Naive Latin Inspired Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Louisville

Went here to treat my gluten-free girlfriend for her birthday dinner. I've never paid so much for such a horrible dining experience. New fall menus had several typos and inconsistencies. Clearly had not been proofread or checked for accuracy-- lazy. At a restaurant known for dietary restriction accommodations, they were completely out of gluten-free buns for my girlfriend's burger and the meat patty diameter was smaller than McDonald's. Barely a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top. Our "crispy" potatoes were undercooked, cold, soggy, and completely unseasoned. Tried to replace them with mashed potatoes, and they asked to charge us for it. Insulting when potatoes cost less than a dollar each at the grocery store. My $35 dollar steak was also COMPLETELY unseasoned. I ordered medium rare, and somehow the outside was completely charred and brittle with no seasonings to "blacken." Stovetop was too hot clearly, yet the steak came out room temp. I couldn't finish it. I've had better steaks at Waffle House. It was supposed to come with caramelized pearl onions, and when my plate was brought to me they were no where to be found. Server came back saying the kitchen had no idea why pearl onions were included on the menu and they didn't even have pearl onions. It was advertised with black garlic aioli, and there was only a pitiful drop. Literally less than a ketchup packet's worth. The olive oil cake tasted like rubber cement. The food gave me such a bad stomach ache, I ended up throwing up when we got home. Gnats were flying around us the entire dinner, and the music was too loud and overstimulating. Her gin & thyme cocktail was the only thing that tasted salty, and my $18 bourbon cocktail was smaller than my fist and short-poured. Tasted more like a popsicle than bourbon, and was less liquid than a baby bottle. I didn't want to cause a fuss on such a special night and embarrass my girlfriend, so I didn't send anything back. It's not the fault of the server, she was very quick with service and friendly. This was a horrible first impression for me, and I definitely won't be coming back. My girlfriend had been there before, but she said they've gone downhill. After you spend $120+ on a romantic birthday dinner for two, you don't want your girlfriend to say "How can we still salvage the night from that? I'm so disappointed" as soon as you get in the car. It's rare I feel actually robbed after a dining experience, but I won't be coming back and plan on telling all my friends to save...

Very disappointed in our recent visit to Naive. Quite honestly, this vegan-friendly restaurant in Downtown Louisville was nothing short of a disaster. As someone who wanted to eat at one of the best restaurants in Louisville, and was seeking out vegan and allergy friendly options (we had friends visiting from out of town), I was incredibly disappointed with what I encountered at this establishment.

When it comes to places to eat in Louisville, I expect a certain level of quality and service, and this restaurant fell short in every aspect. The experience began with shockingly slow service. Our waitress was very nice, but we waited endlessly for even the simplest of requests to be fulfilled. We ordered high noons for the table, which took an extremely long time to show up, especially considering they are a canned beverage. Also, while all of the other employees were very nice, they were all on their phones most of the time and gave the impression that they could not care less.

As for the food, I expected top-notch vegan cuisine, considering the restaurant's claims of being vegan-friendly. Unfortunately, the reality was far from it. The dishes we received were subpar at best. It was clear that little care or attention had gone into their preparation. The flavors were okay - I enjoyed the chicken yakitori and the fries, but my friends had bad experiences with the black bean burgers and the salmon crudo. The black bean burgers were dry and came with no dressings of any kind (we were later charged for asking for something to put on them), and the salmon crudo came with the bloodline on and not fully cut into actual chunks. I almost never send things back, but we ended up having to send one of the burgers back - one of the avocado slices on the burger came with the skin still on. Though the burger ended up being free on the check after we asked it to be removed, this on top of everything else was just ridiculous.

At the end of our visit, in an attempt to make up for the slow service and poor food quality, the management team gave us free high noons for the road. A nice gesture which we appreciated but still not enough for us to want to ever come back. To anyone searching for vegan restaurants in Louisville or simply looking for the best places to eat in Louisville, this is not one of them. I strongly advise you to steer clear of Naive. Save your...

The food is okay, but in general is overpriced for what you get. Both quantity and quality wise. The ceviche taco appetizer is a decent deal, and my friend enjoyed it as his entrée. The queso fundido was excellent, but could have used more chorizo. The quality of the Oaxacan cheese was top notch though. The chicken and pork entrées that my son and I had, when considering they are ala carte, are overpriced. Side dishes are $10 each. The sides are big enough for two to share, but still if you add $5 to the entrée price you are paying considerably more than comparable restaurants for comparable quality food. The addition of half a side, and in my case three ala carte tortillas the server told me were $1 (Actually $1 each so $3 for three. For real?), pushed the price of a chicken entrée and a pork entrée both north of $30. Sorry, but nope. These dishes with a side are worth $23 - $25, if that. There are other Latin themed restaurants in town with bigger menus to choose from, quality as good or better, and with portions that are much bigger as they include side dishes, and the prices are much better. If you are charging north of $30 for a pork or chicken entrée and one side at a casual bistro style restaurant, it better be pretty special. These dishes were good, but not exceptional.

Response to the owner's response: My disappointment with your previous concept was operational. It was due to a menu on your website that I discovered was out of date, after I arrived. As a retired industry guy myself, I don't understand that being allowed to happen in a time when your website is a key method to present yourself to potential customers. What good is an out of date website? No good at all. Also the service was not good. It happens. Not the case this time. The service was fine this time. As for your cost/pricing, I would suggest shopping what your competition charges for similar pork and chicken entrées of similar size. I always did this when I was in the industry. The same vendors available to them are available to you as well. Shop vendors. I had no issue with the pricing of the dishes I had at your previous incarnation, and I absolutely LOVED that...