Reviews for Old Talbott Tavern

07/24/2025 - Traci B.
This historic tavern, dating back to 1779 and once a stagecoach stop, offers a charming atmosphere with well-preserved architecture and rich local history, including rooms honoring famous guests like Jesse James and Abraham Lincoln. The food and service consistently impress, with favorites like the bourbon pecan crusted chicken and fried catfish, plus a great selection of bourbon cocktails that reflect the area's heritage.

05/14/2024 - C V.
very good

09/02/2012 - j simpson
I hate to write this review but everyone needs to know how the Talbott Tavern treats their repeat customers. I was born and raised in Bardstown but live out of state now. When I come home to visit my family and friends I go to the Tavern to eat, have drinks, listen to music, and we have even paid to stay at the hotel. I have been coming here for years with no problems. The problem now is and has been for quite sometime is the owners' choice of management. My friends and I were at the Tavern the night of Bourbon City Street Concert, downtown Bardstown, July 7. We headed to the Tavern afterwards to listen to a band play. The bar manager, Angie Leake, does not know the meaning of customer service and constantly dishes out attitude for no reason. You would think someone, who must make a majority of her income from tips, would be super nice but not Angie. At one point she refuses to serve my friend a drink claiming she was too intoxicated which was not true. She then threatens to have me banned for life if the drink I was about to purchase was for my friend, which it was not. She continued to be rude and threatening and even tried to charge $7.00 for a drink that we had previously paid $6.00 for. After putting up with all of her attitude I finally told her what I thought and my friend and I were thrown out. We were escorted out and told to leave which we did with no struggle. When my friend and I tried to go back in the Tavern recently we were informed we are BANNED FOR LIFE. BANNED FOR LIFE??? For what???? You would think that we had tried to vandalize the place or start fights with patrons/employees. None of that happened, not even remotely close. I told a nasty attitude, bar manager/bartender what I thought of her and we get BANNED FOR LIFE? I did not even curse at her. To make matters worse they also BANNED my sister for life, even though she was not there, because we look alike and Angie could not tell us apart. I thought there must be some mistake about being BANNED FOR LIFE so I called the Tavern and spoke with Jimbo, one of the owners. I did not get the response I expected to get from him. I believe a lot of businesses today have no clue what real customer service means. Instead of him listening to my side of the story and giving me the benefit of the doubt or at least be willing to investigate the matter he was extremely rude and defensive. I could not even get a word in because he kept interrupting me before I could finish a sentence. He sided with Angie without even looking into the matter. He told me he has video of everything that happens in the bar but refused to watch it. You would think if a repeat customer is going to be BANNED FOR LIFE you would hear both sides of the story and find out what really happened. When I said to Jimbo, if this is the way it is going to be I will let everyone know how poorly we have been treated, he got very defensive and the tone in his voice became extremely threatening, almost scary. He said I should be very careful what I put out there about his business. I told him I was only going to tell the truth, and I live in a free country where I have the right to do that. He then hung up on me when I was in mid-sentence. What a disappointment, I truly expected more from him, the owner.
Furthermore, on different night, Angie was dishing out attitude again but to another friend of mine when he had just arrived and had not even had a drink yet. She is notorious for passing you up for a drink at the bar and serving other people around you that have just come up. This is what happened to my friend and when he politely asked her why he had not been served, after standing there for quite sometime with no service, she said he was cut off for the night and refused to serve him a drink. My friends and I are good tippers and are always nice and courteous to the employees there and to be treated like this is absurd. I am still flabbergasted about this whole incident of being BANNED FOR LIFE that I still can't believe it. We have spoken to several employees about this and they all have said they can't believe it either. They feel it is absurd as well but they say they can't do anything about it. The previous bar manager, Brandon, was just as rude and we stopped going there for a while until they fired him. Now they have replaced him with his twin. How do people keep jobs these days with the way they act and treat customers? It is a shame when you give someone a little authority and they go on a power trip, act like they are God.