They have great fish, really good food and nice ambience. The dining room feels old; has old New England charm.

Very good food undercut by potentially the worst service we've ever experienced. Disappointed and surprised because it seemed like such a warm and friendly spot. read more

Ambience is fabulous with deep rich history. We had dinner at the tavern and it was very good. Service was attentive and welcoming. Good was exceptional and love the historic decor. Definitely have dinner or a bite here! read more

This review is for their Thanksgiving pre-order meal for 2. A delightful idea and with a few personal touches the dinner came out very well! We did not receive the turkey gravy that was listed, however. Easy to park and pick up. The ladies working the reception area were professional and swift. The bag was neatly organized and the serving sizes reasonable but not too much. The ingredients were simple, but very user-friendly. The Cranberry Sauce was wonderful! With a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and some caramelized onions, this side dish was extraordinary! The squash soup, heated on the stove with some sautéed onions and celery, was delightful. The mashed white potatoes, although a minimal portion, were very tasty. The rolls, heated in the oven, had excellent texture and taste. I added my own touches; a rosemary sprig for aromatics and homemade garlic infused olive oil. These extra touches made me feel like I could accomplish a small Thanksgiving dinner at home without destroying my kitchen or my mood! I may or may not do this again next year; I may try another restaurant to keep chaos in check. But I thought it was an excellent offering by this establishment! It made me feel a little fancy, and a lot less stressed!!! read more

It was excellent I had the calamari with aoli the lemon aoli was amazing the calimari was cooked to perfection perfectly fried I would give five stars but the waiter was not very attentive to our table read more

ffrost Sawyer Tavern - The calimari with lemon aoli - American Near Me - Durham, New Hampshire

Great spot for drinks and apps and dinner on the beautiful patio. We had the hand cut fries, spinach salad and steak frites + drinks - all very tasty. Service great too. Will def return. read more

The food here is very good, the service is confused and disjointed. Started with the Jefferson chicken appetizer. Boneless chicken rolled in pecans with a maple bourbon dipping sauce. Must try this. They could only improve it if they had it as on entree. For my entree had the duck special, excellent. Cooked to perfection with a tasty cherry sauce on top and wedges of sweet potato on the side. The confusion with the service starts before you're even seated. When you check in to be seated they're a bit bewildered with what to do next. We were 15 mins early and were told they we didn't have an assigned table (whatever that meant) so it was unknown when we'd be seated. 2 mins later we were seated in what looked like a check-in table for the large group in the nearby Madbury room. Strangest table I've ever had at a restaurant. The table was next to the tavern dining and literally in the aisle. Took quite awhile for a server to recognize we were there as well. Apps came out fairly fast, but the entrees took quite awhile. All in all, good food and may be worth a visit on a less busy night. Suggest you request a table upstairs read more

ffrost Sawyer Tavern - Restaurant - American Near Me - Durham, New Hampshire

My daughter booked 6 P.M. reservations here for our 40th wedding anniversary dinner. After three calls, they changed us to 5 P.M. and when the first two from our party tried to check in they couldn't find the reservation. Our server was friendly and attentive until we ordered. Unfortunately, she got confused on the appetizers and got two of the drinks wrong. She did check with us once to see how things were shortly after she brought our food, but before we could really taste it and then she disappeared. The draft beer I wanted to order was just a want, not a reality. My daughter and her husband have dined there several times before and had enjoyed it, but heard they had recently changed the menu. We ordered the "Assorted Accoutrements & Crostini" plates, both the cheese and meat assortments of the day. They were very slow in coming in spite of not many other people dining at the time. For the three meats and three cheeses, the plates were pretty slim selections on oversize plates. They were pretty tasty, however. The menu is was what I would expect for a lunch menu, but not a dinner menu. I guess their 7 "Large Plate" selections were evidently the dinner items. How about a few more locally sourced sea food choices? They had as many Burger and Sandwich selections as Large Plate selections. They had some items on table cards and a board regarding 50 cent wings and such during happy hour that weren't on the menu. It is obvious that they are trying to cater to the college students, but not the rest of the public and probably not their guests at their bed and breakfast. I wanted another taste of local sea food so I got a cup of chowder and the Lobster sandwich. The clam chowder was thicker than most of the New England clam chowder I have had here. It was more like you find in the Pacific Northwest which was a hit with me. The lobster sandwich was tasty and had lots of lobster in it and the fries were OK but not great. My wife went with a Chicken Wing shared platter and soup of the day which was a chorizo and something soup. She enjoyed the chicken wings. My daughter got the Pan Seared Scallops, which should have been on a smaller plate based on the number of scallops and (under cooked) beet (Yes I said BEET, not beef) ravioli. My son-in-law ordered the Steak Frites which was not that great from what I was heard. Our adult granddaughter had the Pepper Seared Cauliflower with chickpea stew which also looked a bit sparse in the bowl. They must have not gotten the timing of their cooking coordinated enough to have it all ready at the same time and some languished until all was ready. The 6 year old got the kids cheese pizza which turned out to be huge for a kid and probably just right for a light eating adult. It was very unimpressive service and food. The only plus was the setting and the historic building / tavern. None of us will probably go back here as we were all equally unimpressed. read more

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Don't get the steak! Eeek! When it hit the table, you could smell how old it was.... Ordered medium and came out well done - probably in hopes to hide the decomposition that was taking place. Ughhhh, didn't eat because I was scared to get sick. I couldn't believe they served it. Salad and clam chowder was very good. Gazpacho was not very good. Server was nice and pretty attentive. As a guest of the inn, I was given a $5 coupon and I had forgotten it in the room. I asked if the Manager would honor it when we closed out the check and I would bring it back down in a couple minutes but she said no. Pretty lame!! Stay in the Inn; skip the tavern. read more

Ok. So $24 for charcuterie with cheese from Calef's. Overpriced drinks and overpriced food. You'd expect these prices in Manhattan or Boston. Not Durham. I think the atmosphere is pretty good but for cryin out loud...reduce the prices by a few dollars. read more

My wife and I brought another couple with us for dinner to the tavern Saturday evening 06/02/18. We had all been here before (as well as in the upstairs dining room) and were looking forward to a great night out. We weren't disappointed in any way with the service, atmosphere, or the food - which we all really enjoyed: plates cleaned to the shine! Though we found the food very good, I'm rating it a 4 rather than a 5 as I just didn't get a real sense of the different seasonings. To get a 5, my taste buds should just sparkle from the flavors. I had the steak, and though that in itself was a 5 - it was so tender and juicy - the sides, again though good, just didn't support the overall flavor profile they should have. Be advised, though, that the pricing, as others have noted, is just a little stiff for what you get, more so the wine than the food, though food prices did seem to be a couple of dollars an entree high. For wine, had a couple of bottles priced at $42 that you can get in the store for $13 (and I've seen it as low as $9). That's a little much; too much. It was good, but come on.... Just because Durham is a very affluent college town, and this is the best place in that town, is no excuse to jack your prices just because you can. For pricing for value, I'd give them a 3. read more

I gave a one star because I couldn't give it zero. One of the worst dining experiences in my 50+years of eating in restaurants. The food was actually ok...not great. What the terrible review was the treatment we received from the managerial staff. The wait person made a few mistakes with our billing. Usually not a big deal. In our experience when we indicate a mistake it gets fixed. Not this time. One of our party ordered a tonic water and lime but was charged for a gin and tonic. This person does not drink alcohol. In the 13 years we've been dining with them he's never ordered alcohol. When we mentioned this to the managerial staff they actually accused him of lying . We or he has never been treated so poorly. It was a two hundred dollar meal so the extra they charged for the drink was not the issue. Needless to say it's the last time we go there and we will make sure we let others know of the abysmal way the staff treats customers. To bad, since we have gone here several times in the recent past. read more

Found this place on accident as the Joinery was closed. Just had wine and dessert, but a great atmosphere and i will put this on my list for dinner for sure. read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. We came for brunch during the Oktoberfest event and our server even told us that the event was disorganized. There were probably 10 tables of guests total and about five servers, only two of which were helping anyone. The menu was limited to 7 items and our server still took a half hour to take our order - despite our party having said we were ready. We waited for a half hour while watching tables around us who ordered after all get their (incorrect) food, and then were told "I don't know what happened someone must have grabbed it". Horrible service, absolutely no management at all, and definitely the worst dining experience of my life. read more

We came here with 4 friends and were told there was a new executive chef. We were pleased by the creativity on the menu, which included several vegetarian options. We ordered the potato-leek strudel and butternut apple soup, both were delicious. We sipped festive and delicious cocktails. The rest of our group ordered the tuna appetizer, and the cod, salmon, and fish & chips entrees. Everyone seemed pleased. We finished off with the caramel mousse pie and brownie a la mode desserts, followed by super salty fries, which were excellent. Service was friendly and prompt. The only minor criticism is that the potatoes were slightly undercooked in the strudel dish. The atmosphere was beautiful in an antique home/B&B with the charm and character of a classic New England building. A lovely evening, and we will be returning soon. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5. read more

What a gem for a college town. Several years ago my wife and I began coming here for Thanksgiving dinner. The best buffet I have ever eaten at. We planned to have our engagement party here. It was magical. The staff sat with us as we described what we wanted for passed appetizers, entrees and our cake for dessert. Everything went smoothly and their staff was professional, accommodating, and very happy to make our special day indeed special. Accommodations were arranged for some of our guests who wanted to stay the night. The only problem came at 10:00 when they informed us tha they were closing. There were 12 of us and we convinced them that 12 people drinking and still eating, would pay off for them staying open. They stayed open for another hour. The dining room food is so good. Great presentation and nice upscale touches on American fare. You really can't go wrong here, either for dining or lodging. We keep returning each year and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I would rank my dinner here one of the top ten meals that I have ever eaten. Fine food, outstanding service, relaxing atmosphere, this place has it all. read more

First of all the Ffrost Tavern seating assignment set up is a nightmare. Guests staying at the inn should have priority seating with a reservation, although the it didn't seem that was the case. The hostess appeared confused and left us wondering what was going on. Second, the place runs between 800 and 1500 degrees inside (sarc) and my wife has a medical condition in which she is heat sensitive, so we could not even stay to eat in the tavern. Yet Lexi, at the front desk of the inn offered to provide us with room service. She was extremely attentive and came to our room multiple times making sure everything was just as it should be, including dessert. She really made us appreciate her efforts, and she saved the day! The menu has gotten safer over the years, shying away from more adventurous meal choices, yet the food continues to be of good quality and very tasty. But once again if not for Lexi's efforts we would question dining here again. read more

We have been coming here for perhaps twenty years. Many of the more interesting menu items disappeared a few years ago. What remains is adequate, but not terribly inventive. Appetizers and desserts are good. The bar has a fairly good selection, but the drinks are rather ferociously overpriced. Service is good when the place is not too full, but can get a little chaotic when the place is busy. read more