BANK 253 Restaurant and Nightlife

The food was hot and tasty and the restaurant was clean. The beginning bartender was attentive, he was replaced with a bartender who was not at all attentive. The next bartender was looking at their phone all the time and was away from the bar several minutes at a time. The bartender never asked us if we needed anything. I had to walk to the end of the bar to get salt and pepper. Did not get refills of water and had to ask for our check several times.

Bad service. Wait over 30 minutes to someone bring menu. Waitress do not even come to me simply ignoring me. I do not recommend place when you waiting nd waiting. No drinks offered or word of …

Ordered a well done burger to go. Got home and this is what it looked like after 2 bites. Almost raw. I have pictures and am considering what to do next. The incompetence in this area is utterly mind blowing. You are going to get people sick. No person should eat this. *Edit" It's the next day, woke up at 730 throwing up and I can hardly stand up straight my stomach hurts so bad. Thanks a lot.

I arrived and the server asked me if I knew what I wanted to drink. I said I wanted to see the menu. It was almost 20 minutes before she came back. Otherwise, the service was fine. The food was well-prepared. However, the website was down and would not load. I used the menu on Google to see what I wanted to eat. According to the menu, the fillet was $30. I went ahead and ordered my food at the same time as my drinks so I never looked at the menu they handed me. When I got my check - Surprise! The Fillet was $50. Everything was almost twice as much as what the online menu showed. They would not honor the online price and said they had no control over what was posted online. The food is good, but check the prices in the restaurant and do not trust what you see online.

This is a good place if you are in Pikeville, it is very close to the public parking garage, the university and the arena. I ate the fish sandwich with roasted asparagus, and I had a glass of Merlot. I was staying in Pikeville for a conference. They also have karaoke at some point. It is a lovely walk. It has a tempered patio in case you want a more quiet experience.

Bank 253 is in a great location and has potential for a great vibe. I’ve eaten here more than once and the food is always SUB par. I have yet to eat quality food anywhere in Pikeville. Very disappointing.

How unfortunate. I walked in, waited 30 minutes to be given a menu, made eye contact with multiple wait staff and was not served. Left promptly and will not be coming back.

For a real southern bar this is just plenty fine. Beer and bourbon choices, and food has plentiful portions. Try the wings, and the Tom’s sandwich, Quite friendly atmosphere.

Got the Cadillac Burger - get the Cadillac Burger! You won't be disappointed. Don't get the chicken quesadilla - you WILL be disappointed. Unfortunately that is what my wife ordered, I couldn't eat the entire burger so she ate part of it. The staff are friendly, good drink choices - but you guys REALLY need to do better with the quesadillas. I still gave it a 4 - because of how good everything else was.

This restaurant is a regular stop for me whenever I'm in town for business. The quality of the food has consistently been excellent. This evening, I decided to try the grilled pork chops and they were absolutely fantastic!

The food is not great. It's not bad, but the flavor doesn't justify the prices. Burgers are bland and the food I've tried could use some better seasoning. The staff is great. Very friendly and do their job well. The restaurant is clean and well kept.

Food was overall pretty good. Pork chop was dry. Burgers were huge and juicy. Boneless Wings were huge, tender, and juicy! Service was phenomenal! Definitely will visit again!

What a great place to stop by for food and a drink. The bartender, TJ, was incredible. He informed us of what we could do in Pikeville and provided excellent service. Our group of 30+ loved TJ. We'll be back.

Really enjoyed my stop here passing through town. I didn't have high expectations given there aren't a lot of dining options other than chains in Pikeville and the Yelp reviews for this place weren't ideal. I was surprised to find the staff (specifically Sean) to be friendly, helpful and on it. Everyone was flexible and willing to please. The "tavern" style menu is basic, but the food is fresh. The fish is caught locally and the chicken wasn't some frozen bagged stuff just reheated or fried. The portions are massive. Most of what I saw could easily be shared by two people. My tenders could have been split by more than 2! My only disappointment was that the drinks are a little weak. They made a few xtra$$ on us as we ordered a more than we probably would have at another venue. That said, nothing about this place isn't worth trying!

This is one of 2 restaurants in Pikeville that I actually enjoy. (Broken Throne is the other btw) Bartender was extremely friendly, very helpful and poured and poured when it mattered Had the bacon wrapped meatloaf w asparagus. Not bad. Asparagus was cooked perfectly. Food could have been a little hotter but no complaints.

First of all we had a very nice waiter. My Mom is a picky eater and he made her a grilled cheese even tho it was no longer on the menu. I had the club sandwich and fries. Both very good. Nice vibe. Good music. Will go back

On a work trip and found this jewel. Excellent service and good food. Taco salad was well seasoned and had layers of crunch. The Buffalo dip was ok. Convenient downtown.

This appetizer was ordered for lunch. The pieces of shrimp were so small that the put together equaled the time of 1 jumbo shrimp! A joke for the price.

Definitely not coming here again unless my friends insist. Food wise they are good but everything else is horrible. My thorough review below: I heard this place was good so i finally went and tried it. We left with mostly disappointments. The restaurant was halfway seated upon arrival. The waitress was attentive at first but diminished after we placed the order. Here comes the issues. We ordered app and entrees and they both came together over 40min later. No update given to us why it took that long. The foods were done well and delicious so i have no complaint there. They should've at least given us the appetizers to start but no they didn't. We proceed to order the dessert as soon as the food arrived given the fact that it took that long for both appetizers and entrée to come. About 15min into eating the food, the waitress walked over and tried to give us the check. We were like huh? That is rude, we haven't finished the food and the dessert didn't even come. So we told her about the dessert and she went to follow-up. Another 15min later she came back saying the dessert was never placed and asked if we still want them. At that point we have wasted so much time for her severe and disappointing service, we just wanted to pay and leave. Also, she didn't even come and check on us during our meal or refill our drinks or give us any eye contact while she was walking around helping others. Is she new or something? Anyway, the payment process was the only part the waitress did it quickly. Overall, nope!

I really want to give more stars but I just can't. Hear me out... My wife and I heard about this place and it was recommended to me. The Cadillac Burger (hamburger, jalapeño, blackberry jam, egg) was specifically recommended. We sat down, we're met by a waitress who took our drink order. So far so good. But she got my drink wrong. Not a big deal but a sign of what was to come. After I got my correct drink she took our order. 20 minutes later we were still waiting for our food. She approached us and I thought she was going to give us an update on our order. Nope. She asked us if anyone has taken our order yet. That's right, the person who took our order, wrote down our order, and gave our order to the cooks asked us if our order had been taken yet. It was at this point I was wondering why she was so scatterbrained. The food was warm, but not hot. The fries were barely warm enough to eat. The burger was great tasting but also not that hot. The food did not come fresh from the kitchen. My wife asked for ketchup and we actually thought for a minute our waitress wouldn't forget. This did not happen. After ten minutes my wife left the table and retrieved her own ketchup from another employee. When our waitress saw this happen she apologized weakly but frantically. It was at this point I was beginning to think her frenetic forgetfulness was perhaps chemically induced. I ordered the chocolate lava cake which was very good. She left and came back a while later. Like, she was gone long enough, a bit longer actually, than required to heat up a chocolate cake. I thought I was getting my Cake. I was wrong. She asked us if we were ready for the check. I told her I was still waiting for my cake. I could almost see the lightbulb illuminate in her brain before my eyes. The cake came quickly after that and like I said before, it was good. The manager spent a good amount of time at the table behind us trying to sooth the customers there. Now, I'm. It the prying type but I tried. I can't quite say why they were unhappy but we had the same waitress. I think they have a good concept here but I just can't recommend it. If the food would have come more timely (and hot) the star Clint would be a tad higher. But the slow food delivery and forgetful waitress was too much to overcome.

Bank 253 is one of my favorite places to dine in the Pikeville area! They offer up a large menu of appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and more. Plus, they offer beer and cocktails, which is great! It's a casual restaurant, that still offers an upscale dining experience. I've enjoyed everything I've tried from their menu, and I really love the Pixie Stix Martini! If you're looking for a great spot to eat in the area, I think Bank 253 is it!

Food is great, clientele is amazing. The people that hang out there are just to young for a 55 yo man.

Everything was outstanding! Sean was our server and he was kind helpful and funny. My husband had the bbq burger and Tiger tots. He thought both were delicious! The burger was cooked a perfect medium just the way he likes them. I had the bread pudding dessert and it was delicious!! I measure dessert by if it was worth the calories and this was more than worth it. I will definitely go back if I'm in the area again.

Dropped in while exploring the area for a drink and appetizer. We sat at the bar. Ambiance is very cute inside and out. Our drinks were meh and so was the service. I'd give it a try. Just not my cup of tea.

Absolutely worst place in Pikeville to eat. Wouldn't even sit our group even though almost every table was empty in the place. Down here to help the community after the floods and power outages and this is the treatment we get. Just wanted to get some food after working 16 hours and they said no to even fining us a seat. Never been treated this way by a business in my life.

I was in Pikeville, Kentucky in support of American Red Cross for DR766-23 Eastern Kentucky 7/22 FLD. They had a great staff, great customer service and of course, great food. Thanks for the love you showed us! I highly recommend this place. Kudos to Jason and Team Bank 253! I will never take for granted the love you all showed us! #CharlotteNC #Texas #Wisconsin #ElizabethCityNC

Overpriced food, the staff are pretty cool though. Getiatric men make the environment smell like death and cigars.

Great, friendly service. French dip was excellent! As an out-of-town visitor, our server was very helpful with local info as well.

Is it possible this is the best specialty burger I've ever had? The wild blackberry jam, bacon, and egg contrasting the jalapeños and cheese?! .... YUM! Thank you to Paula @Bank 253 for the suggestion - Cadillac Burger. YUM! I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Pikeville to repeat my order.

Don't order the Philly steak for $15.00 it's a joke. Can buy a better philly at the local convenience store. Damn shame they charge that much. Took my food back to the motel room and open it up. The bartender isn't very friendly. The place has gone downhill since the last time I was there. The veggie burger was five dollars less and much much better than the Philly Steak. The food is overpriced.

Dakota was fantastic! She made us a fabulous rum punch! She was very pleasant and fun to chat with!

It was busy night but I sat down for more than twenty minutes and no server came for service .

I'll give them a 4 star review just for being open past 8pm for sit down dining. It's incredibly hard to find a sit down restaurant open in pikeville after 8 pm. The nachos were decent, burger was good, and summer salad was fresh and tasty. A little pricey but good food.

We were in the area and hit this spot for dinner. Got a seat right away. Our server was friendly and helpful in making decisions. The beer was good. Our taco selections were good. No issues at all and would eat here again.

Food was definitely tasty, but the service was a little spacey and the environment is a little strange. A decent place to check out if you are looking for a local place to eat.

Says it is open until 11pm but they closed early at 9:53pm on a Saturday. Obviously not concerned about making profits. Disappointing. Won't be recommending to the other medical students.

We go there once a week, as there is nowhere else to go. They develop special menus for special occasions, like Valentines Day and New Year's Eve that look great, but we are usually out of town then. I wish they would offer a nightly special, maybe?

I was hesitant to eat here based on all of the other reviews, but was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere, food, and service, but I stopped in while in town on business. It's walking distance from the Hilton Garden in downtown Pikeville. The menu isn't large...mostly upscale bar food. I'm usually hesitant to order a burger at a bar setting, but was not disappointed. I got the sunrise burger. It had a hand made patty, bacon, pepper jack, avocado, salsa, and a poached egg. The side of sweet potato fries didn't last long, nor did the burger. Perfectly cooked, but the burger was a little heavy in the salsa department, but other than that, it was great. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in town..

First time in Kentucky, and first time at Bank253. I thought we were going to have a nice dinner, celebrating time with my son who attends Pikeville University. However, the blatant racism and disrespect from the staff did not allow that to happen. We were the first family seated in the waitresses section and the only blacks in the restaurant. Three other families came in and were seated after our orders were taken. We received our drinks and continued to wait. After the 1st couple recieved their order, we assumed we would be next, because they were only 2. Absolutely not. The 2nd couple received their entrees. Then, they came to our table, with what we assumed to be our food and low and behold, it was for the 3rd family. At this point, we are headed towards the door and my sister in law headed to the bar, to pay for her drink. We were then accused of running out on our tab, but they forgot we didn't have food, so how are we running out. The waitress then grabs my arm to tell me "the food is coming, you can sit down back now." WTH and ABSOLUTELY F*CKN NOT!!! First off, don't touch me, because I could have touched you back and it WOULD NOT have felt good AND you HAVE nothing here I would ever eat and you all purposely did that. The tall white heavy set male waiter, made the comment "oh well" when we stated how we were treated as patrons. Which clearly shows your dislike for us as a people. After the bartender felt STUPID, for trying to accuse us of running out on a bill, the terrible drink was comped. The behaviors of the staff, was so obvious other patrons having their dinner apologized to us for the treatment we received. The ignorance starts with the owner, then traveled down to management and staff. I feel they have never been taught decency and respect for others. Bank 253, make sure you stay in Pikeville with that BS. Come to Los Angeles with that ignorance and stupidity and see how far you get. For the record, 1 star was to much.

I was so excited to visit this place because many locals seem to like eating here. After my experience, I don't know why. This restaurant is a typical bar with awful service and below average food. We waited 20mins for a small order of dry, tasteless wings and another 10mins for 6 sticks of celery and carrots. The ranch and blue cheese dressings were completely watered down. Plus the waitress didn't even bothered to bring us plates with our wings. After 5mins in receiving our main dishes, the waitress comes by and asks if we want dessert. My boyfriend and I looked confused and told her that we haven't even eaten half of our dish and that she could ask us later. Within minutes, she comes by and drops by the check. My boyfriend told her to take it back because we aren't done. She rolls her eyes and storms away. I have never experienced such rudeness. We felt soo rushed to leave that we decided to go somewhere else to order our dessert and drinks. Overall, I would never come back. The food was forgettable so no one is missing out on anything. I rather go to Buffalo Wild Wings than support this local restaurant.

Nachos weren't bad. Not a large order but okay. Beer was cold. Quiet for a Friday evening.

Three of us had dinner here, as we were in town for business. Two of us had burgers, the other had steak tips. The burgers were good, not necessarily anything special though. Side of tater tots, very skimpy on the portion. The steak tips were awful, on a bed of rice in a gravy. Not good at all - Service was definitely lacking. I think maybe she was new as she kept having to go ask questions or refer back to the menu to determine how many sides came with an item.

Great place to eat in the heart of Pikeville. Food is great but a little pricy... Not a very big dining area either. Quaint little sports bar. I love their Kansas City Barbecue Burger... it's huge

Sometimes you get a crappy waitress...tonight's my night! Still great food (weak portion on the veggie du jour see pic...). She offered to take the order from a guy who sat down after me... No biggee. I asked what the veggie du jour was and she pointed to the sign in front of me that said mixed veggies ( I had to ask again because I wanted to know what veggies were in it). Fish tacos came fried this time.... Apparently it's my responsibility to ask for baked even though the last six waitresses have asked which way I wanted it.... Anyway too long and boring... Some redhead with a bad attitude.. Eat here but avoid her... 7/6/16 Sat at the bar tonight and all is good again... Food was great and service was perfect blonde bartender was very nice!

Bank 253 is your average bar style resteraunt as the name states. Food was good, a bit more seasoning wouldn't hurt. Service was good, food came out quick. The lack of two stars in the rating is due to the smoke smell as you first walk up the steps, and the staff socializing at a table in the corner visibly to the customers.

Awesome service. Great Old Fashion. Very good food. A place to go to when in Pikeville

Pros: Delicious food, great drinks (only place in Pikeville downtown with a draught list unfortunately), employees are very pleasant with a great attitude. Bathrooms always clean as well. Cons: This place is INCREDIBLY expensive for what you get. The surcharge at the end of the night is unfair in my opinion. If I want to go there for drinks at the end of the night (when they stop serving food by the way), then of course I expect to pay a good amount for drinks. But when you're in a town of 6k people AND charging at the door, you're just being greedy and exploitative of the people in the town. Overall, I've decided it's a great place to eat, but I won't return unless they have reasonable prices and no post-dinner surcharges.

The food is good, not great. The food used to be much better, and to be honest, I'm not a fan of the atmosphere after 5pm. I get the fact that it's a bar/restaurant, but that isn't for everyone. The staff is among the nicest people I've met.

An OK place in a culinary desert. Bank 253 is a basically a bar that serves food. They have a substantial outside eating area and the inside consists of the bar and tables with high bar stools. Rickety bar stools at that, two of the stools at our table were on the verge of collapse. Menu was a watered down blend of bar food and Bonefish Grill items. We picked out a table and went through a few stools to find one that was safe to sit on. Tried to order a Budweiser for my drink but they were out. But they did have Michelob Ultra. For appetizer, we ordered the Boom Boom Shrimp which we assumed was a Bang Bang Shrimp knock off. I ordered Hawaiian tacos and my partner ordered Sirloin Steak. My meal was accompanied with onion rings. The Hawaiian tacos were basically fish tacos. Fried whitefish filets nestled in a grilled tortilla with some cabbage. The tacos did not come with any kind of sauce or pico de gallo so they were kind of dry. My meal did come with onion rings which were cold. On the positive side my partners steak was done correctly (medium) and was pronounced good. The steak was accompanied by four asparagus spears. The tips were good but the stems were woody. Price for the whole meal was about $75 dollars. Pretty pricey considering it was somewhat mediocre and the atmosphere was that of a noisy bar. Based on the prices, I'd skip this place. You can do better, even in Pikeville.

This was my first visit. Front desk at nearby Hampton Inn suggested. I went because it is walking distance from hotel. The chicken wings were fantastic. Fries were very good. Only complaint is their beer taps were not working but they had good canned beer special. I'll definitely go again next time I'm in Pikeville.

Food was there.The lettuce accompanying my dad's quesadilla was sad and not something I'd serve to a human. My french dip was tasty and the broccoli was passable but possibly nuked. Environment on the patio was pleasant except for loud truck traffic; nice breezes. But the lack of service made me want to dine and dash, something I've never done or seriously contemplated. If my preacher father hadn't been my lunch companion, I would have been outta there. "Server" switched our drinks, didn't write down order, so when it came out, I received broccoli instead of asparagus. Then we were handed off to another server who didn't check on us until after we were finished eating, so by that time I didn't need a refill on my drink. We sat around waiting for someone to notice us so we could get the check and leave. And even giving a 10% tip enraged me; I typically give 30+ This was a late lunch at 1:45 so we were 1 of 2, maybe 3 tables this place had on a Friday.

This place has good food, but it is obviously ran by managers that would rather hangout in the corner and socialize with the staff than serve their customers. I walked in and stood in the entryway and after about 3 minutes a girl yells... sit anywhere you want. I sat down at a table within 15 ft of the staff huddled in the entryway of the kitchen and it took them 15 minutes to even come over and take my drink order. Then she acted annoyed when I asked questions about what beers they have on tap. The sign says "restaurant and nightlife".... they should just drop the restaurant part. Go to Blue Raven down the street and avoid this place.

There isn't anything wrong with Bank 253, but there isn't a whole lot right with it either. The place positions itself as a nightlife hot spot. It works to some degree simply because there isn't much competition in the area. The bar area is small, the seating is less than comfortable, and the food is average. A trip to Bank 253 will likely not be a total disappointment but it won't be terrible either. If you're not wanting to visit the local chains in the area and want something different, nothing wrong with giving it a shot. But don't expect too much.

I like the place. Had fish tacos grilled. Cooked perfect but I had no pico on my tacos. Also they left out the lime wedges. This place could do better. Lack of effort. I gave four stars because it deserves better than what the other posters have given.

Would give bar 4 stars, food maybe 2.5. Bar has a very nice bourbon selection and a few decent beers on tap. Bottle selection was decent too. Heck, they have Chimay blue, what can you say. It is a small bar area however. Food was okay, nothing special. Had the sweet and sour shrimp app. The shrimp were cut into smaller pieces for some reason and it also came with fried pepper slices which were nice. Chili sauce was decent. Let me just say, the breading on the fried foods was fantastic. Very crunchy, not really much breading per se and the highlight of the food. I also got the fried shrimp po-boy. Lettuce was a little on the old side so I actually left it off. Whole shrimp here and again, great fried crunch. Bread was okay. Got the mayo on the side, was okay. Mostly just doused it with Tabasco. Came with crinkle fries which were also surprisingly mediocre. Ceiling had a leak with all the rain so I had to move down. Eventually the bartender put a pitcher down which greatly improved the situation for me and especially the guy next to me. Funny thing is, the bartender said he doesn't know where it comes from but it gets that way with the rain. I'm thinking, why doesn't the manager/owner address this? Couple of TVs at the bar if you wanna catch a game. There was a live band that played Thurs night but they disappeared for a while after they warmed up, possibly because there seemed to be little interest in the crowd. Anyway, it was kinda funny. All in all, a decent place to hang out. Don't go fancy with the food and get disappointed although the common stuff might not be much better. Go for the drinks and atmosphere.

Love the set up of this bar/restaurant. We we're lucky enough to set outside on the patio and I'd highly recommend setting there if the weather is agreeable. Nice place to catch some live music as well after dinner. Great menu, and I'd recommend the nachos with flour tortilla chips.

Good food and an unbelievable side salad. Steak was great and cooked to order. I will come back.