Brookville Restaurant and TapHouse Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Abilene

I almost feel bad giving 2 stars for service because the lady and gentleman who served us our dinner were very kind. It's the hostess who could use some hospitality training. We came to town to visit family and attend a funeral. There were going to be 13 of us. Therefore, the local person made reservations. She said 7pm on a Fri night and gave orders. Chicken or steak. Great. Come said Fri, the first people to arrive enter and let the hostess know they have a reservation. The hostess starts yelling at them and telling them that the kitchen closes at 7. WHAT? Why are you taking 7pm reservations if that is the time the kitchen closes? AND why is the hostess yelling at the customers who were allowed to make the reservation? Not to mention, we had given our orders with the reservation. We get seated immediately, we had a reservation and there MAY have been three other families there. The server comes to take our order. Uhm...what? Well, when the reservation was taken, not enough information was taken down. Online, it appears their steak is like a cube steak. However, they offer a ribeye airloin and KC strip. After much confusion of numbers and such, we get our order in. There are set sides; coleslaw, cinnamon apples, pickles (I hope bread and butter since they were sitting in the peach syrup), and canned peaches. I did not try any of these so I'm not sure about flavor. I can say that at the end of the meal the plate was still over half full. When the food started to arrive, hot side dishes arrived. These were mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, and creamed corn. The mashed potatoes were over peppered and a bit dry. The gravy tasted like flour. The creamed corn was way too sweet. And the rolls were dinner rolls from the grocery store, not even heated. The fried chicken, which I did not eat looked soggy. The breading was not that crispy, crunchy goodness. The steak, had no seasoning and was not cooked as asked. Then the server told us that it was the cook's first night. At the end, it felt rushed. They started clearing plates because the dishwasher wanted to go home. So we were told. Then it came time to pay. We went to the register and had to deal with the hostess again. There were 12 (one couldn't make it) of us. So, it may have gotten a little loud. The hostess baked at us to be quiet. We went through to pay by family. We gave our order. Everything was ok until the 3rd family. The hostess started saying that someone didn't pay for their part and wasn't honest about their order. Well, there was still a family to go. So why accuse us of basically stealing? How about you wait until EVERYONE goes through? AND they require that you add the 20% gratuity...what if I don't click on 20%. The meal was not worth it. For two of us it was over $60 plus the gratuity. We couldn't wait to get out of there. Now, I am from a large metro area and there, I would have said something to the hostess right then and there. But this is a small town and my family still has to live here. Therefore, I didn't confronti the hostess. But they should be grateful they are in a small town because they would be out of...

I drove up from Wichita to meet my brother who was bringing my mother back from Kansas City. This is my first time at the new site, and I was impressed! My family had gone to the original Hotel in Brookville for many, many years. Most of my family members have been to the new site, but for health reasons, I haven't. Same great chicken, with all the "fixin's", and same great service. The new building is beautiful, and I love the historic pics displayed. This is a Kansas tradition. Families come from all over Kansas to eat here. The best fried chicken in the state, fried in an honest to goodness cast iron skillet, not a deep fryer. I will not wait so long to come back. Now, it's easily accessible for travelers on I-70. If you are close to Abilene, stop and check it out. You won't be disappointed. I do have one issue. They used to sell their biscuit mix, and copies of the recipes for the sweet and sour coleslaw, and creamed corn. I didn't see them today when we were leaving. I hope they still sell the biscuit mix, it was outstanding. I also used it to bread my own chicken at home. Pork chops, too. It made the most beautiful brown crust on both. So, excellent long standing chicken dinner restaurant. Family tradition. Do yourself a favor and check it out if you are traveling. Or, just want to keep or start a family tradition! Update 6-11-19 I don't think they use cast iron skillets anymore, but it is still outstanding...

What a major disappointment that we had recently in dec24. Looking forward to some good food and relaxing with friends. I guess the first question is, we had reservations and the caller was asked what are we eating?? This question could not be answered as we don't know what others eat. So, we were put down as a question mark. We arrived on time and seated promptly, only to be greeted by the same lady"Shirley" that was the hostess..She said out loud, we have you down as a "question mark" to eat..we were given no menus or anything..how do we know what to eat or drink?? She rattled off the different meals so fast that one could not decide so fast. ..We were not fast enought for "Shirley", and then then told us..."there are other people in here I have to take care of"!!! We should have walked out then!! We just ordered quickly to make her happy. Food took awhile and they were not even that busy, chicken was greasy tasting and one of our steaks was horrible. They had waiters dropping and fumbling plates all night, we actually saw someone drinking wine, but we were never given any kind of drink menu either. I am a hometown boy who took friends there to eat, but I was very embarrassed to think this place was in my old home town. I do not know the circumstances regarding this "Shirley"..but.Not a good thing, so the word is out Legacy/Brookville. Find so people that care about...