Fat Canary

In Williamsburg from Maryland for Valentine's Day and the long President's Day Weekend. Searched for the best place in town for a romantic, high quality meal for me, my wife and our two young girls. Fat Canary bubbled to the top of the list. Our reservation was for 5:45pm, but I-95 put us at the restaurant at 7:45pm. Despite being two hours past our reservation, the host staff was terribly kind. And thankfully, they were able to accommodate us for dinner. Dave the bar tender attended to us for dinner. He was exceptional. Friendly and attentive. I had the evening's special - rockfish atop a shrimp risotto (who does that!?) with cremini mushrooms and a green chili sauce. Exceptional. Fish cooked perfectly, risotto succulent. Flavor full and well appointed. My wife had the beef wagyu burger. Delicious. Butcher cut fries were crisp. Everything stayed hot throughout the meal, as though the plates were heated!Extensive wine list. We had the white Sancerre with dinner and the rose Sancerre with dessert.Before we left, a white coat from the open kitchen emerged and asked about our girls and our dinner. Tom was so friendly, welcoming, and inspirational with the story of his family's business turned culinary delight for all of us. Lovely time. Thank you Fat Canary.

Typically go to The Basement part of Fat Canary. Wonderful bar down there and most bar keeps make pretty amazing drinks such as cosmo's , martini's, Old Fashion etc..The menu is pretty diverse and great options for the group. Service is typically really good..I stay away when there are CW events same night..it gets packed quickly. Next time, I'll take pics.

This restaurant is a hidden gem! It's tucked away in Colonial Williamsburg and is attached to the cheese shop. The service was phenomenal. The waiters were very friendly and attentive. The manager even came by our table to ask how we were doing. The food was great. The halibut was very flaky and flavorful. The linguine was perfectly cooked. The prices were surprisingly reasonable as well.It's a pretty small restaurant, but it is very quaint. I would definitely make a reservation ahead of time.

This is my second time coming to the fat Canary, my first time was upstairs, and I had an absolutely phenomenal experience. Because I had such a wonderful time I wanted to take my partner to experience it. However, we were short on time, about an hour and a half, so we went downstairs to the wine bar for just a drink. We were quickly sat and our drinks came out promptly. Now, the drinks and the wine selection are amazing. Truly truly, I think the Fat Canary makes some of the best food in and around Williamsburg. However, from the time of asking for the check, it reviewing the check, it took about 40 minutes. During which other tables were sat, other patrons were tabbed out, and drinks were delivered. We eventually went to the bar to get our check because we were now late for our dinner reservation because we waited so long. Maybe it's because I do hold the Fat Canary to such a high standard because I know how good it is/can be, but I was disappointed! But I do recommend it, but I wouldn't plan anything to follow. Make sure you can take your time and savor your experience fully.

Visited the Fat Canary Downstairs on a rainy day after my plans suddenly changed looking to eat great food with a great cocktail. It was one of those days where I really needed a win. I've heard the Downstairs is amazing and it definitely lives up to the hype. This experience made my day.Located in the wine shop below Merchant's Square, Fat Canary Downstairs offers a cocktail menu, a limited menu as well as the upstairs Fat Canary menu. I started off with a Gold Rush cocktail. It was refreshing and the Makers Mark still shone through. For my meal, I chose the Wagyu Beef Burger. They asked how I'd like it cooked and I said medium. To my delight, it came out a perfect medium. This isn't my experience with burgers at many places, so it was exciting. The burger was flavorful and juicy. The fries were also delicious. The way they were stacked made me laugh when my meal arrived. The plating, while simple, brought some whimsy to the table.My server was very nice and attentive. She checked in on the cocktail and food after each were served and then gave me my space to eat until I looked ready to leave. While it is a small space with few seats for diners, below the fancy Fat Canary, the atmosphere was cool and made me feel like I was in a place slightly out of time, away from the world. My experience wasn't loud or rushed. I had a great time and would definitely come back.

The Fat Canary delivered up another exceptional dinner for us in a warm and comfortable setting. Keith, our server, was knowledgeable, kind, and knew when to approach our table and when to allow us time to enjoy our drinks, food, and conversation. On this visit, we started with the oyster stew. Their soups are creative and delicious. We also ordered the mozzarella/ham/tomatoes appetizer, which is a fun take on a caprese salad, though the ham is a nice addition. The mozzarella portion consisting of eight pieces was definitely shareable. Our cocktails were the heavenly Empress 75, which is a French 75, but using the pretty blue/purple color Empress Gin, and the blood orange margarita. The margarita was generous in size , but seemed a little too sweet this time. For entrees, we chose the scallops dish and the duck breast. Both were delicious, and the portions were large. There were seven good-size scallops on top of lemon basil risotto with ratatouille. The dish included curry, which you taste. We paired the scallops with a glass of Sancerre, which was a little too light to stand up to the curry flavor in the dish. The duck was perfectly cooked and lean. We paired the duck with a glass of Malbec, and it was a great match. Though we were pretty full, we shared a macadamia nut pie topped with vanilla bean ice cream. So good!!This is one of our favorite, special occasion, restaurants.

We were down in Williamsburg for a short trip and had a lot of people recommend Fat Canary. We weren't able to get a reservation but we tried to call right when they opened. The phone went straight to a busy dial tone. I called about 20 minutes later and someone indicated that they had a table around 7-7:30 downstairs as the main room was all booked up. We would have to come in to put down a name doe the reservation. Luckily we were close by and was able to place our name down for 7 pm.We arrived around 6:45 and kind of hung out in their wine shop until 7:15. They have two menus, their main and then the downstairs menu. My friend ordered a the Bee-Laverdier cocktail which she really enjoyed. For our appetizer, we ordered the Lobster and for our entrees, I ordered the Pan Seared Duck Breast and my friend ordered the Grilled Atlantic Salmon.The Lobster fettuccine dish was okay, the snap peas seemed a little out of place and so did the pistachios. It seemed like it was a really random put together dish and kind of more of a small pasta plate than an appetizer.While the duck and salmon were both cooked beautifully, I found my duck lacking in flavor and the cherry demi glaze seemed more of a jus at the bottom of my plate under the Farro. My friends salmon sat upon Fregula pasta but there was a lot of oil at the bottom of the dish. It also seemed a strange mix with the golden raisins and capers as well. I asked for a recommendation of a wine pairing with the duck and was suggested the Cabernet Sauvignon Quilt. I'm not sure if something had adjusted my palate beforehand but it seemed quite acidic.Overall, a little disappointed as we heard so many great reviews. Not sure if I'd come back to try any of their other items. A cute place with a great atmosphere and a cute wine market downstairs but the food was lacking in our opinion.

We stopped in here for a quick libation while we waited for our reserved time at another Colonial Williamsburg restaurant. Although they were really busy, they made room for us to grab a drink and go out to their patio. I asked for Deep Eddy's and Melissa suggested their lemon infused vodka with a touch of simple syrup and my partner had a Bourbon concoction that he called "the most interesting drink he has ever had." A salad was left in the bottom of his glass when he was finished. Both were good and we appreciated how accommodating the staff were!

Every time in there I have the absolute best meal love it. Friendly staff the food and drinks are top notch.

Food was awesome! Nothing else needs to be said, but Yelp has a character minimum. Sigh.