As a Sherborn resident for over a dozen years, I've been going to the Sherborn Inn - during some periods as often as weekly. In the last year or so they've really gone downhill, and it bums me out a ton. My wife texted me to meet them there tonight and I texted back "but sherborn inn sux" She went anyway and it was a cruddy experience. The last few times I've been (and the times are getting WAY further and further apart now - sadly) to have dinner, I've been extremely disappointed. The prices are too high for what they're serving, and the service leaves a lot (I mean a LOT) to be desired. The food is "okay" at best. A lot of the food is too-cute-by-half, as the British would say, and they simply don't pull it off. The bartenders are still GREAT and sitting at the bar to drink, watch a game, and have munchies is solid. However, as the only actual sit-down restaurant in town, it pains me to give them two stars - and I'm unfortunately stretching to get to two.
Review Source:My family and I went to the Sherborn Inn this past weekend for my parents anniversary. My mom and I go every year for lunch in the tavern, which we always enjoy. However, this time we made dinner reservations. There was a wedding going on at the same time, however the music had not started at that point. We were brought to a room in the back of the inn which was very intimate and quaint, perfect for the occasion! We had a lovely dinner and the food was delicious. The music from the wedding started at 9:30, which was not disruptive because the Sherborn Inn made us aware of this before we made the reservation.
Overall we had a wonderful experience and will deifnitely be bacK! Thank you for making the night so special
Came here last night for dinner with friends. Â My wife and I got to the restaurant before the other couple. Â We ordered 2 dirty martini's with blue cheese stuffed olives.. we got our drinks and there was only 1 olive in each drink?? Â We ask our server if we can get some extra olives. Â She shows up back to the table and says " the bartender is particular on giving away his olives" then she hands me a NAPKIN with 2 olives on a toothpick!! Â WTF? Â So we have our friends come and we all order our meals. Â I had ordered lobster risotto cakes, they were very good, my wife had stuffed mushroom caps, also very good. Â I had a NY strip and my wife had lamb, which see said was okay. Â My friends wife had chicken ziti dish - It had a 1/2 of a chicken breast with a ton of pasta (really cheaped out on the meat). Â The husband had a steak and we agreed it was pretty good. Â I asked for some ice and the server came back with a plastic cup full of ice, (were they out of glasses?) Â Overall the food was pretty good, not great. Â Service was okay - I was really put off by the olive situation and the plastic cup, especially at these prices. Â
They really get away with it considering they are the only thing around.
There are way too many items on the menu and very few are acceptable. Â They use Kraft macaroni and cheese from a box. Â I think ownership knows it has the only restaurant in town and can skimp on quality. Â I had a rib eye steak that was really bad and a jerk chicken sandwich that was thin and dry with cold fries. Â I really want this place to have better food because the atmosphere is so great. Â The owner is always mulling around doing nothing,. Â I think this place desperately needs a "kitchen nightmares" redo from Gordon Ramsay.
Review Source:I am so sad to say that Sherborn Inn is not what it used to be. Â We have been going on and off for 5 years and it used to be really pretty good. Â I went the other night with my husband and almost 4 year old and while the food looked the part, it was so bland. Â I got crab stuffed mushrooms that were really mushy with little flavor and a beat salad with goat cheese. The goat cheese was cold on a cold piece of bread. Â Ewww, not the way to make a goat cheese on salad. Â My husband got a chicken sandwich and the chicken was pounded so thin that it felt like a slice or two of deli meat, which left him hungry. Â My daughter got mac and cheese and while she was fine with it, it had to have been Kraft from a box. Â For the price, not worth it. Â I really wish they could kick it up a notch b/c there is not a lot to choose from in metro west. Â Oh, and it appears they have a new menu with jacked up prices, though I cannot confirm.
Review Source:If you are looking to book a function at the Sherborn Inn, please don't think twice. Â I recently attended a Bridal Shower at the inn, and it was so nicely done, that it prompted me to post it to Yelp! Â The food was absolutely delicious, the service was "spot on", very unobtrusive, and Judi the Function Coordinator, was so professional and really had everything running smoothly. Â The host of the shower even commented that she was able to sit back and enjoy the shower! Â We decided to stop at the bar and have a cocktail on our way out, and was pleasantly surprised with the bartender Shannon, who was GREAT! Â She made us feel welcome while she was setting up for her night shift and recommended some delicious cocktails!! Â If we weren't so full from the shower, we would have stayed for dinner. Â We will definitely be back!!
Review Source:I recently went to the Inn for dinner with 11 other people. Â What a huge disappointment. Â My veal was so overcooked, it was tasteless. Â The asparagus were too thick and stringy, and the room was not air-conditioned. Â We were scheduled for a room with air-conditioning, but two hours before our reservation, we were told that they had given that room to another party, so we were stuck in this poorly ventilated room. Â They had a fan in there, but sometime during the meal, they took it away! Â Also, I have to say that the waitress left a lot to be desired. Â She barely showed up to check if we needed anything, and she had no personality. Â The chances of me going back there are very slim. Â Now they have 11 unhappy people telling others about their bad experience at the Inn. Â Eventually, these stories get around and people just stop going.
Review Source:It really pains me to give The Sherborn Inn a two star review, but in looking at all of the experiences we've had there over the past three years, I really think a 2-star review is validated.
Much of the bad experiences seem to be able to be attributed to the management of the property. The general manager micromanages his staff, but seems not to do much himself (last night he sent the hostess to find the manager because the phone was ringing, instead of answering it himself, for example). I think that some of the staffing choices they've made are poor as well, in order to be customer facing, you have to be personable and also be able to think on your feet. Much of the staff at the Sherborn Inn do not possess either of these qualities.
Our visit last night was the conclusion of our wedding package, a free night's stay at the in for our first anniversary, used a bit belatedly. Additionally, we had a Buy With Me coupon for dinner in the tavern. When I made the reservation, this was the only weekend available in October, which was fine with us, as we were a bit late to reserve. I made sure to mention that it was a complimentary stay and the reason for the stay and the woman on the phone seemed to keep me on the line for a long time, so I assumed she was checking on how to enter the reservation.
Fast forward to last night at 5pm. The inn was hosting a wine tasting from 4-6pm and it was snowing, so we expected it to be busy. The GM was standing at the host podium and not even looking at the 6 or so people trying to get his attention, he was too busy yelling at the hostess and "manager" (of what, I wonder?) and preventing them from helping guests either. Finally, the meek little hostess was able to ask us what we needed and said she'd go get the manager (the GM and manager had scurried off at some point). We went over and waited at the room check in station for a while, the GM came over to ask us if we'd been helped, but didn't stick around long enough to hear our answer. The manager finally came over to check us in...and the room wasn't listed as comped.
The manager (who, like the GM, was employed at the inn at the time of our wedding) did her usual speak before thinking thing which pissed me off (even more). She said she'd take care of us and got a bit warmer as she took us up the stairs, she said she'd save a table for us in the tavern for dinner, which was super nice, since they were busy and we didn't have reservations.
The room we got was what I would consider their nicest room, king bed, walk in closet, bath with jetted tub (the room we were supposed to have on our wedding night, but that will be addressed later in this review or maybe a separate review). It was nice, but super chilly when we arrived. It's also a little dated and all the windows have cracks and things are starting to break/fall apart (especially in the bathroom).
We put our stuff down and went to dinner in the tavern. The food was delicious as usual, with a few minor issues: My pasta was cool around the edges, and there were store bought bread sticks on the cheese plate. The server was perfectly pleasant, but was absent for long portions of the service. From our perspective, we weren't getting great service, and from their perspective, they missed out on some drink sales.
We went to the bar after dinner and had a few more drinks and enjoyed the fire (though it was nearly out by 8pm...even though they are open until 9...).
We went back to the room and had a nice quiet evening. In the morning, we woke to discover that the ceiling had leaked into my left shoe all night. Thankfully, because a few inches one way and it would have been my phone, a few inches another and it would have been my face.
Upon checking out, they again tried to get us to pay and the girl had to check with her manager. Sigh.
This was our wedding venue and will always hold a place in our hearts for that reason, but I doubt we'd make the trip out to the inn any time soon based on our overall experiences here. It isn't a great value due mainly to the staff. The food is delicious and the setting is great, but the staff ruins it.
This is a review of the Hotel portion of The Sherborn Inn.
You will not find a more friendly, accommodating staff than at the Sherborn Inn. Â Everything was perfect. Â The room had a huge king size bed and private bathroom. Â
The room had a fireplace which was a nice touch. Â The TV is tiny, but adequate.
The staff is wonderful. Â The free breakfast is fresh, but limited to toast, cereal and fruit. Â The coffee and juice is wonderful.
My wife and I have stayed here a few times. We had a disappointing meal the last time we stayed there. Worse yet, on that night the Inn had a loud, bad band playing, and the noise in our room was awful. They never told us that our room would have that problem. Even the floor of our room vibrated  When we complained, the girl at the desk did nothing. We'll find another place to stay next time we visit the area. There were other problems with the room, but we could put up with them.
Review Source:I'm sitting at a party catered at the Sherborn Inn at the moment. It's terrible. The tray of chicken pasta is offensively overloaded with RAW garlic, and completely void of salt. In fact there seems to be no salt in anything--including both the breadsticks and the butter flowers on the table. Not a place for food lovers.
Review Source:This review is only about the Sherborn Inn as an event space, not the restaurant.
My father recently had his wedding here and it was SO nice. This was a very small wedding so there was no issue of size. The space was big enough that they actually had the ceremony there as well as the reception, all inside. The backyard area is also very nice and worked very nicely for taking photos.
The staff was all very nice and accommodating, and the food was fantastic.
Only reasons I knocked one star off: after a few hours the bartenders (there was an open bar) started making everyone bring an ID up to the bar EVERY TIME. I mean this wedding was only 2 dozen ppl at MOST and they couldnt remember out faces? or better yet - there were only a handful of underage ppl there only three of which were even remotely close to age 21 so just remember THEIR faces. When wearing a bridesmaid dress with no pockets its very annoying to have to carry my id with me the whole time. I understand getting IDed, but you shouldnt have to do it every single time.
Only other downside was the fact that the restaurant was open and there is only one entrance for the venue area and restaurant... so we had random people walking through our group the whole time. I kept walking up to people and introducing myself only to have them look at me funny and say they were just there for dinner....
Imagine having a restaurant that runs out of turkey dinners for a party of seventeen on Thanksgiving, that cannot serve the alternatives offered, and when an entree does arrive, it is completely undercooked. Â We had reservations one month in advance so you think they could anticipate the number of turkeys they would sell during the evening. Â The soda based drinks were flat, the wine had turned,the heat in the room was boiling and not controllable - what a night. Â These circumstances created lots of good copy and laughter leading to funny conversation, but a shame as we had all looked forward to this first Thanksgiving out ever. Â Well, we will eat at home once again next year. Â Stay away from the Sherborn Inn!!
Review Source:This review is for people considering using the Sherborn Inn for your wedding. Â The two star review reflects the the customer service we received. Â The food was delicious and the vendor list we received from the SI was very helpful, but the event coordination staff was exceptionally difficult to work with. Â Both myself and my husband have worked in the service industry for a total of 15 years and we were amazed at how difficult the staff of the Sherborn Inn made this experience for us. Â
We had a strange set of circumstances to work with: Â the original wedding planner we had quit and then the next event planner was fired and then we went over all the details with the third coordinator, and then found out by email a week before the event that she would be out of town and her assistant would be running our wedding. Â She had told us previously that that was a possibility, but then never followed up with us to tell us that she would be on vacation.
It was just all these little things that kept making me say to myself, "Do they even want us to have out wedding here? Â Do they even want our business?" Â
Another big problem we had was that we were planning on having the ceremony on site, under the tent they have set up all season (they did also charge us a fee to "use the tent" even though the patio space is set up the whole summer and we were told the patio was included in the space rental) Â When we came for our rehearsal we were told they HAD to set up the chairs for the ceremony that night- even though we were supposed to be getting thunderstorms the next day, so we had to say we would do the ceremony under the tent, when we had really wanted to wedding outside on the lawn. Â With the unsure weather the tent was the only option with poor weather sometime the next day.
On the day of, thankfully, we had hired an outside wedding planner to run the event, and I literally don't know what we would have done without her. Â She really made sure our concerns were heard and did some fast thinking when the thunderstorms did past through.
Everything happened that needed to happen, but my wedding remorse becomes very strong when I think of of wedding ceremony location. Â I would not recommend using the Inn for your actual wedding if you are having your reception here.
We had 100 people and were packed into the space. Â Also, if you are planning a summer wedding, their air conditioning system can not handle that many people in the space. Â All of our guests were sweating through their jackets. Â It was hot inside even with the a/c at full blast.
This is a privately owned location, so if you want to support local business than you may be willing to sacrifice on quality of service. Â The actual servers working the event looked like they were working a funeral. Â In my experience, the staff reflect the attitude of the management, so I do not hold it against them, but not really what we wanted for our wedding... Â The assistant running the wedding wasn't smiling either. Â I even had guest come up and ask me who she was, because she looked angry.
In conclusion, if this was just a place for a night out, I would happy to recommend it, but for an event as special as a wedding I would strongly suggest looking for another venue, especially if you have a larger invite list.
BUYER BEWARE!! Â I hosted a surprise party for my mother's 90th birthday last Saturday and everything leading up to it seemed to be perfect.
Except at the event itself - we ordered a buffet that we were told would serve 95 people and we had 70 adults and 4 children. Â Perhaps 1/4 of the attendees were served a good portion meal and the rest of the 3/4 of guests were served slivers of turkey, beef and salmon or nothing at all. Â They ran out of everything. Â It was humiliating for us having guests coming from all over the world.
They also messed up the bill and had the audacity to send me an email requesting more money with no apology for running out of food.
I went with a buffet because they had very limited plated meal selections. Â I called and REALLY COMPLAINED to their function manager and the general manager and their response was we fulfilled our contractual obligations. Â Never once did they admit that they did not guide us in the right direction. Â Never once did they tell me that we would run out of food - they said it was possible that people would not stick with their menu selections but NEVER did they say you need to order more because you might RUN OUT. Â In fact, I ordered more salmon. Â That night they said they gave us another 1/2 prime rib and some pork loin and an extra fish meal and there still wasn't enough food. Â The Executive Chef said to guests - that's all folks. Â HOW CRUDE!!!
Never at any point did I say I wanted to stay within a $ amount - our only concern was that there would be too many leftovers that would be thrown out as they said the state's health policy was that they could not give you any leftover food.
I WOULD NOT PUT THE SHERBORN INN on your list of venues for any sort of event.. Â Despite the fact that the food for the limited people that had it was very good - the overall bad taste for a special event in your life is not WORTH IT. Â Thank GOD - MA offers so many other options.
A simple apology and a gesture of some sort acknowledging this misstep would have sufficed and been appeasing. Â But their TOTAL LACK of responsibility and BLAMING US really sealed this HORRENDOUS REVIEW.
Extremely disappointed with service when planning our wedding. We were assigned a part-time person who dropped the ball and lost us as a customer.
Spent well over an hour with her going over the menu, room setup, overnight accommodations and fees. Â Were told we'd be charged $5.95 per person cake cutting fee since we have a dietary restriction and were told their pastry chef could not make a gluten-free cake and we'd have to bring our own in. Also told we'd be charged $50 per person to bring in a kosher plate. Reserved a date and was waiting for a contract but never received one. After numerous attempts to contact her we finally gave up and chose another venue.
Their per head fee seemed reasonable (for a 50 guest wedding) and their accommodations (4 rooms available) seemed very nice and okay for the price ($150+).
We are new to the area and found the Inn on a recomendation. Wow, finally a place that easily wnet above and beyond our expectations! The friendly staff, the subtle smell of a real fireplace throughout, and a menu that had something for everyone. Â If your looking for a quiet romantic place for dinner with a loved one this is the place to go, but looking to watch the game and have a guiness head to the bar... Can't wait to go back!
Review Source:I have only been in the bar area. Â Recently went with a girlfriend to have a drink and a gab. Â Sat at the bar. Â Place was busy but not crazy (Thursday night). Â Bartender was attentive to slightly overly attentive - did the lean over the bar into your face thing, which I really do not like. I'm here with a friend and I want to talk to my friend - this isn't a pick up place at all.
But, her suggestion that we share the club sandwich was right on. Â Good sandwich, large, great for sharing with a couple glasses of decent house wine.
This is a review of the tavern, not the hotel or main dining room which are separate. Â The tavern is the casual section of the inn, to me it is the best part of the place. Â There is a big fireplace area and you are in a very rustic new england room that is warm and cozy. Â The food is comfort food with a twist and they try to accomodate to your dietary needs. Â We had a pleasant dining experience and plan to return.
Review Source:I have been thinking about Sherborn Inn quite a bit for the last few days. Â Several years ago I frequented Sherborn Inn ALL THE TIME. Â I loved the piano, the fireplace, the beautiful dining room, the wine and the food! Â The food was especially good. Â However, I always went with my African American friend and although we were dressed in our business attire, the service was ALWAYS INATTENTIVE. Â Week after week we seemed to be always tracking down the waiters and waitresses. Â No one was rude but it seemed that everyone was always forgetting about us. Â It always seemed to take several reminders to take our order, deliver the food, etc. etc. Â When I went with my family the service was fine. Â I was getting angrier than my friend. Â It made me wonder had she gotten used to being treated this way and did not notice that it was not what it should be. Â Ultimately we stopped going and I wonder if perhaps that was fine with everyone...
Review Source:I recently had my bridal shower here and I had such a positive experience that I wanted to write a review. Â Food was served about 45 minutes into the event (12:15 pm). Â We had Italian wedding soup (yummy little meatballs with orzo pasta) and the Mediterranean Chicken Salad (came with hummus and couscous, so good!). Â My favorite part, by far, was the crepe station. Â It was amazing. Â Two chefs with an unlimited supply of fruit and other fillings. Â Everyone at the shower raved about the food and atmosphere for days after! Â The champagne punch and sangria are fantastic as well.
Review Source:What a waste of time! Â This place is so overrated it's almost comical. Â Andrew C. says, "hidden gem"? Â He must have been in the twilight zone when he dined there because I ate there last night and was horrified. Â First off, I ordered the shrimp tempura as a starter. Â Now, I knew that the place was not a Japanese eatery, but I figured that it is not too difficult to mess up tempura battered shellfish. Â However, the shrimp came and they were covered in a Welsh-style beer batter. Â You know, very heavy corn dog type batter? Â I simply stripped off the batter and ate the shrimp. Â Ok, at the behest of my date, I calmly, but reluctantly, put that culinary offense behind me. Â I took a long swig of me Blue Moon draught and ordered the veal saltimbocca. Â This veal dish brings me back to the halcyon days of Il Panino (the small one off Hanover St. with the "you lika da peppaaah" waiters that try to sex your date up while you catch a break in the loo) and my rationale was that a solid performance by the "chef" would help me to forget the tempura assault. Â Now, please understand that I am a man who feels that sauce should not be the focal point of the dish. Â This is a common and sophomoric way of cooking -- let the sauce cover up any mistakes and hope for the best. Â When my dish arrived I was on the verge of calling the salsa policia because there was murky sauce running amok. Â I took a deep breath and forked me way into the saffron risotto. Â Risotto? Â What Risotto I ask! Â This was not a creamy delight, but a loose and poor rendition of risotto on its best day. Â Next, came the saltimbocca. Â "Jump in the mouth" this dish did not! Â It was sans fontina cheese, which should be there to add a savory element to take a bit of the salty edge off (from the prosciutto). Â It was obvious that the "chef" did not invest in a nice Marsala wine, because the sauce was dark and bitter. Â I could go on ad on, but I have limited time. Â The bottom line is that I sent it back. Â I don't really ever do this, but I felt compelled to because the sign out front reads, "Fine Dining." Â The waitress asked me if I wanted something else, but I told her that I did not have confidence that the kitchen could satisfy me. Â I ordered meself another Blue Moon and watched me date negotiate the dangerous task of trying to find a piece of lettuce that was not drowned in the "house" vinaigrette. Â
My advice you ask? Â Go to the Sherborn Inn if you want to catch a glimpse of the blue hairs ordering the Shepherd's pie while downing a Manhattan.
Glad we found this hidden gem (at least to us, it was packed so it isn't that much of a secret). Â The food was great, nothing fancy but you could tell the ingredients were high quality and fresh. I started with a bowl of New England clam chowder that was the best chowder I have had in years, better than Legal's in my opinion, with smoked bacon and chives. Â I then had their famous Shepherd's Pie, (it was big so prepare to take some home) and it was everything I could have asked for. Â My wife had the lobster bisque, which was also very good, and had a sirloin steak with bearnaise sauce, Chimmichurri Fries(they tasted pretty much like regular fries with some very light seasoning) and fresh veggies. Â She asked for Medium-rare and they cooked it perfectly. Â The wine selection had plenty of glasses in the 6-8 dollar range and they had Berkshire Brewing Company beer on tap which I had and liked. Â Our server was very kind and attentive. Â My only con would be that we were seated at a table near the bar which had people sitting right to the end of it so they were right next to the other corner of our table. We were at a table for 4 and if we had 4 the other two would be running into the person at the bad. Anyway it was not a big deal but if you can ask to be seated next to one of the real wood burning fireplaces we saw in the place, I will next time and we will be back soon, pretty much whenever we have a visitor and want to take them out for a good local dinner.
 FYI: They normally don't take reservations for two but I was able to because it was Valentine's weekend. They do have one of those beeper systems so you can put your name in and have a drink at one of the two bars in the Inn while you wait.
The Sherborn Inn is a great spot for a smallish wedding. Â The space is classy and bright and the backyard is a great spot for an outdoor ceremony. Â They cater in-house and the food is really, really good. Â I was there last for a very small wedding and they offered to serve me whatever I wanted off of the restaurant menu when it was time for me to eat-- they make the best ceasar salad I may have ever had.
The grounds are sparse but green and so outdoor formals are easy. Â The space is pretty full with the restaurant and the reception area and so indoor formals in bad weather would probably be pretty tight