This is a restaurant located inside The Trail hotel. It is elegant and comfortable and the ambiance is very relaxing. We both ordered bourbon drinks, a Manhattan and French 95 to begin with, which were cold and quite good. We also started with the crab cake appetizer and beet salad. The crab cake was large, perfectly cooked and seasoned, plenty for 2 to share. It came with a bit of frisee salad which perfectly complemented the crab cake. The golden beet and strawberry salad was a masterpiece of flavor, served with a creamy buttery dollop of what we decided was a mixture of butter and another secret flavor. We devoured that salad because it was so delicious. Our mains were steak frites and the grilled pork chop with grits. Again, these dishes were perfectly cooked and seasoned. We both devoured our entrees because they were too good to leave behind. Our server was lovely, knowledgeable and attentive. She was the consummate professional. We were really impressed with a lovely dining experience! The added bonus is that it is located in the hotel we stayed in. read more

Oak and Ember - Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, paired nicely with steak frites and grilled pork chop. - American Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

See all

We did not have a reservation but they accommodated us perfectly! The food and service were top notch! Ambiance is the selling point of The Trail! read more

Oak and Ember - Beet salad no strawberries plus chicken. Soooo good! - American Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

This great restaurant is new to Bardstown and located in the brand new Trail Hotel. I had a chance to try this burger during a burger week sponsored by Bardstown Tourism. Fantastic food and great decor and atmosphere. Also loved my neat pour from a brand new distillery #JacksonPurchase! #burger #bourbon read more

Nice, modern steakhouse restaurant located inside the Trail Hotel. Not a far drive from Elizabethtown. The drinks were delicious. I recommend the yellow jacket and the old fashioned. Tatiana - our server - was very professional and gave great recommendations. Great service! The filet is delicious. It was cooked to perfection and served over mashed potatoes with asparagus on the side. We had the pistachio cheesecake for dessert. It was good, but I would keep the chocolate on the side. read more

See all

This place was fantastic I'm so glad we made a reservation. Definitely want to come back here again and see what Chef has next read more

See all

New and Hot! I love being first to review a stellar place! The restaurant at the Trail Hotel is off to a great start! The facility is beautiful and the menu has great depth. Schweety and I started with a bottle of a lovely Nebbiolo from a small but well curated wine list. For dinner, we ordered the burger and catfish options. Both were perfectly executed. The extra touches made the dishes. The mushrooms on the burger and the marinated veggies and aioli with the catfish were perfect. Sarah gave us great service along with the rest of the team. We look forward to many happy returns. read more

See all

Friendly staff and accommodating for a large party. Food quality was inconsistent and average at best. Wedge salad had huge, excessive chunks of blue cheese. French fries on 7 dishes were cold, even after a lengthy wait for our food (over an hour). A discussion with the head chef (no manager anywhere on site) yielded no results and didn't own up to the food issues. To top it off, he was quite rude. read more

Outstanding- we had bread plate which exceeded expectations! Great bread with a tasty butter. Cocktails were perfect. We had steaks and we all loved our cuts. We went out several other places in the area and regretted not coming back to Oak and Ember to try more of the menu. Service was great and we loved the feel of the place. We know where we are staying and eating when we return! read more

We were staying nearby after a long day on the trail and were really looking forward to a nice dinner at Oak and Ember in Bardstown. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing. After ordering, we waited about 1.5 hours for our food. The dining room was busy, but there were only two servers handling more than twenty tables, which clearly impacted service. When the food finally arrived, it didn't make up for the wait. My crab pasta was cold and had barely any crab. My wife's steak and mac and cheese were also cold and lacked flavor. Our friends ordered pasta and salad and were equally disappointed. Honestly, I don't say this lightly--this was the worst meal I've ever had. All of us tried to think of a worse experience, and none of us could. If you're in the area, I'd strongly recommend going into town and eating at Toogie's or The Scout instead--both offer much better food at a reasonable price. read more

Trust me on this, and don't do it. The food is fine- just fine. The drinks were meh (but the Pecan Pie Old Fashioned is AMAZING!). The service, however, was terrible. We waited to be acknowledged when we came to check in for our reservation (we had to asked the hotel desk to check and see if there was anyone who could check us in and seat us at the restaurant-twice), waited to be seated, and waited a really long time for our food, and our waitress was MIA most of the time. The food and drinks were not worth the wait or the expense. Go somewhere else, you'll be happier. read more

If you are looking for an upscale experience in Bardstown, you just found it. Amazing food and service. We split the 30 oz steak between four of us. We also had the grilled Caesar salad and oysters as well. Cocktails were on point too! Also, ask your server for the passcode to the speakeasy . Enjoy! read more

See all

Atmosphere and service were great. Food was good. Not great value and not as good as I expected.

Beautiful location. Visited for a weekday lunch. Our server was attentive and kept glasses full. We loved the country ham salad and the Mac and cheese was delish! The chicken salad wrap was fine - nothing wrong but would have benefitted from more "guts" of filler like fruit and nuts - very heavy mayo based. Overall a good meal and we will be back to try again! read more

See all

Where to begin? Poor, very slow service followed by an hour wait for incorrect food. Super disappointed. read more

Food was delicious - I had the chicken and husband had pork chops. Service was great too. Would highly recommend!

We went for our anniversary. We got steak frites and the short rib special. The steak was not great and undercooked and there was a LOT of fat on the ribs. For the price, it just wasn't up to par unfortunately. The $65 bottle of wine was good. We walked away hungry after dropping $230 with our tip. read more

I ate at this restaurant last week. The steak and eggs were delicious. I felt like the portions were large and the food was perfectly cooked. I will definitely eat here again! The Hotel is top notch also! Trish read more

Newly renovated hotel and restaurant but it was surprisingly good. Lexi was friendly and attentive. Caesar salad was great, black garlic and brown mustard dressing. Solid upscale burger and fries. Great old fashioned cocktails. read more

We almost didn't come because of the reviews. They definitely have some things to work out and the menu is somewhat limited. We shared the BIG ribeye (I forgot what it was called), it was a bit undercooked for our preference but it was very good. We also got the chicken and it was flavorful and tender! The service was also excellent. I'd love to see them expand the menu, especially appetizers. On a side note, a snack/appetizer menu at the bar and pool bar would be helpful with all the alcohol flowing lol. read more

We were staying at the hotel and tired from a long day on the trail. I usually shy away from places that are mostly empty at dinner time but we were prepared for a just ok meal. We were not prepared for just how bad it was. I ordered the shrimp cocktail and it was a pile of tip of your pinkie "shrimp" with some sprouts of top and a thimble of cocktail sauce. It tasted not as good as the frozen shrimp ring available at most grocery stores. I knew then my NY strip was going to be an adventure. My steak and Mac and Cheese came out next. I began enjoying the fat and gristle fest as I trimmed my meat looking for edible pieces. Next up was the Mac and cheese which was by far the best food on the table but very bland and at most restaurants would be considered the worst dish. Any chain steakhouse could surpass this place on their worst day for half the price. My companions meals were similarly disappointing and we were all astonished food could be this bad. Overall, and I don't say this lightly, this is the worst meal I've ever had. My companions and I all tried to think of a time any of us had a worst meal and we could not. read more

Food was amazing. I had the beef tenderloin and it was cooked to perfection. I highly recommend the mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The service was great. Our server, Mere, was very attentive, gracious and engaging. In fact, the entire staff was very friendly. A decadent meal, with an amazing experience in a casual but elegant setting. read more

Fantastic food and service. Valet was nice and easy. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a nice romantic dinner.

They've done a really nice job with the property. Nice atmosphere and tasty food. I would go back.

Our easy drive from Louisville straight down Bardstown Road, 36 miles, was a nice change of scenery, open rolling fields, huge distillery views, deer, fall in Kentucky. This new hotel restaurant within The Trail in Bardstown is so very cool in décor, ambiance, and design. Oak & Ember flows from the lobby. Our first visit yesterday, Thanksgiving, was their first Thanksgiving as well, and clearly great effort showed in every element of planning & service. However, compared to other holiday buffets, there were minimal offerings, few options. Everything tasted great and we certainly got our fill. But this morning chatting about the overall, we felt that for two meals, 1 prosecco, + tip, $190 was quite high in balance. read more

On Friday, July 18th, a friend and myself went to Oak and Ember for lunch. My friend ordered tea, only to be told there was a problem with the water, so she got a coke. I requested, water in a very small wine glass. It was never refilled and I had to flag someone else to refill it. I ordered the prime rib sandwich, as I'm not a fan of cat fish or salmon and was tired of burgers. Oh well, I ordered a burger. It sat in the warming window for and extended period of time. Later, my fries came out and were put on that plate. My burger by this time was room temperature. My companion ordered the catfish and a side of the mac and cheese. She immediately told the waitress it had an odd taste. The waitress, (Gladys M) just looked at her and never said a word. When she came back again, she repeated the odd taste. Again, Gladys just walked off. Finally a man walked up, and for the third time, we repeated the story. He explained they'd only been open for lunch a week and 1/2. Not sure what that had to do with anything. The $10 side of mac n cheese was noodles with sparing little cheese. It was too cold to eat. I asked for salt and pepper. Gladys came back with a shot glass type thing with salt that had crystalized, so I had to break it up with my knife. My friend left her entire entree and side. I gave her half my cold burger and we split the fries. After we left, I noticed they didn't take ANYTHING off her bill and to add salt to the wound, charged her $28 for the sandwich she couldn't even eat! I knew the price wrong. We had already left, but I insisted we go back and get it straightened out. We walked in to the hostess stand and I started my tale of woe about not having the prime rib sandwich. She interrupted me and told me I was mistaken, that was not on the menu. I asked to see a menu and showed her it WAS there. All she said was "oh." She said "I hope you'll give us another chance". I said I seriously doubted that. I also noticed the price for the catfish sandwich was $17 not $28! We were told oh, sorry that's the dinner price. Mr Manager Man came over and said oh I meant to comp her meal. Not only wasn't comped but over charged? I've never eaten in a place with so many things wrong. I hope the investor sees the reviews. There are quite a few talking about all the mishaps. read more

We were excited to enjoy the hotel restaurant based on reviews and word-of-mouth, but were extremely disappointed. I do appreciate our waitress, Taylor, doing what she could as none of this was her fault. 1. We had to wait well over an hour for our food as did most of the tables around us. 2. The cocktail sauce for our shrimp cocktail arrived 15 minutes after the shrimp did, so we enjoyed room temp shrimp once the sauce arrived. 3. My wife's steak frites were considerably undercooked for what she ordered but we didn't have time to wait another hour for them to correct it. 4. The NY strip I ordered had good flavor but wasn't the least bit hot when it was served--again, we didn't have time to wait for a correction since it was already past 9pm (our reservation was 7:30). Who doesn't love a room temperature $62 steak? 5. We also had to wait 15-20 minutes just to receive salt we asked for. For what we paid for the meal, this was a dismal experience and wouldn't recommend this to anyone. read more

DO NOT EAT HERE. Had a party of 5 and it was the WORST service I've ever received at a sit down restaurant. We waited 38 minutes for drinks, hour for food, 24 minutes for check, 18 minutes to take our payment. The waiters/waitresses were extremely rude and seemed to have no knowledge about anything whatsoever. My wife's steak frites were undercooked and as she is pregnant did not choose to consume after realizing upon her first bite. They give you 4-5 minuscule steak frites. She consumed one and after informing our server that it was not well done she allowed our bill to be compensated. The manager comes by and says "well looks like you ate it". Extremely unprofessional and distasteful. The food was garbage and the service was even worse. Will never be back! read more

Stopped at Oak & Ember for a late dinner and we are sure glad we did. Started with Oysters, cold and fresh, and then we split the largest ribeye steak. It was cooked perfectly, had a great char, plus broccoli and asparagus were included. Too full this time for dessert. read more

Great food. The beef tenderloin rivals that of Malone's. Also had the steak and frites, was good as well. Good bourbon selection. The old fashioned that I had was excellent. My wife enjoyed her cosmopolitans (she is usually a Bud Light gal, which impressed me that she ventured to something different) read more