This place it epic for the history alone. Food was good and the drink selection huge.

The only positive thing about the entire experience is that the building is historic and looks nice. Everything about dining here is terrible. Although my party did not arrive at peak dinner hour and the place was not terribly busy, it took over 10 minutes to be acknowledged by the hostess, another 10 minutes to be seated, and yet a further 15 minutes before a server offered to take our order. The menu prices are on the high side, probably because of the historic draw of the building. The biggest disappointment, however, was the $15 Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich. Instead of the promised mornay sauce, the sandwich was made with white pepper gravy... if I had wanted biscuits and gravy, I would have ordered it at a little mom and pop cafe, and enjoyed it more. Overall I haven't felt so unwelcome at a restaurant, or disappointed in the dining experience, for quite some time. Save your time and money by avoiding this place! read more

Bar service was terrible and food service stopped at 7:30pm, much to my shock. Never been to a bar that does not serve appetizers until later in the night. read more

Our experience wasn't bad but I'm not sure I'd return. They were out of the first two beers we ordered but eventually found one they had. I had a Kentucky Hot Brown which was good but a bit over priced. My wife ordered a salad with the crispy chicken but got grilled chicken instead. Food was ok but overall I'm disappointed. Also don't be in a hurry when you go here. Nothing happens fast. read more

Our family reunion group of 24 ate two evening meals at The Old Talbott Tavern in early Sept.. Very pleasant service and good food. We sample a number of hot brown's while in the area over nearly a week's time at both more casual and finer dining restaurants - liked Talbott's the best. Chess pie is a must and the Burguoo (spelling?). They were not as busy as we might have expected and guessing that the side bar with entertainment in a necessary (evil). And I guess that the bring in the entertainment that draws a drinking crowd. But when the Friday night singer guitarist - performs as if he is playing Yankee stadium, singing from his heels, (common problem) I can't imagine that that helps enjoyment in the dining room elsewhere in the building nor B&B guests above. Wish there could be a better way - music offered does shape what guests come in the door. Will certainly recommend a visit to Talbott's Tavern to others for early dinner to beat "noise" in the side bar. read more

Horrible!!! My family and I was super excited to eat here, because it's one of the oldest restaurants in KY. However our experience was horrible. First they said there was a 30 minute wait, but there was four tables that we saw open and free. So we chose to eat on the bar side and not wait. It took the server over five minutes to even approach us, another ten minutes to bring us our drinks. We started with the breaded banana peepers. DO NOT ORDER them!!! They were small and over cooked. We all tried two and that was it! The server didn't even ask why we didn't eat them. So my husband ordered the hot brown which was $14.99, he asked if it came with a side. The sever said "no, but it is huge so you want need a side." Well, it was not huge!! In fact it was tiny! My husband did say it was good, but needless to say he left there still hungry!!! Our tap was $100.47 for 4 people and we all left there just as hungry as we arrived . I personal would not recommend this place. read more

Beautiful place but worst bartenders ever. No suggestions and our empty wine glass sat for 15 minutes till we asked for another glass of wine! No friendly banter and very poor customer service!! read more

The food was superb! Our server, Chris was knowledgeable and attentive. This historic old tavern is full of awesome antiques, and the architecture is incredible! I highly recommend this place! read more

We stopped in for lunch although the food was tasty, the service was too slow for the amount of other diners. We got our Bourbon Ale fast but it took the waitress, 18 minutes to take our food order. That coupled with more inattentiveness during the meal and having to track down the waitress to get the check made for a disappointing lunch. read more

We got there as part of the "late crowd". While we were still treated with the fantastic service and souther hospitality, which is hard to do at night (well done Amanada). The "baked" chicken I ordered failed to make clear that it was deep fried first :( luckily my boyfriend ordered the pot roast and it was big enough to share! Yum! read more

Kerboo is worth coming back for, we did. Fried chicken is well worth the 45 minute wait. Catfish is good but too much breading for one of our table. Pork chop was dry as an old boot. I give the burgoo and chicken four stars. read more

We spent the night on 11/11/11 for my friends wedding there, we were the only couple to stay, the others were scared of the ghost. The breakfast the next morning was THE worst meal I have ever had, I expected a good country breakfast, instead, we had, limp bacon, cold eggs, hard biscuits and tan water, it was suppose to be gravy, yuck! VERY disappointed! read more

We came here after a recommendation from the Jim Beam distillery. The food was ok. They did have some nice unique items like the Kentucky soup thing and the Kentucky hot brown. The food was. Ok, it tended to be a little salty but they had real mashed potatoes. Unfortunately they doused it in pre-made gravy and used canned green beans. We also tried the fried green tomatoes and they we delicious. Wasn't worth the hype we had heard about the place. The ambiance was not as cool as I was hopping. read more

We went in for an early lunch on a Wednesday. At that point the only ones there, still service was a bit delayed and distracted. Food was okay, we did try the Burgoo, which was pretty good and then we ordered salads..salty and drenched with dressing. Biggest negative was the service and also have to comment that for an important historic site, it was a bit run down. read more

Only 1 star because I can't give less. Where to start..... I'm a Kentucky native who was so excited to get back home and eat here. We were told it would bs a 1 hour wait.....1:45 later we were seated. Waitress came to take our drink order and ask if we were ready to order.... We had our minutes all of :08 Had the Burgoo and it was good (first time) Ordered the ribs and they were full of gristle and the potatoes were stone cold. My sons chicken was literally bleeding. Got a replacement of Burgoo only to have bones in it! A three hour brutal experience. Will never be back. read more

Went there for a early dinner. Around 4pm stood around waiting for a table 15 minutes while staff changed shifts. Finally we left!

Service was awful. Food was not much better. Our waitress was as friendly as a door mat. When she delivered our appetizer, she forgot to mention that the plate had been in the oven, resulting in a nice friendly burn when I tried to move the plate. Our main dish was eventually delivered by a line cook after a very long wait. The plate, the food was sitting on, was nice and toasty, so I have to assume it was sitting there for quite a while. The food was not flavorful and was disappointing. We never heard from our waitress again after the cook delivered the food. She never even checked on how it came out. Finally, she came by and without saying anything else, dropped the check off. I put my credit card in the bill and after waiting for 10 minutes for it to be picked up, I replaced it with cash and walked out. We were visiting the bourbon trail, which has been incredible. We went to many great food stops along the way. This unfortunately was the pits. I would not recommend it! read more

Unfortunately time does changes things. We stayed here several years ago and had a great experience. Unfortunately the staff today is not interested in guest satisfaction. Tried to eat dinner and told they only had one server so could not accommodate another couple. They apparently do not clean the room unless requested. Not bad except we did not know this. Left the the towels on the floor as usual. When we returned no one had been in the room. Went to the desk to get towels and wash clothes and they said the would bring them right up 2 hours later had to leave, without being able to take a shower. Still no towels when we returned at 9:30pm so discussed the issue with the bartender. The office was now closed for the night. She had to go upstairs and delivered the needed towels. Wife had to make the bed to get the sheets to fit. Talbot Tavern has a great bartender but we would not stay here again. Try the Bourbon House around the corner. read more

We stopped in because we thought it would be a cool bar to grab a drink and a bite to eat for late lunch. Bar didn't open until 3. We didn't stay to eat. Not what we expected. Nice history but lacks ambiance. read more

If you are in Kentucky, don't miss Talbott's. Have a Hot Brown. The history and ambiance is classic. We enjoyed lunch with a woman who's grandmother once worked there. We will definitely return on our next visit to Kentucky. read more

I had a great time staying here. The food is excellent. The bourbon bar is amazing. Try the VIP flight. The only thing is that in the Jesse James room, the shower is a little difficult to maneuver in. Also, get the Pappy in the bourbon bar. You only live once. It's expensive, but you're at Old Talbott Tavern, for crying out loud. read more

We were a large group traveling and made a stop in Bardstown. It was great! We stayed at the inn in their newer rooms which were clean, comfortable and very up to date. The bathrooms are modern and showers rival any of the high end hotels. The breakfast at the tavern was delicious and not the usual hotel fare. We had eggs, bacon, biscuits and potatoes as well as cereals if you preferred. We visited Makers Mark Distillery which is beautiful and had some spectacular Chihuly artwork on loan from the Chihuly museum in Seattle. Staying at the Talbott and visiting the distilleries make for a very fun and pleasant trip. read more

Love this place,a lot of history,food was awesome,fresh,fried chicken and country fried steak was the best ,plus a ton of bourbon,a must stop read more

Don't go there for lunch. Not enough staff to handle the crowd. Bartender basically told us she was to busy to serve us. We left and went to Manny's across the street. read more

Staff very knowledgeable about history of building. Food was delicious. Encouraged to tour whole place. Interesting and quaint!!

We were tired and hungry from a full day on the Bourbon trail at 445 on a Saturday. The quaint charm drew us in to this establishment. We had plenty of time to enjoy the gift shop. We were quickly seated with menus, We continued to enjoy the ambiance for the next 20 minutes while no one spoke to us, brought us waters or acknowledged us in any way. We chose to leave and as we exited no one acknowledged that either. We are pretty certain that the people there with food were still there from lunch! read more

Bardstown is a beautiful small town with friendly people. This quaint town is very historical and home to a tavern which was built in 1779. Legend has it that the bullet hole in the tavern's wall came from the gun of Jesse James. Although we did not find the bullet hole, we did find the food to be delicious and the service to be outstanding. If you are ever in the area, make it a point to stop at this historic tavern. You won't be disappointed. read more

Very cool, historic place! I ordered the Hot Brown, and it was terrific. Great atmosphere, service, and food.

Ambiance fabulous, food not so good- wait was forever. Honestly, avoid when in Bardstown.

This is a sweet old place with a great historic vibe but the best option is the bar, with its great selection of bourbons and beers (including a "bourbon lager" with a nice bite) and the appetizers (such as the succulent deep fried pickles), as the food in the restaurant is overpriced and pretty terrible. By all means don't have your first "hot brown" here, as it is slathered in what must be a pound of cheese, which obscures any flavor there might be in the molten mass of bread, turkey and ham beneath. The fried chicken is overpriced and over-battered and the walnut chicken breast was so tough a knife would only tear, rather than cut it. The overcooked green beans most certainly came from a can. Blech! But I'd go back to the bar in a hot minute. read more

Interesting location, building and story. I think the staff tries pretty hard. However... really trying to be something they are not. Food quality was very poor. Save the big $ and hit a buffet. read more

I had heard so much about the Tavern prior to our visit and was very disappointed by the experience. The bar has a nice selection of local beers and bourbons but the dining room is just plain odd. It's not at all tavern-like, but rather semi-formal with white table cloths, and the service was very slow. We wanted to order the fried chicken, but it said on the menu it would be a 55-minute wait. We should have just ordered it, as our food took more than that amount of time to make. My Old Kentucky Hot Brown was OK, but the others I dined with had the country fried steak, which was just mediocre. I would go to Circa. instead if looking for somewhere to dine in downtown Bardstown. The gal at our B&B also warned us not to stick around past 11pm, as it "gets really rough there late night." Something about a rowdy local crowd and a lot of bar fights. read more

Great find while we were doing the Bourbon Trail. Historic venue and it is just great to dine in the original tavern. Since we were in Kentucky we thought we would try the Hot Brown and were not at all disappointed as it excellent and received rave reviews from all three of us. Also had the friend green tomatoes and they were very good as well. The young girl serving us was super. A fun experience. read more

Fried tomatoes were good. Food was average but was served cold. Deserts were poor examples of their expected recipe not what you would expect of a wonderfully historic location like this one. read more

Tourist trap. Decent bourbon selection. Below average food. Hostess staff was completely disinterested in seating us. Waited 20 minutes whike 5 empty tables were bussed and another 10 min after the tables were set. Not even remotely worth the wait. read more

Quaint and steeped in local lore, Old Talbott enjoys a sentimental following but truth be told, the food is "ok" and the price points on the menu are a little steep. Service can be hit or miss. Our server failed to mention the special of the night that we overheard the other 2 servers describe and the restaurant was "out of" fried chicken. On a Saturday night. At 6:30. Not sure who oversees the Sysco order, but that's a flop at any restaurant. read more

Hands down-the worst. Burgoo was lukewarm, barbecue soup with one meat(?), a few kernels of corn, one cut piece of carrot and lots of Worcestershire. We asked for bread and paid for four bisquick style cold biscuits. Hot brown was equally notorious. Manhattan and old fashioned were pitiful-in Bourbon country? No ambiance-just old and outdated. read more

Let's say this is really about a 3 1/2 star location.The Old Talbott Tavern is in the very center of Bardstown's downtown area. The Tavern is not only an eating and drinking establishment there are sleeping rooms available. The steps leading to the lobby shows a 1790 date. The lobby area has been converted to a gift show however this is where you go to get seated for dinner or to check in to your hotel room. To the left is the old dining room bar. There is seating before two very large fireplaces and the bar is in the front next to the windows facing the street. The bar was not in use the night we were there. There is a Bourbon bar on the opposite side of the restaurant and that bar was very much open. There is a limited menu for dinner. I ordered the Southern fried chicken, even there a note on the menu stated it would take 55 minutes to prepare. I ask the waitress and she stated there was some about ready and it would take only a few minutes. The chicken was rolled in a flour batter and fried. It was not crusty and the inside of the meat was still moist. While the chicken was good the price was a little high (almost $17) and especially for this small town.The salad served was just OK, the green beans a little soggy and the cornbread had been made with a very course ground meal. I would say the meal was an expensive southern cooking type presentation. After dinner we took a turn upstairs in the area whwerre the hotel rooms are. If you want to say that you have stayed in a very old tavern/inn, then go for it. You have to carry your luggage up two lights of old wooden steps. The names on the doors of each room are interesting, such as the Jesse James Room and the General Quarters. Their are some historical sketches posted on the wall in the hallway where the rooms are located. There is also a very nice large dining room which had been set up but was not in use the day we were there. The wait service was very good. Seating took a could on minutes as the young girls were involved in a personal conversation so we waited and waited even though there were very few guest in the dining room. Parking is on the street plus a few parking spaces to the side of the tavern. I think this is an event for tourist and more than likely you will enjoy. read more

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The food and cocktails get 1 star from me. The fried chicken was nothing special, burger was overcooked, sides were bland and soggy. The bourbon cocktails we had with dinner were sub par. The service at dinner was rather slow, our waitress was honestly a hot-mess, running around as if the place were packed when she really only had a couple of tables. After dinner we went to the bar (free entry if you stay at the Bed and Breakfast or if you eat dinner there) and that is where I'd give the place a higher rating. We split the 5 bourbon shot flight between 2 of us. They fill those shots to the brim so we had plenty to sample. It was fun to try more bourbons from distilleries that we couldn't make it to on the trip. We also had beers afterward and watched the UK/Louisville basketball game, the place was really hopping for that game which made it fun for us. We were able to stumble home to our hotel and were happy about the experience in the end. read more

I've got to give my fellow Yelpers an applause by nailing the three-star rating on this one. I could not have agreed more and I think I may be even a bit generous with this one. My man friend and I came in here after touring the Maker's Mark Distillery and taking in the offerings of downtown Bardstown as we wanted a small bite and a refreshing beer. I think the concept is there. I do not think this place can execute. The beer offerings are quite slim. They had the good ol' American beer (Budweiser, etc) and some Kentucky beers on tap. They had a few other bottled beers but as much as I love beer I really didn't see anything that appealed to me. I ended up ordering a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale and a Sam Adam's. I preferred the Sam Adam's. My man friend went with some more bourbon so he was not disappointed at all. He also ordered the cheese fries sans bacon and I had the meatballs. He enjoyed the fries and the meatballs had a nice taste due to the wonderful sauce. The only downside was the amount of grease that was laying in the sauce. It really made the sauce less tasty and less appetizing. I really probably wouldn't come back here unless I came in for a quick BudLite or something along those lines. I'd probably try another little bar first. That being said, I cannot stress enough that the three female bartenders working were phenomenal. They were really quite busy at the time and seemed to get the drinks and food out efficiently and most importantly, politely. Take the review as you may. It's not the best place, but it's also not the worst. read more