Sambuca Restaurant

My first time at Sambuca, alls I can say was it was perfect. The food was to die for, the dessert also. The live music was the dickie band excellent. Service was excellent. Can be a a very romantic place or a place for you and your friends but either way the environment is assume, you can do either or, whatever the occussaion there environment will set the stage. It's by far the best i've been to in nashville and Atlanta. Thanks Sambuca for making my five year anniversay the best yet. Pros: Valet Parking, Very excellent live music Cons: Be prepared to spend but so worth it. more

Dining out at a place like this is an ""event"" for my wife and I as we have two small boys and our dining out usually involves more casual dining(and lots of napkins!) Apart from that, dining at a place like this only fits in our budget on the rare occasion. With that said, we were greatly pleased. Pros: Food, atmosphere, service Cons: On the pricier end, but worth it! more

The food is always consistant and good, the seabass is the best I have ever eaten. The things that makes this restaurant so great is the kicking bands they book the play this joint. The food is good the service has always been good and the cocktails and funky and cool.. But the band makes this whole experience worth every single penny. Led Zepplin I found you again Pros: The Music, the food and the service Cons: Parking (none) must valet, expensive dinner for (2) $200.00 easily more

We have been to Sambuca twice. First time, it was great. I had already eaten so I just ordered a side of sweet potatoes- which were amazing. But I loved the ambiance. The band was very good and quiet so we could still have a conversation. So, based on this, we determined to come back for Valentines day and had the opposite experience. First of all, the table was teeny tiny and about 1 foot (no joke) from 3 other tables- so that was awkward. We felt like we were dining with strangers. We ordered salads which were delicious. I had to request some bread which I saw at other tables. The service was good though. Then the band came and we didn't talk the rest of the time. They were fine, just loud and totally opposite the smooth, soft jazz band that had been there previously. I ordered the Zebra pasta and was dissatisfied. Not only was it hard to eat, but it was not flavorful and did not fill me up. My husband had the filet, which he absolutely Loved. I've never seen him chew so slowly to savor each bite. We had tiramisu for desert and that was fine. So, to sum it up: cool vibe, score or miss on the menu and music, service is average, request a booth. Pros: cool vibe, fine service Cons: crowded table, food expensive for what you get. more

I am new to Nashville and I can honestly say that Sambuca is the best restaurant I have been to. My girlfriend and I enjoy dining out regularly and we were delighted with the great level of service, ambience, music, and food quality this place offers at very reasonable prices. So far, we have been there three times and every time we have had such a wonderful experience! more

Sambuca is an awesome experience. The food is delightful. I highly recommend the petite filet, zebra pasta, tortilla soup, and all the salads. The half-price appetizers are great. I love the Thursday night Soul/R&B music. The dining room is very cozy and comfortable. The music volume is perfect. I have nothing to complain about. Our servers have also been wonderful and very accomodating. Anyone that complains about this place needs to get a life and go home!!!!! Pros: half-price appetizers Cons: need half-price wines more

We went on a Sunday night which featured half price bottles of wine and live Jazz music, which by the way was nice and relaxing. Our server, Ashley, was really great. She was friendly and professional. She was able to make a fine dining environment, comfortable. Our food was SO delicious! We started with the Buca Beignets, then my husband got the Caesar Salad and I had the Shrimp & Crab Bisque. YUM! We both ordered the filet (mine petite) and an order of asparagus. The quality of meat was fantastic and the gorgonzola butter complimented it very well. Overall, our experience was wonderful. A little pricey, but pretty standard for the type of restaurant. We had a very nice, romantic evening and we will definitely be returning! Pros: Food, ambience Cons: a little pricey more

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in Nashville. The food was average, and the atmosphere was terrible! The server was a rude smart a$$, and treated us as if were a total inconvience. The music was so loud, even near the back, we could not even have simple conversation nor order without screaming and pointing. Pros: valet parking...dessert menu was decent Cons: too many to list... more

we went there on a whim after our favorite sushi place was closed for the evening. went in, asked for patio seating, was told the wait was 20 mins, however 2 mins later they had seating ready. seated next to the waterfall fountain, very nice, but my husband at 6' was a little cramped at the 2 top table. the food was incredible. we had the carpaccio appetizer, which was nice and light like an appetizer should be, but packed with flavor. i had the pork chop which was very good but a HUGE chunk of meat, a little hard to cut. my husband had the tuna which he really enjoyed but unfortunately does not do well as a leftover. to finish we had the sticky toffee pudding which tasted insanely good but i swear has enough calories for 5 people. service was very good, if a little slow considering we were there at 11 at night. overall i would definately recommend sambucca and i know we will be returning! Pros: free parking but it's a block away, service, overall experience Cons: a little pricey more

Sambucca was the location for a suprise party I had arranged. If you haven't been in, its worth just going by the bar to take in the location, you'll be sold instantly. There were about 18 people in our group. When I called to set up the reservation the staff made sure to inform me of their nonbill-splitting policy for large groups, and some other basic heads up info. The night of the event, all of my guests had arrived ahead of time, and the wait staff did an spectacular job of not letting on that there was a large group waiting in the balcony area. The food was excellent, well prepared, and presented. At the end of the evening, the staff went out of their way, and did infact split up our individual checks. Loved it, can't wait to go back. more

Nice decor, and great view. Expensive cocktails, but a great happy hour... 1/2 of appetizers, and cheap well drinks more

Sambuca can best be described as mediocre. I will say that the decor was intriguing-- heavy drapes, rich colors, candelabras. Unfortunately, I knew that soon the empty stage would be home to another one of Nashville's hopefuls and I would have to sit through it, so that was automatically a setback. Our appetizers were fabulous (try the beignets), but I would never recommend ordering any entrees simply for lack of personality. I first ordered the trout, which tasted like absolutely nothing-- it was dry and crumbling away (difficult to eat, even with utensils-- though the proper fish utensils were not supplied to begin with). I sent it back and ordered their ""Zebra"" pasta, which my fiance was having. Well, I should have given up at the fish. If this place is to be ""romantic"" and a ""good date spot"", I suggest they make their food a bit less difficult to eat. We were on one of our first dates at that time and were pretending it was easy to eat what seemed to be rubber soaked in a bowl of watered-down cream sauce. Did I mention the typical ""upscale"" pricing? Nashville is really trying to transition into a posh city (as I'm sure everyone notices). However, providing a pleasant fine dining experience should appear effortless to customers, from excellent service to what should be imaginative and distinctively flavorful food. This place, like many others in Nashville, clearly tries too hard. As a result, the food is sub-par, yet the prices soaring. My advice, ultimately, is not to go here unless it is for drinks and appetizers. In addition, definitely don't go if you have little patience for Nashville's ""unknown"" musical artists, because that really was the cherry on top of our unsatisfactory experience. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Food more

My friends and I have been regulars at Sambuca since its opening in the fall of 2005. We used to LOVE everything about it and recommend it to everyone. I don't know what has happened at this place, but the service, food, and atmosphere are in serious need of a renovation. My last visit was plagued with horrible service-- the vibe has changed dramatically! I don't recognize anyone behind the bar anymore other than Randy, or any of the cocktail servers except for the lovely Tamara. Apparently the sub-par management either terminates all of the good employees to make room for the inexperienced ones, or forces them to leave. ( If you never had the chance to enjoy a cocktail made by all-star bartenders Josiah or Adrian, you missed out-- they let them go!) The professionalism has definately slipped as of late. Upon confronting the manager, a very unpleasant woman who resembled a man (what happened to James Weathers!), I received an extremely rude response, and all we needed was the fans to be turned on low on the terrace. It was very windy, and she was very unhelpful. My husband told her to go back to managing an Applebees, or whatever chain restaurant she crawled out from under. We had just ordered a $115 bottle of wine, 4 martinis, 3 entrees (one being the $34 strip steak) and 6 appetizers, and this attitude was uncalled for. I was under the impression this was a Dallas-based company with deep roots in up-scale dining and professionalism, and we no longer feel that Sambuca is the caliber it once was when it was new. Well, that's what happens when the rodents leave the ship . . . . . I'm going back to Virago. Pros: music, decor, still a fantastic wine list Cons: poor management, poor service more

First of all, the whole restaurant and bar is nonsmoking, which is delightful in a time when I have had to stay home or leave early from a club because I couldn't breathe due to excessive cigarette smoke. The ambiance is great and there is plenty of room in the bar to socialize. The music is always A+ and the volume is loud enough to hear the music but not so loud that you can't socialize. The happy hour is good; drink specials and half price appetizers. The appetizers are good but they don't give you enough to share in most of the dishes. They're worth it at half price. I had dinner there once: zebra pasta. It's pasta in two full layers, not pieces, with seafood in a cream sauce between them. There was very little seafood and a lot of pasta and I wasn't excited about the taste. However, the appetizers are creative and very good. Pros: Atmosphere, non smoking, great music, valet parking, happy hour has good specials and half price appetizers. Cons: Cocktails and food are pricy. more

My wife and I had a great time tonight at Sambuca, Bartenders there Rock. We went to hear some music after we had dinner some where else. We did not just have drinks there but ended up ordering dessert after seeing a couple of them go past our table. My darling wife ordered the Carmel Brownie and it was wonderful. We will be back soon. Pros: Music, Dessert, Valet, Bar, Bartender more

Sambuca is what happens in a city that is ready for first class ambiance, great food and wonderful music. The management assures that you and your date will have a great time every time. Prices are moderate; the food is exceptional and the music is always highly professional and the very best that Nashville has to offer. I would recommend Sambuca to anyone. Pros: WONDERFUL AMBIANCE; GREAT MUSIC; GREAT FOOD; AFFORDABLE PRICES more

Having our department holiday lunch there was a wonderful experience. Our waitress Brittney was excellant, on top of everything and made sure our experience was a pleasant one. The food was excellant as well! more

From the moment we entered through to the moment we drifted out of Sambuca, our group of 6 people had an amazing time. Drinks were on special, followed by a sublime meal of chicken, fish and meats and a great jazz band. The service was impeccable - our waiter was very knowledgable about the restaurant, the food, the band and the local area. We enjoyed chatting our way through the night with other music fans and diners. I would highly recommend this restaurant for girls' night out, happy hour or just a gosh-darn good night out! Pros: Complimentary valet, Exquisite food, Happy Hour Cons: The night ended too soon! more

I haven't actually had dinner there, though the food on other people's plates looked great. The drinks we ordered came to the table wrong and we had to re-order. The atmosphere is cool...somewhat a little goth and macabre with the candles on stage in huge wrought-iron candle holders. I do like the long bench seating and the tables near the bar. They have some cozy seating areas, but not enough...those seemed to get scooped up rather quickly. It had a good crowd, indoors and out, so it's a good place to meet people. Also, we were able to park for free, but in a gravel lot a short walk from the place. There is also a lot of walking traffic in the whole gulch area, so again, great area to meet people. Pros: Everybody wants to go because it's new...so lots of people there. Cons: Service not so great more

For the price of everything the service there is the worst. The manager on duty Saturday, November 11, 2006 was the worst manager our group has ever encountered. After leaving an 18% tip the manager brought the bill back, asked if we had a problem and we might want to consider leaving additional tip. We only saw the waiter a few times. He didn't bring our food, had to ask several times for things like water, he didn't pick up our dishes and another guy cleaning up our dishes brought us more coffee. It wasn't even busy. I am not sure why he thought the guy deserved more...I have been at many places we have left up to 30% tip for excellent service but give me a break...to have a manager come ask for more tip when you only see the waiter a few times! We should have lowered ourselves to his standards and slide the check back to him and let him know his prices was outrageous for the food you received and service and would he consider reducing his bill!!! This place is low class in our book...and we all will spread the word with our company to never have an event there. more