Bourbon Raw

I made reservations to take my wife here as part of a trip to Louisville. We came during the intense snow this weekend, took us twice as long to get to Louisville as normal (4 hours). At noon the restaurant called me wanting me to confirm my reservation for that night. I confirmed our reservation and explained to the lady that we were coming from a long ways off but despite the weather we would definitely be there. After driving four hours we approached the restaurant, and the lights were off. They closed early due to the weather. Apparently they could call me at noon to make sure I was coming but could not call me to let me know they were closing early and leaving my wife and I with minimal food options (subway?) in the middle of terrible weather. I will not attempt to go here again.

I had a pleasant experience tonight. It wasn’t over the top cuisine that’s easily attainable in Louisville. We are known for being an awesome city for dining. I wasn’t disappointed, but I found the glob of butter on top of my steak discouraging. My steak should speak for itself. Like I said initially, everything was good. Just good. My bourbon flight was presented well but something sticky was all over the bottom of the board, which ended up on my hand. Service was great. I wish I caught his name. He was attentive but not hovering.

Went on a Friday night. About 10 people at bar and 1 person eating in dining room when we walked in. The bartender that was working the far end of the bar decided to attended to 3 other people that sat down after us. Took about 8 minutes for him to explain the differences between bourbon, scotch and whiskey to these 3 individuals. We were finally recognized and served some 15 minutes after sitting down. Ordered the crab dip appetizer… loaded with onion taste and the bread served with it is not even toasted, could only eat ½ of it. The whiskey sour that the bartender made was very good! Our food was delivered by a second bartender. We sat with glass empty for a good 5 minutes hoping that a bartender would ask if we wanted another drink… no such luck. Decided it was time to move on as they were more interested in checking text messages and talking with the other waitstaff. Nice inside atmosphere… hope they get more customers

Pretty place– really dead for a Saturday night but I suppose New Years weekend had everything goofed up. Went in to sample some bourbon-​extensive menu-​got what we wanted (they were out of I. W. Harper 15-​bummer) but the bartender was very nice, very patient, not pushy, friendly (did I mention extremely easy on the eyes??) and did not present herself as any kind of a bourbon snob (like you sometimes find).
I will drop in again.

This is a restaurant saying it has an identity but really it’s still seeking it. We came to the restaurant on a gift certificate. I am glad we didn’t spend full price for the unimaginative menu. While the food we had was good it was not excellent. It was easily something I might have prepared at home. I would guess by the prep and service that this entry level chef needed to work closer to entry level. This was suppose to be a southern menu but it was southern in name only. It felt thrown together at the last minute. I won’t be returning anytime soon.

I must admit…
They have a great Old Fashioned. But, that is all I know about this place, as I try to avoid the «Live» scene. ;)
I remember when this was the Maker’s Mark Lounge, and the ambiance doesn’t seem to have changed too much since then. Since this was only my second visit, and I had no chance to stay long and further enjoy my surroundings, I shall have to visit again and finish this short attempt at a review.

My husband & I visited Bourbon Raw last night during a Unilocal Elite event. I don’t frequent 4^th Street often these days and hadn’t heard they’d moved in to the former Maker’s Mark building. Similar set-​up and party room is located in the back. I completely appreciated the vibe of the tables and oversized chairs, which create a private feeling for the tables. The restaurant has very dim lighting which I think is a little much. Dim lighting reminds me too much of older Louisville hotels with dark paneling.
Dishes are on the pricier side so I can’t imagine ever coming to eat off the main menu; however, I’d definitely recommend and come back for salads & appetizers with a late night drink. Or, a quick stop in for lunch.
We got to sample several dishes at the Unilocal event — my favorite is the Brie skillet. The brie is mixed with a blackberry jam and is served with soft toast. It was hard to share this dish. Another good one was the loaded potato dip — not so much for the dip, but for the homemade wedges.
Additionally we had crab dip (heavy crab flavor, don’t get this if you don’t enjoy fishy), meatloaf sliders (nice subtle flavoring but soft, almost mushy texture), BBQ shrimp flatbread (delicious if you don’t mind shrimp) & crawfish hushpuppies (great flavor, not fishy, tarter sauce is oddly chunky. I can’t speak to the oysters but know these are a signature item and the crowd gobbled up every dish brought out.
Note: They have a great looking website. Besides menus, they note daily drink specials & Happy Hour. Several mentions of ½ price appetizers … I hear the brie calling my name!

Walked in today for an appetizer and drink. There were 2 tables, three people at one table and 4 people at the other. One more person at the bar. Total of 8 people. No one else in the place, and they tell us there is a 30 minute wait. Even with one wait staff person they couldn’t handle 2 more people? Come on

WOW… Was in town on business and heard about this place and checked it out… Place looked great and the staff was very informative… Had the raw bar for the table and it was great… Then had Salmon for an entre and it was the best Salmon I have ever had… I am in town at least one a month and will definitely be back next time I am in town…

I had the chance to check out the newer Bourbon Raw.
I know they just made a change over from Makers Mark.
I have been to Makers many many times, and was always satisfied with the great food and detailed bourbon selection.
Now seeing the new concept, it appears that, this group, took the great aspects of Makers, and improved them into Bourbon Raw. The new sleek, warm, look, is ver inviting. The stone and glass water feature, give a real, Land/​Water feel. This clearly ties into the new Raw Bar they added to the front area. This raw bar, looks amaizing. the night I was in, I opted for my goto steak, and it was cooked the way I requested. The service was prompt and friendly.
I did enjoy a great round of carried bourbon tastings that our server suggested. the music and vibe, seemed very upbeat and fun. This is a place I will return to, with my group of couple friends, to eat and a few cocktails after, to end the night.
I will be returning soon.

A nice environment if visiting Louisville.
The food was excellent but you pay a high price.
Their bourbon options are excellent and my friends who tried different drinks enjoyed them.
I think I would give this another shot if I come back.

Service was awesome but I was not impressed with food. The fried chicken seemed burnt and squash was very stringy.

If I could give negative stars I would. It’s Thursday night, I came in around 6pm. It’s now 7:15. Literally there is one other person in here and he is wasted and red in the face. I had a gift certificate otherwise I would not come to a place like this. My steak was over cooked. Appetizer was dry. Hang on, it was a $ 38 steak that was like fajita meat from a cheap Mexican restaurant and over cooked at that. Drink was ok but my second drink took nearly twenty minutes. When he returned with it he said he was out of syrup and had to make some. I was already finished eating but whatever. Now the staff is just hanging out gossiping at the end of the bar. Don’t waste your time or money here.

I had the pleasure of attending the opening of Bourbon Raw a couple weekends ago, and I was very impressed! The service was great, and the food was even better.
I ordered the salmon, and it was perfectly cooked. The side items (black eyed peas, onion and tomato with rice, and a cornbread purée) were an awesome addition to the salmon. The cornbread purée, on the bottom of the plate, was my favorite part. So yummy!
My friend ordered the filet (medium rare) and it was also very good. Her order came with delicious collard greens and potatoes.
We kept it simple with the cocktails — a rum and coke and a vodka tonic — but they were good as well. I think the prices are a little out of the range I normally spend, but I hope to be back some time! Bourbon Raw is a great addition to Fourth Street, and I hope helps with improving that area.

Obviously I hit the wrong button on my check-​in, but I wanted to elaborate on it. First of all, service was excellent! They keep this up, and I’ll definitely be back sometime.
For food, I had the 5 oz filet with creamed collard greens and fingerling potatoes. Even though the greens were not the southern kind that I’m used to making at home, they were very tasty. Served in a nice bowl, they came with a creamy white sauce that was very savory. Other than that, the fingerling potatoes and steak weren’t anything to write home about. The steak was cooked well, and so were the potatoes.
I will say that I had a couple of bites of my man’s salmon over a bed of rice, and for a typical non-​baked-​fish eater like myself, I would’ve definitely choked down on that! Overall, pretty good place to dine.