Dabney & Co. - Cocktail Bar and Lounge — Restaurant in Kalamazoo

I shared this feedback as part of the soft opening but never heard back and my review was never shared publicly so here it is: We were very excited to come here. We arrived and were briefly greeted in the awkward entrance (no clear space to stand / wait, no host, too close to patrons already seated). We were told by the owner we would be seated at a table that had just opened up as soon as it was cleaned off (it was right near the bar and he pointed it out). Great seats! We were then seated at a bar top in the back corner near the bathrooms. Disappointing off the bat and clear that there is no communication between staff. We had planned on eating and being seated at a 10” deep bar was a little cramped and not ideal. We asked our server if we could snag a table when one opened up and she said, “yes, no problem,” but then never brought it up again even though tables were opening up all around us. The menu was very disappointing in terms of variety in cocktails, also - no prices. One cocktail was on the menu. This is a cocktail place. Very confusing. We were told drinks were made by request. We requested an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan - perhaps the most basic of cocktail requests. After 20 minutes, we were told they didn’t have the ingredients for a Manhattan. We asked for two Old Fashioned’s instead. How does a cocktail bar not have the ingredients for a Manhattan? How does the server not know that? How does that information take 20 minutes to communicate to us? 15 minutes later two drinks came out, not Old Fashioned’s. Wrong order. They weren’t even set down at the table - the server just walked up, frowned at the drinks, and said “uh hold on” and walked away. At this point we’ve been waiting for over 30 minutes for our drinks. Finally, our server comes by after another 15 minutes (we’ve now been here for about 45 minutes). She says the drinks will be right out and that we will also be receiving two complimentary Mint Juleps (the only cocktail on the menu) on the house for the wait. After ANOTHER 15 minutes as we hit the 1 hour mark and we were literally about to stand up and leave with no drinks, two very poorly made Old Fashioned’s were brought to our table - not from our sever - from the owner’s wife. I explained we had been waiting for an hour for drinks and she apologized and offered to comp the drinks. I refused and asked her to please let me pay for the drinks. I’m not trying to stiff anybody even if we are very disappointed with our experience. This is a soft opening, so I’m very honestly attempting to provide feedback. The check comes, boy was that a shock - these two awful Old Fashioned’s that we waited an hour for were $15 each! That’s essentially Chicago prices. You can go to the Aviary and get an Old Fashioned for $20. If you know what the Aviary is, you know what I mean by that. Also, the Mint Juleps that we were offered, never arrived. The staff seemed unfamiliar with the service industry, the cocktails we were served lacked substance and depth and balance and any sort of meaningful taste or character, and the prices were WAY off base. I would pay for a $15 cocktail at Principle, maybe at Stamped Robin, but both of those places blow this establishment out of the water. We hope you can work this out. It’d be nice to have another cocktail spot in Kalamazoo but you have a very...

So happy a group of friends and I stopped in here last evening! We were greeted by the nicest gentleman who turned out to be the owner’s dad who said he fills in from time to time. After meeting him we knew we stumbled upon the perfect place after a long day after a festival. It was early evening so customers were beginning to make their way in.

Once seated, we were all drawn in my the ambiance and upper scale, yet friendly atmosphere. Candles in the dimly lit area made me feel like I was on a special occasion. Smiles and laughter from other guests and awesome background music further set the stage. We were told a DJ would later in the evening.

Shoutout to Nicky our server who added to our experience. He was descriptive in his information about the food, drinks, and Dabney’s & Co.

Once we tasted the food and drinks, it got even better! Between our table four women, we all were extra impressed our choices while sampling each others food and drinks. While we did not order the Signature Drinks this time, we plan to next time! A friend and I shared two appetizers of Grandma’s Collard Green Dip and Smoked Bacon Apricot Bread. The Dip was the perfect combination of ingredients with a nice kick of garlic and the Bread was super unique and indescribably delicious. Also ordered by friends were the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich and Black Eyed Peas Hummus which were both raved about. The prices for such high end food were low in my opinion.

While wrapping up our evening Nicky explained the many types and evenings of live music they have throughout each month. It’s also exciting to look forward to dressing up a bit to return there because it’s a place that makes customers feel special. Highly recommend if you live in Kalamazoo and...

Easily… EASILY! The BEST BAR EXPERIENCE I’VE EVER HAD!

I’ve been to speakeasy’s and cocktail lounges in Grand Rapids and Chicago with a much greater presence than this hidden Midwest gem, and none of them came even close to how much I enjoyed my experience at Dabney & Co.

From the moment I walked in, I had a smile on my face. The ambiance, music, and one of the warmest welcomes I’ve ever received from the owner Daniel set me grinning from ear to ear. Everything after only cemented it further.

I was greeted warmly, sat quickly, served professionally and with a friendly smile, and the drink they put in my hand was one of the best I’ve ever had. No kidding, their signature mint julep is the best mint julep I’ve ever encountered at an upscale cocktail lounge like this and if I wasn’t the one driving home tonight, I would’ve had 4 or 5 by the time I left.

The food… oh my god! My partner and I shared the collard green salad and both varieties of cornbread they have (lemon blueberry and maple bacon jalapeño). By the time we were done, I had half a mind to order some to go.

All told, I’m so satisfied with my experience here that i will be coming back frequently, alone and with others, and will probably never be able to shut up about how much I enjoyed this experience. I’d give it a 6/5 stars if I could.

I’m excited to see where this place goes in the future, both with its planned musical events and it’s future expansions to new locations and bigger things. Love everything...