Based on reviews from several different sources, we decided to take our out of state family here for lunch. Understated interior, which doesn’t matter if the food is good. It was not good. Average at best. The price for lunch, 4 people, all sandwiches and...2 beers was $87.00. Service was decent, friendly. Would not recommend except for maybe a drink at the bar.More
The food was good and all 7 of us had something different meals. I can't say too much for the service. It was very slow and when the food did start to come 6 of us got our meals. Then another table was served and...I had to go up to the waitress and ask where our last meal was. About that time our last meal same out. Then one of us was supposed to have lobster bisque and after everyone had their meals, the waitress came and said there wasn't any left and did he want broccoli cheddar soup. We had to ask for more coffee and then had to ask for the check. Not sure if we'll visit here again unless the restaurant can get some training for their waitstaff.More
I so wish I could give this place a better review. But the customer service experience was poor at best. Food was bland and definitely not worth the $. We did dinner first. Because it was busy we sat at the bar. The bar tender...didn't even acknowledge us. Then finally his greeting was, "What do you want? " it was apparent he had virtually no training or bar tending experience. We had Crab dip as an appetizer... think cream cheese with Crab flavor, not chunks of Crab. My husband got the trout and said it was decent, but bland. But our experience for brunch was terrible. Our waiter was in the weeds, short- almost rude. From the front door to the check, the staff seemed almost disinterested in what they were doing. It almost seemed there was an overall moral issue. This time though was beyond terrible. They only have scrambled eggs. I order the breakfast platter: scrambled eggs, toast and sausage. I could have gotten a breakfast sandwich from a fast food place, disassembled it, put it on a plate and it would have been better. It's sad, because the building, outdoor seating and overall ambiance is beautiful. But the food and customer service is terrible.More
Food was good. The wait for a table seemed unnecessarily long, the order was wrong, the bill wrong, everything really slow.
Went with a friend who highly recommend it. We went with a party of 5 and was sat down by a young dark-headed man who told us he was fairly new. Our friends were already sat and had ordered appetizers. 20 min later we waited...and hadn't gotten our drinks or appetizers, even though we asked. 4 of the 5 parties got their drinks, I was waiting on a beer I had ordered, and has asked, finally arrived after the appetizers and during the entrees. We had specifically asked for the side salad upcharge for $2 and had said we didn't want the veggies that came with it. This is important later... 5 min after we got the appetizer -here comes SOME of the food, no beer yet, no one came to check on us and we finally got all the food, the veggies were on the plates without the salad - we asked for, and pointed out to the server who said no worries - they are working on it. 10 min later - we asked again- no beer yet STILL. finally got the beer after we got the salads which came out 10 min and we were almost done eating the entrees. Finally got the bill, we were charged more than the menu prices, just asked the server to take the salads off since we hadn't gotten them until late - and he left and came back and said that because we had gotten the veggies (which we didnt order or eat) and was charged more for the ribeye $36 instead of $35 (he refused to change that as well)- he refused to change anything, I mean I have never had service as bad as this. Asked to see the manager- ignored. We finally got up and paid. The food we got was great, but in fairness, noone got their food at the same time, we were overcharged and told too bad when we just wanted it to be corrected. I have the receipt if you the manager wants to see it. I have never left a review like this, and our friends who live there were so embarrassed at the experience they apologized profusely of how it went. All in all I would say to the manager, if you are there, come around and ask, as your server we got that day could have cared less about what we were trying to explain that you got wrong, and just brought our drinks and food and charged us what you said it was, didn't ignore us to the point we kept asking where things were. Even when I asked to see the manager he said they weren't here, and ignored it. I was embarrassed for our friends. I know things are busy, but this was absolutely the worst service I have ever gotten. The food was good, but the service made it suck. If you want to hear our thoughts, feel free to respond with your number. We have the receipt. We didn't stay in town long, but I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else againMore
Wow, we are sincerely sorry you such a bad experience - we obviously dropped the ball. I want to assure you that this is not a normal experience for our guest and we want to make it right. We ALWAYS have a Manager or Owner on...More
The best burgers in the county, maybe all of the High Country. When you specify how you want it cooked, it will be done that way. Overall a good menu. The only downside here is that they don't take reservations and seem to have a...problem managing seating. It's not unusual to see several parties waiting to be seated, and there are multiple empty booths/tables available. During tourist season, you can expect a long wait to be seated. Some times they quote you a wait time of 45 minutes and there are clearly empty tables.More
We have been visiting this restaurant since it was in the old W.J. Hotel building. I used to love their French Dips. We ate lunch here Friday, 2/11/2022 and got there when it opened.; still had to wait 10 minutes though there were plenty of...tables for four. No problem though. Two of our party of four are locals and love this restaurant. My husband and I were visiting and we are more disappointed with each visit to West Jefferson. One cousin always orders the chicken and bacon sandwich. The remaining three of us ordered French Dips. It was all I could do to eat one half of mine. The au jus was the saving grace---I couldn't dip the sandwich enough to get rid of the meat taste. (IF I had read my 2016 review before going back, I would have known not to order the Dip). My cousin and my husband ate their Dips. There is 'something' about the taste of this meat that I just do not like. Also, there was hardly any cheese on our sandwiches! I thought about ordering Fish & Chips since it was Friday; however, we ordered that last autumn when we were there and they left a lot to be desired. Our server even said that the majority of their customers say they are "hit & miss" with the Fish & Chips. The manager and employees are nice and friendly. However, I just think the food was better at the first location. I do not think we will be going back next time we are in town. Nothing else on the menu appealed to me. Their dessert prices are terribly expensive! Good Grief! WHO can afford a piece of cheesecake there?More
Really Disappointed..Lasagna was Burnt on the bottom and my sister in law said it tasted like it was Pre-Made Frozen Chef boyrdee $14.95 came with No Salad but had 2 rolls that looked uncooked not even brown .. French Dips tasted good but really thin...and tiny not worth the money and cold hard fries. They were $10.95 . The macaroni and cheese was extra $2.00 and party said was not good at all it went to waste… I had the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo $17.95 and no salad or anything came with it , the chicken was tiny slivers on top.. They did take the lasagna off but it should of never been served that way. Really Honestly Disappointed wasted money on eating here. Part of party already talking about needing to stop and eat after being here.. Sadly first impressions are what counts and don’t think ever will return. money wise Way over Priced and Salads really need to be given with the meals .. I was also charged extra for small side Parmesan cheese for my Alfredo Linguine..More
We are so sorry that you were disappointed with your experience. We always look for constructive comments and take them to heart. I do not know If you were aware, but an owner is there to also see to your experience. I wish you had...More
We drove about an hour to spend the day in West Jefferson for my birthday....and chose to eat at The Tavern based on their website, menu and previous positive experience from many years ago. We have very mixed feelings about this recent visit. Pros: very...nice environment (the location we went to before is under construction). It was our server's first day but he did an alright/decent job given the circumstances, despite having to go find out the answers to all our questions (baptism by fire). Drinks were great (not watered down). Most of the food was good. My steak was good (not $35 good, but it was good) as were the green beans and spinach ($2 up-charge). Cons: menu prices on the menu do not match what they are charging!!! See attached receipt compared to the screenshots of the menu. The ribeye is listed for $26 on website but it is $35 when you go there. That is a 25% increase and an easy fix to a website! It says you can substitute a side salad for a regular side (mixed greens with all sorts of toppings) for an up-charge of $2. My husband asked if he could just get iceberg lettuce (with nothing on it) and Italian dressing. Since they have a Wedge Salad (with blue cheese, bacon, etc) we didn't think this was a big ask, especially considering we ordered TWO of the ribeyes (the most expensive item on the menu). The manager said no, that he would have to order the $9 Wedge Salad if he wanted just iceberg lettuce (even though he wanted it plain). We were happy to pay the $2 up-charge, but we thought $9 for iceberg lettuce and Italian dressing was a bit much. So he moved on and ordered 2 baked potatoes instead as his 2 sides. Well, that wasn't acceptable either. Evidently you can't get 2 "potato sides." So there was going to be an up-charge for that. Nevermind then...can we order chips without being charged extra (even though that is a "potato side"???) Apparently, yes, but not a baked potato. By the time they brought butter, the potato had cooled down so much that the butter didn't melt. Unfortunately, hubby's ribeye was VERY fatty with lots of gristle. He was unable to eat 1/2 of it (again, a $35 steak!). He was very disappointed, but since it was my birthday, he did not want to ask for the manager, who had already shown to be uncooperative with the salad. We also ordered Coconut Shrimp as an appetizer and asked for the dipping sauce to be divided into a 2nd ramekin so we weren't double dipping in the same container. Or just bring a a saucer so we can dip some out. Well, instead, they charged us for "extra sauce", which we didn't even eat it because it was too spicy (not orange marmalade dressing that we were expecting and menu didn't specify). So all of this combined was very aggravating and frustrating. Happy birthday to me! We still tipped our server over 20% as none of this was his doing. Although by the end, we were ready to get out of there after having witnessed all of the servers adjust their face masks about 100 times as they were hustling around the restaurant but then immediately touching food plates. I'm not sure we will have the desire to go back. It is quite a drive already. I hope this review is helpful to the public.More
Thanks for the constructive comments and know we take them to heart. We will be using this for training purposes. Also there is always an owner there so if you return be sure to let us know.
The proper name is now The Tavern (drop the hotel) as they have moved out of the old hotel. The food and service are good, but unless you're prepared to wait 30-45 minutes to be seated, you ought to try elsewhere. This is one of...the few downtown restaurants with parking and attracts a lot of tourists. We are locals and used to be regulars here, but since the Covid problem waits are simply too long. It's not clear to us why the waits are that long while you can see empty tables and booths inside.More
Lewis, thanks for the review and we depend on our Ashe county friends. To the question of why the wait ,when there are open booths and table. It depends on two things wait staffing and kitchen staffing. If either one of those are short, then...More
I love this place and eat here often. Best burgers ever! Best homemade chips with ranch dip ever! Nice tap beer selection and good wine selections. Be sure to check out “Wine Down Wednesday” for great discounts on wine by glass and bottle. They will...cork and you can take it out if you don’t finish it. Great service at bar and table.More
Cathy we really appreciate your review. 5 bubbles are what we shoot for. It is customers like you that drive us to excell. Thanks.
Wife & I had dinner here on a Friday evening. They were super busy, but we found a place at the bar and ate there. I had a superb ribeye steak and a local beer. Wife had a thick juicy pork chop and a tasty...Bloody Mary. Food was delicious and served within minutes of ordering. We’ll be back!More
We were visiting from out of town for a show at the civic center. Typically when there's a long wait at a restaurant and we ask to sit at the bar, we have to awkwardly ask other guests if seats next to them are taken....Not here. When we asked about bar seating (after learning the wait for a table was an hour and a half) the host immediately went to check, and then escorted us to two seats together at the bar. The attention to service was great throughout, and we were pleasantly surprised when one of the owners came by to ask about our experience. Coming from another touristy town in NC, this was a delightful and refreshing experience.More
Our party of four went there on a busy Saturday night. Everyone loved the items they got and the desserts were crazy good. The homemade chips were impossible to stop eating and my burger was made to perfection. The staff was top notch and that...is the only place I would visit when I go back to west jefferson to eat.More
Wow Kenneth, Thanks so much for 5 bubble review. I will share your comments with the staff. We look forward to serving you again.
We visited this wonderful restaurant located in downtown West Jefferson. I was impressed at how caring the staff is of their customers. All wore masks and the amazing ventilation system made out visit feel safe. The food is superb. We had the hand crafted burgers....The meat and addition were fresh and delicious. Being that it was my wife’s birthday, we had the molten chocolate cake. Served warm with tasteful whipping cream. The beer selection is quite extensive, both draft and bottled. It will be our favorite Ashe County restaurant. Thanks to Sherman, Beth, Andy and Pam for creating such an enjoyable eating place!More
WOW! Jim, thanks so much for the excellent review. We always love seeing such great comments. Kathy,Frank Hijek and Jerry Oliver also deserve credit as part of the ownership team. We look forward to serving you again.