My husband and I attended the Saturday night dinner theater and I am writing to try and overcome all the negative comments for people considering attending. I would hate to see people miss out because of the petty complaints some people wrote about this event! First off, this venue is magical and the murder mystery was perfect for it. The set-up and service was smooth and organized. The food was so much better than expected for family style and for so many people. There are bathrooms close by and a full bar for just this event. The show had our table stumped til the very end. We enjoyed the evening very much. The only thing lacking was valet parking which we wouldn't have used. We would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun time and the price per person is very reasonable for 3 hours of entertainment and dinner too! read more

Frankly, I wasn't really expecting much - I wanted to go for dinner with my husband, based solely on the fact that it was a "castle" - needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised! The portions were generous & the food was quite good (brussels sprout appetizer was excellent - try it even if you think you don't like brussels sprouts). The gator cake, on the other hand was a miss - more filler than gator, a little tough, however, the sauce it was served with was excellent! I had the steak that was cooked & seasoned well, however, I found it a little tough, but the sides (blackened green beans & creamy mashed potatoes were right on the money). All in all, the meal was pleasant, the walk around the grounds was lovely & because we were early for dinner (5:00) we were able to explore the dungeon and main dining room which both have a lot of character before sitting down to dinner. It was a fun night out & with 3 appetizers, 1 gin & tonic, 1 glass of wine & 2 mains the bill was about $93 - not an unreasonable sum. I took away a star only because communication was a bit of a nightmare - they are only open Thursday - Saturday. I requested my reservation date and time via email (as instructed on their website), followed up with 3 more emails (no response to any of them) & finally just showed up on the appointed date 3 hours early (I'm a 6 hour drive away) & hoped for the best. The wait staff was accommodating and attentive - needless to say, I would have been very disappointed if I couldn't have dinner there after driving all that distance! read more

My wife and I recently dined with another couple at Beardslee Castle. We had made reservations for 4 PM and arrived just a few minutes before our scheduled time. The dining room on the main floor only had 2 tables filled at that time. A woman (who I found out later was one of the management staff) asked if we had reservations, and after checking her book she walked away without saying anything to us. Then, over the course of the next 15 minutes, two other employees also asked us if we had reservations, and they also disappeared after speaking with us. After waiting 20 minutes to be seated we were taken to a table where we sat way too long before we could order drinks. There was ice water on the table, but the water had a disagreeable sulfur taste. After we were seated we were told that we had to wait for new menus to be printed before we could order our food. When the menus finally came out I noticed that the price of the entree that I was interested in had been increased (I had perused the on-line menu prior to leaving home). After we placed our orders we waited a very long time to get our bread & salads. Meanwhile we watched other patrons come in and get better service than our waitress was providing. The meals were for the most part well prepared and nicely presented, but one of our friends was dissatisfied with his pork entree which was obviously too rare. I ordered the rack of lamb which was excellent. My wife had the filet mignon which was also excellent. Beardslee Castle is a beautiful venue with interesting menu choices, but the lack of decent customer service and the obviously disorganized staff made our experience there less than we expected. I won't be making the 90 minute drive to return there anytime soon, if ever. read more

I recommend going to is Beardslee Castle. I've gone there many times. I eat there with my family on my birthday on Beardslee Castle. Don't drink the water because it tasted bad. I like the hamburgers with french fries. I recommend eating them. My favorite restaurant is Beardslee Castle. Te recomiendo les Beardslee Castle. Yo he ido alla muchas veces. Yo como con mi familia en mi cumpleanos en Beardslee Castle. No bebas el agua por que sabe mal. Me gusta la hamburguesa con papas fritas. Te recomiendo comela. Mi restaurante favrito es Beardslee Castle read more

Amazing food, beautiful grounds. Service was slow, but they were hosting a wedding while we were there, so it seemed they didn't have enough staff to accommodate the service of the dining room alongside the wedding. Met the owner, who gave us a bit of history on the property, and his pride in the place was evident. We would definitely go back again read more

Every month our group of six from the Schenectady area have dinner together in a restaurant. We traveled an hour to Beardlsee Castle this month only to be severely disappointed. Initially, we thought it would be unique to reserve a table in the "dungeon." As we were led to our table I was immediately aware of the musty odor emanating from the dining area. Additionally there was a wedding pre-party at the bar making it difficult to even access our table. Once there, we were nearly surrounded by the party attendees. Not a show-stopper, just awkward. We asked to move to the main dining area where we were accommodated. At that point we were the only party in the dining room. I ordered a pork loin encrusted with walnuts. My dinner finally arrived after a solid thirty minute wait. It arrived with two very thin (literally 1/4" thick), overcooked slices of pork loin. The walnut coating tasted burnt and the tasteless meat bordered on a hockey puck's texture. I was unable to finish the entrée. This is only one example of what the others in our party experienced. Of the six in our party, only two finished their meal. The remaining four had no desire to finish the meals that were put before them. I believe that a Middle-Age meal of bread and mead would have been more palatable. We will never return and will warn our other friends not to waste their time nor money. read more

The food was good but could have been hotter. Salad below average. Service very poor. Waited one hour for our meal after ordering. The decor needs work. very strange decorations that did not go together at all. It was a cold night and no heat was on. The sulfur water was horrible. My advice would be find a place with five stars. big disappointment. read more

We planned a wedding with the wedding planner, Jennifer and owners, Randall and Lynn...the ceremony was conducted by the grand fireplace...every small detail was carried out with perfection. We had 77 guests and utilized the restaurant for the entire celebration. The appetizers, main course and bar were beyond our wildest expectations. I highly recommend Beardslee Castle...and yes, it is a replica of an Irish castle. read more

Just celebrated my son's wedding here. Also reserved their "Dungeon" for the rehearsal dinner. The food for both was exceptional and accommodating to guests with dietary restrictions. The Coordinator, Lynn, was helpful and organized both for the rehearsal and during the wedding and reception. I strongly recommend this venue. read more

I don't want to be the downer in these reviews, but my Valentine's 2010 experience was not at all what I'd expected. I read the reviews and did my homework on the place before making reservations, and I was confident that my significant other and I would have a nice, romantic dinner in a castle. And I was willing to take the hour long drive to make this happen. As soon as we sat down, I noticed cobwebs hanging from the few light fixtures and the corners of the room. As if the staff couldn't be bothered to clean the place any more than was absolutely necessary before a possible Valentine's Day rush. Since dinner was from 4pm to 8pm that night, we made our reservations for 6pm thinking that was a good time to get there. Apparently not. All we both really wanted was the filet mignon, and they were already completely out once we got there. And it's not like the place was packed. There was hardly anyone there. To make matters worse, as if our second-choice meals weren't bad enough (his grilled shrimp had barbeque sauce on them and my baked lobster was the toughest piece of seafood I'd ever laid eyes upon), the water, of all things, was awful! There was a distinct (and strong) smell of sulfur coming from the water. If it were only the glasses of water, we could've easily just not drank the water. But no, it was in the water that the dishes were cleaned with, so our wine/soda glasses also reeked of sulfur as well. It was overwhelming. Needless to say, I was not impressed. And I have no intention of returning. read more

Beardslee Castle is one of my very favorite restaurants of all time, anywhere! The place is *gorgeous* and beautifully restored, the ghost stories surrounding the place are fascinating, the service is top-shelf, and the food is *beyond* amazing! Whether you're coming from Utica or Albany, this is *the* best place w/in 100 miles to bring a very special date, an awesome friend or group, or just about anyone up for a wee road trip! The menu changes daily, but I've never had anything there I didn't adore. However, I recommend getting a couple of appetizers for dinner instead of an entree; the appetizers are the most delicious and unique part of the menu, IMO! Also, the complimentary hummus and tapenades are to die for, the atmosphere is sumptuous w/o being overbearing, and you're encouraged to walk around the place and enjoy all the lovely historical details of the building and grounds. Grab a game of pool downstairs in the pub if you'd prefer, and watch the fish in their tank, wander around the grounds and see the gorgeous landscaping, admire the nearly 150 year old stonework... and watch out for spirits! read more

My fiance and I went here while scouting for locations for our wedding/reception. The grounds were nice, and the castle was very neat. The wedding planner left a lot to be desired. First off- she had clearly been drinking throughout the day. She smelled of alcohol and was not very interested in meeting with us. We had driven an hour and a half from Syracuse to have our appointment. She hastily showed us around the grounds, brought us upstairs, where she told us she wasn't "comfortable" with the amount of people we were inviting. That is fine, but the website advertises far more than they are capable of hosting. She then slid the folder with wedding packages across the table and told us to read it, while she sat there. Usually they try to "pitch" the site. She must have thought we were just wasting time she could have had at the pub downstairs. Overall, very very uncomfortable. I would be back for dinner though! read more

Good ambiance and great beers, but mediocre and insanely priced meals and appetizers.

We were very disappointed in our meal. I have the scallops and they had not been cleaned well so I bits of sand in some bites. Hubby got a pork dish that had been rolled in nuts with a sweet potato couscous dish. Pork was so thinly sliced and the couscous was terrible too. Another person at the table could not eat it either. We were most disappointed....always go there when we return to this part of New York. read more

We had arguably one of the best meals and experiences of our lives. Everything from the pristine grounds to the historic dining room to the amazing meal made for a perfect upscale evening. We were served like kings and queens by a cordial, friendly and accommodating team. Needless to say we left with full bellies and happy faces. This is a must try in my opinion. I know I will be going back for sure. read more

We had planned to go to the castle for several months. It was a great disappointment. My boyfriends shrimp had an off taste, like it was bleached, the walnut encrusted pork so bland and couscous flavorless. The gator cake so dry and bland. The menu sounded so great but the actual food was terrible. Halfway through our meal a party of about 40 people were seated next to us so we couldn't even carry on our conversation. Why do they leave the humus and olive tapenade out on all the tables set up for so long. Why wasn't it decorated for Halloween? Doesn't seem like they know what they are doing as far as cooking. Our waitstaff was really nice, though! read more

i went there for a dance and they did all the food and it was absolutely terrible the burgers were raw and there was flys everywhere.