Trotters Tavern

Finally tried this place after living here for 8 years and it’s amazing! Get the little brown jug or just about anything on the menu. I was surprised by the portion sizes and the friendly staff. Steak was incredibly tender and everything was fresh plus I liked the dimly lit, soft music atmosphere. Don’t wait 8 years to try it like I did!

Wow… we really used to love this place in the late 90’s. I believe the original owner was John Brown and he used to explain in great detail how he would prepare the beef every day. You could cut through the steak with a butter knife it was so tender. I used to take friends from NY and they thought it was better than Peter Lugers! Traveled to Cleveland with my wife and kids, and we decided to drive an extra 1 ½ hrs to eat our favorite steak. The place looked the same, except the lights were much brighter than they used to be. We soon found out that Trotters was on their third owner, but the menu looked the same. Our waitress was awesome, the beer was crisp and cold and then they brought our Jug out on its cast iron pan just like we remembered. Unfortunately it was not the same quality steak we remembered. What a shame… I almost feel like it would be worth their while to reach out to the original owner to have him come in and give them a few pointers. It was such a special place in a great town. Come on let’s make that Brown Jug great again!!!

Wow. The steak with the brown jug sauce was very tasty. That sauce was amazing and the sirloin was tender and cooked good. Cold beer and a fun sassy bartender/​waitress made it an above average meal. Steak was so good I didn’t eat the fresh cut fries. They were good but a good steak will win every time. Next time I will get a veggie with the steak. I took it home and enjoyed the leftovers. I was on a trip for work and I almost never take leftovers home because it’s a pain. As a salesman on the road I am so happy when I find a good local place to eat. Hard to beat this local place in BG.

There is one reason to go to Trotters and that is the Brown Jug steak. You will pay around 20 dollars for a 16 ounce, and it comes with hand cut french fries, and a salad. The fries are really good, and the salad is… well a salad, but the steak itself can hold its own against just about any fancy steakhouse offering. I would recommend ordering it medium rare (how a sirloin was intended to be cooked), and don’t be surprised when it takes 20 – 30 minutes to get to you. This is a very thick cut of beef. I would also recommend getting to Trotters earlier than later because the dining room holds maybe 40 people, and those seats fill up very quickly.

#gobatour2015. To all my GOBA friends, if you don’t try Trotters Tavern downtown while you’re here, you better start making plans to return to BG soon. I’ve eaten here often, and it’s always super. I recommend the brown jug steak, but the rest of the menu is great too. Fried pickles and scotch eggs Are my fav starters. The beer is ice cold! You can’t miss here. It’s small so get here early and often! Go GOBA 2015. Thanks BG for hosting us!

We were shown to a table quickly and our drink order was taken immediately. Our waitress was very helpful when asked to explain some menu items. Our Ceasars salads were tasteless, I assume they came out of a box. We shared a steak which was ordered as medium & delivered very rare. We sent it back and when returned it was better but still very rare. It likely spent a few minutes in a microwave. The two waitresses working this evening spent their time behind the bar conversing with four friends. I had to wave at them to request a second drink. On the plus side the house red and their Margaretias were excellent quality. Not a terrible experience but we won’t be going back.

We used to love coming to trotters. We went there in January on my birthday and the whole group (including other Trotter’s veterans) were very under impressed. The steak sauce is now very spicy and I ordered my steak medium and it came out rare and cold in the middle. This was a Tuesday night so I am just hoping to attribute it to them not being on their A game (I also heard it was under new management). It is going to take me a while to come back but I will eventually because I would have given Trotter’s a 5 star review based on previous visits.

Trotters is an awesome bar to stop in and have a steak. Always friendly and a great atmosphere, I’m from up north in wisconsin and this always brings me back and makes me feel like I’m at home!

Continue to love the Brown Jug under the new ownership, and the Greek salad is great. Unfortunately, we were used to getting generous and well-​made vodka martinis, but on our most recent visit the (older) bartender lectured us on how to order a martini. We asked for a «very dry Kettle One martini.» We were given a vermouth special. Although we rarely send drinks back, this was undrinkable. When our very nice (and apologetic) waitress sent the drinks back, the woman behind the bar told us to order just Kettle One up next time. Really?! Really?!

We rented out the entire place to have our engagement party and they did a spectacular job and we are still getting compliments from our guests. We were able to pick exactly what food we wanted, including the Brown Jug Steak. We thought it would be like a buffet where guests would have to get up for what they wanted but the staff moved about like little ninjas and brought the food, family-​style, to each table and made sure that every person had a steak, chicken, sides, and apps. This was impressive when you consider that myself, fiancé, parents, and a few others were walking around and mingling… they still made sure we had food.
I cannot say enough good things about our experience. If you want to throw a stress-​free party, call them up!

First time trying Trotters based on recommendation from BG staff member. Have a son at BG. I really enjoyed my Brown Jug Steak meal! 4 of the 5 of us got it. Wife said it was «OK», too vinegar flavored. But overall very good food, good service, racing on TV… all good!

Really surprised at all the negative reviews. Have been here at least 2 or 3 times since new ownership and the restaurant is every bit as good as the old place. It looks cleaner and brighter sporting the same menu with maybe a few minor changes. This steak is among the best in Toledo area because of it’s unique flavor and sauce. Everyone thinks they know what it is but no one agrees. Order a Brown Jug for yourself or split a large Brown Jug. There is plenty for 2 people.

Food was decent at best nothing was seasoned at all waitress did a wonderful job though the service was superb very crowded a older crowd

Really just ok steak, but sadly might be the best in Bowling Green. My second time here and don’t need to try a third time. Searching for kind words but can’t find too much. Skip here and go to Toledo or Columbus for a better steak.

Recently changed ownership/​management, and we got our food sooner than we had under old management. drinks were good, the place had a thorough scrub-​down (all of the chandeliers now work and you can see in there now!). Brown jug special with the caprese salad is the way to go. Enjoyable dinner!

Brown Jug is just amazing. Great atmosphere! Great waitstaff! This is not fast food be prepared to wait. It’s worth it.

I love Trotters. After living in BG most of my life, I only discovered it after moving away. Now it is one of our regular dinner spots when I’m home visiting. My whole family loves it. We all get the brown jug and it is delicious. It is a bit pricey, but what can you do. Only complaint I have is that the salads are not good. I love their ranch, but the salad is made up almost entirely of lettuce stalks instead of leaves which are basically inedible. Steak is wonderful, fries are great, rolls are good. Service is good, drink refills are kept up on and plates are cleared quickly. We’ve also never had a problem getting in even with a party of 4 or 6, although it is a bit crowded being such a small dining area.

I really like Trotter’s even though in the summer they have the air conditioning set at 96 instead of 69. The steaks are good, the sauce is good and I’m sure clogs my heart but it’s yummy. The salads are good. The drink pours are fair. Not BW3 cheapskate pours, and not liquor pours that put the place out of business. They’re fair and generous but not over generous pours. (BW3 on the other hand has a goddamn eye dropper metering out crappy liquor.)
So I think within the market segment that Twatter’s definitely deserves 5 stars. Oh, and the staff is very friendly. The gals at the bar aren’t the typical college «doesn’t care» type, they understand the meal of a business traveler is important. In town here (I lived here for 3 years) there’s no place to get a decent steak at all. Good job to this place.

I love this place. I use to go here with a girl I really loved. Anyway… I went to BGSU and now live in Los Angeles, and in comparison to Lawry’s and other VERY expensive steak places out here, this gives them a run for their money. The brown jug is a warm comfort feel. I get their shrimp, and they are colossal. Get some drinks and just chill. It’s a local place and there is a reason why they’re still open.

While visiting my bro in Ohio, he raved on and on about the fantastic steak here. Finally I said ENOUGH! Take me there! Little did I know it was actually a BAR (!!!) that happened to serve food. I am a bar babe (I like to think I am anyway) and love to enjoy great food while drinking.
I ordered a Guinness and the main steak dish. It was PERFECTION!!! It came out on a hot plate swimming in Au jus. Mmmmmmmmmm we sat there trying to figure out what the sauce was, the only thing I could clearly pick up was a shot of fresh lemon juice and worcestershire sauce. The sauce was perfect for sliding a forkful of steak through on its way to your mouth & for dipping the roll in. The grilled onions and fresh parm on top were another flavor explosion!!! Also, the french fries were cooked perfectly and really made the meal. Just check out the pix I took of my plate, you will see!!!
I heard from my bro that it is hard to get a table once the night crowd started rolling in, we went kinda early and got in no prob. GO! you can thank me later.