vernon's speakeasy

i'm very disappointed with vernon's. we spent almost $500 last night for nye. the food was good and our waiter professional and attentive, but the chaos going on was horrible and not at all relaxing. they overbooked for nye and didn't anticipate that guests would linger for a special occasion like nye. first we spent at least 45 minutes before we were seated eventhough we rsvped. since some patrons stayed longer than vernon's calculatedtimethen everything was back up. seriously what do you expect on nye. come on this was $125 prix fix per person. do you expect people to eat like it's mcdonald. the rsvp department failed miserably. unfortunately we were seated near the bar where we literally saw the hostess & host, waiters and servers running about to serve people and to seat them. one couple was even asked to hurry up and eat their meal because someone needed their table. we were upset by hearing because it meant unless we don't eat fast enough then you will ask to vacate your table. when you spent that much money you don't need that kind of hassle especially on nye.



vernon called me two days ago and apologized for their overbooking. they even reimbursed us for one meal that is $125. i have to say i’m impress the apology left on my voicemail. it sounded sincere and heartfelt. i will review my rating from one star to three for their effort in making this right.

scallops and lobster. the scallops were tender and fresh-tasting, seasoned just right - i wanted to lick my plate! the lobster was the highlight, so tender, not a rubbery or gristly bite on it; it didn't even need to be dipped in butter except that the butter was so amazing. as i ate each bite of buttery lobster, it truly melted in my mouth as the flavor stimulated every taste bud. i never got bored with the flavor. the butter dip was so fresh and well-seasoned with no greasy dripping or separation from the cream.


-----10 apr, 2015-----

pricey but worth it. we went on 2/13/15 for early valentines - firsttimethere. we dressed up in 20's garb, which was fun, but i was disappointed that more customers didn't play the part as well. we liked the dark, romantic atmosphere, the password, secret revolving bookcases, and that the hosting staff dressed the part.

the place was hard to find for us as first timers. we walked around for ten minutes, worried we'd miss our reservations and finally just followed some random couple to see if they were going to vernon's. thank god they were. the black door with red light wasn't so black and red. more like weather-worn black and dull orange. they really need to repaint door and put in a red bulb.

the food and service made up for not finding the place! we seriously hadn't had a meal of such high quality in years. our seafood and steaks were cooked to perfection and the lobster butter was amazing - not the greasy butter that separates when it cools down. i appreciated that the portions weren't overwhelming, but just right so that we didn't need take home boxes. to me, that says class. the prices are truly high, but we felt we received the value in our meal.

i was a little disappointed in seeing a couple customers come in with jeans on; my understanding from vernon's website is that the dress is business casual at the very least. maybe a t-shirt and jeans is business casual to some. ??

the hostess was very friendly and thorough when making reservations. and our waitress was wonderful, she even placed my napkin in my lap! i know that's classy but somehow didn't expect it. she was also knowledgeable about the wine selection and i was pleased with her wine suggestion for my taste.

overall, we will be back for sure as our budget will allow!

not worth the prices.. not going to elaborate, but this place was not worth the hype. my husband and had the worst experience, cold food that took too long to receive and eye rolls from the waiter who made us feel like we were wasting his time. there are plenty of great restaurants like zinc, down and dirty, and pelican's. save yourself thetimeand money!

everyone i know loves vernon's. everytimewe have ever dined at vernon's with family and/or friends there have been only the best comments. presentation, quality and service! we never feel like we are being rushed out the door. we are always meant to feel welcome and to engage ourselves in the unique speakeasy dining experience. i highly recommend the nm grass-fed beef ribeye! the only downside for me is that i'd like to see new mexico wines on the wine list, especially milagro & black mesa.

great food, great ambience, great service!!. my wife and i have been to vernon's twice now. if you are looking for a place with great character, food, service and experience in the 505, this is it! pricey yes, but absolutely worth it. make a reservation, get there early and sit in the lounge and have a drink before your reservation. music is fantastic, drinks are excellent. stories are hilarious! kick back and have a greattimein our own speakeasy in albuquerque. vernon's does not disapoint.

excellent!!! my husband and i had dinner at vernon's for the firsttimetonight. it was exceptional! both of our steaks were cooked to perfection, the garlic mashed potatoes were spectacular. the service was also top notch. our server was gabe and he was very knowledgable, friendly, and hospitable. we will definitely return and recommend it to others.

bad waiter, cold raw center!. the lasttimei ate here it was the best steak i ever ate. this time, it was a huge disappointment. the waiter was sweating and my dining partner said he smelled bad. she ordered a cocktail and for some reason the waiter wouldn't go and put the order for it in but had to stand and discuss the "specials"with us. she ordered a filet and i ordered a rib eye. her's was good, mine had "a cold center" which means raw in the middle - i asked for "medium rare but closer to medium than rare". too many people came to the table to say they were sorry... we were trying to have a conversation! they took my entire plate away and left me with nothing at all to eat. they could have left the baked potato.

my friend was finished with her meal by thetimemy new steak, which was much smaller than the first, was returned. it was a huge disappointment.
and they didn't even offer any compensation for their mistake. i think i'll stick with bien shur at sandia casino, where the best server, michelle, knows what she's doing and is professional. and their steaks are just as fabulous, if not, better. there is nothing worse than having a bad waiter at an expensive restaurant. plus he kept coming over to ask if everything was okay and interrupting our personal conversation. he was one of the worst waiters i have ever had at a high end restaurant in any city from chicago to denver to la and las vegas. would i eat there again... if someone forced me and paid the bill!

very disappointing restaurant. a terrible restaurant experience! ran out of fillets -- what a steakhouse running out of fillets? at 7:00 pm.
food mediocre or worse. vegetables served were cold. orders were mixed up. one plate that ordered baked potato got mashed. another plate that ordered mashed got both mashed and baked. meat was overcooked.
wine sommelier was arrogant and pretentious. ordered a $68 bottle of wine and he said he would be back with glasses and decant, however due to someone else buying a bottle of opus his attention was not on our lowly $68 wine. really wanted wine with entree, but had to ask and ask to get our wine order -- sommelier was busy at another table -- guess which table. was charged a 20% gratuity on the wine that was a separate order from the dinner.
dessert was served to the person whose b-day was being celebrated before they asked any one else their dessert selection. oh they were out of vanilla ice cream holy cow!
bottom line -- don't waste yourtimeand money.

had the oysters last night, writing this from the throne... asked to sit near the piano because i enjoy piano music, when we were seated asked whattimethe piano player started, were told no piano tonight. should have left right then. down hill from there.

very disappointing. i had heard the hype, read the mixed reviews, but decided to give it a try, hoping to get a very flavorful prime aged steak. got the los ranchos, which our server said was the most flavorful. what a disappointment. i could have done much better buying a steak at smiths and grilling it at home. the server was a little pretenscious, and with the poor quality of the food he was serving had absolutely no right to be. don't waste your money or yourtimeat this place!!!!!

terrible. only the secondtimein my life that the food was so bad i could not eat it. my son and i ordered the crab cake sandwich for lunch. neither of us could get past the second bite. soggy bread, very foul odor, and in general just a very nasty entree. there were only 3 tables with guests and i can see why. also the floor had food all over it that had not been picked up. i will absolutely never return and i recommend to others to go elsewhere for a meal.

disappointing. both the food and the service were will below par for the prices charged. the ribeye steak i ordered was both tough and undercooked - medium rare does not mean raw in the middle. their potato hash was unappetizing. when i complained about the steak, all they did was take what was left of mine and cook it a bit more - well managed restaurants usually bring an entire new one.

service was very slow - it took fully 45 minutes fromtimeof order totimeof service of the entrees - well after we were done with salads. we did get lots of water though.

as for the 'speakeasy' venue, other than the little act at the front door, the rest of the experience was akin to dining at any restaurant - though darker.

bad service / overpriced food. my family ate at vernon's saturday night and were extremely disappointed in the food and the service. we were seated promptly in the very back corner next to a woman and her date. upon making my reservation, the receptionist had warned me against taking a child because this was an adult venue and they do not tolerate children that misbehave. however, my child was better behaved than the couple sitting behind me. we ordered quickly and our bread and appetizers arrived promptly. our waiter told us 20 minutes into the our experience that our dinner would be right out, at whichtimei asked it if was to late to butterfly my child's and my filets. he informed me it was. that's when the woman behind me began complaining about her pork chop and the waiter promptly brought her a filet mignon. our filet ?? 45 minutes later after the woman behind me sent back one filet and we heard the waiter do some serious sucking up (including the manager), did we receive our food. my med well filet was well done. my child's smaller filet which should have been med well was very pink and butterflied. did our waiter make a decision to give our steaks to the woman who began complaining? my guess is he did. considering vernon's policy on children, one would think they would have gotten us in and out quickly - not made us wait longer. the food was overpriced and the service was poor. we didn't even receive an apology for our food delay. this is one of the worst experiences i've had in abq. too bad it was such an expensive one!

look around for a better meal. we ate at vernon's two nights ago with high expectations based on the reviews and were very disappointed. the clever entry was fun and as we entered the atmosphere was intriguing, but from thattimeon it was very ordinary and frankly not worth the price. three of our party of six ordered the recommended french onion soup - not much taste and too much grease. four ordered the rib eye med rare plus and three were served at least medium and were very tough - definitely not up to the standard of prime and no better than any supermarket has to offer. no one ever stopped by the table after the entrees were served to ask if we were pleased. we mentioned our displeasure to the waiter as he removed the plates with half eaten steaks from the table and suggested the chef should try them. we mentioned the problem with the steaks again as the bill was presented by another waiter. we never heard any response from the server or the kitchen or anyone! dessert was not ordered and coffee was never offered. if you want a tough piece of meat at a very high price where no one cares about your satisfaction, this is your place. my recommendation is to look around for a better meal. there are several other places where the food and service is better and they care about their customer satisfaction.

omg! vernon's is the best!. i am amazed at some of the reviews. i can't even believe that they went to the same restaurant! our experience was totally different. we dined there for the firsttimelast saturday. the place was packed. we only had to wait about 5 minutes for our table. our server was fabulous! he was very knowledgeable about wine. come to find out he was the amazing artist behind all of the artwork at vernon's! i love the ambiance which is unlike anywhere i have ever been. the food was sooooo yummy! we started with scallops and crab cakes for appetizers and they were better than any i have ever had. my husband got the ribeye and i ordered the fillet and the meat was so tender and flavorful and the wasabi mashed potatoes. omg! if you have not been yet, put going to vernon's on your bucket list! it is expensive but very worth it. we plan on going again very soon.