Update (2026): Last year I gave Heirloom three stars because I loved the setting but thought the food fell well short of the experience. This year, our friends told us they had a great meal here, so we decided to give it another try. I'm really glad we did. The menu felt much fresher, with several interesting choices. I ordered the risotto, and while I wish it had been served a little hotter, it was delicious. The salmon was also excellent. At the end of dinner, I asked our server if Heirloom had hired a new chef because the food was so much better than I remembered. She said it was the same chef, but the team had worked together to improve this season's menu. Mission accomplished. I'm happy to update my rating to five stars. If you're staying at the Athenaeum, Heirloom is once again a restaurant I'd recommend. read more

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Some of the prior reviews were of concern, but we had no other choice today if we wanted to eat indoors and experience the insides of the Athenaeum Hotel. We ended up quite satisfied ... delighted, even. We were greeted by the hostess, and seated promptly (this was important because we had a bit of time pressure), and had a very short wait for the server (Miranda, who will feature prominently later in this review!). We ordered, the strawberry/charred-peach/burrata/arugula salad for me, the ahi-guacamole + chips for my spouse (it was a light lunch that was needed). The food came promptly, and meanwhile another staff person had come by to verify that we didn't need to order drinks. The food was delicious, although I have just a couple small complaints: the guacamole overpowered the ahi tuna, so I think they'd be wiser to have the ahi in larger chunks. When the server came by to ask how we were doing, I mentioned that I liked the salad very much, but was disappointed to have only one strawberry (4 slices) on the salad. Miranda said, "Let me get you some more." She returned soon after with a small bowl of sliced strawberry (still only one, but I was pleased with her response and the good taste of these Albions -- which normally make a nice color appearance but rarely have good flavor). Anyway, if you are looking for a cheap lunch, go grab a sandwich at the other lunch venues. If you are looking for an experience -- the views outside of the lake and and boats, etc; the spacious dining room with overhead fans; the attentive but not intrusive service -- then do come here. At least for the lunch menu, I can recommend it very highly. And ask Miranda for an extra strawberry... read more

Heirloom Restaurant - Enough burrata to share; to be fair I stole some of his chips. - New American Near Me - Chautauqua, New York

The ambiance is second to none. An old elegant room or a porch with a view and pleasant breeze. The service is so-so. Servers were pleasant enough, but we had to ask for bread. We were served our entrees while still eating our soup. There was no room on the table. My wife looked favorably on the salad and chicken she had. I had risotto that seemed starchy and lacked flavor. The shrimp and grits was a little better. The portions were small, The biggest disappointment was the banana cream pie. It looked pretty, but there was little filling. It was on a hard tasteless cookie, not a pie crust. In the middle of the filling was a cold black whole piece of banana. It was unsightly and didn't seem like it belonged. The place has a captive audience at the resort hotel. The breakfast eggs were good and there was a lot of variety at the breakfast buffet-complimentary for hotel guests. read more

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Very overpriced~~actually, all but the pricing is very 1990s. I cannot recommend this restaurant. They have a captive audience at Chautauqua and they have no interest in being any better. In addition to less than mediocre food, the service was terrible. A very bad restaurant in what once was probably a lovely setting. read more

The convenience of being able to walk to a sit-down meal following a lecture gives this location a distinct advantage. Additionally, the beautiful, historic Atheneum porch provides lakeside ambience that is nothing short of perfect on a warm summer day. The food was ok. We had a charcuterie tray, bisque, and a salad, and while nothing was bad, it did seem to be somewhat bland. Wine choices were also adequate. The service left a lot to be desired in terms of speed and quality. Our server was polite, but they were slow to greet and offer drinks, and even slower to return to check-up on our needs. I got the distinct impression that the servers were college students there to earn money for the summer -- professionalism seemed lacking. Think of the Kellerman's Hotel waitstaff in the movie Dirty Dancing, and you'll understand. Still worth it for the view and the history! read more

Adequate...Nothing to brag about and nothing to complain about. This restaurant is in the Athenaeum Hotel. It has an expansive porch for outside dining and inside is available as well. I decided to check it out for lunch on a stroll checking out Chautauqua Institution grounds. The service was slow (but what place isn't with all the labor challenges thst the tourism industry is dealing with). But once served the staff was delightful despite being stretched thin. I ordered a cocktail, The Lakeside Vodka, Lemongrass Syrup, Orgeat, Lime...which was delicious. I had the Seafood Lobster Roll Creamy lobster salad, fennel, frisée, dill gougères for my main course. It was average at best. All is all is was adequate - Nothing to brag about, nothing to complain about. read more

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Food was great, service too with Mackey Beautiful view on the porch. Heirloom restaurant. I had Heirloom chicken, just like Milanese. Hubby had Blackberry Pork Tenderloin. They were both great and big portions. Prices were normal. read more

This restaurant had good service and good food. We ordered a few dishes: the lobster ravioli was the most delicious lobster dish I have ever tasted in my life. The pierogies and salmon were also tasty. I would avoid the mezze platter - it was bland and did not pair well with the rest of the dishes. I was also craving a burger; but they only had it on their bar menu that opened at 9pm. Thankfully, our gracious server made the extra effort and ordered it as a kids burger. The burger hit the spot and the fries in particular were spectacular. They were crunchy and had a little bit of rosemary ; my whole family loved them. If you're able to sit outside you truly have a beautiful view. Kudos to Jennifer our server who is starting her first season at CHQ! read more

We had lunch today. our server was fantastic - Amanda. i had the beef on wheck and we had a couple tuna melts. the artichoke hearts and shishito peppers were both good. the fry on the hearts was nice and light. i might have left the leaves out entirely - 3 of us were not pleased. i like the chew but they can be sharp and unpleasant and tough. might have been a mistake. outdoor location was great, too. a wonderful way to spend the lunch hour. read more

We were looking for a place to eat lunch before heading to Panama Rocks and wanted to make sure we had a place that was open and following restrictions during COVID, and Heirloom stood out for its porchside dining! This restaurant is located within the Hotel Athenaeum (which is itself located within the Chatauqua Institution and required us to check in at the main gate to access inside). The building itself is a beautiful wooden structure with a grand two story porch as the setting for the meal, overlooking sparkling Chatauqua Lake which made for a lovely view. For lunch service they were not busy at all and the servers were wearing masks and gloves which was reassuring. There was plenty of space between tables as well. The food itself was fairly decent. We ordered the chicken Cobb salad, the snap pea salad, and the smoked brisket along with fries and a mac and cheese for the kids. The salads were fresh and flavorful, and the dressings went well with the salads. The mac and cheese was also very creamy and tasty with a panko crust on top to give it a bit of crunch. However, my husband was disappointed with the smoked brisket which rather tough and not as tender as we were expecting, although the flavor was good. In short, I give it high ratings for the lovely setting and grounds, which are very nice to walk around either before or after a meal. The food was okay, and a bit overpriced considering the quality. However, I could see coming here just for the overall experience! read more

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Heirloom Restaurant in the Anthaneum Hotel was a great place to go for Mothers Day Brunch. Great selection and wonderful Chautauqua atmosphere. Relaxing dining room seating with some tables were available on the wrap around covered porch. Really busy so it was really only available to those with a reservation. Everything was really very delicious including the drinks at the bar. Parking was available right outside the Hotel for both self parking and valet service. All in all well worth the drive down from Erie where other than some of the private clubs, nothing came close to the selection and atmosphere for a Special Mothers Day Brunch. read more

I was a little worried after reading other reviews. We went for the prime rib buffet which was outstanding. Mind you that we had amazing prime rib, roasted veggies, salad greens & fixings and dessert. Can't comment on other buffet entrees like the chicken or pasta. Service was great especially considering it was end of season. Oh and sitting on the porch overlooking the bucolic lake. What could be better read more

A good pre-concert venue for dinner or cocktails. It was a few steps to the ampitheatre. Good views. Great staff. And delicious dinner. We started with a charcuterie spread, and split a lemon butter chicken cutlet. Our server was very attentive to us without being intrusive. read more

the worst dining experience I've had in years. after 2 hours we cancelled our appetizer. they had plenty of servers and guessing the kitchen was an issue. no apologies, poorly trained staff. when I asked for a manager I was told they get Sundays off. they gave us free desserts and asked for them to go, that took forever along with getting the checks. this is an upscale community & restaurant & I will never eat there again. read more

Quality has returned to the Athenaeum! We have eaten on the porch twice so far in Summer of 24. Food and service were excellent. We enjoyed the lobster ravioli and tornados of beef. read more

Food was always just fine . Service varied a little when a large group was being served at the same time. The dining room is not air conditioned but the porch has a lovely breeze from the lake. read more

The restaurant is not bad. The appetizer and dessert were absolutely delicious. The main entree were a hit and miss. I got the pasta with chicken and it was pretty plain, my husband got the beef short rib and really enjoyed it. Beautiful views on the porch of the lake! read more

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Dining on the wide porch overlooking the lake was spectacular but the buffet items were dried out (chicken cordon bleu, penne pasta) or a congealed, lumpy mess (penny-sized shrimp Alfredo sauce). Dessert buffet items were plentiful but uninspired. On the plus side, the drink menu included mocktails and the wait staff was warm and attentive. read more

Heirloom Restaurant - The dining area on the veranda - New American Near Me - Chautauqua, New York

New policy BE AWARE....if you plan on dining on their porch with 7 or more people they will charge you an additional $100 to your bill for "preferred seating". I've been to many different restaurants 3-5 stars and not one of them does this! DO NOT GO THERE IF YOU HAVE A BIG PARTY! No restaurant is worth it to pay an extra $100 to sit on their porch! And their food is not even good!! read more

The Hotel was what I expected and we enjoyed the historical location. I was very disappointed with the dinner. Do not get the buffet. It was cold and the selections were inferior. I mentioned to the front desk that I would offer my services to train the cook on how to make multiple dishes. They were something that I would be ashamed to serve. My rating is low and would be even lower with the bottled water that is served. It tasted like hose water. Seriously folks, you ask for a rating to improve your services, correct? Well your water is revolting and your food is like a high school cafeteria on its worse day! Also, the hotel could use a renovation. 1970 is calling! The theater reservations were done incorrectly and I found myself with 1 ticket instead of 2 with the Saturday night purchase package. By the time we worked that out and made it to the show, we were turned away because my wife had a purse. Needless to say we were not willing to walk back down the hill, leave the purse in the room, walk back up the hill and see the show half way through the 1st intermission. If you are a person who likes to settle and can live on low quality food then my 1 rating maybe a 3 for you. One other thing, I didn't even comment on their dessert selections. It felt like a run down Chinese restaurant from post Covid times. I would give the whole food experience a bit Yuck! read more

Highly overrated - a fun experience once and a beautiful view outside but so overpriced and bad service!

Beautiful setting. Ambitious undertaking, we were very much looking forward to the experience, but felt at-least for now that it came up short. Good luck Heirloom!!! Truly! We really do want you to be a success! Maybe as the season rolls forward you will be a well oiled machine; however the staffing that we encountered seemed to be confused, and the wait times for food were too long in our opinion. When the ungarnished dinners arrived on the oversized plates, they looked as if plated with little concern for the aesthetic, and unfortunately out of all four meals, no one was overjoyed. The desserts were a different story. Beautifully served and equally delicious. All the best to the people that are trying to make this work. Maybe just having some growing pains. We will try again sometime. read more

Heirloom Restaurant - New American Near Me - Chautauqua, New York

Great location in the Atheneum, a grand old hotel overlooking Lake Chautauqua. We've always enjoyed the menu, and we've been disappointed this summer by the buffet only set up. Labor shortage? Lack of creativity? When they bring back the menu; we'll be back. read more

We dined here on 7/11/23 for my partner's birthday. I've been to Heirloom in the past and I have no idea what is happening this year, but it was a disaster. The food was mostly fine; the issue was with service. My friend asked about what wine would go with the trout; the server clearly had no clue and pretty much just tried to play it off. We had to ask for bread. The appetizers and the mains all came out at the same time; when we complained we were told that "the kitchen was backed up so they just made everything at once." The server dropped the check without even offering dessert; I had to push back on that since it was my partner's birthday. I asked for an espresso martini and she apparently didn't know what that meant since she just brought out four coffees. No candle or anything in my partner's dessert even though I'd just told her it was his birthday. Despite giving her a credit card, which she then returned to me, she then chased us out the door to ask if we were going to put it on a room, then I had to give her the credit card back so she could properly collect payment. Although they did comp the apps and my partner's dessert after we complained, it was still a complete disaster and she ruined my partner's birthday. Never coming back. read more

Don't go. Save your money and your health! We went there on a sunday night before the Diana Ross concert. We made reservations as soon as they opened almost four weeks ago. We were seated right away right next to the beverage station. It was so close a reasonable person could not fit between our chairs and the self-serve station. We asked to move to a nearby empty table but were denied that request. We moved the table ourselves a foot or so away to give us some room. After waiting 20 minutes, I flagged a manager down to ask about getting a server for our table. We finally did get a server who it turned out was on her second day and had significant trouble communicating with us. We finally understood that they only offer the $55 Prime Rib buffet on Sunday nights. - Not what we wanted but we reluctantly agreed. (How about a little advertising on your website about the change in menu offerings?) The buffet was a disaster. They were out of plates to start. They were out of lettuce at the salad station. They were out of Prime rib at the Prime rib buffet! Then we noticed after going with alternative selections, that everything was cold. The lobster bisque, the mashed potatoes, the seafood (mussels, shrimp, fish in a red sauce), the osso buco, the past selection, everything was cold! So here we were, dining at the "top" restaurant in the Chautauqua Institution and we were there for over 40 minutes, with no drinks, and a selection of cold items from a pathetic buffet. I asked to see the manager and told him nothing on the buffet was heated to the required temperatures. He checked the lobster bisque and said "You're right. Thank you for bringing it to my attention" and then walked away. He then let the next people in line help themselves to the unheated bisque. We caught our newbie server on the way out and told her, for health reasons, we decided against dining with them this evening. Instead we had some noodles and dumplings from the food trucks in Miller Park. - those were much more enjoyable than our experience at the Heirloom. It's clear that this manager is unqualified to run a restaurant and way over his head. The staff is not trained in the basics of waiting tables, and if they don't change something soon they are going to make a lot of people sick or worse. If someone from the Chautauqua County health department reads this review, please, please, please do an inspection before someone dies. Shame to the Chautauqua board for allowing this to happen. read more

The food was tasty and my server was lovely, but unfortunately the whole experience was disappointing. First of all, the place is LOUD. I'm 27, & I had to ask one of my dining companions to repeat herself many times. I can only imagine how the clientele who use hearing aids fared. We were seated at 6:30, & then it took 20 minutes for our orders to be taken. We had salads, a main course, and dessert, and the whole process took more than two hours. I understand that many people come in to eat at the same time, but unless I am in a fine dining establishment that length of time for a meal is unacceptable. They seemed to have plenty of staff, so I don't know why there was only one bus person working the whole room. There was a small wait station next to our table, which in and of itself is not a problem, but I sat next to a half eaten plate of fish for almost an hour. When our desserts (finally) arrived the room had mostly cleared out, and I counted almost a dozen tables still completely covered in the remains of other people's dinners- all while the floor manager stood around with his hands literally in his pockets. Sadly, good food was ruined by exceptionally poor management. read more

Went here for a soft opening. Excellent service, very friendly waiter who was able to help me in all of my confusion about the menu. I was very impressed with my appetizer, the tuna poke. However, the best part BY FAR was my filet mignon! It was cooked to perfection, and I can honestly say it was the best tasting piece of meat I've had in my life. After all of that, the baked Alaska desert was delicious. Although the prices were a little high, I did not mind, as the view overlooking Chautauqua lake was beautiful. All in all, I am very impressed with the improvements this restaurant has made over the years. read more

Excellent brunch!! Lox, steamship beef cooked to perfection, coconut doughnut pudding, Niçoise salad, and more, yum!

My husband and I went here this evening ,and had a phenominal meal ! I had the broiled scallops with side salad and roasted carrots, and he had a strip steak which was cooked to a perfect medium ,as he requested ,along with a side salad and risotto. The young lady who served us was very pleasant ,and attentive. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. We will definitely go back ,to support this hard working staff . read more

6 adults and 3 children went for a birthday dinner. First - they were not accommodating in getting us seating on the veranda or in the window view area. We sat at a large table in the back of the dining room. The service was good which is why I give a "1" rating - except half our meals were served and then we waited more than 5 minutes for the rest. The meals were mostly poor or way over priced. 5 sea scallops for $38.00! 1/2 roasted chicken breast for $28.00! I personally ordered Veal Ragu for $30.00. It was the worst restaurant meal I have had in at least 20 years. You had to hunt for the tiny veal pieces which couldn't have amounted to 2 oz. The ragu sauce was nothing like any I had ever tasted and it was sparingly used resulting in a dry pasta. It was terrible and I left at least 1/2 behind. If it hadn't been a birthday celebration I would have mightily complained. NO! NO! Never eat there again. read more

Holy cow, what a disgrace to Chautauqua. We went here expecting a really special last night in Chautauqua and in the end received an embarrassing meal followed by a very expensive check. As we walked into the main dining hall, we were astounded by the dated and poorly appointed decor. It seems that someone's Aunt Millie decorated the room back in 1986 and no one has touched it since. The food was astoundingly bad. How do you mess up pasta?? I sent it back and received another poorly prepared dish in return. My daughter had a hamburger which was the only edible entree, but still not cooked to her request. I went there thinking I had heard that it was renovated, and had a new chef recently, but I can't believe that to be true. Sadly, despite the beautiful exterior, I cannot in good conscience recommend this restaurant to others. I should mention, this review was from a visit in July 2015. I found it in my drafts folder and had forgotten to post it! read more

Big bummer. Beautiful view but wowzers. 1. It is fine to me to have a restaurant with $30 entrees. It is also fine to me to have a restaurant staffed by high schoolers. However, it can be disappointing to combine the two, esp when the high schoolers are not schooled in fine dining! No info from our waitress about any of the entrees, we were not told the specials, and we received 3 pieces of bread for 4 people! 2. We did not get our salads until after the entrees came out-- and the lettuce was lame. 3. One of my dining companions ordered the veal ragú... literally NO VEAL! Just pasta with a light tomato sauce. We had to send it back! 4. Wait to get our food was quite long. Didn't see our waitress for a while during that time (would have asked about our salads!) 5. After all that... the bill was almost $200. Not a thing taken off! No extra wine offered! Tacky IMO. read more

This restaurant has the ambience, noise, and food quality of a junior high cafeteria, but is much more expensive. However, the service in a junior high cafeteria is better. Our dinner tonight started with a 15-minute wait for a waiter to come to our table. When no one appeared, I prevailed upon the hostess to bring us some water. She proceeded to pour my wife's into her glass and mine all over the table. Things went downhill from there. My wife and I thanked God that we were not staying at the hotel under their meals-included program.k read more

What a colossal disappointment. We were staying at the Athenaeum at Cautauqua. Tired of eating sandwiches, we decided to treat ourselves to a "fancy" dinner at one of the two campus restaurants that serves alcohol. We'd enjoyed a lunch on the patio, and were looking forward to a drink and a fine meal. The hotel brochure indicated that dressing up (a bit) was in order. Here's what we found: - no dark napkins available to prevent lint on our dark clothes - no spirits. Modest selection of beers or wines by the glass. - friendly, but not knowledgeable staff - most diners were casually dressed; a few were very casual (cargo shorts, jeans, logo sweatshirts) - crowded, noisy dining room had the ambiance of a mess hall - I ordered a 8 oz. filet, medium rare, with grilled asparagus and baked potato. What I got was medium well steak, without the blue cheese butter described on the menu, grilled CANNED asparagus and an underdone potato. No garnish. It took over 5 minutes to flag down our waiter to get the blue cheese butter. - My dining partner got shrimp pasta...a huge bowl of pasta with 4 shrimp. - After I finished my first glass of water, it remained empty for over 5 minutes The meal was edible, but not worth the price. So disappointed. read more

Based on the previous reviews we went against our better judgement. However we liked the food and the service. Not to mention you can't beat sitting on the veranda eating a really nice meal overlooking Lake Chautauqua. I had the calf's liver, my spouse had the trout and my son with demanding tastes had the salmon. All meals were very good. Bill our waiter was very attentive. The prices were in line with the other finer dining places at the Institute. All in all, very decent. Seems they got it together. read more

The tapas menu is a great deal, excellent burgers. Dining room is cavernous and wait staff have long runs from the kitchen to tables or porch dining. Selection of wines and craft brews add to the menu, service was greatly improved over the previous (first year of ala carte dining) season. read more

Would not recommend. They ran out of fish of the day because "you know, it was lobster". Their version of club soda is tonic water, I was told, when I received the former after asking for the latter. Dishes were left uncollected after finishing courses. My water has something floating in it. When it was replaced, my date's empty glass remained empty despite the 4-inch proximity of the pitcher after pouring water into my new glass. Two decaf coffees arrived after we ordered two regular coffees. I had one of their two house specialties, free range something-or-other chicken. Utterly unremarkable. Asparagus spears were spotty - some stringy. A lot of loitering staff. Finally,y date and I wanted to split the bill so we gave them two credit cards. Inexplicably, hers was $56 and mine, $32. Two words - don't go. read more

We have gone to Heirloom once a season for the past three years. I always look forward to the dinner on the porch overlooking the lake. It is such a lovely ambiance I am usually willing to overlook lapses in the kitchen and service. But tonight the experience was - just awful. The young inexperienced waitress knew nothing about the dishes and did not review any specials. The wait for the food was over 45 minutes with no explanation or apology. When the dishes arrived, the vegetables in each dish were undercooked and overcooked- dismal Brussel sprouts, roasted carrots that were both tough and mushy, and snap peas so over cooked they were inedible. Salads arrived after the main course- limp lettuce and poorly made dressing. No apology for the wait. I am beyond disappointed with the new chef and the service. Wildly overpriced and not worth the time or money. I'll get my lake view by walking. read more

We had a great dinner last week including the filet mignon and NY Strip which were worth every penny! The service was great and the views of the lake are amazing! Request a table on the porch and enjoy! read more

My Friend and I went to Chautauqua this past weekend. (8/24/19) The Athenaeum Hotel was absolutely beautiful and great staff. Sadly I can not say the same for the Heirloom Restaurant. The Buffet was terrible, and sadly not a good reflection of the Athenaeum Hotel. The buffet table looked great, but the food was subpar. Very poorly seasoned, and in my opinion, the management needs to be trained more extensively in order to maintain edible food on a buffet table. The salad table was acceptable, but other than that the food wasn't kept at a high enough temperature to maintain a warm eating temperature. By the time I got to my table all the food intended to be hot was COLD. it was awful. The chicken was undercooked and was not edible, (still pink) and again completely cold. The vegetables were a very nice choice in variety, and nicely grilled, but they made no attempt to keep them warm. I can't eat cold food. And at the five star prices this should not happen. The next day we had no choice other than the buffet for brunch. Same thing. The choices were nice, but all the food was cold by the time you walked to your table. And again at a five star price. (two meals for two were a total of $250.00 and that was with one person drinking a cup of coffee, and one person with one glass of house wine) I have eaten at other hotel buffets and never have I experienced cold and undercooked food like that. I would recommend to others to stay at the beautiful Athenaeum Hotel, but go to one of the lovely restaurants within the beautiful grounds. We both agreed we would never eat there again. read more