Rising Sun Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant in South Londonderry Township

For a special occasion we decided to try Rising Sun after several recommendations. (This was a Sunday after a holiday, so some of what we experienced with the Staff may be due to fatigue, but its worth noting.)

We made a reservation for 6 and were told if any more were in our party we would need to be a "walk in" and seating may be separate. We did have two more join our party, but seating was not an issue, and during our visit most of the seating was open. When we arrived, no one was at the host stand, and there were 3 bartenders, and 3 servers standing toward the back of the room chatting. They noticed us several times but said nothing. We were up front for about five minutes, and even walked outside to make sure we had come in the right entrance. There were signs directing us back to the main door, so we went back in and stood waiting. After another couple minutes of silence from the staff standing around the bar, a friendly hostess rushed up, greeted us, and asked how many in our group. We let her know we had a reservation, and that we also might have 2 more joining us, and she asked for a minute to prep a table for us. Once we were seated and our party arrived, our server Logan checked in and asked if we had questions or were ready to order (we indicated it was our first time, and he said he would give us a few minutes. We were surprised that there were no recommendations or introductions). When he came back a few minutes later he was friendly but seemed on task and bothered by us still discussing what we wanted. He took our orders, and didn't clarify if we wanted our apps with our mains (which we each had said 'all together' when we ordered).

The kitchen seemed really behind for a slow afternoon's service. Overall inside there were about 5 tables seated, and we saw about 8-9 tables seated outside. We didn't time our appetizers arrival, but it was well over 10 mins for Truffle Fries and poutine fries. We were all snacking on the fries, but hoping our mains would follow. Logan was not around and other servers brought the apps to our table. Our mains were more than 30 minutes after our appetizers and trickled out of the kitchen two at a time, with other servers delivering most of them. We were still waiting on two burgers to arrive for another 5 minutes after others were served. We saw them come up in the window, and Logan was there taking a phone call. He was interacting with the line while on the phone, but didnt bring our burgers until he wrapped up his call.

It was difficult for us to enjoy the flavors of the meal because of how long it took for mains after snacking on the appetizers. Again, not sure what the issues were for the Staff, maybe fatigue, but it was definately like customers were just a task to complete. Which included one of our plates having smeared and dried ketchup on the plate rim (baked on by its time under the heat lamp). We had waited so long for the dish, we were afraid to send it back.

Beyond that rough impression on the hospitality side, the food was delicious and the flavors for the most part were spot on. One critique for the Whiskey Mac is that it had a distinctly bitter flavor that distracted from the overall profile. And the fish tacos had so much cheese that it took away from the star of the dish. The rest of our crew had no complaints on the cook or the flavors. The Salmon sandwiches, the flat iron steak, the brisket, and the burgers were very enjoyable. (The burgers are not handhelds though - the stack is so high that trying to compress it for a bite caused the egg, sauce and potato patties to ooze completely out. Best to cut it into bites, unless your mouth opens 5" vertically).

Atmosphere is very good and has a mix of "speakeasy" and industrial that had a great vibe. Sound was also very good, but again it was not full, and could be much louder at other times.

Would definitely recommend the food, and atmosphere. Be prepared for long waits, pace yourself, and be prepared to make an effort to engage Staff for...

I have been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile now, especially since I know it is owned by the same folks who own The Hideaway, Snitz Creek and a couple of other area restaurants. I finally got there this past weekend, as my daughter also wanted to try it for her 25th birthday. The atmosphere inside was very nice. Fully renovated seating area with what looked to be a well stocked, centrally located bar. The parking lot indicated that it was pretty busy and the outdoor seating appeared to be at about 75% capacity, but inside, there was still plenty of seating which we opted for. We were greeted warmly and seated promptly at a hi-top table with our menus Unfortunately, we sat there for over 15 minutes before a waitress with RBF came to us and took our drink order only (we told her we had already made up our minds on food, but that we would have to "wait until I bring your drinks back" to order food. My two daughters and my daughter's BF ordered cocktails, I ordered a beer and my wife ordered just a diet soda. When my wife asked if she had a certain type of diet soda, we got an eye roll and a hard "No". This attitude continued for the rest of the night. The waitress dropped off the soda within 2-3 minutes of placing the order, and then we waited another 15 minutes before getting the cocktails and mixed drinks. When they finally arrived, we again attempted to order food, at which time she help up one finger and said, "I'll be right back to take your food order". Another five minutes and we were finally able to order the food. Well, I wish I could tell you the food was worth the wait. I had a seafood chowder appetizer, which was the most bland seafood chowder I have ever had. Two shrimp, a couple of pieces of white fish and some minced clams in a broth that was basically nothing more than milk. The Margherita flat bread was burned on the edges and drenched with balsamic vinegar in the middle to a point where the crust in the center was soggy and gross. I ate 3 of the 8 pieces and left the rest on the table. My wife indicated the whiskey mac and cheese was "decent". My daughter's BF had their Carne Asado Tacos and the steak was chipped thin and burnt. My one daughter had their prime rib French dip and once again, the meat was way overcooked...prime rib should be pink, not brown. My other daughter had their special which was a crab stuffed salmon and the salmon came out cold and was very bland. At one point during the meal, the waitress did come back to our table, but didn't ask how everything was, but only asked if we wanted any more drinks. My daughter asked for another drink, but it was never brought out to her. When the waitress came back later when we were done and saw that none of us had finished our meals, she didn't say anything to us or ask how everything was. All she said was "Oh, I am sorry, I forgot your beer" at which point I was like, just give me the check.

Judging by the other positive reviews, maybe there was something going on in the kitchen that night? New chef? Somebody on vacation? But couple the poor food with the miserable service, I cannot justify going back and dropping $170 again for another dinner here with so many other great...

I have passed by here quite a few times on my way to the Lebanon VA and always wanted to try it based on all of the buzz I have heard from others. I really wanted to try the breakfast but haven't had a chance to as of yet, so I settled on dinner for now. I ordered the Pulled Brisket Melt and got my wife the Warm Caesar Brussels Sprouts Salad.

I ordered through Uber Eats, which stated the order would be ready at 4:01 pm. I arrived promptly at the exact time it was supposed to be ready, but the young kid at the front said I needed to wait a few more minutes, which was fine. The issue becomes that it is so packed there is nowhere to stand unless perhaps there was, but no one told me where to stand. So I waited by the front door since that was my only option, which wasn't the greatest as people kept coming in and out. After waiting about 15 minutes, the front desk guy asked what my name was again for the order pick up. Seriously?

He went to the back this time to check and came back empty-handed. Said it would be another few minutes. Finally, after another fifteen minutes or so, he went to the back again to check, and I assumed it was ready because he brought out my bag. Who knows how long it was sitting there from the first trip to the back. So, after 30 minutes of waiting, I finally got my food.

They really need someone else in the front, not someone who does not seem like he wants to work. While I was there, I got a good idea of the type of people that visit this establishment. It seemed to me like a lot of local drunks, as the bar was packed with a lot of loud people who seemed to keep watching me instead of the people they were drinking with. This place is definitely not my cup of tea, but if you are a local person who likes to drink, this place should be right up your alley.

The food itself wasn't the greatest either. That's what you get for an $18 salad, which seriously lacked lettuce and was gone in a couple of bites. My Pulled Brisket Melt was a soggy mess. Every time I bit into it, I got a wet taste of oil from the bread. The Brisket itself wasn't bad. It was moist and tasteful. I just wish the rest of the sandwich matched.

I would still like to try their breakfast and perhaps would have a better experience for that course since I would highly doubt the drunks would be there that early in the day, but...