Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown

We stopped in here quite literally by accident while taking in the sites. Close to two major landmarks. Great service by Marcus our server, had great menu recommendations, friendly knowledgeable about the area and history. Our first time trying the famous Hot Brown, and Marcus recommendation of the Derby Pie. Great hot fresh food, everything was amazing. Highly recommend 10/10.

Our server was great. She took our order and brought the soup quickly. However, the table of 4 next to us got their food and we're nearly finished eating before we got our food. She took our order first. When we finally got our dinner it was delicious

Bristol downtown (and all three of the locations!) is wonderfully consistent and they made our pre-concert/anniversary dinner even more special by making us feel welcome. We absolutely love the "Spritz Saturday" drinks pricing on their Saturday specials. The food is always consistent - we shared panko shrimp and grill chili wontons as appetizers and split a hot brown for dinner - everything was delicious.

Food was amazing (as always). Our server got very busy so we didn't get the refills we asked for nor were we able to order an item to go that we had planned. She was very sweet though.

Overpriced food for the quality and rebranded A1 sauce for their steaks

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 5

Bristol Bar & Grill — Downtown Louisville Shoutout
If you haven’t been to the Bristol in downtown Louisville lately, you’re missing out on some seriously good food.
We started with the legendary green chili wontons — crispy, addictive, and the kind of appetizer you pretend to “share” but absolutely do not.
The Teriyaki Salmon with vegetables was perfectly cooked and full of flavor, the kind of dish that makes you consider becoming a better person. And the pork chop with greens was outstanding. Tender, juicy, and big enough to make you question your life choices in the best possible way.
Finished the meal with a café latte and an Old Fashioned, because balance comes in many forms.
Bristol downtown is still delivering the goods. Highly recommend for a night out, a date night, or anytime you want food that simply makes you happy to be alive.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

We booked a 4:30pm dinner reservation at Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown before a 6:30 show, planning to enjoy a relaxed meal. Instead, we've never felt so rushed in a sit-down restaurant. From the moment we sat down, the pace felt frantic. Our server immediately pushed us for orders, and before we could even settle in, we were told several items were unavailable — including the Woodford bacon grilled cheese because “the kitchen wouldn't have time to melt the cheese.” That explanation wasn't given until we were already being hurried to choose something else, which made the decision even more uncomfortable. Food came out extremely fast but didn't taste fresh. The sweet chili linguine was mediocre, and my salad barely arrived before the pasta followed right behind it. We were asked about dessert while still eating our entrées, and we were fully in and out — with appetizer, salad, and entrée — in under 40 minutes. Not exactly the relaxing meal we had planned. For reference, we never once said we were going to a show or needed to hurry. We intentionally booked early for that reason, but it didn't seem to matter. We ended up leaving and going somewhere else afterward just to enjoy a drink and dessert at a normal pace. Overall, rushed service and average food made for a very disappointing experience at what we hoped would be a nice pre-show dinner.

My burger was undercooked for the medium well that was requested, and personally didn't like the English muffin as a bun-it became quite soggy. Our drinks took a very long time to come out. But our server was very nice.

Why is it so hard to get decent service anywhere? Waited 30 minutes for an appetizer when the restaurant was completely empty. Waited an hour and a half for entrees and only 7 out of 8 dinners came out. It’s so sad that you can’t get even mediocre service in Louisville.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2

I know it was a play night at KY Arts Center, but the food came out way to slow. Our waiter did check back to us several times, but just slow kitchen response. We eat there for many of the performances and have never been this late in getting food.

We chose to eat at this restaurant because we were attending the theatre. I made the reservations so that we could have a nice leisurely dinner before theater and it was my birthday. I will start with the positive I had received an email for a free dessert which we used. The dessert was the best part of our meal it was delicious and unique. Thank you, Bristol, for that dessert. The restaurant was busy and had extra help which kept things moving much too fast. We ordered an appetizer and it came at the same time as the salad. I still had a bite of salad when the extra waitress tried to take my dish. Our food was delivered mostly correct but again the extra waitress hovered waiting to take plates. I was last to finish and she had made at least three attempts to clear my dish. I told her that I had the free dessert and she brought a dessert menu but I refused to order until I had finished my meal. I do realize on theater night the restaurant is busy but I had so hoped for a nice birthday meal. This has changed my thoughts about booking a table.

It was a disappointing night at an otherwise good local staple. Our dinner reservation was at 5:15 and they had already run out of all soups, we were not offered bread, items were not correctly prepared, etc. On the plus side, we were not charged for the food that was not correctly prepared and we got out in enough time to make it to the theater.

Delightful experience.  We dined at the downtown Bristol on December 2 before the Broadway series play. Dinner was a home run. The service, from Savannah, was professional and attentive. The food was all good. Salads were fresh and generous. Entrées, a burger and pasta bolognese, were hot and delicious. Everything arrived in plenty of time for us to relax, sip our drinks, and enjoy our food. We still easily arrived in time before the theater curtain call.  Keep up the good work.

Our waitress was excellent. Was a theatre night so busy but very attentive staff and we were pleased with our meal.

Had lunch, Cobb Salad with Honey Dijon. Shared what I believe was an asparagus fritter. Both were good. Metered street parking available. Bristol is consistent and reliable. Highly recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5