Preacher Bar — Restaurant in Cape Canaveral

Preacher Bar- Cape Canaveral, FL- 4.5 Stars

"A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there's more conversation." - William Blake

I have to admit that the first thought through my mind as I read the name blinking up at me from my random name generator was far from pleasant. With a name like Preacher Bar staring at me, I knew I was headed for more pub slop. Well, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, and so I pulled my Big Boy pants up and headed north to the Cape.

Upon entering said eating establishment, I must say that my pre-visit apprehension was misplaced, to say the least. All I can add is that this is one cool bar and if I was local to Canaveral, this would be my normal watering hole.

After being shown a table and handed a menu, I began looking it over when I noticed two staff standing about chit-chatting. This went on for about five minutes before one of them peeled away and began walking toward my table. This was not an auspicious start to the meal. When she arrived tableside, she introduced herself as Ashley and asked if I was ready to order. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the creative victuals on the menu. This was not your standard pub grub. Ashley impressed me with her overall knowledge of the menu and she did pick up the pace to one of your average wait staff. Nothing to write home about, but certainly worth the standard 20% gratuity. I put in an order for one Clucking Club-bana sandwich, an order of Ahi tuna tacos and one Preacher Burger (medium-rare). As Ashley departed with my order, I took the opportunity to continue looking about the place. This place emits a very, very cool vibe and it almost makes me want to move up the coast just a bit. Almost.

Basking in the laid-back energy of the environs, I was nudged back to reality as Ashley returned with my order. As I was overwhelmed by the veritable cornucopia of succulent aromas wafting about from the varied plates at my disposal, I took a few quick pictures and prepared to attack the job at hand. I am not one to beat a dead horse, but just take a gander at those pics. The place is gorgeous and so is the food. First up on the Big Boy's discerning palate was The Clucking Club-bana. This spectacular representation of what a sandwich should consist of one perfectly pan-fried chicken cutlet, that was as juicy as it was tender and crisp, apple-wood smoked bacon, fresh hand ripped lettuce, a huge slice of fresh tomato, otherworldly pesto, freshly sliced red onion, mayo and chipotle mayo that had just the right amount of kick to wake you up encased in the most delectable ciabatta bread I've had in a long time. The chips were not your ordinary potato chips either, they were definitely top shelf. Outstanding!

Next up was the Ahi Tuna Tacos. This is also outstanding. Fresh cut tomatoes, a delectable wasabi aioli, ginger slaw, and a soy glaze combined with sushi-grade blackened seared Ahi alongside an order of seasoned fries. How could you go wrong with this dish? The flavors of the blackened Ahi, wasabi aioli, ginger slaw and soy glaze meshed beautifully in my mouth and left me wanting more. Much more.

Sadly, this brings us to the last item to be tasted, the Preacher Burger. With one bite, I found this burger to be on par with the preceding delicacies as it was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, obviously hand-formed and nestled on a perfectly golden toasted bun. The large slice of Tillamook Cheddar was melted just so, the onions grilled to a perfect translucency and the obviously homemade BBQ sauce on the side was superb. This was a fantastic burger in every aspect. The accompanying seasoned french fries were deep-fried to gorgeous doneness and were delightful on the palate all by themselves.

The Big Boy says, "Let's cut to the chase. You HAVE to try this place!"...

The decor is quite cool, and comfortable. The wait was long. very (45 minutes). there is a sign that says they practice community seating, and we offered to sit with others, but were told we needed to wait. Yet, when we were seated, five minutes later we had other seated at out table as well.

The Hostess was wonderful, but the waitstaff was sullen. I asked the bartender if he had any sour beers on tap. he said he didn't know what that was. So I asked if there were any saisons or farmhouse ales. Again, he said he had no idea, with an attitude, and that he'd been there only two weeks. They have about fifteen beers on tap. As a bartender, he should have some idea what he has and some idea about what he is serving. In part, this is his fault. In part, this is the fault of the manager/owner for not training him, or at least sitting him down and telling him what options they were supplying for their patrons. I asked no further questions and asked for a cider.

The food was good. I wanted a salad but ti twas slim pickings for that. Everything was either fried or covered in cheese. Yes, I know, that tastes wonderful, and the fish and chips were quite good, the bacon was great, the fire shrimp were wonderful.

While the atmosphere was comfy, the air was not working. it was far too hot. Everyone at our table was hot, my family AND the college kids who were seated with us. The waitress said the place is just like that.

I don't...

Four star local bar.

Stopped in with the family as I'm passing through town tonight.

The atmosphere is great, the tap list nice, and the special drinks are well rounded. For a beverage, I'd stop in!

We order the Preacher Burger, the Club, Kids Chicken fingers, a scotch egg, and a few garden salads.

Salads were constructed decent, but the prepacked dressing was a bit odd. The house dressing (a Greek/Italian mash-up was good though!)

The kids loved the chicken fingers and what seemed like beer battered fries. My 10yo was happy with the portion size, and I was impressed with it as well for the price

The club was good, but not remarkable. The Preacher Burger had a nice beefy flavor, but was cooked well beyond my request of medium. Good flavor, yes, but disappointed in the quality of the cook honestly.

The scotch egg was nice, and had a great texture on the sausage.

In conclusion, I think this is well above most "normal" bars, but shy of the quality of a gastro-pub that puts out consistently higher quality. I do recommend the establishment, but temper your hopes that this is a gastro-pub with the reality that this is one heck of a bar worth your time.

5/5 stars for a bar 4/5 stars for bar food 4/5 stars for appetizer 5/5 stars for kids menu 5/5 for atmosphere

In total, 4/5 stars got the...