Bison & Bourbon is a meat restaurant located in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The Kosher Cactus visited Bison & Bourbon in August of 2021. This review was written in November of 2021.
Bison & Bourbon
- Where is Bison & Bourbon located?
- The vibe at Bison & Bourbon
- What kind of food do they serve at Bison & Bourbon?
- What is the service like?
- Is Bison & Bourbon kid-friendly?
- Is Bison & Bourbon wheelchair accessible?
- Do they serve desserts?
- Final Thoughts
Where is Bison & Bourbon located?
Bison & Bourbon is located at 191 7th Street, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The restaurant sits between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, close to the middle of the block.
What is the best way to get there?
If you are driving, you can occasionally find parking in the nearby streets, or pay for parking on the nearby Avenues.
The B37 Bus line stops at both 6th and 8th streets, if you want to try public transport. Salad the closest subway option is the 4th Avenue station, which services the F and G lines. It’s about a 7 minute walk.
The best option, in my opinion, would be to hire a car service. You won’t have to walk, or look for parking, and you can drink (trust me, you’ll want to drink).
What time is Bison & Bourbon open?
The restaurant is open from 5PM-11PM, Sunday through Thursday. They are also open on Saturday nights in the winter (after 8PM). Bison & Bourbon is closed on Fridays.
Do I need to make a reservation?
I would strongly suggest making a reservation- we have gone without one in the past and had to wait a while. The restaurant can get very busy, and the food is good- so the turnover is slow. You can make a reservation online, or by calling the restaurant.
Do they deliver?
Yes, Bison & Bourbon delivers. You can order food for delivery from any of the major delivery services- Doordash, UberEats, Grubhub, etc.
What is the vibe at Bison & Bourbon?
The restaurant is housed in a big, reclaimed industrial warehouse. The walls are exposed brick, and much of the original steel was used in building the restaurant. The entire space has a modern feel, with solid wood tables of varying heights around the enormous dining room.
A huge bar spans almost the entire length of the restaurant, and between the fun music, loud dining room chatter and sports games on the TV, the space is noisy and upbeat.
The restaurant also has an incredible outdoor dining area (which is absolutely beautiful to sit at in fall or spring), as well as a catwalk of tables on the upper deck (indoors) surrounding the dining room.
Although the lighting in the restaurant is dim, there are always fresh flowers, candles and spotlights that brighten up the space.
What kind of food do they serve at Bison & Bourbon?
You know how meat pizza is a thing? Bison & Bourbon made it a thing. The restaurant is a constant innovator of new food in the Kosher dining industry, which has seen an enormous explosion of growth in the last 10 years.
Technically, Bison & Bourbon should be classified as a steakhouse, because they serve wonderful steaks as most of the main dish options. But… the vibe is so different. And there are so many more options to recommend the restaurant than just steaks! Appetizers (so many), Entrees (that are not steaks), Salads, Pizzas… All of it modern, gorgeous and mouth-wateringly delicious.
The last time I went, we ordered basically every app on the menu, and gave the steaks a miss. Honestly, I was really happy with that decision. All of the apps are filling, and more than enough to make up for missing an entree.
What is on the menu at Bison & Bourbon?
These are some of the items that I’ve tasted… or am dying to try.
Bourbon Pulled Beef Pizza.
Holy. WOW. This is the king of all meat pizzas. Its a crispy flatbread, topped with decadent pulled beef that is dripping with excess BBQ bourbon sauce. The meat is covered with fresh green arugula and sauteed onions. You have probably seen different versions of this popping up all over the Kosher culinary world, but don;t let that fool you- there’s no imitation like the original. The pie is cut into 4 (or 8, if you ask nicely) slices.
Chicken Wings.
These wings are crumb-coated, and mixed in a chilli glaze (think chicken poppers, but with wings). They are served on a gorgeous dish with little dots of dipping sauce, slasa, micro greens and quinoa.
Seared Sesame Crusted Salmon.
If you are looking for something much lighter (especially if you filled up on all the amazing apps), this is the dish for you! The salmon is marinated in a house chilli sauce, coated in sesame seeds, and pan fried to crispy perfection. The outside is crispy, and the inside is moist and flakey and flavourful. It is served with sauteed veggies (carrots, mushrooms, peppers and zucchini), and a generous potato mash.
Prime Rib Risotto.
This is the best app on the menu. I’m honestly not sure why it is not a main dish, but if we can keep the owners from reclassifying it, and doubling the price, I’ll be eternally grateful. This dish is a classic creamy risotto, made with mushrooms and truffle oil- and topped with prime rib steak. (Also, how is that not a main dish?? Ok, shhhh.) This tastes exactly right. The rice is creamy and perfectly done, the meat is a gorgeous, medium-rare addition, and all the flavors come together impeccably.
Steak.
As the restaurant standard, all steaks at Bison & Bourbon come with sauteed vegetables and creamed potato on the side. If you ask, they can switch one of these sides to a different option, like Fries, or Onion Rings, or anything else on the Sides menu.
The Pepper Crusted Cowboy Steak is incredible. The waiters were very careful to ask how we wanted it cooked, and delivered a perfectly medium steak, exactly as ordered. The Pepper Crusted steak has a very simple flavor, with no sauces or marinades. It really allows the steak to shine in a natural, understated way.
Street Tacos.
This is a really terrific appetizer. Its just three hard tacos, filled with pulled beef in BBQ sauce, a house-made chipotle mayo, crispy fried onions, radish slivers and micro greens. They are just standard tacos, but what makes them stand out is the play of different textures and flavors that make up this dish. Every bit is an explosion of ‘wow!’
What else is on the menu?
- Apps on Dough
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Entrees
- Steaks
- Sides
- Desserts
What is the best dish at Bison & Bourbon?
This is a fairly new item, but it has climbed the ranks fast. If you have not ordered one yet, I’d get on it, fast: B&B Burger.
The B&B isa 12oz burger, grilled flawlessly, on a toasted bun. Nestles neatly in between is onion jam (made in-house), fresh tomatoes and arugula. The burger is served with hand cut fries, homemade pickles and a chipotle mayo dipping sauce… that comes in a whimsical syringe. I would strongly recommend adding a fried egg (for an additional $2 charge). This burger wins the menu. Hands down.
What is the service like?
The service at Bison & Bourbon is very good. Considering the fact that the restaurant can hold 200 people, as long as you have a reservation, you are golden. We were seated immediately, our waiter introduced himself right away, and we were given waters and menus to peruse. All the food came fairly quickly. The restaurant dining room is staffed by waiters, sommeliers and bartenders, and everyone has a job- and works (it seems to me) extremely efficiently.
What Hashgacha are they under?
Bison & Bourbon is under the Kosher supervision of Rabbi Yechiel Babad of Tartikov Kosher. All wines are Mevushal, all breads are Pas Yisroel.
Does Bison & Bourbon serve drinks?
They sure do! Bison and Bourbon is a fantastic place to go if you want an incredible drink. Even if you usually order a shot of hard liquor, or a simple glass of wine, do yourself a favor: get a cocktail. Yes, there are plenty of wine and liquor options, but seriously, when are you next going to get the chance to order a Bourbon Cranberry Mule? Or a Passionfruit Mojito?
The drinks menu changes all the time, and the mixologists that work at Bison & Bourbon are magical. You can also order any standard cocktail (Long Island Iced Tea, anyone?) but the house specials are truly out-of-this-world.
Are there vegan/ vegetarian options on the menu?
The majority of the menu at Bison & Bourbon does contain meat (or chicken, or fish) but there are a few dishes that do not. All the salads on the menu are vegetarian. You can try the Caesar Salad, which is a simple romaine, cherry tomato and crouton mix, tossed with a house-made caesar dressing. I’d also suggest the Crispy Cauliflower app, which I wrote about above, because it is delicious.
Is Bison & Bourbon kid-friendly?
Short answer- no.
Long answer- although you can bring children to Bison & Bourbon, the atmosphere is catered to an older crowd, with drinks aplenty. There is also not much on the menu a small child would enjoy, besides Fries, maybe. I wouldn’t really recommend this as a family dinner, unless it is for children aged 10+. There are no highchairs available at the restaurant.
Is Bison & Bourbon wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the restaurant is wheelchair accessible. I would recommend calling ahead before you visit to ensure you are seated on the main floor. If your reservation is not specific, the staff may assign you seats on the catwalk… which would be a problem.
Does Bison & Bourbon serve desserts?
They sure do! You can get a standard Creme Brulee, or go a little off-beat with a Belgian Waffle. It is served up hot, with a huge scoop of ice cream, strawberry reduction and a pink macaroon. It’s all topped off with a mint sprig, and maple syrup drizzled on top. So good.
Final Thoughts
Bison & Bourbon is fun- there are no two-ways about it. The food is fun, the vibe is fun, the drinks are fun… That being said, it is not so cheap. At our last visit, we went the easy route and ordered almost every single app on the menu, sometimes twice. Plus a drink (or two) for each person, plus a dessert tray to split. There were 6 of us, and when we split the bill, we each paid $94. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
