Rusty Bucket

Service on the weekends is always horrific. Every time we walk in there’s no hostess and seating seems to be such a mess to figure out for them. Is it really that hard? It took us 10 minutes to get a glass of wine because our server was walking at the speed of a turtle. Food was great, but poor poor service all around.

Some style. Way too expensive substance. For the kind of place it is, I was astonished at Rusty Bucket’s ultra expensive menu. And I’m talking everything: even their burgers and my supremely average buffalo chicken sandwich were up there. Also, the place is just kind of boring. They’ve done a lot of renovation and the bar area is pretty flashy with a new quality HD screen. Other than that, it really is the company you keep because not much else is going on there, which, as many people will tell you, is the story of New Albany when it comes to getting out of the house.
Rusty Bucket supporters may point to the patio as its best attribute. I’ve found it to be crammed and uncomfortable. Rusty Bucket may just be more tailored to families and a more well-​off clientele, I’m not sure. If you like the craft beer/​import kind of place, I’ve found Winking Lizard to be a lot more hip with just as diverse a beverage lineup, and more affordable quality entrees.

Just ate at Rusty Bucket and one word comes to mind, underwhelming. The turkey burger my wife had looked like it came from a gas station restaurant. My Chicken Caesar Salad was good, though. When my wife unwrapped her napkin the multitude of small ants crawled out, also not good. The service was adequate but nothing special.
Three weeks ago myself and four others tried to eat at the Gahanna location. After one hour with no food, we left. I believe Cameron Mitchell is associated with Rusty Bucket. Hopefully, they listen to his guidance since what’s going on is not working.

Servers are great cooks not so much… Been here twice on two weeks both not good experiences. First time waited almost an hour for my food, food was good server was good. Second time food came out quick… Steak was under cooked, apparently the cook doesn’t know the difference btwn rare and medium. Server was awesome, food not so good. Won’t be coming back.

Pub grub and booze. Pleasant atmosphere. Sports on the tube. Servers are friendly. Works for me.

Love this place! I’ve never been disappointed with their food. Drinks are amazing as well! Been coming here since fall of 2014 (when I moved down here). Servers and bartenders are all friendly! Wait is hardly ever long. Location is great. I sincerely can’t complain. Thank you, Bill for great service! He was always on top of making sure my friend and I had what we needed. Checked back often. Drinks and food came up with no wait. Great service!

The food is okay, the service is okay too. I just used to think Rusty Bucket had really good food. Now it’s starting to feel like an Applebee’s.

Great food, clean restaurant, awesome patio, friendly staff. I can’t say anything bad about this Rusty Bucket location, food here is top notch and at a good price. I have never had a bad meal or service here. I love the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad, the Peel and Eat Shrimp is amazing and for comfort food the Meatloaf is awesome.

This new upgraded Rusty Bucket is delightful! The servers and the entire staff are genuinely friendly and knowledgeable and give extraordinary service. They really want you to be happy with your food. I had been here many times before the upgrade and it was a sports bar atmosphere. Lots of bar food. Don’t get me wrong, I am an avid sports fan but one sports bar is pretty much like the rest. Not here anymore! They have gone to more of a family dining area for ½ of the establishment and still have the sports atmosphere on the other. Food quality has improved! They have an excellent meatloaf dinner that’s very affordable and delicious daily specials. The atmosphere on the family dining are is cozy and conversation with others at the table is easy. If you want a nice dinner place or a fun sports bar… you will get both of them right here!

I had the bacon burger, it was great! I was here awhile ago for the National Championship game, it was pretty quiet, but a nice place to watch a game. The food was great as well, but beer selection could be a little better.

My dad and I came for a late lunch/​early dinner. Had the spinach queso dip which was awesome! I had the mahi mahi tacos which were fairly good. The fish could have been seasoned a little better in my opinion. My dad had the Reuben sandwich which he LOVED!
Service was great so there were no complaints with this department.
Will be back if I’m in upper Arlington looking for place to eat or drink.

Went last night. Our party of 7 that included 2 adults & 5 kids ages 8 – 16. 6 of us ordered burgers. Youngest ordered the kids pizza which he was fine with & 1 ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich. He wanted it plain but got mayo or some dressing on the top bun so he ate around that.
Mostly basic bacon cheeseburgers. Meat tasted fine, very unevenly cooked — that was the whole table. They must not know where all the hot spots are on the grill. Medium well on one side, medium rare on another, grey on another. Crazy. Hit or miss how it comes. Several times visiting in the last 6 months, we honestly won’t go back. I decided to try something different. I ordered the Elvis Burger. The description of the burger says «½ lb. hand-​pattied burger, cooked to order and topped with melted Velveeta® cheese, sauteed white onions, lettuce, tomato, red onion, sweet pickle relish and mayo on a sesame seed bun». So I didn’t get that. As a matter of fact on their menu here at the New Albany area — it actually states «dripping» with Velveeta cheese.
So that is what I expected. What I got was a burger with one square slice of what I was told was Velveeta. Match the food to the description. I brought it up to the attention of the manager who was at the table. This is my perception — he was completely lacking in the capability of handling my complaint. I saw an eye roll & he just looked annoyed. Asked me if I wanted a new burger. No. I don’t send food back. He walked away. Complained to the waitress too.
Match the food you bring out to what your menu describes!
Then manager ends up coming out & brings me a little bowl of what is queso. I thanked him but in reality — it STILL was NOT what it was SUPPOSED to be. Queso is not plain dripping melted velveeta all over your burger. Sure it’s probably made from velveeta but with chili powder & other spices. I didn’t order a Mexican burger but I accepted it. Then not 5 minutes later the waitress brings out the same. I guess the manager did not communicate to the waitress. I am not surprised, It makes sense. He seems insincere & like he doesn’t know how to talk to a customer. Not sure what that was. In reality what he needed to do is take it off our bill. I did not get what you told me I’d get & even though you tried somehow to make good on it — it was not good enough. It should have come off the bill!
We won’t be back. Just because it’s close to our home & seems convenient after church or after the kids get done with their activities at school — we’ll drive a little further to get better food & better service.
P. S. Went to the Rusty Bucket website & pulled a picture of what the Elvis Burger is SUPPOSED to look like. Now THAT is what I was expecting to be served last night. What a disappointment!
Manager — next time you have a patron with an issue like that — take it off their bill right away & continue to make it right because you come off very poor & obviously annoyed. Care about your customers concerns. No you weren’t going to be able to fix my meal because you obviously didn’t look at your corporate website SO you should not have charged us for what you gave me!
Again — We won’t be back!

I came in just to see if they had any speciality drinks I could experiment with. I tried the «Bucket Punch» and was pleased by the the bartender’s pace of delivery.
The recipe was grand though I think one should be careful when squeeZing the lemon bc even a little extra pinch can leave not the best after taste.
My favorite part was the bartenders willingness to discuss the ingredients. Wish he knew a little more about the bitters and what not.

Went here for lunch with my boyfriend. We shared an order of fried pickles… YUM! We also shared an order of fish and chips. They were both fantastic! Wish we had more dip for pickles. We each ordered a draft beer which was great however the tablecloth was buckled and was not able to be straightened out and we were afraid our glass were going to tip. Waitress was nice but seemed pre-​occupied. I really did like the environment and I would come back again!

Fantastic place to watch your favorite team. Enjoy an order of fried pickles. Had a great time and great dinner with friends and family. Our entire party was slow to arrive, but they seated us anyway and were extremely patient as we waited. We really enjoyed our time there.

Had an old friend visiting for a short while, and we decided to meet up at the Rusty Bucket in New Albany to enjoy the GORGEOUS weather on the patio last night. The patio here is great — nice seats, really enjoyable, great atmosphere.
The food was pretty good — I have been to several Rusty Buckets in the past, and I always enjoy their food. This visit was no exception — the food was good.
However, the service here was certifiably GOD AWFUL. While our waiter was very nice, and very friendly — it took two of us over three hours to have drinks, sandwiches and a dessert. Thank goodness we didn’t have anywhere else to be. From waiting nearly 15 minutes to even have our drink orders taken, to NEVER ONCE being asked if we wanted refills on our drinks — it was pretty abismal.
At the end of our meal, our waiter did not ask us if we wanted dessert. Granted, I don’t usually order dessert, so I would typically be fine with this — but we had decided to order their seasonal dessert. We had to ask the waiter to get us dessert after our checks had been printed, okay fine. But then we waited. and waited. and our checks were brought out, with the dessert charged. Weird. Okay, we paid. and then sat. and sat. yes, it took thirty five minutes for a strawberry shortcake that had clearly just been sitting in a freezer to be brought to our table. THIRTY FIVE MINUTES. For a dessert. Nice.
But here’s the kicker that really got my goat and prompted this review — after our dessert came out, our waiter stopped by and apologized for the wait. He apologized for printing our checks before we were done, because he ‘would have comped our dessert’. «well, that would have been nice», I thought. So he says ‘you know what, I’ll have my manager get you both free dessert coupons for your next visit, because that wait was pretty awful.’ Great! I like coming to the RB, so that would be nice after this less than stellar visit. And that would have been a great gesture after the wait that was indeed too long.
But guess what — THE COUPONS NEVER CAME. We waited an additional 30 minutes, with our empty drink glasses, and watched our waiter walk by at least five more times, and no coupons ever showed up. I even watched the manager walk by our table twice, and he did not stop either. At 9:30pm, we finally gave up and left — you win, Rusty Bucket.
I can’t imagine I’ll ever be back to this location again, but I also believe I’ll think twice next time the Rusty Bucket comes up in conversation, which is sad. I used to really like this place.

This is an *awesome* physical location. The patio is a rock star. I wanted to order something unique so I tried the Asian Tuna wrap. I didn’t realize the ends weren’t tucked in, to half the wrap fell out the end. There is quite a bit of tuna, but the rest of the toppings were sparse.
Service was on point and we were in and out in a reasonable amount of time. I might come back later to try something different.

I have never had bad food here at The Rusty Bucket. I have especially enjoyed the salmon salad! We usually sit at the bar, so I can’t comment on the servers, but the bartenders are always really friendly. The atmosphere is pretty cool too, if you like the pub style. We watch sporting events on the tvs here around the bar. They usually will change the channel if you ask. The only downfall, is that I feel it is a little overpriced for what it is. Beers and food both.

It’s no secret that New Albany has a shortage of restaurants, but what *is* surprising is how poorly this Rusty Bucket compares to other RBs in Columbus.
–The food was not as good as other RBs; I had a burger and fries, and the burger was undercooked while the fries were over cooked.
–The people just weren’t that nice. Our server was okay, but her personality wasn’t really welcoming.
–The service was pretty slow for Rusty Bucket.
In good news, the patio is beautiful! In other good news, it’s at least another restaurant choice in New Albany.

Super crowded, but fun place to go with friends.