Alchemist & Barrister — Restaurant in Princeton

Terrible experience. I came across a waitress that was nothing but unprofessional, rude, and vulgar. I had not one negative encounter with her, but two in the same night. My first negative encounter was when I asked her what liquors were considered “well liquors” on the menu, her response was “do you not know what liquor is” in the most condescending way possible. I replied “I obviously know what liquor is I just wanted a clarification on what liquors were included in the “well liquors” portion of the menu since there was no specific category labeled “well liquors.” She then continued to give me such a negative attitude that I felt uncomfortable spending my money at the establishment. My second negative encounter was when a friend of mine bought me a drink. After I received my drink I reached for a lemon on the bar and grabbed the last lemon. After I reached for it she said “ CAN I HELP YOU?” I said “ no I was just grabbing a lemon” then she replied “WELL IF YOU NEED A LEMON YOU NEED TO ASK ME AND NOT REACH FOR IT” I said “ you don’t need to be so impolite and unpleasant I am a paying customer, I’m sure you would get more tips if you were polite” and she said “ you’re not even paying for your drink your friend is so don’t worry about tips” in the most confrontational way possible. I replied “ I’m going to go speak to your manager about this” I spoke to her manager and believe it or not he IMMEDIATELY KNEW WHO IT WAS, I laughed and asked him how he knew but he said he couldn’t go into details, laughed and told me he would give a drink on the house. I waited 20 minutes for a drink and it never came. Worst bar experience ever, I wouldn’t let my worst enemy go here. And this wasn’t my only negative experience with this place, it was my third. If I could give it 0 stars I would. The waitress was a white woman with dark hair and a bad attitude you can’t miss her, avoid her at all costs if you...

If you've been to the Princeton area then you should have heard or be familiar with Alchemist and Barrister. Anyone who walks down Witherspoon street can't miss it.

Although my wife and I are frequent Princeton visitors, we have only gone to A&B once and not again. Not because the food is bad but because it is pricey.

If you get an app, an entree, and a drink, you are probably looking at a $92.00 bill with tip. If these prices don't scare you, you're in for a treat.

They have seasonal drinks and I must say the pumpkin patch (pumpkin infused bourbon, ginger beer, lime & cinnamon) was very refreshing and delicious. I say this as a mainly non-drinker. I.E. someone who tries one drink and leaves it at that.

I got the Tiger burger which is a call out to the Princeton football team. My wife got the french onion soup and pumpkin bbq brisket sandwich.

The soup and burger were excellent. Great flavor, decent portion, excellent seasoning.

The brisket? Unfortunately, a fail.

We're not really people who send back food unless it's awful but the brisket wasn't great. We're not sure if they forgot the sauce or what but the meat tasted like seasoned ground beef.

There was nothing pumpkin about it and was an unfortunate fail.

We went to A&B on Friday between 6:30 and 7pm. It was packed and noisy yet they were able to seat a table for 2 almost immediately. A&B is incredibly noisy and is not an ideal place for 1 on 1 conversation. It's a bar at the end of the day.

Although the brisket was a dissapointment, we did enjoy everything else. Due to the prices we won't be going often but it would be a candidate for a night out...

Had an AMAZING time there!!

It's a little pricy for the modern atmosphere and area, but I get it. In the beginning of our service, it was quiet, and the waitress was very considerate on what's her opinion was on the menu.

As dinner continued on and it got busy, she was still sweet and generous and not giving off, "I'll be nice for the tip." GENERALLY sweet!!

As for the food, the brown sugar chicken was... unexpected. It was AWESOME!! The honey mustard that came along was a great combo. The chicken was the star between the two, and it the hm did it's job. Good!!

The Buffalo chicken was of course, "Franks". Seeing as though THE MAKE THEIR OWN BLUE CHEESE, we expected their own homemade Buffalo sauce for the chicken.

I get it. Buffalo chicken is a very popular dish, and it'll be difficult to constantly make batches. So I can't be highly upset with it. Oh well.. all good.

I got a Citrus Haze mocktail. It was not diabetical nor bland. It was just right. And they made it flat for me due to my current condition. So maybe when I get fully better and can have soda water, I'm sure it will be a whole lot better. But I currently like it as it was.

As for dinner, I had a butternut squash salad with grilled chicken. It's seasonal and did an ABSOLUTE banger of a meal!! The presentation, the taste, and everything else were amazing. The squash was not " Over the Wall", but the amount given was enough to show the experience around the dish entirely.

All in all, we had a great experience.

10/10...