Staying at the Concord Colonial Inn main house for a few days while visiting the historic area as well as antique shopping in Boston. This is a great gem. The food is good and they have a good selection of drafts as well as cocktails available. My wife and I enjoyed the convenience as it is inside the Inn and a staple of dining for our stay. The ambiance is great and feels like colonial times. Excellent read more

Ate late lunch here on a weekday afternoon.Everyone from the host to servers were kind, friendly and helpful. The food was delicious and a little bit pricey. There is a lot of space in this restaurant, so great for big parties also. The building is an older, historical one, so has a lovely vibe to it. The complimentary bread was tasty. The wings and flatbread were delicious. We got cheesecake for dessert but it was too sweet for our taste and did not taste very fresh. It was dry and I would not order it again. We ate outside, perfect for people watching too.Look forward to dining here again! read more

See all

If you wanna have a cuppa Manhattans in pre-revolutionary days this is your spot. The vibe is ridiculously evocative of a time gone by. The bartender was killing it, the food was good and the portions massive. read more

Honestly a very good experience after years living in concord and not being back to forge. Service was fast and very friendly, burgers were big and delicious with good quality bacon. Not the most inspired menu, but definitely a solid choice and cozy space read more

Haven't been here in years and years and thought they had closed the Tavern. For many years we would stop by for the music by the. Working Man's Jazz group and loved the place. It was like the "twilight zone" when we stopped by the other night and found the place open with all of that old ambience still in place! read more

See all

The food was very good and service was friendly-- once we had some. We sat at the outdoor table with the menus for so long that I was starting to wonder if I misunderstood the service model and we were supposed to go inside to order or something. I was about to get up and ask the host when our server showed up. After we finally ordered, our drinks, soup, food, and complementary bread all showed up together several minutes later. I'm guessing they are understaffed. read more

Excellent food, drinks, and service. Very small and intimate. I stopped here for an appetizer and a drink at the end of a long day. Needs more staff to help patrons. The lady working that night was kind, very sweet, and worked very hard to ensure everyone had a great experience. Definitely a great spot for pre-and-post dinner drinks. read more

This review is for the restaurant, not the hotel. Excellent service and food. The fish and chips was especially good. We really liked the waiter who served us. The outside of this restaurant is a square with great view so you should always choose to sit outside. read more

See all

Service was great, it was super busy weekend considering it was just before the Boston Marathon and Patriot's Day. I had the pot roast and it was definitely tasty. My husband had a pulled pork type sandwich which was super yummy. Just a wee bit messy. We will go back for sure. read more

Great food and atmosphere. A bit tricky to find as it's inside another venue we had chowder and lobster rolls

There are several unique dining areas in the Colonial Inn, but all have the same menu. The Forge Tavern is of course the bar area. The ambiance is dark wood with a colonial artifacts theme. Service was excellent. Prices reasonable. Food was exceptional. All is made from scratch and the Inn Burger was one of the best ever tasted. The chicken pot pie was delicious as well. Good and varied beer, cocktail and wine list - reasonably priced. read more

Food, service & ambiance were all great! Very small, cozy & historic tavern inside the Colonial Inn. Sat by the warm fireplace on a cold wet day and had a great lunch after the Liberty Trolley Tour! Highly recommend Village Forge! read more

Great service! Brussel sprouts, Mexican quinoa bowl, and chicken pot pie were all delicious. Love the cozy atmosphere. read more

Village Forge Tavern - Mexican style quinoa bowl - Bars Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts

See all

Only 4 stars because Jared my server must think I am an idiot who doesn't know what scrod or schrod is. Here's the deal Jack, I mean Jarad, I grew up on the North Shore, north of Boston. Don't tell me "Scrod is scrod." When I ask the question and then try to correct me when I call you out on it. That said the food was spot on--the scrod, which was cod. The clam chowdah was also very good, along with the Indian pudding for dessert. read more

See all

We went last night for the first time. Service was great in an interesting atmosphere. Prices were reasonable for a place with that type of history. We would go again. read more

We sat at the grill and watched our meals and everyone elses meals being cooked. It was entertaining and I would highly recommend it. The food was fantastic and I would go back again. Make reservations for bar or outside. The vibe here is cool and food is so delish. :) read more

I've been to the Village Forge Tavern many times, but last night I went with pad, pen, and camera in hand with the intention of writing this review. In the end this objectivity made me see things a little differently, but it didn't change how I feel about this place. I almost always have a good time when I go here. First let's talk about the venue and the music, since this place is mostly about that. The venue itself is very small, and each Saturday night they feature a 3 or 4-person jazz ensemble that plays mostly early jazz classics. With such a small room, it's very personal, and there is a direct connection between the performers and the audience, seated just a few feet away. There is no cover charge, so the band literally passes a hat around so you can show your support. You may be invited to sing on the microphone as one person was, and did with remarkable success on this occasion. Everybody loved this and cheered wildly. There is a full bar, but the tap has only 3 beer selections. It took 10 or 15 minutes to be served my first beer, which seemed like forever, but after that things went smoothly. I ordered a bottled beer and it arrived in a bottle with no glass. I have to be objective and give them pretty low marks there. The pub menu isn't that great either, but you can order off of the restaurant menu if you want to, so that's what I did: I selected the fried artichoke hearts with Cajun aioli for the appetizer. It was good, and less spicy that I would have guessed for a Cajun anything. It was an ample portion for an appetizer. For the entree I had Chestnut & Pepita Crusted Salmon, with butternut risotto, aged grape must, and toasted pumpkin seed ($22 on the dinner menu, $16 on the lunch menu). It was nicely presented, and the pumpkin seed, chestnuts, and pepita gave the salmon a pleasing earthy crunch and flavor. The butternut risotto went well with it, but if I were to be a picky restaurant reviewer I would say that the risotto was a bit too mushy. When I go to the Village Forge Tavern, I go mostly for the music, so the fact that you can order an interesting entree is just a bonus as far as I'm concerned. The music was good, the conversation and laughter was natural, and overall it was a very good time. It almost always is. I uploaded a photograph, and I wish that I could upload a short movie clip that I took, because just 10 seconds of the noise, music, and action there would tell you more about the vibe of this place than 100 pictures would. read more

Village Forge Tavern - Workingman's Jazz Band Quartet - Bars Near Me - Concord, Massachusetts

Everytime we come to Concord, this is where we end up in the evening. At first we were sad to have such little pub-options in town that we'd end up drinking at a hotel, but the tavern has it's own vibe and if you can find it in the maze of halls the hotel has, it's the spot! Most of the nights spent there, we've watched the Workingman's Jazz Band play, with various guest singers. The bass and piano guys are just insanely good. If you find yourself in Concord, get stuck-in here. read more

See all

I just fell in love with its ambiance and music they offered. Everyone I took here agreed with me. I love several jazz club in Boston but I give this place 5 star for these reasons. 1. It is located inside one of the oldest Inn in the country. 2. the ambiance of barn house like (all wood panels came from a 200 years old barn house in NH). 3. No cover charge ever. 4.Some famous musician played here before, still no cover charge on special guest appearance. Charles Neville was here twice last year. Sunday - Mon - Accoustic night Tue - Blue (Hatrack is awesome) Wed - The best dixie land jazz in NE- Jimmy Messi and the last minute man. He is one of the best banjo player in the country. Thur -John Fitzsimmon or Fizy - check him out in summer time. He usually plays traditional pub song and will make you get up to sing along or do some chicken dance. Fri- Sat - Working man jazz band with special guest like wendy glick, harvey diamond, and more. It is a great date place. Go there if you want a nice romantic time. Food are served there til 1030pm. Come and check it out. Concord's the birthplace of America and the first Colonial war began here where we kicked some Bristish's butt. And this place is a must visit. read more

So there I was, stuck in scenic but boring Boxborough Mass for a week on business. Thank the interwebz for Yelp; because of the positive reviews, on a Thursday night I found my way to the Village Forge Tavern. Really good food, great music & a neat atmosphere. As noted, no cover - just throw in the hat if you like. The locals greatly outnumbered the tourists, and Fitzy took great pleasure in poking fun at one fellow who apparently started sneaking in the place before he was 18 and "stayed 21 for five years". Most of the way through Fitzy's first set, he called out if I had a request, and the San Franciscan in my subconscious made "Friend of the Devil" (uncultured Philistines: it's a Grateful Dead song) the first thing on my tongue. He apologized as he never played the song outside of a band setting, but I thoroughly enjoyed his solo rendition on a six-string acoustic guitar. When it was time for the solo, he played the chord progression and noted "here's the part where Jerry plays for about 8 minutes." The locals didn't sing along, funny that... The site's photo makes the place look three times larger than it is - imagine a tavern that had to fit into a submarine and you get the idea. Get there early. read more

Came here on a cold winter evening for the cozy charm, and was pleasantly surprised with the food! 3 of us ordered the swordfish special, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. 1 ordered chicken Marsala also very much enjoyed it. Drinks were super slow but there weren't enough wait staff. Selection of beer and wine was good wish there were mixed drinks on bar menu but bartender made me one anyway. Appetizer calamari also excellent! Old, charming, and quaint atmosphere not too loud, lots of little rooms. Park around back to enter into the inn, then head upstairs. read more

There are two parts to this review: food, then vibe. FOOD: Eh. There isn't really any pub food. I know, weird, right? I expected a pub menu, but what we got was the same menu we looked at in the Liberty Room (another restaurant area in the Colonial Inn hotel/restaurant complex). Very few things on that menu qualify as pub food, and for this I'm disappointed. A few tap beers, and a nicely stocked bar make this place OK, but if you're gonna be a pub, which they certainly are going for, you should have some standard pub fare. VIBE: Yes! Excellent vibe. Live music at night, between 8-11 Fri & Sat. Friday night was a singer from New Orleans backed by an excellent trio. Saturday night we heard a woman sing some great standards and blues - yes, THE blues - backed by another great group, the Workingman's Jazz Trio. Highly recommend you see them, even if they're playing with no singer. Each player has great talents they bring to the party. The atmosphere of this place is almost like that of an old speak-easy; dark woods, great ambiance, old pictures and signs hanging on the walls. I could live off the vibe alone... even if the food isn't that great. read more

Our second visit to the Village Forge confirmed our first impression; two fun evenings of efficient and friendly service, delicious and fresh meals, great desserts, attentive bartender who kept an eye the whole room without appearing distracted and one of the few places to enjoy good live music without dealing with a busy noisy club or an expensive drive into town. Easily worth our trip from Needham. read more

I've gone here a couple of late nights with friends for drinks. I really appreciate any to love it. The waitress (Wednesday's) is fantastic. The drinks are great. They have a roaring fire, which is lively. And the truffle fries are addictive- so good it's scary. So why the 2-star rating? The live music is so loud that conversation with friends is not really possible. This is such a bummer!! If they just turned it down, we could enjoy ourselves. Instead, we're going on search of another place to hang out. read more

This a great place to go for jazz and dinner at a low cost. There is no cover -- they pass the hat. You can eat off the bar menu or the dining room menu. There is a three piece band with a vocalist. Go to the Colonial Inn website to see who is singing. Arrive early, the bar is small. read more

5 stars for the music and ambience. 2 stars for the food / service. Eat somewhere else then go there for the music, just be sure to get there early as the place isn't that big and fills up early. Really nice vibe!! read more

Had a nice night out this past Saturday. The server/bartender was attentive and pleasant. Soloist musician was an added plus.

Food was good, presentation was excellent and the beer selection was both varied and local. The service however, was found wanting. l had to ask for a seat, a menu, and bread. The waiter visited me twice; once to take my order and once to bring me the check. read more

Bands that play there are way too loud for the small venue. Get your drink and go to the quaint little bar down the hall.

Went on a Saturday evening with friends! I think one of the best bars in the area, great atmosphere that feels like you have stepped back into a 100 year old ambience. Great service and food. Their selection of scotch is great too ! Really enjoyed our time here. read more

Great "colonial" vibe. No idea what that means actually - I guess the historic trappings of the Colonial Inn sucked me in. But they had a lot going on for a Wed night in sleepy Concord. Ragtime piano player from Russia rockin his yarmulke, a variety of groups and couples and multiple decades of generations represented. read more

In general a very nice spot for get-togethers after work, with classy pub food, an interesting drink selection and mellow atmosphere (with an occasional singer/guitarist present). On selected days the crowds can be frustrating, since this is one of a small handful of dining places in downtown Concord and the competition for tables can be intense. read more