Loved it!!! We were walking around Colonial Williamsburg and at about lunchtime just wanted to get out of the cold and have one quick drink. We asked the friendly gentleman at the door if it was ok to just have a drink and he couldn't have been friendlier. He got us a table right at the window and there was a lady playing the harp right by us. The drink menu actually looked amazing and we decided on The Rummer and a Shields Punch with bourbon. OMG amazing. They were VERY reasonably priced at about $6.50 and they packed a punch. The Rummer was so strong it was almost tough to finish. The Shields Punch was not only strong but delicious. The menu actually looked really good and the prices seemed very reasonable. We decided on each getting a bowl of beef stew which came with a big basket of biscuits and butter. The stew and biscuits were great. For about $27 we were full and slightly looped, lol...which made the rest of the day touring around Williamsburg even better. Our server Dana K was the sweetest most friendly person ever. Wish we lived closer so we could go back here right now. read more

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Yummy ,unique food. Charming entertainment. Great service. Fast but not rushed. Great surroundings. Beautiful pottery you can buy at a local store. I'm on my way. read more

What an experience the Shields Tavern is! The period-inspired dishes are quite good, though they will run you a high tab. However, I thought the high cost was justified by the fantastic decor and the wandering musicians who serenade you while you eat. Most of the staff is also very knowledgable about the food, the building, the decor, and the history of the period in general. All-in-all, Shields Tavern provides good food and an awesome experience. Check it out the next time you are in Colonial Williamsburg. read more

My wife and I ate a Shields Tavern on a tourist visit to Williamsburg. Drinks: I had a 'Rummer' and my wife had a Campaign Cocktail. Both drinks were excellent. 5/5 Appetizers: I had a cup of the corn and shrimp chowder. My wife had the soup of the day, Navy Bean and Ham soup. The portions were a bit small but the soups were absolutely fantastic. Quality over quantity. 5/5 Main Course: I had the Ale Potted Beef (beef stew) and my wife had the Dish of Pork (Braised Pork Shank). We had intended to share but we were enjoying our meals so much neither could part with our plate! 5/5 Dessert: We had the Wild Berry Crumb Pie with vanilla ice cream on top. The ice cream was very good but I found the pie to be average at best. 3/5 Atmosphere: We were seated in the basement and found the atmosphere to be very enjoyable. It is quite loud as the walls and floor are brick. The servers are all dressed in period specific attire and they ever have fiddlers making the rounds and engaging the patrons. 5/5 Service: The service was a bit slow at times but our waitress was very friendly. Given the atmosphere we didn't mind! 4/5 read more

Worst food I've had in a long time. I got the fish and chips, but the fish was chewy and dry. The tartar sauce tasted more like mayo and the chips (which were literally chips, not fries) were very oily. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich which was nothing special. The bill was $40 for two lunch entrees. Definitely wasn't worth the price and the portions were very small. Currently feeling very sick from this lunch. Wouldn't recommend. read more

As long as you're doing the colonial thing, why not step into a root cellar dungeon for not-so-fine dining? It was rather refreshing on a late May day to do so, and then the food and everything was nice. Although the prices are not great, the portions are ENORMOUS. And the food is basic but tasty tasty. read more

Made reservations when we booked our vacay to take the 3 kids to see the living history at Colonial Williamsburg. Wasn't expecting much since this place is right inside the attractions. They have a kids menu which is good since food is priced high here (think $25 or more per dish) I had the pot roast which was good but not great. Kid 1 had chicken tenders and fries (natch for a 9 year old) kid 2 had the kids steak (grilled and not too bad) and kid 3 orders salmon with crab (Damn is she trying to spend her college savings on meals out? Oh wait, we aren't saving for college). Each dish was okay, service and music were nice. But the berry crumble. Might just be one of the best deserts I have ever eaten, and I eat a lot of deserts. Worth what ever I paid for it. I might have to sneak back in and order another. read more

We spent last Sunday at Colonial Williamsburg and stopped for lunch at Shields Tavern. Apparently the winter menu is a mix of the menus of all the taverns, since Shields was the only one open at the time. For families with picky eaters: they have a children's menu with a few kid items. The rest of us tried several Virginia delicacies: Peanut Soupe and Welsh Rarebit with a side of Virginia Ham. My husband and I both had the Ale-Potted Beef on the recommendation of our waitress, which was good quality meet, but bland. Wish I had tried the Brunswick Stew, which is one of my comfort food favorites. The Tavern is large, but broken up into a warren of smaller intimate rooms. We were upstairs, which was well lit. We walked through the candle-lit basement rooms to get to the restroom. Much better than I expected for a restaurant in the Colonial district. read more

D and I took an impromptu trip to Williamsburg for his birthday last week. I knew I wanted to take him out to dinner and decided it would be fun to take him to one of the restaurants at Colonial Williamsburg. With the restaurants in the historic district, you have to make dinner reservations. Reservations guarantees you'll get a seat. When I made our reservations, I also included a note that we were celebrating D's birthday. Sometime during dinner one of their musicians asked everyone to sing for He's a Jolly Good Fellow. D was very surprised and thanked everyone for participating in celebrating his special day. As for food, we enjoyed the chef's sampler plate as our appetizer and the ale-potted beef and their dinner special as our main courses. We also had Apple Cider Rum-Punch. Everything was delicious. We'll be back soon! read more

I had very low expectations for all of the taverns at Williamsburg, since what I read about them sounded like it was all for the atmosphere and little for the food. We went for lunch, were seated upstairs (on the main floor) and didn't see any of the strolling musicians I had read about. I tried a pear cider (from VT) and daughter had a very flavorful root beer, not at all sweet. The food was quite good too. I had "Mr. Shields's Apple Salat--Seasonal greens with chopped apples, blue cheese, golden raisins and spicy pecans with English Malt Vinaigrette". The ingredients were fresh, so not much more needs to go into a decent salad. My daughter had the "Skillet Sausage and Rice--Grilled smoked sausage, bell peppers, and onions combined with brown rice. served with a light pan gravy" It didn't look very appetizing but she liked it a lot. It was a bit spicy but nothing she couldn't handle. Husband had (I think) the "carolina-style Barbecue Sandwich--slow-cooked Pork, tavern Fried Potatoes, and chutnied slaw". That was good too. We had to try dessert and couldn't decide between the chocolate pudding, highly recommended by our waitress who said it's homemade there daily, but the wild berry crumble was good too, so we got both and I'm glad we did. The crumble was super sweet with the topping tasted like crushed butter cookies. The berry filling was a little gummy but with a bit of vanilla ice cream, I didn't have any trouble finishing it. The pudding really was good, just like I make at home. "Mr. Shields" came out to every table and personally greeted everyone and the wait staff was very attentive. There was a busload of high schoolers waiting outside for their reservation so we didn't think we'd get a table anytime soon, but we were seated within 10 minutes. We got there early for lunch, but there were several tables filled by then. It was the week after VA's spring break, so I don't know if this is typical or not. It was a convenient place to stop for a fairly healthy (if you want), quick lunch. read more

Christmas dinner! Turkey with all the trimmings, tout compris: stuffing, vegetables, with appetizer and dessert. Wonderfull! read more

Shields Tavern - American Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

Made reservations for Thanksgiving Dinner at Shields Tavern this year. Having had Thanksgiving dinner at Kings Arms Tavern, and having gone to Gambols at Chownings, we were excited to try Shields. The atmosphere of Colonial Williamsburg is amazing all year long, but its extra special around the holidays! We were seated immediately and ordered some wine to enjoy with our dinner. The Squash Soup and Seasonal Greens were both lovely appetizers, and the turkey dinners were wonderfully done. I loved the stuffing and sweet potatoes that accompanied the turkey. And the cranberry sauce was just to die for! I took off 1 star for 1 simple reason: the service. There were 6 tables in the room we sat in, 3 served by a young lady, and 3 by a young gentleman. I watched as the young lady greeted each of her tables, explained the menu in great detail, brought out bread and beverages, and was generally enthusiastic about doing her job. Our server, on the other hand, the young gentleman, did not take the time to explain the menu. We had to ask for a basket of bread to accompany our meal. He also did not ask if we had any food allergies at the table, so I had to send back my pie because it had made contact with a strawberry (which I am allergic to). Sitting at my table, I wished we had been seated at the next table over, where the other waitress was working. We still had a lovely experience, and would book dinner at Shields again.. and just hope for a different waiter! read more

Grossly overpriced, food was nothing to brag about, bread was not even warm. Big dissapointment

Always a pleasure! Ambience is great and the food is always fresh and tasty! The servers are always very attentive.

Well, I know it's Colonial Williamsburg, but a cheese burger is a cheese burger. They have a dish that they called chopped steak and cheddar. Guess what it's a cheese burger, really not that tasty, reminds me of a microwave burger. Comes with fries for a grand total of $25.00. The stars are for the waitress who gave us a brief history of the establishment, and good service. Also excellent home made ice cream. If you like period history take a look if you want a good burger go else where. read more

I came here for a Thanksgiving dinner with my wife and we both really enjoyed it. We sat in the candlelit basement which provided a really cozy vibe. Our server Devin B was really nice, bubbly, and entertaining. The food was all very good home style cuisine. It was Thanksgiving, so I had the turkey entree and pumpkin pie for dessert. Both were very good. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal out in Williamsburg. read more

Sat in the basement. The food. Eeeew. Seafood pie was less than ample with tasteless rubbery seafood and undercooked crust. Definely a tourist trap, never to be attended twice. And very expensive read more

Great place to go with the family. Chef Flo was very responsive and was able to make a great meal for our daughter with life threatening allergies. The staff was also aware and adapted to it. read more

lunch recently....we we were not going to eat here but got sort of hungry so tried this place and were glad we did,,,,,we ate downstairs, by candlelight where it was nice and cool....had a beef steak sandwich and a vegetable sandwich, both very good, service was great and i had a creme ale and wife had some wine.....neat spot!!! read more

Had a very good "salmagundi" salad. Chicken, ham, boiled egg, tomato, & buttermilk dressing. A little pricey, but very good food.

I've been to Shield's a few times over the years - they hosted my rehearsal dinner when I got married in 2009! We've always gotten great service, entertainment and food. They have a variety of interesting cocktails and entrees. Try the Shield's Punch the the Seafood Pye! read more

The apple salad and pork were awesome, but the cinnamon ice cream on the wild berry crumble were phenomenal. Parking was easy across the street and the historic setting in Williamsburg was a definite plus. read more

Great meal and beer. We had the ale soaked beef and would highly recommend. The only down side was the bread served. I felt this item if any should be made from scratch, we had store bought rolls which is why I can't give this a 5star rating. read more

We had a very good lunch here while exploring Colonial Williamsburg. It was very dark down in the basement where we were seated, but it's part of the atmosphere. Serving staff were in colonial attire. Food was very good, service was prompt and friendly. We enjoyed it and would absolutely go back again. read more

We had lunch there and it was very good. The wait staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was authentic. Unfortunately the chairs are very low to the ground and my mother who has bad knees had trouble getting in and out of them. read more

The whole family liked this place. The ale beef, pork shank, and ribs were great.

Took a group of students for lunch. We had to order the same meal as we were a group of 10. We arrived late for our reservation due to circumstances out of our control. They had already put glasses of ice on our table and the ice had melted. We ordered our drinks, tea and lemonade, and the server poured our drinks into the glasses without offering to empty the water out first. When I asked her if she could please empty the water out of my glass before she poured the tea, she was extremely rude and make a big deal about it. Our food came out immediately, and it was really bad. Two chicken fingers that were dry and tasteless, noodles with cheese, and some sort of apples. Then our dessert came out-MELTED ice cream! We just got up and left as no one was in the mood for soupy ice cream. We paid $17 per person for this and left hungry and disappointed. The fact that our server was so incredibly rude really put a damper on our experience. Would definitely not recommend! read more

The food was great and the service was wonderful. The slow roasted pork was amazingly tender. The server did a great job of interpreting colonial life while also juggling tasks between our table and a table with many young children. read more

Met friends for lunch here yesterday, great sandwiches. Service was attentive but not obtrusive. We ate downstairs and enjoyed the unusual atmosphere. Our son had dinner here last night and enjoyed the chicken and ribs. His girlfriend loved the Salmon. They also ate downstairs and loved the old brick walls and the atmosphere. read more

This is 5 stars! The food was awesome, get the "Ale Potted Beef" and "Wild Berry Crumble" for dessert. Great tasting delicious food, awesome atmosphere (ask for table downstairs - muted lighting), phenomenal service (Kirsten was wonderful), and they even had a musician come by and sing to us. We would return here in a heartbeat even if we weren't visiting Colonial Williamsburg. If you are planning to go to Williamsburg, make a reservation in advance (perhaps at 5:20pm after the festivities), so you can still see a performance after 7pm. The food/service/and price point are great. Yes, we really enjoyed this restaurant that much, and it was the best food we had in Virginia, and Canada thereafter. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! read more

Had a cup "Crayfish and Shrimp Stew" and oh my goodness it was the bomb. I almost licked the bowl clean. Nice and thick, flavorful, HOT! The sweet tea was nice too. I also has a shrimp po boy that was really good. Food was prepared like the chef knew me personally. Was very happy. The service was fine, our waitress was really quiet, didn't say much. read more

Service was mediocre as was food. Ordered the mushroom and polenta cakes, hubby got ale beef. Got the feeling our server was over her job as well as not into kids AT all. Server ruined the experience basically. Why pay 4 star prices for 2 star food unless you are having a fabu historical fun time?! Musicians came by once for a couple if numbers which was fun. I will try somewhere else next time we have dinner in wburg. read more

Yes,it's a bit pricey but you are also paying for the experience so we loved it!! Server was attentive, food was very good,and kids loved it! read more

Great experience and food was delicious. We have 4 kids and there was something for everyone. Hotdogs and burger was wonderful, turkey sandwich and corn chowder was fantastic and I had the veggie trencher which was fun of flavor. The service was amazing and the place was very clean. We sat on the 1st floor but went downstairs to use the bathroom and they have a cool seating area by candlelight down there. It was so cool! I would highly recommend! read more

Fantastic meal with attentive service. The coconut shrimp sandwich was one of the top sandwiches I've ever eaten. The pork sandwich was excellent as well. Drinks were stiff and tasty. read more

The pork dish and kids mac & cheese were really good but the potato and leek pye was quite terrible. The server quickly had it replaced with a chicken dish that was good. We sat in the basement which was very cool even thought it seemed to have been a newer part if the building. The service, although very friendly, was very slow. And for the prices they charge everything should have been better. read more

I absolutely loved this tavern. It's a little pricey, just like the other taverns at Colonial Williamsburg, but again, you're paying for ambiance and character - and this place has a ton! The decor is fantastic, the servers are great and always in character, and there was even a wandering musician during our meal here. The food was presented beautifully and tasted wonderful as well. Overall, it's a great way to cap a day immersed in the Colonial Williamsburg living history experience! read more

Delicious pasty and crayfish bisque for appetizer and bbq sandwich for lunch with beer flight of time period beers. Good service!

Rum Cider was delicious, fruit and cheese plAtter was so-so. Service was perhaps historically accurate but less than welcoming and non-personable. It seems like we were an inconvenience in the garden seating section. The prices were high. read more

The food was overpriced, given the quality. The pork was overcooked and the potatoes were bland. The catfish was decent. The service was slow and the entertainment was enjoyable although didn't impress my kids (ages 7 and 9). Not the best option for families with younger kids. read more