Old Owl Tavern — Restaurant in Harrodsburg

We stopped by the Old Owl Tavern with my family for my dads birthday. Their were 6 of us and we arrived at the restaurant at 7:35 pm and they close at 9 pm on Friday's. I do not got to restaurants if they close in less than 30 minutes out of respect for the staff. When we arrived, we noticed the restaurant was about half full with multiple 4 top tables open all over the lower dining room and 5 open tables in the patio area. The hostess asked if a 4 top would be alright for our group, I said, unfortunately, no since we have 6 in the party and one is in a wheel chair. She said that the two big tables were just sat, so it could be little a bit. I said we can wait and see what happens, but is there anything way we could pull 2 four tops together (mind you, no new customers have come in). The hostess said, unfortunately, not because it will disrupt the servers. I said, "Alright, we just wanted to make sure because 4 empty tables in the dining room were next to each other and 3 tables in the patio were right next to each other". She agian said that it would interfere with the servers. All the empty tables were on the outer area of the restaurant and was curious as to how it would interfere. But none of the less, I didn't want to trouble them.

About 35 minutes go by, and more tables have left and No new customers have come in. The hostess came back up and said it should be much longer unless we wouldn't mind sharing a 4 top (for 6 people), I reminded her one person in our group was in a wheel chair and it would not be big enough to accommodate all of us. She said would you like for me to see if the upstairs could work? I said yes, that would be great. 15 more minutes go by and she said unfortunately there was nothing available upstairs either. For a third time, she asked us about a 4 top table. Another member of the group pointed at a four top with 4 people and asked if she thought someone in a wheelchair could fit in that space and two additionalpeople. The hostess said, "No, probably not". We then pointed out, in the patio that there were 2 tables next to each other and if we could pull them together since they were secluded in the corner? She said that she would check. Mind you, it is now 8:30pm, and those two tables have been empty the entire time we have been there since 7:35pm. She comes back minutes later with menus and said yes that area would work. And are seated by 8:45pm. Again this whole time the restaurant is not even half full with multiple servers and a bartender working.

The server came out swiftly and took our drink order and asked if we needed an minute to look over the menu. We said no, we have decided our food choices while waiting for the tables. Also, at this point apologized to our server for the sake of the kitchen staff. Explaines we had arrived and hour prior and most of the other places in town would be closing soon as well. We were well past the point of no return. The server was nice and got our food and drink orders in quickly.

The apps and entrees came out at the same time which was okay. My parents both ordered the Fried Chicken Livers with Cream Gravy, my girlfriend got the Catfish dinner, her parents ordered the salmon dinner and I ordered the Classic Beaumont Inn Fried Chicken dinner. I took one bite and literally spit it out. I asked everyone at the table to taste and tell me what they thought. All 5 others spit out theirs bites and all had the same response. This is the saltiest thing any of us had ever tasted. Also the Catfish was like rubber and the Livers with Burnt. The salmon and fried banana peppers came out alright. I looked down at the bottom of my fried chicken plate and there was A pile salt. I got the attention of our server and said, this chicken had nearly an entire salt shakers worth of salt on it. This about half of the evenings. Long story short, if you don't want to take anymore customers with over and hour before close just say it.

Because of this visit we waisted our whole evening, about $200, and we couldn't go anywhere else. Old Owl...

We had heard so much about this restaurant and made specific plans to go, even though it is a significant drive to get there. The quaint atmosphere was refreshing after many meals in large, loud eateries. We were greeted and seated quickly, which is good because this place fills up fast. There is obviously a pattern of quick turnover because from the start, the server, who doubled as the bartender, was encouraging us to move quickly. When I asked questions about some of the items on the menu, because I had never been there before and there are health issues that mean I have to be aware of sodium, carbohydrates, and fats, she was not very tolerant, just rushed.

I felt the pressure to choose a menu item quickly so I went with the hot brown. It sounded great on the menu but was lackluster at best when it arrived at the table. This despite being told that it was ordered often and was in high demand. Underneath a deep lagoon of Mornay sauce, was one slice of deli turkey and one toast point. It was topped with burnt bacon. It was supposed to have crumbled country ham over it and I never did see that. When I asked the server about it, she was very defensive and told me that the country ham was shaved and sprinkled over the dish, then she pointed to a small, dark bit in the Mornay sauce. One bit. One. I'd already asked for a piece of bread because there was only one toast point and she ultimately brought back another almost burnt, specifically dark brown, piece of white sandwich bread from the broiler. I'm a fan of hot browns and there are great ones out, there but this was not one of them. we're gone specifically to try the bread pudding and while it was good it was supposed to have a bourbon sauce over top of it. That sauce, when it came out, was so hot that we couldn't even eat it. However, after it cooled, it did make a very nice caramelized sauce. About this time she brought me a side cup of shaved country ham for the sandwich so I dipped a little of the salty into the sweet sauce and created my own take on the dessert. Why waste the county ham when it finally showed up? My husband enjoyed the crab cakes and the appetizer of fried banana peppers was good.

I think this is a beloved local spot, and many locals might not like this review. It's clear that patrons know what they want when they walk in and order quickly. They eat quickly and the tables are flipped. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, for those of us from out of town who make the trip and want to enjoy the meal, I really can't give this more than...

My wife and I are visiting the area for a week, and this restaurant was top of the local attractions list at our campground. Let me say, it's on the top for a reason! We decided to go up to the Owls Nest, which is the upper area, because we wanted a more relaxed environment without as many people. We where greeted almost immediately by the bartender Dan, who was pouring some amazing drinks and mixing with the practiced hand of a veteran mixologist. Quickly we where approached by our waitress Tori, who was polite, knowledgeable about the menu items and was quick to make any recommendations based off the daily specials. When we ordered, the food came out quickly, was perfectly prepared, and priced absolutely perfectly for the portion size and quality. Which is to say, yes, it's expensive, but you don't go to a restaurant like Owls Nest because you want a cheeseburger and soda water! However, it is ABSOLUTELY worth every penny, the food is amazing! The service is top notch, and the beer selection is outstanding, with plenty of local brews, one of which prompted us to do the brewery the next day for some more! If your in the area, you should absolutely check out the Old Owl Tavern, and if you want it relaxed and chilled, go upstairs to the Owls Nest.. Tori and Dan will make sure you...