Haven't been in years but visited during my recent trip and found it just as good as ever. Â Maggie took care of us and was a great server. Â The food is much better than most "chain" type restaurants. Â Wednesday is half price bottles of wine night. Â
I remember when this place was new and George was the GM and I'm please to say it has now become an oldie AND a goodie.
I gave this restaurant a pretty bad review a couple of years ago but had the opportunity to go back (on someone elses dime) so said what the heck.
This visit was the antithesis of the last one. First, we had a reservation at a very busy dinner time and low and behold our table was ready right away. Maggie, (I called her Mags) was very helpful, friendly and on top of things. Ask for her if you go.
I started with a drink. They had Maker's 46 which was an excellent start.
We forgot about appetizers as hunger ruled the day but I did bring home an order of spring rolls for my wife and she said they were very good.
I had the grouper with angel hair pasta. It had capers and being a capers fan I was sold. The fish was prepared well and there was a lot of pasta (but not enough to over crowd the fish). The size of the grouper was good as well as I felt I got my money's worth.
I didn't get an app (for me) and desert and that's the only thing keeping it from 5 stars as, unless you can pull of the trifecta, you're getting a max of 4.
It's kind of funny because a good friend of mine (and culinary "expert") always told me to give a restaurant three chances. So Village Tavern is 1-1 right now. I will definitely give them a third chance.
My family and I enjoyed my 40th birthday here last night. Â The waiting staff (Bubba) was very pleasant. Â I had the Ahi Tuna and my wife the Scallops. Â Very pleasant evening. Â I want to personally thank Fred, Chris, and Bubba for a wonderful evening for my special 40th birthday. Â I believe that Fred will continue to turn this establishment around and make it consistent with the Brand. Â Thank you.
Review Source:I'm trying to find a reason to give this place a lower rating and I just can't. The service and atmosphere were outstanding. They may always seem crowded but they get you seated in about 10-15 minutes even on a busy Saturday night. Our waiter was fantastic in providing recommendations and changing our sides when we figured black beans didn't seem so appetizing.
We had the Colorado potato chips as our drunk munchie of the night. Take my advice and don't finish it all. Get a fork and eat off the top layer. It's just as good with or without it and you'll be saving your butts and thighs from the extra loving.
Our entree was the marinated flank steak which is basically slices of delicious, juicy, wet, and floppy meat. If this is how you love your steak, you're going to love this. It was full of the right amount of flavor and water that gushes in your mouth. That sounded really awkward to describe, but the fries were great and given in very appropriate amounts, and the succotash was a great balance. For a veggie dish, it tasted very dry which complimented the juicy flank very well.
I attempted to go food elitist on a chain restaurant like this but my experience here was so simple and great, I fail to see how this restaurant should be punished for that.
I would give The Village Tavern 3 1/2 stars if it was possible. The food was a good value, the service was good as well. The Prime Rib was good, the salads and potatoes are good and French Onion Soup was great! Coffee was too cool for my liking, but that is not unusual.
Tips- they have great hamburgers-cheesesburgers and spinach salads that I've had on previous trips.
Yes, I really dig this place. Â It's the perfect meeting place off 280. Â At the bottom of the Summit complex, Village Tavern is easier to get in and out of than the other chain restaurants. Â The food is always consistent, the drinks very good and friendly people. Â The bartender, Bryan, is super sweet! Â My mother and I occasionally meet at Village Tavern to hang out in the bar during the lunch rush, which is more quiet and quaint than other locations. Â Dinner and Sunday brunch is also very good.
Review Source:I ate here this past Sunday night for dinner with my girlfriend. Â We had made reservations the day before for 7 PM and arrived shortly before that time. Â Whenever we got there, the place was packed and there were a good amount of people waiting in the lobby for tables. Â Upon checking in we were told that we would have to wait for our reservation time which came quickly and was followed by a prompt seating. Â The inside of this restaurant looks much like many chain restaurants with a slew of tables and booths and some non-descript paintings on the walls.
After we were seated our waiter came over and told us their specials as well as explaining they had an award winning wine list.  While it looked fairly large, my girlfriend and I were not having any this night and tried to put in an order of fried oysters. Our waiter told us that he thought they were out of them and after getting a confirmation of that from the kitchen we proceeded to order the hot crab dip as our appetizer.  The dip  came with toasted baguettes and was creamy and tasted of crab but badly needed something.  It was only after I squeezed a little lemon on it that I realized what this little acidity brought to the table and it allowed me to enjoy the dip even more.  For my entree I ordered the ribeye, cooked medium, with sides of asparagus tips and Mac n cheese while my girlfriend went with the shrimp and grits.  She absolutely loved her meal and I also thought that it was really good.  My steak ended up being cooked perfectly and also had a flame broiled taste to it which was nice.  The asparagus tips were also cooked nicely and were good but my favorite part of the whole meal was the Mac n cheese.  It came in its own little cast iron dish and sadly I did not start eating it until I was already full. However it was soo good that being full did not stop me from finishing it all.  The sauce for it was thick, rich and creamy giving good coverage in every bite.  If that wasn't enough, it was also topped with some melted shredded cheese giving it even more cheesy goodness that it didn't necessarily even need to be good.
The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. Â This restaurant actually took me by some surprise as I was not expecting it to be so good after reading the yelp reviews for it. Â However they produced a quality steak for me with some good flavors that I enjoyed and also a Mac n cheese that I will surely be dreaming about in the future.
After my initial review my wife and I have revisited village tavern on several different occasions,even stopping in for brunch. The management here cares, they care about the service and the quality of food that is put out. I can honestly say that because after posting my original review when i booked a reservation through open table on my return visit i was visited by the management and they wanted me to know that this experience would be different and were sorry for failing to meet our expectations.  Consistency is key. Service and quality flubbed on one visit since our initial visit but was stellar on several others including brunch. The bacon wrapped scallops are amazing and i greatly appreciate it when management  sees a wrong admits it and corrects it. Keep up the good work village tavern.
Review Source:Sat in the bar area on a Thurs. evening. It was happy hour and I ordered a martini. The waitress was the one that informed me that it was happy hour. I said that was great and I'll take whatever vodka was in that special ( I am not a picky person). My friend ordered a vodka and soda. We had a few and I paid for both. When we got the bill she had charged us full price and the bill said Absolut (not part of the special). When I questioned the waitress said said that was what I had ordered. I never used the word Absolut. I paid the bill and won't be back. The food was descent.
Review Source:Came here for a Sunday brunch. Seated and served quickly. Friendly, fast server and good food. We split the Huevos Rancheros Supreme breakfast and the waiter split the plates and gave extra fruit and muffin for the split plate at no extra charge. Overall, good food and good service. I would recommend this place!
Review Source:Village Tavern is getting back to where they once were. I've been enough that a couple of the servers recognize me and make sure my steak is taken care of. Their service is excellent and I enjoy visiting them as if colleagues.
Our party of 3 gets all steaks ordered the exact same way - medium. This past week, 1 of us got the ribeye and 1 of us got the NY strip. The NY strip was cooked correctly with a warm, pink center throughout. The ribeye was blackened on the outside but the inside was medium rare red.
Fried oysters were good on my recent visit.
How do you gain stars?
Star #1 Service: We had a group of 15. Had one server, however others were quick to help and "tag team" off of each other. We never had an empty glass, nor was anything a "wait". All servers were professional and very cheerful. Basically, they seemed to enjoy their jobs.
Star #2 Food: Appetizer's! We ordered 3 "Samplers" had a mix of seafood and bruschetta items. All were large portions, cooked was cooked and cool was cool.
Star #3 Food: Main Dish. Steaks abound at this table except for the weird guy! That would be me. I had the Chicken Penne' which was what I consider massive. Pasta was cooked just right, the dish was hot, chicken was cooked, and sauce/gravy was spot on. Everyone enjoyed their steaks and all were cooked to order. When you have 15 people and all dishes were spot on! Well, that is saying something.
Star #4 Restaurant. This place is nice. Tucked in a corner by the mall area. Valet parking if you wish. A separate bar, which is packed by 5pm. Very clean! Very professional in regard to wait staff, hostess, and all who work there in my opinion.
Star #5 Wine. This is always a tough one for me. The list is not extensive. Also, wine has a very short shelf life. I can tell the Malbec was out a little too long. I ordered the second "bottle" this time, crack it and let it breathe. Much better! I'm tough on this one because when an establishment serves drink with 100+% markups and listed on a "list" it must meet expectations. OK, I'm a ripple snob darn it! Outside of that the Village would be a 5 star.
Wine or not, This is a must go in the B'ham area.
We stopped at Village Tavern after a long day of travel. First, they had my favorite wine (Chateau St. Michele) which was a great start! We loved the hot crab dip with French bread, followed by salads (house and Caesar) which were delicious. We chose cheese potatoes as our side. Definitely a memorable meal. I'd go there again any time!
Review Source:Nice lunch. Read the reviews and chose this restaurant to have a nice sit down lunch. I wasn't disappointed. The wine list is extensive affordable and very tasty. Based on reviews, I went with the prime rib and it was perfectly cooked - a little fatty, but the is frequently a problem with prime rib. The sautéed green beans were crisp but cooked; very nice. The fries - large steak-fry-style. I hate steak fries. I like small crispy fries. Huh?  What a surprise!  They were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, hot and salty. I may have to expand my horizons as these were fabulous. The service was attentive but not overly so. The food was quick - if you are in a hurry, it meets that criteria. If you want a leisurely lunch, go somewhere else.
Review Source:Our family and extended family had quite a nice meal at the Village Tavern. The staff as EXTREMELY gracious as various members of the family arrived separately over the course of 2+ hours. Our server was attentive, helpful, and friendly. We were seated next to the fireplace, which was welcome on a cold and rainy day.
I ordered the grouper Hemingway, which was immaculately prepared. I've often found grouper to be somewhat dull, but was intrigued by the Hemingway presentation - in a white wine and butter sauce, with capers, on a bed of angel hair. The grouper itself was excellently seasoned, with a perfectly crisp caramelized crust on and wonderful flavor. The lunch serving is just right, although I could have eaten another filet just to continue the flavor. The angel hair pasta and sauce were perfect together and the capers a great addition. I could eat them like peas.
We finished off with a Tavern Apple Cobbler and ice cream, also phenomenal. Clearly house-made it was delicious and perfectly sized for sharing.
I should add that our server suggested the lunch filet, which I passed on due to the ridiculous amount of red meat I had already consumed this week. But I saw one go by and it looked amazing. Next time for sure.
The prices were also very reasonable with a number of under $10 items on the sandwich menu, a variety of soups and salads, and signature entrees around $15.
We were here with a big group (reserved) on a busy Friday night. It is a cozy place, that's for sure. The food is also not bad; nothing special or unusual, but you have all your typical steakhouse items, salads and some sea food, with prices on the expensive side, but about what you would expect for a place like this. The steaks were good, but consistently undercooked (definitely rare, although we ordered medium). The prime rib was excellent though. The side items were so-so and everything was presented in a very ordinary way. The waiter was friendly enough, but clearly experienced and very inattentive. We were sitting there thirsty for half an hour before he finally took our drink order. Drinks and food also took a while to arrive, but as I said the place was quite busy. All said and told, it was a fairly average dining experience for the price.
Review Source:The fried oysters and crab dip appetizers were really good. Â But the food went downhill after that. Â The steaks during this visit were not as good as past visits. Â The prime ribs were too thick and salty. Â The ribeye steaks were ordered medium. Â Their version of medium is only a little pink; I prefer a little bit more pink. Â They looked great and tasted great at first. Â However since I don't eat it in the speed of lightning, it got really dry in the middle and became inedible. Â The asparagus was disappointingly overcooked.
Review Source:Oh reservation. Â Good idea, but it was not crowded anyway.
The Marinated Flank Steak entree was tasty. Â Wow, I was surprised to have cinnamon sugar on my sweet potato fries. Â The asparagus was good too. Â Also, I like the bread that came with my family's crab drip.
The ambiance was cozy. Â I was not a fan of their restroom.
This should be a 3.5 star review.
All the food was generally excellent at this steak house. Â But the service was problematic. Â Screwed up two of our main dish orders. Â Nice service but errors.
Steaks were great. Â Broccoli side I think was previously frozen. Â Most of the other sides were so-so. Â Side salads were Denny's quality. Â French Onion soup was very good - had a nice dose of Cheddar on top which is a nice addition.
Had a Piedmont Barolo for under a 100 bucks.  Great to see.  Also had 2 German Rieslings including a Mosel Spätlese - great touch - a wonderful desert wine.  So many quality steak houses do not have these premier wines from the WWII axis of evil. Â
I had to laugh as there was a Flemings steak house right next to this one. Â Same chain I had a crappy experience in Clovis CA a few weeks ago.
Cute lil place for people who like a homey, comfortable atmosphere. I'm sure it's also because I've never really been this far south, but everyone is so friendly!
The menu is huge, you can pretty much get anything from pizza to burgers to seafood and steak. It was difficult to decide what to order, but because the waitress talked about their seafood always being shipped daily, I decided to get the scallops with mashed potatoes. I've had AMAZING scallops before, so I thought that these scallops were just OK. They were a bit too rubbery in my opinion. Â The seasoning was OK but the seasoning for the veggies were a bit much. Â It felt a little overpowering for a "side" dish.
The calamari and dessert were all just OK, nothing stellar. This is a perfect place to come to after work if you're just wanting to come to a casual dining place in your jeans.
We ate here on a busy Saturday night.  I had the iceberg wedge  salad, and a hamburger.  The salad dressing was fantastic.  The burger was really good. Â
The manager came by to check on us, he seemed to genuinely want to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. Â Wait staff was attentive, but not overbearing.
I would eat here again.
Oh I wish I could sum this up by simply saying - "They were so good they made me love asparagus" but people who don't know me would have no idea what that means!
This place is absolutely amazing. My boyfriend brought me here for after my bar ceremony when I passed the bar. It couldn't have been a more fitting celebration. The moment we walked in the setting was nice and relaxing... the tables very comfortable.. i even joked about wanting to nap on the huge booths. It had the feel of a log cabin.. amazing. Then our server (Stan) greeted us and got us to try the most amazing appetizer.. it was a sun dried tomato artichoke dip with jalapenos ... when we told him we love jalapenos.. without missing a beat he said "I'll bring you extra!".. he then made a suggestion that I try the asparagus... and me being an extremely picky eater I was hesitant... the asparagus was so amazing that my boyfriend proceeded to steal some! I can forgive him though because he let me try two pieces of his amazing steak.. Speaking of which when we asked Stan which steak was better... instead of trying to upsale ... he merely explained which part of the cow the steak came from... the actual differences of the meat.. and then how the cheaper one was actually the more tender of the two... and it was merely amazing. I couldn't finish my meal because the helping was huge... however.. it tasted amazing the next day! (Btw the mashed potatoes.. delish!) I'm so impressed.
I have eater here a few times for dinner in my years of living in Birmingham; but this past weekend my husband and I stopped in for lunch. Â I was not thrilled with the idea because I have just had okay experiences with dinner at The Village Tavern. Â HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this lunch!
We sat in the bar area. Which I must not is huge and almost entirely separate from the restaurant part. Our bartender was very nice and provided quick service. Â
After ordering a drink and spending a good while looking over the extensive lunch menu...I decided on the Thai Chicken Salad and hubby ordered the Chicken Club on wheat bread with sweet potato fries. Â We both cleaned our plates!!!! Â
I will definitely go back for lunch here more often and try some of the other mouthwatering selections listed on the menu. Â Like the greek chicken whole wheat flatbread and onion-mushroom burger on whole wheat bun! Â I personally did not view it all as expensive...$10 salads and sandwiches is reasonable for the atmosphere, amount and quality of the lunch.
I echo the sentiments of a number of previous reviews when I say the food was on average ...simply average. Â And worthy in my opinion of 2and1/2 to 3stars. Â I did expected more for the price. Â Which was not unreasonable! Â But in keeping with the overall suggested ambiance both internally and that gathered from the general surroundings... I expected more. Â
A 30min wait to be seated didn't help, but that is often the case on a SAT.
The wait staff however took the experience to the desired level for me and solidified my resolve to return again and again!
One of those places where the special is always the most expensive item on the menu... Â That being said, the filet au poivre was delicious. Â The mashed potatoes dipped in the peppercorn gravy was close to heaven. Â This time my steak came out perfectly cooked (although the server did switch my steak with a companion). Â
It's definitely high quality steak at high prices.
For starters, the whole Homewood/Mt Brook area sucks a fat gangrenous cock. It's a chain mecca. The faux-sophisticant ignoramuses that dine around the area wouldn't know good food from a plated pile of shit.
Now that you know the root of the problem (the classless patrons) you can understand why chains are so endemic to the area.
I view the Village Tavern as the lesser of many, many evils. It's similar to a Houston's - you get the picture. On the plus side, it's light years beyond McCormick and Schmicks over by the Brookwood Mall. I would rather eat donkey balls than go to McCormicks again.
Ironically, this area has a Penzey's Spices - go figure.
It saddens me to read the previous three reviews for Village Tavern, b/c they're not accurately descriptive of how good a restaurant it is. Â Picky eaters and people wanting to be "inspired" by food at this restaurant - or ANY restaurant for that matter - will often NEVER be satisfied, so reviews by those people should be taken with a grain of salt, no pun intended. ;)
The one thing that keeps me going back to Village Tavern is easily their Apple Cobbler dessert.  I fell in love with it from my first visit to the place, and still hear harps and angels sing whenever someone mentions it or the restaurant.  But not only do I enjoy that particular dessert, but I've had several entrees there as well, and I have never left feeling hungry or dissatisfied.  The food is well-prepared, the wait staff is personable and professional, and the atmosphere appears very upscale without being snooty or excluding.  On one side you've got the restaurant, which has a very refined feel, and on the other a full bar area, where you're free to let your hair down and enjoy yourself with abandon, and maybe catch a game or two on several TVs.  Despite what you've read, the food (especially the steak) is not tasteless or too anything - it's prepared quite well for reasonable people that are out to enjoy their evening as normal diners, instead of  wannabe Food Network critics.
If you're a normal guy like me, not looking to be spiritually-moved by the things you eat, but just looking for a great meal at a doable price, amidst wonderful scenery and enjoyable people, you'll enjoy Village Tavern and should give it a try. Â I don't think you'll be disappointed.
... AND GET THE APPLE COBBLER! Â :D
This place was suggested to me by my sister who lives in Birmingham cause I don't. Â But it's sad that restaurants in Birmingham have continually fall short of the standard of good food in the Bay Area.
The service was very good. My sweet ice tea must have been refilled 5-6 times without having to ask for a refill.
The tilapia was salty and fishy but with the potato wedge and steam green beans it was a nice combo.
My DH's flank steak was less successful. Actually, the waiter told me to get the tilapia rather than the flank steak but I guess my DH didn't hear him say that.
I made reservations and they let us sit down before all party members arrived.
The price is mostly under $20 except for the steaks.
I had decent expectations for this place when I walked in. Â The atmosphere felt like a nice steakhouse--dark decor, low lighting, the works. This is also an area where there are some decent, non-chain, places to eat.
We were seated and things were still going pretty well, service was prompt and attentive as you would expect in a nicer restaurant.
The food is what earns my two star rating for this place. Â The food was pretty bland and unoriginal. Honestly for food quality you'd be better off at a chili's or something and you'd save a little money on your meal too.
Maybe there are some great dishes we just missed out on, but this visit was nothing to write home about.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
