We went on Wednesday, when they often have a local fife & drum corps parade briefly through the old dining room. Awesome! I had the coow-woow cocktail (America's first mixed drink), which was full of patriotic spirits. The w's are silent. The Brussels sprouts appetizer was absolutely delicious with bacon & blue cheese. And my lobster casserole was loaded with sherry and thus also delicious. We hope to return to try some of the other items on the extensive menu. Normally, historic and gourmet are mutually exclusive, but this place does both exceptionally well. Learn in the museum room upstairs and wander around. It's fascinating, and every dish we had was both traditional and scrumptious. Also, our server had a nice sense of humor. The inn is out in the woods quite a ways, but worth the trip. read more

I've eaten here many times mostly because of the location and history. The food is variable, though, and the waitstaff is really not very good. We were a party of 10 with reservations at 2:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon. It was quiet, as one would expect. There were maybe 5 or 6 tables occupied. The menu looked great. It had been updated and had a lot of options to choose from. Our waitress, Emma, seemed OK at first. She took our drink order and eventually our food order. I noticed an edge about her as she took the food order from some members of our family, but it wasn't a big deal. It took forever for our food to arrive. It was easily 45 minutes, probably longer. The manager came over to apologize and said they had an "unexpected number of walk-ins," but I could see the entire dining room and, at that point, there was no one else there. I dont know what he was talking about. Our family ordered different meals. The Chicken Pot Pie and the Fish dinner were both, reportedly, very good. The salmon atop a caesar salad was, reportedly, dry. My chicken club sandwich was okay. Two ordered burgers, which were not okay. My sister said hers smelled a bit off, and, sure enough, she had an "upset stomach" later in the day. I dont know what was wrong, specifically, with the second burger but the person who ordered it wasn't happy with it. I didn't hear about the other meals. To be fair, our waitress was not told about any of these issues so they didn't have a chance to make it right. Then came time for dessert and our waitress seemed annoyed that we were ordering. It was my mother's birthday and we weren't about to skip that, though. Emma was actually rude at that point. She clearly had an attitude when taking our dessert order. Several people commented on it. My mother and sister ordered the sherbet which both said was very good. I tried a bite of the raspberry and agree that it was very refreshing. I ordered the bread pudding, which was also very good. Portions were good, not skimpy. I highly recommend both of them. I didn't see what the others ordered. There was no compensation for the extremely long wait and there was no offer of a gratuitous dessert for my mother's birthday, but okay. They don't have to. They just missed an opportunity to provide better hospitality. As we left, there were about 6-7 staff hovering around the reception desk, just outside of the dining room. It functions like a "Command Central" for the Inn. Lots of management types. We had passed them on the way in. Not one of them seemed to be engaging with the customers. They were very business-like, milling around. They were just as closed-off as I remember them being when we came in. If this restaurant were not part of a historic landmark, it would never survive. Management and staff have clearly forgotten about the "hospitality" end of their business. I do, however, recommend going to the Inn, taking the tour (excellent), visiting the tavern, enjoying the grounds and the other facilities, e.g. The Grist Mill (perfect for a picnic or a game of frisbee), Martha Mary Chapel, etc., and do have lunch there--just don't expect the food or service to be anything great. Rating: two stars = "could have been better." read more

I had a pleasant experience at this historic inn. The ambiance was spectacular and the service was good. There's a lot of history within these walls. We had the prime rib, french onion soup, and chicken pot pie. The prime rib was good. It was cooked to a good medium rare. It was tender and juicy. The au jus was lovely and the mashed potatoes nicely complemented the meat. The chicken pot pie was creamy and rich. We will definitely return. read more

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I have gone here most of my life, a lot as a little, also as a a young adult with my family, and now as a middle aged person, with two of my best friends! It's an experience. You can see, feel, and smell how wonderfully antiquated this place is. We sat in the kitchen from years ago. The service was friendly. You get muffins to start. We also ordered the cheese dip, which was delicious. All three of us had the three course menu. We started with salads-yum!, then had the seafood bake, and had to take our Indian pudding (a must). The place is an experience that I highly recommend. read more

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I love the Wayside Inn. This historic Inn is just so cozy and the service is always great. They serve comfort food at its best. I had the roasted turkey dinner special and let me tell you, the turkey just melted in my mouth. Served with your choice of potato, veggie, corn bread stuffing and cranberry sauce. The dinner specials come with an appetizer soup or salad and dessert. Great value for the money. My only criticism is the desserts. I didn't care for the type of apple used in the apple pie and I wished the apples were softer. The pie crust had a soggy bottom. My partner had the crème brûlée and the top wasn't hard enough. I like a good satisfying crack with my crème brûlée and we didn't get that. So yes we were disappointed with dessert, but our dinners were delicious! read more

Let me start by saying that I've been dining at the Wayside Inn for a good 40 years, and it has always been one of my favorites. The food has been consistently good, with great service as well. My husband and I go there every October for our anniversary, and every December for my birthday. We have taken guests there from other parts of the country, and as far as Australia. That's how much we've loved it. But lately, things have gone terribly wrong. We went in December for my birthday, and I ordered my usual Lobster Casserole. It's always been delicious, but on this night, it was rubbery and very difficult to chew. I figured it might be a bad night - we all have those. Last night we had a 6:30pm reservation for our anniversary. We arrived at 6:25, and the hostess told us there would be at least a 30 minute wait. When I asked why, she told me they had a couple of large functions and were understaffed. That sounds like a "them" problem, and shouldn't be passed on to their guests who made reservations in advance. Other folks with reservations were waiting ahead of us. We were seated in about 20 minutes in one of the smaller rooms. The room was packed and very loud, and one server was taking care of all the tables. The hostess, who kept stopping by to apologize, brought us a basket of rolls. They used to also bring crackers and spreadable cheese, but now they charge for that on the menu. Disappointing. The server, who was very nice, took our orders. My husband ordered the clam chowder to start - and this has always been his favorite clam chowder. He also ordered the filet mignon, and I ordered the lobster casserole. We waited a very long time, and I wondered if the server had forgotten my husband's chowder, but my husband didn't want to ask about it. Then, the server delivered everything at once - the chowder along with the meals. That's a great opportunity for the main course to get cold, but that didn't happen, because my husband tasted the chowder and said it was so incredibly salty, it was inedible. My lobster casserole was - again - like rubber - nearly impossible to chew. We asked for to-go boxes, paid, and left. It was very disappointing. Now that I've reviewed our meals, I have a couple of other things to mention... My husband walks with crutches, so we parked in back near the handicap entrance. There were no handicap spaces available, so I parked in the nearest spot I could find. To get to the door from that entrance, we must go up an incline which is all bricks. When my husband was in a wheelchair, I had a great deal of difficulty pushing him up that incline (he's not heavy), and for him to walk it last night was also very difficult. There is also NO lighting there, so if you are handicapped or elderly (or both), and need to be able to see where you're going, I guess that's just too bad. No lights in the parking lot either. They just don't care. And finally, they have a lovely gift shop where they sell an abundance of local crafts, restaurant souvenirs, etc. We used to love to visit the shop after dinner. But it was closed, and there was a sign saying it was open from 11am to 6pm. The restaurant was PACKED last night and I'm sure they could have sold an abundance of merchandise. It's baffling to me that they would have changed their hours to only be open until 6pm. That's my tale. Something has gone terribly wrong with the Wayside Inn, and I hope they fix it. I want to continue going there, but not if they don't improve. read more

I love the place. Very cool to be so old and have all that history. There is parking near the entrance and parking across the street. The staff was great. A very nice young lady found me a seat and my waitress was attentive, friendly, and made a lot of recommendations. Now, I saw they had a Sunday dinner special for $32. It came with soup or salad, a main course ( three options ) and a dessert. I went with that and was eyeing the leg of lamb. The waitress said the Turkey was better and everyone gets it. I took her recommendation. There was a lot of food. A lot!! I got the clam chowder. It was delicious, and warming on such a cold night. Absolutely loved the soup. I took the recommendation of the Turkey over the leg of lamb. I regret this choice only because the Turkey was super dry. I drowned it in Gravy and cranberry sauce and it was still very dry. I didn't have the heart to say something so I ate as much as I could. The last part was dessert, I got apple pie with vanilla ice cream. This was a great way to end the meal. It also paired perfectly with the hot apple cider I got. Overall, I recommend this place to everyone. The history is cool, the service is stellar. I think I just got dry turkey. read more

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well i was expecting a better experience....have not been here in years...a lovely place with lovely grounds and a lovely antique building and some museum area and walking trails, service was pleasant BUT well, i ordered a vodka gimlet, awful......we ordered the calamari, it was not calamari at all, mostly chilis and onion pieces fried up together...my other had the reuben, she thought it was very good, i had the chicken sandwich, interesting but the chicken was tough and rather flavorless.....sooooo, not a good experience at all...disappointing!!! read more

Wow, this place has really gone downhill. I'm being generous with two stars only because I love the atmosphere. At 68 years old, I have been going here for most of my life. My 'go to' was the chicken pot pie. What on earth happened to it? Can it really be called a pot pie? Nope! It was mostly gravy with a few bits of shredded chicken. Unless you eat the puff pastry, you would starve! read more

The food is consistently great. All the servers are very accommodating. The whole staff do a great job. We love going to this place. The only problem is sometimes it's hard to get in. read more

Ambiance 5. Service 4. Food 3. Gorgeous historic setting. Service pretty good, but menu confusing. Doesn't explain entrees come with 2 sides. Tried both colonial cocktails. The Coow Woow the tastier of the two, the apple jack skippable. The shrimp casserole I wouldn't order again. Ritz crackers traditional, but obviously unhealthy and a modern tweak would be helpful. If there was sherry, seemed like the bottle was waved over the dish. The fresh green beans butternut squash and bread basket with corn muffins all above average. read more

After having a conversation with the lady who does my nails at the salon, she had said that the food had improved here since she was last year with her husband. I was incredibly skeptical, considering that this restaurant has let me down several times, but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Went and brought my family here for Easter today, and I will say it does look like the service has significantly improved since the last time I was here with my family. Servers were very friendly and attentive. This is the reason why this review is getting two stars not one star. The reason this is also remaining at a low ranking review is because of the food. This was the first time we had tried their ham with maple bourbon sauce. Oh my goodness, what a horrible nauseating nightmare this was! Overly sweet and the ham was completely engulfed in this. Trust me when I say a little bit of this sauce goes a long way because after about 30 minutes, I was completely sick to my stomach and have been for several hours since. I don't know who thought it was a brilliant idea to prepare the ham this way, but I would've preferred it four years ago when I came here for Easter and it did not have this sauce. A glaze is one thing but to just completely drown ham in this sauce is totally lazy and disgusting. Bread, Service and cheese and crackers were fine, but I think this is definitely the last time I'm going to be reviewing this place. No matter what anybody says my confidence in this place has totally died. read more

It upsets me to write this review, I was married @ the Wayside Inn and visited it many times, and before I decided to write this , I reached out not once but twice to the management before I did so and they did nothing, the food as always would have been good if it was served on a timely manner and with what we asked for. read more

I have already done a fantastic review Loretta is a favorite go to waitress!!!! Tara the host front and manager is the friendliest person!! my husband, and I love the food! In the month of February, we went three times read more

We came the day before Thanksgiving with my 81-year-old Aunt and 85-year-old Mom. We were early and got a seat right in front of the fireplace. Home cooking, generous portions and the price was reasonable, too. What history and atmophere. We loved it. read more

Longfellow's Wayside Inn - American Near Me - Sudbury, Massachusetts

Nice dining experience and great atmosphere. It's a perfect place to enjoy a slow peaceful evening and yesteryear with family and friends. The Inn itself is one piece of treasured American history. read more

We were visiting Boston for the first time and decided to take a drive to see MA. We loved our dinner at Longfellow's Wayside Inn. We enjoyed the dinner special of Yankee Pot Roast and apple pie. The beet and apple salad was delicious and paired well with the chicken pot pie. Our server was great and she took care of our needs including specially wrapping our leftovers. The interiors were old colonial. The grounds are beautiful for those romantic strolls. read more

Longfellow's Wayside Inn - Longfellow's Wayside Inn grounds - American Near Me - Sudbury, Massachusetts

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An annual tradition. The quality of food has remained consistent over the years. Always ask for "not the main dining room " since the other rooms have more character. Dinner is a must so you can get the crackers and cheese and Delmonico potatoes. A favorite is the flavorful prime rib that comes medium rare as requested. The homemade muffins and rolls are delicious - make sure you take home the leftovers! read more

Longfellow's Wayside Inn - Pub Cheese & crackers - American Near Me - Sudbury, Massachusetts

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With reservations, we waited an hour and a half for our food to arrive. When it did, mine was cold my guests very fatty and cool. Zero compensation on a $80 lunch. Beautiful historic place but not worth it for the slow service, poor food quality and lack of attention. We were not alone in this experience as guests in the restroom were all mentioning the same experience. What has happened to this establishment. Don't seat 80 if you can only serve 30. Don't see how I return. read more

We had the most incredible experience eating lunch at Long Fellows Wayside Inn. The food was a party in our mouths with flavors we had never tried before. The self guided tour of the Inns history was facilitating. We highly recommend this place. read more

The food was sadly similar to that in a public school cafeteria. Nice staff and ambience but truly awful food. A big disappointment.

So this is a wonderful historic site no doubt. The food however while it seems like it could be so much better with just a little effort was mediocre. Our waitress was amazing. We had a great time with her. This place also needs a makeover very badly. The carpet looks like a fraternity house carpet. read more

History, ambiance, fantastic food and service. Loved the experience. Get lost in the past! read more

We came to the wayside inn for dinner based upon a recommendation from a local resident. My wife and I are from PA. There were 4 of us for our dinner reservation. None of us thought the food was very good. It was mostly flavorless. The food temperature was a tad above room temp. I had the chicken pot pie. While there was ample chicken in it, its flavor was bland. I would not order this again. I did start my meal with an order of clam chowder. My expectations were not met at all. Two others ordered the schrod. They would not order it again. Our 4th person ordered the Vegan Cakes and did enjoy them. Based on our main entrees, we did not venture ordering dessert nor consider returning here. read more

This place is cute, must check it out if you like nostalgia and americana. The menu is surprisingly and pleasantly updated pub food. I had a veggie burger and it came with fresh tomato slice and crisp green lettuce. The bun was perfectly lightly gilled and crisped as well. The fries were excellent too!! They have a very good beer selection with some delicious microbrewers. I did find fault with the cocktail I tried. I was super excited for their signature cocktail menu. I tried the vodka lemonade and it was really terrible, it tasted like crystal lite. Nothing fresh about it and it was over sweet. I should have sent it back because I couldn't drink it but I am one of those people who worries the staff will spit in my drink. I just ordered a beer instead which was perfect. Another major flaw in this place is that it is not super clean. the carpets need replacing throughout and the bathroom was not tended to. The age of the place and the smell of centuries old wear and woodsmoke are great. But water splashed allover the bathroom counter and dust and paper towels allover the floor is unacceptable- take a cue from the corporate places and have staff check every 30 minutes to an hour on busy weekends- there were 4 staff people standing around the hostess station and the ladies room looked like it had not been swept in 2 weeks. read more

The staff at Wayside really tried to work with us to get a reservation at a time that would work well. The service was attentive and the food was delicious! read more

Quaint atmosphere. My fiancé and I had a gift card to this restaurant so we gave it a try. The food was good quality. We ordered fried calamari (excellent) light batter and fresh. French onion soup was delicious. Our main entrees were prime rib with squash and scallops with mashed potatoes. It was buttery and rich. If you're looking for simple American food this is the spot. Good quality and prompt service. We had Marina as our waitress and she made the whole experience so exceptional! The sweetest, most tender person. Her service made the 50 mins drive worth it. read more

Stopped in the bar/tavern here today for a fun visit before heading to the airport for home. Bartender in the tavern...zero smile, zero engagement, zero friendliness. Felt like we were doing ALL the work to order a drink/appetizer. Get a new job if you don't like people... read more

Ordered the Yankee Pot Roast. It was dry and seemed burnt. I chose feeling a place like that would probably have the best wrong

Our party of 4 dining experience on Saturday for lunch was unbelievably bad . It took a longer than it should have to get a waiter to our table. Drinks were served to the wrong people. Three of the 4 dinners arrived. We had to get another server to get our waiter, Nico, to follow up on the missing meal. He blamed the kitchen and said it would be a while. I asked how long and the response was 5 mins. We waited then my husband got up and found another server to ask about the missing meal. Nico appeared in a bit but with the wrong entree! The turkey dinner did arrive but with chunks of meat and not the slices as described in the menu. While we got many apologies and the meal taken off the bill it didn't make up for Nico's sloppy and non-existent service. My sister-in-law (who has been there several times) was hurt and disappointed by all of this because it was a birthday get together for her brother. Needless to say, none of us will be returning. read more

I have been coming to the Wayside Inn for 40 years. The first time was to celebrate my graduation from college. Since, we've celebrated many happy occasions there, from the graduations of my own kids, to special anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays. New Years' Eve is our favorite day of the year at the Wayside Inn. In fact, we just celebrated my 60th birthday at the Wayside Inn, and the whole meal was a disappointment. I literally couldn't even eat the chicken pot pie I ordered. It's not the first time in recent months that I've been served food that was below par. I have to say that the most upsetting thing of all -- and it's almost ridiculous to say -- was the fact that the Wayside Inn no longer serves free cheese and crackers for the table. You have to pay for it now. I remember when the cheese and crackers was a more-expensive spreadable cheese. That was replaced with a cottage cheese dip, which was inferior, but at least it was SOMETHING. Cheese and crackers was a just an old-fashioned, but lovely touch. The food was never amazing, but it was basic and hearty, and the whole experience used to feel like a bygone time. Now even the Wayside Inn has cheaped out, all while raising prices. My husband's birthday is coming up. I think we'll find a new special restaurant. It's so disappointing. read more

Food was okay and server was excellent. Bartender, in the bar, had a hair across. No personality, no humor. Really soured the day.

10/19/2024 What could have been a lovely evening out was ruined by two things. First, I got a prime rib that was about 3/4 inedible FAT. For the high price tag, this was unacceptable. Second, the table waitperson was rude and condescending. Service was terrible and disrespectful. Therefore, the ambiance was no good. A waste of money and time. This place used to be very good but now this will not be the go-to place it once was, for family and friends from out of town. Total bad vibes. read more

Went for Easter and the service & meals were great! We also had all the Minutemen participants sitting outside, which was fun to see. Great area for tourists and worth the trip! read more

We took my mother to the Wayside Inn Restaurant for her birthday. My mom has been here often with friends, and loves it (which is why she picked The Wayside Restaurant when we asked what special restaurant she'd pick for her birthday). She was happy that we were seated in the room with the fireplace, which was lit. Everything was perfect (the food and service). Our server was very attentive. Needless to say, we will go back more often. read more

The bartender was TERRIBLE, and whipped up the worst Irish Coffee I have ever returned (I've never returned one) in my life. Probably new and inexperienced, but shame on them for allowing a HORRID Irish Coffee hit the table. That said, I love this place. They have THE BEST bacon wrapped scallops in the Metrowest. We love going just for those and fried calamari. I've dined there before, and the food is also great. Just not at the bar if this particular bartender is there. He is sweet as all get out, but can't mix drinks if they handend them to him pre-mixed (actually they have them premixed for his ease. I just threw a lulu at him and messed the poor thing up). It is a beautiful historic building, the staff are all lovely (even if they can't mix an Irish coffee), and the food is wonderful. Worth a visit. And yes, the follow strict Covid protocols, so you can feel safe in their very wide dining areas. Lovely! read more

Located in a historical inn. The food and service has always been superb. During nice weather is nice to walk around the adjacent grounds. read more

My family and I just had a lovely experience in the restaurant at the Wayside Inn. Bridget was the name of our waitress, and she was fantastic. They were down to one cook in the kitchen, and I'm know it must be extremely difficult to keep everyone content and enjoy their time with a little extra wait around the rush of the holidays. The food was delicious, some of the best fish and chips I've ever had, and I'm sure the cook must have been so stressed getting the food out asap all alone. with everything going on, Bridget was such an amazing server and kept us all content, and we had a fabulous time! read more

Drinks, dinner, and our stay were all so wonderful! Thank you! The historic ambiance of this Inn makes it a walk back into the early 1700's. We will definitely be back! read more

I read another review that was extremely different from my experience and wanted to share. My boyfriend took me here for his "surprise date". I had no idea what I was getting into. Upon arrival (on a Wednesday) I saw a man dressed in colonial war garb. I walked into a barn-looking building, and later realized it was a restaurant. I got the dinner special - the bread and cheese and crackers was GENEROUS. A tip: the cracker dip is cottage cheese-based which was good but a little weird. Then I got clam chowder which was cold and the chicken dinner that was super good. The apple pie dessert was okay. Overall, a very good deal. I got the gin mixed drink with apple Jack which was mostly gin and a really good bargain. Our waitress sierra was super friendly and quirky, letting us know about the place and the events. Eventually, there was a wind and percussion line that played throughout the restaurant. We later went to the bar for a wayside inn draft, which is brewed at the Berkshire brewing company and is also super good. If you enjoy the old-timey vibe and don't mind loud music, this is the place for you! read more

Longfellow's Wayside Inn - Bar area - very cute - American Near Me - Sudbury, Massachusetts