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Paul's Deli Downtown

3.3 (180 reviews)
ModerateAmerican, Bars, Delis
Open • 10:30 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

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PAUL'S DELI DOWNTOWN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Paul's Deli Downtown

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Steak and Cheese
Kathleen D.

Yall, I haven't been out past midnight in a hot second. I am not a college kid, but I ended up in a college bar with a small group last Saturday evening (morning?!) around midnight. Paul's Deli is one of the late-night spots in Williamsburg, and they offer a large, diverse menu. You order and pay at the counter and then they bring your food to your table when it's ready. I looked up reviews in advance and thus ordered the steak and cheese, no onions, extra mayo. Sadly, I must've ordered the wrong thing. The meat was extremely dry and chewy, which was a shame because the other parts of the sandwich weren't bad at all (the cheese and bread, specifically). They didn't add much mayo at all, but when I pointed it out, it was remedied immediately. My friends ordered fries, which I also heard were kind of meh, and a pizza. They enjoyed the pizza, but it was the thick/crispy kind, so not my thing. After tip, I paid roughly $19 for my overcooked sandwich that didn't come with a side. The menu price was also roughly 50 cents lower than what I was charged, which I assume can be attributed to either an inflation bump or a credit card fee that I didn't notice posted somewhere. Didn't particularly love the experience overall, but based on other positive reviews here, I'd maybe be willing to give it another shot and try something else in the future.

Spaghetti randomly in here  when I didn't order it??
Jeff L.

Paul's deli needs to stop pretending to be an Italian restaurant and people need to recognize them for what they are- a place for nobodies to go and drink themselves under. Numerous times they have greatly disappointed my family and I even though we come back in the hopes it will be better. They almost without fail get the orders wrong, no marinara sauce on spaghetti, random bits of spare pasta in a fertucini dish and the wrong dressings with the salads. The DoorDash service is terrible it took 3 hours and the order was still wrong. If you want ur dinner ruined for the price of 60 bucks for 2 people this is the place! They also seem to have been the first people to manage to undercook and burn chicken at the same time, incredible! Avoid at al costs just head to Sals.

mark s.

This is a sad review for a sad restaurant that rests on its captive audience of students and 40+ year olds in the summer. A once wonderful place where my favorite sub of all time existed: the prince George - defining flavor of salty Smithfield ham, turkey, thinly sliced dill pickle, and tomato. Last night, mild semi-flavorless ham and a pickle that tasted like a cucumber. They are hardly trying to make food right. I ordered the appetizer of wings, as well. The prince George was served 10 minutes before the wings appetizer was ready. Soggy bread, not tasty at all. It was edible food. Not much more. My spouse and mother in law ordered a Stromboli with spinach and feta cheese. I joked about a florentine Stromboli. Served with three times the feta needed and tomato, no spinach. My 16 y/o daughter ordered loaded French fries (fries with cheese and bacon). Served cold with flavorless bacon. Congealed cheese, she ate very little of it. My wife ended up serving our table after the server neglected our food that sat on the ready bar, dying for 10 minutes. DON'T TIP WHEN ORDERING!!!!! I SUSPECT THEY WILL NEGLECT YOU, TOO!!!! Pro tip: literally tell them you will tip based on their service! Oh, and you order at the counter and bus your own table. What are you tipping for, seriously? What service are they giving? Their only service is bringing you the hot food. That's it. Just bringing the food to your table when it's ready. Period. After ordering, I never saw my server again after serving the sandwich, she never served the wings or loaded fries. She never checked on anything ever again. Stick to this place for beer and liquor. Oh, yeah, the wings were ok but they were plain wings with no dressing AT ALL. Just deep fried wings with a dipping sauce. Same with the plain deep fried chicken strips - 14 y/o said they were ok. As long as the cooks don't have to do much... deep field food is ok. The men's bathroom had no soap to wash hands with. The paper towel roll was on the somewhat dirty bathroom sink. To flush the men's toilet, they had thankfully removed the toilet lid so you, the guest, can reach into the toilet tank to flush by pulling the chain for the toilet handle which did not work. Somewhat unsanitary considering no soap, no soap dispenser, or any idea that handwashing soap was ever there. Gross??!!?? You be the judge This is a sad drinking bar now. So depressing to see a good menu in such depressing hands. I will never go back

crab grossness
Mira B.

New girl being taught how to do things in front of me for entire duration.They were out of the special for the day at noon,offered alternative which was just a salty salty bloob and not very good.Pizzas were too heavy,deep dish with 3 pounds of cheese on it,on the pizza i got for my kid there was a few inches of plastic wrap in the cheese,just gross.Windows might never been washed,has a old dirty tavern vibe,if you are into that kind of things.Carrot cake is really delish and blond server girl was amazing.Others....idk,don't seem like a nice place to work or visit,maybe good to get drunk only.

Eileen T.

First of all, good luck finding a parking spot. The menu has a lot of good choices. I wasn't thrilled by the folded over turkey in my sub, I admit I prefer thinly sliced or shaved meats to thick pieces of folded over meat in my sub but the flavor was good. I ordered the Prince George which was ham and turkey. Another friend ordered the Gringo but was not told that the subs are all toasted and they had to remake it untoasted as my friend does not like their mayo and lettuce heated (understandably). Another friend ordered the hot dog with sauerkraut which they said was ok and we all split the white pizza which was good but not like the traditional white pizza which has ricotta and garlic and oil. This was basically just a mozerella pizza which although good was not what we were craving. The place was recommended by a local and so we tried it but I honestly wouldn't go back.

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6 months ago

Best roast beef sandwich I have had in the 757! Still have not found one that matches it!

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1 year ago

Very good! One of my favorite places to eat! The service is always great, and the staff is always friendly!

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1 year ago

One of the best Philly Steak & Cheeses I've had in Virginia and complimentary mini cannoli's are the best

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Excellent Rueben's, great wings!! I highly recommend. I ordered the wings which were also on point!!

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5 years ago

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The bathrooms here are gross. Dirty, stinky,and you can't even wash your hands. Unsanitary.

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

This is a wonderful dining experience!!! We love going for the eggs Benedict with crab cakes

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

Terrible don't wast your time WaWa has better sandwiches the chili taste weird/vinegary I know I will pay for it later omg

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Second Street American Bistro - Flatbread  pizza

Second Street American Bistro

4.4(1.7k reviews)
1.4 mi
•$$

My wife and I split a full rack of ribs at Second St Bistro. The ribs were fantastic and fell right…read moreoff the bone, very tender! I would recommend getting the mustard drizzle on the side, just to be sure it is to your taste. We also had the Crab/Corn Chowder soup. You must try it! Super delicious and flavorful. The onion rings were also very good/hand breaded. Service was excellent and the manager stopped at our table to check on us. The atmosphere is comfortable and ambiance is nice/quiet and clean. Strongly recommended for a good meal in a very nice setting.

We were looking for somewhere to eat in Williamsburg and came across this spot. At first glance, it…read morelooks like an upscale restaurant, but it's actually casual dining and kid-friendly. We were seated right away, and our service was awesome from start to finish. FOOD REVIEW Thai Poppin' Shrimp 5/5 - I really appreciated Robin for making sure we had a great experience with this dish. Berry Burrata 3/5 - Not my favorite, but still decent. Asian Chicken Wraps 3/5 - This was okay, just a little too saucy for me. Fried Green Tomatoes 5/5 - One of our favorites. The pimiento cheese paired perfectly with it. Carolina Burger 4/5 - Huge portion, and my son really enjoyed it. 2nd St Burger 4/5 - Another big portion and overall really good. Kids Pizza & Tenderloins 3/5 - Decent for the kids, though the pizza bread was a bit dense. DRINKS Margarita 4/5 Prickly Pear 4/5 Robin really made our experience even better. She checked on us frequently and made sure everything came out right. The portions here are on the larger side, so I'd recommend ordering family-style if you're dining with a group. Overall, the food was great, and the service made the experience even better.

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Second Street American Bistro - Bar area

Bar area

Second Street American Bistro
Second Street American Bistro

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Berrets Seafood Restaurant and Taphouse Grill

Berrets Seafood Restaurant and Taphouse Grill

3.9(856 reviews)
0.4 mi
•$$

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.

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Berrets Seafood Restaurant and Taphouse Grill - Seating area

Seating area

Berrets Seafood Restaurant and Taphouse Grill - Fried Green tomatoes

Fried Green tomatoes

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King's Arms Tavern - Syllabub

King's Arms Tavern

3.8(456 reviews)
1.0 mi
•$$$

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.

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King's Arms Tavern
King's Arms Tavern - Ham

Ham

King's Arms Tavern - Good Eating, a honest advertise.

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Terrace & Goodwin Rooms - Morning's special: brioche French toast with fresh whipped cream, strawberries, and sausage. Absolutely fabulous.

Terrace & Goodwin Rooms

4.1(39 reviews)
0.9 mi
•$$$

Had rwo wonderful breakfasts at the Terrace served by the most upbeat and friendly waitress by the…read morename of Sarah. She kept the coffee coming and was very attentive to the entire room of customers. I ordered the grain bowl which began with a smear of green goddess dressing on the bottom heaped with quinoa and wild rice with the most perfectly ripe avocado sliced on the side and a perfectly poached egg on top. There were other things to give this dish, texture and color simply perfection. Theme t day, I got the poached eggs dish with roasted potatoes and a tomato salad. Perfect!

UPDATE TO 1-STAR ORIGINAL REVIEW (2 days later): Were able to contact the exec chef who took this…read morequite seriously and made things right, assuring us that what happened was not nearly up to their standard. While we can't promise *you* won't have a similar experience, we can say that in this case the executive chef personally responded promptly to a respectful polite email and then handled it all very appropriately once informed. And for that alone, we revise to 4 stars. Perhaps ours was an isolated incident. Regardless, a big thank you to the executive chef for the response and swift refund. Much appreciated. We *think* any executive chef would want to KNOW what was going on, perhaps in their absence, right? YMMV. Thanks again. ORIGINAL 1 star review: New Years Eve dinner at Terrace Room. The photo shows "pan-seared" scallops with a ... risotto-like substance. Heh. $50. Uh huh. Scallops: No sear. Super chewy. Hard to even cut. Risotto was like mushy oatmeal stuff and zero seasoning or flavor. Maybe something was wrong in the kitchen, I dunno. Ack. We both ordered this and left most of it. Also a bottle of wine (white) that had to be chilled in front of us for a while before the server could/would pour it. Hm. $110 for that. Note: the *service* was excellent! It is never a waiter's "fault" when the food is awful. We tipped the excellent waiter accordingly, BTW. Just sharing our experience at this place on this particular night. Hope it helps. Be aware. Maybe it's "iffy."

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Terrace & Goodwin Rooms
Terrace & Goodwin Rooms
Terrace & Goodwin Rooms

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Paul's Deli Downtown - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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