My husband and I visited the Castle in May of 2013, I have been a patron for about 45 years and my husband for the last 22. We try to go once or twice a year now that it is as upscale as it is, prior to this we stopped by more often. I will say that our last visit has made us rethink where we spend $130.00 for one dinner.
When we arrived, we were sat in the bar area rather then the dinning room, this is the first time this has ever happened. We were so stunned that we just sat down. We ordered some of our food from the menu provided and some from the main dinning room, we know what we like off the other menu so we just ordered it.
The service was slow and we were in a high traffic area so very noisy. We ordered Caesar salad, which we normally get in the dinning room made table side. We assumed it would be the same only prepared in the kitchen. It cost $4 more for two on this menu and it was TERRIBLE, we did get a really large portion but there was no taste, the dressing was watered down and there were no anchovies. Both of us put our plate aside and did not finish. Our main meals were tasty, we both ordered from the menu of the day, the only complaint would be that my pasta came with 5 1/2 ravioli's and my husbands potatoes came out of a box.
When we ordered dessert, my husband ordered two. The waiter made a point of saying he ordered 2 when he wrote it down. When he returned there were only 2 deserts not 3, although he REALLY did  not need the extra helping, we did order it and it did not come.
In total we ordered the same amount of food we do in the dinning room, and paid only $20.00 less. For that we should have received the same service no matter where we sat. I was insulted that we were given a once over and placed in the bar, did we appear to not have the means to afford the dinning room? And we were VERY DISSAPOINTED in the salad and potatoes. It will be a while before we return, other people we know that have gone for decades have stopped and now I understand why.
I just don't understand The Castle. The waitstaff is always friendly and on point. I like the decorations, the look of the place. I even like that its slightly dusty. Its like eating at a hunting lodge of an eccentric uncle back in the 70s.
The outside deck has one of the best waterfront views in the Worcester area...so there should be  a lot to like about this place...
Although I have occassionally gotten food that was very good here, more often than not I've been disappointed, and not just in comparison to the price, but in comparison to anything.
My first visit was on a wintery night back in 2009. We started off with escargot and were promptly disappointed...everything taste bad, from the pastry, to the sauce to the snail itself(my girlfriend at the time was French, so she assured me that they are not supposed to taste that way). Our entrees were veal chop and steak au poivre. Both were...okay. Edible. Not super enjoyable. When you are paying 30 for a meal, in Worcester County, you expect it to be near perfect. It wasn't an issue with the way it was cooked, that seemed fine...the sauces were awful, and the there didn't seem to be any actual seasoning on the meat. Side vegetables were sad and listless. As I mentioned before, the service was great, although the tuxes are startling.
Second visit we went to the patio and staying mindful of our past disappointment, tried the cheaper Crusader menu. My date started off with French Onion Soup and it was so oily and bitter she had to send it back. She got a second helping that was just as offensive as the first. Perhaps soothed by the excellent view and sun, we pressed on. Crispy Duck Roll for me, Chicken Florentine for her, and an order of french fries to share. The duck roll was delicious. I could have eaten two. The french fries, which must be fried in either lard or the sweat of Aphrodite, were great. The Chicken Florentine was swimming in a rancid oil that made my date gag on her first bite.
Last visit, Worcester Restaurant week: New girlfriend but same results. We got rolls that were frozen in the middle, lamb shank that was all gristle and fat, frozen apps, stale desserts. We paid too much, even with the deal. Service once again however, was impeccable.
I don't know if the cook doesn't give a shit, or what, but this place deserves better than it does now. I've had people tell me that they've had wonderful chateaubriand, wild game dinners and the like, so I know that they occasionally do but...I've given it too many chances and spent too much money on awful food to go again.
The Castle was one of the stranger places that I have dined at. The exterior is has the appearance of a castle, but the landscaping was overgrown. Â There were cobwebs in the moat and weeds growing everywhere. Â As soon as you walk in the door we were greeted by a woman sitting behind a desk covered with 2 foot stacks of papers. Â It looked like a dusty and disheveled office. Â They really need to clean this up and move it to a back room. Â The room that we had the event in had wine bottles on the wall that looked interesting. Â When you got close to them you could see the dust on the bottles. Â The room was dingy and the air conditioning was too low. Â Â There was also a box covered in duct tape in the corner. Â It was an eyesore. The place is old, which is fine. Â The part that was not fine was how dusty the restaurant was. Â My wife and I both had an allergy attack and were constantly blowing our noses. Â
The food was just OK and nothing to get excited about. Â We attended a function which had a buffet so we did not order off their menu. Â The staff on the buffet line seemed a little disorganized, but were generally pleasant. Â Drinks were on the pricey side. Â
Overall it was OK. Â The messy desk/office in the lobby and the dustiness of the restaurant turned us off.
I highly recommend Castle Restaurant for aesthetic presentation alone, and enjoyed my drinks at the bar. Â It is a very pretty place filled with vivid colors and things to look at. Â Nothing trendy here at all. Â The staff are nice and accommodating and will take the time to answer your questions about the artwork or the restaurant's history. There is a moat at the entrance and a patio area in the back perched over Lake Sargent. Â To top it all off, there are different menus, the Crusader menu, and the Camelot menu. Â Love it!
Review Source:sharing sentiments with Mark N. from MA in terms of their trying hard but not being quite successful.
people'd oooh and ahhh about their decor, inside and out. Â the moat surely got a lot of attention, and all the swords and shields inside sure seem like a boy's (maybe a grown man's too) dream come true. Â but then, we hit plateau from then on.
we were there for a wedding rehearsal lunch, so it seemed like we had the whole place reserved, occupying the dining area with 6-7 long tables (extras pushed to the corner), seated with 8-10 at each. Â unless they have secret dining rooms in the back that i did not discover.
so now, you would think all the wait staff would be arranged in a way that they would be able to take care of us simultaneously. Â but that wasn't the case. Â from pre-meal drinks to post-meal coffee, i have witnessed such disparity of pace that some others would have had their food and drinks on the table, while we haven't even gotten our orders taken. Â dessert round was even more ridiculous, half of our OWN table finished with their dessert and coffee, yet no one had come to us to ask what we wanted. Â sometimes, you just have to wonder how they manage this place.
now, food. Â there were a few things of finger-food appetizers floating around (stuffed mushroom, sausage, chicken), and those were decent. Â i guess it was us still being hungry after the appetizer rounds so we were wondering why our entree orders weren't taken earlier.
as a function event, we were given a pre-set menu with salad and dessert, and a choice from 4 entrees: stuffed turkey, open steak sandwich, veggie lasanga, and baked stuffed shrimps.  no offense, but being in central Mass and haven't heard about this place being raved about left and right, i wasn't having high expectations of the dishes. so thought veggie lasanga was the savest bet.  wrong.  in all fairness, the  edible wasn't horrible (well, passable), but part of the bottom layer was burned to a point where i couldn't even cut through it.  in fact, was having a hard time scraping it off the plate to begin with.  it was LASAGNA, probably reheated from a prepped (frozen?) block!  and this is what i waited at least half an hour for?  so let's just leave it as that for the other choices i might have gotten otherwise.
on the other hand, the rolls coming out before the meal was very nice (being warm and soft), if having a strikingly similar taste to Pillsbury's products. Â meanwhile, their butter flower DEFINITELY deserves commendations, it so delicately made and unbending to the probably rising room temperature w/a roomful of people.
dessert round was quite impressive with the showcase: there were 6-7 choices offered between unbaked cheesecake, flourless choco cake, apple pie/crumble of sort, choco mousse, creme brulee, and some sort of lemony sponge cake w/raspberry jam layer. Â i picked the unbaked cheesecake knowing it's gonna be the moussy and fluffy kind, and it delivered with decent flavors. Â flourless choco cake was ok if a slightly bit dry and sweet. Â saw a barely touched creme brulee and inquired the person who ordered it; was told the custard curdled. Â bummer. Â someone also complained about burned coffee and a fresher pot was brought out.
lastly, facilities: used the ladies' room once. i mean, i can live w/high school-esque setup (well, it's quite a change of scene when you came from the fully-loaded dining room!), but one of the two toilets there wasn't flushing AT ALL, and paper towel dispenser was either jammed or out of paper. there was this stand-alone hand soap bottle accompanying the sad little sink. Â well, at least we got running water to wash our hands, right?
conclusion: two stars overall for quality of food, service standard, and the facilities--could not imagine if i were to pay a la carte for all this! Â did i mention how orders were taken each round, but then we needed to raise our hand to signify ownership when the dishes came out? Â felt like something i shouldn't even expect in an Olive Garden.
when things like this happen, guess who i blame it on? Â the management! Â interestingly, we were having a conversation about restaurants on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmare"; this actually looks like one good candidate: under/un-trained staff, sub par/frozen food, lack of attention to facility care. Â it WOULD be quite funny to see this place on the show soon.
in all fairness, the restaurant is quite a spectacle on the outside, so be sure to turn your head and wave hi when you drive by!
To preface this I've never actually been a patron here before. The last and only time I've experienced the Castle was when I was in the 2nd grade. My class went on a field trip because the owner's son was in the class. There we got a tour of the restaurant and were brought in the kitchen to bake bread rolls. They were delicious! I would very much like to eat here because well, it's a castle and it has evil gargoyles sitting on the roof looking down on the parking lot. GARGOYLES!
I give it two stars for the food (bread rolls) and one more star for the decor. A fourth star could easily be added if the entrance was a drawbridge instead of a regular modern door.
I am not really sure what to say here; we had a great time at the restaurant, but more out of sheer bewilderment and wonder than from cuisine,
This place really TRIES and I respect that. Someone spent a lot of $ and effort on the decor and quality furniture, etc...but walking over the "moat", and through the front door, you can only look around and attempt to not openly make fun. Once inside, I met the proprietors and they were friendly and helpful.
The rose presented to the lady at the beginning of the meal is a great touch; the wine list is staggering yet 20% higher priced than "big city" wine lists of similar breadth. I dropped $50 on a bottle that is $16 at the wine market near me- the 2x mark-up rule does not apply at Castle, apparently.
Our first meal impression was picking the "fancy" room, and they being served stale club crackers and melba toast. If the restaurant is reading this, PLEASE fix this- it changes the entire impression of the meal. Stale crackers as a pre-meal makes you feel like you are over your 100 year old Aunt's house. I actually saw this in another review as well, so it's not just my own experience.
I started with the oysters appetizer and had to spit a few out as they had passed...I always expect to have that happen, so no particular problem with Castle there. A quality check of raw shellfish is a good thing, though. We were two "plates" in, and two strikes. The escargot was OK, but tasted suspiciously like a frozen brand I had at home one time....
The fillet was...not good. I mean really not good. A $30 entree should make you feel like you can't do it yourself, and I routinely make something better than that hockey puck.
Overall, it felt like this place was pretending- many $$ on a menu do not a good restaurant make, nor tuxes on waiters a good server make. i would have been OK with the food had it been serverd at my local pub and I dropped $50 total with drinks. $150 was not worth the meal served, but the humor factor made up for that.
Maybe we just got the wrong things? I actually feel bad writing this review as I feel as though the owners heart is fully into this restaurant and I wish them well.
So the wife and I went on a Saturday night at 7:30. Â We understand that there are 2 rooms, a French fancy room and a casual family room. First of all once you walk in the place is a mess, you have to walk through basically there office, with receipts and papers everywhere. Â We wanted the casual room. Â The 2 rooms are side by side with an open wall between the 2. Â The decor was pretty cool. Â For beverages they only had 2 beers on tap, one was a local ale that both of us got. Â It was the best part. Â For an app we got the fried calamari. Â By far the worst I have ever had. Â Tiny portion and more fired batter then fish. Â What a waste for $8.50, I was going to ask the waitress if she dropped some while bringing the plate out. Â The food was also just okay. Â I got an open faced steak sandwich. Â The steak was tough and the bread was really just white toast. Â The service was good, but only because there was only 1 other party there. I really felt I was on Kitchen Nightmares. Â I will not be going again.
Review Source:It's been a long time since I have been there but I had to give it a review. I hope when I go back to MA to go there again. I had an amazing Antelope entree and Scargot for start. The desserts were to die for. We all wanted to try them all so we kept trying each other. It's been 6 yrs but I remember like yesterday.
Review Source:I have eaten at The Castle many times for lunch, but have yet to make it there for dinner. Â The food here is outstanding!! I have tried much of the menu, from the tuna melt to the chicken florentine; from the oysters Rockefeller to the clams casino and have never had anything less than excellent.
I went today for lunch and had quite possibly one of the best things that I have ever eaten; a braised beef stuffed gnocchi in a red wine reduction with carmelized onions and mushrooms. Â It was served over greens. Â The bad news is that it was a special and I was informed that they don't often re-offer specials. Â If that's the case, then this dish deserves to be on the menu!!
The staff is very friendly and I can't wait to go for dinner! Â It is well worth the money!
What a wonderful treat! Â We went to the Castle last night to celebrate my birthday and our friends' anniversary. Â These friends live in Spencer, so on route to their house on Route 9, we always passed this restaurant and I was so intrigued because well, it's a very fancy and peculiar looking restaurant basically in the middle of nowhere, or at least, not in a place you would expect to find it. Â
Medieval times, it is not. Â Instead, The Castle is an amazing restaurant with several rooms decorated with armor, swords, and other medieval embellishments. Â It is definitely a unique experience and reminded me of the Higgins Armory Museum than say, a steakhouse. Â However, it was comfortable, too, and didn't have a stiff feeling like many high-end restaurants. Â
We initially had a drink in the bar area and also were served toasts with a horseradish cheese spread (delicious). Â Then, we were escorted to our table in the Camelot Room. Â There are a few rooms with corresponding menus (I believe there is only one other menu). Â Our waitress was dressed in a tuxedo (very cute) and was very knowledgeable about the menu and extremely polite. Â
For our appetizer, we ordered the escargots, which were perfectly cooked in butter and breadcrumbs. Â Oh my goodness, I could have just eaten them for dinner! Â Then, we had rolls, which were my only complaint of the night, because they were a bit stale. Â For dinner, my husband and the husband from the other couple had the Chateaubriand, which came with a potato, some kind of yummy beet salad, a stuffed tomato half, and grilled peapods. Â The beef was excellent, but not as good as my dish, the game du jour, which yesterday was antelope! Â How many times can one order antelope? Â So I did. Â I found out from the owner (who brought out the Chateaubriand and later, the flaming coffees) that the game came from Texas, specifically a farm near Dallas. Â The meat was wonderfully lean, and complimented by a creamy sauce and a little goat cheese. Â I really enjoyed the grilled peapods, and someday wish to emulate them, although I doubt that will happen. Â My other friend ordered the fish of the day, the escolar, which is kind of a rarity at restaurants. Â It tastes a lot like swordfish and comes from almost 800 feet deep in the sea! Â
I'm not finished quite yet. Â We had to have a peek at the beautiful dessert tray, where every dessert was described fully to our mouth-watering delights. Â My friend and I split a piece of the chocolate cake based tiramisu with raspberry (I think) soaked ladyfingers; it was divine. Â However, my favorite part of the dessert was watching the presentation of the flaming coffees, of which there were two being made. Â The process of making them with the flaming coffee and the dessert liqueurs was astonishing and unique. Â And they tasted delicious, topped off with homemade whipped cream.
This review is getting long, isn't it? Â I just can't describe this meal in one paragraph, because it was not just a meal, but a total experience for this gourmand and friends. Â All of the food was delicious, the service was impeccable, and the atmosphere was perfect for our special occasions. Â To top it off, the ladies even received a rose. :) Â The price of is course, more than a typical restaurant, but every penny is well-spent and dining here makes you feel like the king or queen in all of us.
The Castle is a special place. Â While growing up in the Worcester area, it was one the "fancy" restaurant that my parents could never afford. Â I don't think they have raised the prices in ages, and it's actually reasonably priced fine dining. Â
The Castle is a classic French Continental cuisine restaurant. Â You won't find "new" styles here -- what you will find is a menu that shows off truly classic dishes; Chateaubriand, Oysters Rockefeller, Lobster Thermidor and more. Â Many of the dishes are served table-side, including the "made from scratch" Caesars salad -- the latter being, by far, the best I have ever had.
The wine list is impressive -- one of the better that you'll find. Â Ask Stanley Nicas (the owner, and the table-side maker of the salad and more) for his suggestions and you'll never go wrong. Â
My favorite dish is the Lobster Thermidor, but you can't go wrong with any meal. Â In addition, if you call a couple days ahead, they have a special menu with items that take longer to prepare and need special ingredients. Â
This is a true family owned throwback to classic, elegant and sophisticated cuisine.
The Mr. and I attended The Castle's most recent wine dinner, featuring Chateau Montelena wines. We started with a 1997 chard that James Nicas, The Castle's wine guru, poured. We paired our delish dinners with cabs from '93 to '98. We loved them all! I thought the '93 and '95 cabs were the best. The '93 was earthy, very Burgundian. Such a treat!
As for the dinner, we are always blown away by The Castle's cuisine. If we're not attending a wine dinner there, and just going on our own, I love to start with the escargot. I LOVE the escargot. Love it! I love the bread crumb buttery topping. SO good.
But for the Chateau Montelena dinner, we were presented with a great carpaccio with a balsamic glaze drizzled across the platter and shaved parm and capers scattered about. The main course was a moist, fall-off-the-bone osso bucco with spinach pasta. I thought there was too much pasta on the plate, but hey, who's complaining. Our dessert was simple yet equally delish: slices of banana, strawberry, apple, and pear arranged around a small bowl of chocolate ganache.
I'll say that The Castle's other desserts, which are rolled over to you on a three or four-tiered cart, are amazing. Seriously. And pair the dessert with one of James's dessert wines. Make sure you ask him for his suggestion -- for dinner and dessert. He's a great guy and so incredibly knowledgeable about food and wine. He didn't win Wine Spectator awards for nothing. He's known throughout the industry, and he deserves even more recognition.
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