I made a reservation and visited H or HW water about a month ago. I'm not sure why they require reservations, the place was almost empty when we were there. It was not a good experience. Upon arrival, a friend of mine who is diabetic had leftovers from dinner (he was keeping it for his overnight snack if needed) we attended near by. The hostess stated that outside food was not allowed, which my friend was fine with because the hostess offered to set it aside and he could retrieve it upon leaving. Upon seating, the waitress poured 4 waters, 1 for each of us, but spilled water all over the table. We asked for some towels to clean it up, she came back and threw some napkins on the table, instead of cleaning up her own mess, she expected us to do it. The table next to us was very loud as if they were in a sports bar - the staff did nothing to ask them to bring the volume down (not enforcing one of their own rules). Because of the noise, after one drink we decided to leave. My friend asks for his leftovers on the way out, the hostess proceeds to tell him that she threw it away - this is after telling him she would set it aside, they offered no remedy at all. My friend sent an email to the manager (address provided by the hostess) and never received a reply. There was another couple trying to enter at this point and the hostess turned them away, even though they had plenty of tables available, including the 1 hour left on our reservation which we tried to give to the couple but the hostess said "no". It seems as though they require reservations in order to appear exclusive, but they are not. With the staff on duty when we were there, they were very unprofessional and it honestly felt like the adults who should normally work there took the night off and asked their kids to "mind the store". I'll agree the decor was great but nothing else was. Very disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 1
Josephine Barretta
Find a new room everytime I go. Love the drinks and the vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Czajkowski
Attentive service and perfectly crafted drinks in an unforgettable speakeasy ambience.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Blair Paca
My group of friends went here last week and we were really looking forward to this secret bar. We all work in the service industry. Between the long wait time to even acknowledge us, the lack of attention to detail, and the overall rudeness of the staff, I would not recommend spending your money here. The front of this house ( hostess, bartender, waitress) is in complete disarray. We saw other people that left upset too. The decor is nice though.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Diana Andrews
We wanted to love this place but the staff was rude and the atmosphere was loud. The hostess was crazy rude and obviously lacking in customer service. They threw away our food that we didn't have a chance to eat and refused to compensate for it. We had to stop and repurchase food on the way back to the hotel. There were no apologies for the rude and expensive behavior. As an owner, I would be deeply ashamed of the behavior of the staff. I wish we would have read the multiple reviews about the bad service before we went. Shame on me. We did contact the manager but he did not answer.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Donna Longenecker
The staff here was beyond rude. The waitress spilled water all over our table and did not apologize or clean it up. We had to ask for napkins to clean up the mess. The other patrons were loud and obnoxious and they were not told to "keep it down" as it was supposed to be a calm experience, not a rowdy bar. The waitress had only minimal and vague knowledge of the drinks, disappointing. The staff was dressed in torn jeans and a generally unkept appearance. The staff was also drinking. There was no manager onsite and the staff was unwilling to fix or even discuss problems. They just said that they could not and would not help. The real problem was that we had a "to go" bag of food with us as we entered. This was purchased from the restaurant we just left so my diabetic husband had food for later, back at the hotel. The hostess told us that we could not bring in outside food but she would keep it at the desk to pick up on the way out. Our group though this odd but we confirmed that we could pick it up on the way out and decided to go in and enjoy the night. We left after one drink due to bad service and overall weirdness of the night. On the way out, we stopped at the hostess desk and asked for our box and she said "you told me to throw it out so I did". WTH? We obviously did not ask her to throw out the recently purchased meal that was needed. No apology. No offering of anything at all. No compensation. She refused to discuss it and said that there was no manager there, just leave. I went back in and asked the bartender about this situation and she had the same attitude. The waitress then joined the conversation and the same attitude surfaced with her. We asked for the manager's info and was given James's email address. I did email him several times with no answer. We had to stop and get another box of food to replace the one she threw out.It seems like the kids are running the place while the manager is away and just doing whatever they want. But since the manager has refused to talk, I wonder if he is the true problem. I would definitely not recommend this place. There are plenty of great places to spend your money and get great service in Louisville. Just not here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Molly S
Staff is extremely inappropriate, classist and sexist. My husband and I each had two drinks at the bar and he went outside to smoke a cigarette, leaving his phone with the bartenders to charge. When he tried to come back in they refused him entry and called him “homeless.” The bartender made an announcement to every customer in the bar that we were all in danger because a “homeless man” was trying to break into the bar. When he was finally allowed back in the staff was screaming at him, cussing him out and she explained that because they are women working at the bar they should not have to allow men inside. When I said she made a mistake and should apologize, she refused to apologize and said that he should have called if he was a customer. When we explained she had his phone to charge it she got even angrier and we had to beg for his phone back before leaving. I will tell everyone I meet in Kentucky how terrible this place is and the people that work here. Will never come back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
E V
Mediocre drinks and horrendous
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Richard Rosenthal
BEWARE - Despite no listed policy anywhere on their website or booking platform (it's probably buried in some TOS somewhere), they will turn you away *from a privately booked room* if you are 30 minutes+ late, with no refund, even though they force you to purchase 2 hours at a time (making it seem deceptively like you could book a room from 6-8 for a quick drink at 7).The hostess was, however, extremely nice/apologetic, so that's something.
Rajeev Majumdar
Amazing cocktails and atmosphere, but reservations are advised!
First time at this bar and my family and I loved it so much! We went early November. Victoria, our server, was the nicest server ever. I am somewhat particular with my drinks, and I didn't really like the first drink I got (dirty martini, light brine with onion) so Victoria happily suggested I talk to the bartender after the bartender said I may not like The Calling Card based on my preferences. I talked to the bartender who was also SO KIND AND PATIENT and we finally landed on a gimlet and it was delish! I believe I ended up ordering three. Everyone that we encountered was so nice, it was the best customer service! Looking forward to going back!
Alli C.
Great speakeasy with classic and creative cocktails! Beautiful ambiance, interesting servers and a great place for fun. Pro tip: don't miss out on the wallpaper in the ladies room!
Tiffany P.
The place was really cool with a great atmosphere. Live jazz music playing Christmas songs. We had a little balcony room upstairs that was really cute. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Drinks were inventive and tasty.
Gabrielle Ackerman
We had a pretty late reservation (10:15pm) on a Friday night, but all of the staff were very patient with us and did not make us feel rushed to leave. The cocktails were all so curated and thoughtful. Atmosphere was out of this world incredible and immersive. I would make this a must if visiting Louisville!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hanna Whited
Super cool and must try speakeasy in Louisville, amazing cocktails. Loved the seasonal menu they put out. Also the cheesecake was very good!
I made a reservation and visited H or HW water about a month ago. I'm not sure why they require reservations, the place was almost empty when we were there. It was not a good experience. Upon arrival, a friend of mine who is diabetic had leftovers from dinner (he was keeping it for his overnight snack if needed) we attended near by. The hostess stated that outside food was not allowed, which my friend was fine with because the hostess offered to set it aside and he could retrieve it upon leaving. Upon seating, the waitress poured 4 waters, 1 for each of us, but spilled water all over the table. We asked for some towels to clean it up, she came back and threw some napkins on the table, instead of cleaning up her own mess, she expected us to do it. The table next to us was very loud as if they were in a sports bar - the staff did nothing to ask them to bring the volume down (not enforcing one of their own rules). Because of the noise, after one drink we decided to leave. My friend asks for his leftovers on the way out, the hostess proceeds to tell him that she threw it away - this is after telling him she would set it aside, they offered no remedy at all. My friend sent an email to the manager (address provided by the hostess) and never received a reply. There was another couple trying to enter at this point and the hostess turned them away, even though they had plenty of tables available, including the 1 hour left on our reservation which we tried to give to the couple but the hostess said "no". It seems as though they require reservations in order to appear exclusive, but they are not. With the staff on duty when we were there, they were very unprofessional and it honestly felt like the adults who should normally work there took the night off and asked their kids to "mind the store". I'll agree the decor was great but nothing else was. Very disappointing experience.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 1
Find a new room everytime I go. Love the drinks and the vibe.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Attentive service and perfectly crafted drinks in an unforgettable speakeasy ambience.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
My group of friends went here last week and we were really looking forward to this secret bar. We all work in the service industry. Between the long wait time to even acknowledge us, the lack of attention to detail, and the overall rudeness of the staff, I would not recommend spending your money here. The front of this house ( hostess, bartender, waitress) is in complete disarray. We saw other people that left upset too. The decor is nice though.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
We wanted to love this place but the staff was rude and the atmosphere was loud. The hostess was crazy rude and obviously lacking in customer service. They threw away our food that we didn't have a chance to eat and refused to compensate for it. We had to stop and repurchase food on the way back to the hotel. There were no apologies for the rude and expensive behavior. As an owner, I would be deeply ashamed of the behavior of the staff. I wish we would have read the multiple reviews about the bad service before we went. Shame on me. We did contact the manager but he did not answer.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The staff here was beyond rude. The waitress spilled water all over our table and did not apologize or clean it up. We had to ask for napkins to clean up the mess. The other patrons were loud and obnoxious and they were not told to "keep it down" as it was supposed to be a calm experience, not a rowdy bar. The waitress had only minimal and vague knowledge of the drinks, disappointing. The staff was dressed in torn jeans and a generally unkept appearance. The staff was also drinking. There was no manager onsite and the staff was unwilling to fix or even discuss problems. They just said that they could not and would not help. The real problem was that we had a "to go" bag of food with us as we entered. This was purchased from the restaurant we just left so my diabetic husband had food for later, back at the hotel. The hostess told us that we could not bring in outside food but she would keep it at the desk to pick up on the way out. Our group though this odd but we confirmed that we could pick it up on the way out and decided to go in and enjoy the night. We left after one drink due to bad service and overall weirdness of the night. On the way out, we stopped at the hostess desk and asked for our box and she said "you told me to throw it out so I did". WTH? We obviously did not ask her to throw out the recently purchased meal that was needed. No apology. No offering of anything at all. No compensation. She refused to discuss it and said that there was no manager there, just leave. I went back in and asked the bartender about this situation and she had the same attitude. The waitress then joined the conversation and the same attitude surfaced with her. We asked for the manager's info and was given James's email address. I did email him several times with no answer. We had to stop and get another box of food to replace the one she threw out.It seems like the kids are running the place while the manager is away and just doing whatever they want. But since the manager has refused to talk, I wonder if he is the true problem. I would definitely not recommend this place. There are plenty of great places to spend your money and get great service in Louisville. Just not here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Staff is extremely inappropriate, classist and sexist. My husband and I each had two drinks at the bar and he went outside to smoke a cigarette, leaving his phone with the bartenders to charge. When he tried to come back in they refused him entry and called him “homeless.” The bartender made an announcement to every customer in the bar that we were all in danger because a “homeless man” was trying to break into the bar. When he was finally allowed back in the staff was screaming at him, cussing him out and she explained that because they are women working at the bar they should not have to allow men inside. When I said she made a mistake and should apologize, she refused to apologize and said that he should have called if he was a customer. When we explained she had his phone to charge it she got even angrier and we had to beg for his phone back before leaving. I will tell everyone I meet in Kentucky how terrible this place is and the people that work here. Will never come back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mediocre drinks and horrendous
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
BEWARE - Despite no listed policy anywhere on their website or booking platform (it's probably buried in some TOS somewhere), they will turn you away *from a privately booked room* if you are 30 minutes+ late, with no refund, even though they force you to purchase 2 hours at a time (making it seem deceptively like you could book a room from 6-8 for a quick drink at 7).The hostess was, however, extremely nice/apologetic, so that's something.
Amazing cocktails and atmosphere, but reservations are advised!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
First time at this bar and my family and I loved it so much! We went early November. Victoria, our server, was the nicest server ever. I am somewhat particular with my drinks, and I didn't really like the first drink I got (dirty martini, light brine with onion) so Victoria happily suggested I talk to the bartender after the bartender said I may not like The Calling Card based on my preferences. I talked to the bartender who was also SO KIND AND PATIENT and we finally landed on a gimlet and it was delish! I believe I ended up ordering three. Everyone that we encountered was so nice, it was the best customer service! Looking forward to going back!
Great speakeasy with classic and creative cocktails! Beautiful ambiance, interesting servers and a great place for fun. Pro tip: don't miss out on the wallpaper in the ladies room!
The place was really cool with a great atmosphere. Live jazz music playing Christmas songs. We had a little balcony room upstairs that was really cute. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Drinks were inventive and tasty.
We had a pretty late reservation (10:15pm) on a Friday night, but all of the staff were very patient with us and did not make us feel rushed to leave. The cocktails were all so curated and thoughtful. Atmosphere was out of this world incredible and immersive. I would make this a must if visiting Louisville!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super cool and must try speakeasy in Louisville, amazing cocktails. Loved the seasonal menu they put out. Also the cheesecake was very good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Wasabi Peas