Cowbell Burger & Whiskey Bar — Restaurant in Charlotte

I always swept by Cowbell Burger & Whiskey Bar to and from my way to work pre-pandemic and really didn't find an interest to really go there, BUT, when Burger week reared it's buns & patties into my life for $6 burgers, that was definitely my opportunity to ring the bell and try their burger. #MooMoo

The location of Cowbell is centered in Uptown Charlotte around several big corporations (BOA, WF, Ally, Duke Energy, etc) and local/chain businesses, so there's definitely a lot of food traffic. It's 'in' the Fifth Third Center building & located on 5th Street/Tryon. Perfect location! Anyway, I walked in. Haha

It was not that packed due to the pandemic, so I was sure that the service would be top-notch. It was the complete opposite. The staff wasn't very attentive to me or rarely came to check to see if I needed anything. When I saw that starting to become a trend with them, I just immediately ordered everything at one time so I would not be sitting drinkless/foodless/unattended & just anxiously waiting to order. I ordered the $6 burger week burger which constituted:

~Blend of porterhouse, chuck and brisket ground beef, topped with American Cheese, pickles, ketchup and yellow mustard on a brioche bun.

I think I ordered Whiskey Ginger...but that's not what we are here for right?! The burger was actually pretty tasty. The coalesce of meat was down right piquant and you can tell on 1st bite by the texture of the meat. It wasn't just a stiff, frozen fast food patty (amen) and it easily melted upon chewing it. The basic topping were just enough to accompany the miracle meat blend and not overpower it. It was ambrosial that burger. I knocked it down two stars because of the meager and lacking service. SERVICE DOES MATTER! I pay attention to service just as much as the food because the front of the house personnel are the face of the business so stop hiring people that don't care about customers. It is very unseemly and grisly; it leaves just as much as a lasting impression as the food. "My eight cents turned on its side!"

All in all, I would go back to them again IF & ONLY IF they are a part of Burger Week because I will not pay full price for mediocre (being nice) - crummy service.

Cheers...

UPDATED: At last, we paid another visit here, and once again, we were not disappointed. On this day, our server was Chase. He was great. We started off with the Lil' Smokey's. OMG, so good! They are small sausage dipped in a sweet potato batter and deep fried. Served with honey mustard. You must check these out. On my first visit, I neglected to mention the bathroom. It was nice and clean. I appreciated the full-length mirror in the bathroom. I also forgot to mention there's a full-size bar. The lighting was excellent ghis time, and I could appreciate the atmosphere. I increased the atmosphere to 5 stars.

This is a small establishment but worth the wait. The burgers are their specialty, and they are good. We had family visiting for the Panthers/Dallas football game and came here for the first time. Parking is a little tricky, but they validate the parking if you go to the LAZ parking lot around the corner. I gave it 4 stars for the atmosphere because it was a little dark. So it made it a little difficult to read the menu. Our server was Taylor. She was great. Very patient and knew the menu and beer selections. It was very busy, but it was worth the wait. All of us had a different burger: Carolina Burger - (chili, mild cheddar, cole slaw) Boogan's Bacon - (bacon marmalade, red onion, Roasted garlic aioli) Smash Hit (caramelized onions) Imami- (Shitake mushrooms & caramelized onions) Some of us had regular fries, but the Parmesan fries were delicious. Everyone enjoyed their selections. I will definitely be coming back with...

Waited an inordinate amount of time for our food. The staff mistook our indicating an additional party member was joining later as a cue to hold the entire party’s food until they arrived. We did not explicitly request that and they did not think to confirm that was our preference (even though we sat ourselves at the bar, so we shouldn’t be expected to have the whole party present to eat). Mistakes happen, especially on a busy weekend night in Uptown. What matters is how an establishment reacts to those mistakes (customer service and attitude). They responded by continuing to take a long time to bring out our food (no heightened sense of urgency), while the individual who was interacting with us as if they were the manager (which would surprise me based on how little industry experience / tact they exuded in their handling of the situation) acted patronizingly and unprofessionally. When we finally received our food, after several additional check-ins, it was not in good shape (my burger was burnt and the cheese was black). Will re-evaluate my review up to a max four stars based on my next experience (I work in the building above Cowbell so will stop in for lunch this week), as I’m not of the opinion one bad apple should be able to fully spoil the bunch. Two stars for now, instead of one star, because the bartender was nice about everything and seemed to be trying their best. I also do appreciate the Owner account replying (for seeking to understand and improve), despite the snarky demeanor in...