Mandy and I went back to downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina to explore a small pub looking establishment that caught my eye when we first explored downtown. It is called Black Rose Public House.
The Black Rose Public House is a pub style restaurant that serves Irish, Scottish and English type cuisines. It is no secret that I enjoy these types of restaurants and this one did not disappoint.
The outside of the establishment, as you can see from the image, to the top left, is not flashy or overly assuming. When you walk in, it had a homey feel to it with the requisite advertisements of different types of Irish beer and sports playing on the TV over the bar.
Quality of Food – 5
We began our meal with an appetizer, as we commonly do. The one that caught our eye was Irish Nachos. Yes. That is what I said, “Irish Nachos.” Take two unrelated cultures and mix their tastes into one dish. They came with Tortilla chips, Guinness cheese, bacon, fried potatoes, sour cream and chives. Risky. But it paid off. They were delicious and more filling than we anticipated.
We both enjoyed the entrée I ordered when we ate at Hannah Flanagan’s that we decided to both order the same thing at Black Rose Public House and see how they compared. That entrée was Bangers and Mash. For the uninitiated, Bangers and Mash comes with sausage (bangers) with mashed potatoes (mash) and gravy. It was served with caramelized onions at Black Rose. We both really enjoyed it. The bangers were made specially for Black Rose. The gravy is sweeter at Black Rose than Hannah Flanagan’s. It tasted good to us both. Those who like sweet will enjoy it more than those who don’t.
Service – 5
This place shined in this area. There is no question in my mind that they deserved top marks in service. Our server, Becca, was very personable and respectful. As we sat there, the restaurant began to fill up with more and more customers until there was almost no sitting room. However, even with the increased table count responsibility, my water was never empty and plates were quickly cleared. In addition, our food was brought to us promptly and at the right tempo (entrée was not brought out until our appetizer was almost finished). We were never distracted from our eating experience.
Something happened that I did not expect which was icing on the cake. I was taking pictures of our drinks and the inside of the establishment to be able to share our experience with you. I was having trouble with glare. Then, all of a sudden the lights in the whole place dimmed. I thought it was coincidental luck. Nope. It was Bill. Bill is the owner of the place. He saw me having trouble taking images with the glare and he dimmed the lights to make it easier for me. He was aware enough and attentive enough to notice across a crowded room. Then, he came over to ensure I got the pix I was trying to get and stayed around for conversation. Unexpected and completely appreciated.
Price – 5
The price to food ratio was very reasonable at an entrée price of $10. The portions were more than worth the price and they left us just to the stuffed side of full. Honestly, we should have probably brought some home. Great taste and good portions. You’ll leave full without leaving broke.
Overall Value – 5
Black Rose Public House was a great little establishment. The environment was very inviting, the service was phenomenal, the food was great and the price was reasonable. It was easy to give them a 5 out of 5 and a recommendation to visit and grab some Irish Nachos. Safe Travels.
