The Old Talbott Tavern

Had a brief wait for a table but sat at the bar until ready. Seated in an old room with lots of character. Ordered drinks and food with prompt service. The food was better than expected. The steak was great, mashed potatoes needed some butter. Whatever they lacked the steak made up for. My wife had the bourbon walnut chicken which was amazing. May have liked it better than the steak. Definitely worth the try if visiting!

I 1st became aware of The Talbott Tavern and Inn in the 1980's and regret it took all these years to finally get to this wonderful property (c.1779) located in the Bardstown Historic District on Courthouse Square. There are 6 rooms, 2 floors, a restaurant that has 3 distinct dining areas, the oldest bourbon bar in the world, and a nice 2nd floor porch overlooking the square. The common areas on both floors are wonderful, full of historic pictures and exhibits along with a little lobby gift area and 15 rooms in the Talbott Inn (c.1913) just 30 yards away. The Talbott is truly a museum and there is a self guided walking tour. The building is so unique and is considered a rare example of Flemish Bond stonework. In its early history it was called the oldest western stagecoach stop in the country on the end of the line coming from Pennsylvania and Virginia.|A who's who of famous people have stayed here and we were in the Washington Irving room that had a nice bedroom and den area with a sofa, fireplace and television. Irving stayed here in 1802 and wrote 'The Early Experience of Ralph Ringwood", 18 years before he would write "the Legend of Sleepy Hollow". The other rooms named for staying guests were Lincoln, Boone, Heinrich, James, and General Patton. We heard the inn was haunted but witnessed nothing pleasing my wife. Be sure to check out the area past the Jesse James room to see the bullet holes James shot into the wall mural painted by the exiled French king, King Louie Phillipe. |Breakfast came with lodging, and it was excellent as well as our diner the 1st evening. The bourbon bar was fantastic, and they had live music when we were there and all the staff we encountered the 3 days were wonderful. |The Talbot Tavern is an American treasure and would recommend staying here any chance you get.

The room was very clean and spacious. The bed was very comfortable. It is walking distance to many of the museums and distilleries. We were there on a Saturday night and being next door to the tavern we were mildly concerned it would be noisy. We didn’t hear anything. The free breakfast is good and made to Order. You can’t go wrong staying here.

We dined at the restaurant. The ambiance was amazing-I suggest taking the time to walk around and look at all of the interesting things on the wall, and head upstairs to see Jesse James’ room. It was very busy when we were there (Saturday-peak dinner rush) and our waitress was good, however we could tell they were a tad short staffed bc our sweet girl could barely keep up. The food was good and my friends enjoyed the specialty cocktails they ordered

What an amazing experience it was to stay in the oldest stagecoach stop in America! The history of this building is fascinating, and I loved how they blended the historic architecture with modern touches. As a facilities manager with many years of experience, I tend to notice things that might need fixing—sorry, I can't help it! For instance, the rooms could benefit from upgraded mini-splits with dehumidifiers attached, and the faucets and showerheads need to be cleaned, as the sweet limestone water is clogging them up. If you'd like, feel free to respond to my post, and I can send you a list of the things I noticed. Overall, the staff was amazing, and the food at the tavern was fantastic! The location is perfect; it allows for easy walking and visiting all the interesting shops in the area, and it's close to several distilleries.

We ate here for dinner on the bourbon trail. I have the Bourbon Pecan crusted chicken with masked potatoes and a side salad. It was delicious and perfectly cooked. Juicy and hot with an outstanding crust. The cornbread and bourbon butter were also very tasty. The service was attentive and friendly. We will definitely be back and recommend this place to other visitors.

The beer cheese on the pretzel bites was amazing. I had the buffalo chicken wrap with side salad. Very fresh and tasty. I really appreciated history and the decor of the location. Jesse James is said to have shot up a wall there and it is said the place is haunted. Maybe it is.....

We popped in for lunch after getting a recommendation from a previous spot. Our waitress Danielle was so wonderful and made our lunch truly memorable. We got the Kentucky Burgoo, Stuffed Mushrooms, and the BLT with fries. Everything was delicious. There’s a cute little gift shop in the front of the restaurant as well.