This place is absolutely wonderful. The atmosphere is fascinating. We started with the Beer cheese plate. I had the fried catfish, which was huge at least 8-10inches long and probably 3-4 inches wide with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy and the tartar sauce was homemade. Our server could've been more wonderful. I highly recommend it read more

I wish I didn't have to leave a bad review for any restaurant. I hope the restaurant could use this review to improve their service for future guests. The food here is good for a touristy town restaurant. Although I was expecting a little more charm since there's a lot of history attached to the place and it's nested in a touristy town. The service is friendly, but it was SOOOOOO SLOW. When we entered the restaurant, there's a sign on the wall saying the restaurant is under staffed due to the pandemic. So we were definitely a lot more patient with the wait. It took almost 2 hours for us to be seated. And this was at 1pm on a Monday. After we were seated at the bar side of the restaurant, the waitress was really quick to take our order and serve our drinks. Then began the 2nd round of waiting... It took another 30-45min before the food came. By that time, we were so hungry we just inhaled the food. The food really tasted so good. But I feel it's 80% due to the fact that we were starving. I bet even frozen pizza would taste amazing to us at that point. Another issue is that I really wanted to eat at this place because it has a very charming dining room with a lot of history. But we were told that we couldn't be seated at the dining room since it was full. Then, before leaving the restaurant, we peaked into the dining room and saw it was nearly empty... no clue why they wouldn't seat us there. We understand that many service industries have a hard time getting people back after the pandemic. But maybe instead of making customers wait, just turn us away or give a rain check for dinner or on a different day. I'd much rather have had no experience than a bad one. read more

Lunch salad was bland. Draft beer not that cold. Server lovely. Would not return for food.

We were in Bardstown from out of town looking for a place to eat. The Yelp reviews looked good so we decided to try it out. It's a nice, welcoming atmosphere when you walk in. We were greeted and seated right away. We ordered The 1776 Charcuterie Tasting as an appetizer and 2 of the Jesse James Ribeyes for our meals. Our Charcuterie Tasting showed up (picture attached) and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. Online the price is listed at $13.99, on the menu at the restaurant it was listed at $19 and I was hesitant to even order it but my boyfriend decided to order it. This appetizer is not worth $19. When we got our bill they charged us $19.99!! Then not 2 minutes later, our steaks showed up before we even had time to eat/enjoy our overpriced appetizer. Our waitress asked us if we needed A-1 or anything and we said no. We believe if a steak is properly seasoned/prepared then you don't really need A-1. So we start eating our steaks and I looked at my boyfriend and said "maybe I should have gotten A-1". Our steak was lacking any kind of flavor, even though it was supposed to have some type of bourbon butter on top of it that we didn't see or taste. It was also very fatty and I know that Ribeyes are fatty. It's my favorite cut of steak and I eat them all the time but my boyfriend couldn't even eat pretty much half of his steak because it was so fatty and inedible. The sides were ok. Nothing spectacular. Our bill was $104 (we had some drinks too) but I really don't feel like we got our money's worth and we won't be back. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - 1779 Charcuterie Tasting - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

They had a nice bourbon selection and drink menu. I was a little sad to hear that the bartenders aren't allowed to make special drinks or recommendations, but I guess I can understand why. The service was quite slow but they seemed to be short staffed and at least everyone was actually working hard and not just standing around. We didn't eat, but maybe next time. read more

Garbage, I've never had worse food or service. You can hear music and people in the kitchen clear as day. I literally threw up the food once I got back to my hotel. I've never been so sick from anything I've ate worse than that! I made a yelp account just to make sure people know how bad this place is! Eat there if you feel lucky is all I have left to say. read more

Sorry that we didn't take photos of the food but hands down the bread pudding al a mode was delicious. We got the stuffed mushrooms (comes in 4) and the beer cheese (think cheese ball and not dipping cheese). I got the hot brown (KY delicacy) and fiancé got a burger. Overall great food. The Bourbon flights were great. Christine is highly knowledgeable and friendly. She helped us with our food and beverage selections. Cal was also great. Gave a tour through the gilding and even got to check out the Jesse James room. Also got the history of the lady in white. Super recommend. read more

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The Old Talbott Tavern may be the oldest business I've reviewed on Yelp. It opened in 1779! We stopped by this historic restaurant, bar, and bed & breakfast for lunch during a day-long tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (specifically, we'd just visited nearby Heaven Hill and Willett Distilleries). This is one of those touristy places, but for good reason - if you want to experience Kentucky to its fullest, you've got to make a stop here. The Old Talbott Tavern offers flights of bourbon and traditional Kentucky foods like burgoo (spicy stew) and hot browns. Our group of 5 showed up to the tavern on a Friday just after 12pm. The bar was busy, but the dining room was mostly empty. By the time we left, the place was packed. We were able to find free parking in the tavern's small lot / Mulberry Alley. As you'd expect, the tavern is rustic and old timey, dimly lit with creaky floorboards and all. Aside from the regional dishes mentioned above, the tavern's food menu at lunchtime was standard pub grub and Southern fare including items like fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, pot roast, country fried steak, and salads and sandwiches. We got an order of bourbon meatballs ($9.99) for the table. If I recall correctly, there were 5-6 decent-sized (bigger than golf balls) meatballs. They're called bourbon meatballs because the sauce on the meatballs is a bourbon BBQ sauce. Not bad. I ordered an Old Kentucky Hot Brown ($12.99) which consisted of smoked turkey and sugar-cured ham on toast points (toast triangles / toast sliced diagonally) smothered in Mornay sauce and melted cheddar cheese, topped with bacon and tomato. It's essentially an open-faced sandwich. Mornay sauce is a white sauce made with butter, flour, milk, and Gruyere cheese (a bechamel variant). The hot brown was heavy and hearty; the kind of dish that both warms and fills you up. I'd consider it a Kentucky comfort food. It's not my favorite, but one worth trying if you've never had one before. I told our server that the Chick-fil-A Dwarf Houses (CFA's sit-down restaurants) serve hot browns too, but she thought I was joking and didn't believe me. I had my first hot brown at a Chick-fil-A in Georgia. Our server was friendly and was really working hard. There didn't seem to be enough servers for the bar and dining room. In the end, I think the Old Talbott Tavern (restaurant portion) is worth a visit for bourbon flights, authentic Kentucky cuisine, and its historical significance. The food is just OK though. read more

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Service, food, & drinks were wonderful! Great hot brown! I will be back & bringing people with me!

Stopped in at the tavern for lunch while touring distilleries. The tavern is really neat. One of the first stagecoach stops for going out west and the oldest bourbon bar. We had the hot brown and a bourbon bbq sandwich. The sandwich was good but the hot brown was really good. Service was pretty good. Enjoyed the experience. read more

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

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AWEFUL! From the terrible hosts (two young girls who were simply clueless on how to do their job, as well as how to provide customer service) to the food. I ordered the pot roast, which was suggested by our overly-burdened bartender/waiter. What a disappointment. Four small bites of meat covered in a lukewarm brown sauce with carrots (both sliced and the small carrots you buy in a bag) and potatoes that tasted as though they had been cooked two days before and added to the lukewarm sauce. Simply horrible. The place was clearly understaffed. We ended up eating in the bar area, where our bartender was performing double duty as the bartender and waiter. He was a good guy and doing his best under the terrible circumstances. Unfortunately, because we were in Bardstown on a Sunday, there were no other places open to eat. If you are doing the bourbon trail and find yourself in Bardstown on a Sunday, do yourself a favor and pack a lunch or dinner. It will be better than anything you can find in town. read more

When I read Yelp reviews, I tried to talk my husband out of having dinner here. He really wanted to go, so I thought, it's only one dinner, it won't kill me to go along. He was right! We were seated quickly, friendly server Kristie, nice menu. We both ordered the walnut encrusted chicken with bourbon sauce - great choice. I'd never had bourbon sauce, but will try to duplicate it at home, it was fabulous. So, the bad reviews almost scared me off, but our experience was really positive - delicious food, friendly competent server and interesting surroundings. Highly recommend ignoring bad reviews! read more

This is our second time stopping here to eat. The first time we ate in the Bourbon Bar and it was very good. This time we were in the dining room. It is such a cool old place and the food was great again! The staff is friendly and very helpful. We had the walnut crusted chicken with a bourbon sauce. read more

My family and I went to Bardstown Kentucky to see the Steven Foster play. We traveled several miles! We went to Talbots Tavern to have a good dinner! I was never so disappointed in a restaurant! The service was so bad- we waited for over an hour and a half before our food was served. When the food finally came, all the food was cold and between two BLTs there was only one slice of bacon broken in half on each. The grits were so cold and hard I couldn't eat them and they came with only three pieces of shrimp! The potatoes and peppers were also uncooked. There was no ice in the ice tea or soft drinks! The roast beef was so bad my son-in-law did not eat any of it! This was the worst meal I have ever eaten! I will never eat here again! Between the poor service and quality, I feel like I just threw away $100 plus dollars! read more

This is a lovely historic building smack dab in the heart of lovely horse and bourbon country, so you're going here for the ambiance, right? Right, and it's a good thing, too, because the food is... OK. I love very much that they have a black and tan made with Guinness and Yuengling on the menu. It was sincerely a no brainer for both of us to imbibe in one of them. I mean, we are at a *tavern* for Pete's sake. Paying homage to the roots of the place, by husband got a dish of pot roast, which he declared to be quite good. It looked very much like what you'd expect the original patrons dined on back when this was the only game in town. Score 2 points for authenticity. I'm not a girl who could've hung with the settlers and outlaws, so I opted for the grilled chicken sandwich with beer cheese sauce. I know, I know. Jesse James is rolling over in his grave (or IS he? bwhahahaha). It was underwhelming to put it mildly. The chicken was fine, but the sad lettuce tomato and thimble full of cheese paste were not doing it. My bad though, for not going with the veggie burger. I do recommend visiting here, just go in with the right expectations. You're here for the ambiance (and the black and tan), remember? read more

Came in for a quick bite after touring makers Mark. It an old school place with a rustic feel. Service was good, food came out quick. Both me and my friend agree that the mashed potatoes were some of the best we've ever had and I'm not a huge fan of mashed potatoes. The gravy that accompany them was fantastic. The fried chicken was also delicious and well seasoned. It is a little pricey but you get a soup/salad with your meal and the quality of the food justifies its price. If you are in the area definitely stop by! read more

The old is new and great! We heard from a Bourbon shop that the staff is all knew, trained about Bourbon and the Chef is new from Makers Mark- this experience did not disappoint! We had read about this Tavern and Inn as being super old and both Jesse James and Daniel Boone stayed there. The rooms were booked for the night but we had dinner in the Tavern. Christine our server and the new chef's food were amazing! I had the catfish and hubs had the pork ribeye- both were great! We had fried green tomatoes and banana peppers for apps and warm home made peach cobbler for dessert. Delish- recommend! read more

Tried to eat there last night. We had a confirmed reservation for 6:00 pm. We arrived a few minutes before 6 and were told that the kitchen was "backed up" and that it would be "awhile" because they had two pages of reservations to be seated before us. When advised we were going to the play at the park, we were told that would "not be doable". obviously, very poor management! read more

the mot beautiful and awesome servers at Talbott TavernBethany a ky belle and Sara combining beauty with awesome service read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - the beautiful Bethany whois the most awesome server witcolonelGreg and Colonel Judy - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Stayed one night and had dinner. Dinner was pretty good - the pork chop was good-sized, but my food could have been hotter, it was luke-warm. The rooms were very cute with lots of old antiques. My feet stuck out past the end of the bed (I'm 6' 4"), but that's to be expected with a traditional twin bed. No, didn't hear any ghosts that night but my wife had some good nightmares ;-) Breakfast was fantastic! Biscuits, gravy, eggs and bacon, all cooked to perfection. Prices I thought were quite reasonable. Overall we give the Talbott a definite thumbs-up. We really enjoyed staying in the historic locale, the proximity to the Bourbon Trail and My Old Kentucky Home was very convenient. We would definitely come back again! read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Glazed pork chop dinner - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

The beer cheese was amazing!! The walnut crusted chicken was really good but the collard greens were not hot and not very tasty.

I was so disappointed. We made reservations for 5 old friends to get together. The service was slow and the food downright awful. We ordered shrimp and grits which finally can and was ice cold, the grits were like wallpaper paste. So we asked to have it warmed, apparently they stuck in the microwave so now the shrimp were rubber, the worst meal I have had in a long long time. My sisters steak was luke warm tough and tasteless, my friends ribs could not be sawn off the bone so tough. We had a cake delivered from a bakery and the brought to the table in a box and dumped it. I was so very disappointed in the whole experience. Go to Toogies Table instead great meal good service read more

The ambiance was great. Very old and interesting. There is a self guided historical tour available via your iPhones. The bartenders were excellent and friendly as were the wait staff but the hostess was rather snotty. I gave only 3 stars because the food was very poor. The ribs were greasy, the walnut crusted chicken over done and dry. The pork chops were paper thin, although I liked the sauce. But the worst was the "green" beans. Man, there was nothing left of "green" of those beans. They were so over cooked they were mushy and grey. The mashed potatoes were cold and the gravy congealed on top. The only good meal was the catfish. 4 stars for that one. I'd suggest a menu overhaul and a new chef. read more

Solid food. Super interesting building and history. We had a large group and moved things around for us all to fit together. I was worried about getting all our food and drinks out together but they had zero issues. We make a point to eat there again. read more

Sorry we waited over an hour and a half and had two rounds of drinks before we gave up and left.

DISCLAIMER: My review is based on my OWN personal experience and opinions ~~it has NO bias intent towards the company/business, the owners/managers or their employees. Please let YOUR OWN experience and views be your guide for enjoyment !!!! We stopped here on the way back from West Virginia visit one weekend and was very pleased. We found it on the internet and I wanted to go due to the historical factors and Noel wanted to go because of the ghost stories..Abraham Lincoln and his family actually slept here...and upstairs they have the LINCOLN ROOM..you can go upstairs and actually still sleep here..but you can also check out the rooms and the area.. Very nice Very NICE..I loved it . The food was good..the rooms in the dining area was so fascinating to me..this was an actual stage coach inn back in the day..famous people walked these hard wood floors and drank ale in these rooms and ate their suppers here!! Too refreshments and fared away from the weather and rough travels of the older roads...AMAZING !!!! I love love love this !!! The food was really good..I enjoyed this experience!!! I would go again! I would highly recommend it!! YOU DEFINITELY have to check this place out and TAKE a FEW STEPS back into history...walk the steps that LINCOLN walked, and touch the handrails of the staircase he climbed.. I am in AWE!!! ((( can you tell ???? )))) read more

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While visiting Bardstown, we were told that THIS was the place to go for dinner and drinks. Please, let me start by saying that this place is absolutely beautiful. It's worth stopping in just to look around and check out the Jessie James room. Bourbon selection is next level. The restaurant experience, however... here's where the stars drop off. Appetizer portions are far too small for the asking price. I'm fine with a small appetizer as it's not supposed to fill you up before the main course. Just don't charge as much as an entree at other locations around town. On the topic of entrees: Talbott is VERY proud of their options. Quite pricy for how mediocre the food is. I'll pay the price they ask if the meal is worth it. What we had was very much not what we paid for. Once a table was ready, we were seated with a very friendly server who took our orders promptly, but then seemed to forget about us. When our food was brought out, we finally had a chance for refills and to order more drinks, then gone again. We waited for about 10 minutes for a chance to flag her down (Which I truly hate to do. It makes me feel like a terrible person.) just so we could let her know that our sides were not what we had ordered. She was very courteous about getting us the correct sides, then gone again. Once we were finally able to just ask for the bill, we were all ready to be finished with this place. Cocktails and bourbon were great, just no opportunity to order more of them. TLDR: lovely, historic building. Go for the drinks. Much better places to dine close by with better prices to portion/quality. read more

We went here on Dec 31,23 for our 40th wedding anniversary. We had a delicious meal and felt like we stepped back in town. We will definitely be back. read more

This place is very cool if you are a history buff. Lots of cool history. If you're a foodie the restaurant is excellent. If you're a steak eater then the ribeye is the way to go. read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - The Talbott Tavern. Excellent place to stay and eat. - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

There's a special place in my heart for the Old Talbott Tavern. Yes, it's super old - built in 1779 - and I'm a sucker for historic properties. But what makes it all the more memorable for me is 1) they were the only Bardstown restaurant open on a very snowy bitterly cold day in Kentucky, 2) they opened with just 3 people to staff the restaurant and kitchen and still did an amazing job, and 3) our server/bartender/new friend in Bardstown went out of her way to be kind to two downhearted snow-bound travellers. Maybe that's why the Old Talbott Tavern has been open for 237 years. Quality service is ingrained. First - you have to love a place that's been around forever, hosting not-yet-presidents (Jackson, Harrison and Lincoln), historical figures of note (Boone, Audubon and Patton) and survived a shoot up from a drunk Jesse James that left bullet holes in the wall. You can ask the staff to give you access to the hotel's upstairs so you can explore the rooms used by these - and many other - guests, see the bullet holes for yourself, as well as the remains of historic murals. They've done a great job of posting historic information signs throughout the property, allowing you to read and learn as you walk around. Now - for the food. As I mentioned, we were depressed (plus we hadn't eaten all day). And when depressed, it's best to order carbs and cheese and bacon. Trust me on this. The loaded cheese fries hit the spot. Next we tried the Burgoo. We'd never heard of burgoo, but our helpful server/bartender/friend told us it was a traditional Kentucky stew, found only in Kentucky. Apparently it was first made by a cook at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It contains a variety of meat (chicken, pork, beef) and vegetables and usually has a fairly spicy flavor. What exactly it contains and how exactly it's made vary from cook to cook and, like a good barbecue, is the source of much family pride and state debate. In any case, we enjoyed the Old Talbott Tavern's version. It hit the spot on a cold day and was a perfect serving size as an appetizer. For our main dishes - again, please note that we hadn't eaten all day - my husband stuck with a basic burger. It was good. I was more adventurous and tried the Hot Brown, another Kentucky dish. It's an open-faced sandwich (Talbott's was turkey), topped with a Parmesan-cheese based sauce, more cheese, a tomato slice and bacon. I had no idea what to expect when I ordered the Hot Brown, only that I needed to try Kentucky's signature sandwich. Now that I've had it, I don't ever have to have it again. While I do like cheese and I like open faced sandwiches, I found the Hot Brown to be far too rich for my taste. We ended our meal with a bourbon flight. You're free to pick on your own from a TON of choices. Or, do as we did, strike up a conversation with the bartender and discuss what you already know you do and don't like to get recommendations of new things to try. read more

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This place has all of the potential in the world, but it means nothing when the staff seems to hate being there. It's a shame. Terrible service. Rude. I couldn't get out of there quickly enough. read more

By far my favorite burger in town! Great place to sit down and enjoy the history of such an amazing place! My go to always delicious picks are a salad with Greek dressing to start! Then fried banana peppers! Yum you wont regret ordering them! Then my usual dressed burger medium with American cheese! Finnish off with a nice black cup of coffee! Mmmmmmm! Staff is always amazing and friendly! Tavern will always be a favorite dine in place for me! We always ask for Carla as our waitress she is the best! read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - The perfect burger with always amazing frys! - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Neat atmosphere but the food was just barely above average for the proteins (salmon and ribs) The bbq sauce for the ribs reminded me of the sugary ketchup topping typical for meatloaf. The sides, green beans and collard greens were not good at all. Slaw was okay. Service was a bit slow. I would not be likely to return on my own accord. read more

Good, simple, honest dishes with no frills. Service is hit and miss, but with a smile, so all is forgiven. Love the history, and management is always present to help and work. A must visit in Bardstown. read more

I had been before and it was excellent this time sorry to say a disaster. We had the hot brown , greens, chicken which was ok. The chef must really love pepper because that is all we could taste. I cannot tell you to visit. read more

Order the fried banana peppers and thank me later. Also, it's the sidecar name desire not streetcar. The menu covers the corner so be sure to get it right or you'll be corrected read more

The Old Talbott Tavern - Fried banana peppers - Bars Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

So I ordered bourbon BBQ chips appetizer and said no onions. The bartender asked are you allergic or just don't like em ? I said I just don't like em. I thought he was just being sociable. He asked because, if your not gonna die from onions... tough shit ur getting onions. Oh well, that's my 2 cents. read more

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

Delicious food. Super friendly staff. They showed us around upstairs and made us feel very southern hospitality welcome. Definitely a must go to. read more

Just finished a quick dinner at Talbott Tavern. Although a very cool place, it's overpriced and mediocre. Ordered the loaded fries appetizer priced at 11.99, expecting a decent sized portion. It was a small plate, with soggy fries and overcooked cheese. Also ordered two tavern salads- priced at 10.99 a piece. They were small side salads, not dinner portions, which is what we were looking for this time. Service was slow. Disappointed with the cost and portions. read more

We love staying at the end and we loved the bands at the tavern. Had such a great time and we're so glad that who chose this location. Will come again for sure. read more

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