The Patten House Restaurant and Bar

I wanted to like this place better than we did, but it was just OK. The food wasn’t over the top good or bad. The service was just OK as well. We did order the Brussels Sprouts appetizer and they were amazing. We’d likely go back for that appetizer and a few drinks before having dinner somewhere else. We’ll give it another shot at some point, but I would try other places in the area we haven’t been to before going back.

We went to The Patten House for our anniversary. I’d been there a couple of times but it was new to my husband. We sat on the deck on the south side of the house; very pleasant and cool despite being a warm day. We started out with a couple of cocktails and the baked brie small plate. Delicious. Hendricks gin & tonic was excellent. My husband had the whitefish with dirty rice and I had the andouille sausage stuffed chicken with creamed kale. Two of the best entrees we’ve ever had. Period. Finished with bananas foster and choc mousse cake. Our server was Cameron; the experience was great from start to finish.

Great patio for summer days, good sandwich selection, and great drink selection. The main menu is a bit more on the pricey side, but I’m excited to try it out one of these days as it all sounds delicious. Hoping to do that soon.

I write this review after a long, deep discussion with my wife. We visited for her birthday dinner, we called in a reservation. Though it was crazy Saturday night busy we were seated immediately. Our server was very friendly, went over the menu and specials and brought us the small plate apps and drinks we ordered very quickly. Here’s where the controversy starts…
We ordered our main dishes right about the time the apps showed up. We were done with the apps and nearly (forgive me if times are not exact) 45 min later I noticed the hostess kept looking at us in a concerned manner and talking to another person just out of sight. About that same time my wife said «I think they missed our order», and seconds later the server came through and said your order will be right out. We got our main courses nearly an hour after ordering.
I call it a controversy because we were enjoying our drinks, the atmosphere and each other to the point that we didn’t notice the food delay (time is relative). The fried catfish with dirty rice I ordered was much better than expected, straight out of New Orleans.
While I want to pull a star for the late order, so many other things made up for it, and we shall return.

I had a great experience at the Patten House from beginning to end. The house was charming, the servers were incredibly friendly and attentive and the food was sooo good. The oysters were the best I’ve ever had and the shrimp and grits were also amazing. I also tasted the jambalaya and filet sliders which were both delicious too. Will be back!

I love The Patten House! Such a cute house they turned into a great space! I love the southern comfort foods they offer! Favorite things I’ve gotten there so far… Gumbo, crab cakes (Yasss!), honey sriacha glazed brussel sprouts and the wedge salad with shrimp (the dressing and bacon bites are a delicious touch)! Wine selection is plenty too. The outdoor seating is perfect for a nice day. Service has always been great and staff is always professional and kind. I don’t know if he is still there, but Jeffrey by far has been my favorite!

OUR PATTEN HOUSE EXPERIENCE ON SUNDAY, ⁵⁄₂₂
THE NORMAL PART: Our friends called — we looked forward to going out for a nice dinner for 4 on a patio. At 2 PM, we call Patten House and receive a 7 PM patio reservation. We arrive at 6:45 pm and grab some cocktails at the bar — they were very well crafted cocktails. We get sat at our table around 7:20 PM — not a problem, we realized they were extremely busy, it is great to catch up with friends.
SERVER IN THE WEEDS: Server was nice but was completely ‘in the weeds’ busy. He couldn’t quite get to us — but we understood — we were patient because we have only heard great things about Patten House. The server apologized every time we saw him. We didn’t care so as this meal was as great as we have heard!
THE APPETIZER TRAGEDY: 8:15 PM we receive the Appetizers. We order the Lobster Mac and Cheese and the Mussels. Mussels were okay — they only gave 2 little pieces of bread for a table of 4 people. We never received the bread that came with the meal that is listed on the menu. We saw other tables receive it — that would have helped with this Mussels bread issue. The Lobster Mac and Cheese had noodles that were underdone. Mussels were about $ 14 and the Lobster Mac and Cheese was about $ 14. A semi-​disappointing $ 28 spent. But we ignore it and when this server comes back — we order dinner.
DINNER SERVICE NIGHTMARE: No one came back for our dinner order until 10 minutes after our Appetizers were complete. Around 8:25 PM we receive the server back to the table and he takes our Dinner order. We received dinner at 9:00 PM — with barely any lighting on the patio — we could barely see. We have been at this facility now since 6:45 PM. The server came and brought some lanterns, after about 10 minutes of having the food (we couldn’t see our food — it was dark). Upon the first bite of our entrees we all realized how bad this situation truly was…
THE GUMBO SOUP: It had undercooked rice in it. All of us ordered it… and it was deemed very tough to eat. Wasn’t a very good gumbo — mini andouille chunks and sauce. No real contents to this Gumbo.
THE CATFISH — $ 21: My friend’s Catfish meal was not good. His rice was UNDERCOOKED, the Catfish was ‘fishy’ and he was extremely disappointed.
THE STUFFED ANDOULLE CHICKEN — $ 24: My friend’s Chicken meal was okay — she said the chicken was good — but the side potatoes were COMPLETELY UNDERCOOKED — they were basically raw little potatoes.
THE JUMBO PRAWNS — $ 28: Small little shrimp (not prawns) and a barely edible bed of rice (undercooked).
FLAT IRON STEAK — $ 28: Steak was good but came out to me cold — the Au Gratin potatoes didn’t seem cooked through — VERY FIRM. Two cream based sides to this dish — creamed spinach — mediocre.
THE FRIEGHT OF THE BILL: $ 250 for this dinner and the cocktails. After plenty of server given apologies, I decide I am embarrassed for suggesting the Patten House to my Friends so I go talk to the Manager. Nice guy — says he will give us Beignets to go — I say we don’t need any more food. He says to come in sometime when he is working and he will comp me a drink — I say, okay — but he gives me no return card to come back, and apologizes because they got slammed. I told them the food was bad — he just apologized. I went back to the table. My Husband and our friend are still in sticker shock by the bill for food that was not good (INEDIBLE, TO BE HONEST), so my Friend talks to the Manager — they take off $ 28 worth of appetizers from the bill after his discussion. But honestly — almost all of the food came out undercooked, this really was an awful gourmet disaster. We were out by 9:30 PM. 2 hours and 45 minutes of fine dining agony.
DEPRESSING CONCLUSION: I tried to reach out to the Managers to have another discussion VIA email but they didn’t have a website or email address — only Facebook (last updated March 2016). After 2 face to face conversations with Management that barely made any change to the worst fine dining experience I have had in my recent memory — I decided to write this post. The Server said multiple times ‘It’s not usually like this, come back some other time’. We can’t in our heart of hearts spend another dime at this establishment, so I hope Management can rectify this situation and I would immediately give them another shot to redeem themselves on this (and follow up on this feedback).
UNTIL I HEAR BACK FROM MANAGEMENT ON A BETTER SOLUTION TO THIS DINNER DISASTER: Do yourself a favor and go to Fiora’s, Herrington or Niche — these are all fabulous fine dining experiences with food worth the price point paid.

Normally I don’t leave reviews on public boards until I’ve tried sending my concerns to the manager via email or otherwise, but it seems as though this establishment has no website outside of their facebook page, so here goes. Perhaps that should be indicative of other problems.
We went to the Patten House for the first time on Sunday, the 22^nd of May, at the recommendation of our good friends and fellow guests who have had cocktails but no meals at the establishment before. We were excited!
We made reservations for 7 pm. We were finally sat around 7:30 by an exasperated-​looking hostess, but no matter, we had great drinks from the bar and the place seemed busy– I’m patient. We were sat outside on the patio which was lovely. We ordered appetizers after much deliberation; everything on the menu looked great! Appetizers arrived and they delivered on our expectations of being good. However… at this point. our dinner orders still hadn’t been taken and it was nearing 8 pm, which I felt was odd for appetizers to be delivered to a table before ever even being asked if we were ready to order entrees. Again… no matter. We ordered.
Roughly an hour later, our food still hadn’t arrived. It was clear the establishment had several graduation parties and dinners and we were told they were «extremely busy.» This was fine, however, it would seem to me that in those cases, hostesses/​management is responsible for the capacity of the restaurant as well as the capability of the kitchen– don’t seat more unreserved guests without ensuring the quality and condition of the food is at its peak. To do otherwise is irresponsible– better to turn away guests and ensure the experience of those who were seated than irritate a houseful of unsatisfied customers who won’t return anyway. Our server was apologetic but we were never offered drinks, desserts, etc to mitigate the circumstances.
It was during this time that a fellow patron seated near us made it clear they had some sort of family or friend connection to several staff members. Our (obviously busy) server was regularly called away from other duties to attend to this table and when their food was not prepared to their liking, evidently it was appropriate as a guest to personally deliver it back to the kitchen? Not much of this would have garnered my attention, however the obvious freebies and apparent access to private enclosed servers stations to grab a menu (help yourself?) was bothersome.
Finally– our food arrived– over 2 hours after our initial reservation. My chicken stuffed with andouille and pecans was okay– however half of my fingerling potatoes were under-​cooked to the point of being crunchy– an obvious shortcut made by a hurried kitchen. My husband’s dirty rice was also under-​cooked. The rest of our food was underwhelming– it’s hard to rate food that you can’t see (because it’s dark) and waited nearly 2 hours for. At no point after food was delivered did our server check in with us, except to offer dessert, which at that point was a bit like offering water to someone who is drowning.
We brought our concerns to the attention of the bar manager. Our food was mediocre, the wait was atrocious, and the insulting salt in the wound was watching other patrons receive specialized treatment and access– something I recognize the management has no control over. However, one gesture that they DID in fact control was the final taste left in our mouths– which was to remove $ 40 from our $ 200 check. I’m so sorry, Patten House. You were apparently outrageously busy and likely made decent money that day. I walked away feeling extreme buyer’s remorse with mortified friends that were sorry to have ever made the suggestion. I hope the money you saved by not making any of this right was worth it– because you’ll likely never see more of ours again. Apparently it was a winning night for the house, but not the guests.

Stayed in Geneva for a day recently and this place was highly recommended by a staffer who loves locally.
Was not disappointed. As we multiple people in the party we each shared the most popular apps. The crag cakes and grits was good, but what had me craving more for the entirety of my trip was those glazed Brussels sprouts. Do not expect these to be overhyped. They’re every bit as good as people say. I would’ve been happy just eating a bowl of those!
Filet mignon entrée was also excellent. And great staff! Very kind and friendly.
Enjoyed ourselves here.

Wow! What a nice addition to the Down Town Geneva dining scene. I can’t believe I’ve missed this gem. I have my trusty Unilocal app to thank for this find.
The ribeye steak is one of the best I’ve ever had and this isn’t even a steakhouse. The dark rich gravy is amazing. I recommend getting it on the side though, because you will want to get the full effect and savor at least some bites without the sauce. Another steak equally as good is the flat iron steak. This steak features a lighter chili gravy. Again, I recommend getting it on the side. I agree in that I can’t taste the pistachio in the sauce for the pork, but I still really like this entrée. Another surprising favorite is the pecan andouille stuffed chicken breast. Chicken is one of my least favorite proteins, yet I love this dish! I’m not into the apricot sauce; however, they were accommodating in providing a delicious mushroom sauce which complimented this dish superbly. At lunch and dinner as well lighter sandwich options are available. I like the filet sliders, the burger, and the pork tenderloin sandwich (add cheese). For a side the creamed kale is a standout. Creamed spinach is wilted and mushy; whereas, the kale is a little more crisp and has some texture.
I actually cheated on my diabetic diet one time and ordered the trifle for desert. This is a traditional English desert featuring layers of custard, cake, and berries. It is hard to find in this country. This desert is similar to an Italian zabaglione if you are familiar with it. I bet I haven’t had it in thirty years and it was worth every fraction of an increase to my A1C.

Old historical house that has been restored into a restaurant! Great atmosphere with a really nice outside seating area as well. Perfect place to eat in downtown Geneva on a Friday night. Very quaint. Salmon was fabulous and the bacon siracha Brussels sprouts were so flavorful.

Neat place to check out as the inside of the house is gorgeous. The jambalaya was outstanding as well as the bacon wrapped figs. The gumbo is a must. The service is the only drawback as they seemed to need more servers.

I had a wonderful lunch here with my visiting in laws this past weekend. As my mother in law and I walked the stretch of shops we spotted this gem and detoured to see if this was a restaurant. I am not going to lie, the main draw was the building at first. Joy! It was, and they were open for lunch. We gathered the men and stepped back in time to a beautifully rehabbed space, that couldn’t have more ambiance if it tried. And bonus, there’s food! We all enjoyed our meals, and the portions were so big I had a doggie bag for the next day. Patten House was the perfect lunch setting for our afternoon!

Local Favorite Has Slipped…
Have been to The Patton House many times over the years and it’s had been top notch, but on the past three visit and especially this last, it has fallen short.
Even with a reservation we have been forced to wait 35 – 55 minutes past the confirmed time to get a table with-​out an apology from the hostess or management. Glad a local spot is that busy but a wait that long needs to be addressed
Ordered the Oysters Rockefeller, ½ dozen for the order. After my wife and I had 1, both our 2^nd oysters smelled like horse manure! When address to the waitstaff, we were told ‘I’ll tell the chef’, without any apologize and the plate was left on our table. Finally was able to flag down a busboy and he took the pungent plate away.
Tried to chose a wine and all 5 of my choices for a red were either out (2 of them) or they didn’t carry any longer (3 of them). Understand if you run out, but to have 3 different bottles at $ 75 plus be listed on the wine list and no longer carry is just classless.
We tired to power though, as it has been a great establishment, and ordered some additional small plates. The crab/​grits and shrimp/​grits arrived with the seafood portion ice cold and the grits a ball of paste. On top of that, the brussels with honey/​heat came out looking like a dogs lunch.
It’s sad to write this review, but feel The Patton House has fallen from grace. It won’t be getting my $ any longer and I’ll make it a point to tell my friends to stay away as well.

Loved this place, great for a special occasion! Celebrated my birthday with some girlfriends. Used to be a home or mansion so table are spread out in separate rooms which is perfect for intimate dinners. Check out the upstairs bathroom. So cute. Décor so cozy and the food matches the atmosphere, classy and comforting. You have to try the Brussel sprouts! I can eat them as my entrée alone. I’m going back just for the sprouts. The beet salad with goat cheese and shrimp and grits were really good too. After dinner, walk over to All Chocolate for dessert.

Patten House was stop two on our Geneva bar/​restaurant hop pretty much because I needed my Mom to stop asking me if I went there and tried the sriracha brussels sprouts appetizer yet because «THEY’RE SO FREAKING GOOD AND I HAVE TO TRY THEM». You have to say that in my Mom’s voice… or any mom’s voice I suppose). Anyway, we walked in and went straight to the bar so we could just grab some appetizers (including the brussels sprouts, obvs) and some cocktails since the craft beer list had a couple decent choices but nothing new for us and we weren’t feeling wine-​y. We ended up getting the mussels, brussels sprouts (duh), a Bloody Mary, and an Old Fashioned. Yeah… we were feeling pretty classy, thank you for asking. It helps that the bar is granite, it’s located next to a cozy fireplace, there are chandeliers everywhere, and the restaurant is a beautiful remodeled old home. Not my typical drinking establishment but I’ll take it. It feels like you’re in a fancy house more than a restaurant which makes you feel cozy but also like you probably should’ve worn a nicer outfit to your holiday dinner. Basically, if you’re fancy, you’ll love it here. If you like dives you might feel out of place.
Anyway, a quick run down on the drinks, service, and appetizers. Drinks were good, not that we got anything you can REALLY mess up, but the Bloody Mary was nice and spicy with floaty horseradish and celery salt and a nice flavor. I didn’t drink the Old Fashioned but my man seemed pleased. The service was really good; the bar is pretty tiny and there was two bartenders helping us the entire time. The restaurant wasn’t busy so maybe that’d change on a crazy night, but we never had to ask for anything. The appetizers were pretty good too. THANKS, MOM… and I would totally recommend the brussels sprouts. They were sweet and spicy and bacony and crispy and overall delicious. The mussels were good too, although they had a couple of strange additions to the broth I wasn’t sure about… mandarin oranges and jalapeños…which made it good but different. I still mangia’ed on them and soaked up the broth with the bread either way so obviously it didn’t bother me too much.
Honestly, the Patten House is a really nice date (I’ll have to come back to try out some dinner here) or a super fancy bar to schmooze at, but I’m not sure it’s exactly my cup of tea for hanging out.

Hidden gem in Geneva. That’s saying something — there’s a lot of good food in Geneva.
Here’s what we liked about PH: 1) the atmosphere is intimate and perfect for a date, 2) the food is very good, upscale Cajun, 3) the service is outstanding.
The nicest thing about this place is the setting. That’s not to say the food is bad. Far from it. The food is very good. Is this the best food you’ve ever had? Probably not, but it is very good and worth your time and money.
The house is chopped up into multiple dining areas because it is a house. We liked that. It added to the intimacy of the whole joint.
The attention to detail throughout the house is outstanding. Fixtures, woodwork, etc. are really great.
I really loved this place. You should go.

I would probably give this place a 2.5 if Unilocal allowed for the half-​stars. But the more I think about it, it’s definitely not a «round this up» situation. Here goes.
Love the thought of a nice (but not overly formal) restaurant in a restored mansion. But. Inside was nice, but décor was minimal. Not in an intentional, minimalist kind of way. Just kind of… unfinished. Bare walls in the room we were in. It was strange. Like the intimacy of the structure itself, but once inside… I can’t describe it. Maybe because of the one room we were in? Again. So bare.
Gumbo was great. LOVED the gumbo. That gets a star in and of itself. Comes with a scoop of rice in the middle and minimal rice elsewhere, so if you tend to shy away from carbs (forget that gumbo is made with roux for a second), then this felt like a decent option. Baked brie appetizer was forgotten (as in, it never came — server admitted he blew that one and apologized approximately five times.) They brought a basket of house biscuits with the soups. Didn’t try one, but others enjoyed them.
Here’s the thing that got me: Was totally looking forward to the Berkshire Pork Chop because of the pistachio cream sauce. But… no pistachio cream sauce. It was some of kind of buttery sauce, almost a beurre blanc — tasty, but not at all what was listed on the menu/​what I ordered/​what I’d been looking forward to. Server had been around quite a bit before that; after five mins I gave up waiting to ask about it and started eating.
The food came pretty fast (especially since the server totally forgot to put the order for the baked brie appetizer in) and the whole experience just kind of felt rushed. We were in and out in about 45 mins. I like to enjoy my food and take my time. Not an option this trip.
Also — it is loud. Old house acoustics? Lack of anything on the walls to help muffle sound? I don’t know. But hard for groups to converse with one another and — while I bet it looks awesome and romantic for couples from the outside — I doubt you’d be able to hear each other all that well. That said, likely depends on the room, so don’t take just my word for it. Lots of smart reviews and opinions here!
Anyway. We were pretty much over it after how the meal went, so we didn’t stay for coffee or dessert. Probably wouldn’t go back, which is a bummer — I was convinced I would love this place. Food we got was tasty but… not exactly what we ordered. Not sure I’d pay to go back and find out.
PS — there are a ton of «not recommended» reviews. Read them. Some are very thoughtful and I got carried away when I first saw this place and didn’t read those first (as I’ve learned to do and am now usually pretty good about!)

Stopped in on a warm summer Friday afternoon & sat on the porch. The place is beautiful, inside & out.
We mentioned it was our first time & the staff was very helpful/​welcoming. We tried the crab cakes & grits, which were just okay. Seemed like there was more filler than crab & the grits weren’t as creamy as I expected. However the flavor was good & the other things we tried were amazing.
The Applewood Smoked BLT was so layered in flavor, we were surprised it was a simple BLT. And the strawberry shortcake was to die for. The cake was light & spongy, with the flavor of a butter poundcake but airy with homemade whipped cream & an essence of mint. Was so refreshing on a hot day. Can’t wait to try some of the other items on the menu.

Sat outside, had no problem with the noise. There were people in the group that said last time they were there, they got seated upstairs and couldn’t hear anything that anyone was saying… so, the noise issue is still not solved.
What is solved? Well, the food and service is terrific. We had the brussels sprouts and loved them. My daughter got the flat iron steak, I got shrimp, and we split each so we each got sort of a surf n turf. Highly recommended. For wine we got an easy white (it was a hot summer night)…probably sauv blanc… loved it. Go.
But sit outside.