The Tavern

Found this place on Unilocal and I am happy we did. Place seems newer and a hipster neighborhood bar. Service was good (we were there at a weird time).
I got a burger which was excellent and one of the best burgers I have had. The bacon on it was the thick slices bacon that was rendered and provided great flavor. I had half the burger i tool home and it was awesome tue next day too. My husband got a chicken sandwich which he reported was great.

Came here last night for trivia. The remodel looks great! They now have a big upstairs seating area. Their menu is a bit more upscale now, though they did keep some favorites (the sliders weren’t as good as I remembered from before the fire – I’ll try something else next time). They also now have cocktails that are a bit on the pricier side (my St. James martini was $ 9 – delicious and worth it!). Someone said they have decades dance night starting at 11 on Fridays, and I plan on going!

First off… the menus listed on Unilocal and their website are different than the menu I was given onsite.
I enjoyed the Tavern very much before the fire and was looking forward to its reopening.
Physically, the new version is much improved. It’s clean, upscale and modern. Definately not a dive bar any longer. The staff is very friendly and attentive, though not fully versed in the expanded beer and liqour selections.
I probably will not frequent as often as I did in the past, as the vibe has really changed. From 2 beers and a burger (which was okay) for $ 28 + tip to a Wed between 530 and 7 and there only being a total of 3 other guest in the place. I know this is not an issue for some people, but in my opinion it is a little depressing when there is twice as many staff than customers.

I was a frequent patron of the old louisville tavern before the fire. I went back this evening for the first time since.
The place looks amazing! They really took the time to make it great again. It is a different vibe than it use to be (a bit more upscale) but they still have the neighborhood feel that I love. From the bar made of reclaimed wood (taken from a building in louisville) to the great bartenders (thank you Jamie and Jen) this place feels like a place you want to come back to every week.
I never ate here before the fire and everyone said the burgers were amazing then, so I got a burger this time to see if it would compare. I had the Fancy Pants burger with no bun with green beens on the side. The burger was amazing! Everything from the burger/​toppings to the fresh green beans were seasoned perfectly!
I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a causal place to relax, grab a drink and a good meal. We live in the area and will definitely be making this our new favorite bar.

It’s worthy if you’re in the area and need a burger fix. They JUST remodeled the place after a recent fire and it looks great inside! The onion rings are the best I’ve had. Give it a shot!

I’ve always had great service and a very friendly wait staff. There’s a decent sized drink menu, but it’s always nice to have the $ 2 Rolling Rock fall back for college students around the area.
The food is honestly outstanding for what you’d expect from a neighborhood bar like this. My waitress said the kitchen is still experimenting with new things, so their menu night shift a little, but everything I’ve tried so far has been well worth the money. The majority of «nicer» bars give you pretty disappointing food for the same price as the Tavern.
Definitely glad to see that the Tavern is back and that the management is still trying new things each week. Keeps me wanting to revisit.

Loving this place. The remodel is very nice, still feels like a small neighborhood bar restaurant. The food is very tasty. The staff are still getting in the swing of things since they just opened. Plan to go there often though.

Newly renovated and definitely worth a visit! I live right down the street and have a feeling I will become a regular at the new and improved tavern! It has a new modern industrial look with aluminum chairs and nice wooden countertops. Nice variety of beer and bourbon and there food is fantastic! I got the spicy chipotle burger with fries and it did not disappoint! The staff was knowledgable about the drinks and food and also had great service! Will definitely be a returning customer

I got the burger and fries and both were excellent. It didn’t take long for the food to come out. Staff was super friendly and did s f good job.

Well I wouldn’t classify this as a dive anymore but it also hasn’t lost its neighborhood feel in the remodel. Much brighter and more open than the pre fire version. Expanded seating areas and bench seating makes for more capacity but you are still about as close to your fellow patrons as before.
Come check it out!

This place has finally re-​opened! And wow is it much nicer! They even have upstairs seating, people! :)
I do not remember much about the place before other than it being a divey hole and boasting some pretty cheap drinks. Well, now they have a full food menu (which is tasty) and lots of drink offerings to go along with it.
I ordered the fries and the tomato soup in a crock! Yum! So good! The fries were perfectly cooked and I love their ranch too. The tomato soup was covered in a layer of cheese and some crushed ritz crackers. Basically a comfort food that was well worth it!
The drinks are reasonably priced. I ordered a draft Victory Prima Pils for $ 5 and my friend went with a Bell’s of some sort for the same. The Tavern has a pretty large selection of bourbons as well as some wine (with one on tap, an Acrobat Pinot Noir) and fairly priced cocktails.
The kitchen is huge in the back and you can see the entire operation from the outside. It is really cool! I hope this place stays fresh and continues on the path they seem to be on. It looks like they are going to have outdoor seating as well, which will be super fun once we fairly settle with some warmer weather.
Glad to have another pick in my hood.

A dive bar

The food was amazing!!! The burger was amazing. And the prices can’t be beat! Awesome little dive bar!

Soooo much better under the new ownership. No longer sketchy. Legit good food. Large outdoor seating area. Fun atmosphere and great staff. Terrell is the man! It’s a joy having the new Tavern in the neighborhood.

I remember when The Tavern was a sketchy, no windows building that was open 23 hrs a day and had a lot whiskey by the drink sign. Boy has it changed! It has been bought by new management and totally redone. The staff is so nice and the beer selection is good. The food is great bar food at a very reasonable price. I have say on the patio many times and watched the bustle if Old Louisville. The bartenders explained a few beers to me and even let me try a few first. I recommend the slider burgers or the grilled cheese… And everything comes with fries! I did knock one star down because a few patrons are still left over from the older days and are a little rough around the edges. However, the staff and food make up for it. I would highly re come d a patio beer after work here! A great addition to Old Louisville.

– new review
Just NO. I don’t understand how this place could go downhill even more with the remodeling etc. An old louisville landmark with history has been transformed into buffalo wild wings rip off at best.
The owner of this place and the old louisville pizza kitchen has no idea how to launch or maintain a unique bar/​restaurant with high quality food as demonstrated by both of his locations.
This is not a dive bar. Unfortunately Unilocal does not have an option for «looks and feels like a big scale chain restaurant»
Atmosphere
The interior looks like it was bought from a «start your own restaurant kit» and is completely devoid of any personality. There is this lame print behind the bar of «I love this bar». The bathrooms were really clean at least. Kitchen is new and clean as well. There was no real music playing or anything to provide atmosphere. Also the lighting inside was way too bright.
Drinks
I ordered their version of the sazerac which was appalling. This tasted like a half rye and absinthe mix that was tossed into a room temperate glass. My friend ordered their orange based signature cocktail which tasted like syrup. The beer not cold enough and frankly insulted the people who brewed it. The straight whiskey pours are measured so I guess that is expected.
All of the drinks were massively overpriced and kind of weak in reality. The prices of the cocktails are on part with what I would get at a real craft cocktail bar like Meta but weak in comparison and lacking in quality.
Food
I had the fancy burger (or whatever it is called) with carmelized onions. It came out way overcooked and cold because it had been sitting obviously for a while. The truffle fries barely had any flavor and were also cold. I brought it up to the server who said it had just came out of the fryer… but whatever. The flavor was alright but at $ 13 it isn’t worth it. I might pay $ 7 for this.
My friends ordered the knockerburger which seemed okay and more reasonably priced but nothing special. The pasta dishes were soggy and REALLY salty.
The wings were really good. Basic, but really good especially in comparison to the other items on the menu.
Compare this with a peer restaurant like Grind where the food is reasonably priced and ver high quality across the board. The only reason the tavern can survive is because relative to other peer restaurants in the neighborhood (oh wait there isn’t much). It is below the granville as far as i’m concerned largely because of price.
Positives
The service was okay I guess. We did get our food but it took forever although the place was only moderately busy. She was friendly and highly apologetic.
The wings were solid. I wouldn’t say exceptional like the backdoor but definitely solid and I would order these every single time I go there without question.
I would rather see some actual signature dishes that are a little more unique versus the same bullsh** that I see in every other «bar». The pastas are kind of unique but there is nothing special going on here at all.
If you like generic sports bars, overpriced drinks and meh quality food this is your place. I would recommend this for people who like applebees and chilis as well.
I will probably come here on occasion for a drink but that is about it.
I really wish somebody else would take ownership of this place and actually turn it into something other than another crappy bar with burgers. I walked away feeling really ripped off and disappointed that another crappy restaurant has opened in this restaurant.
— old review
Just kind of okay. The food is decent and they try really hard. Despite the desperate attempts of the new owner to turn this into a more respectable establishment its still kind of meh. The food is the best part by far with a decent menu including truffle fries. Drinks are a bit more expensive than you would expect in this neighborhood and the pours are weak. This bar really has no identity (its somewhere between the Granville and the mag bar). The patrons are a weird mix of locals (which is a good and bad thing).
They have one pool table with barely enough room to shoot that is very poorly maintained. The upstairs area is no longer open. The old tavern had a lot more character even though the food was worse. I would rather see this go under new ownership and be turned into something with a more clear identity (like a garagebar).
Everywhere has burgers. There is nothing unique on the menu here other than the truffle fries, which is only unique for the neighborhood.
Try harder. Old louisville needs more businesses but unfortunately this falls short.

Forget everything you may have remembered about The Tavern if you haven’t been there in a the past year. It is under new ownership, and they cleaned (that must have taken a little while) and have made lots of needed investments and it is NOT The Tavern /​Club Reno that older folks might remember .
It is a fantastic local bar with really great pub-​grub. The burgers are exceptional. My favorite is the Fancy Pants.
Good bar, some higher-​end drinks, but mostly a beer, shots, and high-​ball sorta place. TVs around, but not intrusive. Juke box with a wide range of music. You’ll hear gansta rap, and redneck country, and a little Frank Sinatra.
I am so glad that this place is in my neighborhood.

the beer was cold but im not sure I would eat there, it is as dirty and dingy as all can be. It looks as if it hasn’t been cleaned in years.

I have patronized The Tavern before and after they renovated and went under new management and I must say it is a lot nicer than it used to be. The environment is much more aesthetically pleasing and laid back, the bartenders are friendly. They even put a little slice on lime on whisky and cokes! I think that it is worth giving a second chance for all the people who knew what the tavern used to be. Tonight I had the special, a stuffed pizza burger. Quite good! Not on the regular menu though.

This place has made a total turn around since reopening with a new owner/​management. The food is out of this world now — all of it (chili cheese fries, portobello mushroom fries, knocker burger, etc) — though it may be a little pricier than it was, it’s definitely worth it. The service is great and the staff is super friendly. I’ve been here four times in the past week and I’ll definitely be back just as often. It’s a great option for students in the area looking for a place to have a burger and a beer or to meet up with friends and have a few drinks in a relatively laid back environment and play some pool.