Eight Thirty Common — Restaurant in Meridian

On 7/31/21, I visited Eight Thirty Common in Meridian for the second time. Even though we had reservations for 5:30 PM, the place is already packed. For starters, we shared two appetizers:

Queso Fundido ($9.95) - Hatch chili cheese / chorizo / roasted mushrooms / Sonora corn tortillas

Crispy Brussel Sprouts ($9.95) - maple bacon glaze

Both appetizers were excellent, but overpriced. The amount of queso was deceptively little because of the way it was served. It was at best half an inch thick. It was confusing that the corn tortillas were served both deep-fried and uncooked. In the future, I would ask for them all to be deep-fried. Easier to scoop up the Queso with.

For my entrée, I ordered the sliders, which are one of the appetizers. For $11.95, you get a Classic Cheeseburger, Nashville Hot Chicken and Philly Cheesesteak slider. The sliders looked good but I wasn’t impressed with the flavor/execution. The best of the three was the classic cheeseburger but it was just so-so. I was led to believe that the cheeseburger sliders was a mini version of the regular sized burger made with American Kobe blend. Based on my slider, I would say there is very little Kobe beef involved. It’s also the first time I’ve seen Kobe beef noted as a blend on any menu, which is suspicious. There was too much batter and too little chicken on the Nashville hot chicken and the batter was overly salty. The Philly cheesesteak had no cheese. When I shared this with my server, he said many had complained about this to no avail. That lack of responsiveness by business owners is appalling. Don’t put an item on the menu called a Philly Cheesesteak if you have no intention of meeting it’s most basic requirements. Needless to say, I do not recommend the sliders.

My friends ordered:

Tres Amigos Tacos ($13.50) - grilled fish / chicken tinga / house braised Al Pastor. I wasn’t able to get a picture before my friend started eating, but I found a photo from the restaurant’s FB page. The tacos are small and overpriced.

Market Chop Chop ($11.95) - Campari tomatoes / avocado / marcona almonds / fresh corn / chopped dates / goat cheese / champagne vinaigrette. I think this is a fairly small salad for close to $12. Also if you look at the photo you will note that it looks like they forgot to add the tomatoes and avocado.

On my first visit, I ordered the Brilliant French Dip ($15.95). It was good, but most like most things on the menu, overpriced.

Eight Thirty Common has a creative menu. The food is good, but not great,...

Wow, where to begin? 4.5 stars! We were able to dine outside on a beautiful March evening, which set a lovely scene to dine. The actual restaurant inside is pretty packed and tables were pretty close together but it was nicely decorated. I’m not sure if I would bring a wheel chair user or child based off of the layout of the tables and how echo-y it was; could be overstimulating for children.

The menu: is not super big but still has quite a few options! I was pleased that they had a gluten free bun ($3 upcharge) and that their fries and tots were gluten free. Their truffle cheesy tots appetizer was absolutely one of the best things I’ve ate this year so far. And it was gluten free? Unheard of. I do want to note that they do NOT have a dedicated gluten free fryer so while it is gluten FRIENDLY. I would NOT consider this establishment celiac safe. I ordered the “grown up grilled cheese”. Wow. Wow. Wow. I did eat the sourdough which upset my stomach - but it was almost worth it 👀 the spicy pimento cheese and sweet and spicy bacon and fresh tomato all came together in such a refreshing and exciting way, it just dances on your palette. It came with a tomato soup - they should cal it something different because it is SO MUCH MORE than a tomato soup. It is rich, decadent and just bursting with flavor. My husband who doesn’t like tomato’s of any kind - said it was delicious!

My husband ordered the Crispy Chicken sandwich and really enjoyed it. He noted he wished there was more flavoring ; either in the breading or toppings but really liked it all the same. Their signature ETC sauce was delicious. I also enjoyed a huckleberry lemonade, very yummy. It didn’t just taste like syrup, it was tangy and sweet! We will be returning!

What kept this from being a full 5 stars, the staff while nice was not very knowledgeable about the menu, or enthusiastic to help us order. No recommendations or suggestions of what to enjoy - which would have been nice for our first time. Also the bathroom was not so clean - not awful but I...

There is added info below for the second visit.

I don't often leave negative reviews as I understand everyone has bad days, but we didn't have a great experience here. A friend of ours recently lost her husband and father a month apart. She's been withdrawn, and we decided a lunch meet-up would be a great way to get her out of the house. When we made plans here, I was excited as I've never been to this restaurant. When we arrived, we waited about 30 minutes for a table, as to be expected on Sunday at lunch. When we were seated, my friend who rarely eats much anymore asked if we could share a meal, which I had no problem with. Our other friend had family in town and had already eaten with them, so she decided to get a coffee. The table basically ordered 1 meal, a bowl of fruit, a coffee, and drinks. I didn't realize the other two ladies would not really be eating, or else I would have suggested a walk in the park, but at this point, I was hungry. Our server seemed attentive at first, but once he realized no one but myself was ordering food, he pretty much abandoned us. Drinks were not being refilled, and when my sandwich and soup came about 40 minutes after ordering, he didn't bring an extra plate for my friend. He didn't bring us any silverware or napkins. We went and asked for napkins from the hostess, and they said someone would bring some over. That took forever. As soon as I knew my friends were not eating, I was planning on leaving a larger tip to compensate for them not eating, but instead, the server just acted like we weren't worth his time. The food was mediocre, but the service was horrible, and I don't think I'll go back simply for that reason. My friend who suggested the place said she loved it there and felt embarrassed for suggesting it after the service we got.

The second visit was a completely different experience. Our service was prompt, drinks stayed refilled, and the food was great! I've split the difference between my two reviews. If everything is good on my return, I'll change...