Candle Bar - Lubbock (TX)

5 /5 Charlie Sawtelle: I met there for a business meeting. The food and service was terrific. It provided a great atmosphere for conversation and our server was excellent. I highly recommend the margherita pizza and the butternut soup. The bread pudding was also liked by everyone at the table. I will definitely be going back.

5 /5 Adam Rosenthal: Candle bar is very well decorated and has a refined atmosphere with its selection of wine and unique cocktails. My wife and I stopped by late on a Friday night and enjoyed our time in the calm and quiet setting. We each only had one drink but they tasted great. Our server Stevie was very friendly and did a great job. We plan to stop by again in the future.

1 /5 Jyssiah Escandon: I had a very disappointing experience due to extremely poor customer service. From the moment we walked in, we were met with rudeness. There was no warm greeting, no kindness, just eye rolls and an attitude that made it clear we were an inconvenience. The staff seemed too busy to even offer basic options like putting our name on a waitlist, waiting for a table, or sitting at the open bar. Nothing was explained clearly, and we weren’t even directed to the shopping option of the restaurant. After being told our name was added to a “waitlist” that didn’t seem to actually exist, we walked over to the candle shopping side. The woman working there was genuinely kind and provided excellent customer service—the only positive interaction we had during our visit. When we noticed open seats at the bar, we approached and waited patiently since the bartender wasn’t there. While waiting, the host walked past us multiple times and bumped into me every single time, muttering “excuse me” with a very poor attitude, as if I was in the way—despite there being plenty of space. Once the bartender finally returned, I asked if the bar was open seating and was met with: “I mean y’all can sit there, but I don’t have time. I’m so far behind, so it’s going to be a long time before I even get to y’all.” At that point, I knew we no longer wanted to eat there. (It was me an ONE other person) This was especially disappointing because the restaurant has great reviews and comes highly recommended. Unfortunately, our experience was the complete opposite. The staff was unapproachable, dismissive, and made it very clear that being “busy” was an excuse for poor behavior. What made it even more confusing was that there were many open tables throughout the restaurant. I truly wanted to enjoy this place, but the lack of professionalism and basic courtesy ensured I won’t be returning.

1 /5 Vicky Jean: I was visiting from out of town and wanted to meet with a girl friend to catch up over one cocktail and an appetizer. Host tells us that there’s a wait and that they are slammed. We say we just wanted to sit at the bar if that’s ok. He goes on to say that we could if there are seats available but kept going on about how busy they were. We said ok thanks, stepped away to think about what to do. Decided to go into this gift shop which is connected to the restaurant. The ladies in there were following us into every room, watching us so close as if we were going to steal. They had some cute stuff but it was so uncomfortable and weird that I just wanted to get out. We walked out and noticed two seats at the bar available so went to sit down. The bartender saw us and ignored us for about 30 min. The host kept walking by and we could tell he was mad we sat down. I was on the corner and he kept bumping me as he would walk by. His arm would brush my hair every time that I had to lean foward to avoid that. The body language and tension was instense. If you don’t want people sitting at the bar then just remove the chairs. It’s that easy. Bartender gave us water and slid a menu at us. We already knew what appetizer and drink we each wanted having looked the menu up but never gave us a chance to order. Then an older couple sat down and we watched them get acknowledged and served right away. That’s when we really felt the disrespect. We are very patient people and had so much to talk about that we would be fine waiting any amount of time, as long as you acknowledge us and tell us “hi I’ll be right with you.” Basic customer service goes a long way. We waited another 30 min then finally got asked what we want to drink. He never gave us a chance to order food so we had our drink and left to go eat at home. It was the worst experience I’ve ever had.