The Cellar Bar & Grille — Restaurant in Lexington

UPDATE As you can see in my original review the ownership had read it and reached out to me regarding my experience asking me to contact them. I actually didn’t see the reply to my review until today, so I called them as they requested and spoke with the manager on duty Teresa. She was super nice and apologetic for my first experience. No excuses given, just apologized and thanked me for letting them know that my experience was subpar which is how it should be. They were also kind enough to make things right with me and I will be trying them out again. Very pleased with the follow up and excellent customer service when things didn’t go exactly right! Ordered a Cellar burger and the tater tots this time and the burger was fantastic!! Cooked to order and perfect medium well. Thick patty and fresh trimmings with a butter grilled bun. Simple but done perfectly!! Very very good. Tater tots are tater tots. Not much to say but they were crispy which is how I like mine and there was a bunch! Very satisfied with the meal! Made things right after the first time and knocked it out of the park on the second try. I really appreciate a business that does things this way and is willing to admit when a mistake is made. I will be going back and I suggest you give them a try as well.

I ordered carry out so my star ratings for the service and atmosphere are based off limited exposure but the place seems nice and the staff were attentive and quick to take care of me. Very nice people. The problem with my experience was the food. I got the pastrami sandwich with sweet potato fries. It’s so frustrating because the bones of this food were really good and I feel like it could have been a great meal had it been done correctly. First off, the sandwich was missing half the ingredients, no slaw or thousand island dressing. The pastrami was pretty dry which was made worse because it was missing the above mentioned ingredients. The bread was tough around the edges as well. The fries tasted good but they were not fresh at all. Cold and stale but even with that they still tasted good. I can only imagine how good this sandwich would be if done fresh and with all the correct components. Just very disappointed in what could be a fantastic meal if more attention to detail and care had been given. Debating on whether to give this place a second chance. This was not a cheap...

Worst meal I've had in my 2+ years in Lexington. Starting with the drink, I was happy to see a simple margarita on the menu with tequila, lime and agave nectar. When it arrived it was extremely sharp and tasted awful. I realized there was no sweetener in it at all. I alerted the waiter and she graciously took it back. Instead of mixing a fresh drink, the bartender simply added some agave to the same glass and re-served it. That was not a professional move. Nonetheless, the taste improved because the first version was so awful. But then it was clear the lime was not fresh-squeezed. It was from a bottle. Did not finish it and would never order a cocktail here. On the plus side, the side salad that came with the $28 salmon entree was large, and although the lettuce was only iceberg it was fresh. The salad had hard boiled egg and bacon and could (should) have been my whole meal. The balsamic vinaigrette was very good and tasted homemade. The salmon with avocado and corn bean salsa was abysmal. The salmon portion was fine but it was way overcooked, dried out and hardened. The corn and bean salsa had no flavor at all, likewise the avocado. I added a little salt and that made the meal barely edible. The mac and cheese was more like shells in alfredo sauce. The atmosphere was okay. We missed the outside musical act, which looked like it would have been good. Tables and chairs are attractive and comfortable. Can't hear the noise from the pool, which is nice. All in all, I can't imagine under what circumstances to return. Still looking for a casual spot with outdoor seating and decent food and drinks. It's...

Saturday night we went to see Hi 5 play. We have been going there for 4 years. The place was crowded with no place to sit. As in the past we have set on the dance floor by the friendship bar with chairs they provide. Tonight we sat there and the hostess with red hair came over, and said we could not sit there unless we were with the band. We were asked to promptly leave the area rudely then proceeded to put the chairs on top of one another. Later we saw multiple people sitting in those exact chairs we were told to leave from. Very disappointed with the whole situation and will consider if we will return in the future.

Owner’s Comments: so you can review your cameras again Our exact path we went to the left side of the bar to get a drink. In which is what we do every time we come to the cellar. After went back over to the bar closes to the kitchen. Stood there never noticed anyone waiting at the hostess area for a table. If we did then we would have asked if there was a wait. We proceed to sit in those chairs until the band started not to sit there all night. Also there were people sitting to the left of the stage in those chairs. Maybe with the band or something or just patrons . Yes you are correct the hostess did come over around 10 mins after we set down and explained that. Then said by the way I have a table for you. “ that was really quick to have a long wait list “ We have been going there since our long time friends Ron and Linda Turner opened it . I’m sure a lot has...