I needed to update my review because this place continues to be so consistent on all fronts…read more The food ... Always tasty with generous portions. The staff ... They could not get any friendlier. The ambience ... Loud and energetic, which is what I look forward to in a diner experience. Keep doing what your doing, and I'll keep coming back!

Tried the hotel breakfast ... wait was too long/food poor/service 'overworked'…read moreNOT AT shortys! We searched out a local diner place close to Williamsburg with ez parking! The staff was really nice and professional , super varied menu in this olde tyme diner. I love a Cubano sandwich so why not a cubano omelet! It was a hit The choco pancake was gigantic and tasty (we travel with our own real maple syrup) ... my side of grits and fluffy biscuit topped it off. Fun place quick kitchen nice staff Very glad to have abandoned the hotel fare for this local place

We stopped in for dinner before a show. The service was excellent and the food was good…read more This was our first time in a side room near the back. We liked that it was quiet and relaxed. Two of us wanted lighter food tonight, so we had grilled salmon in a house salad and the shrimp and brie appetizer. Our third diner had the red fish with shrimp, over some grits. Everything was enjoyable.

Stopped in while touring Colonial Williamsburg, drawn in by the one dollar oyster happy hour. Sat…read moreat the bar and was greeted by Will, who offered both drink and food menus. I placed an order for twelve york river oysters, a Bloody Mary, and the fried green tomatoes. The bar was small and intimate with two televisions, both on football games, and other customers who were friendly and social. My drink arrived first, and while very flavorful, for $13, I found it to be on the small side. I've gotten a larger Bloody Mary's of equal quality at other restaurants for less money. I think you should work on either the price point or the portion size here. The oysters arrived properly iced with lemon wedges and generous portions of cocktail sauce, horseradish, and terrific garlic butter. They were perfect. Shortly after, the fried green tomatoes arrived. Such a disappointment. The presentation was excellent, the diced red tomatoes a nice color accent, but the green tomato slices were wafer thin and were overpowered by the pimento cheese, totally wrecking the flavor profile of the dish.....the portion sizes should have been reversed. They were the absolute thinnest slices of tomato I have ever encountered on a serving of F.G.T. The dollar special on the oysters is enough to get me back in, but I will reexamine my menu and drink choices on my next visit.

This place has some of the best food I've ever had. The fish and chips was THE BEST fish I've had…read morein my life! And my mom had a burger with an actually good gluten free bun. I got an amazing root beer handmade by a local brewery, and oh my lord, that was good. Dad got a pretty good cold beer, and we all did cheers together With my family, and our allergies, it can be hard to eat out sometimes, but this place was SUPER accomodating. Carter, our server, was amazing. He remembered everything, was very sociable, had a really fun sense of humor. Very nice and funny dude. Definitely deserves his promotion We sat outside, and just the happenings of the lovely corner was super relaxing. Dog friendly, so a bunch of cute puppies were around. And their chairs look kinda like roots, so that was cool. All in all, 10/10.

Had a good experience at Dog Street Pub. The patio was perfect -- very relaxing atmosphere and a…read moregreat place to unwind. Service was friendly, and we came specifically to try the cocktails and beer selection which definitely did not disappoint. They have a really great variety of beers to choose from. The patio was so mellow and great for the atmosphere.

It's always special for our family to dine at one of the Colonial Williamsburg taverns. Our…read morefavorite for decades has been Kings Arms. We have not not dined, or even spent much time at CW since the pandemic. After a hike behind Bassett Hall my wife and I enjoyed lunch. We arrived at noon and were promptly seated in an empty room. Around 20 minutes later the first floor was full. The atmosphere was cool and authentic. Nothing has changed since my previous visit. Our friendly waitress got menus and waters. I started off with an Apple Jack Old Fashioned utilizing Virginia Gentleman bourbon. We reviewed items on the menu that may have been served in the period. We started with apps. I got a salad, or "To Make a Fine Sallet". My wife crab croquettes. They pushed out first and we enjoyed. For mains. I got the pork shank, or "To Stew a Shoat in the French Way". My wife had "Chicken Hash", it was like a thick soup. The plating was beautiful and the taste matched. The old fashioned was disappointing because it was so weak. Service was decent, but not much attention. For dessert I got the bread pudding and wife chocolate tart. Both were outstanding! The bill was dropped on the table. It was around $150 w/ tip. Although pricey we had fun and felt like tourist just an hour from home. I would recommend.

The King's Arms Tavern is an interesting experience with decent service but nothing more to offer…read morethan that. I came here with my parents and girlfriend as a way to cap a nice day of introducing her to them and I was unpleasantly surprised by the visit. Despite the fact that you cannot park in front of the establishment , there was very little signage in the back to route you to where you needed to be to reach the host stand. Once we got there, there was some awkward interaction from the hostess to get us seated, and we reviewed our menus. We all opted for the peanut soup ($10 each) as an appetizer, and my girlfriend and I opted for the Roast Duck ($50 each) and my parents both opted for the Salmon with crab on top ($59 each). While the peanut soup was excellent (and available elsewhere), the roast duck was flavorless, the accompanying vegetables cold, and the mashed potatoes were not enough to save the entree. The "free" Sally Lunn bread and cornbread were quite nice, though again not enough to save the meal, nor was the bread pudding. My parents told me they liked the salmon meals but without sampling it I have to take their word for it. I risk seeming ignorant here so to be clear: I have enjoyed a number of elevated meals where the high prices were entirely justified by the quality of food, level of service, and upscale atmosphere. King's Arms failed in every respect: the food was middling at best, the service was okay but failed to make enough callbacks to avoid running out of water, and the ambiance was spoiled by a large party with eight children they decided to seat in the middle of the room, thereby ensuring a loud distraction for everyone. While this was indeed an interesting experience from a historical perspective, it is utterly unfit to charge the prices it does and I strongly recommend against coming here. The extra star is for the soup, definitely seek out the peanut soup (but do it somewhere else). Overall: 2.0 stars ---- Pros: - The peanut soup is excellent, as is the Sally Lunn bread - The historical experience of dining where those in antiquity have is quite cool. Cons: - By fine dining standards, the rest of the fare here is laughably bad. - The service is decent but nowhere near where it should be given the airs they put on. - Prices are exorbitant and horrifying to anyone with an eye for value. - Directions and parking are an additional pain point. - If you know you have a large party of children, plan seating accordingly. This is an awful way to ruin the experience of everyone else who is paying a lot to be here.

We spent the day in Colonial Williamsburg and decided to eat in the area. Amber Ox is a farm to…read morefork restaurant with seasonal favorites. We did not have a reservation, but easily found a table at the bar. The servers were personable and super helpful. We actually enjoyed sitting in the bar area watch the various trays exit the kitchen window. Mixed drinks had a fresh taste. We ordered the pimento cheese dip ( savory) and the soft" melt in your mouth "biscuits served with an array of butter/spreads. The beet salad was earthy in a good way with a great mix of beets, nuts, brie cheese,and fresh greens. The smoked chicken was not dry with a smoked flavor . The creamy greens had an excellent texture . I actually ate all of the grits ( I am usually not a fan of grits). They had a mashed potato taste/texture and were amazing!

Sophie was one of the best (best?) servers I have had in memory.Every request was meant with a…read moresmile and a 'yes'. She was engaging, accurate, timely. Food was delicious and hot. Cocktails unique and tasty. You folks know how do it right. You could teach a few other, similarly-priced, local restaurants a thing r two.Thank you.

We ate breakfast here having stayed on property at the Williamsburg Lodge. We were told breakfast…read moreis first come first serve and we arrived right at 7am when they opened and were seated promptly. They offered entrees but also a breakfast buffet. We opted to do the buffet, which was great and fresh since we arrived right at opening. The buffet had a lot of variety and everything tasted very flavorful.

While staying at the Williamsburg Lodge I was offered free breakfast here each day... I only came…read moreone of the two mornings I stayed here to try their breakfast. The hostess was kind of challenged in being able to keep up with just the few parties waiting to enter... service from her was very slow and aloof. Once seated, service was great. The selection of what they give in the in the "continental breakfast" was great, as it was a typical full buffet, just not their specialties and honestly, that was all I needed. The eggs were decent. The English muffins were hard and stale, clearly left out from the day before - yuck. The bacon was great. The venue was nicely decorated in the typical Williamsburg period décor, which is appealing considering it's the norm for the area. Overall - I'd definitely not come here for a meal I had to pay for, but for a complimentary meal, it'll do.

While not great food, it is good food. Unlimited. Sirloin steak cooked to order. Nuff said.read more

Not the level of service nor quality normally found at Golden Corrals, clam chowder was like soup,…read moresirloin to order was just not right, medium rare was cold, our drinks were brought only after server was summoned.

Been going here for years. Fell in love with it the first time we went to Williamsburg. Small,…read morequaint, French restaurant within the Historic area. Our service by Sarah was very good. She gave us suggestions that were perfect. Started off with French onion soup, fried oysters, and Côtes du Rhône. We split the Boeuf Bourguignon $39. Very tasty, nice portion, just like we had in Paris. For dessert, Chocolate Mousse prepared table side. Two glasses of Prosecco. Definitely would recommend.

Visited Blue Talon Bistro recently. Our server with blue hair wasn't very friendly at the beginning…read moreand didn't communicate with us well, though she was better by the end of the meal. The food was alright--nothing amazing, but decent. The portion sizes were good and filling. We spent around $90 for a couple, which felt a little high for the overall experience. Overall, it was an okay visit, but the service could have started off much better.

Terrible food for the price. Buns were dried out, sausage sandwich was ridiculously bad…read more Definitely would not eat here again.

Chowning's Tavern…read more This family-friendly tavern offers lunch and dinner; of course Colonial Williamsburg is family friendly and we recommend Chowning's Tavern for families. We have taken care to frequent Colonial Williamsburg for decades; Probably the Christmas season is our favorite, and the long hot humid summer is the season we avoid. Any frequent visitor to Greater Williamsburg is in for a culinary treat; we focused our first few years on Colonial Williamsburg dining, and we still recommend the historical taverns. Dining in the 18th Century setting is provided at the following: * Christiana Campbell's Tavern® * Chowning's Tavern® * King's Arms Tavern® * Shields Tavern® Over the years Chowning's Tavern has evolved to "please families" with a fast food backyard grill. Limited menu and service hear. Caveat: avoid the backyard if desiring an authentic Colonial Dining experience. Please read reviews prior to visiting Colonial Williamsburg. We recommend above stairs dining; servers have had some training. Great tavern ambience. Chowning's Tavern may offer the best economy dining experience. In the 1960's we "discovered" Brunswick Stew, and this is still on the menu; moreover, my wife has added this stew to her offerings in her kitchen. Take care in personal review of colonial dining. Chowning's Tavern may or may not be a best bet for romantic dining. The tariff is appropriate for the fare.

We were a party of four. I liked my burnt ends. Used their bbq sauces which were good. Someone else…read morehad the sausage which he said was just ok. Another had ribs he said was about a 6-7. Last person had brisket that she really liked. I had a taste and I agreed it was good. They served these delicious corn muffins and snd butter. Overall good.

The smokehouse was good. It's not a fancy restaurant but those free corn muffins are to die for!!!…read more The meat is deliciously smoked and fatty. The fat gives flavor but just so you know. The sides are ok. Our server was super nice and the restaurant is clean.