We stayed inside Williamsburg and so wanted to dine there too. This restaurant is located inside the lovely lodge, is spacious and very nicely decorated. There's a large bar as well as two rooms of comfortable seating. The first two nights we dined (yes, we went 3 times!) were terrific thanks to our server Shannon who took very good care of us giving us suggestions of drinks as well as food. So we returned! Unfortunately the last night we weren't able to sit in Shannon's section (she did come over to say "hi") and had a less enjoyable experience. Our food was consistently good and arrived looking absolutely appealing. read more

Made a reservation (highly recommend), stopped by for bites, and loved it. Audra, our server, was fantastic and attentive. I wasn't expecting it, and haven't had wings that made me want to lick my fingers in forever, so hats off to ST&B for making me do it. The wings are top tier and the crab bisque is tasty. We enjoy the coziness of the dining room past the bar and the tv with the game on didn't hurt either. The cocktails were crafty and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Cheers! read more

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Pretty good for a hotel restaurant and bar. Service was good but this place gets very busy so have patience with your servers. Basic menu that has something for everyone in the family and everything we had was good. The bartenders were friendly and made some solid cocktails. If you're staying at the hotel then you cannot go wrong grabbing food here. We ate here a couple times during our 5 night stay and I hung at the bar a couple of the nights and had a good experience. read more

Wait was long, I arrived earlier than reservation time but they didn't seat me until then even when the place isn't packed. Waitress was nice. Gave her a great Xmas tip equal to the tab for being so. Ordered the brisket burger. I asked for medium well with slight pink but it came out well done to almost dry! Now I see why the reviews only had less than 3.5 stars! read more

Sweet Tea & Barley - Southern Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

The food was really very good as was the presentation. Everything we had was delicious, the shrimp and grits (which I had to get since we were south of the Mason Dixon line) was incredibly tasty. I loved the proportions of the dish and really every bit was just near perfect. I'd say the restaurant decor is a little dated, even with the "colonial theming" it just seemed old and dated. The service was not the best, while our server was very kind, for the price point we expected a little more in terms of how things were presented (going over the menu, nothing about specials), served and cleared. We got the feeling the serving staff may have been a bit overwhelmed. Worth a try, but maybe avoid if there is a conference at the hotel or a weekend over the summer. read more

Sweet Tea & Barley - Bourbon Daisy with Makers Mark paired with shareable housemaid biscuits. Platter includes sorghum butter and house jam. - Southern Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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Had a very nice meal on a Sunday afternoon - note they don't serve dinner earlier than 5pm on a Sunday. Had a really delicious hot Nashville chicken sandwich on a buttermilk biscuit. For the table we had pimiento cheese and crackers. The fried Brussels sprouts were amazing for a $1 up charge totally worth it. read more

Sweet Tea & Barley - Nashville hot chicken sandwich - Southern Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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Cameo was a very attentive and friendly waitress Monday night, 6/9/26! She gets A+ n big tip On our first night, we had a waitress with a very negative attitude and sub par service. I tipped but was tempted not to bc she didn't earn it. Food choices were okay but overpriced. Crab soup and Brussel sprouts were tasty. Second night: shrimp n grits were delicious but too salty. read more

Great restaurant in the Williamsburg Lodge. They have amazing Southern specialties and live music certain evenings. It's a popular restaurant with both locals and tourists so make a reservation especially if you are going on the weekend. The staff are friendly and accommodating. Get the nachos! read more

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Meh. Going into this, we didn't realize it was attached to a hotel which made the space, very noisy and echoey with large TVs blasting softball games and sports events. We were led to believe this is going to be a cozy, intimate dining experience and it was the complete opposite. The food was good, bland or over spiced and way too overpricing the drinks at $15 a pop not worth the hype or the price tag. read more

With three friends, we visited Sweet Tea & Barley for cocktails and appetizers. We had high expectations, which were somewhat met. Our wine and cocktails were good and priced between $15-17. The appetizers were hit and miss. The hits were the Crispy Brussel Sprouts with ham ($15), the fried shrimp with rémoulade dipping sauce ($14), and the ST&B 3-biscuit platter with a yummy creamy butter and jam ($12). The miss was a big miss. It was the Smoked Brisket Nachos ($20). The first plate of nachos arrived cold -- meat, cheese, toppings, and chips. After sending it back, the second plate was warm, but the beef was a bit greasy. Service was good, especially considering they were busy. The bar itself has great atmosphere with a fire place and a large room in the back. The tables, though were awfully sticky. We thought it was from a previous guest, but we were told the stickiness is a chemical reaction between the wood veneer and their table sanitizing cleaner. I hope they find a solution soon. Menus were sticking to the tables. Sweet Tea & Barley is located in the Colonial Williamsburg Lodge hotel. Parking is on the street or in a parking lot across the street, with the first 30 minutes free in the lot, then incremental charges of about $2/hour using the Passport Parking app. read more

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I have been coming to the CW Lodge since I was a small child and have seen its many changes thru the years. Currently the restaurant is Sweet Tea and Barley. The decor and ambiance hasn't changed an iota...which is a good thing. This is one of those rare places where comfort trumps style. I can appreciate a restaurant that acknowledges that not every butt is a size 2. Oh no, the lodge has extremely comfy chairs. If you are a.party of 2 and they are open, you may.luck out and get to sit in the fancy chairs by the windows The menu is very southern and changes seasonally. This is good on the one hand, keeps it from getting stale, but if you fall in love with something it could be problematic. We were lucky enough to sit in the fancy chairs since we went early. So comfy! We each got an adult beverage, I tried something new and got the Bourbon Daisy. The menu said it was Makers Mark, cherry syrup and citrus. Wow. First of all so pretty! It's a cheery looking drink. As far as taste....wow. I may have a new fav! For dinner I got the Dixie stack which is a pulled pork with a tangy coleslaw. Mum just got a burger. Here is where they lost a star. Mum asked for a bacon burger...and got a regular cheeseburger so we had to ask for her bacon. Our server, Beatrice (woo hoo! I remembered!!) was seriously sweet. She was very apologetic about the missing bacon. She very promptly brought our drinks and order at a decent interval. Just a really wonderful asset to an already great place The highlight of course, is their fries. Seriously. These are the best fries I have ever had. They are crispy on the outside with the perfect seasoning and sooooo creamy on the inside. Just simply fry perfection! If you are in the CW area, consider the Lodge for supper, you won't regret it! read more

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Tried out Sweet Tea & Barley during a visit to Williamsburg and had a pretty solid experience. The space is welcoming with a cozy, Southern charm, great for a relaxed evening out. There was live music during our visit, which made the vibe even better. We ordered the fish and chips, buffalo wings, and fried pickles. The fish and chips were the standout, crispy batter, tender fish, and nicely seasoned fries. Definitely the star of the meal. Was not a fan of the slaw. The buffalo wings had a good kick and solid flavor. It was on point and they still hit the spot. The fried pickles were tasty and crunchy, though a little on the salty side. Still a fun, shareable starter. Our server was attentive and checked in just the right amount without being overbearing. That definitely made the experience better and kept things flowing smoothly. All in all, Sweet Tea & Barley is a good option if you're in the area. Not perfect, but the atmosphere, attentive service, and the live jazz band was a nice end to our date. read more

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Decor is lovely but the service and portion sizes leave something to be desired. We were seated at 730 and the food didn't arrive until almost 9. Portions were small. Food itself was decent, but it's overpriced for what you get. Wouldn't return. read more

Our group was a party of 12 people. We sat between 2 tables; 8 at one and 4 at the other. Everyone enjoyed their menu choices except me. I ordered the Southern Bbq sandwich which had no sauce and was tasteless. We all enjoyed good service from our waiter and the restaurant's ambience. read more

What lovely fun time we had at Sweet Tea & Barley tonight! We didn't have a reservation (though get one if you plan to go) but since it seemed like a slower / colder afternoon we were seated in the bar area. Christina was our server (also the bar tender) she was a real delight! She took my allergy concerns to heart and made sure what I ordered would not be a problem. I decided the Crab Soup with a side of cheese grits were the ticket for me. Both were yummy, hot & warming for the tummy! HH (hungry hubby) ordered the ORIGINAL Burger. It was huge and the fries he got were so crispy it made him say "now how is it that all places can't cook fries this way!" HH did enjoy his beer, St George Golden Ale and I had the house Blush wine. Christina came and checked on us many times and she was genuinely very Joyful!! She said she loved her job and enjoyed taking care of people... that shows with that wonderful lady! As we went left I said to a man who looked like the manger. "I'm telling you something you no doubt already know, Christina is wonderful!" And we really meant it! read more

Sweet Tea & Barley - Cheese grits (yum) - Southern Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

What a great place to grab lunch right off the main drag of colonial Williamsburg! Just two blocks away it's a quick walk away! It's connected to the Williamsburg Lodge, but don't let that fool you. There's a cozy bar, great patio with covered tables, and plenty of cozy seating inside. The food was great, those biscuits? Holy. Smokes. It's everything you could want in a biscuit! Moist and succulent. Sweet and salty. I'll be dreaming about that chicken Sammy. The cocktails?! Oh my gosh. And the prices aren't jacked up for the location either. We really enjoyed our late lunch here. It does open at 2, but it's worth the wait. The service was good! Things came out quickly and were steamin hot each time. read more

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Came here last Saturday night. We had reservations for 4pm not realizing dinner started at 5. We decided to wait and have drinks. Glad we did. The prime rib special was amazing so worth the wait. Def recommend. The restaurant itself was a bit cold and breezy. If you're going in the winter wear something warm. read more

Sweet Tea & Barley - Saturday Prime Rib special - Southern Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

We had a late lunch here when we arrived at our hotel (this restaurant is located in the Williamsburg Lodge). Excellent service, nice atmosphere, good food (I had a chicken club), and fair prices. read more

My reviews will always come from a travelers perspective, with a strict budget. We always travel with our service dog as well, so I give tips on that also. We are a middle aged couple, and sometimes when we have the kids with us we review from that perspective as well. We were traveling for Thanksgiving and they had a pre set menu for $48 a person which included an appetizer of Winter soup, the main dinner and as amazing! The turkey was cooked perfectly, not dry! The stuffing was to die for, the mashed potatoes full of creamy flavor, and don't get me started on the collard greens! Just give me the whole pot!! They KNOW how to do collards. The desert was also very good, pumpkin pie with butter pecan ice cream. Overall the place was great, my only issue was that you had to make a reservation (which I get) but we didn't have one and figured we would try anyway. So we walk in and ask if there is any available seats... mind you I saw like 4 full open tables, a long high top table with 10-12 seats available... she looks at her list and starts counting, asks if I'm ok with a high top, I say yes, so we take the seats at the long table that seats like 12 as a shared table. So were there for a little over an hour and not one of those available tables when I walked in were used. I am not sure if they have in place where if your 10 minutes late for your reservation then you forfeit your table. Because paying customers would have liked that table. But the food was amazing and that made up for it. With tip, Thanksgiving dinner was about $149 for 2 people. read more

Summary: Very good food, but service was a bit off. Came in around 4:45 for a dinner reservation. We had 5, but were sat at a 4 top. They said a lot of large parties were coming in. Ordered drinks and apps. Out of some ingredients for drinks, but we adjusted. Brisket Nachos were amazing. Having had the biscuit board at Amber Ox the night before, hopes were high, but this board didn't live up. Ordered dinner and asked for one of the entrees that are available after 5. Server said she didn't think it was quite 5pm yet. Looked at my watch and it was 4:59. I said the time and she asked "would you like to wait?" I kind of stared at her for a moment, looked at my watch again, paused a moment, time changed, and said, "Ok, think we are good!" Just an odd interaction. Food came out a bit staggered, but no big deal. Everything was still very good. Around 5:30, I ordered a second drink, and it took quite a while to come out. More parties were coming in, so bar may have been busy. We asked for the check about 5:45, and were gone before any of the larger parties they were anticipating had ever shown up. We weren't uncomfortable per se, but I have to wonder if they would have sat us at a four top had we not had a kid with us. Overall we enjoyed our time, but wouldn't prioritize Sweet Tea and Barley over other restaurants next time. read more

If you plan to visit this place, make sure you have plenty of time and lots of patience. We tried to stop for a drink, waited patiently till they opened ...but they weren't ready, then they seated the large group in front of us and the family of four behind us but told us we would have to wait longer for a seat for two...they weren't ready to seat us. When we asked how long, they didn't know but we'd just have to wait. At 20 minutes after opening, we left. Sad - we used to enjoy visiting this place. I'd give zero stars but that isn't an option. read more

We had a dinner reservation for a Sunday night using OpenTable. We arrived on time and we're seated quite quickly. Unfortunately, for us, our table was right next to the entrance to the restaurant about 2 feet behind the host station and within 5 feet of a table with two screaming kids. I guess I assumed, incorrectly, that when you reserve a table, you would actually have a table worth reserving. I wish that the host had given us the option of a table or eating at the bar, which was further away. I would've chosen the bar. And yes, I should've said something at the time. That's totally on me. The server was dual-hatting by working at the bar and serving tables. She was attentive and fast. I ordered a glass of the house, red wine, and it was again, just OK. The food arrived relatively quickly and was just OK. I had a brisket hamburger that I ordered medium and it arrived medium rare to rare. Again, it was just OK. There wasn't much flavor to the brisket and the hamburger patty just was a little too underdone for my taste. The french fries were good though. My partner had the smoked chicken, which was also OK. This restaurant is inside the Williamsburg Hotel, which is attached to the convention center. You will get a lot of folks who are also staying over so that they can golf at the golf course across the street. What can be said positively about this restaurant is that it is easy to get back to your room because it's all part of the same hotel complex. The wait staff are fast and efficient. The food is mid. I don't believe I would choose to go there again for a meal. read more

The service I received for this take out was awesome!!! The hostess was kind and outgoing! The inside was just a small restaurant type (more bar looking to me), but very clean! The food was what made this rating a 3! I got Fridays special "Fish Fry Friday". It came with fish and chips (1fish), 3 fried shrimps, 1 corn on the cob, 4 hush puppies, a cocktail sauce and a "mobjack remoulade" sauce. All for $32 plus tax. TBH I wouldn't recommend this place! Like I said the service was great, but the food itself was very bland!!! The only thing that had an appealing taste was the mobjack remoulade sauce! read more

Sweet Tea & Barley - Fish Fry Friday - Southern Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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Absolutely horrible from the room to the food to the service. The room the actual restaurant is in was cold, crowded, dirty carpet, worn tables and loud. It felt like a cafeteria-style setting, there were chairs piled in corners and it looked like they had just put tables wherever they would fit. Terrible atmosphere. Service was terrible as well - server seemed completely flustered and order took forever to come out - the excuse was that 'everyone decided to eat dinner at the same time.' - this was at 6:00pm so not sure why she was surprised. Food was beyond bad and incredibly expensive - $83 for 1 drink, 1 appetizer, 2 small cups of soup and a po boy. One other thing is that they actually charge $12 for a basket of biscuits! We ordered a cup of the crab soup and shrimp po boy and asked the server to serve the soup first, then follow with the po boy - they both came out together after a lengthy wait. The soup, fries and po' boy were all cold. Could not even finish the soup as in addition to it being cold, it was so thick and tasted like they had dumped a cup of Parmesan cheese in our tiny cups. The po boy had potential but as it was cold, it was not good and the fries were inedible for the same reason. Table across from us had their appetizer and entire meal come out all together after a lengthy wait. Needless to say, we will not be back.... read more

We ordered fried pickles (too salty and greasy), fried catfish (too salty), collard greens (not a fan of vinegar in greens) and Mac & cheese. We also ordered the Chesapeake she crab soup and Mac & cheese were the better part of the meal. The hotel where the restaurant is located seemed nice. Unfortunately, the service and atmosphere did not meet our expectations. It's a no on a return trip for us but try it, you might enjoy your trip especially if you are staying in the area. read more

The service is hands down one of the best in the area (both restaurant and hotel). Amazing, personable, and caring staff. Our waitress recommended a few things based on our interest... even bringing samples and asking the chef if s/he wouldn't mind making something from the dinner menu. read more

Hostess was very nice. Server was..... efficient. Food- not great. Had the short rib. It came swimming in a soupy polenta or grits. Not sure which it was. The only tasty part of it was the carrots, which were undercooked. read more

Excellent food & atmosphere. We had the white bean and kale soup .... It was incredibly delicious. The green tomatoes salad was great! Catfish slider delicious. They didn't have coffee BUT they brewed a fresh pot for us!! Would highly recommend!! read more

Brisket nachos were . The service was well and the restaurant ambiance was very chill and relaxed.

Get the fried chicken wings. They were the best I ever had. We were there for a work retreat and it was late when we went. Service was great. Nice lady suggested the wings and to this day I wish they were in my home town. And you get more than you can eat alone. read more

Open in the afternoon and for dinner, this is the hotel lounge, bar and restaurant for the Williamsburg Lodge. There are two rooms and an outside patio. The first room is more for the bar and has some couches and comfy chairs. The back room is more for eating with several tables and nice chairs. We ate dinner during Happy Hour so I enjoyed a local beer for about $4. I had the crab soup and it was delicious! Filling, creamy, noticeable pieces of crab, served with crackers. My group opted to order a bunch of shareable appetizers since there weren't that many main courses on the menu. We ordered the fried brussel sprouts (tasty, warm temp though), fried shrimp (slightly too salty, plump large shrimp), pulled pork nachos (good overall, tasty gauc and salsa, fair amt of pork), and the crab dip (forgettable..). We were too stuffed to order dessert but the offerings looked good. They even had gluten free options available. Our server was friendly, attentive, checked on us multiple times, knowledgeable of the the menu. Overall a great experience. Food could be taken a step up though. read more

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We went on a Tuesday night around 8:30. We had the fried shrimp, crab soup, and my daughter had a classic hamburger with an impossible patty substituted. Service was quick but the patty was overcooked and crunchy. The fried shrimp was a little greasy but fine, the crab soup was good but not great. We had the apple crisp for dessert, which was a mistake, the "crisp" was not cooked properly. It was super loud in the restaurant, and we left as soon as possible to get away from the noise. read more

Sweet Tea and Barley is the in-house restaurant at the Marriott Williamsburg Inn. It offers drinks and food, including daily specials, appetizers, hot sandwiches, and full entrees. This a short walk from the powder magazine in Colonial Williamsburg. The atmosphere is that of a casual lodge bar. It is pleasant and intimate. The nice thing here is that this restaurant is rarely too busy to take walk-in's. They do take reservations, but we've never needed one. The menu is complete if limited. They only have about four items per category (starters, for the table, hand held, and supper), so picky eaters may have trouble finding something that they want. They have a full bar with seasonal drink specials. My wife and I went one night for a snack and cocktails. Another night we had dinner. We ordered from the seasonal drink menu. Our drinks were both tasty. My wife's mule was particularly good. We tried the pimento cheese appetizer one night, and another night the chicken wings. The pimento cheese is house-made and was very good. My only complaint was that they served it with about one less cracker than we needed. The chicken wings were awesome! I have no idea where they get these wings, but they were HUGE and meaty. We got them with the bourbon barbecue sauce. Very good! For entrees we both ordered burgers. My wife ordered the "original" (bacon cheeseburger) , while I ordered the "Southern Throw Down" (pimento cheese with fried green tomato and bacon jam). Both burgers were generously sized and well appointed, though the experience was tainted by burnt patties. My wife got the fries as a side and she did they were hot and fresh. I got the baked macaroni and cheese (available until they run out!, the menu warns). It was disappointing. It was simply pasta with melted cheese on top. No sauce to speak of. I'd avoid this one if I were you. Again, for desserts you get four choices it seems there is a pattern here). We split the seasonal dessert which was good. It is not large, but it was just about the right amount of sweet to end our meal. Definitely worth considering if you stay at the hotel or want to avoid the wait at some of the more prominent venues in Colonial Williamsburg. Also, this restaurant is open late (midnight) and every day of the week which is a big help on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when many W'burg restaurants are closed. read more

As a local why would we frequent a hotel restaurant? Simple because it's good snd consistently so The service has always been attentive without hovering We have eaten everything from hamburgers, salads, shrimp and grits, and most recently tacos for taco Tuesday - that is some of the best Mexican we have had since living here in the 'Burg' Give it a go! read more

It's ok. Standard hotel fare and ambiance is very nice. Beware though...it is a bit on the pricey side, as they cater to tourists. Jazz groups periodically play, which is a nice. Low ceilings, however, make it quite loud. read more

One of the best hotel bars I have seen. Great bar, live music, and great food. I have been in a few times and always have a great time. Loads of interesting people. Perfect for a night cap after being in the historic district. read more

We had a challenging day visiting colonial Williamsburg because the temperature was 95 degrees with 100% humidity. We had to go back to our hotel and recover. We decided to have dinner at hotel, sweet tea & barley. We had a very nice dinner that really rejuvenated us. Our witness was very nice and made us feel like home. One of our group had an old fashion. He said it was fantastic. We ordered our entrees and enjoyed the ambiance. When the entrees came, we were pleased they were substantial meals, as we were hungry and wiped out for our day. We had vegetable bowl, slow smoked bed brisket, Dixie sandwich. Everyone really enjoyed their meal. Our service was excellent. We definitely recommend this restaurant if you are visiting colonial Williamsburg. read more

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My wife and I came here after we took a ghost tour in colonial Williamsburg and we will definitely come back! We found this place to have a great atmosphere. Low lighting not loud so we could talk and the staff was very attentive to everything we asked for. My wife got a salad with chicken which she loved. I got the burger which was phenomenal! We will definitely come back to eat here again. Plus we got a free dessert for our 5 year anniversary. read more

The pictures of the menu were very outdated as were most of the pictures of the food posted to Yelp. It was a letdown when my mother and I discovered that what we had hoped to eat was no longer on the menu. We got the smoked catfish dip, 2 Dixie Stackers, and the Old Fashioned to drink. The catfish dip is very good, not much else to say. The pulled pork on the Dixie Stackers was delicious, but the bottom bun was a soggy mess so this needed to be eaten with a fork. Fries and pickle were good as well. The Old Fashioned was far too strong. My mother said it wasn't too bad so maybe that's just me, but it was like taking a swig of very lightly flavored rubbing alcohol. Service wasn't bad except our server forgot to let us know if there was, indeed, no weekly special. All we found out is that they'd, "been open for over a month and so far haven't had a weekly special on a Monday." The server said they'd go check and then never came back until they wanted to take our order so we just went with the Dixie Stackers. The rest of the menu didn't seem to appealing or exciting. Ambience was nice. We got there not too long after they opened so there were only a few occupied tables. read more

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We are locals and don't eat here often enough. The food is amazing, great portions, wonderful waitstaff. Varied menu and entertainment on weekends, or at least there was last time we ate there. Do give it a try! Comfortable chairs and good spacing between tables. Ask for a window seat. read more