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Bowden's, Tallahassee, FL

Bowden's

4.1
4.1
28 Reviews
$30 and under
American
A new sports-themed restaurant now open in CollegeTown with chef crafted sports bar fare, cocktails, expansive patio – and, dadgummit, honoring the Florida State coaching legend Bobby Bowden.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 9 times today

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service, Burgers
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–12:00 am
  • Phone number
    (850) 558-5592
  • Dress code
    Business Casual

What 28 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.1
4.1 based on recent ratings
  • 4Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Northwest Florida

    Kid-friendly

  • Northwest Florida

    Good for groups

  • Northwest Florida

    Hot spot

  • Northwest Florida

    Great for outdoor dining

28 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    New Orleans

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 23, 2023

    overall3food3service5ambience5
    I love the location and the feel of Bowden’s. Service/waitress was great However the first three beers I ordered were out! How can a sports bar be out of so many brews?! Also my son ordered Tuna Poke and waitress informed us they were out of that too. Seems they have an inventory issue.

    Bowden'sResponded 7 days ago

    Thank you for your compliments on our location and ambiance, as well as the service provided by our waitress. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the unavailability of certain beers and the Tuna Poke. We'll work on that to ensure it is not an issue in the future. We hope to have the chance to serve you again soon.

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  2. OpenTable Diner

    Tallahassee

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience3
    Extremely slow service even though the place was empty. Food was not good at all. Hamburger was frozen cheap meat. Asked for medium cook and they came out rare in the middle. Chicken wrap and fish and chips also low quality.

    Bowden'sResponded on November 19, 2023

    Thank you for joining us, but I am sorry to hear your visit was not ideal. That certainly is not the type of experience we aim to deliver, and I would love the opportunity to apologize directly and see what we can do to earn a second chance to impress you. Please reach out to me, and I hope to hear from you soon. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  3. MarkM

    Jacksonville

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on November 17, 2023

    overall3food2service4ambience4
    Food is average. Cole slaw tasted like vinegar. Service was good, but only a few tables were being used. Anticipated seeing more memorabilia.

    Bowden'sResponded on November 24, 2023

    Mark, thank you for your compliments on our service, but we wish we had known you didn't feel what you ordered was ideal. We would have been happy to recommend other items we think you would have enjoyed. Next time you can join us, please ask for a manager or me so we can make sure you have an excellent experience. I hope to see you back someday soon. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  4. AlexaA

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 14, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience5
    Amazing food!! If you ever have family in town and need them to go to a good restaurant on game day or over the weekend this is totally a good place!! This is a great outdoor bar ambience with a full bar, food and great service. Highly recommend!!!

    Bowden'sResponded on November 19, 2023

    Alexa, thank you for your kind words about our restaurant! We take pride in providing excellent service and are glad you had a positive experience. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to see you and your family again soon for another enjoyable visit.

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  5. Fsu1jester

    Tampa

    125 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    125 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall2food4service2ambience2
    Miami Game day [and all others] was a DISASTER! This place dishonors Bobby Bowden.With 50 people deep in line outside on the sidewalk with 15 empty tables. Iit was Extremely understaffed in both servers and bartenders. Poor servers try hard but have too many tables and no help. Plenty ‘management’ walking around or hanging out at tables with their friends. Food is quality bar food, smoked pork nachos are really good but it takes 1/2 hour to get a drink from untrained bar staff and apologetic servers. Special Mohito’s’ were rum and club soda with a mint leaf - no muddled lime and mint or simple syrup. Reminds me of Willy Taggert’s teams not Bobby Bowden’s. This was our 4th game day visit hoping it would get better - sadly it didn’t.

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  6. AvaF

    Kent

    3 reviews

    2.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on November 11, 2023

    overall2food1service5ambience3
    It’s a big game weekend do it was crazy crowded but i expected that. Our server was the best part of the visit. He was awesome but the food was not worth the price.

    Bowden'sResponded on November 13, 2023

    Thank you for your visit and compliments on your server. We understand and respect your perspective regarding price, but please know our prices reflect the high-quality ingredients we source, the skills of the kitchen and service staff we employ, and the overall dining experience we strive to offer. We are dedicated to providing our guests with an exceptional experience and constantly ensure we are competitive in cost with other top restaurants in the area. I would love to have you back, and next time you are in, please ask for me so I can make sure you have an excellent experience. Hopefully, you'll be back soon. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  7. BarryS

    Tampa

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on November 10, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience3
    I was not impressed. Very disappointed. Not sure if I’d ever return.

    Bowden'sResponded on November 13, 2023

    Barry, thank you for your visit, but I'm sorry to hear it was not ideal. I will reach out to you privately to hear more details and see what I can do to earn a second chance to impress you. Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you. Keith Austin, General Manager

    Is this helpful?

  8. KristinK

    Tallahassee

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on November 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent and exemplary customer service and eats!!!!

    Bowden'sResponded on November 13, 2023

    Thank you, Kristin, We're so pleased to hear you had a wonderful meal, and we look forward to serving you again!

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  9. Nananole

    Las Vegas

    19 reviews

    5.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on November 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    7 of us met in Tally for the Miami game. We were celebrating being sorority sisters for 53 years. The memories of Coach made us smile. The prices were reasonable and the food was tasty!

    Bowden'sResponded on November 15, 2023

    Nananole, it warms my heart to hear that you and your sorority sisters had a delightful time celebrating your special bond at our restaurant. Creating lasting memories is what we strive for, and we look forward to welcoming you and your sisters back for more wonderful experiences in the future.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Western NC

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Loved the environment- awesome servers! Bennett was our server and did a fantastic job.

    Bowden'sResponded on November 5, 2023

    We are happy to see you enjoy our environment and Bennett's service so much. Thank you! We look forward to serving you again someday soon.

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  11. DianneH

    San Francisco

    25 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    25 reviews

    Dined on October 26, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    First time at Bowden’s. Great location and atmosphere. Truly loved seeing all the Bowden memorabilia. Our server, Mark, was so personable and our service was great. The menu is creatively designed for Seminole fans. Best of all the food was delicious! Truly recommend this new establishment in FSU College Town!

    Bowden'sResponded on November 1, 2023

    Hi Dianne. We're thrilled to hear that you had a fantastic first experience at Bowden's, and that you enjoyed all the Bowden memorabilia. We're delighted that you loved the menu and Mark's service so much! Thank you for recommending us, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

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  12. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Had a great time. Great service and great venue. Food and drinks were awesome and we loved our server Bennett.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 24, 2023

    Thank you for joining us. We're happy to hear you had such a good time and enjoyed our food, drinks, and Bennett's service. We look forward to serving you again soon!

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  13. Lmdh40

    Fort Lauderdale

    22 reviews

    3.0

    22 reviews

    Dined on October 19, 2023

    overall3food2service4ambience3
    Was expecting to have a much better experience . We had 9 people from out of town and all of of food was just average. No one enjoyed their food . The servers were trying but didn’t do too good. For such a big name as Bowden we were expecting a-lot more.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 24, 2023

    Thank you for joining us with your large group, but we're sorry to hear that your visit fell short of expectations. We strive to provide exceptional dining experiences for all our guests, and we apologize if we missed the mark. Hopefully, we'll have the chance to serve you again someday soon, and please ask for a manager or me so we can make sure you have a meal you love. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  14. OpenTable Diner

    Jacksonville

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on October 14, 2023

    overall4food3service4ambience5
    Gameday weekend so it was loud and food was ok. Place has great ambiance

    Bowden'sResponded on October 16, 2023

    I appreciate this feedback and will be sure to keep an ear on the volume. Thank you for your compliments on our ambiance, and I hope you can join us again someday soon so we can help you find dishes you will love as well! Keith Austin, General Manager

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  15. Noname

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 9, 2023

    overall3food2service4ambience3
    The salmon was very good. The Cubano was fair and was not pressed. The chicken fingers were overcooked and the waffle fries were too hard. The service was very good. it is definitely a college hang out.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 14, 2023

    Noname, we appreciate your feedback and are glad to hear that you enjoyed the salmon. We apologize if the Cubano and chicken fingers weren't ideal. We'll address this with our kitchen team so it is not an issue again. Also, please know if anything is not as you had hoped, we are always happy to make you new items or suggest others that we think you will love. Hopefully, we can welcome you back soon for what we're confident will be an outstanding dining experience.

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  16. Billwildered

    New York Area

    4 reviews

    2.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on October 9, 2023

    overall2food1service2ambience3
    The only reason this wasn’t one star is because it’s only recently opened, and I’m giving a little benefit of the doubt. The staff is obviously not fully trained. Nothing went well except the seating. The food was incorrect and not good, and service was slow with lots of pointing fingers. I wanted to like this place and do hope they up their game, but definitely not good enough.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 11, 2023

    Bill, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. I sincerely apologize for the areas where we missed the mark, and I appreciate your patience as we get through any opening phase missteps. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we will use it to quickly improve. I will reach out to you privately to apologize directly and see what we can do to earn a second chance to exceed your expectations in the future. I look forward to connecting. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  17. AnthonyC

    Atlanta Metro

    8 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on October 8, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience4
    We were there for Parents Weekend and I think the restaurant was short-staffed and under prepared for the number of families who wanted to dine there. Very disorganized during check-in. We waited a while to be seated - even with a reservation. The server took a while to greet us and bring us the drinks. Despite having a nice food selection on the on-line menu, the restaurant worked from a small menu over the weekend. One reason we were given for not being seated at our reservation time is that they ran out of menus. On the limited menu, there were 3 choices of appetizers, a few burgers, and a few other main menu items. The appetizers came at the same time as the meal, not before. Our drinks were not refilled in a timely manner. The nachos had BBQ sauce on them which was unusual. None of us cared for it. The burgers seemed pre-cooked. 2 of us ordered burgers (medium well and well done). Both came out the same. None of the kids liked the pork with mac and cheese. Our server worked hard, but you could tell the restaurant was not well prepared for the families.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 12, 2023

    Anthony, thank you for joining us on that busy weekend, and for providing this valuable feedback. I am sorry to hear your visit was not ideal, and I appreciate your patience on these opening-era jitters. I would love to see what we can do to serve you again someday soon and will reach out to you privately to apologize directly. I hope to hear from you. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  18. BrianC

    West Palm Beach

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on October 6, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience2
    Went for parents weekend - Hostess was disorganized - had a reservation and still had to wait despite it not being crowded. They also had a very limited menu and it would have been nice if we knew that when making the reservation. All in all not bad.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 12, 2023

    Brian, thank you for joining us, but I apologize for any wait you had, and I appreciate your patience. We are working through these opening-era hiccups, and would love the chance to serve you again soon for a dining experience I'm confident will impress you. I'm going to reach out to you privately and see what we can do to have you back soon. Thank you, Keith Austin, General Manager

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  19. Frank

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 2, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    Enjoyed the experience. Close to our visitor staying at Hotel Indigo. Had to wait for service, but the manager offered complimentary drinks due to the wait.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 3, 2023

    Frank, thank you for your patience on any wait you had. We're happy to hear you enjoyed your visit so much, and we appreciate your kind words! Hopefully, we'll see you back soon.

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  20. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 30, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great experience. It was a loud environment. Hard to hear folks from across the table. That said, it was a really enjoyable meal. Thank you.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 11, 2023

    We're delighted you had a great experience with us! Thank you for your compliments. We also appreciate your feedback regarding the noise level and will look into ways to improve it. Next time you join us, feel free to ask for a table in a section that is slightly out of the buzz, and we hope to have the pleasure of serving you again soon.

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  21. OpenTable Diner

    Tallahassee

    3 reviews

    1.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on September 23, 2023

    overall1food2service1ambience5
    We made reservations for 7:30 last night. We showed up at 7 and expected to wait since we arrived so early. I am not overexaggerating when I say that half of the tables were empty. They had very few servers for a Friday night. We sat at the bar to kill some time before being seated and you could tell the bartender did not want to be there. She had her hands on her hips and no smile THE WHOLE 30 minutes. At 7:40, I asked about how much longer it would be, and the hostess looked at her iPad and giggled and said “Ooops. I think we clicked your reservation and thought we sat you”. The food seemed like it was something you could get out of any freezer section, they have a very very limited alcohol selection, and they were out of their signature beer (Bowden’s Brew). I am so very disappointed that Bobby Bowden’s name is on such a horrible restaurant. We will not be back.

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    Thank you for joining us, and I appreciate you taking the time to share your valuable feedback. Please accept my apologies for what you described, and I assure you those issues will be taken care of promptly. I would love to apologize directly, and see what I can do to earn another chance to impress you. Please contact me at your earliest convenience. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you, Keith Austin, General Manager

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  22. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on September 16, 2023

    overall5food3service5ambience5
    Great atmosphere. Quality of food is not yet legendary

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    Thank you for joining us. We are glad you enjoyed our atmosphere so much, and we look forward to having a second chance to impress you just as much with our food. Next time you can join us, please ask for a manager or me so we can make sure you have an excellent dining experience in every way. Thanks again, Keith Austin, General Manager

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  23. MTWoods

    Tallahassee

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 16, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    We enjoyed watching FSU vs BC at Bowden's. They were able to manage a large crowd with ease! Our service and food was excellent!

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    MT, it's great to hear you enjoyed our food and service for the game. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you back soon!

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  24. Bartdog

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on September 9, 2023

    overall3food3service5ambience2
    ok, it was their first week open and it was a highly attended game day. I have to give service five stars due to sheer effort. They were understaffed, but working their tails off. Had to grade that one on a curve. The reason for the low score on ambiance was that the music was being piped in way too loud. I understand that restaurants do this to keep things moving, keep people from camping out at their tables after the meal is done. There's no reason to do that when things are just naturally moving slowly due to overcrowding/understaffing. Food was ok, very basic bar/pub food. Chicken fingers had too much breading. Burger appeared to be pre-pressed, but it tasted pretty good and was cooked exactly as ordered (medium). I will give them another try in the future. Definitely looked like a great place just to hang out and have a drink at the bar though.

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    Hi Bart, thank you for joining us on our first week. We truly appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience if we seemed understaffed. That won't be an issue in the future, and we'll make sure to address the issue with the music volume. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon and would love to help you choose more dishes you will love. Please let me know if you have any other feedback, as I'd love to hear it and make sure your next visit is an outstanding dining experience in every way. Keith Austin, General Manager

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  25. jenniferb

    Tallahassee

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 9, 2023

    overall5food5service3ambience5
    Newly opened and lacked the proper staff, but food and drinks were incredible. Given we were there on game day, we cut them a lot of slack. We also weren’t in a hurry. We enjoyed the atmosphere.

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    Hi Jennifer. We're thrilled you enjoyed our food and drinks and truly appreciate your compliments. We apologize for any inconvenience if we were a little understaffed for the busy game day. Your understanding and patience are greatly appreciated. We value your input and look forward to serving you again soon, for what I'm confident will be an excellent visit in every way. Should you have any suggestions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know. Thank you, Keith Austin, General Manager

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  26. OpenTable Diner

    West Palm Beach

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on September 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Bowdens hit the mark on every aspect. The restaurant is beautiful, the service was great. The owner even stopped by for a chat. This will be our go to Gameday spot!

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    Thank you for joining us and for your wonderful comments. We are so pleased to know how much you enjoyed our ambiance and service, and we look forward to seeing you next game day, if not before!

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  27. Fsu1jester

    Tampa

    124 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    124 reviews

    Dined on September 9, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Opening weekend at Bowden’s was great! Staff made every effort to service the clientele although the manager was rude to several customers and staff. The food was good bar food. Game day atmosphere was great! Definitely need a plan for Founders. Looking for to future weekends at Bowden’s.

    Bowden'sResponded on October 3, 2023

    Jester, thank you for joining us for opening weekend! We love hearing you enjoyed your visit, but we apologize if any of our team had less-than-pleasant interactions with our guests. We will look into what could have happened and make sure it is not recurring. We look forward to seeing you for future weekend visits!

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  28. BestinSF

    Tallahassee

    57 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    57 reviews

    Dined on September 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great atmosphere. Soft opening with excellent food & service.

    Bowden'sResponded on September 29, 2023

    Thank you for joining us for our soft opening. We're happy to know you enjoyed our food, service, and atmosphere, and we welcome any recommendations to enhance your future dining experiences with us. We look forward to serving you again soon!

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FAQs

Bowden's is rated 4.1 stars by 28 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 9 times today
Google Map for Bowden's

619 S Woodward Ave c103, Tallahassee, FL 32304

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Tallahassee
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–11:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–12:00 am
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    American, Bar / Lounge / Bottle Service, Burgers
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    None
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