Colonial Tavern Home to the Irish Brigade

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  This place is pretty cool.  I don't go very often as I'm just not into the scene at Colonial Tavern.  There's nothing wrong with the scene, it's just not me.  I will go on occasion to see a band or if a friend drags me.  I think the clique they have going there is very snooty.  Personally I think they're above average on the douche bag ratio.  But again, that's my opinion and you might love it...if you're a douche bag.  Just kidding.
  
  The bar is kind of a gay bar, but it's not a gay bar.  I guess you can say it's gay friendly.  There's nothing wrong with that and it's not why I rarely go.  Most bars in Fredericksburg are gay friendly, I just see it more so at Colonial Tavern.
  
  Another reason I don't go often are the beer prices.  Yeah, they always have something cheap but their cheap beer is a sucky beer.  This bar, like so many others, needs to realize Yuengling is NOT an import beer.  Their prices are horrible.
  
  Physically, the actual bar is very nice.  It's a huge bar to set your drinks on.  The poor waitress has to reach and stretch to give you your drink.  Some of the bartenders are great as in Joelle.  She's awesome.  There's a guy named Dave there who is a part owner I think and he's kind of a jack ass dick.  There's been times he's been drunk in his own bar but it's been a long time, years actually, since I witnessed that.  Another bartender once lost my credit card between taking it from me to the register.  It took her about 15 minutes to find it and I wanted to leave.
  
  The food is decent.  I might be the only one who's not a big fan of their food.  Everyone I know raves about it.  I think it's just OK.  They have a late night menu which is convenient but there's not a lot on it to get excited over.
  
  Some people go here to watch a game and that's stupid.  They have like three TVs, the big one is way too high to actually watch and the other two are in corners and tiny and you can only see them from a couple of seats in the building.
  
  They have a patio outside so that's cool for a smoking area.
  
  They have a stage for bands in the corner with two huge windows behind it.  This is my biggest complaint about this place.  The sound is horrible.  The room just isn't good for live music, though the place thinks they're the premiere spot for live music.    However, their open mic night (on Mondays) is the best in town.  It's run by Tom Schiff and he's probably the nicest most encouraging person you can meet.  Ever since this bar opened they've only had jack offs run their open mic so it's great that they've finally got with the program and hired Tom to run it.  So Mondays are the best night to go because you get Tom's open mic and you get Joelle behind the bar.
  
  The worst time to go is actually when they have a popular band because the place is so crowded you are uncomfortable.  You can't even walk through it.  
  
  This place has a big regular scene.  You may or may not fit in.
  
  This review is mostly about the late night service.  The few times I've been here during the say it's mostly empty.

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  Posted on 07.07.13 Jason Y.

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  Not sure why this place isn't getting more 5-star ratings.  As a friendly sit-down tavern, this is one of the best places I've been and I don't think I could happier short of them handing out winning lottery tickets as you walk in the door.
  
  I was in on a Friday night to catch a live band that was playing.  There's a small, raised stage overlooking the tables, which is really the place to sit if you want to watch the show.  There are a few bar seats with a direct line of sight to the stage, though, so that's where I sat.  The bar is a pretty good size but as you go deeper in you'll lose sight of the stage if that's what you came for.
  
  Also, SMITHWICKS ON TAP.  ZOMG.  If I lived in Fredericksburg I'd be there every other day.  If there's any bar within 15 miles of where I live that has Smithwicks on tap, I've not found it.  That is my all-time favorite beer and nobody ever has it in bottles, much less on tap.
  
  The food is excellent as well.  I asked the lady sitting next to me if the pot roast was any good and got an enthusiastic thumbs up, so I went with that.  It was, indeed, excellent pot roast.  I was pretty dubious that a place like this could actually deliver on a pot roast but she had some pretty fancy lookin' pork chops so I figured I'd give it a go and it did not disappoint.  Very tender roast in a fantastic gravy with mashed potatoes and a mixed-vegetable-and-squash medley.  Seriously, it's mom's pot roast (actually mom's pot roast didn't turn out that tender every time but don't tell my mom I said that).
  
  Atmospherically, the place has a dive-y feel which, coming from me, is a high compliment.  Dive-y to me means "relaxed, easy-going, not trying to be fancy or put on airs".  The bartender was very friendly and attentive and didn't bat an eyelash when my late night coffee request ended up resulting in her making a fresh pot.  The whole crowd was chill, it wasn't over-crowded and the band they had was superb.  Maybe I just happened to go on a night where everything happened, coincidentally, to be 5 stars, but I completely enjoyed the place so 5 stars it is.
  
  Oh, they also have their own parking lot so no problems there, either.  (Bathrooms were clean as well!  I mean really, what more can you want in a tavern.)

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  Posted on 05.25.13 Jamie B.

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  Eh, it's an Irish bar. Maybe it's that I went on a Sunday night an hour before closing?
  
  Funny story though, guy next to me orders two draft beers (don't know which exactly). Bartender says, "that'll be $11". Guy says, "really?" Bartender tells him that they're $5.50 each but he'll check in the computer to make sure, which he did and they were 5.50 each. Guy's like, "That's too much, don't want them". Bartender tells him that can't put them back and says to me as the d-bag draft orderer is leaving, "where's this guy been drinking for the last 20 years?!"

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  Posted on 11.18.12 Ken M.

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  Great atmosphere and very tasty food. Nice selection of ciders which I loved. Corn beef on my sandwich was a tad chewy but still flavorful. I really liked the housemade potato chips. Hubby had the bacon blue cheeseburger and it was a good, substantial one. The homemade onion rings were good, but a bit undercooked.
  
  The building is the old train station and has lots of character. Nice small stage setup for open mics, bands and other entertainment. And the bar is big, as it should be in an Irish joint!

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  Posted on 10.11.12 Gail B.

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  "Good friendly service, convenient, small quaint pub. Great food!! Had Shepherd's Pie and Stout Burger, both excellent. Drawback, A/C duct work dripped water on me but it was 98 outside, do it is forgiven."

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  Posted on 07.20.12 Anna Marie P.

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  Fun place.  Cold beer, good fare!  Friendly service.  The ONLY thing I'd like to see them change on the menu is the FISH & CHIPS.
  The need to rid themselves of the Tilapia and switch to a traditional cod.

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  Posted on 09.04.11 Gw B.

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  I take friends and family here for lunch when they come to visit. The food is always good, the service is friendly, and I like that they have their own parking lot. I have only been at night a couple of times. I like the outdoor seating when I have the kiddos. I LOVE their house bread and the yummy butter that comes with it, I think it's fruit flavored. Now, if only they made tacos...

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  Posted on 09.29.10 Cristina G.

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  Went here last night, and it was the first time I had been here in awhile.
  
  I started off with the potato leek soup.  This was pretty good, and it was a hit with my date.  In addition to the soup, it is served with traditional Irish soda bread and raspberry infused butter.  The butter was not to my liking, but I thought the bread was very good.  It was warm, moist, and complemented the soup quite well.  
  
  For the entree I had the shepherd's pie.  It's an Irish bar: it was either that or fish and chips.  As can be expected, this is a bit of a heavy dish, but their version is good.  
  
  To drink I had Guinness on tap.  This arrived at my table fairly quickly, so it is not served in the traditional Irish way (you have been warned).  But additionally, they did have Harp and Smithwicks on tap as well as a number of domestic brews.
  
  The food was quite inexpensive, but the drinks were a little pricey for the area.  For example, $10 for the Shepherd's pie but $7 for each Guinness.  That struck a strange balance.  
  
  The ambience is nice.  They have an upstairs section which is great for private parties.  I actually attended an office party there a few years ago and can attest to that.  Also on Friday nights, they usually have live music, but we did not stick around long enough last night to hear the band/dj?  But this is a recommended option.
  
  One note, my date and I were kind of cold at the end of evening since we were sitting right next to the window.  You may want to opt for a different seat at this time of the year as there is no insulation there.

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  Posted on 02.07.09 Jim U.

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  We've been meaning to try this place, so we bit the bullet and tried it last night. We ordered: Baked Brie (Served in puff pastry with sliced apples and pecans), a house salad (with the 4 cheese Vinaigrette), a cup of the Potato-leek soup, and 2 entrees: the vegetarian Shepherd's pie. The brie was HUGE and could easily feed 4 people. My salad was a basic tossed salad, and the dressing was good- something different. Hubby got the soup and I tasted it- it was great! I will get some of that next time. The shepherd's pie was my least fave thing that we got, but it was still good. It was sauteed vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. It was good, just not as good as everything else. These came with mini loaves of bread and some kind of raspberry butter that was soooo good. This was good food and something different. We will be back, for sure!

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  Posted on 09.07.08 Kelly K.

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