Overall, average is the best description. Small, cute place we sat outside which was nice. I had no troubles with the wait staff, everyone was friendly and timely. When there for breakfast it was almost empty. French toast had zero special about it could be eaten literally anywhere including a budget hotel continental breakfast. The breakfast burrito was tasty due a unique sauce (otherwise not super flavorful) and incredible potatoes. For dinner, We ordered the mac and cheese and mussels to start. I would say the execution from a technical level was good, but flavor was average. The burger was tasty but nothing special and the chicken dish was interesting. Again, technique wise super impressive: crispy skin and incredibly moist. However, it was pretty underseasoned. The gnocchi accompanied was very tough almost indistinguishable and very overseasoned with black pepper. The pork belly was just there. The drink selection is very, very extensive. We found this a bit disappointing when handed a dessert menu that had 3 desserts and 50+ dessert drinks in addition to the 4 page drink menu. read more

See all

Had wings and a couple of double drinks tonight because let's face it, almost every hotel serves weak drinks these days. Well at $28 per double drink (Bombay and Soda), they certainly did the job and were well made. No complaints there, but just be aware of the price. The wings I had ($18) were excellent. I would say some of the best in the area for sure. You can split the flavors to mix it up which I did. Maple Rosemary was fantastic, as were the Buffalo. You can tell they were made with care and attention to detail. Same can be said about the Bleu Cheese Dressing, which is homemade. Very good. It prompted me to eat all the veggies that came with the wings because I didn't want to leave any behind. read more

The Tavern - An order of wings. They let you split the flavors, so this is Maple Rosemary and Buffalo. - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

It's a cute place that's clean. The drinks are expensive but tasty. The flat iron steak was cooked and seasoned properly. They butternut squash was cubed And I'm not sure how they cooked it but it was hard like something that wasn't cooked long enough and left under a warmer all day. The fish was as hard as a rock even the burger didn't seem fresh. The wait staff was on the slow side and kept forgetting drinks. I won't eat here again. read more

I stayed at the resort and had breakfast twice as well as 1 lunch and dinner. The food is average with the breakfast service being above average. Lunch and dinner service is slow as the servers and bartenders seem to want to hang out in the back and not wait on the guests. Would recommend the food but not for the service except for breakfast unless you have time to waste read more

The Tavern - No one at the bar - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

See all

Visited while staying at the resort on a very busy holiday weekend plus a substantial snowstorm. Food was good, but unfortunately the wait was exceedingly long. Expected given the volume of guests, but not ideal. Highlights for food included yummy French toast, Adam's Farm chicken, shepherd pie, and fresh and tasty salads. Cocktails were great especially the maple Manhattan. There were also some good mocktail choices that were not overly sweet. Solid 4 stars. read more

Nice place to stop in for a drink if you're staying in the area but diner choices are limited for a culinary resort experience!

Food - reliable, very tasty brunch. This place is solid. It's not a place you go to find character or romance or novelty, but it's definitely a solid brunch spot. They have a fairly extensive menu. We had fresh hot coffees, eggs Benedict, and a pancake. The eggs Benedict was perfectly executed and had all the right textures. The English muffin was moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside and buttery ontop. The egg was very soft and nicely poached. The Hollandaise was very delicate and tasty, and more acidic. Notably more acidic but not to its detriment. The breakfast potatoes were very flavorful, soft and earthy. Service - this was a little challenging but I know all restaurants are really hurting right now and they were trying their best. We had to wait a while between visits from our waitress, but she was very kind and good natured. Restaurant/cleanliness - for some reason, the restaurant had a slightly off smell to it. It smelled like it hadn't been deep cleaned or properly cleaned in a while. Perhaps of old food and human sweat. It's sort of hard to put a finger on the smell but it was pungent. I think the restaurant just really needs to be deep cleaned daily, but again, I understand resources are limited. read more

See all

Creative and casual, The Tavern offers a tasty pub menu inspired by the finest local ingredients from Burlington and nearby areas. Highly recommend their wings especially the Maple Bourbon and BBQ flavored. Another highlight dish was their beef and lamb Bolognese. Expertly flavored and well seasoned. read more

The Tavern - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

See all

Take a look @ my pictures; - Food taste even better than it looks. OMG, OMG, OMG - OK - Look "Yelpers" - I know what I'm talking about and I'm a big "Food Snob" - Everything on The Tavern's Menu is quite simply amazing. Food is "Farm Fresh" - Many of the ingredients come directly off the resort. Delicious! - Huge selection of fresh and incredible beers - directly from the tap. Service is incredible amazing. Deserts are freakin' awesome as well. I truly cannot believe how amazing and delicious the food @ this place is. We ate @ The Tavern multiple times over our 5 day stay. read more

See all

I called to make a reservation for Thanksgiving day, and was told a manager would call me back. Then, I was told there was no manager to make a dine in reservation with. I was told at 12:52 PM by Kennedy to call anytime before 8PM to order our Thanksgiving dinner take out. Then, I called and they said they are not taking anymore takeout orders. Most, poorly managed restaurant! read more

Aesthetically, this bar-restaurant and outdoor patio surrounded by gardens is very pleasing. Breakfast menu is also quite good. Dinner menu seemed to lack options and could use more creativity. Probably worth having a good steak on it at all times. Lastly, staffing issues had the place closed one morning while I was here, and delayed to open for lunch. Not really acceptable for a culinary resort where people pay top dollar to stay and eat. Nonetheless, a good place to eat and have a beverage. read more

The Tavern - the bar and dining area - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

The whole experience was great! The food was amazing. The waitress was a joy. We Will go again !

This was a good place to go if you're staying at the resort, but the food was pretty average for a limited menu and pretty over priced. They do give you $5 off if you forego housekeeping if staying at the resort also read more

The Tavern - Beer list - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

It was alright! Not many choices and the burger I had was ok. Waitress was super nice but the food was just ok.

There's a joke at the tavern in Essex Junction, but it's not very funny, because if you eat there, that joke is on you. The food here is mediocre, at best, but the prices - the value - are so ridiculously off the chain, that it's almost laughable. The chicken pot pie comes in a 3 inch cast iron skillet. there are about 4 tablespoons of typical chicken pot pie filling, topped with a 2 inch piece of bland cracker that looks like it was broken off of a larger piece. It comes with a small side salad that was just OK - overdressed. This little gem cost $27. $27!! It's so ridiculously overpriced, that you have to wonder what a set of balls they must have to make this offering. It's worth $10, Max, and that's if you get to keep the skillet. It's an appetizer or a quick lunch. The customer next to us at the bar seemed like a nice gentleman. I couldn't help but notice that he opened up his grilled cheese sandwich, and there was no cheese in it. In case you didn't hear me, I said, there was no cheese in it! He called over the bartender, and showed him what he had discovered. About five minutes later, the bartender returned, holding a piece of cheese in his hand, which he gave to the customer, who put it inside the two pieces of bread. This grilled cheese with a small bowl of tomato soup Costs about $15. We travel a lot, and eat at wonderful restaurants all over the world. We are not on a budget. But, we do expect some value for our money. If something is expensive, there better be a reason. At this joint, there is not one reason I can think of why anything should cost double - perhaps even triple -- what it should. The atmosphere is that of a typical neighborhood bar. This is not a restaurant with tablecloths and fine china. it is just a common tavern in a hotel. I would not eat here again, if I was starving. It is such a rip off. Drive five minutes toward Burlington for a great selection of good restaurants, and leave these thieves to their own device. By the way, the larger restaurant on site - the junction - is expensive beyond belief and also highly underwhelming. read more

The Tavern - My finger is 2-1/2" long. - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

Food is okay. I'm sitting by myself in an empty room and have to have a high top because they say they all all reserved. Yet, when I go online the reservations are open. Then I sat in a chair that needed tightening. Told waitress and she put it at another table. Here's a picture of the empty room. read more

The Tavern - The Tavern. Yet I have to be at this uncomfortable, small high top. - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

Service was fine. Food poor. Overcooked tasteless salmon and tough steak. Won't return.

I'm staying at the Essex Hotel and figured I'd try the in house pub for lunch. I was rather disappointed. The first item I got was the Blistered Shishito Peppers For an item that I hope are done fresh they were not very warm and were served with a cold sweet pepper garnish. To make things worse they were served in a room temperature cast iron dish. So a mediocre temperature pepper with an added cold item in a cold dish. My Chefs would have crucified us if we served that to a customer. Their flavor was good though so I will give the cooks a note for that. They were sweet and spicy with hidden peppercorn surprises. For my main dish I got the Jerk Chicken Sandwich with a side of truffle fries. A note before we get to this dish, when I looked at the menu at the hostess stand I asked if the burgers/sandwiches came with fries or a side salad, or if the items were Al la carte. I was told they came with fries, truffle fries or a salad. This is not the case so don't get fooled like I did. Sides are extra. I'd have to say the Sandwich was the highlight of the meal. It was very tasty with a nice slaw and a perfectly toasted brioche bun. Cutting boards seem to be a fixture in this hotel. They are everywhere included being used as plates at the bar and while cute, for such a messy good sandwich was a little hard to keep my area clean. Small thing but something I noted. I got truffle fries on the side. I could not figure out if the fries were tossed in a bowl or if they had been drizzled on because the top fries had little to no flavor while the bottom fries were drenched, almost sopping in oil. They needed salt as well which I added. read more

The Tavern - Blistered Shishito Peppers - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

See all

Exceptionally poor service. Confused reservation system. Spoke to the manager who acknowledged they are "significantly understaffed." We were guests at the hotel, paying inflated room rates, and unable to dine at the tavern. read more

My wife and I had the charcuterie board. It showed up with a small amount of crackers, so not much to put the stuff on. We asked and received a basket of bread. That made it much better. The cheeses, meat, jelly spread and fruit were really good. Highly recommend. Our service started out great, then we were forgotten. We had said we were only getting a charcuterie, but my wife wanted another glass of wine and we were going to order some more food, but after what we estimated as a half hour of no check in, we tallied up what the bill was. $55 worth of food and beverage, figured some tax and we threw down $70 and walked out. It would have been nice if the service had finished as well as it started. Bigger bill and bigger tip. read more

The BEST WINGS EVERRRRR!!!! The maple wings are what my husband and I dream about. We are from New York but whenever we come to Vermont for skiing, we always make it a point to stop at The Tavern at least twice during our trip. Their burgers are also delicious, but the wings are what stands out amongst the rest on the menu. 10/10 recommend. We have been coming here for years. read more

Great food, relaxed atmosphere. Waitstaff is very friendly and the Tabern has a nice atmosphere

We were 2 of a total of 9 people seated at the bar. When we arrived after about 10 minutes we had to flag down a server to get the bartenders attention. We could see the bartender and three or four other employees in the kitchen gabbing. Finally a worker who was not the bartender cleaned away the previous diners dirty plates and took our drink order. When I was ready for a second drink the bartender was engaged in an animated conversation with a patron at the far end of the bar. Her back was turned to the bar and she continued in an animated conversation while another bar patron and I patiently waited for her to notice us. Once again we had to flag down another employee to get her attention. We had a total of three drinks costing $47. These were served with no cocktail napkins. I had to reach over the bar and retrieve one for us. We are staying at the Essex for an extended stay. We will not be back to the Tavern. read more

The worst dining experience I have had in many years, They sat us down at a table with spilled water and spilled salt on it. Then they put napkins and water glasses on top. The waitress, totally clueless, comes out to take our drink order. I asked her to clean it up, which she did. She brings out my corn chowder which I asked her to return as it was Luke- warm. She brought out a warm bowl of chowder which was bland and tasteless. My wife got a hamburger with cool, soggy fries. The ladies at the adjacent table also complained about their fries. Her hamburger and my steak were warm and edible. I ordered a coffee after dinner and, you guessed it, cold. I gave the waitress an earful and told her to not charge me for the coffee. Ninety five dollars for this!!! I felt like we were duped. Worst part was it was my wife's birthday. Don't eat here! read more

I was really disappointed with my visit to The Tavern. I came here for Sunday Brunch this past weekend with a large group of 20 that had reserved a table weeks ago. Our server came in and took all orders using the normal standard seating (clockwise) and seemed on top of things. We did have two people show up an hour late (shame on them, that should not have affected the first round of drinks or meals that had already been ordered and brought out). Which brings me to the actual concerns as someone who worked in upscale dining establishments for years. 1. Inconsistency of drink and food delivery: The drinks did not come to the table all at once, nor did the food. Our reservation was for 11:30, but it was noon before our orders were taken. It was another 15-20 minutes before drinks came and they trickled in-not all at once. The same issue occurred with the food. It came in spurts over a 15-20 minute period. For example: what was most odd is that the two people seated closest to the door (say 5pm on a clock) who ordered last were served first. I was sitting at 1pm and a server came in and brought me my plate next-but she didn't know where it was to go (she did not have the schema our server had made, which was fine, but why would the kitchen fire our orders out of order and not get all orders and plates out at once?). The other 16 people seated at the table between 6 and 12 (I will not count the two that arrived an hour late and ordered late) waited an additional 10-15 minutes before their food came (and they encouraged us to eat to ensure our food did not get cold). The woman to my right, who ordered before I did-never got her meal at all. We had to ask the server and then he left to go check, bringing back a piping hot plate for her a few minutes later at the same time as the people who had ordered almost an hour later. So to me, he re-fired the order. 2. Meal quality: Both the woman to my left and I had ordered the two types of Eggs Benedict: I ordered the Tavern Benny with pork belly and she ordered the Kale Benny. One of my eggs had a soft yolk, but the other was hard and both of hers were hard-which is not indicative of a proper Benedict. She mentioned to our server that her eggs were hard and he agreed they should not have been. He said that they probably cooked too much while waiting to be picked up (I mentioned the Salamander and he said yes, but I noticed that the plates were not hot and Salamanders make plates pretty hot as any server knows-and a chef will take your head off if you let food sit under a Salamander for too long). My food was not hot-it was room temp, so again, the overcooked part does not make sense other than it was sitting awhile or overcooked. So how were my eggs otherwise? The dish is described as "poached eggs, local pork belly, English muffin, Hollandaise, maple sugar." That to me would mean a little sweet as well as savory, right? Mmm no. They were bland. Even the Hollandaise was not great, but it was generously slathered all over the eggs. The fingerling potatoes were okay; I normally like to dip them in the egg yolk and Hollandaise sauce, but there was seriously no flavor. Even the pork belly had zero flavor. The eggs did look like puffy clouds, though, which made them look better than they sadly tasted. The orange juice was a typical, standard OJ. To be honest, I don't think I'd come here again. If I'm paying $23 for a plate of eggs and an orange juice (with 11% tax and 20% tip), I'd expect higher quality food and service. read more

Three words. Don't eat here. For being advertised as a "culinary resort" it is a disgrace to cuisine and chefs. The hotel itself is quaint and nice - but ALL OF MY PLATE WAS COLD. I ordered a Cornish hen, but did not end up eating it due to undercooked potatoes and cold food. Patiently waited for the sever to come back, which too took awhile. Then asked for it to be taken care of, and about a minute later got what was my plate just slightly reheated. Wasn't handed my fork back, and no server in sight to ask for a new one. If you want cold food and unreliable service, this is a place for you! The vegetables, snap peas and squash, tasted like they were frozen and reheated: mostly watery with little flavor. This was also reported to the waitstaff and the cooks simply mixed my flavorful (and undercooked) potatoes with my vegetables. Not acceptable. Generally, the service was okay but rare. It didn't feel like the waitstaff wanted to be there, including the hostess who was awkward about us asking for a different seating. The restaurant was not set up in sections, but rather each waitress with one table here and there. This makes it harder for them to serve and treat their sections as one large table. The worst part of this experience is the fact that I knew this was not a simple fluke. Walking into the restaurant, the tables nearby complained of waiting long times and not great tasting food. Especially for those of us expecting a "culinary resort" as a part of our stay. Just Glad we didn't pay for the private and more expensive version of this restaurant. Overall, if we were to describe our experience in one word it would be "disappointing". It simply isn't what is advertised, and the word "culinary" should be taken out of the resort name. It wasted our time that we could've used in Burlington, and was a letdown for what we wanted to take our family to later on in the year. It bothers us that this restaurant is practically a monopoly for those wanting to eat that can't make it down to Burlington (say they don't have a car), but honestly if it came down to it I would rather buy snacks from the front desk or better yet go to somewhere in Essex/Burlington. read more

Great food and service. Place was packed but staff made it work. More of a sport bar atmosphere

Food was mediocre at best got truffle fries that were soggy. Korean BBQ chicken sandwich that had un-seasoned cabbage (supposed to be "spicy cabbage", overcooked chicken, not enough chicken to even cover the whole bun and the tiniest bit of BBQ sauce. family member got chicken wings that were both overcook to the point of being rocks, and were tiny and for 8 of these "wings" it was $17. They forgot another family members order entirely so that took another 25 minutes. Drinks were very overpriced, rum and coke in a plastic solo cup $12, Moscow mule in the same solo cup $13 Then to top it all off it took 45 minutes to get a check only to have it be messed up. then when asked to fix the check we get acousted by a staff member. avoid at all cost. Its just not worth the price or frustration read more

Best grilled cheese I've ever had! Tomato soup was good as well. Would recommend for dinner. read more

The Tavern - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

We arrived to The Essex Resort on the later side of a Friday night, so we decided to get a quick meal at The Tavern so we could enjoy the amenities at the resort before bed. We were seated quickly by the hostess at a small high-top table near the bar. The restaurant was pretty busy with a full bar and no available tables nearby. Our waitress was friendly and attentive throughout our meal as well! The Tavern had a great selection of beers on tap as well as cocktails to offer. We had a few drinks during our meal and each of us ordered different burgers with fried. The burgers were cooked how we asked and were packed with delicious flavor! We also ended our meal with a small chocolate cake dessert, big enough for a few bites from each of us. Even though it's not the fancy-shmancy restaurant located next door at the culinary Resort, their food was still packed with flavor and detail! read more

I'd I could give the customer service here zero stars I would. I want to start by saying I'm a guest at the "resort" where this restaurant is, staying for 4 days. On our second day here we finally got a reservation, we arrive on time at 7:45pm... and ask if we can order our food to-go, as someone in our party isn't feeling well. We were told is wouldn't be a problem, and placed our order for takeout right away. When the hostess came back, she told us our food would be ready in an HOUR AND A HALF. Are you serious? When I asked "well can we just sit at our table then and get our food faster?" I was answered with "well I just gave your table to someone at the bar, but food would have been about 30 minutes if you sat down". The service hostess THEN told me "well, take out us takeout, and we have dining tables that take a priority" well fuck you too.... I WAS a dine-in table. So I guess even if your staying at the hotel/"resort"... you.. as a CUSTOMER... and a GUEST.... don't matter. read more

Well, our first visit on Sunday 9/12/21 to the Tavern in over 2 years since the Pandemic started and it was not a great one. Issue one was the menu wasn't anything like posted on the web site and only a day prior to when we looked over the menu. Turns out they changed the menu in the tavern, but, had not updated their website so we got a surprise when we arrived. Issue 2: Server got my order wrong. My wife heard me order and knew what I had ordered. I had to wait for the missing menu item to arrive that I had previously ordered. Another server who I asked about this said to me, "well, you're going to have to pay extra for that"! Yup, that's what she said. I already knew what I ordered and what was at additional cost. Crude! Issue 3: Our primary server never came back to the table to see if everything was ok and how the meal was. Never saw her again until she brought our bill. Service here has gone WAY downhill. While the food and prep and presentation was excellent, the over-all dining experience here for service was lousy. I'm not a chronic complainer, but, this dining experience demanded some complaining! We do not plan to go back there and we live only 7 minutes away! The servers make or break it for a restaurant and the two who took care of us were so-so for sure. read more

Came for a bite to eat. Was told brunch had ended and it would be 30 minutes till I could order food. Came in at 3pm. People next to me ordered fries. Server checked with kitchen. Sure no problem. Really. You are open or you are not. Clearly there was someone who was capable of making food in the kitchen. This is an incredibly poor customer service experience. read more

Mark the bartender was ignoring us for close to 20 mins until my husband called him over to get us a beer each. I saw him start putting glassware away and continued to ignore us! Very disappointed because the Essex experiences we had from all the other staff has been impeccable! Earlier we had lunch with a flight and the lady bartender was very pleasant and the GM was there and maybe that's why the service was better then. read more

The Tavern - Mark the bartender - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

.I really wanted to have a good experiance, I don't like ordering unusual combinations of food so I opted for the basic, I ordered "fish and chips" for $26 , which I thought was way overpriced especially considering that I managed to scrape about a tablespoon of fish out of this massive ball of breading that was oily and very crispy, along with the handful of over seasoned fried, the total ingredients was about 50 cents. I did tell the waitress that it was awful and to her credit she took it off the bill ,and \offered another selection, however I was with a group and nothing else appealed to me. Truthfully I would have enjoyed a fillet of fish sandwich from Mc Donalds better, i can't imagine anyone with tastebuds would even consider this dish edible, does the 'Chef" or GM ever taste their food? I feel my intelligence was insulted to have me believe that this was "fish and chips" read more

The Tavern - wheres the fish??? - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

While the setting is fabulous at The Essex, the Tavern needs more help - literally!!! We have been there a few times this year and each time is got progressively worse. Get a reservation or you may have a significant wait time. Food was about the same each visit - but drink specials were a bonus! We ordered the Herbed Potato Tots to "try" and were quite surprised with such a huge order - tasty, yet filling -- and we hadn't even gotten our meals!! Glazed salmon had an awesome maple glaze and the smoke brisket had a great addition of shallots and arugula! The score would be higher had we actually seen our wait staff more than once in the visit! We will try again - just to see if it has gotten better! read more

The tables could use a tablecloth or paper, as they were as sticky as a kindergartner's hands. The food was so unimaginative that I regretted not staying home and cooking myself. The service seemed disheartened and overwhelmed. The only reason that I can imagine why this place stays in business is because it has a captive audience of people from the adjoining hotel, and it has a liquor license. read more

You need to really check your tab closely before you pay. We ordered a switchback and we're told that they are out and we selected another ale. However, we were still charged for the switchback even though we didn't get it. read more

The chicken wings are amazing! Try their charcuterie board as well for a great appetizer experience.

This pub restaurant has a great vibe - warm and welcoming. The perfect place to escape a snowy evening. The wine list had many intriguing choices and the beer list has even more. I ordered the Fall Salad and my partner got the Whiskey Burger. Both were outstanding. The whipped goat cheese really made the salad pop. read more

The Tavern - Fall Salad - American Near Me - Essex Junction, Vermont

See all