I absolutely loved my experience at Ye Olde Tavern. The ambience (rustic, antique decor, gaslamps at every table) was so beautiful and just my style. And the food and service was definitely worth the price.
We started with the appetizer portion of the mac n cheese, which was probably the best mac n cheese I have ever had - EVER. Â It had huge chunks of lobster, many pieces of bacon, and the crispiest, most buttery breadcrumbs you could ask for. For the main course, I ordered the veal medallions with roasted mushrooms and spicy sauce and my boyfriend ordered the NY sirloin topped with melted blue cheese and bacon. Every entree includes fresh bread, delicious cranberry fritters with maple butter, a salad, a side of vegetables, and a choice of potatoes or rice pilaf.
All in all I could NOT have asked for a better experience. My only regret is that we didn't order dessert!
Wow, step back to 1790 with cranberry fritters, Maple Butter, ale and venison sausage. Â Continue with Tom turkey and pot roast. Â Amazing experience for the whole family after a day of skiing. Â Thanks for making us feel at home and providing a relaxing meal that hit the spot! Â Whenever we're in Manchester we'll be back!
Review Source:Step back into pre-revolutional Vermont. Step into great food, service and atmosphere. While visiting Manchester my wife and I enjoyed a greats evening and dinner sitting in front of their many warm fireplaces. Our super server, Jerremy, started us out with their famous cranberry fritters, followed by a plentiful salad. I had the baked onion soup, covered with a big serving of cheese. After ordering a pasta dish of scallops, lobster and shrimp we unfortunately had no room for dessert.
It's a must stop! Thanks Jerremy! Thanks Ye Old  Tavern! Oh if you do get there, try to find the Lil Revolutionary soldier hidden in the old beams!
We walked in and the hostess told my son to turnoff the sound on the iPad. Right there I should have walked. My son had pasta, that Was terrible. We told the waiter and he still charged us for it. both me and my husband had the prime rib which was ok. Â The rice pilaf was way too little and the vegetables were terrible.
Review Source:I cannot comment on dining or dinner, but when I sat down at the bar I feel deeply and totally in love.
The bar is small and only seats four, but it was perfect as I was with three other friends. I cannot say enough about how delicious our drinks were and how great the atmosphere was. The bar tender was amazing and on two separate occasions made us custom/experimental drinks that we dreamed up.
I think I've found my retirement plan. I'm moving to Vermont and I'm spending everyday from 4:30 to 10 at the Ye Olde Tavern Tap Room.
First, don't look at the posted pictures, they don't do this place justice at ALL. They actually disuaded me from coming to this place originally, but then we kind of bumped into it on the way and - turned out - very luckily so. At least where we were seated - on the left-hand side from the entrance - it was totally romantic and nicely decorated. There is also a small bar counter in this room, for about four people.
The food was more of a home style, totally delicious and fresh.
The waiter - who also seemed to be the bar-tender - was very friendly and helpful with the choice of wine and food, and performed his numerous functions without making you feel deprived of his attention.
Also, their prices are very fair, especially when compared to other up-scale restaurants which are quite numerous for such a small town.
Charming New England Tavern
I loved the look on the inside of this place, it was very quaint and charming. After we ordered we were given some cranberry fritters with maple butter. I liked them very much but wish they were hotter, they sat for awhile. The maple butter was a treat. The small caesar was just the right size for me but the dressing could have been a but zippier, maybe it needed salt. I had the prime rib with vegetables and mashed potatoes and a side of horseradish cream sauce. The prime rib was excellent and the best I have had in a few years.The veggies could have been hotter. For dessert we shared the chocolate walnut pie which was very good and not too rich. I would go back here, it's great comfort food and great atmosphere.
I love everything about this place and am making sure to stop here every time I travel to the area from now on. From the cozy seats in a warm old tavern setting to the classical music playing in the background to the excellent food, Ye Olde Tavern made for a wonderful dining experience.
Our meal started with a small plate of cranberry fritters and maple butter, which when eaten together was the perfect combination of sweet, tart, greasy and crispy, and just so good. We ordered the venison and port wine sausage with raspberry sauce as an appetizer, which came next. The sausage was sliced and grilled, lean and flavorful, and incredible with the raspberry sauce. Every meal comes with the fritters and a salad, and when I chose a caesar salad, our waiter asked if I wanted anchovies with it. My boyfriend's eyes immediately lit up across from me. We are both anchovy lovers, and we were so delighted to have this option. Our salads came out next, and together with the perfect amount of parmesan, a fantastic dressing, and freshly ground black pepper, these salads were some of the best we'd ever had.
For our entrees, boyfriend went with a classic turkey dinner, which was perfect for a fall evening, and every part of it was good. I went with the New England scrod, which was well cooked with a good crumble on top and came with a quality rice pilaf and vegetables. We got a small loaf of warm bread and butter to go with it, and this was a great course, though I was still recovering from how good the fritters, venison sausage, and salad were beforehand. I was pretty full by the end and ended up packing some of my dinner up to bring home, but after looking at the dessert menu, my boyfriend and I decided we had to split the pumpkin cupcake, which could be topped with bacon for an additional $1, and which we had to get topped with bacon. It was worth it.
Prices were reasonable, and service was well-paced and friendly. Ye Olde Tavern has its own house beer, the 1790 Tap Room Ale made by Long Trail, and it's really good. It's a nice brown ale that goes perfectly with the setting. I think we decided this had to be a 5-star review from that first bite of cranberry fritter with maple butter and first sip of 1790 ale, and it just stayed at that level the entire way through.
Delicious!! Â We went here the first night of our stay in Manchester which truly set the bar high for good food!!
Their maple butter is amazing!! I thought other people were crazy in their posts, but their spot on, don't waste it!
I had the Long Trail 1790 pale ale specially made and served for Ye Old Tavern. It was a tasty beer served in a charming mug. My wife ordered a cocktail but ended up not having much of it after realizing drinks earlier in the day had caught up with her.
My wife and I shared a lobster soup which was delicious. For our main dish I had scallops and shrimps dipped in a Vermont maple honey sauce, again delicious, but possibly too sweet for some. Â
We were stuffed after this and did not have dessert, but I can't imagine any dissapointment.
While visiting the Manchester area we took the Backroads Tour of Southern Vermont. After the tour we asked the guide for a restaurant recommendation. She highly recomended Ye Olde Tavern. So we tried it. Well the recommendation was right on the mark. The food was very good and the setting in this historic building with period furnishings just added to the experience. As far as food was concerned I had baked scrod with a cheddar topping while my wife had a dish with chicken & cranberries. We topped it off by splitting an apple cranberry cobbler with moca ice cream. If you are in the Manchester area this is a restaurant that definitely should be considered.
Review Source:My parents are in trouble for NOT bringing me to this wonderful restaurant before now!
My mom and step dad have lived part of the year in Vermont for almost 10 years, and last night was the first time we all went together to eat at Ye Olde Tavern. Â It was, in a word, amazing. Â
The cranberry fritters with the maple butter were pretty much a breakfast party for your taste buds -- SO good! Â I ordered the chicken breast in cranberry and cider sauce and it was cooked perfectly. Â The side salad was just the right size and the house dressing was great too. Â The ambiance is great and my 11 year old son had a great time looking at the old telephone and typewriters upstairs (he finds old electronics absolutely hilarious for some reason).
Can't really say enough wonderful things about this place. Â I also can't wait to go back in August and bring my husband this time so he can enjoy it too!
Every bite at this place was delicious.
They start your meal with delicious cranberry fritters with maple butter. When your meal salad comes out, so does a mini loaf of warm, delicious bread.
Our server was helpful and attentive.
The food was delicious.
The atmosphere is cozy/comfortable.
Their special-brewed house ale, the 1790, is awesome.
I can't say a bad word about it. Sad I don't live up this way - I'd be back frequently if I did.
Recently visited the 'Ye Olde Tavern'. Â I did some research on some of the area restaurants and found that this one was one of the more 'affordable', considering some the other choices in town. Â I was able to pull up their menu on their website and found some choices my wife and I were interested in so we gave it a try.
Upon first entering, you would think you are going back to 1745. Â Low lantern-style lights. Â Oil lamps on every table, a low burning fireplace was going in the dining room we were situated. Â If you are looking for an old-style colonial . Â Some have described the dining rooms as not well lit, I was ok with it. Â We had an oil lamp on our table and you are able to adjust the level and the lighting, while a little dim, was fine. Â
We were seated immediately, it was a Monday night so no worries there. Â There were a few specials on the menu. Â An off the bone beef rib, a seared flounder dish and a Halibut dish. Â My wife went with something off the menu-a cider chicken dish, and I went with the off the bone beef rib special. Â They have a full wine list and some local beers on tap and bottled. Â Our waitress was pleasant and responsive, and replayed-back the specials to me so I understood. Â The menu had a variety of classic 'comfort food'. Â Lobster bisque, a variety of chick, beef, pork, and some fish and a couple pasta dishes.
As an appetizer, they bring you these warm 'cranberry fritters', they are really like quickly fried donuts. Â They come with maple honey butter on the side. Â Really never had anything like them. Â I could eat like 100. Â Really great. Â
All dinners come with salad (many other restaurants in the area do not). Â It was fine, with a balsamic house dressing. Â Blue cheese is optional. Â
My dinner was very good. Â The beef was soft and tender (not even using the knife. Â It came with mashed potatoes, a beef gravy and a couple veggies.
My wife's dish was very good as well - it was a chicken breast with a cider-glaze and cranberries. Â I tried it and it was very good. Â It came with rice and veggies. Â For some people, it may have been too sweet, but my wife has a sweet tooth and loved it.
Overall, I give it a 3 star. Â The decor as some have said, is outdated. Â It needs a refresh for sure. Â I understand what they are trying to do and keep it colonial-feel, but it needs a little upgrade. Â Some of the wall hangings are tacky and obvious. Â It's a good place for fall and winter. Â If it were summer, this place would depress me. Â I'd want some light and some summer-fare. Â Not sure this place would be able to accommodate that. Â Not a kid-friendly place either if you have them with you. Â I certainly would not recommend bringing them here, at least the very little ones. Â At any rate, a good place for a meal, the price was fair and the quality was decent.
Ye Old Tavern was great! It has a great old feel to it (it was opened in 1790) and the staff are all extremely friendly, great service. Â The cranberry fritters and maple butter were delicious, as were the meals (meatloaf and cranberry cider chicken). Â Rum Punch drink and Vermont ale were awesome! Overall a great vermont dining experience.
Review Source:Have been here twice for dinner while visiting Manchester on separate occasions. Â Love the warm feeling this restaurant evokes and that each room has its own theme and title. Â The building is rich with history. The food, savory and wonderful. The epitome of a New England dining experience. Â Only caveat, if I should even use that term, is that it was super dark in there - folks were using the lights on their phones to read the menus. Â And then if you're having alcohol on top of that, it was difficult to even see my food at one point. Comical. Â Hope for another visit soon. Â I'd go back just for this restaurant.
Review Source:Ye Olde Tavern is consistently great. A large, varied menu -- some personal faves: cidered chicken, prime rib, several pork dishes, chicken pot pie (be advised it's made with cheese and mashed potatoes instead of flaky crust), and complimentary cranberry fritters. (I'm not much of a seafood eater, but they have quite a few seafood choices too). Huge wine list. The service is always superb. The ambiance is very old New England -- every one of the rooms in this historic building is packed with antiques and memorabilia -- but not stuffy, fortunately. We're never disappointed here.
Review Source:Wonderful free perks: cranberry fritters with maple butter, house greens, warm baked bread with butter. Excellent chicken pot pie. I shared half with my partner, who gobbled it. Lovely cranberry apple crumble dessert. One of the best meals. Bf didn't like his chicken that much. The prices were decent. Service was excellent; they even called our hotel for us.
Review Source:Pros:
-Warm decor, nice fire place
-Cranberry fritters was nice surprise with sweet maple butter
-Good house salad
-Apple cranberry crips with vanilla ice cream was very good
Cons:
-They placed the front room with stereotypical old, white "old money" couples, and filled the backroom with african americans, asians, interracial couples, and families with small children. Seemed too obvious to have been a coincidence...
-Main entrees were underwhelming
-Mac & cheese with lobster was overly creamy and buttery, which overpowered any other flavor that might have been in the dish; made my wife feel sick after eating a quarter of the dish
-Sirloin with lobster was just ok; too many tendons made it a tiresome experience
----------------
Response from owner Michael B. to this review (1/29/2012):
"I do appreciate you taking the time to write a review. I take all comments seriously and learn from customer feedback. Unfortunately, I cannot believe that you would  think that we catergorize our guests. What an absurd thing to say.  Regarding the steak sometimes we do get a piece that migh be a little tough. We do buy prime beef and hand cut it. If you were not 100% happy with the filet, we would have been more than happy to make you a new one, if you said something."
Brought a family group of 11 here for a special occasion on a Saturday night not long ago. Â In my experience, restaurants don't always deal well with large parties at their busiest. The place was full and yet we were handled excellently by our devoted server. Two of us arrived late and the welcoming host made sure we had drinks less than one minute after sitting down -- a minor gesture, but it started things off very nicely for me!
The bill of fare is more "special occasion" than "everyday value". Â I found the menu ambitious, including high-end steak & lobster, but the kitchen exceeded my expectations. Everyone in our group was generally satisfied and we found the pricing to be reasonable.
Complementing the good food and service, the signature Olde atmosphere is interesting and memorable. So many restaurants try to cultivate retro style, to varying effect. This place actually has a credible 18th century origin. The proprietors here have done a great job decorating with period furnishings in what appears to be a labor of love... Bravo!!
Great ambiance, portions are huge, you do not leave hungry. Food on the otherhand is OK, nothing that will make your eyes roll back. The descriptions of the food give high expectations but the flavors do not live up to the promise. I had an escargot appetizer that tasted like water...the wine was too warm, the duckling was very well cooked baut so much more could've been done with spices to make the figs's flavors just explode...some cardamum, tumeric...enven a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon. The chocolate bombe with Grand Marnier was delicious. Overall, energetic staff and management...with a chef that lacks creativity and training.
Review Source:We stopped here for dessert this time but have eaten dinner here before. I LOVE the ambiance and old fashionedness of this place. The dessert was a little expensive and somewhat mediocre this time, but I've always had a great dinner here so I don't want to bash it and I highly recommend this to anyone in the area looking for a romantic dinner.
Review Source:The food was great..... but the restaurant was WAY TOO DARK.
We're relatively young people but we couldn't even see our delicious food. I can't even imagine how it would be for my parents.
We asked the waitress if she could turn up the lights just a little bit but she declined saying, "he likes the lights down low" - I'm assuming she was referring to the manager or owner.
Really? Well then let him sit in the dark and try to find his meal.
Obviously they're shooting for atmosphere - but I think the food and decor can speak for itself.
If you go, try lunch - or ask for a seat near a window.
Absolutely spectacular.
On our most recent visit to Southern Vermont, my (amazing and wonderful!) parents offered to babysit the little redhead for a couple of days, so we finally had an opportunity to try Ye Olde Tavern. (Just a note; While there was a family with school-aged children dining here when we visited, I would definitely hesitate to bring very young children here. The menu and overall ambiance are not what I would consider "family-friendly". This is the perfect place for a romantic night out sans kids.)
After the agonizing task of actually deciding on an entree (everything looked and sounded so delicious... ), we were served the most scrumptious cranberry fritters. With maple butter. So good, I would drive back to Vermont right now just for those. I enjoyed the most delicious Caesar salad I have ever had in my life (creamy, perfect anchovy undertone, crisp romaine...), and Dan had the field greens with balsamic and bleu cheese crumbles, which he ate almost every bite of. (Big complement from a non-salad lover!)
Words cannot adequately describe how delicious my meal was. I had the crispy duck, which was roasted, and served with a tawny port wine reduction, topped with Moroccan dates. I believe I moaned through it. The skin was perfectly crispy, the meat was flavorful and moist, and the sauce and figs added a sweet touch that made it absolutely delectable. It was perfect. The accompanying sides were alright, but nothing special (the sugar snap peas were a bit overcooked, the corn and the rice were passable), but it didn't matter... that duck was simply divine. (Dan had the roasted turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. He reports it was "excellent".)
Both the wine and (classic) cocktail list looked extensive and inviting, as well as the dessert list. We tried the raspberry mousse, which was tasty and refreshing.
I loved every aspect of dining here, from the beautiful colonial (built in 1790) tavern itself, to the impeccable service, to the exquisite food. I couldn't recommend more highly. (A note... Reservations are strongly encouraged (if not required).)
My friend and I passed by this tavern on our way to the Equinox resort. We got to the hotel and learned that this was a historic little place so we decided to check it out for dinner. I'm so glad we did because this is some of the best food I have ever had. We shared the venison sausage as an appetizer and it was absolutely amazing. Flavorful and the sauce drizzled on it was heavenly.
My friend had the walnut crusted pork and I had the chef's veal with wild mushroom and a cream sauce. The walnut crusted pork was great (we swapped plates half way through), I loved it even more than the veal (and that's saying something because the veal was pretty spectacular too). The pork was a perfect medley of nuts and their amazing maple cream (since I loved it so much, the manager was nice enough to give me some to take home). Â The veal was great too succulent and tender and the mushroom sauce was a perfect compliment. The bread that came with the meal was good too and I cannot stop raving about their maple butter. The portions are perfectly sized by the way, you will be able to have a three course meal here (appetizer, entree and dessert). For dessert, we had the mocha chocolate bombe, which our friendly waitress recommended. It was a good ending to an even better meal. There was a little too much liquor in it for my taste but it was good all the same. They even put some gran marnier on it and light it for you. It was a nice little show. The meal wasn't as expensive as we thought it would be and even if it were 5 times more expensive, I wouldn't hesitate to dine here again. The waitstaff is friendly and personable. They seated us quickly and recognized our reservation almost immediately. The ambience was nice and had a very homey feel to it.
But the best part of this restaurant is their "no cellphone" rule. I wish every restaurant had this rule (well maybe not) but it was a nice touch to have especially when I'm on vacation and just want to get away from it. In short, go here if you are in Manchester because you will leave stuffed and happy.
It was during our anniversary week that my husband and I dined at Ye Olde Tavern. We were in Manchester on the way to Burlington and heeded the suggestion of  a friend to try out this historic 1790 Colonial restaurant. Â
We had the lobster bisque, filet mignon and veal marsala. The dining atmosphere was relaxed and intimate and I can overhear other diners ordering the maple butter to take home. We have no complaints with the food and the service was friendly and attentive but perhaps if we are in the area again, we will stick to the traditional "Yankee favorites". .
Having dinner at this circa 1790 restaurant was one of the highlights of our trip to Manchester. I had looked online for a place to go for our "fancy" dinner of the weekend. The menu and surroundings offered so much history that I knew this was where I wanted to go.
I made a reservation but probably didn't need it cause the place was bigger then I thought. My boyfriend and I were seated in the Garden Room. On the table sat a gas lamp and around the room it was decorated with colonial memorabilia. Our server instantly gave us a warm vibe. The menu offered Yankee favorites such as meat loaf, bouillabaisse, and mac and cheese as well as seafood, meat and vegetarian selections.
Right after we got our drinks an unexpected plate of warm cranberry fritters came out with butter. They were delicious. After that we received our appetizer which was the maple glazed smoked trout. It was a generous portion that was very flavorful. The stone ground mustard on the side was tasty but you didn't really need it cause it already tasted fine. Our entrees also came with salads and they were brought out next. You had a choice of Caesar or house with crumbled bleu cheese. We both loved the caesars.
For my entree I got the tournedos of filet mignon topped with lobster and bearnaise. The tournedos were basically the filet split in 2 pieces. On the side it came with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. The whole plate was delicious. Cooked perfectly, bearnaise done right. I was in heaven.
My boyfriend got the duck flambe. When it arrived the server dimmed the lights and did the flambe display. It caught every ones attention and he ate every last piece of it.
We were both so stuffed that we passed on dessert. Then the server put down a couple hershey's kisses. Did she read my mind? Sweet!
For the quality of the food and the service we received this place was well worth it. Entrees were not overpriced. The duck was $24 and my steak with lobster was $30. That also included a salad and sides in the price. We both said that if this historic place was picked up and dropped in Boston we would of paid double. I will certainly visit it again when we return. I highly recommend it to all.
Had dinner here because it was recommended to us by the hotel, the valet, and everyone just raved about it. I really don't know why. I had the lobster bisque and the veal chop special. The lobster bisque was way too salty and lukewarm. The veal chop was good, but pretty fatty and it was 16 oz., but I was so hungry after eating it that I finished my friend's meatloaf, which was good, but not great. But at least the meatloaf was hot. I ordred the root beer float for dessert. That was probably the best thing there.
The service was good, but there were a couple of times that he was hard to find. The cranberry fritters were not hot at all and not worth the calories.
I probably would not go back. The decor was interesting. My veal chop was $32. For that much money, I should've been stuffed.
This place has an amazing atmosphere. Built 1780s-ish, it retains all the charm of an old public house, with a couple small dining rooms with fireplaces, low lighting and nice decorations. It's a rather upscale and dressy, but not fussy.
The food is typical European fair; my steak au poivre was fantastic. The bar is excellent, and the service is quick but unhurried. I would definitely go back again.
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