Sambuca Restaurant

The bartender, Bryan, was absolutely the rudest person. Absolutely will never go back to the bar. I had friends in town and had been bragging about how awesome it was. He completely blew everything I said. The food in dining area was great. But he ruined the experience . I went to the website and emailed them about this ridiculous man. The manager replied wanting more details. After that I never heard back. Therefore I assume that its acceptable there to treat customers rudely and inappropriately. Not to mention bad mouth other customers right in front of them to fellow customers and bartenders. I will NEVER go back and will not ever recommended this place to anyone! !! Ever! more

A letter i'm sharing to all that I wrote to Sambuca regarding my experience at Sambuca. Needless to say Brian is still employed there!!!! Good afternoon to whom it may concern, I just wanted to bring something to your attention while I visited Sambuca over the weekend of December 2nd. Seeing how i'm from Boston and not familiar with Nashville, I inquired about nice places to dine in Downtown Nashville. Your restaurant was highly recommended by an associate of mine. My first visit to Sambuca was on December 2nd. As soon as I checked in that Friday afternoon I immediately made it down to Sambuca that evening. I must admit I had a splendid time. The cuisine and drinks were great. The live music and atmosphere was also wonderful. That evening at your establishment was nice and ended without any issues whatsoever. I had such a nice time I decided to come back on that Monday December 5th, seeing I was flying out that next day. Sorry to say that as wonderful as my prior experience was at your restaurant, my second experience was shockingly horrible! I arrived for your happy hour around 4:45pm and the bartender that was helping me name is Brian(tatoo covering right forearm). In the beginning he seemed like a rather charming gentleman. Then over time I realized that wasn't the case. We chatted about several things that were entertaining, especially sports. There were two incidents though that were troubling, one in particular. At one point a few African Americans came in to your establishment who it appeared that Brian knew. They went upstairs and Brian had made a comment that went something like this ""uh oh the gang is all here, we may need to break out the bullet proof vest."" My reply was ""see how you are what do you say about me?"". Brian's response was ""no you're not like them"". I didn't think too much about that conversation until later on when he made some unacceptable comments. Brian and I had got into a conversation about college football. We were talking about the SEC conference and football in the south in general. Brian calls himself explaining why the SEC conference and southern colleges in general are the best. His exact words were "" because that's where all the n#@@#!s are!"". The gentleman sitting beside grabbed my wrist for fear that I was going to do something because he heard what transpired. Brian preceded that comment with...""don't be offended and I don't mean to be disrespectful"". With him stating that makes me feel as though he thought about and knew exactly what he was saying. These comments are disrespectful, demeaning and derogatory in nature. This person is one of the many faces of Sambuca. Is this a person you want representing your establishment? I'm a fire fighter from Boston and was visiting Nashville for the first time. You all do have a beautiful city. But I must be honest after dealing with Brian i'm not sure if i'd come back to Sambuca, let alone Nashville for that matter. Those type of comments you just don't forget! Trust me when I say i'm not looking for anything. Shoot I still even gave him an adequate tip because that's the kind of person I am. But this should be addressed. Whether or not it will be is up to you. Needless to say that I won't be giving Sambuca glowing reviews online or in person. Sorry for having to send this but I couldn't overlook this and shouldn't have too. more

This is the third time I have been to Sambuca with my husband. Generally, if I do not like a restaurant I will not go back. I felt compelled to write a review as the place is truly derserving. It was my mother-in-laws 79th birthday. She loves music and seafood so we felt this would be a great choice. To start off, our waiter, Tyler, is one of the best we have ever had. He could not possibly have been more attentive, helpful, or kinder. Everything was truly delicious. I had the lamb chops as my entree and, although I always feel bad sending anything back, they, although delicious, were overcooked for my taste. I ordered them MR and they were MW-Well. The problem was rectified right away and I had an incredible meal. The chops were like butter, and the accompaniments equally delicious. My husband ordered the Aged Ribeye Special. It was very pricey, but you could certainly appreciate the artistry. And, I'm gonna have to say this, it is so nice to get a beautiful steak and not be nickelled and dimed to death for some accompaniments and sauce unlike some other high end steakhouses, namely a new one right around the corner. The quality of the steak was just as good as these places that charge you $50+ for a piece of meat on a plate and nothing else. Everything from beginning to end, apps., salads, cocktails, entrees, dessert was wonderful. The ambiance and the entertainment just adds to the experience. We will certainly be back again and again. Thank you staff and management of Sambuca for making my 79 year old mother in laws birthday perfect and memorable. more

Sambuca is a great place to go on a date or with a group of friends. Sambuca is very trendy and the food and drinks are excellent. I definitely recommend making a reservation. I have heard negative things about the service, but I have never experienced a problem. more

I visit here everytime I'm in Nashville, which is quite a lot. The place is super hip, lots of seeing and being seen, in a fun area of town. Thumbs up! more

Very TRENDY place. A younger chic crowd. Very busy on a saturday. I would suggest a reservation. I went late and not a bad wait. We had a drink and sat on rooftop deck, very nice, but half was shut off for a party. Different levels throughout the restaurant and many places to eat, such as stools, couches, outside dining (would suggest) The food was great and drinks strong, but good. When seated, we were never waited on, we actually had to go get host to inform as many people passed by several times. The service is not great and manager did come over and apolgize but did not do anything. The server did not seem into the job as many did not....again it was busy and later in the night and I am certain they were tired, but did not feel very welcome, but the place is beautiful and the food was very good. Pros: Atmosphere is TOPS! Cons: Service to be desired and patrons are full of themselves more

This is one of the swankiest places I've been to in a long time! From lunch to dinner to happy hour this place has it all. Located in the Gulch trust me you will not be disappointed. My favorite dish on the new menu is the Shrimp and Crab dip Yummy yummy! Don't take my word for it run on down on your lunch break and check it out!!! Pros: Everything more

I don't get to dance unless we are at a wedding and they happen to have a great band....Sambuca was my ideal dinner and dancing date night! The band is always changing so find a night where the music is most appealing and get ready to dance! The menu has a little of something for everyone... from chicken to steak or pasta. I highly recommend the bruschetta as an appetizer! For dinner i had the champagne chicken, OMG. After dinner, we danced for almost two hours. Pros: Yummie food & perfect dancing band!! more

I just bought my tickets for NYE 2011 on the Web for Sambuca's Rockin New Years Eve and I love how easy it was to do. One stop shop. Dinner is included in the ticket price and I love the Heath Haynes Band that is playing for NYE and can't wait to kiss my date under the Balloon drop at midnight. My best friend is joining us and said she has been for the past two years and I am so happy she thought of this place and asked us to join her.. Pros: Good food, Good music & Killer happy hour Cons: I would not bring my 7year old to this spot. more

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!!? - ? - 2009-12-29 First time to eat at Sambuca's, decor was nice, food was fine, service was worse than anything I have had in Nashville ever! Was my 50th birthday, special evening. First; our 8pm Thursday night table reservation was not ready. We were sent to the bar, took forever to flag down a waitress to get a drink. 25 minutes later our reserved table was finally ready. Our waiter was VERY unpleasant! He managed to break the cork off in our 20+ year old bottle of wine we brought, and then removed the bottle from the table to decanter it. Bringing us back only the decater, no bottle. Not sure we got our own wine!! Food was fine, good thing...waiter never checked to see if the steak was cooked correctly, or all was satifactory. We had to pour our own wine, and our drinks were empty, no refills. When we had finished our food, wine and drinks and pushed our plates away the waiter finally arrived with the check! (Did he have some place else to go?!) We had to ask for another round of drinks, and Dessert! He asked what I wanted...without showing us the options. Our drinks and Dessert arrived with the check. We were told if we needed anything else to let him know. We waited another 15 minutes at the table for another round of drinks that NEVER came! So we moved to the bar to get a drink before our driver arrived. Flagged down a waitress, ordered and it took her another 16 minutes to deliver the over-priced drinks!! Our driver had arrived by that time! The whole experience was bad, from start to end. It took two days for the manager to return our call about the experience...when he did he was less than apologetic! Stated he would send ""something"" in the mail for our disatisfaction, however, it has now been 12 days and nothing has arrived. Reflects the overall attitude of the staff. Will never return or recommend to anyone! Take your money elswhere...there are too many really great restaurants in Nashville now to choose from!!! Edit - Delete Cons: OVER PRICED and POOR, POOR SERVICE more

Loved the happy hour menu. We'll be back! Pros: $5 drinks more

I've been here twice. The food is very well done; I went with a large group and everybody loved what they got. Depending on when you go the music may be a little loud, but they have good musicians and the stage lighting gives the place a nice ambience. the girly drinks are pricey but really, really delicious. if you're in the mood for a really nice dinner and willing to spend the money, you really should try sambuca. Pros: it's hard to go wrong whatever you order Cons: the downstairs dining area is overly dark more

I love this place! My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary here. The staff is very nice, they took good care of us. The food was delicious- very creative. The martini I had was great- try the Asian pear martini! One of the best I've had! Loved the red curtains- it made it very romantic. The prices were reasonable, and the food really good. You should go!! Pros: nice atmosphere, romantic, nice menu more

Well I have to say, it's an acquired taste. The food is good though. The drinks are better! The entertainment used to be great on Thursdays but I recently went one Thursday night to find that great band that played was no longer there. Its not the happening place to be now. Gotta find somewhere else for after work socials. Pros: The drinks Cons: the new Thursday band is not so great. more

I like fine dining and don't mind paying a hefty price for good food and full service. However, Sambuca seems to be trying to masquerade as a fine establishment while cutting corners. As a bread lover, I was disappointed by the lack of any bread before or during the meal. I asked the waiter about it to determine if we could at least order something to fill that need, and he said there was nothing available at all! But what really shocked me was when he went further to explain that they had done an analysis of the bread and olive oil bill for the last year, and they decided it was too expensive. Well. You wouldn't have known by my bill at the end of the evening that they were cutting back! Still got to pay a hefty bill for a small meal with absolutely no extras!!! Next time I'm heading back to the better established restaurants in Nashville who still know how to serve their customers without cutting corners. more

I would never recommend anyone to dine at Sambuca. The food and service was terrible! Our calamari was stone cold and I ordered the Lobster Enchiladas and they were served lukewarm and flavorless. You could tell each entree was pre-prepared and the food was extremely overpriced. (the lobster enchiladas was 25.00) The only good thing to say about this place is the decor. There is a separate bar area, so stopping by for an after dinner drink would be the only way I would ever go here again. I was extremely disappointed (and it was my birthday!) If you are accustomed to great food when you're paying 25.00-35.00 an entree try Margot Cafe instead! Pros: Decor Cons: Food quality, over-priced more

I came to Sambuca to celebrate an anniversary dinner with my husband. Not only was the service outstanding, the menu isn't as pricey as it should be considering the generous portions and live entertainment that is provided. The drinks were exceptionally good, and the atmosphere was to die for. This is my new favorite restaurant. I have since been back maybe five or six times since my anniversary ,and every time the service is outstanding. Unlike stuffy restaurants like the Watermark and Capital Grill, the energy is great, and mingling with bar patrons is fun! They are packed on the weekends, so making a reservation is a good idea. I normally don't rate restaurants, but Sambuca is so good, I had to say something about it. Pros: compimentary valet, great food, live entertainment Cons: too many great items to choose from! more

I went here for my birthday. It was a Sunday night and wasn't busy at all. Didn't need reservations. They had all their 40-80 dollar bottles of wine half off so we got a really nice bottle of Chardonnay for 25 bucks! I got the Filet it was cooked perfectly. Although I didn't like the veggies it came with nor did I like the Goat cheese tator tot (bland) side. But the macaroni and cheese appetizer and creme brulee was to die for. There was a Jazz quatertet playing and the singer was awesome! I think her name was Minnie or Mandy? Waiter was ok not very personable but that kind opf thing doesn't bother me. hostess was super friendly and atmosphere was very cool, dark and romantic. Pros: Filet and Mac n Cheese, Entertainment, No waiting, Wine Specials Cons: Vegetables, Goat Cheese Appetizer were bland more

My first time going to Sambuca in Nashville was this past May for drinks & apps with friends on a Thurs. which also happened to be my friends' birthday. We were on the 2nd level patio & enjoyed apps (1/2 off before 7) & $5 martinis (all night top-shelf, kept us there much longer than we had originally planned). We wanted maki rolls that are listed on the menu for Thurs night, but we were told by the server that they didn't have them that night, 1st disappointment. more

My 27th birthday was supposed to be special: rented a limo, made 7 o'clock reservations at sambuca, had all my good close family and friends with me. arrived 10minuets early checked in. Host said table would be ready in few minutes, waited for 20minutes no table, went again to see what was going on and said it was being set up. waited for 20 more minutes, still not seated i was really mad then i went and yelled that if i didnt get seated soon the resturant was going to pay for my hour of waitting for my limo. Finally manager came out and seated us at a very dark table we had to use flash lights to read the menu. afer we ordered the food came out dry, under cooked and very bland. Plus their was no im sorry for the service or wait. i spent all that time thinking this was going to be great food and it sucked. Had i know the food and wait was this bad i would have at pizza. dont go ever!! Pros: looked cool Cons: bad service and food, hardly any parking more