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The Howser Tavern

3.7 (12 reviews)
Closed 3:00 pm - 11:00 PM

The Howser Tavern Photos

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THE HOWSER TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

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The Secret Handshake with Castle & Key gin, Cambord and lemon topped with an orchid.
Marie P.

Great location in the heart of downtown Frankfort, KY. Howser's Tavern is friendly with a great vibe, decor, friendly staff and delish crafted drinks. The charcuterie boards are the perfect snack to accompany a cocktail. If you stay in the St Clair bnb or have a little extra cash, you can get into their super secret Speakeasy lounge.

Great Pinot.  And cool money tree.
Rick S.

This is an excellent place in Frankfort. It's near the Old Capitol on Saint Clair Street. Megan was great behind the and awesome. The drinks and food were wonderful. It was just good. Like a real good. Great hotel and great bar.

Leigh H.

In town for the weekend for Bourbon on the Banks. I love this Tavern. All of the staff are courteous and kind. The cocktails and small plates are amazing. 10/10 recommend.

Relaxing atmosphere and great food. Sandwiches, pizza and cheese boards. Friendly, welcoming service.

American  Charcuterie board

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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8 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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9 months ago

Had pizza and pretzel. Horrible! Pizza tasted like a very bad frozen pizza. Pretzel had an odd taste as well. Just a bar type of place.

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1 year ago

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7 months ago

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2 years ago

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Watch Hill Proper

Watch Hill Proper

4.4
(97 reviews)
38.5 mi
Locally owned & operated
Luxury

From the moment we walked in just an amazing experience. We were part of a surprise party of 6 and…read morethe staff knew it. They created our birthday girl as a reservation for 2 instead of 6 and helped us surprise her at the table. The lighting is a bit dark but that helped the surprise. The manager brought out a sparkling wine and the chef sent out an amuse bouche. The pimento spread was so good we took a pint home for $20 (shhh secret). Our waitress Mo was professional a helpful with meal suggestions and separating some mushrooms for me. The shrimp appetizer is delicious and had 9 shrimp. The corn fitters come in 4 and Mo added 2. They were okay but I'd try something different in the future. The whole large kernels were odd in a light fritter. Our meals were fantastic. Everyone raved about bites of the filet and the chicken dish. The bolognese is a staple in the menu and was almost the perfect bite, perhaps a bit more meat in the sauce but the pasta was perfect. I had the wild boar and goat cheese polenta. The polenta didn't have a strong goatyness to it but was creamy, I ate it all. The boar was done to just short of falling off the bone. I used a piece of the grilled bread from my friends pasta to finish the meal. The wine list is short but complex. We had the Rioja red, so dry and smelled of old leather, but was a perfect wine to cut through the richness of the dishes. Our seat had a great view of the whiskey wall (almost every seat does) and it was a conversation piece the whole evening. Oh, forgot to mention the manhattan can be made into a black manhattan- outstanding. Best I've had in a restaurant. We are already making plans for our parties next birthday in July and will be asking for Mo. she was there at every turn throughout the meal. Pleasant and there to help at any point. The manager checked on us two times. WHP does fine dining so well. I haven't had such a wonderful evening for everyone in quite some time. We will be back and highly recommend. Will be sending out an executive's here when they are looking for L'ville dining. Well done. Sorry no pics, the room is dark and the ones I took don't do the meal justice.

Ambiance 4.5/5: Very nice design with beautiful bar and huge bourbon selection…read more Service 4.5/5: Our server was great. Polite with good timing. Food 2.5/5: This obviously carries the most weight. The menu itself is excellent and the descriptions and components of each dish sound perfect. The execution was way off! Literally everything was far too salty and we ordered things that should not be salty... diver scallops and black cod. These are delicate proteins that don't need much help. Why oh why over-salt these?! Oddly the cook on both was very good but the seasoning ruined both dishes. Drinks 4.5/5: We had 3 different cocktails all of which were excellent.

Photos
Main room
Main room
Main bar
Main bar
Entrance to Main room

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Entrance to Main room
Black Rabbit

Black Rabbit

4.0
(103 reviews)
41.9 mi

Black Rabbit has a really cool atmosphere. We visited on a Thursday evening for live jazz,…read morecocktails, and appetizers, and the vibe made for a great night out. The lounge seating setup was a little unconventional, but the staff quickly accommodated us when I mentioned a concern, which I really appreciated. The service was outstanding. I wish I could remember our server's name because he truly made the experience. He handled the entire lounge area by himself and never missed a beat -- personable, knowledgeable, attentive, and incredibly efficient. We ordered a few cocktails along with the hush puppies, Cajun calamari, and Brussels sprouts. The drinks were fantastic, and while the appetizers were good, they weren't quite memorable enough for us to reorder next time. That said, we're definitely planning to come back and explore more of the menu. Overall, I'd absolutely recommend checking out Black Rabbit for yourself. It's a great spot for either a romantic date night or a fun evening out with friends.

Our dining group of 10 met here for our monthly dinner and it was a very interesting property. I…read moreplugged in the address in my GPS app and the name of another business popped up. Since this restaurant has a speakeasy vibe, I thought it might be part of the schtick. However, I'm not sure how long the business has been open, so maybe the GPS was accurate. Our dinner host who made the reservation had told our group the "password" in order to be taken to our private dining room. When I arrived and approached the hostess stand, she took me via a convoluted route to the rest of the diners, no password required. I guess I was lucky because other diners in our group said they had to provide the password. We arrived during happy hour and it was also martini night, so several items from the appetizer menu (wings, spinach dip, tempura shrimp) and cocktail list were available for reduced price. I ordered tempura shrimp (5 pieces) and a glass of Malbec. The shrimp were bland and were served with a sweet chili sauce that was cloyingly sweet with absolutely no heat. I ended up ordering a bourbon roasted pear salad as my main. It was a better choice with buttery lettuce, chunks of firm pear, crunchy walnuts, and pickled red onions. One of my fellow diners had to wait for her first course appetizer to arrive well after the rest of us had finished ours, as it was either overlooked by waitstaff or the kitchen. Service was slow at times, although the place appeared at not even 1/2 capacity when we arrived and possibly 2/3 when we left 2 hours later. Another diner ordered pizza and said that the toppings were good, but commented that the texture of the crust (underdone) made it unpalatable. Finally, another person in our group had to send her food back to be heated. She indicated the plate was warm, but the food (pot roast Manhattan) was not. Final bill was just under $50 (happy hour shrimp $10, wine $11, salad $18, and an automatic 20% gratuity had been added). Upon reflection, I would perhaps return here for a cocktail to enjoy the lounge and live jazz when that is offered. I would be very hard pressed though to order any food, as there are many more valuable and appealing options nearby at this price point.

Photos
Private dining room
Private dining room
Dreamsicle, made with Jackson Morgan Orange Bourbon Cream and vodka and ice cream.
Dreamsicle, made with Jackson Morgan Orange Bourbon Cream and vodka and ice cream.
Lounge area and bar at entrance

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Lounge area and bar at entrance
The Grand Reserve

The Grand Reserve

4.1
(12 reviews)
22.4 mi

Huge love to this venue. We held our KHAKY (Kidney Health Alliance of Kentucky) Trees of Life Gala…read morefundraiser here on the same night as a popular hip hop artist in the same building so add nasty rain to that traffic and that was the worst part about the night! We entered by the Speakeasy parking side and had no problem finding parking for our event. From the moment you walk in this place has so much charm and potential for whatever event is being held there! The bar display was beautiful ! A real class piece. We took some pictures as we entered the speakeasy entryway with nice lighting. The main room was so spacious and wide. We had room for a stage/band and about 45 tables of various sizes for seating, trees, wreathes, silent auction items and more! There was veggie and cracker tray out for a snack before the buffet opened. The restrooms were absolutely beautiful as well, clean and stocked through the event. The place is classically decorated to suit any occasion. I wouldlove to attend more events there!

Attend an event here for New Years Eve. We had an absolute blast. The ambiance and experience was…read moregreat. They had entertainment available with fire breathers and trapezes. There was plenty of room and the music was great. The bar area was pretty crowded and it took a minute to get a drink. Overall it was a blast and I'd recommend attending this event.

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The Grand Reserve Bar
The Grand Reserve Bar
Crafted Cocktails
Crafted Cocktails
Creativity is our specialty!

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Creativity is our specialty!

The Howser Tavern - speakeasies - Updated July 2026

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