Charred Oak Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Columbus

Title: Charred Oak: A Nightmarish Experience with Disturbing Undertones

I recently organized a birthday celebration at Charred Oak with a party of ten, and what unfolded was a disastrous evening filled with unsettling experiences that I cannot ignore. From the outset, it became apparent that this restaurant not only lacked culinary competence but also exhibited disturbing undertones of racism that marred our celebration.

Despite our prompt seating, the excitement turned to disappointment as we were served a lobster mac that looked like a sad imitation of a basic boxed mac 'n cheese. The rubbery, overcooked "lobster" topping was an insult to the senses, making us question the competence of the chef. Unfortunately, our ordeal didn't end there.

As we navigated through the poorly executed chicken florentine and blackened chicken alfredo, it became increasingly evident that the lackluster food was not the only issue at hand. One member of our party ordered the bourbon glaze salmon, only to receive an overcooked, syrupy mess that was far from palatable.

To compound our dissatisfaction, we attempted to address our concerns with the manager, who also served as the cook. Instead of a professional and empathetic response, we were met with dismissiveness and arrogance. The manager callously declared the "food sale is final" and adamantly refused any form of compensation or substitution, leaving us bewildered and frustrated.

Adding to the distressing experience was the inappropriate behavior we encountered. It was impossible to ignore the undertones of racism as our complaints were met with indifference and rudeness. The manager's lack of willingness to accommodate our concerns took on an even more sinister tone, leaving us to wonder whether the dismal treatment was influenced by our party being comprised of ten black individuals.

Charred Oak not only failed on a culinary level but also displayed an alarming lack of sensitivity and respect towards its patrons. The disturbing racial undertones in our interactions with the staff cast a dark shadow over what was supposed to be a joyous celebration. I strongly discourage anyone, especially those from marginalized communities, from subjecting themselves to the appalling experience we endured at Charred Oak. Choose a dining option that not only values your patronage but treats you with the dignity and respect every...

So this was our first time at this restaurant. I ordered the new york strip steak med. w mashed potatoes. The steak had too much grizzle n it was horrible it was very tough. The mashed potatoes were excellent n our waitress was very good. I shared my steak with my husband who agreed it was very tough. However, he had the blackened chicken and he said it was also very dry. But if you ever want a bowl of mashed potatoes this is your spot. It would have been nice if the manager visited my table.

First and foremost thank you for your quick response to my disappointing evening at your restaurant. Let me say this the first words out of my mouth to your waitress was I want you to know I expect to pay for my meal. However the steak was very tough. I took a couple of bites and gave my husband a 1/4 piece of the steak to sample to make sure It wasn’t just me being fussy. He agreed. He also said his chicken was dried and tough but he ate it just the same. We were a group of 10 brand new customers. These people who wanted to try your restaurant and frankly, were excited about it. Also, please make a note that the issue was never that I wanted to be compted or something of the sort. We came fully prepared to enjoy a wonderful meal in your very nice restaurant with our good friends. The point that I had eaten 60% of the steak is absolutely not true. Secondly, your manager never came to our table until I requested her name and card from the waitress who went to get her. I explained to her that I wasn’t at all expecting to be compted but that the steak was tough and I was disappointed that she didn’t take the time to investigate. She said I was right and she apologized. We had already paid for our meal. With no issues there. Im the customer and here you have 10! Brand new customers who are in your place seeing the poor customer service. For the record our waitress offered to renew the order and even asked if I wanted anything else. I declined as I was now upset that Your manager sent the waitress to handle this situation which in theory was a managers job. Just...

I really had high hopes for Charred Oak Atmosphere 10/10 Food 6/10 Aesthetic 10/10 Service 1.5/10 Wont be back. To began we had a 25 min wait after ordering our food to only have half of the table to receive their order. While another table (that came in after us) received their food.

Then the dish i ordered (southwest pasta) ,i asked for no beans ( they'd already ran out of one of the items that was supposed to be included) and yet the dish came out with beans in it , and the servers response for this was that they'd have to remake the entire dish ( i was fine with that). Newsflash the "new" dish still had beans in it, so im sure it wasn't remade)

As the last person to receive their food 36mins was how long it took after ordering

Ms.C( our server) was not attentive to our table whatsoever, one of the members of my parties cup was left unfilled for over 10mins, we had to alert her that we wanted refills (granted there is only 6 other tables in the establishment with less people.)

For an establishment that has an automatic 20% gratuity added for a party of 6 ( even tho one of our members left before we got our dinner food), it felt very undeserving. Our combined gratuity came out to be 30 dollar; 30 dollars for what. exactly.. i dont know? Of good service would have been fine but for what we received girl please.

I came to this establishement for my 27 birthday tonight (3/26) and im very displeased.

As if to redeem herself she started giving better service( this happen only after my physical displeasure of the service was visible)

And I quote, I love to sing Happy Birthday.Can I start it off?

To say I didnt eat much of my food would be an undetstatement, my entire dish went into a togo box which is how i found out that beans were infact still in my dish.

Wont be back. I hardly ever write food reviews.But I thought it should be made known we were not looked after with care in this restaurant until irritation...