Our evening at Katie Belle's
 

On the spur of the moment, today, I booked a table at Katie Belle's for my hubby and I for this evening. I called to make the reservation, It was a $6 charge to reserve the table. I was told there was a $10 min per person.

"Rocky and The Rollers" were there tonight and we considered ourselves lucky to get in.

We went to the late show as the early show was sold out. The late show started about 9:30-9:45. To make it easier for the servers, they stagger the seating times. 9:00, 9:15 and 9:30. We were scheduled for 9:15 but arrived a few minutes early to get the lay of the land. The staggered seating times are to accommodate the wait staff, so that they are not trying to give prompt service to the full house at one time. We were seated by 9:05.

The entrance is lovely, very spacious with a beautiful stairway going up to the restaurant and also an elevator.

Once upstairs, we found a lovely "supper club". The place is spacious and very attractive. The reserved tables are directly in front of the stage and dance floor. Tables were about 4-5 rows deep and 4-5 rows across. We had a table near the rear and I was worried about being able to see the band, but that was not a problem at all. The tables are spaced with generous room between them so that everyone in the dining area can see the stage, which is raised.

There is a quieter dining area off to the side between the elevator and the bar. I don't think those tables require a reservation. They also do not appear to have a direct view of the stage. The bar area is raised with several high top and standard dining tables there also. The view from that area of the stage seemed like it would be great.

The salad bar is at the opposite side of the restaurant from the bar. There are tables there which have a view of the stage, but slightly off to the side. There were also tables behind the reserved section, with partitions which I think would have a limited view of the stage, but could enjoy the music.

The place looks GREAT!! The stained glass ceiling is still there and gorgeous! The Front Stained glass window is beautiful from inside and everything looks first class, attractive and spacious. The tables are very attractive with hammered copper designs under glass.

I was concerned about the dance floor, as on the diagram on line, it looked tiny. In reality it is plenty large enough. "Rocky and The Rollers" had everyone on their feet dancing and there was not a problem with space.

Rocky played form 9:30 to 11:00 and did a great show! We had a wonderful time and will enjoy taking visitors there!

The menu looked good! My husband ordered the shrimp and scallops Alfredo, I had the Katie Belle's fried shrimp which were very lightly battered, fresh and delish! We both had the salad bar and it had a very generous selection.

All is all, it was a wonderful evening and we plan to go again! There were many regulars who enjoyed being there and we didn't hear a single complaint.

We actually enjoyed it much more than the original Katie Belle's. Most likely, because we came on the scene in the last 2 yrs and the old Katie Belle's always looked dusty and in need of a deep cleaning. That is not to criticize it. I know it was well loved and a favorite of many.

Katie Belle's now is more of a "Supper Club" with live entertainment, a format that we thoroughly enjoyed. I am glad we gave the new Katie Belle's a chance. It was a wonderful evening! We recommend it highly!

Thanks for such a thorough review. It sounds lovely and I will put it on my list of things to try next time we are there! Interesting that they charge for making a reservation, though.

Great fully comprehensive report Dotti and I really appreciate you doing this. Many people are looking for a high end dining/supper club and I think this will do very well with both Villagers and outsiders. Whether one likes them or not, the developer knows how to do things right.

Now, please excuse my ignorance, but where did you get the information on what is playing, how to book the table, etc. etc. I guess I am being lazy and asking you to do my leg work for me.:smiley:

A great evening!

So, after asking Dotti to do the leg work for me, I decided to get into TV website and there the information was. Great site too Home Page. You can order tickets on line etc. etc.

Excellent review, and having been there for dinner, spot on.

Dotti,

I couldn't agree any more. Thanks for posting. I guess the family knows how to run a business !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The $6.00 fee was to reserve the table of your choice. I don't think that was in appropriate at all. I guess you could take your chances, not pay the $6.00 fee and take a chance of getting a table around the perimeter, if they are available.

The $10/pp/minimum is toward food purchase. (or drinks maybe?) Our dinners were fairly priced and we just had diet coke which was quickly refilled at no additional charge.

Glad you found the info. I just googled "Katie Belle's, The Villages" and found the site that way.

Looking forward to seeing it. Have read a lot of negative reviews but I get the impression that most just did not want it to change from the old format.

So if you walk in and there are tables available for the show, you don't have to pay the $3.00 per person for the table ?

We are glad you enjoyed your time at Katie Belle's. What you described is the reason many of us will not attend the new Katie Belle.s. We do not believe this format will survive when the renters and snowbirds go home.

Sounds wonderful ! I haven't been in there yet, but look forward to going. I'm sure it's beautiful. The Villages always does things top notch !!

But if you haven't experienced the new format how do you know it is so bad?

Thanks Dotti105 for your review. There is no charge for a dinner only reservation, only for show and dinner together. I've booked dinner reservations for a large group to have dinner before going over to the Sharon and it was no charge. We'll be out before shows start. I'm really looking forward to it. All reviews of people who have actually been there seem to enjoy it, especially the food.

Thank you for a detailed review. Did they make people leave at 11pm, or could you stay and have a drink or two?

With the music and food all upstairs, what is on the first floor?

Good question Bogie. How can a restaurant that provides good service, good food at reasonable prices not survive? By having closed minded people say stuff like they will not go there because after the snowbirds and renters leave restaurant will not have enough business to survive... The way I look at it...it will just be easier to get a good table.

I have to commend Dotti , a very complete report of exactly our experience ! We stopped in there to just take a look on Friday nite , to our surprise we were able to just walk in , walked straight up to the bar and order a drink , it was full except we stood off to the side of the bar taking it all in , it is a beautiful place and we had a delightful time .

We were lucky enough to get a walk-in table ,back by the salad buffet , it was a perfect table not too close to the speakers .

We ended up ordering dinner , we had the shrimp,scallop Alfredo and split it , $19.95 , incl salad . Very tasty .
,we will definitely return on a regular basis !
Our waitress was Jackie !!!!! Fabulous

The first floor is empty ,
My husband has a good idea !!!!!���� HOW ABOUT A CASINO ON THE FIRST FLOOR ,OFFER PKGS WITH DINNER UPSTAIRS ??????????????????????

Katie Belle's was getting grimy and well worn and needed a facelift. All that grease and grime in a restaurant takes it's toll. Glad the owners did a makeover and in so doing hopefully made it profitable.


Some seem to have emotional ties to a place to dine, drink and see entertainment that others reserve for a place like a church or national monument. I didn't know this before.


We don't go that often to any one restaurant or theatre to get attached. I am glad to read Dotti's positive review.

Sorry but I do disagree. We had a party of 8 that attended the 6:30 show that evening. We were disappointed mainly because the atmosphere that was Katie
Belles is gone. It is no longer a place where you can go to let your hair down and dance like you are 25 years younger than you are. In your post You described it as a Supper Club atmosphere and I agree completely. If that is what your looking for its at Katie Belles. If your looking for a place to let your hair down in a safe enviroment with other folks your age the new Katie Belles not the place.

Can you help me to understand what makes the previous incarnation of KB's suitable to "let your hair down" but not the newer version? Also, what do you mean by "let your hair down". This is a bit of a nebulous phrase which probably means different things to different people. I apologize if my questions seem critical. Such is not my intent. I've never been to either the old or new KB's and just want to know what the differences are. Why can't you dance like you were 25 years younger at the new version? Thanks.

G'day,

Vinish

Was the music really loud? I have a problem with loud music and I have walked out of several wedding receptions for this reason. We never go to a restaurant where the music is too loud for us to talk comfortable. Maybe indoor music is just not our thing.

During our visit in November we very much enjoyed the music at Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter because we could sit as far away as we liked and we could avoid sitting directly in front of the stage.

If there are bands like Rocky & The Rollers & Uncle Bob's Rock Shop playing inside a building such as Katie Belles and you don't like loud music, then I would suggest you don't go. I'm assuming you have never been in Katie Belles before when bands were playing.
I like loud music if I'm going to dance & have fun. Loved Katie Belles and I'm sure I'll still love it the way it is. :) Haven't made it there yet, but I will soon.

We stopped in Saturday night and sat at the bar. I like it and my wife not so much. The music was free for us at the price of beer and wine. Very clean and friendly. You can pick up a printed monthly schedule at the podium at the top of the stairs when you enter. Next will be the food.

Katie Belles
 

We have been fans of Katie Belles along with our friends for years so we decided to visit the new supper club version together. The room was beautiful and well appointed, the dance floor was bigger than we expected, and we expected a great dinner experience before a movie. We viewed and ordered one of the specials. It came out in a timely manner with several issues and we wrote that off to the new style. Getting the problems resolved took quite a while. The portions were very small and not well prepared and the server seemed confused and didn't follow up very often. Then came the checks after a very long wait and the confusion continued. Our party gave it a thumbs down for a dinner revisit but may try the evening entertainment approach, but no dinner. We thought maybe we picked the wrong special and got the wrong waiter but can't bring ourselves to try try again. I usually say if you can't say something nice say nothing at all but I think Katie Belle's deserves to know so they can do better.

It felt more formal. The lights were bright and R&R played mostly slower songs, not much good fast dance music where you could "let your hair down". Of course the show was over promptly at 8:30, which seems early by most standards. All the tables were set with candles and wine glasses and a drink menu which again contributed to the supper club atmosphere. Without being critical, if your looking for that atmosphere, go to Katie Belles. I was disappointed because in my opinion the old Katie Belles is gone.

We had an almost identical experience! Service was terrible, food came out barely warm, and small portions. Our party consisted of 3 couples and the server screwed up all 3 checks. We all agreed that we would only go back for a show, but never eat there again!

Thanks you very much for answering my question. I really enjoy music, but not when it is loud.

I also never liked eating at Katies when music was playing such as Uncle Bob. They are my favorite band but I would only have drinks when I went there to listen and dance. So now if you want to see Uncle Bob and the bar is full, can you just sit and listen and have a drinks at a table without eating? If not, is a pizza ok, they do still have pizza?

Katie Bells
 

WE were there a week ago. My husband and I ordered the fried shrimp. It was lightly battered with I think planko breading and tasted liker baked shrimp instead of fried. Salad bar was great. We set in the middle of the room. Band was loud and couldn't talk with each other. Don't think we will go back. I thought it was thought it was remodeled to be an upscale club?

We were very disappointed with the new Katie Belle's. Perhaps the service has improved since we were there, during the first week it opened. We had reservations for 24 people and we were spread all over the place. It took 40 minutes for someone to come and take our drink order, and we were at the early sitting. The new menu is more expensive. The portions were large, however, and the salad bar was good. Our group decided we would not go back for a long while. We miss the Cattle Barrons club, upstairs where we could have a good time, with tables for 8, no reservation required and beer and wine at reasonable prices. Nancy

Party of 24 explains a lot.

We went to the old Katie Belles once a few years ago and this past Saturday night, we went to the new KB with one other couple. We went to the 9:30 show and were seated about 9:00. We ordered an appetizer of Shrimp Cocktail and Spinach/ Artichoke dip and each of ordered a drink. Both of the Appetizers were OK, nothing special. The service was very good. We liked the atmosphere and would agree with other posts that it is more of a Supper Club feel. We might go back again but would definitely go to the earlier show if we want to eat a full meal. We saw Rocky and the Rollers and they were good and would not consider the sound to be too loud but definitely not background music either. Our waiter told us they are changing the format and not going to have 2 separate shows like they do now. I think that is a good idea. He said the Band will play the same amount of time in total but they will be taking reservations and you can stay until the place closes at 11PM and not be rushed out to accommodate the next show as you are now. I do think that format will be better and we will probably try it again.

We took our young adult grandchildren to the new Katie Belles Dunning/Moore show on Monday evening. We had a great time, the show was excellent (as usual), the table was beautifully set and looked very attractive and inviting and the food was very good ........... no complaints from our foursome. The menu for Monday evening was chicken breast or pork roast or Tilapia. Between the four of us we had all three meals, very good. The service was above good, in fact our grandson remarked on how polite everybody was!

Do we miss the old KB - yes, loved the old atmosphere which gave the impression of being an old dance hall, but this new KB's is really very well done and totally different from the old dance hall effect. If I had to complain about something it might be the width of the staircase which is really quite narrow. I think a wider staircase would have added to the ambiance and created a more inviting approach to the dining club itself.

I think the Developer had to make a change to make the place pay for itself and I think he did a good job.