Such a great spot if you are in town. My suite was very clean and spacious for me and my two of my family members for the night. The location was perfect. The property was really cute. Old school vibes with a modern farm house twist. Some cool art on the walls in our suite for sale which I assume were from local artist. Nice touch and made it feel a little more personal than the average hotel. I only wish there was valet or more than street parking. Felt a little iffy about leaving my car on the street not knowing the town. Staff interaction was minimal but lovely. Easy check in. Highly recommend if you are visiting. read more

The Colonial Inn - 2 Queen Suite. Perfect for me and my niece and sister in law for a fun night out while in town. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

The location just outside of Durham was convenient for a visit with our daughter at Duke University. Well appointed hotel room was clean and comfortably refurbished. The onsite restaurant was a pleasant bonus. The food and cocktails were amazing and worth a return visit. Each staff member was friendly and appeared to be pleased to serve. read more

We actually ate in the restaurant on the front porch of the hotel. It was a beautiful late spring afternoon and it was wonderful. The food was fantastic--right amount of appetizers, entrees and sandwiches. The staff was very attentive and nice. Only draw back was they only had one desert when there are five listed on the menu. Banana pudding would have been a nice ending, but our waiter explained they rarely ever have any of the desserts. Bar tender has talent also. If your visiting historic Hillsborough, certainly worth a stop here. I am glad we did. read more

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As Hillsborough locals, we were really happy to find that the new ownership and new chef are a huge upgrade! We had a lovely dinner on the porch last Saturday and I really regret that I didn't get photos. Apps, mains, dessert and coffee were all fabulous - and this is coming from a self-identified "foodie"! If you have been to the Colonial prior to the change in chef and been unimpressed, you owe it to yourself to visit it now! read more

Pretty place and I know they're going through bankruptcy protection and all but we had an event there and it wasn't a smooth time. They were understaffed and it showed. The manager was not overly helpful and the coffee in the lobby was just down right bad. read more

We stopped by on a Tuesday for dinner. If you don't like crowds, Tuesday is the day to go. We sat outside on the "front porch" and it was lovely. Beer on draught was on point. Hubby and I both found our favorites. What goes best with beer is a burger. After we ordered, we could smell our burgers cooking !!! Honestly -- the BEST burgers we have had in a very long time. The meat was fresh, the patty size was ample. We ordered medium and that's exactly what we got. YUMMMMMMM The rosemary (twice fried ?) fries were phenomenal. We will be back. The menu isn't huge but if all the items are as good as the burgers, we can't wait !!! read more

The Colonial Inn - Hillsburger - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

This isn't my first time at an event here but I came tonight for an event for an awards banquet. The facility is absolutely beautiful. Very boutique like. The event space is really nice, my favorite piece are the chandeliers and lighting. The food is delicious! We had salad, pasta and grilled chicken. The service....impeccable! The staff is amazing! Extremely accommodating and just nice people!! This is a hotel and although I have not seen them, I have heard great things about them. I do plan to return. Thank you for a great experience! read more

Nice meal with my wife on the porch of this historic building in Hillsborough. We spent the first night of our honeymoon at the old inn way back in 1984 and are so relieved that someone bought it and finally attacked the undoubtedly herculean task of renovating and adding on to the main building. They did an outstanding job! I must admit that we look back nostalgically to the days when we would bring our boys here for a classic Southern Sunday lunch with all the traditional dishes of such a meal, served family style. Those were the days! read more

I attended an event for Orange County Schools as we celebrated the districts Teacher of the Year. It was an amazing event, with amazing food. Proud to be a member of the Orange County Schools family. Definitely visit the Colonial Inn...... it's well worth it. read more

The Colonial Inn - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

If you're looking for a cozy, home-like atmosphere with charming, unpretentious rooms that provide everything you need, this is the perfect place. It's conveniently located near a relaxed small-town shopping area, offering a peaceful and welcoming experience. read more

The Colonial Inn - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

Service is often rushed and spotty, but always friendly. Food is consistently good and beverages top shelf. We love the ambiance of this historical gem and always take visitors here for a taste of local culture. read more

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The Colonial Inn provided a delicious dinner at its lovely venue for the Orange County Teacher of the Year banquet.

We really enjoyed our stay for one night. We tried to take advantage of this cute town and what The Colonial Inn had to offer. We paid for the "enhancement package Mystery Tour" as a way to explore the area around the hotel. This provided us with a bottle of champagne in our room, 2 cocktails at the bar, and 5 envelopes with clues for adventuring/walking around the area. We had dinner seated at the restaurant bar. My husband raved about his Duck BLT and I enjoyed the caprese salad. For drinks we had a dirty martini and The Front Porch cocktail which was refreshing. The bar also had a nice variety of bourbon. We shared a slice of Key Lime Pie for dessert which was delicious. It was actually the only dessert available when we ordered as they were sold out of everything else. We sat outside on the upper front porch to drink some wine which was very pleasant. Our room was lovely and accommodating. It came with a sound machine which we both personally loved since we use one at home. A hair dryer is provided as well and it is really nice and powerful so if you have long hair you will be happy with that. The shower is beautiful but I'm not a fan of the open shower door design as it makes showering feel cold to me. The pocket doors and sliding barn door style is nice to provide privacy and style. The room is decorated with lovely artwork. Blackout curtains were on all the windows in our room. Overall, the room was very comfortable. In the morning we enjoyed the coffee and cinnamon rolls they provided. The rolls were large, soft and so good. Don't miss out on trying one! We sat on the front porch while drinking our coffee. read more

The Colonial Inn - Dirty Martini & The Front Porch - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

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Hidden gem at Spencer's Tavern! Amazing atmosphere and great food. Have dinner then people watch with. Drink on the front porch. read more

I tried reaching out about scheduling an event multiple times through email and phone call with no response. After about 2-3 weeks I called and asked what their policy was about event scheduling and when they might get back to me, and was hung up on. It was disappointing that the customer service around events was so bad. read more

Pretty bad experience. Waited almost 20 minutes before we even ordered them took another 45 minutes because "the internet went down and the orders didn't get sent back." Had to get up and go ask for refills then condiments which were never supplied, then charged for the condiments. Burger was hastily made, cold, and the vegetables were rotten. My lunch mates food was cold too. Usually one or the other between food quality and service but overall terrible experience. read more

Thank you so much for a lovely dinner and hosting the Orange County Teacher of the Year Banquet! Your support of the community is very much appreciated! read more

Truly amazing, staff were very friendly and warm and inviting. I visited the hotel for dinner and had a really nice experience. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the staff were both friendly and informative. Everything from the service to the setting made the evening feel special. I didn't stay overnight, but based on my time there, I'd definitely consider coming back for a full stay. Highly recommend for a relaxing evening or a nice meal out! read more

The colonial inn hosted a wonderful banquet for Orange County Schools Teacher of the Year! The food was delicious, the staff was extremely polite, and the space was beautiful! Would recommend to anyone hosting an event! read more

The food was amazing and the hospitality was awesome. We had the time of our life. We were greeted with a smile.

This review is for Spencer's Tavern. (I know it's called that because that is what it said on the bill.) We have been there 4 times. Twice for brunch, once for cocktails and nibbles, once for dinner. They only take reservations for groups of 8 or more AND for Sunday brunch. It's downtown Hillsborough, so parking is on the street or in a nearby public parking lot. The cocktail selection is good. Not a huge number of bottles, but a good range of everything including single malt Scotches. The house special cocktails are all interesting. Bloody Marys are nicely spicy. Fresh OJ in the mimosas. (Just because you think you should be able to expect it doesn't make it so.) And the wine list is good with reasonable prices on everything. The menu is a little limited. There are always 3 entrees, one meat, one chicken, one fish. If you want a vegetarian dinner, you can create a collection of sides, have one of 4 salads (the 5th has bacon) or try the grilled cheese or veggie club sandwich. When we asked to leave the onion and peppers off an omelette, we were told the veggies were already mixed together and couldn't be separated. The baked brie is melted in a pan, drizzled with truffle oil and served with crackers. Southerners' Poutine is tasty because the in-house pimento cheese is good. I haven't had their fried green tomatoes yet, but I will. The shrimp and grits is not Lowcountry style and doesn't claim to be. It is, however, delicious. The fried chicken biscuit was declared a better choice than the omelette. Salmon was delightful. Hamburger was excellent. We have never been sorry to stop in. read more

This review is for drinks & snacks only. What a great space! My friends were chatting about how long it took this historic building to be renovated and it's definitely a charmer! We were a group of 5 so we had a few glasses of wine, some beers and a cocktail or two. We also had a charcuterie plate and fries. Everything was tasty and came out quickly. Staff was friendly and definitely were proud of their old building. I would definitely come back again. read more

We were guests at the Colonial Inn in September 2024. On Saturday of that week there was a wedding in the function room and the following morning a buffet breakfast was set up on the porch for the guests from the wedding. That buffet was served outside the windows to our room. As advertised, a small complementary breakfast is served for all guests of the Inn - coffee and a cinnamon bun. The morning of the "wedding buffet breakfast" I went down to the lobby for my coffee and cinnamon bun. I noted that there was no cream for the coffee and asked for some and asked for the cinnamon bun. I was told that the cream was being served at the "wedding buffet breakfast" and there would be none available for the other Inn guests and there were no cinnamon either. Did not feel that we were valued guests! read more

The Colonial Inn did an amazing job with our Teacher of the Year event. Elise was so easy to work with and our event was beautiful!! The food and atmosphere were superb! read more

I have eaten here with my wife and friends a handful of times and it has been fine in the past, more atmosphere than fine dining. We had brunch there yesterday and I ordered a dish I had ordered previously, the biscuit with two eggs and cheese and a side of fried chicken. Yesterday it came with one egg, I assume because of the shortage, and a piece of meat fried in batter that certainly wasn't chicken. The meat was the color of dark meat, the size of a thigh, but no bones whatsoever, and was so tough and full of gristle that you could hardly cut it with a knife or chew it. I assume it was a piece of pig, but I'm not sure. I should have sent it back, but I was there with my wife and mother in law and chose not to make a scene. I am writing this review to let the kitchen know I was not fooled, and we will certainly never come back here. read more

This review is for the bar area. We stopped in on a Wednesday evening after walking around Hillsborough for a bit. We were mainly looking for cocktails, and one of the staffers said we could sit inside, outside, or take our drinks up to their upstairs balcony. We ended up ordering drinks plus an appetizer but was then told that we couldn't bring food upstairs. We enjoyed our snacks and spreads app (olives, hummus, pimiento cheese, crackers) sitting at the bar and then paid and took our drinks upstairs. The staff were pleasant but seemed perhaps a bit stretched as more parties arrived. They also offer sandwiches, salads, and a few main entrees. read more

The Colonial Inn - Snacks and Spreads appetizer, Sweet Tea Sipper Cocktail, Not so Cosmopolitan cocktail - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

We visited the Inn for lunch with 8 friends last week. They seated us at a large booth with room for chairs on the opposite side. It was cozy and comfortable. Our waitress greeted us promptly and took our orders. We started with a trio of peanuts and the fried goat cheese appetizers for the table. The goat cheese was the best! Soon our meals were out. The conversation was lovely, unfortunately our meals were just average. We do not need to go back for food but the lovely renovated inn is worth a visit. read more

We went on a Tuesday evening for dinner, and ate inside, although outdoor dining on the porch is available. Food was visually appealing and tasted good. Atmosphere included its historic charm mixed with a touch of today's style. It appeared our waitress was the only one working that evening, but she seemed to be handling it well. The only negative thing were multiple flies landing on our food (ate inside) - if they could fix that issue. read more

Definitely come here for the atmosphere and a drink. Nice front porch to sit at and eat/drink. They also have a second story balcony to eat at, which is nice for outside dining. We came here for dinner during Hillsborough's Friday night arts walk. Charcuterie was good, had a nice array of cheese, meats, and spreads. Gatehouse burger was good and came with herbed fries. Italian beef sandwich left a lot to be desired - the beef was cut thick and chewy, so you practically had to rip the meat when you tried to bite the sandwich. It would be better if it were more thinly sliced. I'd come here again for the atmosphere, but I think there are a few other places in Hillsborough we'd like to check out first. read more

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Sunday brunch on the front patio of the Colonial Inn was delightful. Four of us enjoyed our food and great service.

Good food, friendly staff, historic hotel, and right around the corner from many interesting boutiques... And a great brunch! Sitting on the porch is awesome during lovely weather! read more

Had Sunday brunch there today. Sausage gravy biscuit was a poor choice. Biscuit was tough, gravy didn't taste like sausage, companion's tea refill was more lukewarm water to use with her original tea bag. Had to ask for coffee and tea refills. Not what I expected from the Colonial Inn where I hoped for a special brunch in honor of my sister's 95th birthday. Won't risk going there again to get mediocre food for a premium price. read more

Everything about this historic Inn built in 1759 was beyond perfect! From the extremely clean rooms to the modern classic decor to the gold hardware finishes was perfection! The room was appointed with an awesome steamer rather than an iron, sound machine, GREAT hair dryer, and incredible fresh baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast! We will be back for sure! read more

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I'll reserve a rating until I can actually eat here. Just a suggestion, please post information regarding your brunch being by reservation only at the host station - and perhaps train your staff to be a little more customer service oriented when telling people about how things work at your establishment. As a local resident who decided to check the place out as i was driving by, it was a little off putting to be turned away because I didn't have a reservation for what I'd hoped was to be a relaxing brunch experience. I'll try again some time when a situation warrants making a reservation. read more

Colonial Inn in Hillsboro made our stay in North Carolina a pleasant and memorable one. Such a quaint and charming Inn set in a serene, and beautiful historic town. The hotel staff were all friendly and accommodating for my disabled mother and her service dog. The entrees and cocktails we ordered from room service were delicious and delivered to our rooms promptly. From the exquisite bedding,pillows,high level of cleanliness to the musical entertainment in the lobby it was a great experience. The only thing I would have different is AN ELEVATOR for my mom lol But she loved it and we'll be back again read more

An absolute fabulous brunch experience at the colonial inn. Currently you make your reservations order your main dish and even pay online ahead of time. He managed to order each of the main dishes available this week and everyone in our party was happy with their selections. We are very fortunate to only live a few miles away from this fabulous establishment and are already looking forward to our next meal at the colonial inn. read more

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I can't thank the team at Colonial Inn enough for the hospitality this weekend!!! Elise and Rutland have put together such a kind, fun, wonderful and welcoming team to run the Inn. My wife and I had a brief staycation to celebrate her birthday in the midst of COVID. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back! From the décor, setting, natural beauty, comfort and history, you truly have a gem on your hands. The rooms are beautifully decorated to welcome you as a home away from home. Upon entering the Inn, we were greeted by James who welcomed us, asked if if we had any questions, offered to carry our luggage and then showed us to our room. Sunday morning, I asked if there was any coffee and Danielle immediately helped us out, returning not only with coffee but two large, delicious cinnamon rolls. Elise and team, Thank you for creating such a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. We look forward to more nights away in the future and celebrating the history of Hillsborough! read more

We just held our spring wedding at The Colonial Inn and everything exceeded our expectations. The staff was extraordinarily helpful and all of the guests raved about the beautiful gardens and interior of this historic place. The honeymoon suite was gorgeous- so happy we chose to have our wedding at The Colonial Inn. read more

My wife and I took my brother to eat for Easter Brunch. It was outstanding. The service was wonderful and the food was great. We will go back for sure just to hang out and have a few cocktails. read more

The Colonial Inn - John F Martinez & Mary Beth Martinez Easter Sunday April 2021 - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Hillsborough, North Carolina

I came here after hearing about the catering business that caters brunch and had to come. We had Sunday brunch today and it was even better than anticipated. For 19.99, you get your choice of either shrimp and grits, fried chicken, or a veggie hash, served with unlimited sides and your choice of a non-alcoholic drink. I had the shrimp and grits and my boyfriend had the fried chicken; the shrimp and grits were hearty and flavorful, and the fried chicken had a delicious rosemary flavor with a hint of spice. I'm not sure which was better, the main course or the sides, because both were fantastic. The sides included breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, mini quiches, bacon, and cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls had the most perfect cream cheese topping...We obviously got seconds. The staff were all polite and on top of the service the entire time. The hotel itself was clean and so quaint. We were allowed to walk around and look at the hotel. There was even a room upstairs that was open so that we could look at it. We heard that they will be starting Thursday dinner and we would love to come back to try it out. Thank you for such a fun trip and delicious meal! read more

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