaks and though some seemed extra red, they enjoyed and it was a good meal. I also love the bread here and the cinnamon butter. The mints, imported from England, are one of the staples of this place too. We will continue to visit briarpatch as it is family owned and operated, and a trusted Owensboro restaurant. Happy eating! read more

This place used to serve great steaks and other high quality dining options. The "chefs" working the dinner hours now, do not know a medium rare steak from one that still has a leg in the pasture. The place is run by kids, which would be fine if there were an experienced person to watch over the grill. The salad bar is the best thing about this establishment. The servers are great. You can do much better for the price you are paying here. read more

First off, I've been coming to Briarpatch since I can remember. My parents always used to take me there as a kid. It was always a treat for a birthday or celebration. People used to dress up to go there and it was more formal. I went there a few days ago, on a Sunday around 7:00. I don't eat meat, so ordered the salad bar, which was out of many items (seafood salad and their notorious cheese ball at the end of the bar). It had also been slopped over and the lettuce was warm and wet. When I asked the boy trying to replenish items if they'd have anymore of the seafood salad or cheese ball he said, "no, we ran out." They had Hoppin John and Vegetable Soup as their soup choices of the evening (same soups for 30 years). The veg soup was so low it was only broth. Asked the server twice if they'd be bringing any more out, she said "no" but they were bringing bean soup out. They were out of vegetable soup. The table next to me complained about their steaks being tough and the manager comped them. My sister's "Chicken Elizabeth" was salty and weird. She didn't like it. Her side of rice (which she's loved for years) had been scraped from the pan, because it was too dry/crunchy to eat. She sent it back for a baked potato. No longer a dressy place, everyone around me was dressed like a hillbilly on their cell phones the whole time. Obviously, something has changed with this restaurant. The food is very mediocre, the cuts of meat are cheap, and they run out of items that aren't even made in house. Been going 30+ years. Unfortunately, won't be back. read more

Lousy food, horrible service and an obnoxious cashier. I don't understand all the positive reviews, must be friends and family of the owners. Management may want to remind some of the employees to at least pretend they like working there. read more

My co-worker and I went here on a suggestion from locals here for a place that has good food and NOT a chain. I am pleased to say their suggestion was well received. Unknown initially from its exterior and interior (which is dated but cute in a way), its basically a steak house for the most part. Luckily for my vegetarian co-worker, the salad bar was large with many topping choices to keep plate after plate coming. For myself, I opted for the Briarpatch Rib of Beef. The price was surprisingly cheaper than I was expecting for the cut of meat it was, yet the quality was well above most $20+ entries of rib eye. It was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper but not overkill like most chains and plenty juicy. Cooked perfectly at medium and complimented with a Au Jus gravy that was phenomenal for dipping. Our waiter for polite and always had a pepsi ready before I hit the ice in my current class. Was a little awkward a times but nothing that took away from his excellent service. Looking for a good steak, the Briarpatch has supplied me with one of the best I have ever had. If you aren't a meat eater, the soup and salad bar is far from an afterthought and will supply you with an equally satisfying dinner. read more

If you want a wonderful soup and salad bar Briarpatch is the place to go in Owensboro. They are famous for hoppin John soup. I like to go on Monday when they have cheesy potato soup or Friday when they have broccoli cheese soup! read more

I agree they need to update the building and menu. The salad bar is awesome. The salad bar is the only reason that keeps me coming back. The regular menu is pretty boring and my husband thinks it is the least seasoned steak in town. read more

Salad Bar was great and service was good but the steak was over-cooked. Asked for medium and got well-done. I stop here three times a year and still have the same problem with over cooking the beef. read more

Tip: When ordering your steak, ask for whatever seasonings you like...(I like salt and pepper...my husband likes salt, pepper, and garlic powder). It does not appear as if they season your steak without you asking...It makes a big difference!!!! read more