hi- I was looking at their website and noticed they basically promote 4 restaurants. We would like to go to Chownings since my husband likes brewary beer.
is the food / ambiance pretty much the same at all 4? is there anywhere else to eat on the grounds? what are your review of Kings Arms, Shields, and Christina Campells.(and why cant you make a reservation there??)

thanks

Hi jbmea626,

For Spring Break 2006 we did the Historic Triangle. We went to Christina Campells and thought it was great! I think I ended up calling the reservations center to book our table.
I would recommend it; the service, food, atmosphere and entertainment were all very enjoyable.

All of the taverns have pretty much the same atmosphere for meals. I would make your choice based on the menu. One tavern meal is enough. If you like the menu of a tavern other than Chownings, you can always go to Gambols at Chownings for your beer. There will probably be a cover charge. Shields has been converted to a coffee house. I dont' know why you wouldn't be able to make reservations at the others. At the end of the historic district are several restaurants - casual to pricier. Blue Talon (ate there last night), Fat Canary, The Trellis, Berrets, etc. Prince George St. has a coffee house and other restaurants. There are also the restaurants in the Inn, Lodge, and Golden Horseshoe golf course.

The last time we were in Williamsburg, we ate at both Chownings and King's Tavern. Kings Tavern was lovely and the service was great. Chownings food and service was so bad that night that it would deter me from going again.

We ate at Chownings for lunch twice, it was self-serve and had good lunch selection. The BBQ pulled pork sandwich was yummy. We also had dinner at King's Arms. We had an enjoyable time. I remember having to make reservation for King's Arms tavern.

Just had lunch last weeek with a friend who lives in Richmond, VA. We drove to Williamsburg to eat at Berret's Seafood and Raw Bar. The food was wonderful. Not at all what I expected from a restaurant in such a tourist location. Crab cakes were amazing, salads were large and delicious, good wine list, she-crab soup! Give it a look.

http://www.berrets.com/

One can make reservations at Christiana Campbell's Tavern and it has a great menu & beer selection.

http://www.history.org/visit/diningE...ianaCampbells/

I agree with Tampotwo. Chownings (for dinner) was awful. The Fat Canary, in Merchant's Square is our favorite - wonderful atmosphere, service and food were outstanding.

I agree with peggy01 - the Blue Talon is fantastic. Pricey but fairly amazing. We did get gently kicked out recently for sitting too long, though. That I did not appreciate. We like to linger ...

Weespxx - Did you get kicked out of Blue Talon or Fat Canary? Fat Canary I could see because it is so hard to get a seat in there. We usually sit at the bar at Blue Talon and chat up the bartenders long after we've finished.

We were very disappointed with our dinner at Chownings -- I would definitely try another place next time.

Get a beer at Chownings but eat at one of the other taverns. We like Christina Campbells and Shields better. We haven't tried Kings Arms.

We loved eating at Seasons in Merchants Square. They have some of the best crab cake sandwiches around!! We ate lunch and dinner there and were very satisfied.

Having experienced all the taverns at Colonial Williamsburg, I would suggest Kings Arms and Christiana Campbells for a terrific evening experience. I like Chownings for lunch and Shields is now a neat coffeehouse. Trellis (Nutty Tuna for lunch and Death By Chocolate for dessert in the evenings) and Seasons are great, have not had a bad meal there. Blue Talon is worth the dollars. The Wine list good. I have to say that the Cheese Shop is my overall favorite place to grab a lunch or light dinner. The selections are many and I love to people watch there!

Definitely try one of the taverns for dinner. Either Christiana Campbells or Kings Arms. Campbells is basically seafood and kings arms is for the meat eater. You can make reservations by calling 1 800 history and following the prompts. Chownings is colonial fast food, good for lunch or late night drink.
Shields is a coffee house with snacks and fast food lunch.
Definitely try the Fat canary ( the best place in town!). The Blue Talon is a fun trendy french bisto and Berretts is a seafood spot with an outside grill area which offers daily specials.
These are all located in the historic area and merchant square.
Have a great time!