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The Old Talbott Tavern

3.3 (674 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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THE OLD TALBOTT TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Touristy
Classy
Live music
Moderate noise

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Recommended Reviews - The Old Talbott Tavern

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Kentucky burgoo
Liz J.

Husband found The Old Talbott Tavern when he was planning on our trip. He likes to try popular restaurants in the area we are passing through as we travel. This restaurant says established in 1779- wow! When you walk in, you are initially greeted with warm southern hospitality. There's a gift shop as you enter and you will find really cool stuff to look at. We were greeted by our sweet server who answered a lot of our questions to get a feel of the long history of this place. The structure was well preserved with some upgrades due to a fire years ago. Wonderful place! Our order- Kentucky burgoo and Kentucky brown. The server had me try the soup first which was so sweet of her. Husband ended up having the burgoo and we shared the Kentucky brown. The soup was very rich in flavor and I enjoyed a few spoons with crackers- very good! The Kentucky brown is a must-have dish from this place. The serving is good for two people. It is very savory and so comforting especially if you come hungry. We love the foods, hospitality, and the ambiance of this restaurant. If I remember it right, our server's name is Christine and she was originally from California and we had a sweet conversation. What a sweet lady!

Ryan B.

Came here on a Monday at 4:30pm. Not crazy busy. We ate in the one dining room but they do have a bar area with its own entrance too. It was great to visit here with all its history. I had an old fashioned to celebrate my last day as a 49 year old. The food was good. We walked about .3 miles to eat here so I think the have street parking and possibly a lot as well.

Winter Apple Salad
Michael H.

Stopped for a wet and rainy lunch on my way out of town. This place was on my list so I was excited to be able to work it in. I had seen the soup and so had to try. The soup was delicious. Very hardy and filled. Excellent on a cold rainy day. The salad was very delicious also and I loved the house made dressing. I was greater upon entry. Due t the holiday season was asked what group I was with and then promptly seated in a front dining room with a great waitress. Very knowledgeable and super friendly. The place is an old historic working inn. Super neat and all the history was amazing. Definitely a place I want to return for non-work trip.

Chess Pie
Jennifer K.

This place was such a good experience!! The Old Talbott Tavern is rich in history and offers a self guided tour. The service was excellent and our server was very friendly. The prices were very reasonable too. I highly recommend the cornbread!!! OMGoosh I could have eaten the whole basket! The Hot Brown was good although the Walnut crusted chicken that my friend ordered was way better. We ended the meal with bread pudding which was pretty good. Loved this place!

David C.

The oldest Bourbon bar in the country! Great food and drinks. They even have Burgoo soup, hot brown, and chess pie! Fantastic!

Salmon with dill sauce, baked potato and zucchini-squash.
Denny K.

I read a news/travel article about the "oldest restaurants" in each state and found that the Old Talbott Tavern was not a afar drive from our home. Historically speaking this place is a real gem that is well-maintained after all these years. (5 stars) Service was courteous and for the most part & prompt. (4 stars) But we had to wait for the check. Food - both at dinner and breakfast (albeit complementary with our room next door at the Talbott Inn) was somewhat of a disappointment. (Granted, there are a lot of delicious-sounding items on the menus....so a second or third visit would be warranted for a more complete review.) My "Hot Brown," (an open-faced sandwich of turkey breast and ham covered in Mornay sauce, baked or broiled (yes) and topped with a slice of tomato and two slices of very crispy bacon)...came swimming in a bowlful of the sauce. (see my photo) The underlying toast (or in some cases served with toast points) was nothing more than an indiscernible slab of soggy white bread. Flavor - meh. My partner's salmon was very good; sides fine. Breakfast - limited selections, but fair - was just average...Oh, but they ran out of coffee (45 minutes before closing service - so I got none to start the day. Uh-uh. Sadly, while the historic atmosphere and ambiance was absolutely wonderful, the food just didn't live up to our expectations this time.

Exterior
Bob S.

We stopped here for lunch on our way south and were glad we did. This historic 18th century building has been providing hospitality for many years and continues to do so today. We tried the traditional Hot Brown and a Rachel and both were top notch. Portions were more than generous and prices were reasonable. Service was good and parking is free outside on the street or in their small lot beside the building. Our only negative comment was the background music. They were playing 60's rock and it might have been appropriate for the customers who were mostly retired folks but it just didn't fit with the historical significance of the place but that was a minor annoyance. Over it's 5 stars in my book and highly recommended. Bardstown has a lot of other small, good restaurants but if you have to choose only one, this should be your choice IMHO.

Cocktails and beer
Joshua W.

Joe was a great member of the staff and we enjoyed chatting with him as we enjoyed our drinks and the live music.

Entree and Burger Menu
Tara J.

The ambiance is absolutely gorgeous! We went Jan 1st to celebrate our first Anniversary and went for the "known" items as food choices. Had the Burgoo Stew, Kentucky Hot Brown & the Talbots Tavern Pie. The service was good and friendly. The stew was a tad spicy for me but tasted amazing. The Kentucky Hot Brown was ok but was my first one so not sure what to compare to. The pie was 20/20 amazing! The cocktail we had was Southern Tea and was amazing also!

Lunch menu
Ray R.

Best small town feeling and so welcoming. They make you feel like your family and take good care of you. A must stop when in area

Kentucky Hot Brown
Jesse G.

If you want a great Kentucky tradition. You will find descent representations of hot browns and thick club sandwich and all the bourbon you could ever hope for! This informally bar setting lends towards a comfortable experience with a friendly staff in the heart of bourbon alley. Plus the historical vibes are authentic.

Bread pudding

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9 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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11 months ago

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10 months ago

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10 months ago

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Ellena B.

Thanks for the review, Cindy. We hope to see you again soon!

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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11 months ago

It was okay. Was probably a great place in it's day. The food was good, as well as the service

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11 months ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Food was good, the ambience was cool. The Talbott has a historic background that they need to take advantage of.

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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Thanks for your feedback, Jamie.

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2 years ago

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Page 3 of 17

Ask the Community - The Old Talbott Tavern

Review Highlights - The Old Talbott Tavern

We had read about this Tavern and Inn as being super old and both Jesse James and Daniel Boone stayed there.

Mentioned in 40 reviews

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4.3(4 reviews)
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Nice bourbon menu and awesome atmosphere. Prices are decent and the bartender is great. They are…read moreopen on Mondays now!

I desperately want to like this place as it is only four doors down from my house. I really want it…read moreto be my favorite bar in Bardstown. This is a review of my six total visits since Neat opened earlier this year I was so excited when they were building this place and the vibe of the building does not disappoint. This place is gorgeous, and is really designed to allow you to sit back and relax with friends in a well designed space. So why only two stars. Let's get into it. First off almost all of the cocktails are batched. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it can add to the speed and consistency without detracting from the quality. However, that is not the case at Neat. We used two of their cocktails to test the consistency and ordered both on all six of our visits. The first was their bourbon espresso martini. This drink was the most inconsistent of everything we tried. Sometimes it was thin, sometimes it was too sweet, and each time it was unbalanced. The other cocktail was the Manhattan. I get what they're trying to do with this cherry forward Manhattan, but it really misses the mark and comes across as acidic and sour. I would compare it to a bad dive bar. Manhattan Oddly, the only drink we have gotten there which has been consistent each time is the Paper Plane which we have ordered four times. This is odd because I believe it is the only cocktail that is not batched. The vibe of the bartenders also have added a negative to our experience each time we visited. Again, I get the vibe they are shooting for where the bartenders are more behind the scenes and not intrusive. However, they really miss the mark on this. The bartenders are really detached, non-interactive and leave you alone, which is fine. What's not cool is on each of our visits we observed bartenders playing on their phones while customers are waiting for attention. On our last visit the bartender was eating her dinner behind the bar out of a plastic cup with her fingers. It wasn't a good look. I really think they need a bartender who is a little more attentive and who will occasionally check in on guests sitting at the tables. Requiring patrons to go up to the bar to order every time is bad practice and poor bar management. I am not going totally write this place off and will go back in 2026 hoping they make the necessary improvements. Again, I desperately want to like this place and with a few easy, consistent adjustments this could be one of the best bars in the state.

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The Old Talbott Tavern - bars - Updated May 2026

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