Bank Street Patio Bar — Restaurant in Ocala

We dined on Wednesday, May 21, with a large party of about 15 for a double birthday celebration. We had an 8:00 PM reservation and were seated promptly. The restaurant was nearly empty—just a few people at the bar and one or two other tables. It seemed like our server, a young woman with short curly hair (we didn’t catch her name), was only responsible for our table.

One member of our group asked about gluten-free options, and the server responded that she could only offer a couple of sides—there were no dedicated gluten-free dishes. We found this surprising given the restaurant's modern and trendy vibe, but our friend was able to work around it.

When food started coming out, most of the party received their meals, except for four of us—myself, the birthday girls’ parents, and another friend—all of whom had ordered the Tuscan Chicken. Even someone who had arrived late got her fish tacos before us. Although we were hungry, most of us have worked in the service industry and remained patient, recognizing our server seemed stressed.

However, almost the entire table had finished eating, and our Tuscan Chicken plates still hadn’t arrived. The server apologized and said the kitchen was behind but that the meals were being plated and would be out shortly. She also said she’d bring the manager over. When he came, dressed in shorts and a backwards cap (a bit too casual, even for a laid-back place), he apologized and assured us the Tuscan Chicken would be taken off our checks. Our server stood beside him, so it seemed clear she heard this too.

The manager left to check on the food, and the server began distributing checks—even though four of us still hadn’t received meals. I reminded her I hadn’t gotten my dish, and she asked what I had ordered. I replied, "The Tuscan Chicken," and she asked if I still wanted it, saying the parents had told her they no longer did. I said I did, but asked to have it packed to go since everyone else had already eaten. The other friend who was waiting requested the same.

Eventually, she brought out one of the to-go meals and said the other was on its way. While waiting, I noticed the charge was still on my check. I confirmed with the other girl—hers was too. When the server returned, I politely reminded her the manager had said the dish would be comped. She looked confused and said, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what he told you.” When I expressed our confusion, she threw her hands up and said, “I don’t know what you want me to do. Please just tell me what to do—I just work here.”

That response felt unprofessional, especially since we had been patient throughout the delays. Ultimately, she charged the other girl for her meal, and she didn’t protest—she was clearly over it. Meanwhile, the rest of the staff had started closing up loudly—dragging chairs, slamming windows—though we were still waiting for checks to be finalized. It was now 30 minutes past closing time, but had our food been timely, we wouldn't have lingered.

As we waited for everyone to finish paying, we started taking a few pictures. Being Florida natives, we’re used to bugs outdoors, especially with big trees overhead. But seeing actual roaches running across empty tables, benches, and the cornhole area was a dealbreaker.

No effort from the staff to fix mistakes, poor communication, visibly frustrated service, and bugs crawling around—this experience was a disappointment from...

First off, I would like to say this is not a place I would recommend for consuming food. I have eaten here twice with my fiance' and the food was less than desirable on both occasions. The first time we came in,we ordered the pork belly, which was so tough. We couldn't cut it with a knife. But we did not complain we paid and left the establishment. Last week we gave it another try. This visit, we shared two sandwiches. We ordered the chicken Philly with a side salad which was absolutely horrible. I had to ask for salad dressing bc none came out with it. This sandwich is definitely not made for a grown man's appetite. We also ordered the chicken club. The bread was so hard I removed it from my half of the sandwich. The sandwich was not very good at all. The avocado looked rotten. Now for the service. Our waitress reminded us over and over again that she had been there since 9:30 that morning, mind you it was only 6:30. We each ordered a drink, I had wine, he had a mixed drink both were good. Once our food was delivered by some other guy, our waitress never returned to our table again, only to deliver our check, which we were not ready for. Prior to this, We asked another server whom was extremely efficient, if it were possible for us to order more drinks from her. She was more than happy to help us. Now we have 2 checks going. Our first waitress came back with our check to sign with a pen that did not work. So we had to stop the new server to ask if we could borrow her working pen. Again, she was happy to oblige. Our first waitress sat down every time she came to our table which I believe was 4 times total. I am giving this establishment 2 stars bc the drinks are always good and the live music and karaoke are always very good. As for the food and service very unsatisfactory. We applaud the second server, she was extremely pleasant and efficient with a huge smile...

Truly a great place for a night out in the square when you're just looking for a cool place to hang with decent drinks. The ambiance is awesome while drinks and food choices are different and tasty. Service can be a little patchy though. Most days, I've had great service except for my experience with event planning. I wasn't going to leave a review regarding what I went through as I've already reached out to the owner about it, but the more I've vented out my poor experience with personal friends, the more I've come to learn that it was nothing new for Bank Street and feel the community should know. I firmly believe that the key factor with using a public event space rather than personal property is the hassle free aspect. Unfortunately, of all events I've ever thrown (including a destination wedding during COVID) Bank Street had the absolute worst service I've ever experienced regarding an event - which might I add, I gave a lot of grace due to COVID, understanding that the service industry is pure chaos with all the unknown. However my experience had nothing to do with COVID but pertained more to miscommunication, verbal promises and sale pitches not being kept, and management taking absolutely no responsibility for these mishaps. I was truly disappointed and had to move my event to another location just 36 hours before my event was suppose to be held. The more I talked with friends about why I had to move my event, they expressed their frustrations with the same people being very unorganized with poor communication and even being rude, which is actually what irked me the most as well. I don't mind things going wrong, but fix it and don't be rude to me like I'm the one at fault. So, all in all, I give a solid 3 as this seems to be common occurrence that has yet...