Chadds Ford Tavern — Restaurant in Chadds Ford Township

Chadds Ford Tavern Review

I recently had a truly unfortunate dining experience at Chadds Ford Tavern that left much to be desired. From the moment we arrived, the service was off to a rocky start. Our waitress, Charlee W., rushed us to place our orders, insisting we needed to order immediately because the kitchen would stop serving food at 9:30 PM, despite the restaurant’s closing time being midnight and with many reservations still remaining until 11:30 PM.

To make matters worse, there was a lack of essential items like lobster crackers and picks, which we had to request multiple times before finally receiving them after a ten-minute wait. When we turned to the cocktail sauce, we found an alarming amount of shrimp shells mixed in, posing a choking hazard. I had to spend time picking them out, which was frustrating.

The food itself was disappointing. The risotto was overly watery, requiring me to transfer it to another plate just to salvage it. The crab imperial and lobster were undercooked and mushy, raising serious concerns about food safety. It was a concerning experience, and I worry about the potential for foodborne illness.

Charlee's attitude further soured the experience. She rudely asked if I was done with my plate upon seeing there was nothing on my plate then asked if I needed a box rudely. I'm assuming that's her way of trying to rush us out again. When my wife requested to substitute fries for a vegetable, she flatly and rudely denied the request.

As we moved on to dessert, Charlee again rushed us, urging us to hurry because they were trying to close, despite the fact that the restaurant was supposed to be open until midnight. The strawberry shortcake we received was not even close to what we expected—it was undercooked bread pudding that was still raw.

When it came time to settle the bill, Charlee hovered over us, asking if we were done counting our cash in a rude manner. We attempted to pay with a mix of cash and cards, but she insisted we use just one method, sighing in exasperation when we explained our preference.

To top it all off, as we were trying to sign the bill, she turned off the lights, making it nearly impossible to see what we were writing. She had the audacity to suggest we leave her a nice tip, despite the fact that she had already added a 20% gratuity, which I felt was undeserved given the poor service we received.

Overall, I felt rushed, neglected, and ultimately dissatisfied with both the food and the service at Chadds Ford Tavern. If I could give negative stars, I certainly would. I wouldn't recommend this place based on my experience, and I hope they take...

We went on 14 July 2019 for the All You Can Eat Seafood for $49.95, reservations for 6 adults and 3 children. For the first half hour we were there we were able to get our share of food. After that it took a turn for the worse, the buffet was scarcely stocked with food at all. All the steamers and ice boxes that were supposed to be filled of lobster and crab leg and oysters and shrimp were empty. For over an hour. Plenty of corn on the cob however. For the last hour of the two and a half hours that I was there attempting to eat all I could eat, there weren't even any plates provided at the beginning of the buffet line. Not one.

What really did it in though was the appalling service. Every staff member there was extremely rude. And our waitress Nicole put every single dish and drink we ordered under Seat 1, so when it came time to cash out and pay the bill we asked to have the bill separated so we could pay with our different cards. She freaked out on us, rolled her eyes at us, exclaiming that she doesn't have time to separate our bill and if we wanted to pay our tabs separately we had to figure it out ourselves, write down the totals for each card on the back of the bill, and she stormed off. Even after we did all that for her - her job - she kept everything under Seat 1 so the bill stayed over $400 so she recieved her auto 20% Gratuity Tip, as opposed to separating the bill into three and lowering the total so she lost the auto tip, and just paid partial amounts of the bill on each card.

Overall, I had a terrible experience at this establishment, I was not able to eat all I was able to eat as the food was not provided - let alone a plate - despite still having to pay the full $50 charge. I would have disputed the fact and opted to speak to management, but I couldn't even be bothered to argue any more. I just wanted to leave. I will not go back.

Also, the whole restaurant smelled like a...

Absolutely delicious. We went for Valentine’s Day and did the 4 course meal. We started our meal with the complimentary champagne & chocolate covered strawberries.

Then our soups came out, we got the lobster chowder and you could tell this was not a quickly made soup. The pieces of lobster in the soup were amazing and super flavorful.

After the soups came our bacon wrapped scallops. This was not included in our 4 course meal but we seen it on the menu and had to add it on. The pieces of scallops were so big that we were able to split each one in half and we were satisfied with that. The sauce around it was also really good.

After the scallops came our included, baked clams. We chose baked clams because we love seafood and these did not disappoint. The hot sauce that came with the clams set it off. 10/10.

After the clams came our main dish, the bacon wrapped filet with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I asked for my steak medium well and it was cooked perfectly. Super impressed and so flavorful.

In between our appetizers and our meal I ordered the chocolate covered strawberry martini which was STRONG but so delicious and beautiful.

Our last course of the meal we ordered the white chocolate bread pudding. When I tell you this was my favorite part of the meal I am not kidding. I want to go there every day to get this dessert, that’s how delicious it was.

Now the service, was impeccable. Our waitress was not only classy, but so prompt that it felt like she was only tending to us even though she has a room of other couples to tend to. She was quick with each course, her customer service was amazing, but she wasn’t so overbearing that you felt like she wasn’t leaving you alone. Needless to say, this was my first time coming here and will definitely not be my last. I can’t wait to go...