I am very sad today. For years I have relied on The Tavern as the go-to restaurant in Abingdon for the finest quality. I've taken business associates and family with the highest confidence that they would experience the finest meal they've ever had. Sadly, my last two visits, My guests and I were disappointed. They no longer offer a full-size filet mignon, which in itself is very disappointing, the thin "4oz"(not) filet medalions were under cooked . And no baked potatoes! What?! We finished our "Non-Tavern-like" meal looking forward to the excellent cheesecake we've enjoyed dozens of times. Not tonight, my friend! We were told they now offer a homemade flavored cheese cake. Only i opted to try it. What i was served was a small square that tasted little like the excellent NY-style one they served for years. Our server, who the bartender said was now one of the owners, told us that the cheesecake we had bragged about for years, "that old cheesecake was from Cisco!" Hmmm. Very sad! What happened? New chef? New owners? I don't know but the Bottom line is we'll likely find another restaurant that hasn't put profits ahead of quality. read more

One of my favorite hobbies as a food guy is to put together little themed adventures. Whether it be finding the best burger or fried chicken or maybe even hitting craft beer trails, I like to have a theme. One of the best parts of being in the East Coast so much has been really delving into the history of the U.S., especially now that we are trying to delete it and change it into something it isn't. So my quest over the next few months will be to hit the oldest bars/taverns in America. The first stop on this adventure is the Tavern in Abingdon, VA. Built in 1779 (wow!) this was built as a stagecoach stop for travelers headed into the Blue Ridge Highlands, which is worth the trip itself just FYI. Walking up to the building it really looked like just I hoped it would. Years of reading history books and seeing paintings and drawings, I was hoping it would not have been upgraded too much, and it just looked like I imagined. What I was surprised was how amazing the experience was. Also how modern the menu, both drink and food is. Don't ask me why I expected flaggons of ales and bread bowls, makes zero sense. Instead it was a well curated cocktail list with a stunning modern menu. The one thing I knew I had to get was the French Onion soup, I think they called it the Tavern Soup, and it was worth the hype. The cheese was ooey-gooey wonderful and the onions and broth mixed nicely, sweet and salty, and was quite filling on its own. The menu is absolutely loaded with elegant choices: trout, scallops, chicken and risotto,baked salmon. I went full decadence and ordered the lamb chops because I saw it being served at the table close by. I am so glad I did. The meat was cooked absolutely perfectly and soaked in au jus, you couldn't ask for more tender bites. The mashed potatoes was a classic pairing and I ordered a side of asparagus along with it. Along with the beautiful service, the restaurant itself is lovely. I give this the highest of my highest recommendation. read more

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This is our favorite spot in Abingdon when in town for work. We usually sit inside but weather was perfect so we sat outside this time. I love the Lemon Spritzer and my sister loves the Hugo Spritz. We got the bread with compounded butter - so good! We then shared the chicken risotto. Service is always friendly attentive and fast and the location is perfect. We will be back everytime we are in the area because it's so good! read more

The Tavern - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

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This is such a beautiful spot; you feel like you're stepping back into 1779 as they've kept the building in great condition. We stopped in and had an appetizer and drinks. They have a good GF selection and the patio is a great place to sit. Service was fantastic. Im glad we stopped in on a whim. Would love to visit again! read more

The Tavern - Mussels - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

Great comfort meal and cool historic atmosphere in the heart of Abington. Passed through on a business trip and spoke with several others at the bar saying this is always a must visit meal during their time in the town. Excellent service and a killer prime rib. read more

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The Tavern is a restaurant in a historic building in Abingdon,VA with many German dishes along with modern classics which you'll find in any upscale restaurant or gastropubs these days. First off the building is from the 1770s in Old Abingdon, among the cobblestoned Main Street. Folks were smaller back then and you see it in the low ceilings and smaller doorways, so mind your step. I didn't have reservations so I ate at the bar but the service was excellent. The poor bartender was super busy that night and I did not see her still for a second. Lots of preppies and sports jackets, I think this is the most high end restaurant in little Abingdon but the food is excellent and the prices reflect that. The shrimp cocktail, the veal schnitzel, which came with a mushroom risotto and braised red cabbage were fantastic. As much as I would have lived to try one of their desserts, I simply couldn't. Worth it if you're in the area. read more

Worst restaurant I've ever been to. How do you run out of a menu item (trout) within an hour? (They said they only keep six trout available...I find that hard to believe when it's a menu item). It took 15 minutes to even get a drink order. Then after I ordered trout (we came there for it instead of the restaurant Rain, as the Tavern had a better menu and was historic), they said they ran out as they only had six. So I ordered the crab cakes, they were small, no seasoning, and either way, the service was rude and our one dining experience in Abingdon was horrible. read more

This was a must-not-miss on my list and I'm so glad I didn't! Set in a historical building, you can't help but feel romanced by the low ceilings and swept into another century. Reservations are highly recommended. I had the Jagerschnitzel, which was heavenly with buttered spaetzel and glorious red cabbage. It came with a sizable, hearty salad, with house made dressings, and fresh, warm bread. For dessert I had the peanut butter pie and OMG you cannot miss it! read more

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Amazing food and great service! I loved this place! Very cool and laid back Restaurant. read more

Yummy! But yikes, those prices. I'd come back but only for a special occasion. The steak tips were good!

Have to hit on this while it's fresh in my mind! Was recommended the Tavern as a location to host a work dinner. From initial planning forward, everything was amazing. Barrie was so helpful in deciding that a limited menu for our group would be most appropriate, and the Chef was able to accommodate the dietary restrictions of those in our group. We had a party of 20 on a Saturday night and were helped by two incredible servers for the entirety of the meal. Everything was cooked perfectly and the dinner went seamlessly. The Tavern staff made our experience amazing, and the food was delicious. Will absolutely be coming here again next time in Abingdon. read more

We'll established spot which is not easy to pull off. Good people, nice atmosphere and yum food

Wife has been wanting to eat dinner here for sometime. Not good. Nothing special here. The smell after a heavy rain and warm temps was awful. To small, old and smelly . Smells like it's 300 years old and never cleaned . read more

Food was overpriced and not really impressive. Servings were a reasonable size but bland. Service was slow, had to refill our own water as waitress vanished for long periods and even when she came back, she didn't refill our water most of the time. It is an interesting space. We sat outside and specifically asked if people were allowed to smoke and were told no. Unfortunately they were allowed to in a lower area and it drifted directly to our table, which was disappointing. All of the staff was friendly, I don't believe that it was worth the cost, there are just too many other good restaurants in the area. read more

Everything is always perfect! I live in Florida but Every time I go up to TN and VA I always go to my favorite restaurant! The Tavern read more

As much as I'm tempted to say that visiting one of the oldest restaurants in the USA felt like a bit of time travel, the food was a very modern twist. I got the duck with an appetizer of fried oysters, with a pilsner. I thought all were great, although if I had gone with the German dishes to compliment the tavern-vibe I would have been equally happy. This place was BUSY. The only reason I don't give them 5 stars is how long it took to bring my food out. But otherwise, the service was good. Yet it's hard to argue with the vibe. The faux-candlelight, a real fire place, it had a lot of nice touches. read more

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Went here courtesy of a potential employer one night and loved it. Our group was very well taken care of and the food delectable!Came back here as new residents so our teens could experience it. What a night & day difference. Chris was our waiter and was quite rude several times. We asked a question about the area and his reply was way too loud and full of attitude. He was heard & seen thumping his feet so loudly when running upstairs...felt like a toddler was in the house...rather tacky for a nice restaurant. Food was good but waiter ruined the experience we were trying to share with family. Will consider going back so long as we have a different waiter. read more

Tried to get a table for two for dinner inside. Called at 5 in evening. Told that would not be available until 7:30 pm that night. Call at 5 and have to wait 2.5 hour just to get a table for two. By the time we were to get food would be 9:00 pm . Too late to eat dinner! We were hungry and wanted to eat. Told them to forget it to long a wait . Went to Rain in Abingdon and got seated right away and got served fast. Much better. read more

This place meets all expectations of delicious food and drinks. Very pricey but very yummy. Will visit again

We had dinner here Friday night. As usual, it was delicious ! This is our go to place for family celebrations. We had our favorite server Dwayne, and he is very attentive without being intrusive.y husband had his favorite lamb, I had chicken saltimbocca and my son had a steak. All was perfect! I highly recommend dinner here if you're ever in the area! read more

First time dinning here and it was an experience for sure. The service was impeccable, constant checking, filling and removing of the dishes. The food was good, I had the Prime Rib I should have had it grilled, the crème brûlée was amazing. Would definitely dine there again. read more

I had been wanting to go to the Tavern for a while and it didn't disappoint. Great food, Great service, Great atmosphere. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed every bite. We had friends join us from out of town which made for a fun evening. If you're in Abingdon give it a try. The building dates back to 1779. What a cool historic place. read more

Food was amazing as always! Excellent service and great atmosphere! Would highly recommend! read more

The Tavern - Filet Medallions - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

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Stopped in Abingdon for the night. Saw the Tavern while walking so thought we would try it. The building dates to 1779 so that was cool! They had no tables for those without reservations, but we could sit at the bar, so we did. I had the Kassler Rippchen, a German pork chop dish with spaetzle and pickled cabbage. Outstanding, and more than I could eat. There was enough pork for two or three meals! I will be eating the rest later. Wife had the Tavern Trout, which was also amazingly good! Finished it off with an Anthony's Raspberry Cheesecake and Crème Brûlée. Wife says the Brûlée was among the best she has had and the cheesecake was divine! The bartender, Melanie, was awesomez. Very personable, and a talented mixologist. She was telling stories about the ghost in the building. Made for an enjoyable meal. We are not likely to be in Abingdon again, but if we ever are, we will be eating here!! Oh, and get reservations! read more

Everything & Everyone was AMAZING!! The food was so BEYOND DELICIOUS!! The atmosphere was amazing as well! Meet new friends and learned more about the history. One of the workers took us on a walk through the Tavern & found my Grandfather Capt. Gordon W. Rife picture & I got to have my picture taken with him!! The worker was so amazing & very helpful, I'm so beyond grateful & thankful for this worker! THANK YOU read more

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Perfection. Outstanding service. Ambience from the 1700's. The crab cakes are amazing. All backfin. No "filler ". Really thick. Served with wonderful asparagus and other choices. The steaks are prime beef. Mine was medium rare as I requested. Not inexpensive. Worth every $$. read more

Only had the onion soup and a baked potato but it was very good. Will definitely go back.

Can't rate the food as they were booked up when we went, but excellent service! The hostesses were very nice and recommended their sister restaurant since they couldn't seat us. Will definitely make a reservation next time I'm in town. read more

The atmosphere and building was really cool. It makes you wonder about the people, conversations and activities that occurred there over the past 150 years. The patio is great. Service was excellent! I really liked our server on the patio. The reason I gave 3 stars is because the food was just okay for the prices. The steaks were overcooked - asked for med rare and it was more med well - and all the meals were on the verge of cold. We would have sent back but our kids were getting stir crazy. read more

It's all about the historical atmosphere. Food is good but people say they love it. I have had their filet and have had a lot better. Just had their pasta of the day which was very good but the chicken was cold and hard. Bad choice on selecting this protein. Beer was very good and cold. Wait staff is very good and attentive. We sat inside both times which get a little noisy. Outside seating is great when it's not cold or raining. read more

Yeah, this gets five stars. I'm a tough critic. Literally everything we had was phenomenal. Service was great. I had the Wienerschnitzel and it was cooked perfectly. The veal was great. The pasta with a with the semi glaze on there was fantastic out of this world. The soups were pretty good. We had the brie appetizer which was phenomenal. My girlfriend had the chicken risotto. Chicken was just OK but the risotto was fantastic for bar Tavern food. This place is off the charts. read more

Everyone in town told us about this place. We loved the history (tavern opened in 1770s). Given the hype we had high expectation and even more so after seeing the price ($40/entree). The menu was beautifully written with rich descriptions. The food looked way better than it tasted. My husband had the lamb and ended up taking it out of the sauce - the sweet sauce was strangely paired, and some mushrooms raw. I had the stuffed salmon and thought it was prepared well but stuffing flavorless. Our favorite part of the entire meal was the garden salad that came with the entree. We got the garlic Parmesan dressing and it was amazing. In fact, I used my leftovers on my salmon and it paired wonderfully. I also enjoyed the peanut butter pie dessert. Lastly, we did not think the service was great (and it wasn't overly busy). We often had empty water glasses and my silverware was dirty. Finally, it seems that the restaurant milks the hype (they even added a 3% credit card charge) which seems really unnecessary for a restaraunt in this price range - and was not our experience elsewhere in town. Overall this wasn't what we were expecting out of the hype. Go and get a salad, piece of pie and pay in cash. read more

Our server was great. She was quick and friendly and knowledgeable about the menu items. We were underwhelmed by the food quality. It was not what we expected from the reputation of the restaurant. Also, did not know that there was a charge of over 3% for paying with our debit card. read more

The service was spot on. The atmosphere was great. White tablecloth. Original tavern was intact and beautifully renovated. I sat outside since it was a beautiful evening, and the temperature was great. I had heard appetizers were huge so I only ordered the beef tips. The Generous portion of beef tips on flash fried spinach was fantastic. I do admit the blue cheese crumbles were a bit too much. Next time I would ask for the blue cheese crumbles on the side but overall my experience was fabulous and I will eat there again lunch or dinner. read more

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Lovely historic building with stone walls and wood beam ceiling with a small dining room serving up memorable meals. The fall cocktail list was drool worthy but I finally decided on the Rosemary Maple Bourbon Sour, which was so yummy I had to have two. Our service was impeccable and my entree, the jagersnitzel, was fantastic. An all around great experience! read more

The Tavern - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

What a find!!! Decided to grab a late dinner while passing through on our road trip. Everyone was super nice and our server Chris was AMAZING! My boyfriend had the duck and I had the caesar salad with beef tips (melt in your mouth beef tips) nom nom nom! We started with the smoked salmon. Everything was excellent! Dressings are all homemade. The compound butter was turmeric, honey and mint. Fine dining in a casual atmosphere. Sincerely one of the best meals we have had in a long time. It was amazing to be sitting in a building that is so old and has seen so much history. This will be a definite stop if we end up in this area again. read more

The Tavern - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

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Such a surprise the hubs, son and granddaughter had last night 7/5/22 when we came in for dinner. The recommendation is to call for reservations and yes you should. It was packed last night during a really good storm system this week. The building was built in 1779 and the original structure remains the same. Brick streets, original buildings including homes. Abingdon keeps all of the old buildings intact to the original design. You can find who all drank in the tavern like Henry Clay. Also you can find out who all owned the building and how it was used. My granddaughter was so excited to visit here and take her pictures as our ancestors were part of the Mayflower and the revolution war. For her to see and read about this was priceless. Ok now on to the food. The best greeters and servers ever. Avery was our server he was so attentive and would also let us know what he liked when asked. My granddaughter got the fillet medallions and opted to include BBQ red potatoes, my son and I each got the chicken with risotto and the hubs got the scallops. I got the French onion soup as my side everyone else got a salad. Amazing and if in the area stop by for great food and to see some history. I can't say enough. read more

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The atmosphere is lovely in this historic restaurant but don't go here for the food! Very mediocre to poor and way overpriced; so disappointing. We had chicken and risotto; the risotto was boiled rice with some kind of thickener for $36.00 We could not finish it. The Caprese salad had tasteless tomatoes and mozzarella. For such a beautiful setting, this place deserves a decent chef. read more

Great restaurant. My family ate here before a show at the Barter theater. We went during Christmas time, and the ambiance of the restaurant was incredible. A very intimate experience. Food was pretty good. I got the stuffed Filet, and it was delicious. The drinks were OK. I think the common complaint was that the drinks were too strong, which may not be a complaint for everyone. Crème brûlée for dessert. Highly recommend getting a reservation because they will book out. read more

The Tavern - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

Was in town for a short business trip and managed to get reservations for two in a short notice. The food was delicious, and the wait staff was impeccable. Certainly recommend this restaurant and would come back again. read more

The Tavern - The Tavern - American Near Me - Abingdon, Virginia

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