The Flatwater

The happy hour specials were both tasty and affordable. My mom, wife and one of my kids arrived just before the 6 pm cutoff and got the flatbreads, which was perfect because the little were starving and needed to munch right away. I got the Cajun pasta and was pleased that it actually had some hat to it and that the shrimp were large and fresh. Portion size was perfect, manageable, not the 4 lbs of unbalanced ingredients you find swimming in a cheese sauce at a second tier eatery. It was mom’s birthday, and both she and my wife chose the filet. I don’t much care for steak, but our server informed us that they had moved only to Prime cuts, and both of their fillets were perfectly cooked. There is Prime, and there is everything else. Even I have to admit the fillets were good.
The other guests were pleased with their entrees, the bartender was knowledgeable, and our server was very good and understood pacing. We were never left waiting not felt rushed. When we had a couple of late additions join our party, our waiter handled it seamlessly. I’m quite stingy with my ratings, so this four star should be interpreted as exceptional.

I’d been to Flatwater about three times, all for business lunches, and decided to take my wife and kids (ages 9 and 12) there fore dinner. My experiences there for lunch had generally been very positive, save for a bit of a long wait for our order to arrive. I thought the food was generally good, prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere relaxed but nice enough.
However, I had a very different experience when I took my family there for dinner. I’ll start with the positive aspects of our visit, noting that once our waiter arrived (took more than 5 minutes after we were seated), he was fairly attentive. He took good care of my kids and wife, although he did not refill my beverage. Despite this, I would say he provided good service overall. The food was served quickly, and was generally good, although nothing superb. My son’s order was incorrect (hot sauce on the burger instead of BBQ), but he was good with it and ate most of it. My daughters linguini Alfredo was very good, although the portion was on the smaller side, but just right for a smaller appetite or those not wanting to blow their diet. My wife had the salad and soup (french onion), and reported that the salad was very good and the soup was good. My turkey Reuben satisfied my craving for a good sandwich. I shared my fries with my kids, and can report that all three of us thought they were very good. We passed on desert, although it did look good, as the waiter brought out a tray (unsolicited) for us to review. The total bill came to just about $ 51, not including tip. We didn’t order any alcohol, but three of us did have soft drinks.
Now that I feel I’ve given a fair and objective view of the food/​service, I’ll detail why I will NEVER set foot in this place again. When we first arrived, the hipster wannabe host and his surly sidekick were waiting at the host podium, basically just standing there. Upon entering, they both looked us up and down, and didn’t offer so much as a single word greeting. No «hello», «welcome», «good evening», «may I help you»…nothing but silence. I walked up and said we needed a table for four, to which Mr. Hipster Host said not a word… and then proceeded to look at his table map and murmur and mumble to his sidekick. After about a minute of them trying to figure out how to seat us at one of the 15 or so empty tables (i.e. there was no wait), Ms. Sidekick picked up silverware and menus and just started to walk to the back; I guess she just expected us to follow her. Hipster dude then said «oh, you can follow her» and waived us off as he got back to standing there with a blank look on his face as though he was contemplating how to appear to be even more of a poser. Ms. Sidekick seated us without a word, and went back to parroting the posture of Mr. Hipster.
Now, I’m not a very uppity person, and I don’t need to be fawned over, but I do expect to be greeted in a friendly manner when dining out. It’s really not a hard thing to do, and really is just common courtesy. That makes it difficult to understand if The Flatwater just hired inept front line staff, or perhaps they’re purposefully cultivating this type of «attitude» and «atmosphere» in some sort of twisted and perverse effort to differentiate themselves from other Haymarket venues on some sort of misguided belief that patrons will think that food must be great if the front line staff are jerks.
Either way, as I mentioned, I will not be returning there. I wonder if Mr. Hipster realized when he ignored us that he was literally turning away future business… or maybe he just didn’t care. Either way, I won’t be back.

I went here a few weeks ago for a bachelorette party dinner to start the night. Talk about fancy, I will say it’s pretty beautiful inside and the place has great ambiance to complement the classy feel they were probably going for in designing this place, given that it is one of the newer places in the haymarket/​railyard area. I got a white sangria that was $ 5 and it was not bad. Service was pretty decent. The biggest drawback are the prices. The «dinner» entrees may be great, but I wasn’t willing to pay within the $ 25 – 30 dollar range for things such as pot roast or a chicken dish. I went for the macaroni and cheese oddly enough, which was actually really good. The cheese ratio was perfect, creamy and delicious. You can add two toppings ranging from various veggies to meats and I chose to add grilled chicken and jalapeños. But again, I paid $ 13 for a bowl of macaroni and cheese with a small side of asparagus and tomatoes. I will say this place has potential, but if it wants to compete with favorites in this area like Lazlo’s and ones with great dinner/​happy hour specials, they need to reevaluate their menu prices.

Good for lunch or dinner. But avoid for brunch. Cold food, empty buffet, very slow but friendly service. Definitely not worth the $ 14.99 for brunch.

Great food and service
Love the place

I really wanted to give Flatwater Bistro a glowing review… but, my experience wasn’t glowing. Or comfortable and accommodating. My sister and I stopped in for lunch after a Saturday morning event at the arena. We were early enough to beat the crowd and seated quickly. We were seated in a booth, but noticed several empty round tables and thought it would be easier to stow our stroller and add a highchair if we sat there. The tables were literally right by the booth but the young man seating us acted like it was the biggest deal ever to move us to a table. Eventually he did. They brought a high chair. Things were progressing just fine but we never really felt accepted or welcomed by the staff. They were snooty. Our waitress (who looked like she should be in a Hello Kitty ad/​odd outfit) attended to us but not once did she smile. And at the risk of sounding old, another waitress had on a very very short dress. We just felt very out of place, even though other customers were dressed casually from perusing the Farmers Market, other customers had children, other customers asked to be moved (the same young man who sat us sat a family of like 5 or 6 at a table for 4… very awkward and confusing and another couple commented about how close the booth seating was to the table and how tight it was and they weren’t by any means large people). I don’t think we were the only ones not impressed with the wait staff. My sister and I both agreed it felt like they were trying to come off as a super high end place, but it just didn’t fit that time of day or the type of people coming in. Maybe if it were dinner time? I’m not sure, it was just… odd.
This brings me to the food. It took a while to get our food which was surprising because when we arrived there weren’t many people. I ordered the Prime Rib Sandwich — slow-​cooked sliced prime rib served on a toasted French baguette with a white cheddar, chive, and horseradish cheese — and had fries. My sister ordered a burger and fries. Our reviews are MUCH different. I enjoyed my prime rib sandwich. I’m one of those people who could probably do without the bun, but the bun made this sandwich even better. The prime rib was a nice pink, the horseradish could have kicked up a notch and the fries were really tasty. We both really liked the fries. My sisters’ burger tasted like the frozen patties from WalMart, with the fake smoky, grilled flavor. It was also kind of square shaped so… yeah, not impressed.
Entrees include a soda. If you’re like me, I nearly always order water because I don’t want to pay $ 3 or $ 4 for a soda. The prices aren’t really terrible given the Haymarket location (not super cheap, but not over the top) and the fact a soft drink is included, is a nice little bonus! I will say I was also concerned about the portion size given the price, but we both agreed it was a nice portion. I think the plates make it seem smaller.

Food and drinks were decent but when a discrepancy came to the bill, the manager was exceptionally rude. With all the options in the area, we won’t be making a return visit.

I ordered what they were advertising as a special, Mediterranean sliders and added some onions rings, they where talking a little longer than usual so had it to go, and is was plain disgusting, just tossed everything in the garbage, what a waste of my money, nasty, they have no clue on how to cook, less that 1 Start 0 stars. Worst place ever for me.

I went to lunch at Flatwater with two coworkers, it was right at noon and not at all busy. We sat down and all happily noted the sandwiches and burgers included a non alcoholic beverage in the price so we all ordered an ice tea/​lemonade etc. then we gave our orders and 20 minutes pass and still no food.
We ask the server if they could see what’s up because we only had an hour lunch and about a 10 minute walk back to work. 10 minutes later we get our food from a different member of the wait staff. Then five minutes later our waitress comes by and asks if we’d like our checks and we asked for to go boxes as well.
We didn’t bother asking for ketchup for our fries as we guessed we’d have to leave before we’d get the ketchup brought to us. But another 10 minutes pass and we finally get our checks but no boxes, the waitress did go get our boxes in a timely manner this time but forgot a box for one of us at the table. So by this time we are all late getting back to work and rush to pay and get out of there. We get back to work and notice that while my coworkers got their drink for free with their meal as described in the menu, I did not.
The food tasted just great, their fries were especially yummy but the service was terrible for only having maybe four other tables being served in the whole building, and I was charged for something I should have not been. I still tipped because it’s horrible what they pay those poor waiters and they do have bills to pay. However, I am incredibly disappointed with the service received and the inconsistent charges.

One recent visit, and once 12 months earlier.
For one, I was tempted to steal the silverware.
The service was better than average.
All the food was really good.
The price was less than I would have been willing to pay.

Meh. Nothing special to see or experience. Food bland, décor akin to a cafeteria, staff going through the motions. So much unrealized potential. Not terrible but in no way rushing back.

I wish I could give this 2.5 stars. Just below mediocre.
I had the ACE OF CLUBS — Slices of turkey, prime rib, Roma tomatoes, bacon, and harvest greens piled high on toasted sourdough with garlic aioli. I added avocado for a buck. The sandwich was thick, huge. It was all great except the avocado. It was old, brown, it tasted like whatever it was sitting next to in the fridge. You know when you have ice cubes in the freezer that have been there a long time, and they smell and taste like everything else in your fridge? That’s what this tasted like. Everything but avocado.
Fries were awesomely crisp. Like they were panko breaded and fried.
My wife’s meal on the other hand was flat out b-​a-​d. She had the Fettuccini ALFREDO — a traditional north Italian dish of fettuccini topped with a rich and creamy Alfredo cheese sauce. Something was very funky with her dish. We couldn’t figure out what was the problem, but something was rotten. At first I thought it was old or bad garlic. Then I thought they added something to the Fettuccini. It may have been something in the Alfredo or the Alfredo itself being old as well. Something was definitely off. Plus for $ 4 more she added shrimp to it. Guess how many she got? 3. 3 shrimp. $ 1.33 per shrimp. Rip off city.
Our server was on-​point, friendly, attentive, great. Zero issues with the service.
We won’t be back, the food was nothing worth returning for, there something off about it.

We stopped here for lunch and I love the look and feel of this place. They’ve got a wonderful covered outside eating area, and inside the ceilings are really high so the place feels really open and kind of sophisticated without being the kind of place you feel like you have to dress up to go.
My husband tried the Skippy burger with … you guessed it … peanut butter, and he loved it. I went the safer route with the Ace of Clubs sandwich, but I was stuffed by the time I finished it.
Two of the best parts of lunch were the fries (crispy and seasoned on the outside and soft inside) and the amazing onion rings.
The service was also great, though there weren’t a lot of people there. Still, the waitress was really friendly and helpful. If we lived in Lincoln, this would be one of our regular spots, but now it will be something to look forward to when we visit our son at college. I hear they have an amazing gourmet grilled cheese, and the cheescake and carrot carrot cake looked incredible!

The first and most important thing to note is that the food here is amazing!!! My grandma and I had the blue cheese burger and the Rachel and it was super yummy! This place now has my favorite onion rings; crispy, warm and a great dipping sauce.
The reason I can’t give this place 5 stars is due to the service. We visited them on a Saturday after the farmers market. While waiting for a patio table I went to the bar to order a few drinks which took about 10 minutes, and I was the only person standing at the bar. Then once we had our table our waitress wasn’t the very friendly and we always felt like checking on us was an afterthought and she went back into the build. The food took a while to arrive but we were enjoying the patio and we were not in a hurry so that was not such a concern.
We will absolutely return for the great food and we are assuming the service issues are because they are new. This place is absolutely work the trip! Great food!!!

Wonderful experience! Great ambience and décor. Outdoor and indoor eating options. Convenient to local hotels and attractions. Food was both homey and high class. Service was exceptional! Greeted and seated the moment that we arrived. Make sure to leave room for dessert!

Great bar and cozy atmosphere. I have not been disappointed in anything that I have ordered. The sandwiches are good, the burgers are good, the chicken and rice soup is amazing. Friendly service and reasonable prices. It is also easy to get a table without a reservation. Great outside seating as well.

This place is very nicely built out inside and open air on nicer days. I enjoyed a 5 alarm burger and sweet potato fries on my visit for lunch. The fries were fine… Most SP fries are. :-). The burger was prepared perfect medium as ordered and full of flavor… But not too hot. Toppings were not overloaded and I like that.
Very friendly service as well.

This is a great choice for a professional lunch! The service is excellent and the atmosphere is quiet. There’s a good range of menu options, including quite a few vegetarian and gluten free choices. Most recently, I ordered the veggie sandwich and a cup of french onion soup, and both were delicious. The french onion soup is especially good, although the side portion is small.
Prices range from $ 9 – 15 or so, although there may be some more expensive options.

There are many places here in the Haymarket but few have both food and great bartenders and staff and food. This place hits the mark with a bullseye!
The soup is awesome. Rachel is fantastic. Selections are wide ranging. No better place for casual food in Lincoln than Flatwater.

Came here for breakfast on a weekday. The place has a trendy feel with a nicely stocked bar on the inside as well as ample seating. If the weather is nice there is outdoor seating as well.
The menu boasted everything from breakfast, appetizers, salads, burgers, seafood and steak. Prices were fair, comparable to your lazlos type menu. Drink menu includes several wines, infused liquids and over 10 beers on tap.
The build your own Bloody Mary caught my eye — the server was unsure about the details of this. But we ordered after enjoying our coffee (the have espresso also). In our Bloody Mary we got the house infused vodka, bacon and green olives and horseradish — it was amazing. I am not a Bloody Mary expert, but I do love Jakes’s Bloody Mary’s and they are not exactly the same but certainly comparable and worth a try.
We both enjoyed eggs Benedict, Oscar and Cajun. Both were amazing and came with a side of wheat pancakes, a surprising add on. The portions were overwhelming. We definitely could’ve split an entrée.
I give the food, bar and menu selection 5 stars but service was lacking… we were the only ones sitting inside with the rest of the guest outdoors so that could’ve been why. I will excuse it for the time being and give a 4 stars. I will be back to enjoy lunch and dinner and of course another Bloody Mary in the future.