Bar 1903 — Restaurant in Tallahassee

Room for Improvement: A Candid Reflection on Our Recent Visit

Review: TLDR: Avoid the stuffy atmosphere, expensive food and drink that don’t match the prices, and look elsewhere.

During our recent visit to Bar 1903 we were excited to experience what we had hoped would be a memorable meal, drawn in by the restaurant's reputation and ambiance (historic library). However, our encounter fell short of all expectations, leading us to share our experience in the hope of fostering improvement for the staff.

Service: Our primary concern revolved around the service. Open chairs were not allowed to be used. Requests to access the bar were denied. Tables were available and ready, yet parties were not allowed to be sat together. Laughter (not kidding) resulted in staff asking us to keep it quiet. Such experiences can significantly detract from the dining atmosphere and guest satisfaction. We did not anticipate a bar established in a historic library to continue enforcing the library etiquette.

Food Quality: Again, disappointed with the food quality compared to the price. Food is overpriced and fell short of our expectations.

Ambiance: Huge potential to be a great place to relax, drink with friends, and make new ones. Instead, the staff refuse to allow groups to be sat together, do not allow seats to be filled, and overall act very pretentious and petty.

Despite these challenges, we believe Bar 1903 has the potential to offer a much more positive and welcoming dining experience. Here are a few suggestions we hope can guide improvements:

Training Staff for Better Engagement: Ensuring all staff members are trained in customer service excellence can make a significant difference. A welcoming and attentive approach can often offset unforeseen delays or issues that arise.

Feedback Mechanism: Implementing or highlighting a direct feedback mechanism for diners on-site might help address concerns before they escalate, fostering a more positive relationship between the restaurant and its patrons.

Menu and Service Review: Reevaluating menu items and service protocols periodically based on customer feedback can aid in keeping the dining experience fresh and customer-focused.

We share these thoughts with the hope that Bar 1903 will consider them as opportunities for growth rather than just criticism. The restaurant industry thrives on customer satisfaction, and we believe that with some adjustments, Bar 1903 can enhance its dining experience for all patrons.

Overall Rating: 0/5 (sadly 1 is the lowest...

What a gem! My first time at this neat little spot was this past Saturday around 5:30 PM and it was already pretty full, so our party of 3 sat at the bar (last three seats available at that moment) and were moved to a table about 15 minutes later. The focus is on the cocktails, although there are several food choices and even a couple of desserts. The menu itself is a fun read and their "library" of drinks is categorized by decades with interesting and entertaining trivia. The atmosphere is like no other, and although nobody is allowed upstairs, there is a lot to look at -- a feast for the eyes! Our first bartender, Tia, was super friendly but had to leave early, and our second was Zach, a very pleasant fellow. The music was the perfect combination of "older" hits and the volume was just right. It was enough to be able to hear the tunes clearly and yet low enough that people never had to raise their voices to be heard. It stood out that each table could carry on conversations without competing with the next group. I did see another review that complained that the reviewer's group was asked to lower their voices, and I can see how loud voices would distract from the ambiance; so, kudos to management for keeping the atmosphere sedate without being stuffy. This is not a typical "bar scene" with loud music and loud people, and thank goodness for that. There are plenty of other places like that and this is not one of them. This is a beautiful little building on the register of historic places and there are steps to enter without a wheelchair ramp. That's also important to note ahead of time and it's not meant to be "ex"clusive but it's important to understand that ADA compliance for any historic building aims to provide the highest level of access with the lowest level of impact on the historic character. Portable ramps are not always an easy fix. In particular this is a very small place with a small entrance and a tiny vestibule. There are only 36 seats inside. So, large(r) groups will need to be separated because it's not as if a bunch of same-height tables can be moved together to make a giant cafeteria style table. Not all places built in 1903 will have every amenity that a new building has; and that's okay. There are still many people who can enjoy this unique little jewel downtown, and I look forward to...

Worst I have ever been treated in the hospitality industry. I was looking for a nice place to bring my friends and clients from out of town. We were extremely disappointed by the service and treatment at this bar. We got our table 20 minutes before happy hour ended and placed our drink orders. The bartender took our orders and then ignored us for over 30 minutes, (instead waiting on the men next to us who were asking to break $100 bills). Once the men left we asked if we could have our drinks and the bartender responded that happy hour is over and we will have to pay full price for our drinks, even though we ordered them before happy hour was over. I have never heard of a bar doing this. I spoke with the manager of the bar to ask if this was usually how they treated their customers and he said that he supported his bartender ignoring us and charging us full price for the drinks. This seemed like a way to price gouge customers. The bartender continued to belittle us in front of his manager and implied that we were too cheap to pay for the drinks. We felt so disgusted by the treatment that we canceled our entire order and left (after waiting an hour just to get in). I do NOT recommend this place to anyone. They clearly do not respect their customers, do not honor their happy hour times, and do not worry about their employees insulting and...