The Bern Bar and Grill — Restaurant in New Bern

Myself and one other person had never been there before when we stopped by to eat. Idk how else to describe it, and I've now seen some of the same comments. The place looked run down and grungy, including the small, round tables and bar area. Some of the ceiling panels had dark brown stains with missing pieces out of them. There were plenty of employees present and only one other couple looking at a menu, but no one else was there eating at the moment. We sat there for about 10 mins while employees walked past us several times and huddling up behind the bar talking before we were asked if we wanted a menu. Then we sat there for another 20 mins like we were invisible before we could place our order. During this time, we were contemplating going elsewhere. We noticed one of the cooks in the kitchen had a rather long beard that wasn't being covered from possibly contaminating the food. The sanitation rating on the wall was 91, which is a bit low. I ordered a burger to be cooked well done. The burger was thick and had a good taste, but about two bites in, I saw the inside was raw, so I didn't eat it. The sweet tea was overdosed with way too much sugar. Being the burger or chicken sandwich we ordered didn't come with any sides, we also ordered one side of fries and one side of okra. They came in their own baskets and were much bigger than expected. Less than five mins after getting our food, another employee came up saying we had to give them a credit card to hold when we were going to pay cash and could of paid right then even though we just started eating. We didn't order any alcohol at all, so it wasn't like we were running a tab. We were never asked how our food was, and the other person with me tried unsuccessfully to ask for their beverage to be refilled. The food is given to you in baskets with plastic utensils. When we asked to pay, I told them they had gotten my card, but we wanted to pay with cash. We had 3 different employees, so we really didn't know who our actual waitress or waiter was. This employee was writing on our ticket and returned my card from behind the bar. We never got to see the ticket and told the amount owed was right at $40. We also gave a tip. It's definitely more of a bar than a restaurant. I wouldn't recommend taking children there either. After that experience, we won't be 2nd...

the BEST veggie burger I've ever had. you could actually taste the seasonings in their veggie burger!! also, their cheese! seems like a weird comment to make but I'm from the Midwest so I like some good cheese, and they do a phenomenal job with their selection. tonight was our first night trying them, and I wish we'd tried them sooner! also, their fries are superior. super crispy and crunchy. I finished their burger and was already full though, haha. when I went to pick up our food I couldn't ask the bartender how much it cost(the online menu said $7 for each of our burgers. we paid $22 so I don't know if the fries were extra of what) because it was so loud and she was busy. so I'm unsure what the prices are, but honestly, it was worth it for what we got. it...

Being that this restaurant is 4.5 stars, I was very surprised at our experience. I will say we haven’t been before, so perhaps it was an off day, but this was our experience.

-Burger that was supposed to be cooked medium was extremely well done. Not even a sliver of pink. -Burger that was not supposed to have onions had onions. -Wrong sides paired with our burgers (my side with my husband’s burger and vice versa). -Appetizer was not served until after the main course. -Very poorly seasoned… as in, there was NO seasoning… on the tater tots or the fried pickles. -No beer on draft. All bottles and cans. -Members of the bar staff working in sweat pants.

The food wasn’t good, the staff was unprofessional, and the meal still cost $50+ after a tip. Would...