Wine Down Neighborhood Bistro — Restaurant in Tennessee

Dinner bistro. M-Th 4p-9p, Fri 4p-10p, Sat 2p-10p. Closed Sundays. Wine Down to wind down or just to stop in. I find their unique Wine Down emblem is as cool and individualized as their bistro restaurant itself. Upscale versions of downhome or comfort favorites in addition to classy upscale dishes for decent prices. We ordered appetizers of deviled eggs (6) and fried green tomatoes (6). Both were delicious and works of art! They began disappearing too soon to get untouched presentation pics though. Lol The tomatoes came with pimento cheese and their special tomato jam. Main entrees ordered were the WDO burger (good/thick, half price that Monday), the tomato spaghetti (delicious) with a huge dollop ball of soft aged Pecorino cheese, and the brussel sprouts with chicken (+$6)(also delicious) with walnuts and smoked grapes and a delicious sauce (three fan favorite because I shared lol). Desserts were creme brulee', bread pudding, and desperation pie. (All also delicious!, latter two taken to go). All servers seem to check on each table frequently and all were attentive to requests and drink refills. Our favorite was Erica. Water was served in glasses without ice, but was refreshingly cool, refilled as needed, and that's coming from an ice water preference lifetime prerogative. Alcohol is served at Wine Down with an expansive list of options in a nice menu by itself several pages in length at the table as well as soft drinks etc and the strawberry pineapple pineberry spritz Mocktail ordered was tasty. The environment is small but spacious with good music but not overpoweringly loud. It is loud enough to be appreciated but doesn't drown out the ability to converse. There is outdoor seating available between Wine Down and Neighbor of Wine down (coffee, B, L, &brunch 8a-2p : haven't been there yet but plan to)..., but with the heated weather of late, we opted to remain inside at the Bistro as did seemingly everyone else. Not cold, not warm, but comfortable inside seating. There was an estimated wait of 30minutes but we were seated within about 20 minutes after waiting at the nearby fountain outside which also offered seating to the waiting patrons before us. We were notified by phone number of our table being ready. Ambient lighting, soft, diffuse and sets the tone. This lil bistro is one of many shops and restaurants set in the perimeter of a pleasantly picturesque walkable small commons square. The day we were there, classic cars were on display around the square and a talented artist was playing live music on the stage. There is parking circularly around the square's perimeter as well as behind the restaurants and shops and some on the street as well. All shops and restaurants are easily walkable even on my healing recently re-broken ankle. Even the grassy square with cobblestone and brick streets have a classic retro modern pleasant feel. Classy bistro restaurant, but not too costly. Ambiance and dishes unmatched. $$. Wide selection of menu food entrees or appetizers or shareables for a variety of tastes and palates. There is also a happy hour menu. I believe they locally obtain some fresh food items on their menu as well, a fact I truly appreciate for supporting local. Some items on the menu change every couple of weeks for a variety and, I suspect, to develop patrons' anticipation of the awaited returns of favorite dishes. I noticed after the fact when reading other reviews that the deviled eggs have varied greatly, which is very cool too despite the fact that we truly enjoyed ours though. All pics looked delicious and artsy. The chefs are talented in both preparation and presentation. We overheard zero complaints of any kind from other patrons while we were there. This was our first time at Wine Down, being recommended to us by someone familiar close to us. We will definitely return repeatedly & regularly despite the drive of about 35 minutes or so from home. We really liked it. Clean, single, unique bathrooms too. 5 Stars. A+ on every option. Looking forward...

Let's start with GOOD things... It's always nice & somewhat entertaining to watch the kitchen staff vibe so great together. They keep it lite and fun, with some dancing all while getting everything done in a tight space with 100% teamwork. The food always seems to be great so far, so no complaints there.

For the BAD... While yes, it is a busy tight spot, they act so annoyed when you don't have a reservation as if they almost prefer you to leave and never offer to say, "let me see if this couple doesn't show up, or you can sit at the bar" it is just always an issue. & SERVICE... wow service is so bad. Maybe this is if you dont have a reservation, but after our third time being there this morning, my husband passed me his water to have which I promptly gave back to him and told him he has to do that every time which I think is unacceptable. Getting a drink takes forever, refills never happen, & to place your order or get your check is crazy long. Once the food is in, that time is no problem. This is a server problem. I also really don't understand the dirty thrown on clothing with hair everywhere that some of the staff seems to always have. Their appearance certainly matches their customer service. Careless. Or the fact that when we sit at the bar, we don't really care to hear some of the girls hollering "can't you see I'm making 6 coffees, you can make your own" or the small cussing playful banter they have. It's just strange as outsiders that clearly get sucked in to wanting to hear this drama that is boldly in front of us like a show. At least I met a nice lady from this, as we bonded on the shock. Nothing TERRIBLE, but it's way too tight of quarters to speak like this or bad mouth your other coworkers. Not really worth it. I also asked about the Lobster Roll which was told the amount first and that it wasn't really worth it for that price. The price wasn't the thing for me, because I am a lover of a good one, but mentioning that made me think it wasn't that great. Saying it was heavily mayo based, and such. Which she said that she tells everyone who asks about it. I guess I'll never know. Just wish the severs were a bit better and more professional, because it would make up for tight quarters, & because the...

When I went there to ask for a table during a slow period, they kind of stared at me a few seconds like they were deciding whether to turn me away and then sat me in the middle of a big empty room and mostly ignored me, it was hard to relax even though I was the only customer there at like 2PM. When they brought the water it didn't have any ice. When I asked for some ice nicely, they looked at me weird and never actually brought any. The wagyu burger was great though.

Another visit I was sitting at the bar, they had been walking past about 5-10 minutes like I didnt exist. So I switched to dining outside (or tried, there was no seating available- or anywhere to set my box down) I walked to my parked car to grab my vape pen really quick since I was starting to get a little irritated- after they chased me down and I explained my mistake they still treated me like a petty thief in front of other customers.

Overall, it just seemed like fairly simple situations that would have been a lot more pleasant if people had been able to communicate and care about me as a customer but I've never been here not feeling treated like I'm bugging the workers. It never felt like I got basic communication or care. If you want a wagyu burger I would still recommend it. But I don't dine in here anymore. For the price they kind of made me feel crappier than if I had just went to chick-fil-a or ordered takeout. At least chick fil a has ice in their water and they greet you with a smile. For the above average $$ I spent + tips I gave this place kind of made me feel crummy each time.

If they weren't so expensive, I would say it's still a three-star restaurant cause of the burger. But for their price you are being charged for SERVICE and ambiance I never got. If I only ever ordered takeout from them and just interacted with the food, the rating would probably be...