Old North Bar — Restaurant in Lexington

I recently had my wedding at The Clerestory at Greyline. One of the requirements when booking this space is you must use Old North Bar as your bar/alcohol providers. Wes, the owner, was who I communicated from the beginning and he was attentive and thorough, nice/easy enough to work with. The day of my wedding, he was behind the pre-set bar. My photographer wanted to take a photo of my groom and I standing in front of the venue cheers-ing. She asked him if he could make us 2 cocktails and he said "service doesn't start until 6 pm." It was around 4:45 and ceremony started at 5:30 with cocktail hour starting at 6; no other guests were present at the time of the request. Our Photographer told him it was just for the bride and groom for a photo moment. He continued to be very rude about it but eventually, reluctantly, provided us with a basic vodka and soda. It was disappointing that he was rude and did not even want to give the bride and groom a drink after we had paid him over $5k for his services. We also had asked previously if we could bring our own champagne for this very moment and he said no. So he wouldn't let us bring our own but didn't want to give us anything either. We had an open bar ($26 per person) but wanted to add espresso martinis as a signature drink. They were an additional $9 each. I felt this was a little steep initially but really wanted the cocktail which I felt would add some elegance to the bar. And really at a restaurant they would be this much anyway, so we paid the extra. On wedding day I was so disappointed to see and try the drink. They were terrible!! It was like they had taken pre-batched cold brew (like the Stok brand or Starbucks ones you can buy at the grocery) and just added vodka. No espresso, no froth, no kahlua, not shaken over ice. They were pathetic and a huge waste of money. These were vodka/iced coffee cocktails NOT espresso martinis.

The final thing is mainly about the bartenders. Prior to the wedding during mine and Wes' discussions, I had asked if I provided drink stirers and cocktail tags if we could use them. I was told yes. I purchased floaters for the espresso martinis, stirers for the cocktails, and tags for the wine/champagne. The bartenders did not use these despite multiple reminders throughout the night from myself and my wedding planner. The second time they were asked, they rolled their eyes and said "you want us to put that in EVERY martini?" It would take less than 5 seconds. They proceeded not to use them. We also had a basket of Koozies that we asked for them to replenish if the supply got low. Multiple guests afterwards told us there were none in the basket and when they asked the bartenders, they were told they were out. However, that night we were sent home with a box FULL of koozies. I have hundreds of dollars worth of bar stuff that is now useless because the bartenders couldn't be bothered. I am VERY disappointed in the overall service of Old North Bar and Wes. I do NOT recommend using them for anything. Everything else about the Clerestory was wonderful and it is really a shame that Old North is the only business you can...

My wife and I were married September 2021 at the Clerestory which is an event venue also located in Greyline Station. Old North provided bar service at our reception and they were absolutely top notch! Wes, the owner, established contact with us months in advance to assist with planning the bar service. He invited us on more than one occasion to share a drink with him at the bar to go over wedding details such as alcohol preferences and drink customizations. In addition, we had a very specific service request for our guests during our reception and Wes was more than happy to accommodate. During the reception, Wes was present and supportive of his rockstar team of bartenders who were full of personality and engaging with our guests. We received excellent feedback about the bar from our guests after the wedding. Please do not hesitate to pick Old North to cater your event’s bar – you won’t regret it! Wes is an awesome local business owner who really cares for his clients!

Oh, and we like to visit the bar on days we’re not getting married too. The drink prices are fair, staff are wonderful, and they host things like live music, trivia and live comedy on select nights. Check it out...

Quality food can only carry a bar/restaurant so far. Service with a negative attitude will always bring down the experience for myself. Multiple times, on multiple visits, my wife has ordered drinks with friends and received unnecessary attitude from the bartender they encounter. Every conversation our group has had with this server has been negative. My sober wife went to order a Non-alcoholic beverage last night, and was lectured about how there is still alcohol in NA beverages. The bartender required ID to be shown, which is fine, my wife is 29 and already had it out - but there's no reason to share your useless information when we all know its only because they assumed my wife's age. This experience was the third and final straw and we won't be visiting again, at least until the rudest bartender we've encountered in town finds their next...