Big City Tavern — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Pretty disappointed...

Was in town for a beach weekend. Stumbled across this location online and decided it looked too good not to try. This spot seemed to check all our boxes for both ambiance and food/drink. We made a reservation for later in the evening and once arrived, were sat quickly. The hostess was a great first impression as she was beyond helpful. Once we sit, we wait, and wait, and wait. Our server acknowledges us as he's chatting to the table next to us, but then proceeds to visit all of his other tables more than once for nothing more than conversation (no food or drinks had been dropped off at any of the tables during that time). At this point, we had been seated 25 minutes prior to any appearance by a staff member. Once he came over, he greeted us and lets us know "he's been doing this a long time, so we are in good hands". (Both my significant other and myself have been in the hospitality industry for more than 10 years each working everything from host, to bartending, to management. In both our experiences, no genuinely "good servers" ever have to announce it, so that really makes you pay a bit more attention to the rest of the meal and the service provided after hearing that.)

Since we had waited, We were prepared with our order: a bottle of wine and a cheese board. After specifying which cheese board we wanted, and which size, the server kept correcting us to the most expensive, large, 42$ board. I understand the idea of "upselling" , but also, read your audience. We had just mentioned to him we didn't want a large board and didn't want what was included in the expensive one, yet he corrected us to the most expensive board, 3 times. Once he left, the misses comments on his aggressiveness with our order, and the fact he put his leg up on the booth and scooted in next to her while we ordered. After he left with our order, we again watch him go chat with friends that were seated closer to the bar. He ends up walking past our table 3 more times as he visited all the other tables to say hi again, all prior to ever going tothe server stations to put an order in. What the tells me is unless this server telepathically submitted our order, there was zero chance anything we ordered had been ordered by the server yet. Food ends up coming out and looks great, the cheese board was wonderful. Our servers next appearance comes towards the end of the cheese board (20ish minutes later) when he comes to tell us "I ordered the wine, but I don't know where it is." At this point, we had planned our dinner. We decided to share 4-5 apps, and explained to the server the same. We ordered our first two apps, and proceeded to wait some more for the wine. At no time were we in any rush, nor did we come off that way to the server. We were watching a sporting event and enjoying the ambiance. Within a few minutes of our first app coming out, our wine shows up. Once the apps come out, that's where we both really began to question the "experience" our server assured us he had.

At this point, there were a few dirty dishes that we had stacked closer to the edge. Those piled up throughout the night as he never came back to check on us. Not until the end of the evening after most of the restaurant had cleared out did a busset grab the plates.

The restaurant advertises deserts, breads, pastas all made in house daily. As mentioned earlier, we had every intention of ordering 4-5 apps and some dessert, but due to how hard it was to find our server, by the time we saw him again, it was far too late to order more food as it was a bit past midnight. When he showed back up, he dropped our check (although we had never asked for it).

All in all, we were very disappointed. I'm not one to write negative reviews, as I understand the implications they can have for a restaurant, but as Florida locals in town trying a new spot, we were disappointed in our experience.

Would we consider giving the restaurant another shot? 100%

But servers can either make or break an experience, and this one dropped the...

I recently visited Big City Tavernt and it left me quite disappointed with its overall experience. The establishment had an outdated and worn-out appearance, which immediately gave the impression of neglect. The interior seemed old and in need of renovations, lacking the charm and ambiance one would hope for in a dining venue.

Unfortunately, the cleanliness of the restaurant was also a cause for concern. The tables and floors appeared unclean, and there were noticeable signs of accumulated dirt in various areas. This lack of cleanliness greatly impacted the overall dining experience and left me feeling uncomfortable.

Moreover, the quality of the food was far from satisfactory. The menu primarily consisted of greasy and heavily fried options, lacking in variety and nutritional value. The dishes were laden with excessive amounts of oil, making them unappetizing and leaving a heavy, unpleasant aftertaste. It was evident that little care was taken in the preparation and presentation of the meals.

On a slightly more positive note, the service provided by the staff was average. While they were generally attentive, their lack of enthusiasm and warmth was noticeable. They fulfilled basic requirements such as taking orders and delivering food, but there was no genuine effort to go above and beyond to create a memorable dining experience.

In conclusion, this restaurant failed to meet my expectations on multiple fronts. The outdated and unkempt interior, coupled with greasy and unappetizing food options, left a lot to be desired. While the service was satisfactory, it was not enough to compensate for the overall subpar experience. I would not recommend this establishment to those seeking a pleasant dining experience, as there are likely better alternatives available...

Las Olas Boulevard is an quaint neighborhood with interesting boutiques, restaurants, and unique hotels. And Big City Tavern fits right in. The name doesn't do the place justice. I come from a big city and a big city tavern tends to be a restaurant / bar that tends to be kind of cookie cutter, but this location is definitely not cookie cutter.

The inside is dark wood and warm lighting. More of a lodge feel than a big city tavern. There's a long dark wood bar on one side of the main room with tabletops and booths throughout. While there isn't a private room per se, there is a long table in the back with four to five booths that can be reserved with the long table that seats 16-20 people.

On top of the great interior decor and warmth of the tavern, the service is top notch. Our server(s) were attentive, friendly, and extremely helpful with all of our orders and demands.

Everybody seemed to order something different and it seemed that everyone really liked what they ordered. I ordered the grilled skirt steak and replaced the sides with mashed potatoes and plantains. The skirt steak was perfectly cooked to specification (medium), mashed potatoes were perfectly smooth and a little lumpy (how I like them) and the plantains were soft and sweet - a great accompaniment to the skirt steak and mashed potatoes.

A few people got dessert, but I opted to try another location on the Las Olas strip for dessert (Gelato & Co - see review) and all I have to say is that I wished I would have ordered dessert at Big City Tavern.

The plus is that it is located across the street from the Riverside Hotel which means I will be going back soon.

A great place for dates, families, small and large groups and a vibrant bar scene. This is definitely worth a visit or two or...