I have been to Tavern on Central several times and have had very mixed experiences. When I have gone with a small group of friends, I typically order nachos or fish tacos which have been consistently great! The live music is often a bit louder than necessary given the size of the space, which makes it difficult to talk to people at your table. I have gone twice for dinner with groups of 8-10 and have not had good experiences at all. Both times our food came out at varying times and several people in our party (myself included) were not very happy with the quality of our meals. In one instance the chicken Alfredo sauce looked and tasted exactly the same as the sauce in my daughter's Mac n cheese. Oddly enough, it was the meal we waited the longest for. Unfortunately, the waitress wasn't intuitive enough to notice the Alfredo was basically untouched so we awkwardly had to mention it wasn't good but since everyone had gotten their food a solid 10 minutes earlier, our guest didn't really want to wait for a new meal. There is a great selection of beers on draught, however the signage lacks important info, often listing the brand, but not the actual beer. The servers are not very knowledgable about the beers as I've asked questions about the style (is it a lager, an ale, an IPA) and they don't know. Additionally, the ABV is not posted with each beer. This COULD be a great place with just a few little tweaks. read more

Great food and service. Prices are fairly reasonable. People that work here are super friendly. I live about 45 minutes from this gem and it's worth the ride. I highly recommend any of the mac and cheese dishes, burgers or prime rib. read more

I LOVE going to this place. They have some of the BEST food I have EVER had and for the most AMAZING prices. They have full and half sizes for quite a bit of their entrées, which is great if you you don't feel like eating a ginormous meal. Their chefs put a lot of care into the meals, and most of the staff are friendly and warm. I would HIGHLY recommend dining here. They never disappoint. read more

This was the worst experience! We came in on a Tuesday night at 7:30.. they obviously had been busier than they has expected so we were patient at first. We waited more than 15 minutes at the door to be seated, however the waitress immediately came over for our drink order. My husband's beer came with in a minute of our order but my martini took another 25 minutes! The waitress was not at fault here since she kept going to the bar to see if if the bartender had made it, she hadn't for some reason. After finally getting my drink the waitress took for ever to come back and take our order. We got our food at 8:48 after arriving at 7:30. I had to ask for silverware and we had ordered boneless wings ahead of time for our son at home.. got them home and they were bone in.. he won't eat them on the bone.. such a waste of $81 I'm so pissed read more

These may sound like "Get off my lawn" comments from an old guy (I'm 55) but we had dinner on 10/1/21 and there were a few things that irked me. First, there was a miscommunication about the beer I ordered and the waitress couldn't have been bothered to even try and ascertain the problem. She essentially said, "Well that's what you ordered." And walked away. Also, waitress-related, they were out of turkey burgers, fine; take it off the menu but I persevered. I order Pan Seared Scallops with asparagus risotto. Our meals took forever and mine came with 6 scallops and a huge plate of watery risotto. Less is more; make it half the amount of risotto and add a roasted veggie maybe? The biggest issue though was the band. Know your audience guys. Turning the volume up so loud that patrons right next to each other had to scream is not what restaurant live entertainment is meant to be. Belting out Led Zep (and I love Led Zep!) in a small room to people trying to enjoy a meal and maybe converse a little; not cool. Get a gig where people expect you to belt out "The Piano Man" at the top of your lungs. Live entertainment is supposed to attract patrons and I now will avoid Friday and Saturday nights; not what ownership was hoping for I suspect. read more

Our first visit was last Saturday night. We ordered a beer at the bar from their multi tap draft system while we waited for our table. We were shortly thereafter seated in the back room as we asked for a table specifically. Our waitress was friendly and offered her recommendation after we mentioned we were first timers. Although not included in the meal, the side salad was very fresh and the house balsamic was delicious. I opted to order the almond crusted chicken, as suggested to us. My husband ordered fried clams and scallops. Both meals were large portions and excellent. I brought half of mine home! We didn't opt for apps or dessert but there were many options available. We will definitely be back! read more

Tavern on Central - Almond crusted chicken!! - Bars Near Me - Ashburnham, Massachusetts

The garden salad with steak is a fantastic meal! It comes with a nice crusty piece of garlic bread. The steak is super tender and delicious and the salad items are fresh and crispy. read more

Well we got to the tavern at 5:30 and we sat at the bar. After about 15 min one of the bartenders came over so we ordered our drinks and got menus. Wanting to order and get no attention I had to wave the menu at the bartender to come over. We ordered nachos it took about 1/2 an hour to get them. Yes they were good. After finishing them we wanted to order food. We ordered that took about 45 mins to come. A Mac and chees grill cheese and a crab cake sandwich. Fries were cold and both sandwiches were not good. The taverns service has gone down hill and for the first time eating off the new menu we were not impressed. We didn't leave until 8:00. Once again I had to wave my card to get the bartender to come over. She was to busy talking. What was really good has gone downhill. read more

lunch recently....wow the ratings are all over the place but we thought it was pretty great....big open square of a building with a big square bar in the center, pool table and dart boards and some big screen tvs over the bar, service was pleasant but a little slow but they were really pretty busy which could somewhat explain that, nice selection of beers, the rubin was great and the burger very good and cooked as ordered.....we were surprisingly pleased and would certainly like to try it again, perhaps some night when they have music....this is the third restaurant or so to be in this location and they do seem to have a good thing going, and we were surprised at how busy they were..... read more

Great tap beer selection which they rotate. Food is solid. Burgers all very good. Fish tacos good as well. Great to see a place finally make a go of this location. read more

food sucks never the same anytime you go it taste different servers don't even know what's on the menu asked for poutine because i saw they had fries and gravy on the menu said they couldn't do it asked another server they said sure we can drinks suck always to strong never tasty read more

The place has gone down hill fast. We use to go twice a week. First the bartender is very rude, didn't catch her name (long black hair), she stands there playing with her hair while the other bartenders run around working. The beer is warm, unless we get tap beer. If you want bootle be prepared for a warm one. The portions have changed as well. One time you get tons of chili on nachos, next time two teaspoons of it. My husband even commented to our waitress and she said oh I'll let the cook know. Well that was a helpful? read more

This place is so gross I had ordered a hamburger well well well done and it came back pretty much still dripping blood. The waitresses are very rude and the kitchen was very slow. I will definitely not be back here and I don't recommend this restaurant to anyone unless they like blood still on there plate from raw hamburger! Save your money and go somewhere that actually knows how to cook food and serve food. I'm not sure who managers this place but it's honestly the worst place I have ever been too. read more

Best fish tacos anywhere... firehouse burger was done to perfection and HUGE! Service was efficient, never stuck waiting.

We went during the first few weeks the restaurant had been open. You could tell they were still working out the kinks and we were very understanding of that. The waitress we had was quiet and shy but very sweet but seemed overwhelmed... I wasn't upset about that factor, I just felt bad for her for being so overwhelmed. Another kink I know they'll work out once proper staffed. The food was delicious. The booths were very comfortable. It's decorated super cute and it's nice to have something decent to go to in Ashburnham now. Were going to try back in a few weeks. They're still new, they need to see what works and what doesn't and we totally respect that and are happy that they provide awesome food during this trial period :-))) read more

This our second visit. The clam plates we had last week knocked it out of the park. We're currently enjoying the fresh roast turkey dinner...another winner. We're getting to like this place a lot! read more

Finally got a chance to check this place out last week and we were not disappointed. Food, service, and atmosphere were all on point. Prices were reasonable and portions were generous. I was happy to be reunited with one of my favorites from McNally's, the almond crusted chicken and it was delicious as ever! I also recommend trying their nachos. Great draft beer selection featuring several regional favorites. read more

Love the pulled pork mac and cheese! Cute atmosphere too. Not much on the menu for options but what's there is well made.

Love eating here. Since it's in town, it's like cheers, everyone knows your name. Beer is great as well and a lot of local stuff.

Good good any atmosphere. I wish they took reservations as it is really busy on the weekends and waits can exceed 30 minutes.

Short of any atmosphere, as it is loud with the din of patrons and mediocre entertainment. There is nothing separating the bar from the dining area, so it's basically a large open space. You can wait some time to be seated while the staff ignores you, even if your party is 3 or more people. The menu looks impressive, yet, if your paying $9 for 8 chicken wings you shouldn't find broken bones. Broken or closed shells with the mussels is not a good sign either. The place is usually packed to capacity with the locals, as it is convenient, but, parking can be tough at times. Order a beer or a glass of wine, as the drinks tend to be weak... read more

We walked out after taking a seat at the bar and being ignored by THREE bartenders. We patiently waited 10 minutes and the place wasn't even busy at 5pm. We stopped going there because of bad service and heard the place changed. Tried it again. Never more read more

This restaurant in town is a God send. The food is fabulous and I am addicted to their deviled eggs and blackened fish tacos - yummy! The food quality is excellent - my husband orders a turkey club and they are nice enough to make it even though it isn't on the menu. The turkey isn't "deli turkey" it is freshly roasted turkey. Just one example of the great ingredients that they use. The parking lot is ALWAYS full and you have to park up the hill at the Hardware store. I am not complaining - it just shows how popular the restaurant is. read more

New to the area, I've heard amazing things about the tavern. Eating in can be great but if there is a band, don't waste your time trying to call. Three shoppers tried calling for a total of 25 minutes before giving up. When we asked our waitress, she told us "oh sorry! There's a band playing so we don't really pay attention to that." The band was good, the food was good, but we were looking to learn the hours before making the ride on such a nice night. Perhaps we will feature them in our next magazine, given the location both scenically as well as academically, but until that phone starts to matter when a band is playing we will skip. read more

We were there yesterday for the second time. Our first experience was great but this one was not. Chicken parm with too little, bland sauce for the volume of pasta, I don't believe there was any salt in the pasta water. Steak with a fair amount of fat also kine of bland, bland potatoes. Service was okay but we were overcharged for the steak, which was on special although they did correct it when we brought it to their attention. After the first visit we thought we had found a good little place to relax but we are not too sure after this visit. read more

Have been to the Tavern on Central (formally Firehouse Pub, Cafe 57) twice in the last couple of months. We went once for lunch with a group of co-workers for a Christmas party lunch. We all had good meals and were happy with the food we ordered, service was good; could perhaps have been a little quicker but they had just opened. We were able to try our choice of the great beer selections they offer. My favorite the Sculpin IPA was wonderful, others tried the Steel Rail Ale, Nitro Milk Stout and the one vast variety of Wachusett brewery selections. Nice for a small town to have some great beer selections on tap and by bottle. In any case about my burger, a large hand pressed burger just like I crave and make at home with choose your own toppings, cheddar, bacon and the veggies for my tastes with a side of Blue Cheese dressing and buffalo sauce. It truly was a an excellent burger with a large side of fries, they offer onion strings, cole slaw and maybe one other choice as well. Others tried the Ruben, other burger variations and one order of fish tacos, everyone seemed happy with their food for sure. The second time I went for dinner with friends/family and as we entered we sang as rousing rendition of "We Wish your a Merry Christmas" as we had been out caroling around town spreading the Christmas cheer. The crowd gave us a nice friendly cheer and we settled in for some food and more Sculpin IPA. I went right back to the burger so I can't offer other advice on food but once again it was a nice hand pressed burger, cooked well and with topping of choice. All seemed happy again, including the kids! We are happy to have a quality place to come enjoy in town, great place for many occasions, you should check it out for yourself. read more

I am the type of person who never branches out and always ends up ordering a cheeseburger when i eat out, so I can say I've had a lot over the past few years. I went for the Mac - Attack Burger (Burger topped with bacon and mac and cheese) and I can honestly say it might be top 3 burgers I've ever had, if not the best. Would never expect such a good burger from a small town compared to the city. We were in town for business, so we were unable to explore the full potential of the Tavern, but from what I could see, the beer list was fairly decent. Noticed Wormtown Be Hoppy on tap, which seems to be a rarity to find in itself. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

Not really a fan. Ordered a turkey burger and it arrived, basically raw inside. I showed the waitress, she was apologetic. What I got back was the same turkey burger cooked again. This time overcooked, dry and tough. However, the funnier part was the waitress telling me the cook said "some chicken comes out pink". Nope, chicken should never be pink. Sweet potatoes were delicious and wine was pretty good. Made no adjustments to the bill. I won't be back. Sorry. read more

i went for lunch there on recent friday afternoon, about 1:30 and there were only four tables occupied but it still took 40 minutes to get our appetizers. one, stuffed mushrooms, were only warm not hot. i ordered a hamburger medium rare that came out well done. by the time i had a chance to mention it to the waitress, who to her credit offered me another one, i was half way done eating and didn't want to wait as the other person i was with would have been done eating. my last complaint was paying $3 for a glass of soda. i imagine they had free refills but 3 bucks is a hefty tab for one glass of soda !! you only get one chance at making a good impression and this place missed it ! read more