Brunch, the best meal ever, always poses a difficult question: high brow or low brow? Usually I prefer my brunch to be a low brow but delicious affair, which explains nearly weekly visits to the Tavern. But it’s fun to mix it up every once in awhile with a more highfalutin Sunday, so this past weekend we hit up the Horse & Hound Gastropub. If you’re somehow unsure if your brunch spot is low brow or high brow, the presence of either mimosas on the menu or gastro in the restaurant title is a neon sign confirmation that you’re in fancyland.
While the primary focus of the Horse & Hound menu is their upscale burgers, I tried a burger there once and have to admit I did not like it. So I come back to Horse & Hound for one reason and one reason only: the french fries. Boy, do they do fries right. They even serve them in an awesome silver bucket so you know you’re really in a gastropub. And they’re delicious: they look somewhat wilted but possess great crispiness, the flavor is salty decadence without too much grease, and there are more in that bucket than you could ever eat.
Other brunch staples are just so-so: the eggs benedict and french toast sandwich were too dominated by the bread and the benedict’s hollandaise sauce was too heavy. In the pursuit of scientific rigor, we sampled a mimosa, bellini, and bloody mary (the bellini won). So while everything else was just so-so, give me a bucket of delicious french fries and a good bellini to start off a Sunday and you’ve got yourself a 3-star rating.
Jed says: “Like all the food, the bloody mary looks very tasty, and though the flavors are strong, they’re too strong. After a few sips you’re done. Avoid it unless you’re planning a liquid-only brunch.”
Rating: Erin: 
Jed:
Pros: Fries in silver bucket, Sunday cocktails, great outdoor seating, parking lot in back.
Cons: Non-fries food just so-so.
Price: Brunch dishes $8-18, burgers $9-11.
Parking: Free parking lot behind the restaurant.
Contact Info
Google’s map of Horse & Hound is strangely wrong (see below). Go to the Horse & Hound web site instead.
Photos
More Info
- Trip Advisor reviews of Horse & Hound
- C-Ville: Restaurantarama – Blue Bird is now Horse & Hound
- Yelp reviews of Horse & Hound
- “Notes from C-ville” review of Horse & Hound
Best in Chow
#1 by facebook-641728507 on August 13th, 2009
Love it you guys! anytime you're ready for that liquid fry brunch lemme know!
#2 by Jed on August 13th, 2009
Thanks! We're ready whenever you are…
#3 by facebook-641728507 on August 13th, 2009
Love it you guys! anytime you're ready for that liquid fry brunch lemme know!
#4 by Jed on August 13th, 2009
Thanks! We're ready whenever you are…
#5 by gandolph on January 4th, 2010
I always feel like I'm getting ripped off when I go here. The atmosphere is good & so are the fries. If you stick with the Belmont (pork sandwich), the food is good, too. The beer is absurdly overpriced (you can get a better selection at Mellow Mushroom at half the price).
The last time (and it will be the last time) I went there, I arrived in time for happy hour (which I'd enjoyed the previous week) only to be told that happy hour was only at the bar. The restaurant wasn't packed & the specials were offered in the restaurant the previous week.
#6 by Jed on January 4th, 2010
They're definitely good with presentation. The décor and food both look beautiful. I haven't tried the Belmont and never ordered beer there, so thanks for the tips!
#7 by gandolph on January 4th, 2010
I always feel like I'm getting ripped off when I go here. The atmosphere is good & so are the fries. If you stick with the Belmont (pork sandwich), the food is good, too. The beer is absurdly overpriced (you can get a better selection at Mellow Mushroom at half the price).
The last time (and it will be the last time) I went there, I arrived in time for happy hour (which I'd enjoyed the previous week) only to be told that happy hour was only at the bar. The restaurant wasn't packed & the specials were offered in the restaurant the previous week.
#8 by Jed on January 4th, 2010
They're definitely good with presentation. The décor and food both look beautiful. I haven't tried the Belmont and never ordered beer there, so thanks for the tips!
#9 by Jen A on June 16th, 2010
We actually really like this place. We like that there's DIFFERENT beer here than other places, though it's pricey. But if you've only ever tried the burgers, you're not getting the best they have to offer. Their weekday specials are usually pretty good – though their shepherd's pie just cannot measure up to Shebeen's, which is heaven on earth – but their other non-burger sandwiches are delish. I dream about the bacon, artichoke and swiss sandwich, and the buttery fig and Stilton melt is also amazing. I also really like the apple cider chicken and the savory bread pudding, though that last one probably wouldn't appeal to people who have issues with a bread-pudding texture to their dinner. The zucchini corn & herb fritters to start, and I'll be in heaven. I've never had brunch there, so I can't speak for that.