Dining suggestions for Williamsburg

[tar heel]

I'm still working on my Williamsburg plans and am now down to dining suggestions. I got a bit of a shock when I downloaded dinner menus for the taverns -- they are a good bit higher than the places we typically eat at Disney (Marrakesh, Akershus, Le Cellier, San Angel, Mama Melrose, Prime Time, Boma, Whispering Canyon, Teppanyaki). I really want this trip to cost a lot less so we can get back to WDW sooner.

So my questions are:

Which taverns would you recommend for a family of 5 that includes a serious foodie, two people who are pretty easy to please, a child and someone who likes plain food? Since this will be a $200 meal, I want to pick the right place.

Are there lots of other restaurants near the colonial area? Any you would recommend? I especially would like to hear about more moderate-priced places.

I'm assuming the taverns and the hotel restaurants are the only food places in the restored area. Is this even so?

Any idea whether the taverns have kids' menus, whether teens can order from it, meals can be split -- you know, the questions we see all the time about Disney?

Thanks in advance!

 

[nativetxn]

I can't answer your question but I'll bump this back to page one for you.

 

[dizneycc]

I have only eaten at one of the taverns. Christiana Campbells and that was years ago. It wasn't really my taste so I can't help you on the taverns.

There are lots of places to eat right outside the colonial area. They are mostly located on Route 60. About a five-ten minute drive. If you love seafood, you could try Captain Georges. It is a huge seafood buffet. Includes salad, appetizers, entrees, desert. Buffet also has crab legs on it, so it is worth the $23-$25/per person to me. Don't know the kids price.

There is a walking mall called Merchants Squre at the end of the colonial area that has some food options, but not many. Here is a link to that area. http://www.merchantssquare.org/shops.html#s16

Here is a link to a website I use often for both local and out of town info. It also includes coupons if you want them.http://sunnydayguide.com/cg/dining.html

Hope that helps a little. If you have any other questions about the area, don't hesitate to ask or PM me.

CC

 

[JerseyJanice]

Here's another vote for Captain George's. Love that place!

Are you going to be in Busch Gardens during your stay? IMHO, Busch Gardens-Williamsburg is second only to the Magic Kingdom. A world class theme park, for sure.

If you're there at dinnertime, I recommend the beer hall in Germany. Oh, the wursts red cabbage, and hot potato salad, and desserts like apple strudel and black forest cake. Yummy city! And the pub in Ireland is very cool, too.

Williamsburg has many of the chain restaurants in it. The first time we ever tried Cracker Barrel was there. A nice one!

 

[Mary Anne]

I haven't been there in years, but the nicest place I ever ate there was the Williamsburg Inn. It can't be cheap; it wasn't 30+ years ago but it was very, very nice.

 

[Lisa F]

For wonderful seafood that I think would fit the bill, try Berret's. A friend of mine who did his undergrad at William and Mary suggested it (he used to wait tables there) and we had the most AMAZING dinner there. It was definitely more on the gourmet side but I think they have more basic things there too, like steamed seafood. In addition to what they have on the menu, they have specials and one of their specials is a parchment cooked catch of the day which is really yummy but more on the plain side.

Another place to check out is The Trellis. It's right across the way from Berret's. We haven't eaten there personally but it gets rave reviews and apparently they are the inventor of the death by chocolate dessert.

Lisa

 

[Tina]

The Trellis........ MMmmmmmmm! DH made us reservations there for my birthday last year. It was awesome. I also had the Death By Chocolate dessert....... I was in heaven.

 

[AspiringCindy]

Golden Corral is a very inexpensive buffet! It is pretty good...a lot better than the 2 that are in Orlando! Otherwise, we usually eat in Busch Gardens!

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

Fireside Chophouse has good steaks.

Seafare restaurant has good seafood and steaks.

Milano's has good Italian food.

There are tons of places to eat in Williamsburg. Some unique to the area and tons of chain places. DD and I usually share an entree and we haven't had any problems with that.

I've not been to one of the taverns in the historic area in years so I can't help with that.

I don't usually like buffetts but Captain George's is excellent.

 

[jbthi]

The Trellis is one of my all time favorite restaurants. The main restaurant is a little on the pricey side. They also have a lounge, an outside eating area and a little hallway type area between the lounge and dining room. (At least they did in the past.) The menus were different in all the areas.

There is another restaurant on the other side of the street that is the Seasons or Four Seasons or something like that. It's kind of an upscale fast food restaurant. I don't think it was anything special, but it would be convenient for a quick lunch.

 

[sunni]

You absolutely must try The Trellis... excellent food! Make sure you save room for dessert.

As for the taverns... I've only been to Chownings. It was ok. I enjoyed the history and the musical entertainment as they went from room to room, and the food was good, but I doubt I'd go back. I'd rather spend my money at The Trellis anyday.

While in Williamsburg, be sure to stop in at the bakery behind the Raleigh Tavern. Cold beverages and yummy cookies, cakes, breads, etc. We spend a small fortune there, stuff ourselves silly and take some home for later.

 

[snoopy]

We had Easter dinner at the Trellis - we thought the food was excellent - a little pricey though.

 

[ValerieK]

The Kings Arms Tavern is wonderful! It is a bit expensive, but well worth it. The fillet mignon is the best I have every had. We always go there when we go to Williamsburg.

 

[shortbun]

We ate at Chownings and didn't like it. We loved Milano's
for dinner and they have a great breakfast, i think only on
the weekends. We do like the Trellis too! Otherwise, we eat
at local spots-nothing fancy. One of our friends taught at
W&M and now another is attending(Godson) so we go for
other than tourism. I agree about Busch Gardens; it's great.

 

[tar heel]

Thanks so much. This is exactly what I need -- guidance on which local places are good. We live next to a chain restaurant mecca (Concord Mills Mall), and like to try to stay away from them as much as possible -- the only one we visit regularly is On the Border.

Keep the ideas coming.

 

[izzy]

Another vote for The Trellis. By the way, I was reading Virginia Living (a magazine) the other day, and they had a write up of The Trellis, and in particular their noted dessert "Death By Chocolate." A piece of this cake is 1,354 calories!!!! I will say that it's big enough for two people, though. And, it's worth every calorie!

 

[Catzeyes]

We love the Kings Arm Tavern, it was so worth the money to us. Actually we ate there 3 times on our last trip.

 

[ValerieK]

I have the cook book "Death By Chocolate" and have actually made some of the desserts in their. They are so wonderful. I love cooking them, if only I had my time. Although I would probably gain 500 lbs if I did.

 

[Jeafl]

Somewhere in my Favorites I have a link for all of the Williamsburg restaurants with menus and prices. I'll see if I can find it for you. It was very helpful to me in deciding where we are going to eat next month.

 

[Jeafl]

Here you go--I hope this works


http://www.visitwilliamsburg.com/dining.htm