Livingston Restaurant + Bar

We arrived and were seated promptly shortly after 5pm. Our waiter greeted us and took drink orders right away. We got tap water’s and a bourbon. Those came out within minutes and he took our appetizer orders and a glass of prosecco. This is where the promptness ends as more people arrived. It took 20 minutes to get my prosecco after reminding our waiter and informing him we were going to the show at 6:30pm. He was unapologetic and informed us everyone is and that things are backed up. We quickly put in our food order hoping we would get it in time. He then went to pour my glass of prosecco. At 5:45 we got our appetizers. Shortly after 6 we got our food. We ordered the filet but did not get a steak knife for 10 minutes until my husband got up and found one. My son finished his dinner before we could start. We inhaled our food so we could make the show. We never got refills on water or asked if we would like bread. I have to say this was the worst service I have ever experienced and for the price! It to me was a waste of my money. AND It was definitely not worth the 18% tip that was automatically added to the bill. After seeing many similar reviews it is unbelievable that they have not done anything to resolve these service issues when there is a show. Do not choose this restaurant to dine before a show or any other time. Disappointing!!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Ehren took excellent care of my family for a dinner before a show at the Fox.

The chicken breast is absolutely amazing here, and the biscuits are killer.

Excellent prompt service by Ehren, he was able to get us out in time for our show.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I had a lovely experience zero compliance. I had the pleasure to meet have a young lady Shayla she was very professional she didnt rush us at all. She ask that we leave a review. So this why I decided to do so. She smiled the entire time while speaking with us and made us all feel welcomed. We will definitely return to this establishment in hopes that we get service like this again. I didnt take a photo but next I will and I will keave another review. Dont cheat yourself out of a great experience. Thanks Shayla.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Appeared to be understaffed as we had to wait to be seated even with a reservation. All staff were friendly and helpful, just rushed. We were attending an event at the Fox (as were other diners) so they may have been busier than usual. Orders came out in plenty of time to make the event. Delicious Livingston salad and steak was cooked to order.

My husband and I loved our dinner at Livingston. It was recommended from a friend and we can see why. Food was delicious, Josh was a very attentive and friendly server, cocktails were so good. Overall amazing experience. Highly recommend.

If you are looking for a great cocktail, ask for Shay!

Atmosphere: 5

The food is good. The service was sincere, but untrained. It's not the server's fault that no one has taught her how to open a bottle of wine, it's the managements. Like a lot of establishments, the staff appeared to be very new and unfortunately not well trained. Very nice and personable, but new and unsure. My least favorite part was when she lost my credit card between the table and the card reader and didn't realize that the card had been placed in the folio. (good news another diner found the card). That was the last we saw of the server.

Steak was tough and sea bass way over cooked. Everything else was pretty good

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Went here for a pre performance meal. I ordered the crab cakes.. they were awful. Too much filler and some seasoning that was not to my taste. I took 2 bites and left it. Waitress inquired... told her I did not like them. In my experience, a restaurant of this caliber should have taken them off the ticket. But it was not. Paid about $100 for a cup of soup and 2 uneaten crab cakes. On the plus side, dinner companions enjoyed the pasta and short ribs. Overpriced .

Service was amazing. Ehren friendly and very accommodating. Not rush enjoyed our meal and conversation in quiet space .

Normally they don’t offer a tea selection but waiter shared options from the bar which were great for a tea bag.

Tea selection 4 star 🫖🫖🫖🫖
Did not have loose leaf but it looked like a fine selection of tea bags introducing me to a new flavor of black tea .”Jardin Bleu” includes strawberry rhubarb and floral petals. Description was intriguing even though I initially considered an herbal tea.

The flavor profile did not disappoint with both fruity notes and floral aroma.

Tea Presentation 3star 🫖🫖🫖
Came in a white mug of hot water with saucer. Very basic but nothing pretty and no teapot of water.

Forgot a picture of the poured tea but it was not memorable. It was the tea selection that made it worthy of a tea review 😊.

Ambiance - the surrounding mansion architecture looking up was noteworthy. Modern chair furniture seemed a little odd for mansion . There’s a charming 2 seater by the window from a converted revolving door “honeymoon suite”, I plan to request in reservation next time.

Food -
Trout and Gouda grits were tasty.
Miso Bass melted in your mouth, well cooked.
Crème brûlée was solid, would get again. Only 1 slither of a strawberry on side.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I made a reservation at the Livingston and we arrived a couple of minutes early and were seated. It was not busy. After over 10 minutes of sitting at our table without any acknowledgment, we left. Numerous servers walked by and ignored us. It was very surprising.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 1

We visited during Pride parade. Bar was under staffed and buffet ran low several times. We were patient as this was an unusually busy time. The food was good and service was slow, which we anticipated. Ideally, another bartender and additional gussets would be helpful.

Located inside of a historical hotel, this restaurant has potential to be great. The service was extremely slow...20 minutes waiting before drinks were ordered. (Even water) The food was average. Experienced many other top notch restaurants in the city. Would suggest always checking reviews prior to booking.

Having worked in the restaurant industry for many years as both a server and bartender, I tend to cut both restaurants and staff a reasonable amount of slack. Our experience here was worth a bad review. I'm hoping management reads this and takes the appropriate steps to improve their process. The only reason I am giving it 2 stars is because the food was good. Everything else was bad. We had a reservation for a party of four, we arrived at 5:15pm to eat before a show across the street at the Fox at 7pm. We waited almost 10 mins to be seated (it was not busy they open at 5) it was as if they were not prepared to have people show up when they opened. Our server was nice, we ordered drinks and appetizers, then mains about 10 mins after that. Our drinks took 30 minutes. There were 2 bartenders and the restaurant was maybe half full, so not sure why it took so long. Our appetizers came before our drinks. Waters never refilled and we were never asked if we wanted another round of drinks. I started noticing other tables having issues as well, some pouring their own water. They didn't seem to be short staffed either. The two ladies in our group got their meals at 6:40. Myself and my friend got ours at 6:45. That is over an hour after we ordered our entrees. Keep in mind we told the waitress twice we had to leave in time for a 7pm show. We asked for the check immediately and ate as fast as we could. While waiting I asked to speak with the manager, and I explained to him about the wait for the drinks and food and that we needed our check ASAP. He said he would go get it and proceeded to walk out the restaurant door in full view of our table and never returned. I was seriously considering leaving my license with the bartender and telling them I would come back and pay after the show when our waitress showed up with the check at 6:56. She did comp the drinks and apps, which I appreciated but also expected and would have requested after that debacle. We spoke to multiple other tables in the restaurant while waiting for our check, who were experiencing similar issues. I saw a couple of patrons arguing with one of the bartenders on the way out about their check. If you have a restaurant across from the Fox, you would think they know the show schedule and would be adequately prepared. It felt like opening night at a new restaurant. Again, the food was good, but the service and everything else was poor. Dine there at your own risk, especially if you are there to see a show.

This was hands down the worst service experience I've ever had. We sat in the bar area where we were told we'd have table service, but after waiting 20 minutes with no one coming by, I went up to the bar to order instead.

I stood at the bar for another 10 minutes before finally placing my order. I asked about food but was told it would take a while, and since we needed to be at the Fox by 7, I played it safe and just ordered drinks and soup (the bartender said the soup would be ready, I mean all you have to do is put it in a bowl!). I was handed one drink, but when I asked about the second, I was told she hadn't rung it in yet. After charging me again, she couldn't find a pen to complete the slip, wasting even more time. At this point, I had been standing at the bar for 30 minutes just trying to get two drinks.

We returned to our table and waited another half hour, but the soup never came. When I went back to the bar to ask for a refund, I found several other guests doing the same thing after also waiting endlessly without receiving food. The bartender told us she couldn't refund the charge herself and that we'd need to wait for a manager, so like the others, I left without a refund. One of the customers wanting a refund had just discovered the bartender had lost their credit card, at this point it was honestly worth the L to be out the cost of the soup and be grateful at least they hadn't lost my credit card.

If you're planning to stop at the Livingston Bar before a show at the Fox, DON'T. Unless you happen to have hours to spare and don't mind the risk of never receiving your order (or credit card). The lack of service, follow-through, and management oversight is completely unacceptable.

Service: 1