Had my husband's Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 21, 2026. I can not say enough good things about the venue, staff and food. I had only anticipated about 100 people and we ended up with almost 200 people. They were so accommodating and very professional in the way that they handled this. Maggie and Anya were amazing with their attention to detail. Aiden, the bartender, was able to handle the bar with ease. The food was absolutely delicious and everyone was raving about it. I would highly recommend this venue to everyone. If I could give them more than 5 stars, I would! Linda Bourgeois read more

Friendly service with good food and a decent selection of items to choose from Bar with cocktails and beer read more

Our family business been staying there over a month during the week and let me tell you the food is outstanding ,service was great and ambiance was incredible I felt like I was in the 20's . But the food Omg ish delicious the fried pickles was amazing !!!!! Anyone can go and eat there you will be pleased!!! Love it there !! Our business is Plymouth Rock dustless blaster read more

Colonial Grille - JD fried pickles with mozzarella sticks,and my favorite fried pickles - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

See all

We were a party of 8, though I will only be writing on behalf of two of us. The opened at 4. We were arrived early, and waiting in the sitting area outside the Grille until the remainder of our party arrived. We were the first 8 people in the restaurant, with a group of 3 immediately behind us. The greeting staff member was exceptionally friendly, having even offered to let us enter shortly before opening time. Unfortunately, our service was painfully slow, especially considering the lack of other patrons. This includes everything from the original drink order, all the way up through the desert order. On to the food!: Jennie had a Peach Sangria & I had a Summer Fever (w/ Hendrick's). Both were very good. We opted for the Fried Calamari appetizer. We both found it to be fairly good, but definitely too oily. It came with an aioli. We wished we had asked for some marinara with it. I opted for the Steak Tip with peppers/onions, sweet potato fries, and rice pilaf. The steak tips & veggies were cooked to perfection with phenomenal flavor! The rice pilaf was your typical rice pilaf... nothing special. The sweet potato fries were cook to perfection, unfortunately I there was far too much salt on them... almost making them inedible. Jennie chose the pan seared scallops, which came on a bed of risotto. This dish came with 5, rather small, scallops. They were quite flavorful. The risotto may as well have been a bed of salt. The risotto was absolutely inedible due to the salt. It looks good, but neither of us could bear to eat more than two bites of it. Another member of our party had the onion rings. They looked great, portion was great, but they were heavy on the grease, and also were too heavily salted for anyone to eat. For desert, I ordered the lava cake with ice cream and Jennie ordered the cheese cake with strawberries. We both found our desert to be quite good. I did find it odd that the lava cake was served with a fork rather than a spoon. Both I and another party member had to ask for spoons because the forks just couldn't pick up the lava! Having not been to the Colonial Grille in years I was looking rather forward to it. For what you get for your money, it's really a toss-up if it's worth it. I doubt we'll be back. read more

Colonial Grille - Pan seared scallops Steak tips - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

It's big so it can handle lots of people w/o being crowded. Booths, bar or hi top tables usually all available. Winter fireplace is a very nice feature. We usually sit at the large bar so we can watch sports. Staff is attentive, the food we order (usually appetizers) is well prepared and comes in normal amount of time. I don't see how they could make improvements. Maybe they just like us? Bruce and Lo read more

Was practically empty when I went Sunday night. They had lots of bar selections. The scallops with bacon were so amazing, I got very excited that I had stumbled on a gem. Extremely disappointed when my prime rib arrived with the wrong side. Plus the mixed veggies were abysmal... the worst part was the prime rib. It was a bad cut that I ordered medium rare. It was more like medium and was completely dry. There was no au juice or horseradish sauce. After a few bites I cut it up and took for my dog. Totally a waste of money. read more

Colonial Grille - The only decent part of my dining stop: very memorable scallops in bacon. Prime rib was by far the worst I can remember having. - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

Colonial Grille is hands down one of the best restaurants in this area. The seafood is always so tasty. We have always had 10/10 meals here. The staff is welcoming and the drinks are great. Please, please, please advertise!! Your staff deserve to make the most that they can and your chefs deserve the notoriety!! read more

To start if you have a gluten allergy they don't take that seriously! The server was new not knowledgeable. She sent us the manager she told us what to get but wouldn't take the order. The drinks we got the ratios were way off. tasted like they just poured everything into the glass not caring. I sent my drink back twice.The French onion soup started eating it found the slice of bread in it. The salad came out with the meal had gluten covered pecans. Told the manager she said the server never typed in allergy! Then at this point the manager even avoided our table. The bill came we were charged for everything but the salad. The baked loaded potatoes came out so dry they must've cooked them for 10 hours. As we were paying the bill the manager was sitting at the bar with the customers?! So inappropriate and unprofessional and she never came back to see how we were doing Never again! read more

This place is a dump and they rip you off. I would stay away if you were smart! Overpriced and overrated their food is subpar!

A nice place out for dinner in Gardner. A good choice of dinner specials along with many menu items. Always good service. Nice environment for dining. read more

I attended a wedding at this establishment recently. It was a terrible experience. Our server, Kayleigh, was wonderful. The rest of the staff was rude and should choose different vocations. I ordered prime rib medium rare. (I wish I took pictures) The others at the table got theirs, cooked medium rare, and looked so yummy. When the server came around, I was sitting without a meal as EVERYONE was eating. The manager (?) Came by and expressed some apologies....came back 10 minutes later with an end cut medium well-well and more fat than meat by far. Again, apologies from staff. The kitchen apparently ' rushed it. I ended up with raviolis 20 min after everyone was just about done with their meals. There was no a/c on a 92° degree day. We were all given paper fans to try to keep cool. Because of the people that were there I loved it but I wouldn't recommend this establishment to anyone. read more

I am here to appease myself for judging this place as being a one off Applebees. I must say my 13 year old son and I had a great old school meal. Amazing chicken noodle soup - homemade. The chicken parm was plentiful and on point. I had rib eye w 2 sides. All good. Services was great. If you are looking for a solid meal and in town for a tournament, don't sleep on this place. Skip the chains and come here. Fiddlehead on tap too, dad ! read more

A favorite of mine. The specials are always a treat and more impotantly, the service. Every staff member has always made us feel like regulars long before we were. You need to come here. Let me know when you're going so we can meet there. read more

See all

We were planning on passing through the area and this was our first time at Colonial Grille. Reservations were easy to make. The service was excellent, Zach did a great job. The prices were reasonable. We ordered spring rolls, a burger and a lamb gyro sandwich. Glad they were able to be flexible on the side dishes and provide substitutions, such as a side salad instead of fries. The food was nothing spectacular. Everything we ordered looked like it came out of a bag of frozen, prepared ingredients. But I would go back and try something a little fancier. I am not sure why the restaurant is called "American (Traditional)" since about a third of the dishes are Italian food. read more

Our server was excellent, and the food was as well...that is where it ends though...our group had to deal with a very obnoxious manager, who tried to tell us we had to vacate the table even when we still had food coming and full drinks. We ended up being allowed to stay but heard later in the night that our server (who then received even larger tips) was written up by the so called manager for allowing us to keep our table when we were spending more money than anyone in the place. Won't stay here again. The other options might be farther away, but it's worth not having to deal with people like this manager. read more

INSIDE COLONIAL HOTEL In the Gardner/Westminster area there are not a lot of nice restaurant/bars. Although the Colonial Hotel has been a well-known wedding venue for decades the restaurant/bar side is increasingly becoming a destination for locals looking for a nicely appointed place to have a good time. The lovely wife and I have relatives in the area and have been staying at the hotel and eating/drinking here for many years. Let's begin with the bar. It's beautifully appointed and likely the best stocked bar in the area. It seats about twenty and is located inside the restaurant. The full restaurant menus are available which is very convenient. During the wedding season there are often weekend bands. Note that there is a strict NO SHOTS policy which I've found to be common near wedding venues. Even without the food, this is a very nice place to have a few drinks and watch a game. Speaking of the food, here you will find classic American fare done well. There is a breakfast buffet every day of the week. Monday-Saturday it will set you back about $10. On Sundays they increase the price by $1 and add an omelet station. The have a large lunch menu with excellent burgers. On a recent visit I was surprised to see I had a choice between from-the-bag frozen fries or fresh cut fries! That wasn't much of a choice for me! When is comes to dinner they have a Friday night all-you-can-eat Prime Rib & Shrimp buffet and baked potato bar. Not bad for about $22. Sometimes folks write off bars and restaurants inside hotels and in this case that would be a mistake. To me this is a 3 1/2 star place. In this case, considering the completion in the area, I'm going for 4. read more

Colonial Grille - Website photo of their beautiful well stocked bar. - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

Very clean restaurant. The server was pleasant. My steak tips were great! Would definitely suggest here.

Very nice ambiance. Also we appreciated the fact they carry Montenegro- shoutout to their rep, no one in this area carries amaros or apéritifs. We checked the online menu and hours and we're pumped they were open till 10 on a Monday but the menus definitely need updating. Got a couple down east drafts. It was between the ribeye, tips and then the pastisio. We both work at a notable steakhouse near the bruins practice facility and the prices were ridiculous. Ended with the latter. The person I was with doesn't eat any meat and settled on the impossible burger with no onions. Also got the fried pickles which were great. Overall the pastitsio was 6/10. The flavor was almost right, presentation was falling apart, not enough sauce/spice and the meat was basic. The beyond burger was not an actual beyond according to someone who orders them all the time. Bartender was great and engaging. Would try again. read more

This is try number 2 and again very very disappointed. The service is awful. The first time we went was for Christmas Eve dinner, we only had 5 people and the waiter took our order and forgot my wife's food, we all got our food and he forgot to put my wife's in. So after waiting another 10 mins she got her food, THE CHICKEN WAS RAW we couldn't believe it. They removed her meal and gave us free dessert. So tonight we tried to give it a second chance and again very disappointed. We asked if the chili and chowder was a extra charge for the soup and we were told NO extra charge that it came with our meal. We could've chosen soup and salad. We get there and we got charged for it. After my wife said something they were like oh sorry and still charged us. We get home and my chicken parm was gross. The chicken had a crunchy texture like it wasn't cooked all the way through and the sauce had no taste at all. The 99 has better chicken parm then this place I gave 2 stars because my wife said the chicken Alfredo was okay and the garlic bread was good. But other than that we will never go back. I guess we are going to have to stick to either blueprint or Gardner ale house. Sad because we are only a mile from this place. Don't waste your time and money the have way better restaurants in Westminster and Gardner area then this place. read more

I stay at the Colonial Hotel for business a lot. This restaurant is really good. I've had the scallops risotto, chili, chicken quesadilla which are all great. The bartender, Mary and Jason are super nice. I'd eat here even if I wasn't staying at the hotel. read more

Colonial Grille - Scallops Risotto - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

This place wasn't much on the outside, but the service and food make it worth it. Check it out! read more

See all

Well my goodness. What a nice tucked away little surprise the Colonial Grille is! Open till 10 for dinner most evenings. If I hadn't attended a wedding here years ago i would have never found out about GOOD dining in Westminster?!When you enter the main front entrance go to the right and you will see a small gold sign to the entrance to the restaurant. Greeted within a minute or so, we were seated late on a Sunday night returning home from a long and tiring trip, with zero desire to cook and having had gas station cuisine the whole day before, we wanted something that was actually cooked in a kitchen! The feels in here are amazing and probably suit the autumn/winter lifestyle in new England and sorta has an upscale lodge feel to it. I love the bar area and the width of the actual bar is nice so if you want to have a meal or some snacks there its actually relaxing instead of cramped . even if its packed. The fireplace and decent view before sundown is a nice touch, and adds to the warmth here. Even though it was late, the waitress was super nice and accommodating. always ready to refill the beer/coffee/water, and grabbing me extra everything (as usual). I had the prime rib, I needed something substantial- with veggies and taters of the season. So topped with some kind of blue cheese sauce so I asked for it on the side, and for once I actually regret that, because it was astoundingly delicious. Meat was cooked perfectly medium rare throughout and the crusty seasoning was something else! He had the meatloaf and said it was herby - and ultra moist. , he devoured the entire plate while I only left some fat as there was barely any gristle for my dogs' treat later. I so wish we had had time for dessert because it was such a nice quiet ambiance in there even with a good amount of the restaurant full, the seating is set up so nice so you can be out in the open and watch a game on their TV while having a good meal or in the high backed booths, a much more romantic experience can be had! I totally love places like this hotel anyways, there are less and less of these and they use to be dotted all over New England,. Maybe a bit of nostalgia plays in here, but I certainly will be back either way. Would love to take a group here for dinner for a birthday. !! read more

Colonial Grille - Pumpkinhead with a sugared rim please - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

Arrived at the colonial Inn after a brutal drive in from rush hour Boston. Our party was traveling on business and we decided to take a chance on the hotel's restaurant. Ordered cheese sticks, potato skins, and nachos for appetizers. Along with some fresh baked bread they give you upon arrival. They were all very good and quickly eaten. For main course two of us had the meatloaf which was great. I had garlic mashed potatoes and they were the only thing that I had that was sub par. The other gentleman had salmon burger with sweet potato fries which were very good. Last gent had a chicken pot pie and was also good. Don't be afraid of this hotel restaurant it is very good and staff is very friendly. Also the dark wood and fireplace is a plus. read more

Worst fucking service I've ever had. It was empty and still took 25 minutes to get a drink. Don't come here

Stoped in new to the area 3 kids in tow... service was amazing, friendly and informative about the menu. The food was delicious and the size of the meal was ginormous. My husband who never brings home leftovers had plenty for seconds.. the mushroom appetizer was tasty and the lobster meat was hearty. Lastly the manager was super friendly and welcoming, we had to let him know how happy we were with the service. The entire family can't wait to return. read more

The saddest breakfast ever. The warming dishes were empty or near empty both times I went for food. There was no fruit salad either time. When I asked for a spoon to stir my coffee I was told "they are over there". We flagged down the server each time we wanted more coffee. We were told there was a pot brewing. And to be talked about by the server and hostess loud enough for us to hear... disgraceful. read more

Large portions and fast service. I ordered the seafood risotto, the scallops were overcooked and sandy, shrimp was overcooked as well as the risotto itself. Clam chowder : very good. Lemon drop Martini: hit the spot!. Just stay away from seafood risotto. read more

Went last evening, not many patrons there at 7pm. Waited 12-15 minutes for 2 drinks, beer and wine, to be delivered and the wine was wrong. After ordering 2 appetizers, that took about 20 minutes to arrive. Food is basic, but would expect better for the time we waited. For the 3-4 non-chain restaurants to eat in Gardner, would expect much better food and service. At least it was clean, hence 2 stars vs. 1 read more

We had our wedding reception at the Colonial Hotel so it's always nice to pop in to the restaurant for a dose of nostalgia and a good meal. The outdoor seating is especially nice and the food is great. I've yet to have a meal that I disliked. (And if you're a chocolate fan, the Chocolate Lovin' Spoon Cake is ah-mah-zing) read more

We just had dinner here. My hopes were high. We were looking to celebrate an occasion. When seated we waited for 10 minutes before anyone approached our table and that was only when we flagged the many wait staff that passed by our table. Finally our server came and she was apoligetic and was very accommodating. However, the food was horrible. The swordfish for $22.00 was about 1/8 inch thick and burnt. The scallops I had were so fishy and inedible. The menu posted online was completely non representational to what they had to offer. The wine was excellent. But for the $120.00 tab.. I would never return. read more

Great food , friendly people ... good chowder ! Staff if friendly and fulfill your needs. Prime rib is very good . read more

Colonial Grille - American Near Me - Gardner, Massachusetts

We had the pleasure of dining here twice during our stay at the colonial hotel, once for lunch and another time for dessert! Both times the service was absolutely impeccable and the food was great!! We had seafood chowder and a Caesar salad for lunch and the portions were huge!! When we went back for dessert later in the evening we got cheesecake and the chocolate tort (gluten free btw!) both of them were soooo delicious but I think we did prefer the cheesecake just a bit more. Would definitely recommend dining here even if you aren't staying at the hotel, which is certainly lovely in its own way! My husband also enjoyed the beer selection, they have quite a few choices so ask for a menu. read more

It was just about a year ago, I last reviewed this place. We are local, this is a place we used to go to a LOT! Anyways, we returned here around 6:30 or so on 7/11/19 after a year's break. We took a table up front, because the booth was further than I wanted to walk (I'm handicapped). The place is not particularly busy, but there are people in the booths. Two servers came over and introduced themselves...Abby and Jenna. Apparently, Abby was "training" Jenna. Great!!! TWO servers, what could be better than that? They ask what we want to drink. We both wanted water, my GF asked for lemon for us. She also got a beer. They brought the water, they brought the beer...no lemon. TWO servers heard that and acknowledged it, but no lemon. They take the order, the order comes, it's ok. My water glass is near empty, the servers don't come back at all. They don't come back to fill my glass, they don't come back to ask if we need anything, or if everything is ok. Naturally, they don't come back to bring the lemon, although we are only 5 feet from the bar. Most of the time we were there the host? Manager?, was at the bar chatting with a few people. Now a couple had walked in and taken a table near us, and the host was sitting with the young couple talking. Then the hostess came and sat at the same table with the couple and manager. I don't know...bear in mind we eat out a LOT, and are typically 30% tippers for good service. We DO know what good service is, and we expect it at a place like this. I'd rather have paper napkins and good service, than cloth napkins and crappy service. Either you are upscale, or not. So, we have a server, who's training a new server, who is the world's worst teacher. The night before this, we were at MGM at a pub to eat. Service was GREAT! The manager came over to check on us there. The manager was helping the servers bus tables. THAT's what a good manager does. Ughhh...the servers come back. Dessert? We don't think so we will take this stuff home. Jenna brings containers, multiple containers, but no bag. Other places we go, they bring bags w/o asking. She brings the bill, I pay with a hundred. The bill comes back and the hostess/cashier had taken and broken the hundred and sent the bill back to me! What's up with that? In 66 years I've never seen that before. Was the register broke? She can't do Math? Were they out of change? Who knows? So...here's the problem...we had TWO servers and got poor service here again! That's 4 ears, 2 tongues, 4 hands, 4 legs need I go on? That same morning we stopped at a diner in Chicopee for breakfast, and the place was packed. We got light years better service there, from one server. I still tipped Jenna 7+ $ on a tiny bill. I personally would not recommend the Grille at this point. There are better options in the area, check my reviews for better rated area restaurants. But...hey...if you like bad service and good food, you'll absolutely love it here!!! read more

Let me make myself clear, we only come here for the all you can eat prime rib Friday nights, any other night of the week, we probably wouldn't make an appearance here. The prices for everything else is high and so are the drinks. Prime rib makes it worth all the wild, with shrimp, salad and baked potato bar all you can eat, salad dressing not home made, but not bad. Horseradish sauces for the prime rib was great. Try the peanut butter cheesecake, it was so amazing, I could just order that. We will be back... on Friday nights. Usually pretty empty when we go to, no need to make reservations. read more

This is a great place for dinner and drinks. I like the prime rib dinner and salad bar. It's a little loud but it's very comfortable and they have plenty of staff cleaning and making sure you have everything you need. Nice fireplace and good atmosphere , big bar with friendly staff. read more

Located in the hotel. Services was ok, interior/atmosphere can be intimidating due to their clientele. Had their Mediterranean Hummus plate. Wow it was amazing! Very light, fresh and great variety of vegetables. Nice place to meet up for a romantic dinner, or hanging at the sports bar. read more

What a disappointment of a meal. Weve had great meals previously but tonight was a disaster. We were asked 3 times if it was our table who ordered 3 different meals. Other tables recieved their meals before us though we ordered prior to them. We ordered our rib eye and mashed potatos but received a baked potato with a small sirloin. Our waiter commented that a number of meals were not prepared by the chef as requested tonight but did not attempt to resolve. After making a note of not what ordered again, the meal was corrected and arrived but as a well done rib eye (requested medium). Waiter offer free dessert but we stated we were too full for dessert. Waiter then offered a free drink but then later charged for the beverage. Wow. Hope they can improve things and get systems in place. Wonderful environment. read more

Not good. I was given the wrong meal. My wife was done with hers when I got mine. The server apologized a bunch of times. No attempt to make it right. I won't be going back any time soon. read more

Since their renovation a while back the Colonial Is one of our favorite spots. Intimate and you can actually hear yourself talk. Drinks are excellent and they don't skimp on servings of wine or Sangria! Had their new seafood lasagna last night, and it was absolutely amazing. I have never had anything like it. I don't usually leave reviews, but felt I needed too. I hope the lasagna ends up a regular menu item! read more

Love this little gem! Sinatra on a loop in the hallways, food is great and restaurant staff is friendly. It's nice to come down for nitecap or a nibble. The place stays open until 10 for food. read more