About a week before booking a table at the Broad Table Tavern, a friend of ours came to us and told us they had a great time here. If definitely fed into our decision but we were looking for something nearby as my godmother wanted to take us to dinner for our anniversary after seeing our daughters in Newsies nearby. As always, I booked our table under my moniker, Sir Cornelius Silkbottom, to which the person taking reservations seemed a bit apprehensive, as I am very used to at this point. However, our reservation was perfect, and when we showed up at the nice little restaurant attached to the Inn at Swarthmore, we were seated right away, and next to the large windows that open up to the seated patio with a beautiful view of the golden hour of the day. One thing that was a little strange was that they charged for bread. Throughout our meal we kept having questions about what the true intention of what the Broad Table was going for in their presentation and their service. Our server and the staff was very nice, but we couldn't put our finger on whether the place is supposed to be very high-end, and upscale farmhouse style new American joint, farm-to-table, or what the heck was going on here. All I do know is that we enjoyed the heck out of what we ordered. Where they seemed to shine the most was in the very little nuanced things; a sweet lavender butter provided with the bread was a show stopper. The beet sauce along with my halibut was also outstanding. Everyone's meal was great, but we simply couldn't pin a label on this place, which may be the very purpose to begin with. Maybe Broad Table doesn't need a label or to be boxed in, and it really doesn't matter because it's delicious and the selection is varied enough for everyone! What is great about Broad Table Tavern is that it can be a standalone bar, a restaurant, and if you happen to be staying at the Inn, it is definitely a place to go for your meals. It's not cheap, but it is a great stop that will Make things easy for meals especially if you are here visiting kids in college to for a conference or another event. If you are in the area, this can easily become a place for a nice meal for two or a group, but as the evening gets later, the space becomes a bit more intimate for a date and it isn't too loud, sometimes featuring a live pianist. I suggest you try it out if you live in the area or happen to be traveling here, it will not disappoint! read more

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I got the grilled chicken burger plate, of which the highlight were the fries. They were just what I needed that evening. Service is phenomenal. We appreciated Carla's attentiveness. She's amazing. Good lighting. A bit overpriced for what you get, but that's par for the course since it's a hotel restaurant. read more

Broad Table Tavern - Grilled chicken burger - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Good food, good service & nice ambiance. Very nice Sunday brunch and it was quiet and you could hear your dining companions.

So, I sat down at the bar. The bartender gave me three food menus and told me the happy-hour specials would close in three minutes. So I quickly made a choice and she placed the order. I thought she would come back for my drink order (although she had not given me a drinks menu), but she didn't. When I finally caught her eye several minutes later, she said (can you believe this?): "Were you wanting something else?" I said: "Yes. I'd like a drink." It's a bar! I wanted a beer. I asked what they had on draft. Instead of telling me, she started negotiations around "What do you like?" Clearly she didn't know much about beer - for instance, I mentioned West Coast IPA and she said, "We don't have anything from the West Coast, it's all made around here." I said, "West Coast is a style, not a location." Then she thought it had to do with the degree of haziness in the beer, which isn't really the point. Well, she gave me some samples, and when I decided on one, and caught her eye, and told her, did she pour my beer? No, she did not. She made time-consuming cocktails for other people who arrived after I did. She got drinks for the table servers. My food arrived and sat there getting cold while I waited for a simple beer - after I'd already waited for a long time to order it. I don't stiff bartenders or servers very often, but this time it seemed warranted. Completely unacceptable. Otherwise, the food was excellent and the beer I finally got was OK. I have no idea what it was, since she didn't deign to tell me. read more

I had the pleasure of enjoying brunch here today. Our server Zoe was amazing and the food was delicious. I ordered the Farmers Breakfast and I loved the potatoes eggs sausage and toast. We ate outside on the patio because it was a beautiful day. I highly recommend you come here to eat. read more

Broad Table Tavern - The patio for dining - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Had a large family dinner reservation here while staying at the Inn at Swarthmore. The staff, and our server in particular, did a great job of handling our large party. He were especially great at accommodating our 5 year old who was having a hard time with the dinning experience. It didn't hurt that the food was great and cocktails were done well, and things went remarkably smooth. I wouldn't hesitate to return on a future trip! read more

great option in Swathmore. It's one of the few nicer dining establishments and it's open on the weekends. For that reason it gets pretty crowded, but it's pretty good. Expect downtown prices. Lots of options for whatever you like to eat. I like their creative cocktails and good desserts! read more

Broad Table Tavern - Grilled salmon - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Your invisible quick sit down. That's it. Nobody cares your there strange waiter walks past you didn't acknowledge your existence

Not sure I understand the poor reviews here. Yes it is expensive but it's also upscale and not a low cost venue to run or operate. The happy hour is actually extremely reasonable. There is demand from the community and the college for lodging and dining of this caliber, and it's a net positive that the restaurant and that the Inn are in Swarthmore. read more

3 stars at best. Including gratuity $330 for 4 people. Expect much higher level food and service at these prices. Walked in and waited a minute or two at hostess stand, young man came along, said four? My daughter said reservation for 7:15. He grabbed up some menus, mumbled something and started walking away so we followed to our table, he did not say, enjoy your meal, waiter will be right with you, nothing. Nice table in dining room side, comfortable Amish style wooden chairs. Broad Table is one of the many restaurants who have begun putting bread on the appetizer menu and charging for it, very tacky and cheap move. Vodka and Cranberry was served in an on the rocks glass rather than a highball glass. We shared 3 appetizers, Deviled Eggs, filling was very good, egg whites were so overcooked as to have a rubber texture, PEI Mussels in a curry sauce which was delicious, came with bread for dipping, but several of the mussels were either closed or almost closed, they should not have been served. Crab and pimento cheese croquettes were very good, crispy, not greasy and lots of crab flavor. New York Strip Pub Steak and Fries was ok, steak came sliced and was overcooked from how ordered, decent truffle fries. Yellow Fin Tuna Poke had very good flavors, buttery fish, served over a large portion of rice, too much. Artichoke and Squash Lasagna was not good, very tomatoey, to much sauce, didn't see or taste any ricotta, veggie were all soft as to be almost mushy. Berkshire Pork Ribeye had good flavor, but again was served sliced, don't really get that, it can dry out. We shared 2 desserts, Carrot Cake which was dry and did not have cream cheese, but probably a butter cream frosting and a good flavored Creme Brulee. The Reeses Dessert Martini was all chocolate, had no peanut butter flavor at all. Waitress was very nice but had not been trained properly. She seemed uncomfortable, started clearing while people were still eating, did not bring new forks after appetizers until we asked and was not very familiar with cocktail and wine selections and did not offered refills on coffee, just brought the check. We were very polite and left a generous gratuity, but the restaurant needs to prepare their staff better. Would stay at the Inn again, but would not eat at Broad Table, several other restaurant options in walking distance. read more

Friday night visit for dinner. A lively bar scene and a classy casual restaurant. I had the steak frites and my partner had the veggie lasagna. Steak was perfectly cooked and delicious. Everything we had was great including the crème brûlée. Staff was terrific. Cheerful and attentive. read more

This is a pleasant restaurant with an elegant appearance and a relaxed atmosphere, but there is certainly room for improvement with regard to service and food quality. We recently spent four nights at the Inn at Swarthmore as we moved one of our kids onto campus for freshman orientation. On the big day, we decided to indulge in a nice sit-down breakfast rather than the quick grab-and-go meals that we'd be having during our stay. His window for moving was later in the morning, so we figured that we could have a leisurely start to the day. We walked down to the restaurant shortly after it opened. There were just a couple other small groups seated, so we were taken to a table right away. After a few minutes of considering our options, we placed our orders and waited. And waited. And waited. Given the small number of diners, it seemed to take an inordinately long time for our food to come out. Fortunately we had allowed plenty of time to eat and head to the dorm. By the time our food arrived, we were pretty famished and eagerly dug into our meals. For this last family breakfast for a while we selected: - BTT eggs (ah, I now see that it stands for Broad Table Tavern): pretty standard eggs, choice of protein, and home fries. Nothing special here, but the home fries were very good. - Steak and eggs with home fries: this was ordered as medium rare but was more on the rare side; IMO that's better than being overcooked. This was supposedly a 6 oz steak but actually seemed quite a bit larger, which of course was a bonus. Flavor was good. - Belgian waffles: according to the menu, it comes with a berry compote and whipped cream, but when it was delivered to the table there was only maple syrup. We reminded the waitress that there were missing components, and after a couple minutes she returned with the compote. We then asked for the whipped cream but she seemed unaware that it was part of the dish, but she quickly went and got us a bowl. Once all the pieces were in place it was a good meal. - Build you own omelette: I chose sausage, mushroom, and cheddar. The ingredients were sparse and it was cooked with too much oil. Flavor was just okay. The cost of the meal, however, was quite reasonable. All in all we felt that a decent, but not memorable, experience. We're willing to give this place another try, perhaps for dinner, on a future visit. read more

Delicious omelette, phenomenal grits. The poor staff was overwhelmed--apparently no manager showed up--and they were scrambling like crazy to keep up. As a result, the service was very slow. The staff were lovely but the management let them down. read more

love the atmosphere. Welcoming for mall or large tables. Seated right away at a requested table. We had the artisanal cheese board which was really different with olives, carrots (spicy) artichokes and more. Great tasting toast as well. I had a tuna melt which was tasty and huge! It came with fries that were delicious. Host was very nice and accomodating, named Dray.Refreshing and nice experience overall. read more

Still a five star restaurant in 2021 as we ate here recently.... I had the salad and a fish special which was excellent and low cal. I'm on a low fat low carb diet but that's no problem here. Our guests, who came from NYC, were duly impressed with BTI, they thought it was excellent. A fine dining experience! read more

This was our first visit. The food was great and the atmosphere was very cozy by the fire. Service was non-existent. Server came to table once to take our drink and food order. For all other interactions, we had to flag him down. We didn't get our drinks until after reminding them that we never received them about 5 minutes into eating our first course. Would love to go back to try other menu items, but the basic lack of service makes for an annoying meal. The have food runners that bring anything from the kitchen quickly and efficiently. They served our drinks in rocks glasses which was very odd, since we ordered iced tea and Diet Coke. When I flagged them down for a refill, I was delivered an Arnold Palmer, and sent it back. When my Diet Coke came it had no ice. Very bizarre. read more

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Friendly and impeccable service (mostly) and a fast kitchen make up a bit for the uninspired menu and hotel-ish prices. Stick to the unusual things (squash ricotta toast, quinoa bowl, market fish, duck) and avoid the standard pub bar fare (cheesesteak, wings, et alia) and you'll be happier, as the former at least have a little panache. We are non-ideological vegetarians (will eat meat on special occasions) but I couldn't resist getting a cheesesteak, because, you know, Philly, right, we were visiting, why not? It was limp. I wish I'd snuck in take-out Renato's or stuck to the salmon I had on a previous visit. I have to say this was the first time in a long time I laughed aloud at a menu item -- the $17 Impossible burger. The pseudo gourmet beef burger (brioche bun, fancy cheese) costs exactly the same. I do adore the ambiance -- yes, it's a little generic, but open fireplace, cosy seating, and a decent outdoor patio, it's the pub I really wished had existed when I was a student, if not for regular patronage, maybe for the odd special occasion. So mission accomplished. read more

Upscale dining. Took my friend who came in from Florida for lunch. I love the atmosphere here. Great cocktails. Great lunch menu. Fantastic cream brulee for dessert. read more

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Look at Swarthmore all grown up with a nice bar cheesesteak. If you know the area you are going to get exactly what you expect. Nice quiet bar/restaurant. Free parking is in the back. Great hostess and server. Very well made cheesesteak. They got the provolone cheese to melt. The caramelized onions added great flavor. $12 and it came with a choice of house made chips, fries or side salad. I got the house made chips (I thought they would be healthier than the fries (Rico, suggested the side salad and I told him to shut the *&^# up)) and they were still warm. read more

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Went here with a friend and split the grilled chicken sandwich and roasted vegetable quinoa bowl. Sandwich came with a side of fries which was a big portion. Service was pretty slow but food was tasty. Cute restaurant. read more

Broad Table Tavern - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Great service, food, decor and atmosphere! The beautiful patio space is open all year. read more

In my experience, the only time I eat at a hotel restaurant is when I am too tired to go to a "real" restaurant. On my recent work trip, I stayed at The Inn at Swarthmore, and I found myself too tired to venture out but too hungry to not eat, so I went downstairs to have dinner at Broad Table Tavern. I must say, I was not impressed when I was seated in the bar area at a very skinny table that people had to pass by to get to the dining room. Then my waiter told me they didn't actually have a chef's pasta as the Tuesday menu noted. Okay, it's not the end of the world, as I found some other items that sounded appealing. I ordered the Sea Scallops with house bacon, gnocchi, fava beans, english peas, and soft herbs. I was pleasantly surprised with my entree. The scallops were cooked perfectly! I would've ordered dessert, but nothing really jumped out at me. Thank you for proving me wrong, Broad Table Tavern. I had a delicious dinner while staying at The Inn at Swarthmore. The next time I stay, I won't have dinner as a last resort. I will actually choose to dine with you again. Thanks! read more

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Show up at 8:02. Sorry, closed for food. How about a salad as there is nothing else open and your hours say 9pm...Not just online but everywhere including the front desk. Super disappointed on this place. read more

rlly good food! I recommend the bar food, worth the price. Truffle fries are to die for

Great spot within a Hotel on a college campus. Management team very welcoming and informative. read more

I live locally and have been going here for quite a while now. I love the atmosphere the restaurant creates and the friendly staff makes all my meals more enjoyable. The food is very good of course, I especially like the shrimp tacos. They play good music here too I just wish they would turn it up. read more

Broad Table Tavern - wood floors and a fireplace - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

During my hotel stay I tried this place twice for food. The cheese plate was a joke that consisted of what appeared to be hand ripped American cheese slices, weird parmesan strips, and chunks of Gouda. All cheese was poor quality and kind of gross. I could assemble the same thing from a decent gas station selection. The bread was labeled "bread service" which implied (to me) that it would be fresh baked, but instead it was stale, cold, and tasteless. The winter salad was decent but the ratio of arugula to the other listed ingredients was unbalanced. I think there were only six very thin slices of apple and a tiny amount of nuts and dried fruit that were difficult to find within the overly abundant greens. The spicy chicken sandwich was the only good thing, but the second time I ordered it they forgot the fries.... The ravioli was meh and the roasted chicken was like airplane food. The drinks were decent and the service was fine, just would not go here for dinner at all unless big improvements are made. read more

I don't know if I just caught this place on a bad night but i had the strangest, if not worst dining experience ever. I was meeting up with a friend who I hadn't seen in a while and when we arrived no one was available to seat us. We should've taken that as a bad sign and left but we were eventually sat only to wait for 20 minutes before someone greeted us. After several attempts I finally flagged someone down and to make matters worse 2 waitresses actually argued in front of us over who would wait on us! I guess Betsy lost the argument because she was our server for the evening. We had a pork flatbread, wedge salad and quinoa bowl. The food was not awful once it finally came, but then we had to search for someone to bring us silverware and napkins. I had to search for the manager just to pay the bill. I've never been made to feel like such an inconvenience in a restaurant and don't think I'll be back! read more

Broad Table Tavern - Pork flatbread, Pom Pom martini - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Service is slow,manu is limited. is overpriced the pigs in the blanket is one big sausage very greasy. They could do much better if they do the homework. You can't order chicken fingers unless you are a child read more

This was the first time I came this restaurant. We ordered the Korean bbq wings, which were good. The watermelon cucumber flatbread was a dud. It had no flavoring and the cucumber was bitter. I went into the flatbread hopeful, but sadly it did not live up to the risk the chef took with the combo on a flatbread. We also ordered the two salads with chicken, which were okay. The service was good. I tend to ask for recommendations, which the waiter was not able to provide. It was a nice atmosphere outside. Nice seating in the shade! read more

Broad Table Tavern - Salad - Bars Near Me - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

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First time my husband and friends visited this restaurant since the pandemic and we were pleasantly greeted by our server Nate. Very accommodating young man who made certain enjoyed our meal. We had lunch and everything was amazing from the service to the meal! The Nashville Chicken sandwich... wow... juicy and flavorful, the brussel sprouts( oh my goodness) and the burger... just amazing! Definitely coming back! read more

Finding the Broad Table Tavern is another example of how Yelp is a very important tool in helping you locate restaurants or fun things to do in your area. I had no idea this beautiful restaurant was approximately 16 minutes away from my home. I read the reviews, I checked the menu, I was in for lunch. So I made a reservation and arrived approximately 10 minutes before my actual time. I was almost immediately greeted by the host at the front door not in the warmest manner but in a professional way. I explained my friend was parking so it'll be a few moments before we would be seated, I was offered in or outdoor dining I chose outdoor. Once seated we begin to view the menu and there were a lot of choices for a lunch as well as from the bar. Our server came to ask if we would like to order something to drink and poured our water. After pouring the water he said with enthusiasm, 'well I have to give you a little information about the menu'. He went over the soup of the day, it sounded delicious but I wasn't in the mood for soup. I ordered a beer and asked if he would come back in a few minutes for us to place our order. He returned about five minutes later and I asked for one of the appetizers on the menu a sweet and spicy broccoli. 'Oh I'm sorry we don't have that today' humm.... This is something that should have been added on a Post-it note or paper clipped to the menu .It's not hard to add a little note indicating a item is unavailable. Additionally when the server went over the soup of the day he could have gone over the items that were not available as well. I moved on to place my order, a cheesesteak that came with french fries(medium size not shoestring or steak).This is no ordinary cheesesteak and it was well worth the $14! The meat was tender, the roll was slightly toasted, the cheese melted nicely oozing out of the roll in a good way. It also had delicious peppers and onions cooked into it. My only concern is they were very few customers in the restaurant and the service was extremely slow. Not in a personal way it took a long time to serve my 'neighbors' as well. However the ambiance is beautiful, my steak and fries were delicious, so the slow service was will not be a deterrent! read more

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refused to put my dinner in a box to take home " unfortunately we don't do this " was her answer . not a big loss since food wasn't that great anyway . dessert stated to have mint in it - didn't have any sign of mint overall wouldn't consider this place in the future read more

4 stars for the drinks and 3 for the food at the bar (we sat at the bar for the 4 - 6 PM Happy Hour) with Jet. He made us a delicious hot toddy and Irish coffee on a cold day. Apps are pricey - even on the happy hour menu. $10 shrimp cocktail came with 6 large, deliciously seasoned shrimp and a vodka cocktail sauce. Very good. Can't wait to return. Menu is small but lots of good choices. read more

Visited on a bright Sunday after lunchtime for drinks and an appetizer. Ordered a extra-dirty martini with house vodka. Received a 10oz glass of chilled vodka-not a complaint, Lol! Asked for some olives and olive juice which were quickly brought. DH had two delicious beers. We shared the hummus plate which was absolutely delicious and plenty for two people. Service was friendly and attentive. Covid precautions in full swing. We just moved to Swarthmore and can walk here. Once the weather is nice, we will definitely be patio regulars. read more

It's not really improving sadly. It's fine, I guess, but given the prices and the competition around, it is very hard to justify going here. I don't know why but they haven't quite figured it out in my opinion. For me, they would benefit from committing to some "theme" instead of being so generic. Rosalie in Wayne is a good example of a place that committed to a look/aesthetic and menu selection ("Italian soul food") in a way that works and creates an ambiance and uniqueness to the experience. I wish BTT would do the same! As is, it is hard to feel inspired to go. read more

We are there about once a week and my only problem with the place is my picky teenagers love it there so much that it's very hard to persuade them to try any other restaurants. And secretly I am relieved every time they insist on going because we are never disappointed. The food and service seem to get better every year. read more

We were staying at the inn and decided to walk in out of convenience--totally exceeded our expectation. The Sea Scallops and the Market Fish (Salmon) are a must try. read more

Not great. Or good for that matter. I got a cheese plate which is a selection of 4 cheeses and accoutrements. I mention I do not like blue cheese so they give me 2x the goat cheese and some chips of Gouda. 2 sub-par portions of cheese and about a loaf of stale grilled bread cut in chunks and scattered all over the wood slice along with my tablespoon of goat cheese crumbles ( divided in half to appear as though I had 2x more), some dried cranberries and some mustard. I've had this before and it has been much better and the accoutrements more diverse. I have gone several times with my sister and have often ordered the nachos which have been completely different every single time. Later my friends showed and we ordered two orders of fries for the table and received two half portions...only to reorder another and receive a more bountiful single portion. This could easily be a passable, if not better establishment, if it were only run maybe a teeny bit better. Also, dim the lights and create a bit of mood. it's like a spot light on every table. It's really a miss. An easy Miss. read more

Amazing! Shared a bunch of food. Chicken wings so delicious and meaty. The philly and salad so filling and tasty. Drinks were nice and staff super friendly and helpful. read more