Bristol Bar & Grille - Downtown

Review summary

1. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Baja California1 review

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great service and handled our larger group well! Food selections to make everyone happy!
   

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2. DS

   DebbieS VIP

   Louisville17 reviews

   3.0

   Dined on March 2, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Usually we enjoy dinner there but the server seemed a bit scattered. We never received the bread he said he would bring with the salads, my husband ordered salmon and requested the broccoli be replaced with carrots. He brought the salmon with half of a dinner plate full of broccoli. We reminded him it was supposed to be carrots and he brought six very small baby carrots spread out on an appetizer plate. It was so sad you just sat there shaking your head. I had to ask for the mayo that I had I ordered with my burger. He did not ask me when ordering how I wanted my burger. It was more pink than I normally eat it but it was seasoned nicely. He never asked if I wanted another beer but brought water around regularly to fill our glasses. They were busy that night so I will chalk it up to that.
   

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3. P

   Priya VIP

   Atlanta48 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 25, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The food was quite good, and the service was on point. We’d dine here again.
   

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4. C

   Curtis

   Louisville1 review

   2.0

   Dined on February 23, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   My spouse and I visited before a Sunday night show recently. This is one of the few restaurants open near the KCFA on a Sunday evening. Our show started at 6:30, our reservation was for 5pm, and we arrived 10mins early. We were greeted immediately and shown to a two-top booth in the bar area. Waters were served by a gentleman dressed in street clothes - guessing a manager, which was fine and impressed us that everyone was chipping in to help with the crowd. We waited for a bit for our waitress to greet us, and take our drink orders. She came back with a tray of drinks and said she would be right back to take our order. I watched her deliver her drinks and then take the orders of the tables behind us that had been seated after us. She made it to us, and we ordered. I ordered a side salad and the hot brown w/no tomato. My spouse ordered the steak sandwich with the skillet potatoes. Bread was brought and then we waited. And waited. We were right near the kitchen we could see trays of food coming out. All of the tables sat after us were served their food and multiple drink refills, while we continued to sit. In full transparency, our waitress was saddled with all of the bar tables. And I realize it was super busy - which was the main reason we made an early reservation and then arrived a bit earlier than that. My salad never showed, and our waitress never came back to check, and she was running between so many tables it was useless trying to get her attention. When our food finally showed, mine looked great and tasted as good. My spouses steak sandwich was served with packets of ketchup - which is surprising and disappointing with fine dining. Both of us would have appreciated drink refills but didn't come until the end of the meal. Our check arrived, with the salad included. When I mentioned it to the waitress, she said " I wish you would have told me", so it was my fault. She removed the salad and we settled the bill. Our $50+ simple meal took an hour and 20mins.
   

   Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 24, 2025

   Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. While I’m glad you enjoyed the Hot Brown and appreciated the team effort from our staff, I’m truly sorry for the delays and missteps in service. It’s disappointing to hear that your meal took longer than expected, and that your salad never arrived. We strive to provide attentive service, even on our busiest nights, and we clearly fell short here. I appreciate your patience and understanding, and I’ll be addressing this with our team to ensure better communication and efficiency moving forward. We value your feedback and hope you’ll give us another opportunity to provide the level of service you deserve.
   

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5. D

   Don

   Louisville13 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 21, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Arrived on Feb. 21 at 5 pm with a reservation. Told the lady receptionist I needed a table for 4 instead of three and explained why. She told me “ If we do not have the room then we do not have the room”. She was rude but she did seat us at a table with four chairs. Even though the app would not let me modify the number of quests I did leave a note stating I needed a table for 4. I have been coming to this restaurant for over 30 years and this was my first encounter with any rude staff. The food and service was good,
   

   Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 24, 2025

   Thank you for your loyalty over the past 30 years—we truly appreciate your continued support. While I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the food and service, I’m very sorry that your experience at check-in didn’t reflect the hospitality we strive for. Your feedback is important, and I will be addressing this with our team to ensure all guests feel welcomed from the moment they arrive. We appreciate you sharing your experience and hope to provide the warm and accommodating service you’ve come to expect on your next visit.
   

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6. R

   Robert VIP

   Louisville114 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It is always a pleasure to dine at the Bristol downtown. M, the host, called me my name and welcomed me. My table was ready upon my arrival. The food was good, service well done, even on a busy night. Even though I didn't order drinks from the bar, Colin, saw me and left the bar to come to my table to visit for a minute. Always nice to feel valued as a customer and friend, by M and by Colin. I wasn't able to try the onion rings that was to be served with a burger special, but I hope they will be available on the menu soon as an appetizer or side option.
   

   Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 24, 2025

   Thank you for your kind words and for being a valued guest! We're so glad to hear that M and Colin made you feel welcome and that you had a great experience, even on a busy night. I’ll be sure to share your feedback with our team—it means a lot to us. And we appreciate your interest in the onion rings! I’ll pass along your suggestion about adding them as an appetizer or side. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
   

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7. J

   Joy VIP

   Louisville68 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Wonderful service,and food. Our go to place before shows at the Kentucky Center
   

   Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 21, 2025

   Thank you! We're honored to be your go-to spot before shows at the Kentucky Center. Looking forward to serving you again soon! 🎭🍽️
   

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8. D

   Dan and Michele VIP

   Cincinnati21 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on February 18, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   To be fair, it was a Kentucky Center for the Arts play night, so the rest. is swamped with diners. I can only imagine how difficult that makes it when you are swarmed with diners in an approximately 2 hours time frame. You can't beat the location and of course, the green chili wontons - which were hot, crispy and delish. Very nice people, super helpful and enjoyable to speak with about reservations. It went down hill after the won tons. I ordered a fried chicken cobb and my chicken had a human hair embedded in the coating and was clearly fried with the chicken then put on my salad. I quietly removed the chicken from the salad and called the attention to our waiter, who just took the plate and sent a new order of chicken to me - yuuuuck - I neither ate the chicken nor the salad but paid my bill when it came for the salad. On another order, my friend ordered Thai Chicken Stir Fry - waiter served three of us, showed the 4th the plate and said it was missing mushrooms, he would have them redo to include mushrooms - someone else brought the exact same thing back, still missing mushrooms, taking it back again - meanwhile, three of the 4 diners were eating (well, not me bc of the hair) - way too long later they brought the stir fry back with a few mushrooms and my friend ate while we chatted and watched. Nothing was really quite right after the won tons ... Spinach Chicken salad which is usually a big hit was literally covered in garlic - not a little, but an entire bowl of garlic. After my chicken, other fried chicken cobb lost her appetite. The food at this location is hit or miss, when its good its good, but when its bad - its just awful. Waiter was nice enough, clearly overworked - he nor the rest. handled the hair issue the best. And, not the rest. fault but the sewer smell near the back of the rest. and in the restroom was awful - but with River Road flooded and the water table up, nothing the rest. did to cause it nor could prob. do about it.
   

   Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 21, 2025

   Thank you for your honest feedback. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the green chili wontons and found our team welcoming, but we sincerely regret the issues you encountered with your meal. We strive for consistency and excellence, and it’s clear we fell short during your visit. Your concerns are being addressed, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to improve. We hope you’ll give us another chance to provide you with the quality experience you deserve.
   

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9. J

   Jodell VIP

   Louisville9 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 18, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Terri is a wonderful server. Food is always great!
   

   Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 21, 2025

   Thank you for the kind words! We're so glad you enjoy the food and that Terri takes great care of you. We'll be sure to pass along the compliment—hope to see you again soon! 😊🍽️
   

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10. L

    Lynn VIP

    Louisville37 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on February 18, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Our server was attentive and very helpful. The food was not up to par. The pork chop was undercooked and had to be sent back and my Thai chicken had no sauce on it which the server recognized and brought to the table. It was my first time trying the Thai chicken and I couldn’t figure out why it was so bland-no sauce.
    

    Bristol Bar & Grille - DowntownResponded on February 21, 2025

    Thank you for your feedback. We're glad to hear your server took great care of you, but we’re sorry the food didn’t meet expectations. Your experience matters to us, and we’ll address these concerns with our team to ensure better consistency. We truly appreciate you giving us a try and hope to make it up to you on your next visit!
    

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