The Barton House

Review summary

1. C

   Chris

   Central Texas

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 1

   So bad it was funny. A parody of a special night out. A huge disappointment for our first night out together at a “white table cloth” restaurant in many years. The $75 “special menu”, with the price not on the menu, included a maybe $45 meal. The “special menu” was not on their home page, so I’d thought they had their normal menu. That’s why I reserved a table. We were placed in upstairs (steep, narrow stairs) in what is apparently a meeting room. There were plastic stacking chairs to sit in, and so many tables crammed in that people of normal size could not sit back to back (tables were on all four walls). Yet staff continued to try and seat people at the tables where there was no room. Over and over again. Getting hit in the back a few times does not add to the ambiance. The meal would have been disappointing at much lower price. While our steaks were excellent, the mashed potatoes (really whipped potatoes) were lukewarm and the asparagus cold. Good desserts, though. The special night continued with the bill. A mandatory 20% tip was added and a credit card surcharge. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen an automatic tip for a party of two, and I’ve never seen a fine dining restaurant outside of California add a credit card surcharge. Our reservation was early, but on departure the parking lot was chaotic. Shoving so many more people into the restaurant exceeded available parking. That meant that arriving diners were being very creative in where they parked. Exiting the lot was quite exciting. I’m not sure who thought that “it’s Valentine’s Day so cram ‘em in and overcharge them” was a good idea. I’m sure it brought in revenue, but I’m also sure there are many who will never try the restaurant again.
   

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2. I

   Ian

   Austin

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Not fine dinning as advertised. The Valentine’s ribeye was fatty and poor quality. My wife’s triple delight had no shrimp so it was only a “double delight” that tasted like frozen reheat. Service and dessert were good.
   

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3. D

   Dave

   New Orleans

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 7, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   About once per month, Barton House prepares a special menu, which we frequently enjoy. The February 6, 2025 dinner was not as fantastic as the previous ones we have gone to. When we arrived at 7, they were out of one of the featured appetizers and two of the four special entrees. They happened to be among the items we planned to order. The beef and lentil stew entree had overcooked (dry) beef. We were very pleased with the house white wines. We will return to The Barton House because all of our previous experiences were excellent. When there is a themed dinner, I would also suggest playing a music that reflects the dinner theme. DH
   

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4. J

   Janet

   Vancouver

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on January 30, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We had a very lovely anniversary dinner at Barton House last night. We love this restaurant.
   

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5. L

   Linda

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on January 25, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great place to eat! Great food, service, ambiance, and wine.
   

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6. A

   Adrienne

   Amarillo

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on January 25, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This is a favorite meet up spot for brunch. The staff is so friendly-it has a real family feel! The aesthetic is quirky, artsy, and elegant and the food never disappoints! PS the cranberry mimosa was a delicious surprise!
   

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7. J

   Jane

   Unspecified

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 21, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We celebrated a birthday at Barton House. Our waiter, Cooper, was excellent and our food was very good. The ambiance was lovely.
   

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8. A

   Ally

   VIP

   Salt Lake City

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on January 18, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   The house is a very cool environment, and service was decent. But the food was very very mediocre. I was really excited to try the restaurant after reading other reviews having it recommended to me by others, but I left very disappointed. We had the chicken marsala and chicken picatta. The chicken picatta was undercooked and had to be sent back (I’ve never sent a dish back before in my life). Aside from that, it was very bland food. There are other great restaurants in Salado that I would pick 100 times before coming back here.
   

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9. L

   Lynn

   Exclusive

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on January 17, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The Barton House always has great food and service.
   

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10. J

    James

    Austin

    13 reviews

    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on January 13, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4

    Lots of great menu choices with an emphasis on excellent Italian dishes. Superb service by experienced staff. Tables for two tend to be small and somewhat uncomfortable. Otherwise, an absolutely fabulous dining experience.
    

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