Village Tavern

The ambiance and service say Village Tavern is a great restaurant but the kitchen cuts too many corners. On our recent visit, the entree proteins (flank steak, tilapia), two desserts and fresh potato chips were all very good. However, both entrees were accompanied by bland, dried-out garlic mashed potatoes that tasted like they came from a box and a mix of rubbery, tasteless veggies that I would only expect at a low-end hotel banquet. Fried calimari was rubbery textured with a soggy breading and slightly fishy aroma.

Prices seem reasonable, but in this range I expect fresh, quality food for every part of the meal. We did not see that.

Pros: Comfortable ambiance, good service

Cons: Spotty food quality

Posted 10/17/09

I wanted to comment to the lady below:
i totally understand where your coming from, but have to say, to try & be more understanding, 9:10 on a Weds - regardless of the closing time, usually means that you'll find a place half closed/ in the process of closing. Especially if the place was mostly empty & you were 1 table or maybe 1of a few remaining tables. Not that it's excusing anything & it's a bummer that you're unhappy, I guess I just sympathize w/ the staff, having worked in that industry for most of my life. As long as the food was still good, the service is fixable. Again, I'm not saying that you should be stoked on being treated any other way.. but at leastt look at the whole situation. Them not having bread ready & fresh at 9:30 is pretty normal for most places that close to closing time. Maybe give the place another go- and hopefully they'll be able to make a better impression :) As for me, I've always enjoyed the place but mostly have only been able to make it on a weekend night, so I think they still expect diners after 9. All in all.. I'll totally go back.

Pros: patio, food, bar, fire place

Cons: its a trek for me to get there.

Posted 07/01/09

They should change their closing time to 8:30pm instead of 10pm beacuse if you show up at 9pm prepare yourself to be treated badly. I was so appalled that I am writing this review right after getting home from this meal.

For starters, we arrived at 9:10 pm. Keep in mind, they do not close until 10...one hour from when we arrived. We were seated and told that one of the "closers" would be with us in a minute. They actaully said "closer" instead of server or waiter...seriously?!? Our server arrived and immediately asked us if we were ready to order without bringing us bread, explaining special menus, etc.

We ordered the bacon-wrapped scallops app. and it was pretty good. I then remembered that the last time that we dined there, we were brought/offered bread. I asked our server for bread at approx. 9:30 and was told she was not sure that they still had any due to the time.

Once our dinner arrived we must have each had a bite when one of the employees literally shouted to the kitchen, "the doors are locked." When one of the guys in the kitchen did not hear her, she once again shouted that the doors were locked to the kitchen. We immediately asked for our check. I have never felt so un-welcome or rushed at a restaurant in my life. Our food was good enough but the absolute rudeness displayed by the staff ruined our meal. We are super-laid back people, but this was just unacceptable.

If you close at 10pm, you should show your guests the same service from the minute you open to the minute you close.

Pros: The food was pretty good.

Cons: Staff, staff, staff

Posted 06/29/09

I try and branch out, but everytime I go I must get those Thai Chicken Skewers! They are wonderful! The atmosphere is always cozy and the waiters are consistently friendly. This is one of my favorite places to go as a family and just out on the town with my husband. The wine list and the menu are extensive and always feed my cravings. My recommendations are the Ahi Tuna, Flank Steak and Chicken Colorado. If you have just a wee bit of room for dessert, order the World's Smallest Sundae! We even stopped at the one in Birmingham on vacation to get a fix!

Pros: very affordable, great for any night out, excellent food and variety of choices

Posted 03/25/07

I have eaten at Village Tavern many times in the past and have always had a good experience until the past few times. The waitstaff has always been friendly and helpful but the kitchen staff seems to have fallen into a vacuous hole of inefficiency and carelessness. I find this interesting considering the menu has barely changed since they first opened. To start we ordered the crab dip. When it finally arrived we found it to be inedible due to the overt fishyness of it (indicating it was probably spoiled). The server (reluctantly) took it away and replaced it with the ubiquitous cheese dip and very greasy chips--which were passable. I ordered the greek salad with grilled shrimp and what I received was a salad with more feta than the Greek Isles and partially wilted lettuce. My company ordered the pasta dish with mushrooms and asparagus which had five or so pieces of the dry bitter asparagus stalk in it. In addition to this we ordered the white pizza which was overcooked, dry and honestly reminiscent of CiCi's Pizza. I am a first time reviewer for CitySearch and I think it is important that people know that this restaurant used to be a jem on the Northside. Now they seem to have become lazy and, in turn, extremely sub-par. If the kitchen staff and the apathetic (we spoke to him) managment do not get themselved together I cannot see this restaurant staying in business for much longer. They are extremely lucky to be in an area that has a large business clientele (lunch and dinner). With food quality like this, I highly doubt that if this restaurant was in a more competetive area (say, inside the Perimeter or even on Windward Parkway) that it would still be around.

Pros: Friendly hosts and waitstaff

Cons: Food quality, noise

Posted 03/01/07

I went for lunch and it was packed. Long wait for a seat in the main dining area, so ate in the lounge & service was a little slow. Food is excellent and the atmosphere is romantic, with hard woods and cozy corners.

Pros: Great food & atmosphere

Cons: Very crowded, slow service

Posted 11/20/06