Hornet's Nest

Pros:
Excellent juicy burgers
Ice cold beer
Prime rib has a good flavor, even if it has a little too much gristle and fat for the price.

Cons:
1. Cost
2. Cost
3. Cost
This place is good, but its not THAT good.  Most dishes are priced about 30% higher than you can find at other quality restaurants around the Evansville area.

When I used to live in Evansville, I dined here at least a few times a month. It's been 4 years since I've stepped foot in the Hornet's Nest, and not a lot has changed. It's still dated, but, fortunately, Vanderburgh County finally went smoke free.

The menu is diverse, and from what I recall, everything used to be pretty damn good. The bar was always full of regulars- generally a few prominent lawyers, with possibly a sheriff, or even a politician sprinkled in. Drinks. Stiff! Strong, and reasonably priced.

The food was always good. The menu has everything from catfish, orange roughy, to fried chicken, and even rave reviews from their steaks. (Personally, I never thought much of their steaks). I came here for the entertaining ambiance, very good bar food, and the drinks. It was a fun crowd, good food,and strong drinks. What's not to like.

Fast forward 4 years- I came in with family on a Friday night at 6:30, and the place wasn't that packed. Strange, it wasn't out of the ordinary for people to wait 1-2 hours on a weekend. "New owners" someone chirped. I also noticed that the prices seemed insanely expensive. Here's an example:

Crab stuffed orange roughy $18.95 For orange roughy?
Catfish for $13.95. Really?

The food was good, but it didn't match the big city prices, in my opinion. The drinks. My beer was cold, so I was satisfied, but my sister and wife said that their mixed concoctions were rather tame. The service was pretty prompt, and good; so, no complaints there.

If I still lived in Evansville, I'd still dine here *occasionally*, but with the new (high) prices, I think there are much better options...

I had some chicken thing with lemon sauce on it with wild rice. Just wasn't worth it, maybe their prime rib was more their specialty.