Twain’s Tavern

Twains Tavern! Last week was the 1 year anniversary of Twains being open, so I saw it fitting to do a review since they’ve had a calendar year to figure out the kinks.
Here’s a list of things I love about Twains Tavern:
— The security staff is the kindest and most helpful people you’ve ever met in your life
— The food is amazing. I heard that they hired people from two rivers to create the menu
— Cozy setting
— The bands are amazing local cover bands that you an really dance to!

The food is bland, atmosphere is dull, and service is horrible. Several items were added to my bill that I never ordered, then the staff insisted I ordered it. Bad experience all around.

I never went here when it was «Bamboo Bernie’s» so I can’t offer a comparison. I went here after 9:00pm on a Saturday night for live music, (not to eat), when the ‘Marshall Law Band’ was playing. The first thing I noticed was that parking was definitely a problem. After a few laps around the packed parking lot, I lucked out by finding a single soul who was leaving. But I noticed a line of other cars still doing laps after I exited my car.
Moral of the story, if you’re going for live music on a weekend, either go early or have a plan B place to go. There’s no overflow parking and nowhere nearby within walking distance to park either.
Once inside, we found it spacious even with several hundred people there. The acoustics and sound system aren’t spectacular, but good enough for bar bands. The crowd was a 20 something to 50 something mix of everything from bikers and ‘Affliction’ wearing bro’s, to beard wearing hipsters, and just average guys & girls. Security was present but not overbearing and nobody seemed to be looking for trouble. Everyone was just having a good time.
There was an outside patio, but we never bothered to go out there since it seemed to be the go to spot for the smokers. My one suggestion to management would be to hand stamp the smokers and let them chill in parking lot rather than letting them overtake the patio, but that was my only minor complaint.
Drink prices weren’t bad and they even serve their shots in actual glass shot glasses rather than using cheap plastic shot glasses like most bars do now days. Overall, it’s a nice, spacious, blue collar, average Joe, kinda bar that’s a good location for live music.

Pretty good over all. The food is better than most bars. Very spacious and Tuesday Trivia is fun. I wish there was an easy way to give advice. But we are always there after pool and the tables are left unlocked. 3 of the 4 of us drink but near the end of the night the manager locks the pool tables. Its not that its bad but it sent us all away. 3 people drinking is worth less than a buck in the table at the end of the night when the bar is dying off anyways?
We ended up leaving and maybe we would have left because it was late but locking the tables was not any encouragement to stay.
I like the place. I think the prices are reasonable. I just wish there was an easy way to say ‘hey wake up, some late night profit isn’t bad’.

They gave my card to someone else and then when I went to close out my tab they told me, whoops it happens. Just a giant inconvenience for me and security risk that someone has my card and a business that did not even try to make up for this or appoligize. Trash bar with a trash attitude.

Two weeks in a row messing up orders. This time one of our party members ordered chicken tacos, but received shrimp tacos. So the shrimp was sent back, but was charged for both orders of tacos. It may not be a big deal, but the waiter doesn’t write anything down, and we were passed between two different servers. Just write down the order and keep the same servers.
Addition, once we received the bill. Our first server informed us of a bucket of beer special for happy hour… Then when the bill came, all of the beers were regular priced… Tonight has been the biggest letdown. Thank god there was trivia to make things tolerable.

Good food! Great wings! Had a nice night until the bar filled up, just not my thing.

Bamboo Bernie’s with a fresh coat of paint~ Music was too LOUD You couldn’t have a conversation with your partner~ The food was average bar food~ Expensive prices and same vibe as Bamboo Bernie’s~ Other patrons seemed like regulars who do not welcome new customers~ A few mainstream taps but same olé crowd~ Disappointing~ Had higher hopes for a better establishment~ Not surprising since it is the same owner and he just made a few changes~ It was my first time and it will be my last time~

They try hard and the remodel is nice but it’s way too loud inside to enjoy a meal and the smoking outside keeps non-​smokers from enjoying the fresh air and outdoor music. I ordered the sliders and they were good and reasonably priced.

Nothing to write home about. The fish tacos had more fish then lettuce and slaw, a good thing I look for. The service was very good and prompt. My buddy said the side of wings tasted better then his chicken burger. Atmosphere was so so. Other patrons seemed like regulars who do not welcome new customers. Draft beer was cold. Is there supposed to be a theme? Was the place remodeled from Bamboo Bernie’s? I couldn’t see it.

Same Bernies crowd. Food is worse, wings are horrible. Waitress was the dumbest in town. Way overpriced.

Glad I didn’t read the reviews before coming here because we really enjoyed this place. We sat in a roomy booth at the bar and had a very friendly server. We enjoyed two apps (buy one get one ½ price) — crab pretzel and mozzarella sticks were excellent. Had a sandwich and flatbread — both were delicious. Getting tater tots as a side is a nice touch. The manager stopped by the table and seemed genuinely interested in our feedback and also gave us some info about the kitchen and other menu items for next time. Yes, you are dining in a bar and yes, some of the people at the bar are, well, not CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Everyone was courteous and appreciated our business. What more could you ask for? Look forward to our next visit.

Underwhelmed is the best way to describe this place. Wanted to try something new and different in the area and thought this place would be good (I like locally owned/​operated places as opposed to chain restaurants).
Menu is small, which in itself is not an issue, but with a small menu the expectation is that the food will be amazing. Not so at Twain’ Tavern. Crab dip was fishy, small; chicken flautas were large (think egg rolls with spicy chicken), and just «meh»; soft tacos (entrée) were tiny and mediocre. In general, food was poor to average, at best; flavors were mediocre, quality was poor, portion sizes small and cost is above average for the area.
Service was acceptable. Not excellent, not poor.
I think the most disgusting thing was that there were flies all over myself and food; I was eating inside at a booth for reference. Gross. Wonder what the kitchen is swarming with.
I didn’t realize this place had only been open for a few weeks. Geez, for being open only a few weeks I would have expected an amazing experience and this was not close.
This place is described as «upscale.» Don’t be fooled… it would be upscale if it were the only restaurant for 100 miles which served crab dip («fanciest» thing on the menu). Also, the dance floor, stage, and pool tables are really not my idea of upscale. Combine that with bikers asking on their FB page if they can wear their colors… hmmmm…

The food was average bar food. Two apps, a burger, two beers were $ 33. It was happy hour and they were buy 1, get 1 ½ off apps.
There wasn’t a kid menu and it’s not really a kid friendly place. We thought it was a restaurant but it’s really the same as Bamboo Bernie’s. We sat outside and it was nice. The inside has potential but they should turn the music down and get rid of the disco ball. It would make it feel more upscale
The wait for the bill took forever. They were busier as we were leaving.

Bottom Line: A one-​star experience but I am giving Twain’s Tavern two stars in the spirit of forgiveness for a new business operating under a soft opening.
Even after reading all of the awful Unilocal reviews I arrived with an open mind and lots of patience. Unfortunately, once Twain’s Tavern gets past the soft opening hiccups I still think it’s going to be «Meh» so I doubt I will be back to give it another chance.
Here are a few notes to provide context for my review:
1. It’s a rare day that I write a negative Unilocal review. In fact, of 769 reviews, only 6% of them are two-​star reviews like this one. Moreover, less than 1% of them are one-​star reviews.
2. New businesses deserve forgiveness and understanding; therefore, I have written this review with that in mind. This is a one-​star business but I am giving Twain’s Tavern a second star recognizing that they just opened.
3. I never went to Bamboo Burnie’s so I won’t compare this new establishment to it.
To honor the local business, let’s start out with what Twain’s Tavern has done well:
— Our waitress tried really hard. She seemed to have tables all over the place and was really good about coming back to check on us. Unfortunately, she was often disappointed to find that entrees were wrong, beers, were missing, etc. Also, I appreciate that she graciously did separate checks for our group.
— The $ 5 burgers on Friday nights are a bit greasy but flavorful and juicy. Also, the fries were perfectly crisp.
— The parking lot has been freshly paved with asphalt.
Here is where Twain’s Tavern went amiss:
— Renovation?: There was a lot of hype about the building undergoing a $ 1M renovation. Unfortunately, I cannot even begin to guess where that $ 1M went. The décor is dated and there is nothing neither Twain nor tavern about it. My best guess is they upgraded things that the consumer isn’t likely to notice like the kitchen, HVAC, plumbing etc. Examples of dated décor included faux oak tables, booth seats upholstered in 1980s vinyl fabric and chairs that look like they belong in a $ 4 Chinese buffet.
— False Marketing; Not Upscale: The marketing for Twain’s Tavern say it is an «upscale tavern.» There is nothing upscale about this place. As noted above, this isn’t a tavern either. It reminds me of the bars and clubs I’ve seen on that TV show Swamp People. (And there isn’t anything with the places where the Swamp People hang out — my gripe is about a misalignment between marketing and reality.) S.M.‘s review summarizes the clientele better than I ever could.
— More False Marketing Regarding Beer: Twain’s Tavern also self-​proclaims that they feature Maryland craft beers. While they do offer some Maryland craft beers, their selection is slim. Here there is no beer list but the waitress was kind enough to let us look at her list. Moreover, the wait staff lacks familiarity with the beer selection and more importantly, adequate aptitude to properly respond to customer inquiries. For example, I asked our waitress what kind of beer Curious Traveler was and she said, «Honestly, I don’t know» followed by a blank stare. While I appreciate her honesty, I think a better response would be, «Let me check with the bartender and get back to you» or «Let me pour you a sip of that taster to try.»
— Loud Noise and Disrespectful Staff: As other Unilocalers noted, it’s really loud in here. While I totally expect a bayou dance club to be loud at night, I was hoping to be able to have conversation in the «tavern» dining room at 5pm. We asked twice if the music could be turned down a tad in our corner but it didn’t happen. I think Twain’s Tavern alienated a lot of people that night because the clientele at 5pm was an older crowd having an early dinner and I suspect they wanted to have conversation too. The band started around 6pm and it go even louder. I thought the band was outside and they were pumping the music in through the speakers. My table asked again about the volume level and this time the busy boy explained it was a live band playing inside. He could have left it at that, but then noted, «I’ll see if they can turn it down for the table in the back.» Then he even made the effort to make a return trip to say, «Hey, I checked with the band to see if they wanted to stop playing for you but they said they didn’t.» He snickered and then walked off without removing any dirty dishes. I’ve never seen a single restaurant employee disrespect seven guests at once.
— Missed Opportunity on the Twain Theme: I think there is a lot of lost opportunity on the Twain theme. There isn’t anything here that reminds me of literary master Samuel Clemens and his lively tales and humor. There is a graphic and quote on the wall but that doesn’t even come close to justify using Twain in the title. How about a Big Tom Burger, Huck Finn Fries or Mississippi Mud Pie?

Slightly higher prices than its previous namesake Bamboo Bernies, but it’s way more upscale and arguably the best sports bar in the area now. The food isn’t bad either, but not everything was to our liking.
Compared to Bamboo Bernies (see below) this place is a five star venue, so as far as renovations goes Twain’s Tavern is a huge success:

Opening weekend, tried this place with a few friends.
First off, the service was slow and the server never came around. Had to ask the «bouncers» to get the waitress 5 times.
Burger was alright, friends liked the food a lot but it was pretty mediocre. Tots were banging but you can’t mess them up.
Biggest complaint is the drink prices. Any liqour drink we had was $ 10 or over, and not loaded at all.
Place was loaded with people 50+. Not a young crowd. Bouncers worried more about people keeping their hats forward than good service.
Never going back. They won’t last long unless they get more waiters on a Friday night and lower the drink prices.

5 dollar cover at 815 pm with no live music and I came to eat dinner. Drinks were almost $ 10 each. Music was way too loud and it took 30 mins to see a server. Won’t be coming back.

Bamboo Bernies with a fresh coat of paint … Same layout as before, NOT a craft beer bar by any stretch … A few mainstream taps but same olé crowd … Disappointing, had so higher hopes for a better establishment

You will like twains tavern if…
you like fats guys in muscle shirts
big girls in tight pants and too tall shoes
Cafeteria style décor
Loud music while you eat (sweet home alabama) seriously?
Duck dynasty beards
Gaggles of 50 something men eyeballing your lady
And smoking.
Food was ok and the service was excellent. Servers were the cleanest bunch in the place. Bless her heart she tried.
Craft beers– 2, loose cannon and goose island. Please expand.
Not sure what the theme is here but it needs work. Place has potential but I’m not optimistic.