Hop's — Restaurant in Beattyville

Excellent bourbon and beer selection! Had to start with something good. Now, I hate to dog on a local business, but coming from over two decades of restaurant management under my belt, I know a thing or two about systems of efficiency. I'll preface this with, this is a one visit review. My experience might not be the norm and I will definitely revisit when I am back in the area or someone can correct me here. First, no table service. Diners stand in line at the outdoor bar to order everything for their meal, like McDs. We were behind three or four groups of 3-5 guests and we waited apx 25 minutes in line to order. My time has come, not yet...the gentleman behind the bar spoke to another guest who had been off to the side deciding on beers for a flight...and he disappeared. A couple moments later a second employee appears and proceeds to take my order which was a Weller Special Reserve on a few rocks and jalapeno cheese nachos. I was asked if I wanted a 1 or 2 pour, went with the 2 of course, which was the just big side of the jig and expertly measured. and added the cheese and jalapeno nachos. She said, that'll be $32 (the nachos were $8). A little sticker shocked I paid, tipped, awaited my drink and realized I was thirsty and needed water. I asked for water with dinner and was told that they would have to charge me for the cup. Having only a debit card I found that to be a silly transaction for me and their fee to run the card would have cost 4x more than the cup they wanted to charge me for. Some things are just a cost of doing business, such as cups, to go utensils, etc but you add that cost into the food (bourbon in this case) to cover your overhead. The Weller, delicious - the tortilla chips, definitely cut and fried in-house had ZERO salt, the cheese sauce also house made and again lacking seasoning and flavor meaning the fresh jalapeno slices overpowered the bite and was all I could taste. Salt improved the dish overall, but washing it down with Weller otr just didn't do it. My two companions were also less than impressed with both food and beverage. It's a great spot, just around the corner from Miguel's and the Red River Rockhouse, and I'll give it another shot when I'm in the area...and with my own water...

I'm far too conscientious about how poor reviews can affect small businesses but I also want to keep other out of towners apprised of what may be in store for them. That being said, we were all very excited to try the tacos (on Taco Tuesday) because the menu looked interesting, different, and fun. However, once we got our orders, none of us were particularly happy with the food items. To be fair, we were a mostly latin/hispanic group from Chicago - we are well aware that we carry a different kind of palate. But even keeping that in mind, there was no excuse for the chicken to be that bland and dry. In all caps. No salt, no seasoning, nothing. I've worked in kitchens, I could swear they just boiled and shredded it, nothing added to the stock. The chicken tacos would be perfect for my Irish Mother-In-Law who thinks Ketchup is too spicy. The chorizo was NOT chorizo. It was more along the lines of overcooked Italian Sausage, dry & crumbly. Authentic chorizo is red, definitely not dry, and full of flavor. The tomatoes were canned. The cheese was shredded (which is fine) and cold (not very fine) as were the tortillas and and the meat. We waited a good amount of time for our food and we understood it was a small operation, so no complaints about timeliness. We didn't have any time to reorder and even if we did, we didn't really want to try anything else after that. We just ate what we could and chalked it up to a difference in regional takes of tacos. Honestly, the barest minimum of utilizing salt during the cooking process would have helped greatly. There was one stand out taco that the group agreed on and that was the one containing collard greens, close second was the curry if that helps any decision making going forward. Everyone there was incredibly friendly, working very hard to get things out in a timely fashion. Their beer selection was outstanding and the margaritas were Fantastic. I WOULD go there again for the drinks. We didn't go back to try the full menu and perhaps that's a better option for anyone wanting to stop in for a quick bite. Very cute spot, good service, outstanding drinks, exceptional beer selection, pass...

ATTENTION CLIMBERS: If Rockhouse or any of the other great restaurants in the Red look like they have a long line or wait, I would recommend waiting it out and not going to Hops.

This is the first restaurant I have ever eaten at where I felt that I must leave a review afterwards. This isn't a personal attack at the owners, but a warning for others.

Unfortunately, farm to table has nothing to do with the quality and palatability of the food provided. From the moment my friend and I bit into our cornbread muffin, we burst out laughing with how little flavor it had. The rest of the meal followed suit (grilled cheese, beans, and sausage burger).

The service was what I would expect from similar restaurants in the area (pay and seat yourself). However, I was disappointed there wasn't a self serve water station. When using the restroom, there were no paper towels. Overall the setting and dinning areas have potential, but need more attention to detail.

While my friend and I were having our meal, we thought that surely others around us must have been having a similar experience, especially with the food. After looking through the reviews, it seems like this isn't an isolated experience.

We both concluded that this was the worst meal we've ever paid for (maybe ever had, full stop) and that we won't be back.

At least they had a good...