Good food and drinks, but too often it turns out that the service comes up short. It has been my experience that some of the waitresses are either intentionally or unknowingly rude. Either way, the Bell Tree would be best served to rectify this matter. It really wouldn't take much of an effort so I can't understand why something hasn't been done already.
Review Source:Never again. Another bad experience.The food is mediocre even for  basic bar/pub food.  But conveniently located for lunch after going to the bank. And we try to frequent local businesses to support the local merchants and economy. But it's hard to do so when the food is so so and the service could be much better. Like so many others have said, the service for what should be your friendly  local pub is anything but friendly.  The staff is often gossiping at the end of the bar. So oblivious to the fact that there are paying customers around,that they can be heard complaining about owners, management, cooks, other servers and CUSTOMERS!  Last time, it was we were the customers being dissed. We went in at the tail end of lunch. Sat at the bar to catch the game and for a quick lunch. The bartender after taking our order, turned on the bar dishwasher located right under the counter where we were sitting. After 10 minutes if the the noise and vibration effecting the counter and chairs, we moved to different bar seats but no improvement.  We called her over and mentioned that the noise and vibration made it difficult to watch the game. She didn't show the least bit of interest,said there are always dishwashers at bars and would finish soon. She then walks away. Directly to the end of the bar to complain to the others. We heard one of the other longtime  servers, say "did it feel good?" Wow, how vulgar!  When she came back with our food. We asked to speak with the manager. She walked back to end of the bar,spoke to the vulgar server,cane back and said manager was not in. We were so disgusted, we paid and left
Review Source:Always something wrong...the staff is friendly....WHEN they are serving...but often they are hanging out in at the kitchen gabbing...took way to long to bring out our beers, fried pickles were soaked in grease (again) and nachos were cold....the was no crowd...I don't know why I keep coming here
Review Source:UPDATED REVIEW!!!
Original: Went here for a late dinner/drinks with my boyfriend a few weeks ago. Â As soon as we walked in we were greeted by a server & informed to sit where we wanted. Â We waited at least 20 minutes for somebody to finally greet us, although we were passed by at 4 different servers (including the one that greeted us). Â After we finally got service our waitress was very nice. Â We got seafood dip, for my meal I got the lamb burger. Â It was mediocre at best. Â It lacked the tzatziki sauce, but the patty hadn't even been seasoned (not even s&p). Â The boyfriend got the fra diavlo pasta. Â It had about 4 shrimp with tails still on and 2 sliced up scallops. The worst part of it was that the sauce wasn't thick at all and there was so much of it, it was literally alfredo soup with slightly undercooked pasta. Â I do realize that this was a bar/tavern and I don't expect fine dining, but that experience was not great. Â It was also very loud in there, I didn't mind this. Â However, if you're trying to have an intimate date scratch this one off your list. Â Admittedly, the next time I'm in downtown Southern Pines and want a drink I'll probably stop in.
UPDATE: So like I said in the original that I would most likely be back when I came to southern pines again.  I've been back twice.  The first time, the experience and food were decent. However, I came here with my mom a little over a week ago for lunch.  We sat down and our server greeted us within a minute. Our server was Garret, and he was wonderful. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so he offered to move us outside.  This was my first time sitting outside here, and they had fans, a  shaded pergola, and trees.  Those elements will certainly help keep it cool out there when the temps hit over 100.  I got my lamb burger again.  It was perfectly cooked and they remembered the tzatziki sauce, and the yummy sweet potato fries as a side.  I will flat out say that my mother makes the best shrimp & grits in the world even though she is from Germany (go figure).  Despite this she decided to order their version and of course I had to taste test it as well.  The dish was pretty good, thought it lacked some spice.  For some reason the Bell Tree likes to leave the tails of the shrimp on which is fairly annoying to have to pick at your food every few minutes.
The original review was 2 stars. My last experience was 4 stars, but based on all 3 experiences that's why they still get 3 stars. Â The server from the last experience, Garrett, deserves 5 stars.
Hit or miss.
Sometimes the Bell Tree is awesome. Â I have had great food and great service here... Â but most of the time it is the opposite.
The place seems to be always short servers and cooks.
Today after I placed my order, it was another 30 minutes before it came out... guess what I never saw in those 30 minutes? Â The waitress. Â I think she was the only one working today!
I know, good food takes time to cook. Â That is definitely true, but a burger (for me) and a grilled cheese sandwich (for my daughter) does not. Â Nor is either good enough to make the wait seem worth it. Â My only guess is that they were as short in the kitchen as they were with wait staff.
Hit or miss... this time it was a miss.
Again very disappointed by the service and lack of hospitality. Â A surly waitress was extremely rude when we wanted to order food. Â It was 9:45 and she insisted that the bar menu was the only items available, even though the website clearly says 11 to midnight. Â I don't understand the attitude; we want to support local business, but will not be back here. Â I work in a local restaurant and have my own business and people do ask me for recommendations for other eateries. Â I cannot with good conscience send them here.
Review Source:I have tried the food here multiple times, trying something different each time. Â I really wanted to like this place because I love the ambiance. Â But, the food is really hit or miss. Â Beef and Brie burger is delish. Â I have gotten it twice with fried okra as my side. Â Once okra was crisp and fresh, second time soggy and barely warm. Â Chicken quesadilla okay at best. Â Ordered a seafood pasta dish last time that was totally devoid of flavor. Â Was able to eat some of it after adding tons of salt and pepper. Â I think the last dish I got there was the deal breaker and I won't be returning. Â Beware the service is also very hit or miss. Â Finally had a good waiter last trip, but food was horrid, ironic!
Review Source:I had a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> $25 gift certificate. Â We had been once before for some drinks during a game, but never tried the food. Â
The portions are ridiculously small for the price you pay. Â Most burgers are around $10. Â For $10, I would have expected to get a very nice size burger with a large heaping side. Â Not the case. Â The burger was decent tasting......but Wendy's has decent tasting burgers too for $1. Â
My wife ordered the chicken quesadillas, which she liked....but again, a relatively small portion. Â
I agree with reviewer Anna B, that they have cold beer, with a decent variety. Â And I also agree that the wait staff was nice. Â But I do not have a soft spot for neighborhood watering holes. Â I have made this comment many times before.... a small, local restaurant can out-compete a big chain b/c the QUALITY of the food is dependent on the individual chef......not the name of the restaurant. Â If you can't beat the Olive Garden on price....then you have every opportunity to beat them on taste. Â The Bell tree falls short on both fronts. Â
THM (Take Home Message): Â Even with the $25 <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> gift certificate, I would not go back. Â It seems fine for a beer at the bar and watching a game....but for a good, solid meal......look elsewhere.....like Sly Fox, which is just 5 minutes down the road.
One star for cold beer.
One star for that classic pub feel/nice bartenders.
One star because I have a soft spot for neighborhood watering holes.
Minus one for sticky tables/dirty bathrooms.
Minus one for greasy, unseasoned food.
An imaginary minus one for really bad service, I mean REALLY bad (one of the three times I was there). From what I've witnessed there's one good waitress out of about four.
I'll go back for beer but only at the bar... and never for food.
Beware of dishonest bartenders and owners.
So two friends and I decided to patronize this establishment on a not-too-busy Saturday night. Â There was a $3 cover for a band, but it was well worth it. Â The dude was awesome, but that was the only positive aspect of this place.
The long islands I ordered were horrid. Â The female bartender had no clue how to make a proper one. Â So after the evening came to a close, I went and closed out my bar tab. Â I tipped, signed, and then we went on our way. Â After a close exam of my receipt the next day, I saw that the bartender took it upon herself to ADD AN 18% GRATUITY ON TOP OF MY BILL FOR NO APPARENT REASON! Â
After calling the establishment to try and straighten it out, I was given the total run around. Â They wouldn't put a manager on the phone and were no help in taking care of this issue of employee dishonesty. Â After I went in to speak to a manager, they gave me the run around and tried to take my copy of the receipt (So I couldn't prove that the charge occurred). I was assured that it would be handled by an owner. Guess how long that took? Â About 2 weeks before they FINALLY returned my money! Â So if you're a regular Joe, or an Army dog out for some grub and booze, pay attention to your bill.
Bottom line, look at your receipt because there may be a dishonest employee trying to scam you. It happened here, but I'm sure it could happen anywhere.
We wanted to check out Southern Pines and found ourselves in this place on Monday afternoon. There were no customers there, literally (it was the holiday) and we were told to sit wherever we liked, inside or out.
Once looking at the menu you can see that this isn't your typical bar food type of place. All of their items had a bit of a twist- and that is such a good thing.
Our picks:
Chicken buffalo dip which was served with tortilla chips
Brie and beef burger with sweet potato fries.
AMAZING! All of it was so delicious. The burger was cooked perfectly and had so much flavor while the sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Yum!
We can't wait to go back :)
After a long day of traveling, I found myself eating at the Bell Tree Tavern, right in the heart of Southern Pines. My three companions and I ordered two starters- the hot veggie dip with pita bread and fried pickles. Unfortunately, the starters were made with our regular meal- so we didn't receive them until much later and about 5 minutes before our food came out. The pickles weren't my favorite- but the hot veggie dip was to die for. I could have ate the whole thing alone if I didn't value the concept of sharing. I then ordered just a regular burger with a side of sweet potato fries. I convinced my boyfriend to order the onion straws so we could get a little of both- and boy did I feel bad. The onion straws were so thin you couldn't taste the onions- and the sweet potato fries were probably the best tasting sweet potato fries I've ever had (and trust me, I eat them a lot.) I ended up giving most of them away out of guilt, and shared the onion straws with the rest of the table out of kindness (and avoidance.)
The world cup was on, so the atmosphere was pretty loud and not very good for conversation- but it was nice being surrounded by flat screens and Brits. All in all- I would come back.
My husband and I were pleasantly surprised when we walked into this place while house-hunting in the area. We sat at the bar & had lunch. The bartenders were friendly and helpful, full of info about the area for us newcomers.
I had the bison burger & loved it. Usually bison doesn't taste quite as good as regular hamburger meat since it's less fatty (read:much better for you), but it tasted like they actually bothered to season the meat so it was better than most bison I've had in the past. My husband had the black & blue burger & was very happy with it. They don't scrimp on the blue cheese crumbles like most places do.
The second time we came for dinner I had the beef & Brie burger with the asparagus soup. The soup was very nice, and the burger... Oh my god! Why I have I never thought of melting Brie on a burger?! The white wine mustard on top was perfect, and the wilted arugula tastes much better than a crispy piece of tasteless iceberg lettuce. I doubt the patty was frozen, as it was irregularl-shaped, and frozen patties are usually consistently perfectly round. Not to mention it just plain tasted awesome! Best burger I've ever had. My husband, well he liked the black & blue so much he ordered it again.
I can't wait to go back when we aren't on a moving budget ( having to eat out 3 times a day) to try something that's not a sandwich or burger.
Also, love the Irish music!
Great atmosphere but terrible food. I've eaten there on several occassions, each time ordering safer and safer dishes thinking there was no way they could screw that up, but they continuously did. The fish and chips were battered in something awful and the burger I could swear was previously a frozen patty. The shrimp and grits were tasty however, though a tad on the creamy side. Great place for a beer and a game, not so much for dining.
Review Source:
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