I will preface this review by saying I HOPE I get a chance in the future to upgrade it to a better rating. We had been at the Gettysburg Battlefield ALL day and stopped in about 8 p.m., without a reservation, to have a bite to eat. I had read about the place on Yelp and in the guidebooks and was very eager to give it a try. I know that MANY times, places like this get good reviews based on the atmosphere or ambience, so, to be honest, I wasn't expecting amazing food (although most previous reviews gave it high marks for food taste and quality), but the whole experience was disappointing.
Let me address the no-reservation issue: I had read on their website that The Dobbin House accepted reservations but left the majority of their tables open for walk-ins, most likely because they get a LOT of business from tourists coming off the battlefield. What the website does NOT make plain is that without a reservation, you get stuck at a wobbly table outside, under a big tent, with NONE of the historicity of the place helping to create the atmosphere that probably makes the food better. Since their biggest claims to fame are the dining in the original house-turned-restaurant and authentic Civil-War/colonial era cuisine, they were already down one strike when we ended up outside at a cheap table, on cheap and uncomfortable chairs, under a very modern tent. But we were tired, had been walking all day, and had not eaten since breakfast, so I decided I would just make the best of the food.
I was not particularly pleased with the bread. Although they claim to make it themselves in Colonial-era ovens, it's still very modern bread. I was expecting dense, chewy. artisan-style bread. We got Wonder-like white bread that was thick-sliced but otherwise nothing special. We each ate a half piece and left it. We ordered the Baked King's Soup, and things started to look up a bit. This soup was better-than-advertised. It was rich, beefy, deep in flavor. I didn't want to stop eating it, but I had ordered the half duckling dinner and wanted to save room. The salad was fresh and nicely put together, and the homemade blue cheese dressing was delicious. Then came the duck. I could tell by looking at it that it was WAY overcooked. I couldn't even eat the leg meat, it was so dry and stringy, and there was literally NO meat on the wing; it was so overcooked that it had simply burned away. I did eat about half the breast meat, and as long as I scraped some of the cider sauce and included a piece of the baked apple with it, I could chew and swallow it. I know this was altogether a different preparation than seared duck breast served medium rare, so I did not have expectations of that, and I know it was 8 p.m., but I DID--and at the price they were asking, rightfully so--expect it to be succulent and. . .edible. My bf said her Primal rib was pretty good but that she had had better at a place locally-known in Appalachin, NY called Donoli's--they have AMAZING prime rib. On top of that, we waited, literally, a half hour for service, even to get a glass of water. Once we got our soup, things evened out a bit with service, but we should have at least been served water. Maybe the hostess should carry the pitcher to tables as she seats them. Then at least customers feel as if they have been seen, acknowledged. All in all, it was a disappointment. Initially poor service, food mostly subpar/inedible, and not even the atmosphere of the place to help lend some awe to the situation.
As I said when I began the review: I do hope I have an opportunity in the future to update this review and give a much better rating, but if that opportunity never presents itself, I'm afraid this experience will have to be your guide. read more