So I am writing his review after having a less than favorable experience at Nine Flags. First off, this was only my second time to go to Nine Flags after the renovations. The first time we went was last Tuesday night (2/09/2021). I was generally impressed with the new renovations--the retro, industrial look is excellent, and the bartenders were equally good at their work. After Tuesday night, we decided to go back and visit the bar, eat dinner and make a night of it.
This is where things did not go as well as we had hoped. First, we walked into a bustling bar with one couple waiting just before us. We waited behind them while they stepped to the front of the bar and ordered drinks. Eventually, the bartender asked if we would like drinks too. We ordered two drinks and waited. Other local people came in behind us and walked around to the front of the bar, ahead of both ourselves and the couple in front of us, to take a seat at a table that was being cleared. After observing this, I asked the bartender if they had a seating chart we could sign up for and was finally informed that seating was first-come-first-serve. (It would have been great if somebody would have greeted us and let us know.) At which time, I pointed out that people were coming in from two different directions and not taking their turns to sit. The bartender just shrugged the circumstance off and said that people could sit as soon as they found a table.
Here is my problem: we came from out-of-town and patiently waited in line for a table only to watch locals be seated and served before anyone spoke to us or even acknowledged that we were patiently standing and waiting. It would have been nice for a bartender to greet us and let us know the seating circumstances before we spent an hour waiting only to watch people walk right past us and take a seat.
After waiting for over an hour, we finally got a seat. The drinks were good, and the fried pickles and jalapenos were great. Unfortunately, The Texan in Philly Cheesesteak was dry (No dressing and no butter on the bread) and did not come with the balsamic onion jam or house-made pickle that were advertised on the menu. We pointed this out to the waiter, who took the sandwich away and comped our ticket, explaining that the sandwich should not have been served that way. While we were grateful for the comp, we were less than happy about the whole experience's chaotic seating and general circumstances. We almost always come to Nacogdoches to eat and drink; usually, we go to Barkeeps. We decided to try something different but ended up regretting the experience.
Ordered: three chardonnays, three old fashioned with TX, one dirty martini with Tito's, Fried pickles and jalapenos and The Texan in Philly Cheesesteak. Date: 02/12/2021 read more