Cardinal Spirits Distillery And

This used to be my favorite place anywhere. The only thing better than the amazing perfectly balanced cocktails was chef Abel Garcia's food. There were so many delicious and creative gluten free options, so we chose Cardinal for every special occasion. After a year away, we visited last night. There was a strange smell throughout the distillery tasting room, but we did our best to ignore it knowing we were moments away from a flavor experience. The new menu has comparitively fewer gluten free options. And simple sandwiches have replaced the previously creative entree options. We opted for OMG fries and the charcuterie board hangovers from the previous menu. Much to our disappointment, the fries now come with bottled ketchup instead of the flavorful homemade sauces. The charcuterie board was made with low quality cheese cubes and salami served with ordinary mustard and honey. The gluten free sub for the bread was stale rice crackers. I tried not to be bothered because we were there for the cocktails...but they were also underwhelming. The terra gin cocktail I ordered tasted like spicey watermelon juice, not at all like the handcrafted spirits I came in for. $75 later we left quite disappointed. We spent our meal googling Abel Garcia he's at the Elks Club, by the way. We really miss his food...and we really miss the spirits in Cardinal Spirits. Dietary restrictions: A few gluten free options, but not as many as 2022 and earlier

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Cardinal Spirits is a great hang out spot for a well-crafted cocktail and a small bite. The servers are very knowledgeable about the difference flavor profiles of their homemade spirits and l liked that they would let you taste whatever you wanted before you ordered it. I had a old fashioned and my husband the Space Cowboy and Paper Plane cocktails. We shared the Burata/salad small plate. I think this place is more if you want a small bite along with your cocktail, since the plates are on the pricey side (good tasting though). Also, we purchased a bottle of their bourbon for a friend we were visiting (which we got a small discount on since we dined there). The only thing I did not like was the fact that they automatically charge a 20% tip. The server did tell us about this while we were ordering, however I typically do not tip 20% (even for great service) on a $15 cocktail. I would have tipped nicely without a mandatory tip, and didn't think that was necessary.

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I went here for the first time with a friend last week for dinner drinks. Despite an extremely limited menu, the food was fine the cocktails were interesting. However, what would have been an acceptable, if not extraordinary, experience was ruined when we were each paying our bills. I had already signed mine added a 20+ tip when my friend said, Oh my gosh: They 've already added a 20 tip to our bills! I was furious! I have been in other restaurants where a gratuity was added ahead of time, even for individual diners, but the server always points it out when presenting the check. It is disgustingly unprofessional sleezy to try to trick guests into tipping on top of a 20 tip. This may not seem like a big deal to some folks, but it is to me. I will not be returning!

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Great spot for cocktails and food. The menu is limited but everything on it is worth it. Work an appetite and enjoy great cocktails here. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs

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Great booze. Fancy cocktails. Food looks good, but I haven't tried it. Its a good time.

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