Hoffman House — Restaurant in City of Kingston

My previous review for this restaurant was easily a ‘5’. Sadly, I cannot review it that high this time around after the wait we dealt with this past week. We arrived there for an early dinner around 3:45 pm. The place was nearly empty. They asked if we wanted indoor or outdoor seating. We chose covered outdoor seating. We were then immediately told it would be about 10 mins before our order could be put in. We assumed this had something to do with changing over from lunch to dinner service. When our waitress came around, she took our orders but said “I can’t put this in until 4:30 but I can get you drinks, bread, and chips”. At this point, I was on the brink of wanting to leave since we had a toddler with us and it was getting late in the day. I was concerned if it was taking that long to put in the order, that we would not get the food for an hour and not be done before our child was ready for bed. My other family members told the server it was fine, so I resigned to staying. We watched them then turn two small groups away due to being fully reserved despite numerous empty tables. The order didn’t get put in until after 4:30. At this point I’m thinking if there were that many coming in, why on earth wouldn’t they want us served and out of there before the crowd hit. It took quite awhile to get our salads and in the meantime, we were filled up on bread and chips. Our child managed to make it until dinner was over, more than 2 hours later miraculously. This was after I took him for 2 walks to keep him entertained just waiting for the order to be put in. The food was decent but not as flavorful as I remember it the first two times we went a few years ago. I could only eat half of it since I was full on bread. I refrained from eating much of it for the first 15 mins thinking food would be coming soon, but then had to eat more since it was taking so long to even get salads. Our waitress was nice, but I do feel staff was not being entirely honest about what was going on and the wait. Maybe a staffing issue? If we would’ve known it was that long of a wait, we very likely would’ve went to one of the other nice Kingston restaurants. Most of the outdoor seats never filled yet there were multiple waiters standing around outside. Not sure why the others were turned away unless there was a staffing issue going on. Unfortunately, I will likely not return in the future now that I know there could be a huge wait despite coming early to...

It was my husband’s 60th birthday, and after a lot of research, we chose this restaurant because of its high ratings. We drove two hours to get there. We ordered coconut shrimp as an appetizer, but my husband said the taste was off, so he didn’t eat it. I added lemon juice, but I still couldn’t taste much.

I ordered lamb, and the waitress asked how I wanted it cooked. I requested medium-rare. My husband ordered a turkey burger. When the salad arrived, it was disappointing—the greens looked like they’d been sitting in the refrigerator for a few days, and the cherry tomatoes were rotten. I told the waitress, and she offered to replace it, but I declined since I saw similar salads at other tables.

After quite a long wait, our main courses arrived. My lamb was overcooked, and my husband’s turkey burger was cold. I was extremely disappointed, especially given that it was such a special occasion. The waitress offered to bring me a new lamb, but I didn’t want to make the day worse, so I declined.

While we were discussing the food, a man approached our table and introduced himself as the owner. He talked nonstop, causing our food to get colder, and we lost what little appetite we had left. In the end, we sent both plates back and asked for the check.

When the check arrived, there was a 15% discount. I told the owner it was my husband’s birthday, but he didn’t even say “Happy Birthday.” We tried to explain our issues with the food, but none of the excuses were satisfying.

I truly believe the Hoffman House doesn’t deserve its high ratings, given the poor quality of the food and the disappointing...

b.overly_delicious @hoffmanhousetavern Kingston,NY: So i’m embarrassed to say, I’ve never been to the Hoffman House. Like ever! Some close friends of mine, finally dragged me in to experience the colonial pilgrim vibes of the original stockade. Checked the menu online and couldn’t believe the prices!

Everyone in our group had the French onion soup. Below the gooey mozzarella (I believe) lies a deep bowl of black pepper and onion broth. Very good and very much pepper forward. So much so, you little get a chew of peppercorns in your mouth after each bite. I love black pepper so this was fine with me. Rueben and fries ($12), Bacon cheeseburger ($14), and the garlic steak sandwich ($13.5) all served with fries were properly portioned for the price. This must be the best deal in town! Absolute deliciousness! Garlic steak stacked with garlic butter dripping out of the roll and smeared with blue cheese. The standard battered fries were seasoned which I haven’t seen before (my favorite frozen variety). Waitress was extremely pleasant and accommodating.

This place is like stepping back in time but not the 60s, 70, or even 50s. We are talking 1800-1700s. Felt like a real pilgrim. Where’s the grogg? #kingston #hoffmanhouse #stockcade #burger #frenchonionsoup #hveats #hvfoodies #eater #igfood #reuben #house #pilgrims #hudsonvalley #ulster #ulstereateriesunfiltered 📸...