King's Arms Tavern

I spent the day touring Colonial Williamsburg and seeing The President's Heads, so I thought should keep with the same theme and enjoy a good ol' Colonial dinner like our forefathers might have done.Sometimes solo dining (especially at a place like this) can be intimidating, but the staff was welcome and I especially enjoy my server who shared information, fun facts, and descriptions--all while wearing a colonial dress of course and didn't make me feel odd for dining alone.As a foodie who has a hard time deciding what she wants, I also appreciate places with prix fixe menus, so it was fun to try three different courses (although it was quite filling!) The food was fine--I wasn't a huge fan of the peanut soup (and I should have known that going in, but I felt I needed to try it), but the Snow Eggs were a fun surprise and a great choice for a light ending.It feels a little weird to be eating in the bedroom of a house (at least that's what it felt like), but the live entertainment added to the environment, too.If you're looking for a fun place to experience colonial dining, it's a good choice--if you're looking for fantastic food, you might want to try somehwere else.

This is a wonderful spot, right in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. I was very satisfied on my latest visit since the service was very good and the food was delicious.There are a lot of taverns to choose from in Williamsburg, but this one has it all from the traditional dress to the musical performances. My son was so into it all and loved seeing the musician play the penny flute to the guitar and many other instruments.I had the roasted duck, which was fantastic. My parter ordered the stew, which was also tasty (but was so glad that I had the duck since it was perfect). They also offer an extensive cocktail menu and wine list with selections from Virginia, France and Napa. I sampled a Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon, which was delicious. I appreciated them letting me taste it before committing as I can be a little picky with wine.The atmosphere was great and the family really enjoyed our time here. I would totally come back again.

I really wanted to like Kings Arms Tavern but all in all for me I'm really glad I live in the 21st century. So Kings Arms Tavern tries to mimic what it would have been like to dine in the 1700s. Which is cool. We made a reservation for 4 on a Saturday night. Important note. The parking Is across the street. I accidently drove through main street Colonial Williamsburg because one of the gates were open and I failed to notice the giant do not enter sign. The streets are really dark to recreate the ambiance of the time. A well dressed Colonial cast member tracked me down and very nicely told me to turn the hell around and get off the street. So don't make the same mistake that I did. Parking is behind the restaurant. Once seated it's pretty dark inside. It's all candle lit and feels very colonial. They give you a gigantic napkin but it feels more like a table cloth. No way you are getting any stains on your nice 21st century clothing. We ordered the peanut soup, duck, chicken, prime rib, beef steak, and the snow dessert.Peanut soup.... It was just not my thing. And judging by the fact that I have never seen peanut soup in other restaurants it's probably good that it never made it out of the 18th century. Duck, chicken and the prime rib were really good. The beef steak... yikes... not really good at all. It was slightly over cooked, a little tough and not much flavor. For $58 way too over priced. I would not have balked if it was more of a $25 steak. Prime rib is the much better option as it's not overcooked and the Prix fix with starter prime rib and dessert is a better deal. We had some colonial entertainment during our dinner which was nice. Dessert was snow eggs. I liked it but three of my family members didn't like the texture. All in all it's an interesting dining experience which is okay for a one off. Not recommended for foodies however.

I'd give an arm AND a leg to eat here again! We were treated like royalty at this colonial tavern! The ambience is stri-king with its rustic, colonial vibe, dark wood and wrought iron add the the authentic feel! I've been here for dinner and lunch! For dinner, I came with a friend and we had a true colonial dining experience. We had the prime rib with roasted veggies and the most delicious popovers! It was sublime! The hurricane candle centerpiece and the 18th century entertainment really set a old fashioned mood. We wine was a Pinot noir which was perfect with the prime rib and for dessert we shared the southern pecan pie!When I came back for lunch another time, I chose the chicken hash which was served in a bread bowl along with roasted green beans and carrots, and it was amazing... tender chinks of chicken in a savory sauce like the inside of a chicken pot pie! My hubby had the beef stew which was incredibly tender! And our friend had the onion pie with an egg on top! Equally tasty! Yes, we shared so we could all enjoy the entrees! Again, the pecan pie was chosen for dessert! A must! Our server, Miranda, was gracious and informative, letting us know that the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty" was about a cannon of all things! Love learning trivia like that! She was a godsend, giving me a cool neckerchief to put around me since we had just come in from the 90 degree heat! What a classy, and hospitable gesture! It cooled me off and made me smile!! This raven is a must if you want a true colonial dining adventure!! A king would be pleased to dine here!

We were there for dinner the day after Thanksgiving because we were not able to book it on Thanksgiving night. We are lucky that we were able to book the reservation at all. If you are a fan of history, you should visit Colonial Williamsburg. However, it does not require you to be a fan of history to enjoy the great food offered in this restaurant. The dishes are inspired by the old cook books, and they are second to none compare to any modern fine dinings. Servers and the musician provide rich knowledge of history that you cannot experience anywhere else. Performance, history, great food, great environment, even though it is a bit expensive, it is worth every penny. We loved that place.

Made reservations a day before. Was busy even though in middle of week at night. We had a group of four and was seated pretty quickly by period dressed staff. This restaurant is located in a historic home in the old village. The dining room is dimly light to resemble candle lighting. It appears several reservations are made for a time period as to seat an entire room at once. Customers are seated at individual tables and waited on at same time with each coarse. Wait staff work together. Napkins are the size of a tablecloth which is meant to be worn to cover your entire front by tying it behind your neck.We each ordered an adult drink which were good. And we all ordered something different for entries. I ordered Game Pie which is a period meal that includes three different game meats and vegetables. My wife ordered Cornish Game Hen with cranberry and baby carrot. Our guests had Duck over mashed potato with green beans and carrot with another plate consisting of Baked Salmon with green beans and carrot. We all enjoyed our meals.It was a good experience. Pricing is as to cover the period atmosphere.

King's Arms Tavern is a historic tavern that opened in Williamsburg, Virginia in March 1951. It is one of four restored historic taverns located in Colonial Williamsburg. The building was originally owned by Mrs. Jane Vobe and operated as a tavern from 1772 - 1787. Vobe had operated a number of different taverns throughout the 18th century. The King's Arms was the last of her enterprises. After Colonial Williamsburg opened to the public in 1934, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation set out to not only restore the homes and buildings but also the historic taverns. Vobe's original tavern building was enlarged by combining it with the Alexander Purdue House next door. Today patrons can visit the tavern and dine on authentic 18th century colonial dishes with updates to suit 21st century tastes. My family and I visited King's Arms Tavern this past summer while we were on a road trip. Although the tavern is located inside Colonial Williamsburg, customers do not need to purchase tickets to the museum if they simply wish to dine. We really liked all of the colonial decor. Even the staff were dressed in period clothing. I ordered the "To Stew a Choat in the French Way" (browned pork shanks placed in a stew pan with claret, thyme, marjoram, savory, rosemary peppercorn and mace) and my wife ordered "An Onion Pye" (potatoes, apples, onions and eggs sliced, seasoned and layered in a pie crust). To drink, I had the "Tavern Brown Ale" while my wife had the "Draught Root Beer". From the Young Patriots Menu, our older son had the "Fried Chicken" (mashed potatoes and vegetables) and our younger son had "Macaroni & Cheese" (vegetables). As we dined, we were treated to live music performed by a costumed musician. While we felt that our meals were a tad too expensive, we all had a fun historic dining experience with tasty period food.

We were confused about trying to make an online lunch reservation without success, so we showed up hoping for the best and learned it is first come first served. We were seated immediately in a room that was fairly full with diners. The venue has quite a few seating areas and can likely accommodate quite a crowd in season. The staff are dressed in Colonial garb for ambiance and a strolling musician entertains with period songs.Our server made several suggestions but 3 of us chose the apple onion pie, a very sweet concoction with a lovely flaky crust. It is topped with an over easy egg that I passed off to my friend. 3 of started with the peanut soup and I found it very flavorful and tasted like peanut butter of course. My guests enjoyed several mugs of hot cider. I asked for hot tea and was told they do not have hot tea because it is colonial times and tea is boycotted. Interestingly I was able to get unsweet iced tea.We had no room to try any of the delicious desserts. The Snow Balls looked particularly yummy. The price point was what one would expect in a tourist property, where ambiance is part of the cost of the fare. Our guests enjoyed the experience and we all enjoyed the food!

I came to King's Arm Tavern with a decent sized group on a Saturday afternoon and we were seated almost immediately. Food/drinks came quickly. I was considering getting the beef but two others at my table got it. I wanted to try something else so I got the duck and it was my favorite bite of the day! The beef was very tender and the duck was falling off the bone. A very rich lunch. My nephew got the fried chicken off the little patriots menu and just about finished his whole plate. It looked delicious. Generous servings and good prices.

A unique experience in Colonial Williamsburg-I would give it 3.5 stars but rounding up for the ambiance. The main reason to come to King's Arms Tavern is for the experience-my friend and I recently came here for a weekend dinner and I felt transported back in some ways to the 18th Century. We walked through a deserted, dark, eerie reconstructed Colonial Williamsburg to a reconstructed tavern lit only by candlelight. The servers were in period costume and our napkins were full-torso napkins, meant to be tucked into your short as was done during the period. The King's Arms also had a musician playing 18th-century tunes on a guitar and recorder, livening up the mood.Two important notes: make a reservation ahead of time and despite what the menu may indicate, there are NO vegetarian mains as the onion pie is made with chicken broth. The only main King's Arms can offer vegetarians is a plate of cut vegetables, so if you're vegetarian I would go somewhere else unless you are fine having just squash soup, a salad, and black-eyed peas.Also, make sure to budget at least 90 minutes for your dining experience if you want to do multiple courses. My friend and waited over 20 minutes from the time we ordered to get any food, and 50 minutes until our main course came out. Despite the restaurant's small size and that it seemed fully staffed, everything took a long time. Possibly due in part to the slow service, the King's Arms gave us Sally Lamb bread accompanied by butter and a corn and pepper relish. The bread itself was less hearty than I would have expected for the period and was just OK, while the relish was delicious.For appetizers, I got the peanut soup, while my friend got the squash soup. My soup was very peanut-y and creamy, and the bread went well. The squash soup was heartier and tastier, and I would order that again if given the choice. My friend and I split the trout and the black-eyed peas for our main dishes. The trout was rich and buttery, with perfectly-cooked broccoli and carrots on the side. The trout was cooked whole, so be careful about bones. Although the black-eyed peas were on the salty side, overall they were good (and one of the very few vegetarian-friendly menu items).We shared the bread pudding for dessert, which was rich, delicious, and nutmeg/ginger-forward.For a tourist restaurant, the prices and portion sizes are fair given that you are also paying for the ambiance. I would recommend King's Arms if you are looking for a tribute to a late-18th century dining experience.