Food was good, the ambience was cool. The Talbott has a historic background that they need to take advantage of.

This dining experience was a real disappointment. The food was very average. We waited in the bar for our table to be ready though we had reservations. You could only order at the bar and they were busy. The hostess wrote our mobile down and didn't page us in a timely manner. The food service was very poor. I had someone recommend this to me a few months back. I am easy grader but this was bad. It is a historic place but they need to make some improvements. read more

The history of the place is a good reason to go in. The ambiance makes you feel you traveled back in time. The server was very friendly and knowledgeable. It's difficult to decide what to order, so many Kentucky choices. We ordered biscuits for appetizer, delicious with a hint of spice. The hot brown was good and fresh. The bourbon walnut chicken was tasty but a little greasy. A great stop for a little history, fantastic gift shop, and Kentucky hospitality! read more

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Loved everything about this historical place. My lunch was a whole experience. Starting witj the service, the drinks: best old fashioned ever, food speachless and I can keep going. Definitely a must place in KY! read more

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Slow service, but all else was great! Great flight of bourbon. So helpful in understanding all the bourbon stuff.So much history! It's amazing, really! read more

Just OK. Sad to say the old fashioned in this bar, in this town was terrible!! Watered down & with cheap cherry-very disappointing. Walnut crusted chicken was yummy as the green beans too. Biscuits were barely warm but good. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Worst Old fashioned our entire trip - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Went on a Saturday night around 5pm. There was already a 90 minute wait in the restaurant so we sat in the bar. Limited menu but we only wanted appetizers anyway. Huge bourbon selection. Had an Old Fashion and a Tavern Mule. Both good. Ordered the Beer Cheese and a bowl of Burgoo. Waited almost an hour and only received a cup. Again waited over 20 minutes for the server to come back and fix the bill. A real staffing problem. Food was ok but nothing great but it is the oldest bourbon bar in the US. read more

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They graciously sat us in the bar area for lunch even though they were very short staffed and had 2 servers taking care of the entire area plus working on the restaurant side. I appreciated their concern that we would have to wait longer and didn't want our experience to suffer. With all that being said, we had a fantastic experience. Hubby and I tried the Down to Bourbon Tour flight because it had a couple of bourbons from places that we were not able to visit on this trip. We do not regret that flight at all! We tried the Hot Brown, Burgoo Bowl and Tavern Salad for lunch. Everything tasted great and the salad was very fresh. They didn't really offer a side salad, but the bowl of soup wasn't that large, so it worked out just fine. This is not a fancy place, but they treat their customers well, serve good home cooked food and have a great selection of bourbons. What more could you ask for! We would definitely stop here again. read more

The food was good but at the time we dined which was lunch they were totally out of food. They gave us the last of the fried pickles. Which turned out to be about 6 pieces. The soup/ stew was delicious but we got small portions because they were at the bottom of the pot. When we wanted bread pudding they didn't have any deserts left. Even the serving staff were upset and were glad that they weren't working dinner. I'm not sure we will go again before calling ahead to check if they have food. Even though our reservations had been placed several months ahead read more

Really cool and unique setup in a building that seems to have a lot of history in it. Love her rustic small town feel vibe. When you walk in you are right into a gift shop. To the right is the self proclaimed worlds oldest bourbon bar. It appears it has a hotel attached (upstairs perhaps). Behind gift shop is medium sized open room where we dined. I got the hot brown. It was decent. Kinda on small side. Not sure if lunch portion or not it was 4pm. My daughter got a my club which I sampled and it was great. My youngest got a cheeseburger of kids menu which again was tasty. The wife got the pot roast and was satisfied. Menu size was pretty diverse which was good and the prices weren't bad at all. Cool atmosphere and good service. I'd be open to returning. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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I came to Bardstown with friends. I love old fashioneds. My friends and I each ordered an old fashioned. They were undrinkable. They had a medicinal taste. My friends left theirs unfinished. I told our server that mine was very bitter. She graciously brought me a different kind of old fashioned. It was slightly better but not good. The food was just ok. Our server was very sweet and accommodating. However for a restaurant in the middle of bourbon country I was profoundly disappointed. I do not recommend this establishment. I would avoid. Don't be sucked in by the 1779 establishment date. We were. The old fashioneds were awful and the food was just ok. Go elsewhere. We were very disappointed. read more

The local magazines & various other publications all state this is a must see. The vibe in the bar is underwhelming & they've removed all the historic charm. It's just a basic bar now. Huge selection of bourbons. read more

Had dinner at the tavern on 4/4. The food was very good, but our waitress ruined the experience. She was highly inefficient and we waited 20 minutes for drinks and longer for a second round of wine. When we asked to have the 2nd round removed since we were done eating, she wanted to give excuses and argue. Wouldn't recommend. read more

Very disappointed and surprised with the food quality and service. Three of 7 ordered the ."special" of the night....braisedshortribs. They reminded us of inexpensive pot roast and were nothing like "short ribs". Our waitress did nothing to rectify the situation. read more

Let me just start by saying this is one of the best hidden gems I have ever discovered! I'm a bartender part time and let me see Miss Brittney, who is the managing bartender at this establishment makes the best old fashion I have ever had in my entire life!! Kudos to you! The staff (living and dead) are top notch! The southern hospitality is something out of a movie! Thank you! read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Definitely history in the building but that's about all? I genuinely do not understand the reviews and we dine out a lot. Sweetest server, and as I said history in the building, but that's where it ended. The main dining area was plain as day with no personality and the food we were served was straight up cafeteria food, complete with the little side dish cups the mush green beans and gluey mashed potatoes were scooped into. We also tried "oldest bourbon bar" side, but the bar tenders were anything but southern charm and clearly not happy to be there. Would not go back and definitely not wait 1 hour + for a table. If you're looking for a cute date night while on the bourbon trail this is definitely not the place. Update as requested - Sat evening, 3/11/23 read more

Stopped by here because of the history. Glad I did. Good place to have lunch. We had the Hot Brown and one of the sandwiches. The Hot Brown was not as good as at the Brown Hotel, but good enough. For dessert, we had bread pudding and it was great. Also had an old fashioned, just to try it at the tavern. Overall a solid meal and drink. The staff was very friendly. After lunch we wandered up to the Jesse James room as it was open. We also spend a little bit of time in the gift shop. This place is worth the stop if you're in town. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Old Fashioned. - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Service was subpar and plate hot but food not - good history but terrible for quality

Went on an off day and got in immediately. Our waitresses was fun and attentive. Food was delicious and piping hot. Mashed potatoes are real potatoes, not instant. The garlic cheddar biscuits were also good as well as our apple cobbler dessert. We definitely will go back! read more

Great ambience in the center of town. Had drinks at the bar while our table was getting ready. Ordered the country fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. Absolutely phenomenal. The bourbon drinks are to day for. Highly recommend. read more

Ambiance - FIVE STARS Service - TWO & a HALF STARS (maybe a staffing issue, I don't know but it was S-L-O-W Out of everything on the menu that we originally wanted: Out of Hot Brown Out of Ribs Out of Baked Potatoes (this was at 5:30 PM) The Food - I Wish I could give them ZERO or MINUS STARS. THE First Country Fried Steak was Burnt & SMALL, replacement Country Fried Steak was JUST as SMALL - about the Width of a Softball 3.5" (8.89cm) AND incredibly GREASY‼ On the upside the Mashed Potatoes & gravy were great! read more

We got here late on a Friday but still had some time to dine in at the restaurant. Food was alright - I got the ribs and they were pretty tender but a little dry. Overall, that might be on me for ordering ribs so late in the day. The drinks were great and they had a good bourbon selection. Our server was a little scattered and had some trouble keeping our orders straight, but ultimately we always got the right stuff to the table. They did let us hang out for a little longer in the restaurant area instead of moving us to the bar when the restaurant closed so we tipped generously. Atmosphere was cool - historical building and felt like your were in a time capsule. Would definitely try this place again read more

Third time coming and my opinion has not changed. This is by far the worst restaurant in Bardstown and I've eaten at nearly every one. It's expensive and I couldn't even finish the meal. I got the salmon and it was dry and fishy smelling, I couldn't finish the rice. My grandma loved it though; even her soggy hot brown! This place could definitely use a new chef or some kind of refresh. read more

Well I just left there my food was good but the table next to me has some issues. I wouldn't be on here saying anything because of my service was good but a table of six was sitting there before we got there. We got our food and heard 1 of the people at that ask about their food because it was over a hour since they ordered. I seen the waitress roll her eyes then said you are not the only customers in here. Who says that to customers? Then when they got their food they told the waitress was cold and she told them she could go warm it up.. it was hot brown. They said no then she said we can make you another and they said no don't want to wait another hour. Then the rest of the table s food came out and the waitress said to them, " you are the f$$$in rude people I have seen". My husband and I said to each other did that waitress said that to them and we must have heard right because that table exploded! Then as we was leaving we found that it was a manager that was acting like that. We will not be back! read more

Hello. I would give this four stars. obviously the history is amazing with the story of President Lincoln staying here along with general Patton. currently the restaurant is closed for renovations until the end of January but the bar is open. so much history. definitely enjoy talking to Chad and Britney they know their bourbon really well and prices are fairly reasonable (a little bit of a higher side from this bar than other Kentucky joints all in all would recommend this and take a look in the gift shop lots of cool stuff in there- General manager Cowell is super friendly and a wealth of knowledge given his background I must stop if you're in Bardstown at least for a drink or a quick tour it's basically a museum!' read more

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We were in Bardstown for the day and came across this great place. There was a 30 minute wait, but well worth it. We ordered the Kentucky Club sandwich and the Tavern Burger, both great and served with a side of your choice. The gift shop is filled with great souvenirs at a reasonable price. It's a small old rustic place but has so much charm. It is also very close to the whiskey museum which is a must see. Cheers! read more

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My wife and I went based on recommendations from other bourbon enthusiasts. I will say I should have looked deeper at the yelp reviews. The experience was awful from service, food, and ambience. To start we had reservations at 6:00 Monday- we show up at 5:30 and told we they have no reservations for us. So do you have an opening - yes at 6:00 was the reply Order dinner and wanted steak and a baked potato. Sorry we are out of baked potato so a settled for mashed potatoes and brown gravy. Wife ordered catfish and wild rice. I get mine she gets catfish but know rice. When we ask the server goes would you like a baked potato instead (different server) and I'll get you the wild rice also. Again, not the best but more. The mashed potatoes I got were the lumpiest potatoes I have ever had but the brown gravy could be used to fill in pot holes on the highway- it was that hard. So to finish it was way overpriced for the food was not at all tastier than a frozen tv dinner. The cost however was extremely expensive for the quality. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern is a staple of Bardstown, KY. I sing in a choir concert once a year in the area and this is always our lunch stop afterwards and it doesn't disappoint. The old historic building has lots of character and some pretty neat history of you care to read up on it but the multiple rooms and the old creaky wooden floors make for some nice ambiance. The menu is pretty large but we always start with the biscuits because they're so good and I always get the Bourbon Pecan Crusted Chicken and I probably won't veer away from that any time soon. The chicken is juicy and the crust is sweet and crunchy and just plain delicious. I usually get mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans on the side and they're good but not really special but that's ok. They also have a variety of yummy cocktails many of which feature Kentucky Bourbon and you have to save room for dessert because they have wonderful homemade cobblers, cakes and bread pudding. The one thing (besides the side dishes) that could be improved upon here is the service. Every time we have visited service has been very slow. It doesn't seem to matter if they're busy or not it's just slow. Everything from the drinks to the food to getting the checks is slow. It doesn't need to be super speedy but not being without drink refills for a prolonged period of time or having to find the server for the check is nice. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern exudes historical location. From the outside to inside you feel you are being transported back through history. My family and I enjoyed ribeyes, country fried steak, green beans, mashed potatoes, and bread pudding with vanilla bourbon sauce and ice cream. The bar area has an extensive bourbon collection though we did not opt to try any after a day of bourbon tastings. However if you are looking for a place to try bourbon this is a great place. Our ribeyes were tender and cooked to perfection. The green beans were seasoned well and tasted like good southern cooked beans, and the mashed potatoes were creamy and buttery. We did order the garlic cheddar biscuits and those were not the best, but the rest of the meal was awesome. Dessert is a must. The homemade bread pudding and vanilla bourbon sauce was spectacular and was a hit with our table. Beautiful tavern with a lot of historical information on display and beautiful architecture. Overall, I would definitely recommend the tavern and will be back. read more

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Wonderful atmosphere, attentive staff, our waitress was very sweet and of course great food. The Kentucky Burgoo was absolutely amazing!!!! Will look forward to returning! read more

The food was pretty good. I have a dairy allergy and they basically told me they didn't have time to check their recipes for milk... like almost nothing on the menu I could eat without checking. So, NOT Dairy allergy friendly. Service was pretty good, some food was cold that should have been hot. read more

The food was delicious. The atmosphere was great. The cocktail menu provided some unique choices as well as old favorites. The service was excellent. read more

Great atmosphere and wonderful service, but my drinks and food were lacking. I mean, the vegetable dish I got with rice pilaf, zucchini and mushrooms was good, but I felt $12.99 at lunch was a little much, especially for the portion size. I am a local and only ate there because no other downtown restaurants are open on Mondays for the most part. I would never pay that much any other time for a lunch meal. It got me thinking if for the summer these are the "tourist" prices? Of course, the bourbon menu is extensive and I thought ordering a craft cocktail would be amazing but it wasn't that great. The Bar at Willett's has the best craft cocktails. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Called repeatedly for reservations, but no answer on the phone or to the messages I was prompted to leave. We had to wait about 40 minutes, which wasn't horrible, but when you've tried to avoid that by making a reservation it is frustrating. Food was ok...not really hot, and took quite a while to get. The experience is fun, but for great food and service go elsewhere. read more

Stopped in for dinner here on Labor Day. Servers were masked and tables seemed properly spaced. The service here was friendly and top notch. I started with fried pickles which were light, airy, and not greasy. I also tried a flight of bourbons only sold in Kentucky which were delicious and each with its own unique flavor profile. For my entree I had the pork ribeye in bourbon bacon sauce with a side of rice pilaf and collard greens. The ribeye was so good that it didn't need the sauce although the sauce was really good especially the crunchy bacon bits. The collards were nothing special to me. I guess the ones I've had before have been more buttery. Rice was fine. I was so full I couldn't sample the desserts which sounded delicious. There's a gift shop and ample parking. I'd eat here again. Might try the country fried steak next time. read more

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The history and ambiance is amazing. Food and service mediocre. Our appetizer took an hour and was cold. I do recommend you stop by. If they served a great burger, they would probably do just fine. read more

Great history, make sure you go upstairs to read about it. Salmon was lacking taste, mashed potatoes had no taste and green beans were the same. The just need some seasoning back in the kitchen:) fires and chips were the best part of the meal and service is wonderful! read more

The food was not good at all. We had the mango pork ribeye and the ribs. Both were not appetizing. The pork ribeye was not a ribeye but very thin pork chops that were covered with way too much ground black pepper. The ribs were dried out and barely had any meat on them. The sides were cold. We asked a couple of people around town where to go to eat for dinner while we were in town and everyone suggested that this was the place to go. The food was terrible and the bill was painful to pay because of this. We DO NOT recommend going here. Update: I was thankful they were quick to respond to my review. But after emailing them with details, they didn't respond. I hope they can get things straightened out, but for now, I would avoid. read more

Beautiful property Wonderful staff Full of history Clean rooms Great food Highly recommend read more

The bar is a fun place to go. We both ordered old fashions and they were excellent so a shout out to the bartender. We missed the ambiance of the restaurant because we were in a room that looked like an addition (not sure). If you go, be sure to request the stone walled room. Our server was a sweet gal, very personable and job well done to her. Now the food. I would say mediocre. Husband ordered chicken fried steak, I had the ribs. I asked for cheesy grits on the side (one of my favs) but they were watery and tasteless. I would return to have a drink or two at the bar but I'm sorry, probably not for the food. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Talbott incredible bar! - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky