The Black Hen Restaurant

Review summary

1. M

   Matthew

   New York City

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on November 9, 2024

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

   This place is POORLY POORLY run. No organization whatsoever. The hostess and manager looked confused when we showed up as they were scrambling to seat people. We had reservations for 8pm originally, called to ask for 7:30pm instead, was told yes, "we'll see you at 7:30". We arrive and hostess tablet showed 8pm...never changed. So we sat there till almost 8 to get seated. Which brings me to that fiasco. They bring us into the back area to be seated and our table has all empty drink glasses on it. Never cleaned up. Note: Busser: A busser's role is to set and clear tables at a restaurant to ensure that each guest has a clean and consistent experience. They remove used dishes from tables, re-set tables between parties Then.....OUR TABLE TOP WAS WOBBLY AF! And no, we weren't going to ask if they can swap it out because that would've either taken forever or they had no tables available so we dealt with it. And yes, my son ordered a Margarita and at one point, he put it down and 5 seconds later, 1/2 of it poured out onto tablecloth from the wobble. SERVICE? ABSOLUTLEY HORRIBLE!! After getting seated, it took almost 20 minutes for our waiter (who acted like it was his 1st day on the job) to finally come over asking if we'd like any drinks. We gave our order and 15 minutes later.....possibly 20....and after I complained to a fellow waiter of the delay....we got our drinks. He then took our order for appetizer and dinner. ONCE AGAIN....about 20-25 minutes went by until we got our appetizer!! WE'RE THERE ALREADY ALMOST AN HOUR AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN ORDERED DINNER!!! Finally we place our dinner order and as you can guess...another 30 minutes! Oh, we were told the delay was because ONE OF OUR DINNERS WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER PARTY!!! SUMMARY: Food was decent, service was horrible. SKIP THIS PLACE, NOT WORTH TIME, WAIT to eat ok food. P.S...Walking out, another party, we met arriving, told us they were experiencing what we just experienced. So it just wasn't my experience
   

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2. G

   Gabriele

   Raleigh

   39 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   39 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

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

   This restaurant needs a reset. The moment we walked in it was utter chaos. The server did the best she could, but the food and wine were less than mediocre. Overcooked, terrible wine that was close to $80! I would never go here again. There are so many better options in Blacksburg.
   

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3. A

   Amit

   Washington DC

   3 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

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

   Expensive place for Blacksburg, service was very poor and food very average. Staff seemed overwhelmed, did not have silverware or glassware. The "filet" we ordered looked like a hamburger steak.
   

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4. K

   Kristi

   Washington DC

   8 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

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

   I have been here several times while visiting my kids at school, and it is usually my favorite place in Blacksburg. This time, it could have been better. The service could have been better and faster. We ordered a cocktail when we sat down, and it took 30 minutes to reach the table.
   

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5. L

   Laura

   Richmond

   5 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on November 9, 2024

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

   We had a reservation at715 and didn't get sat until 750 after I spoke to the manager because the hostess kept sitting other people, our waiter was great but the service still sucked. We won't be back
   

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6. C

   Chris

   New York City

   11 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   11 reviews

   Dined on October 26, 2024

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

   Nice experience. Cocktails were awesome! Nice young servers. Didn’t wait long for food. Good was good.
   

   The Black Hen RestaurantResponded on October 29, 2024

   Hi Chris, Thank you for your positive review! We are so glad you had a great experience at The Black Hen. It’s always a pleasure to serve our customers. We looking forward to serving you again soon! The Black Hen
   

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7. J

   Jennifer

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on October 21, 2024

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

   Delicious food and nice quiet atmosphere. Enjoyable place for a nice meal while visiting our son at Virginia Tech.
   

   The Black Hen RestaurantResponded on October 29, 2024

   Hi Jennifer, We are so happy that you chose to dine with us during your visit! Your review means so much to us. We hope to serve you again for your next visit! The Black Hen
   

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8. D

   David

   Richmond

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on October 18, 2024

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

   Overall a good experience, with tasty food, well prepared and nicely presented. We were disappointed that with a reservation, we were stuck at a high top for seating in the bar area, which had no customers but lots of noise and activity coming and going from the kitchen. The fried cauliflower poppers with a nicely spicy chili sauce could use a touch less crunch, but was still good, the lamb chops were excellently prepared, as were the sides. Of our two desserts, the lemon cream cake was very good, but the cheesecake could use some improvement. We had a lovely French Malbec, and excellent cocktails as well. Prices are very reasonable. Our friendly server added to a nice evening.
   

   The Black Hen RestaurantResponded on October 29, 2024

   Hi David, Thank you for your honest review. We are very sorry that we did not meet your expectations at The Black Hen. We always try our best to ensure that our customers have a wonderful experience dining with us. We would love to hear from you so we can discuss how we can make this right. Please contact us at 540-641-7539 to create a better experience for you. We look forward to hearing from you, The Black Hen
   

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9. O

   Odette

   Washington DC

   2 reviews

   1.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on October 18, 2024

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

   Our experience at the Black Hen was definitely sub par. The service was terrible, our server seemed to be occupied constantly with other tables and none of the other servers approached our table to check on us. We ordered an appetizer, which should come before the main courses, but it came after the first person’s main course. The second person in our party ordered the salmon and the dish was delivered without the salmon, just the risotto one the plate. Our server was very confused when we asked about the salmon. The third person in our group ordered a chicken and mozzarella salad and it was delivered to our table well after the other meals. That dish was very unappetizing and unappealing. The food was overpriced for what was offered. As we were leaving the manager or possibly the owner asked us if everything was good and we answered that is was just okay. He did not inquire why we said just okay. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. We will not be returning.
   

   The Black Hen RestaurantResponded on October 29, 2024

   Hi Odette, We sincerely thank you for taking the time to share your review. Our goal at The Black Hen is to provide 100% customer satisfaction. However, we realize that we did not meet your expectations. We value our customers and their experience at our restaurant. We would love to hear more about your experience and make it right if we can. Please contact us at directly 540-641-7539 at your convenience. We look forward to hopefully hearing from you, The Black Hen
   

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10. j

    janer

    Raleigh

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 12, 2024

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

    I'm not even sure how to rate our experience. I had made a reservation a week in advance based on the excellent online reviews. The menu looked great and we were looking forward to a nice dinner. When we arrived, the restaurant was empty. We were seated outside on the patio, as we had originally requested in our reservation. Because it was hot on the patio and there were quite a few bees or yellowjackets, we asked if we could move inside. Since it was early and nobody was at any of the indoor tables, we assumed that would be ok. But our server told us "he'd rather we not move" - what?!? Ok, so we sat outside in the sun waiting for water. Several times our server came and asked how many waters we wanted (there were 3 of us). We also asked for a bottle of wine, but he said he didn't know what it was and then awhile later told us they didn't have that wine. We asked for a different wine. He also told us he was training a new server, which we completely understand because everyone's new to a job at some point! We heard them talking a lot (going over lots of service procedures) but nobody came over to our table, which was, at this point, still the only table of customers in the entire restaurant. After about 10-15 minutes of waiting, the server finally brought over one water. No wine. At this point, we started to wonder what was going on and decided that we should probably have dinner elsewhere. We told them we were leaving and then another staff member told us they'd take care of us "even though they had to take care of a lot of other tables too". At that point, we gave up and left. It was definitely not a good first impression - I don't think we'll be back despite all the other rave reviews.
    

    The Black Hen RestaurantResponded on October 29, 2024

    Hello Janer, We truly apologize for your negative experience at The Black Hen. We always appreciate any customer feedback no matter the circumstances. We value our customers and their satisfaction. We want to do whatever we can to make it right. Please feel free to call us at directly 540-641-7539 to accommodate a better experience for you. We will consider your review moving forward with our training and service provided at our restaurant. You are always welcome at the Black Hen. Take care and thank you for sharing your experience with us! The Black Hen
    

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