The Rickhouse is Bardstown’s special-occasion dinner: a candlelit steakhouse and bourbon lounge under the brick arches of Spalding Hall’s basement, pouring about 150 bourbons. It serves dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m., steaks run $29 to $55 a la carte, and you should book ahead for any weekend. It’s the room people pick for anniversaries, and it mostly earns that, with a few caveats worth knowing before you go.
What makes the room worth it
You reach the dining room through cast-iron gates beneath the old stone stairs of Spalding Hall, the 1839 building that was the main hall of St. Joseph’s College and briefly a Civil War hospital. Down below, the walls are arched brick, barrels line the room and the light is mostly candles. It feels like a speakeasy that happens to serve a proper steak, and the Getz Museum is upstairs.
Service is the other reason people come back. Reviewers regularly name their servers, praise their bourbon knowledge and describe small touches on celebration nights; one October 2025 anniversary couple wrote about roses and a card waiting at the table. Mention the occasion when you book.
The name is a nod to the warehouses where bourbon ages, and the menu leans into it: the back page even carries a glossary of distilling terms, from “thief” to “angel’s share,” which is handy if you’re new to bourbon. For a primer before dinner, bourbon tasting for beginners covers how to nose and sip.
What to order at The Rickhouse
Steaks are the headline and are served a la carte, so budget for sides. The full Rickhouse menu is posted online; these are the prices shown in September 2026.
| Dish | Price |
|---|---|
| 9 oz USDA Prime sirloin | $29 |
| 7 oz center-cut filet | $48 |
| 12 oz ribeye or 14 oz New York strip | $39 |
| 18 oz cowboy bone-in ribeye | $55 |
| Oscar style (lobster, asparagus, hollandaise) on any steak | add $15 |
| Bourbon blueberry salmon over berry couscous | $30 |
| Parmesan-crusted sea bass | $38 |
| 24 oz bone-in porterhouse pork chop with bourbon apricot chutney | $36 |
| Top of the Rick Hot Brown on a croissant | $19 |
Reviewers most often praise the steaks (tender enough, several say, to cut with a butter knife), the pork chop, the salmon, the Brussels sprouts and the spinach dip. The pork chop takes about 40 minutes, so order it with your drinks.
The sides are where the kitchen has fun. The “eleven cheese” sauce shows up in the macaroni ($8) and the scalloped potatoes ($8), and the Brussels sprouts come with apples, bacon, cranberries and bourbon ($8). Classic sides like bacon green beans and bourbon mushrooms are $6. Starters range from bruschetta ($14) to lobster macaroni and cheese ($25), and desserts include a chocolate and orange bourbon bread pudding ($8) and cheesecake with blackberry maple sauce ($10).
Burgers ($18 to $19) and the hot brown are the lighter, cheaper way in.
Bourbon flights and the bar
The Rickhouse lists about 150 bourbons, and the flights are a good value lesson in how the category climbs. Each flight is five one-third-ounce tastes: flight one ($40) draws from bottom-shelf classics like Old Crow, Very Old Barton and J.W. Dant; flight two ($45) moves up to Elijah Craig Small Batch and Four Roses Yellow Label; flight three ($50) reaches Baker’s, Rare Breed, Angel’s Envy and Willett Pot Still Reserve. The menu notes that some bottles are in limited supply, so ask what’s actually open.
There’s also a wine list with glasses from about $9 to $15, and reviewers mention cocktails such as a blueberry lemon drop martini. If you’d rather drink than dine, you can sit in the lounge; one reviewer arrived late, sat at the bar and was happy with the food and service. For more places to sip after dinner, see Bardstown bourbon bars and tasting rooms.
Reservations and when to go
Book online through the reservation link on the Rickhouse home page. Friday and Saturday evenings go first, and holiday nights sell out. Tuesday through Thursday, with the kitchen open until 9 p.m., is the calmer option.
Timing around a distillery day works well here. Most distillery tours and kitchens wrap up by 5 p.m., so a 6 or 6:30 p.m. table gives you time to get back downtown, change and walk over. If you’ve been tasting all afternoon, start with water and food before the bourbon flight; the flights are small pours, but they add up after a day on the trail. Early seatings at 4 or 5 p.m. are also the easiest to get on a busy Saturday and suit anyone heading to an evening show at the Stephen Foster Story in summer.
The biggest trap is the calendar. The Rickhouse is closed Sunday and Monday, so a Saturday arrival that plans “the nice dinner” for Sunday night will be out of luck. Parties of 10 or more get a 20% gratuity added. The restaurant also books private events such as rehearsal dinners and does catering.
What reviewers criticize
The Rickhouse holds 4.3 out of 5 from nearly 1,200 reviews on TripAdvisor and ranks among the top two or three restaurants in town, with a 2026 Travelers’ Choice nod. The complaints cluster around consistency. In 2026, reviewers reported an overcooked steak, lukewarm sauce, stale rolls and a cheese ravioli one diner called inedible. Several Valentine’s Day reservations were dropped without notice in February 2026, and service slows when the room is full.
How to tilt the odds: stick to the steaks, pork chop and salmon, tell your server exactly how you like your steak done, and reconfirm a holiday booking by phone at (502) 348-2832.
Parking, the entrance and accessibility
The address is 112 Xavier Drive, but think of it as “under Spalding Hall,” a few blocks west of Court Square. The Getz Museum points visitors to free parking in the lots behind Spalding Hall; even so, reviewers describe parking as limited on busy nights, and walking from a downtown hotel is easiest. The entrance is hard to spot in the dark, so allow a few extra minutes.
There are steps at the front. A restaurantji reviewer noted that step-free access may be possible through the bar, so call ahead if you need it.
Pair it with
- An afternoon at the free Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History upstairs, then drinks at 4 p.m. when the Rickhouse opens.
- A look inside the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, just across the grounds.
- A full romantic getaway itinerary, with the Rickhouse as the Saturday-night anchor, and a room at one of the historic inns and B&Bs within walking distance.
- If it’s booked, the date-night dinner guide lists the alternatives, and the Old Talbott Tavern makes a more casual backup.
Walk home or bring a driver. A $50 flight plus a cocktail is plenty of bourbon for one evening.
