The Tavern Essex Junction VT

Barney Griggs

This is a very pleasant facility with plenty of space and light. The menu is presented a "pub food", but it is much more varied and inventive than that cliche' implies. Hanger steak was perfect and bacon cheeseburger also excellent. Prompt, professional service was also a plus. The room was a little loud, but it was Friday evening, so high spirits were in evidence. Not inexpensive, but totally worth it. Highly recommend.

Amanda Graves

Lovely staff, small but well-rounded menu, great fries. I'm not sure how well I liked a pumpernickel bun for a salmon burger, but it was at least different. The tiramisu was amazing, though!

Ginger Larson

Three words. Don't eat here. For being advertised as a "culinary resort" is a disgrace to cuisine and chefs. The hotel itself is quaint and nice - but ALL OF MY PLATE WAS COLD. I ordered a Cornish hen, but did not end up eating it due to undercooked potatoes and cold food. Patiently waited for the sever to come back, which to took awhile. Then asked for it to be taken care of, and about a minute later got what was my plate just slightly reheated. Wasn't handed my fork back, and no server in sight to ask for a new one. The vegetables, snap peas and squash, tasted like they were frozen and reheated: mostly watery with little flavor. This was also reported to the waitstaff and the cooks simply mixed my flavorful (and undercooked) potatoes with my vegetables. Not acceptable. Generally, the service was okay but rare. It didn't feel like the waitstaff wanted to be there, including the hostess who was awkward about us asking for a different seating. The restaurant was not set up in sections, but rather each waitress with one table here and there. This makes it harder for them to serve and treat their sections as one large table. The worst part of this experience is the fact that I knew this was not a simple fluke. Walking into the restaurant, the tables nearby complained of waiting long times and not great tasting food. Especially for those of us expecting a "culinary resort" as a part of our stay. Just Glad we didn't pay for the private and more expensive version of this restaurant. Overall, if we were to describe our experience in one word it would be "disappointing". It simply isn't what is advertised, and the word "culinary" should be taken out of the resort name. It wasted our time that we could've used in Burlington, and was a letdown for what we wanted to take our family to later on in the year.