This place is probably one of the best kept secrets in the area, the best burgers that come in three sizes, Mini, Little & one called "The Tavern Burger" plus the Monster Burger. Our usual, two "Little Burgers" were cooked to perfection, from medium to well done along with regular fries and sweet potato fries. Good selection of beer on tap that changes with the seasons and a friendly staff make a out of place worth going out of your way for. read more

Service was not great. Place was dead and one had to beg for a beer let alone food. Food was generously served. Staff was friendly. But my giant burger was so over cooked it crumbled. ( I ordered medium rare) Nice local place, however don't go if you are looking to be impressed. read more

Excellent! Went there for the first time and had looked at their menu online. I wanted a burger and one that actually had meat in between the buns and their menu said their Tavern burger came in 1/4 lb, 1/2 lb and 1lb sizes. I got a half lb burger , fries and onion rings. They had a good variety of things between the regular menu and their specials but I had my mind set on a burger and was more than happy with my choice. I'll try some of the other things another time. Great place read more

Had a wonderful experience at the recently remodeled Ivoryton Tavern. The staff was super friendly and helpful. While I'm not a regular they made feel welcome and so did all the regular's. The decor may have changed but the menu remains consistently excellent The burgers are exceptional but I went with primer rib special at $ 22.00 dollars which was both delicious and the price can't be beat. Well worth trying it for yourself, like me you'll be back again read more

If you like Burgers and you are near Essex ( Ivoryton), go to IVORYTON TAVERN CAFE. Be careful. If you order a Little Burger, you will be surprised. It is large ( 1/2 LBS) And be very careful and not be fooled if you order a Tavern Burger. It is huge ( 1 LB) For the average eater, order a Tavern Mini Burger ( 1/4 LB) It will be enough. Cost for this Mini Burger is only $4.25. Added cheese is only $0.75 more. All Burgers come with Chips French Fries are extra. It is a Tavern and it looks and feels like a Tavern .It's Décor is different from your regular casual restaurants. It not very big. It is right across from the Ivoryton Playhouse. The Café is very busy just before a performance. So if you are going to see a play or musical at the Ivoryton Playhouse, and want to eat at the Tavern, go at least one hour before the start of a performance. I can't give an opinion on anything else on the menu since I only order a cheese Burger. But all the customers seem to enjoy their meals and the portions are large. It appears that many of their customers are regulars. Service is good. Yes, they also give you FREE Pop Corn while you wait for your meal. TRAVEL KAL read more

Save your money, off my radar, will never eat at this restaurant again. Enough said! I do miss the ppl however that go to eat here!

Went here from reading the reviews on how good the burgers are. Decided to come with the family before going to the north pole express in Essex. (Its about 5 minutes away). I was a little skeptical after walking in but all that went away when we were greeted by the friendly & fast service. The burgers definitely didn't disappoint. They were juicy & full of flavor. I was starving and was barely able to finish the 1/2 lb bacon cheeseburger. The wife got the 1/4 lb version & was also very pleased. All in all we were happy with our choice & would go back. read more

My steak was cooked just how I like and my husband thought his Meatloaf was fabulous.

Great atmosphere. Very friendly staff. Pub style menu. The food is very good and the portion size is enormous. Be prepared to take home leftovers. I highly recommend this place. read more

This place is a true hidden gem. The local flair is fun and inviting. The building is an historic icon in Ivoryton. Conversation between customers is encouraged (because the bartender turns off all the TV's), and the regulars are a friendly mixture of characters! Swapping funny stories and jokes are regular activities at the bar! I was here the other day and had the daily special, Chicken Pot Pie. The pastry topping was perfectly browned, and it was delicious! It was recommended by another customer who had just finished theirs. I was not disappointed! The quality of the food that comes out of this small kitchen is amazing. The portions are huge and the food is consistently high quality. I recommend the Ivoryton Tavern to all my friends. People that know the place rave about the food. The burgers are amazing! Try the California Salad for a treat. The Quesadilla is huge and very good. Daily specials are a good value, too. If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and check this place out. It's a bit out off the beaten track, but well worth the trip. Sit at the bar to join the banter with the regulars. You'll put this on the list of your favorite places! read more

We drove 40 minutes for this place! Skip the fish and chips, as it is too small and underwhelming. Go for the burgers!!!! My father is a big man. He can EAT. He could only finish half of one of their burgers. The other half provided his meal for the next day. For my father to surrender to a burger, it has to be one pretty big burger. Check them out! read more

My girlfriend and I went here for dinner. Service was quick and super nice. While we were not in town for a play they were kind enough to ask us.....to be sure everyone received their food in time. This place reminds me of how restaurants used to be before chain restaurants took over. Their food is fresh and homemade. The Chicken Soup was delicious and the half sandwich was practically a whole one. For dessert we had an Apple Dumpling which was amazing! The best I have ever had and worth the trip. If you want fancy go to the Copper Beach. If you are looking for comfort food in a relaxed home town environment. ...this is your place. We will be back! read more

HUGEEEE BURGERS!!! Bigger than your face. Amazing burgers. If you go there, get the Tavern Burger! We can't urge you enough. Great local watering hole, good bands playing all the time. Funny waitresses who give you attitude, but not in that bad way...in the way that's like "we're the only place to eat in 20 miles around here so we're gunna tell you how it is here". The decor is charming. Closed on Mondays, but packed all the other nights because like I said...it's all they got in tri-town. read more

Take a leisurely drive to the Town of Ivoryton and pop into the Tavern for a great lunch. Before ordering from an extensive menu of apps, daily specials, sandwiches, burgers, salads and entrees check out the eclectic decorations! Portions are huge and the service is friendly and efficient. They offer several specialty cocktails on a chalkboard.Prices are reasonable. read more

Big bugers! Fun lively place to have a beer or two.... nothing fancy but good

Must try the burgers! The burgers are cook the right way and huge! Great prices for the food. Family friendly

Great! The bar and waitstaff are fast and friendly.i've eaten here several time and had different things on the menu. All are prepared just right and the chef knows what they are doing.also the prices are very reasonable.has the comfort of an old -fashioned bar and that's what it is. read more

Big food! Really good burgers. if you're hungry it is definitely a place to go for a homestyle meal If you want a real high-quality, innovative meal I might not go here. read more

Go back in time and enjoy a great hamburger with the locals. I highly recommend the burgers, various sizes available- you will understand why when you order. They also serve breakfast which is unique for a pub. Nice spot to walk around or enjoy the theatre next door. read more

Great , friendly tavern with fresh ,down home cooking!!! WE LOVE "THE TAVERN"!Nothing pretentious, great eclectic atmosphere, great waitstaff and bartenders. If you want real food , good portions and to enjoy yourself- get over to the Ivoryton Tavern.Huge,great burgers, great salads, fresh soups and many daily specials. We love the entire friendly staff, especially Doreen.She's got an infectious smile and laugh- that just welcomes you right in. The owners are great folks who care about their business. Worth the trip! read more

Delicious menu, almost everything! Went here with some friends I was hooking up with after we went to do the Essex train and Clinton shopping and it did not disappoint, the service was pretty good and friendly. I recommend here for any meet ups with friends or just about anyone! read more

ZERO stars. I need to preface this whole review with these facts: I am very local to this place, I own my own business in the same town and have had over 20 years of restaurant management experience. If anyone can deeply understand how hard that industry can be, it's me - to the point that my family often thinks that I give way too much slack when things are not "up to par." My family decided to eat here last night after ordering take-out a few times during the pandemic. We arrived at 7:00 to a 2/3 full restaurant. After being acknowledged, we were told that we had to eat outside even though there were 2 tables we were looking at that could have easily accommodated 2 adults and 1 child. Luckily, it was a very nice night to be eating outside. We ordered drinks - a beer, a glass of wine and a shirley temple - they took longer than they should but not worthy of saying anything about. We ordered our meals at 7:20 - Reuben, Nachos, child's chicken fingers. At no point prior to ordering did any of the 4 different people we interacted with tell us that the kitchen had been way behind all night. If we had been told this up front, we could have made our own decision to stay or leave, thus putting the onus on us to decide and then the horrible experience would have never even happened. This is what transpired between then and 8:30 when we finally received our food: It was clear that the servers were doing their best, they remained polite when we asked after another 30 minutes when our food would be ready. The busser (?) said she would go ask and came back and said another 15 minutes. When our server came out with a 2nd bag of popcorn so we wouldn't starve, I asked her to please fire the to-go food that we ordered at the same time as our meals so that we wouldn't wait for that after we'd eaten. She said no problem. So now we're at about 8:15 and still no food. My husband wanted to leave, was rather upset at this point as was my young daughter who was very hungry. I went inside to find our server and ask her to bring out another beer and that it would be nice for it to be "on the house" since we'd been waiting so long. I also had a polite brief chat with her (and the busser who was next to her) that letting people know about an unusually long kitchen time (esp. when there are children in the party) is just good customer service and the right thing to do to avoid customers getting upset. 5 minutes later (@ 8:30), 4 people come out with all of our food including the to-go order. Less than a minute after, a woman comes over to us and slaps down 2 more bags and 3-4 to-go boxes on the table next to ours. "Your dinner is free," she said. I did not expect a free meal and just said "No, but thank you for the offer. I did not ask for our meal to be free. We did wait too long though and it would have been good to know that ahead of time." And then the most unprofessional exchange I've ever encountered began.....she told me that I should never have spoken to our server about the delay or asked her for a beer on the house. I asked her who I should have spoken to - and she told me that she was the owner. Her tone was aggressive and I asked (incredulously) if she was trying to fight with me about what happened - it certainly seemed that way. According to her, I wasn't authorized to ask for a beer on the house. She said the servers have no idea when the food would come out of the kitchen because they have no idea how many tickets are in there. This makes ZERO sense - but ok - at least THE OWNER should have checked in with us, which she never did until this moment. The exchange was really the worst example I have ever witnessed of how to resolve a customer issue in a restaurant setting. I want local establishments to thrive, I want women-owned businesses to thrive! I do not want to be yelled at by the owner when she couldn't be bothered to check in with us the whole night. We will never return. It all could have very easily been avoided. An owner with this attitude in a customer-dependent industry has to do better than this. Lesson #1 : bad experiences travel 10x faster and broader than good ones. read more

This is a great local hang out with good food and a relaxed atmosphere. All of the food is made to order so it can take some time, but it is worth the wait. The Tavern Burgers are HUGE so make sure to bring an appetite if you order one. This is a pub style restaurant so if you are looking for something fancy you should head up the road to the Copper Beech, but if you want good food and a cold beer than I recommend checking out The Tavern. read more

I love this place! It is quintessential New England. I frequent this spot at least once a month, and have been doing so for years. The food is awesome, and a great value. The Staff goes out of their way to to please everyone. Bernadette, the Manager and her Team are second-to-none. Their Ruben served with onion rings is one of my favorites. The Asian Steamed Salmon Salad it incredible. There are a lot of regulars, and that says it all. read more

Non existent service. I went to the bar. I sat there for five minutes (actually I think more). I waited while the bartender served some drinks. Mind you, this is a VERY small bar. The bartender walked right passed me (about three feet away), to start picking up glasses at the other side. She washed them. I was thinking, huh?, I am now right directly in front of you and you aren't acknowledging me? I could have reached out and touched her. She went back to get more glasses, then washed them immediately in front of me. Then she walked away, dried her hands and just stood there talking to people five feet away. Like I said, NON-existent service. I left. read more

Real HOMEMADE Food!!! Cozy little place, service is always quick and friendly. But the winner is the food..feel like your visiting your aunts kitchen. read more

More food than you can eat! Prices are great. Basically, a simple review is good, hearty food, no pretense or fancy restaurant and portions are (yes, you've heard it before) HUGE! Our favorite new local joint. Not fancy (I emphasize that). But, staff is friendly and welcoming. The decor is kind of "old" but it is comfortable. Small New England towns all seem to have a place like this, but none are like this. GO TOMORROW! ENJOY! read more

Great place for fun appetizers after an afternoon show at the Ivoryton Playhouse! Can't beat the outdoor patio setting!

For a pub this place has great food. Every bartender, cook and waitress is polite. Funky decor and great beer. I recommend stopping by.

Well - I was told Tavern changed hands - so we decided to give a go . Went early on a Friday night. We walked in around 5:30 and stood by the door for a about 5 minutes. Hmmm. So we saw an open table to the left and decided to move toward it - ALL of a SUDDEN someone pops out of somewhere, points at us and yells - YOU CAN"t SIT THERE! Go sit over at that table...." sheesh - that was welcoming - we were in a pretty good mood , so after pointing out that I could not sit at a high top "she" said - "well go take that one over in the corner..."? - Outstanding hospitality skills....anyway - we brushed it off, sat down and ordered some drinks, the waitress was nice and accommodating. Food was just 'ok'- I had the fish and chips (which I have had here before) and the chips were soggy and unseasoned and the fish was cooked to proper level, but also no seasoning and the batter was kind of soggy too.... the other meal ordered was a salad and was decent - - apple dumpling was fine...the kicker was the menu pricing was not a great deal given the quality of the food on a Friday night......so, not sure I would recommend to my friends if they ask where to go grab some dinner - but, ok for drinks (also a wee bit more $$ given the venue).. read more

New favorite place. Alway busy parking is a bit of a hassle but worth it. Bartender Joe was tentative and food was good. Prime rib is excellent read more

Solid reputation, locally, for great food, nut beers on tap way too pricy for this neck of the woods. Would not go back., and I could walk there! read more

Nice place to go to the food is good and the people are nice. one thing is that the last time we went the server seemed to forget about us, other than that a good place to go if your not in the mood for anything fancy casual place right near the Ivoryton playhouse if you see a play this would be a convenient place to get a bite to eat read more

Disappointed by the food. We did takeout. I had wanted to try it based on others' positive reviews. My husband ordered a buffalo chicken quesadilla, he received a chicken quesadilla with salsa in it. He couldn't even eat it due to poor quality. He ordered fries as well, that were not given. My chicken tenderloin sandwich was served on a stale roll. The chicken was mediocre and the fries were bad. My mother apparently liked her chili though. Unfortunately we will not be returning. read more