Chowning's Tavern

A great place to get a snack or drink for your journey around Colonial Williamsburg.Colonial Williamsburg is a wonderful place to visit that really brings American history to life. It offers visitors a unique glimpse into 18th-century America with real shops, people dressed in period costumes and buildings maintained as they would be in Colonial times. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this living history museum spans over 300 acres and includes restored buildings, interactive exhibits, and costumed interpreters. The site is an immersive experience where you can walk along cobblestone streets, interact with blacksmiths, shopkeepers, and even participate in colonial-era activities. I would recommend starting your experience at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center but you can go directly to the city where there is plenty of parking in parking garages along the outer streets. You can see lots of different working places in the city like bookbinders, silversmiths, gunsmiths, dress shop etc. This is located outside on the lawn to the west of Chowning's Tavern. The name is Chowning's Tavern Cider Stand. It is a small wood structure covered by canvas with a wood counter and limited selections. Do not let that fool you. I stopped by this 3 different times. Twice to get hot apple cider as I was walking around and once for the apple tart. Next visit I plan to try the "pasty" which sounds like a beef pie. The prices are about $10 for the tart and pasties , about $5 for the beverages and about $4 for the brownies, cookies and cakes. I will say that I tried the ginger cake and was not a fan due to the toughness but otherwise I very much enjoyed this place and would recommend it for other visitors.

Chowning's Tavern This family-friendly tavern offers lunch and dinner; of course Colonial Williamsburg is family friendly and we recommend Chowning's Tavern for families.We have taken care to frequent Colonial Williamsburg for decades; Probably the Christmas season is our favorite, and the long hot humid summer is the season we avoid.Any frequent visitor to Greater Williamsburg is in for a culinary treat; we focused our first few years on Colonial Williamsburg dining, and we still recommend the historical taverns.Dining in the 18th Century setting is provided at the following:* Christiana Campbell's Tavern®* Chowning's Tavern®* King's Arms Tavern®* Shields Tavern®Over the years Chowning's Tavern has evolved to "please families" with a fast food backyard grill. Limited menu and service hear. Caveat: avoid the backyard if desiring an authentic Colonial Dining experience. Please read reviews prior to visiting Colonial Williamsburg.We recommend above stairs dining; servers have had some training. Great tavern ambience. Chowning's Tavern may offer the best economy dining experience.In the 1960's we "discovered" Brunswick Stew, and this is still on the menu; moreover, my wife has added this stew to her offerings in her kitchen.Take care in personal review of colonial dining. Chowning's Tavern may or may not be a best bet for romantic dining.The tariff is appropriate for the fare.

With an 18th Century inspired menu I was still so grateful the flavors are seasoned for modern tastes and not the boring old English ones! There are no reservations here, and there may often be a 20min or more wait because there aren't more than maybe 20 tables inside. If you can't wait, there is a sandwich stand next to the building, and a hot dog, burger, and beer garden in the back of the tavern- just walk around the side of the building to the fenced yard. It would serve the host if she mentioned these alternative options regularly to people who can't seem to wait- as a way to placate their hangry vibes.However, if you're in for a sit down experience and like what you see on the menu outside, the wait isn't too bad when there's plenty to see on the Main Street and shops nearby, just make sure your entire party is with you when you want to be seated.We went for the Welsh Rarebit which ended up being a bit like a deconstructed ham & melted cheese, the BBQ Virginia Pork with Cole slaw, mashed potatoes, and seasonal asparagus, the Onion Pie, and a flight of 4 beers (cider, wheat, porter, spiced ale). I'd have all of it all over again and because it was all tasty and portioned well without being too much or too little, I'd try more on the menu in the future.Service was friendly and very kind when I made a mess of myself and the table with an accidental spill, and it was nice to have the musician wander in and add some atmosphere during our meal.Bathrooms are on the upper level, which may be tricky for those who have issues with stairs.

Burger was grossly overpriced. It has the quality of a burger king burger, but 5x the price. The fries were pretty good, very crispy but also very oily. The service was mediocre, but they were very kind. The restaurant had a good atmosphere that did feel pretty immersive, but it wasn't very immersive to have the staff wearing whatever they pleased. Overall not terrible, but the ludicrously overpriced food and low quality of the food makes me rate this so low.

We were at the immersive colonial museum and stumbled upon Chowning's Tavern. I was excited just to try this tavern based on the 1800's. We already had reservations at the colonial winery, so we stopped by and grabbed an appetizer and a drink. We had the crock of cheese paired with bread and it was quite tasty. There was also live entertainment which made it even more enjoyable. I liked that they had an assortment of dishes on the menu based on cookbooks from that era.

We were visiting and stopped here for a quick bite to eat. Our waitress was really friendly and we loved the live music entertainment. Our food choices were pretty good. WELSCH RAREBIT- cheddar cheese, mustard andgood wine. Served with country ham and Mr.Chowning's bread VIRGINIA PORK BBQShoulder of pork seasoned with Mr. Chowning's spice blend & smoked slow over apple wood, served with tavern slaw and manchet breadDrinks- Mint Julep

We came here a few months ago when we were exploring Colonial Williamsburg. We sat outside in the courtyard as it was less of a wait than to sit indoors. It was such a nice experience and I can't wait to come back in the warmer months to sit in the courtyard again.We were able to peruse a menu in line outside the gate. Due to pandemic procedures we had to wait to get in, and then we were able to walk up to the outdoor bar counter to order our food and drink.They give you a number that they shout when your food is ready, and you walk up to pick up at the counter.The courtyard is quite nice to sit in, and really spacious. The outdoor musician was FANTASTIC! I honestly thought the music was piped in but then I saw him performing, and his skill was phenomenal! Food was good as well, although I was slightly disappointed in my "trencher", but maybe that was me not understanding what exactly I was getting. Still tasty nonetheless.

I stopped here for a bite on a blazing hot day in July. The staff were friendly, although it took several minutes of standing around at the entrance and trying to get anyone's attention before I was noticed. I ordered the burger, which was brought out super fast. I appreciate that fresh fruit is a side option--note that it's a $3 upcharge if you want fries. The burger was average, along with the fairly dry potato bun. I enjoyed the live traditional music in the courtyard, which was a nice touch. The house wine was...house wine, served a bit too warm. For reference, cocktails are $12 and house wine $8.Super fast service with socially distanced picnic tables. The staff were all wearing masks as well.

I am, very generously, giving Chowning's four stars, not for the quality of the dining experience, but for the entire revolutionary performance. Everything from the menus to the furnishings is authentic 18th century, including the server costumes. The food is mostly authentic, although there is a hotdog on the menu and fries are available. The food is okay and not egregiously overpriced, considering the location inside Colonial Williamsburg. The choices are 18 century recipes, so they tend to be heavy, meat and bread oriented dishes. We had shepherds pie, a lamb stew with a scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle of the bowl. It was pretty good and the portion was about right for lunch. We also had a small spiced rum drink, which was very good, but severely overpriced and probably responsible for my liberal rating.

Do not try to eat here if you have food allergies. Asked about an allergy for my child, and David who was working the Garden was incredibly rude and smug and refused to try to find out if a food contained a common allergy. Shockingly bad service. David is not someone who should be interacting with customers.