Shields Tavern

Review summary

1. D

   Dunc

   Richmond

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It was perfect to celebrate our anniversary. The food was excellent and Bruce was great at keeping our glasses full and serving the food. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the music. It had been a while since we could eat at Shields and didn’t know what to expect. The experience exceeded what we anticipated. The card we received topped off a wonderful evening.
   

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2. L

   Lynda

   Richmond

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on 13 November 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   The food is delicious, the service is great, but don't go as a single diner. I had a reservation that apparently came over for 2 rather than the single diner that I was. This flummoxed the staff. So rather than seating me in the main dining area at the apparent table for 2 that I'd booked, there was a lot of discussion among the staff, leaving me standing outside the doors waiting for several minutes, before I was brought inside and seated. I was seated in a room at the far end of the building, in near darkness, with one other person at another table in the otherwise empty room. Apparently this was the venue for single diners. While again, the food was delicious and the service was great, we were not able to see the performances of the entertainers or engage with other diners. There was no chit chat or atmosphere. It was just the two of us, in a dark room, at separate tables.
   

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3. M

   Michael

   Baltimore

   145 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   145 reviews

   Dined on 12 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Love the groaning board concept! Your server greets you with warm bread a herbed butter, and describes the entire menu (from salad to dessert). They are the food choices for the evening for everyone, making service extremely efficient. The salad is delicious with fresh greens, pickled onions, cheddar cheese and topped with candied walnuts. Two dressings are offered, one vinaigrette and one creamy. Bruce, our server, suggested mixing the dressings and he was spot on! Delicious! Rolled beef stuffed with cornbread and covered with a Demi glacé, and fried chicken were the proteins, accompanied by mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables in a beurre blanc sauce. This portion of the meal is all you can eat (hence the groaning board), but the first portions served are quite generous. Everything is perfectly seasoned and very tasty. For dessert we had a strawberry whipped cream parfait topped with cinnamon sugar beignets. Scrumptious! I’m hoping that the menu changes periodically so people will want to keep coming back. The entire meal was fantastic! We will definitely be making a return visit.
   

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4. T

   Tim

   Philadelphia

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on 9 November 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   I was mislead by what I found on the internet. I thought it as a lot more than this. Only one (yes 1) food choice… basically no food choices, and no drink choices. I talked with others after this and found they had the same experience. I guess it was real good pre-Covid but not now in 2024. Ambience was “ok” but basically this was diner food. I’m so sorry to write this but they need help. I have never written a review yet on all the restaurants I’ve been in via OpenTable… but I had to write this one.
   

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5. E

   Edgar

   Richmond

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 6 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The experience at Shields Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg Virginia was excellent. The service was superb and the meal was outstanding. I would recommend this Tavern to anyone who is interested in experiencing life in a colonial setting.
   

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6. V

   Vanessa

   San Antonio

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 2 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great service, great food for a fixed menu. Surprised there was no alcoholic beverage options, still had a great time!
   

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7. D

   David

   Philadelphia

   58 reviews

   5.0

   58 reviews

   Dined on 30 October 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We ate at all the colonial taverns in Williamsburg this trip and this was our favorite. Food was excellent and the service was as well. Really glad they opened Shields back up and like the family serving style. If you were really hungry you could request more of anything. A really good value for Colonial Williamsburg. The salad was really good. We liked the chicken better than the beef. And the dessert was really good- could have eaten two of these if I wasn’t so full. Only negative was the got rid of the pretzel bread they used to have. No Mr or Mrs Shields roaming around, but they did have a really good musician playing at times during dinner. Overall a great experience- highly recommend it.
   

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8. R

   Ron

   Washington DC

   28 reviews

   3.0

   28 reviews

   Dined on 30 October 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Unusual. Fixed menu. No alcohol. Hit or miss food. Excellent service. Wandering musician was very good. Roast beef rolled around stuffing was very tasty but far too salty (should have sent it back). Fried chicken was Excellent. Salad was very good, with two dressing options that were very good also. Dessert was odd- a parfait in a tall glass with a nearly inedible beignet on top making it very difficult to eat. Unusual. Some of the meal was very good, some just odd.
   

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9. N

   Nancy

   Alabama

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 30 October 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Pre fixed menu was amazingly delicious! Fried Chicken so moist!! Server so attentive and provided history or the tavern. Also included entertainment!
   

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10. M

    Melvin

    Alabama

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 30 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    We enjoyed Shields Tavern very much! The salad was really good. The fried chicken was just right, crispy but not too thick a crust. The vegetables were very tasty. The beef entree was stuffed and included some interesting herbs. The only negative was the beef was a little too salty. The dessert was a good finish. The ambience was nice, 18th century surroundings with just candle light. A guitar playing singer in period dress was very entertaining! Definately recommend.
    

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