Scout & Scholar Brewing Co.

Food used to be great, it all tastes the same. Greasy burger and overcooked chicken and a high bill.

The peach cobbler hand helds were way too heavy on the cinnamon. The hot brown was good.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Beer Flight

New owners. Menu shrank and quality is okay. Prices are INSANE now. Waitress was a saint. Avoid if anywhere else is open.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 5

Used to be so good. Apparently got new owners, prices sky rocketed menu completely changed and all the good old classics are gone.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

This place is a bit of a tourist trope. Very nice building, staff is friendly and accommodating. Food is just ok. It’s overpriced for what it is. In the words of my husband “I’ve had better chili dogs at Sheetz”. However, if you’re traveling and find yourself in want of a beer and want food that’s not chain or fast food, and don’t mind paying, it’s fine. Their in-house beers were def not my speed. However they had a very good guest tap German Kolsch which we really enjoyed, although they were also expensive. It was a fun break from a long road trip.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

As always, Kevin was great! Service was fast and attentive. We have been going to Scout and Scholar since they opened and loved everything on the menu so much and how reasonably priced the items were. When we went last week, the menu was completely different and the food was more expensive. We are missing the staples specifically the brussell sprouts, quesadilla (our favorite), and the totchos. I hope we can see a return to the Scout and Scholar we fell in love with.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

Let me start out by saying that I used to LOVE Scout & Scholar Brewing Co. My friend group were regulars and went on an almost weekly basis. We loved trying the new beers, enjoyed the beers that were always on tap, but - most importantly - we loved the food that was reasonably priced and enjoyable. Every time we would get totchos (Tater tot BBQ nachos), we enjoyed the brussel sprouts, and the many different options on the menu. It was nice to be able to enjoy good food, drink good beer, listen to live music on the weekends, and take in Bardstown's ONLY brewery.

Unfortunately, in 2025 all of that has changed. We took a group of 10+ people to our old favorite restaurant and were completely shocked when we saw that the menu had changed. They have removed 90% of the offerings that you see pictured here. I saw reviews mentioning the tator tots, bangers and mash, brussel sprouts, fried chicken, etc. ALL OF THIS IS GONE. What replaced this? A $45 steak (Why would I go to a brewery for that?), a hot brown (Don't even try to order it without tomato - the owner doesn't allow changes and we were told to 'order something else' if we couldn't have tomatoes. Please look at the picture, they are just laying on the side of the plate. Seems like a pretty simple change to me...)

My boyfriend and I decided to split the Smashburger. This is something that I used to get regularly and never finished - so we thought splitting might be a good idea. Even though the price had almost doubled (It's now $20...), we figured that at least we knew what we were getting. Imagine our surprise when they brought out a burger that looked (and tasted) like it had come from the McDonald's drive thru. Even worse, they got rid of the tater tots and fries, so we had to get the $7 fried potatoes. They weren't bad, but it wasn't nearly the amount that we were used to.

One of our friends got the fried chicken tender sandwich and his chicken came out raw. He sent it back and it took over an hour to bring it back out.

I've also attached a picture of the bill. My boyfriend and I SPLIT a burger, each had two beers, and we split a flight. It was over $70 and the tip was included (Parties over 7 have auto-gratuity). They have also added a fee for using a debit/credit card.

Our last experience, and I do mean our LAST experience, at Scout & Scholar left much to be desired. We are all so very sad that the new owners have changed everything. They have taken away what made this place so special. Save yourself the time and the money. Oh... and the brewery is leaving too. Just a heads up for anyone hoping things might go back to how they used to be.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great smash burger and very fast service! New potatoes are to die for! All bartenders and wait staff are exceedingly friendly!

They have completely changed their menu. Any of the pictures you see in these reviews are not accurate. The food USED to be good. It was a nice place to go and eat good food/drink good beer without breaking the bank. Our friend group was so sad to see that they got rid of all our favorite things! I guess the new owner is trying to turn Bardstown’s ONLY brewery into a ‘high-end’ restaurant. We were told that the brewery is on its way out, too. We used to LOVE the tater tot nachos. Gone. Bangers and mash. Gone. They doubled the price of the smash burger and cut the portion in half. If I wanted to pay $50 for a steak, I’d go to a steakhouse. When asked if we could get a meal without tomato, our server informed us that the owner prohibits changes to meals. “If you can’t have tomato, you should order something else…’ What a joke. Our group of friends used to go weekly and now we will never return. Hopefully this review will save some of you the time. #disappointed

In town for a few days and we were looking for a place with great atmosphere and good brews. We found both at Scout & Scholar. We enjoyed Off Brand IPA & Christmas Ale. The food selection is limited but good. I recommend the fried pickles-not overly battered and perfectly cooked. The House salad with or without chicken was ginormous-the pickled deviled eggs are a nice touch. Great visit. I’d recommend stopping it for a bite or brew if you are in the area!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Beer Flight, Salad

Although I still recommend this restaurant the service, menu, and attentiveness to customers has drastically decreased since the new management took over. How can you call yourself a craft beer brewery and serve beer in glass then swap to plastic cups ? Menus hasn’t changed much but the presents of the food certainly has.

Good selection of beers and bourbons. Small menu for food. Not a ton of seating to eat. I’d go back for more drinks but already tried all the interesting food items in one visit. The food was good but not great.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Scout & Scholar Brewing, I have to ask—did you actually try to make the nachos you list on your menu? Did you glance at the sad plate of naked chips, barely dusted with the promise of toppings, and think, "Yes, this represents us"?

When the menu described these nachos as a pile of Jake’s spicy sausage, Ol’ Buddy queso, sour cream, and pico de gallo, was that some sort of joke? Because what actually arrived was a barren wasteland of tortilla chips with only a smear of queso and a few heavy clumps of sour cream. Pico de gallo? If some lone, tiny pieces of diced tomatoes and onions count as "pico," then sure, you nailed it. But let’s be honest—it felt more like a garnish than an ingredient. Spicy sausage? Just a few small pieces, on a dry bed of chips.

How do you make nachos this sad? The chips were naked, lonely, and dry, like they were begging for mercy, or at least some queso. I've seen more cheese on a mouse trap. And sour cream? It looked like someone dolloped it on as an afterthought, like the kitchen ran out of care somewhere along the way.

Scout & Scholar Brewing, when you serve nachos, the toppings should reach every chip, or at least most of them. You can work up to trying for some of them. If you don't have the ingredients or the will to use them, take the dish off the menu.

1 star only because we couldn't give 0. Pretend not to hate your customers.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

Had the pulled pork sandwich - it was FANTASTIC! All of the servers were friendly - very welcoming! We highly recommend!

Gave me a bogus law that said because my ID wasn’t sideways they wouldn’t serve me. ID is not expired, got it before I’m 21 and there’s no law in Kentucky that says that.

Atmosphere: 1

Service: 1