Hartley's Tavern — Restaurant in Ontario

2025: Exceptional meal! Lovely service as usual. Thank you to the Hartley family. We will come back every year. One of us had the tasting menu (5 course) and thoroughly enjoyed each course and related local wine pairing. I had the Tavern salad farm to table special, the fantastic beef tenderloin special (perfectly done to order) and the lemon cake with rhubarb ice cream and macerated rhubarb. The lemon cake was warm, a bit deliberately charred to add nuance to the flavour. What a great dessert! Chef Jared is a delight. We have never even had one small bit of a meal be offside at Hartleys Tavern in 4 years of visits. Highly recommend! 2024: Wonderful food, as always. Impeccable, attentive but not intrusive service. Enjoyed the rabbit fusilli and the exceptional duck duo. The farm-to-table special was so fresh! Mushroom risotto was unique and flavouful. Desserts delightful too. Soothing, welcoming atmosphere and friendly, knowledgeable, responsive staff. Always a pleasure to visit Hartley's Tavern - a must for us every year. 2023: Fantastic meal. Three courses for $66. Pea flan was nuanced and flavourful - really enjoyed it . Rabbit salad was nice too. Halibut with lemony sticky saffron rice with light curry sauce was lovely. Staff work as a team, making a seamless experience for diners. Service is exceptional. Will be back again. 2022: Exceptional meal! Excellent service. $64 per person for a three course meal. Menu beautifully nuanced, and with unique items that compliment each other, it is a special experience. Bison tartar outstanding. Smoked gouda souffle light and tasty with accompanying salad with prosciutto; just the right amount and flavourful. Hanger steak served medium rare; not spicy but nicely savoury. Maple rum baba was amazing and not too heavy; great mix of tastes, and yummy. Walnut tart financier with blue cheese ice cream was fantastic. A really great 3 course meal that was filling, but not too much food and the most interesting menu we've seen in a while. Staff are welcoming and friendly. They know the menu and what to serve with each item. Good recommendations. Unique and flavourful menu items. More an upscale bistro than a tavern. Highly recommend. An experience we...

I have been to Hartley s a couple of times now. I was never in Picton after 5PM so it took some time for the stars to align to get me in there. I am thankful they did. It was spectacular.

I went with my wife, we decided after looking over the menu that it was going to be one of our "Apps Nights" where we graze the appetizer menu heavily first and in most cases, completely and skip the entrees.

The atmosphere is brilliant. Not overdone but dark and cosy, with lots of dark wood and barn board. Toss in lots of little light sources and the effect is dark, cozy and calming. The place just sets you up to take a deep breath and relax. As a filmmaker I could rave about the light all day. i hope I can do a video for them someday LOL

OK. Food and beverage. Beer selection is solid with lots of local (Barley Days and Strange Brewing), a few regional (MacKinnon Brothers Brewing) and a couple of far flung standards like Sapporo. The bartenders are all owners most busy nights (Jim and Janine) and they are solid at the craft. The Somm is very capable, especially for varied pallets.

The staff are, as most people will recognize who live in Prince Edward County, friendly face to most of us as they have worked at many other establishments. Service is top notch at all times. You all know what I like, attentive without hovering, and knowledgable about the offerings. Honest enough to go ask if they don't.

Jared (Jim and Janines son, chef and yes I am going to say it, Food Wizard) runs the kitchen. His approach is daring, flavourful, and he has nailed everything I have tried there. His pates is killer and his take Creme Brule damn near made me cry. The selection of oysters is always top notch. Fresh, and a good mix of compatible varieties to make you slurping rewarding.

I wish I lived closer. I could make this place my 5 o'clock join in a heartbeat.

I will need a few more visits to lock in my feelings. Perhaps 10 or 15 more dinners, an Ill give everyone a...

We had an absolutely fantastic experience at Hartleys Tavern. The food was incredible. My husband got the bison tartare as an appetizer and couldn’t stop talking about how that was the best thing he’d ever eaten. The whole drive home and rest of the night it was all he could talk about. My duck breast with kimchi pancake was unreal the kimchi pancake was the perfect balance of spicy and savoury and juuust a little sweetness just phenomenal. Neither my husband or myself are drinkers and I was so pleased to see they had a zero-proof cocktail menu. My husband had a Becks near beer which is one of his favourites and I had the hibiscus lemonade which was so delicious. When you aren’t a drinker it is so nice to feel included and can have a “grown up” drink with your meal instead of a cranberry soda it was a really fantastic touch. And of course I couldn’t end this review without speaking about the service. Our server Blaine was great he was so involved and would take the time to explain the dishes with precise detail and checked in often enough but not so often you felt you were being interrupted. The whole staff worked so well as a team we never needed anything. Our waters were always topped up, fresh cutlery brought with each course, and if Blaine couldn’t get to us someone else was there to offer another drink if we needed. We were so impressed with our experience last night and will definitely be returning...