Tim Kerwin's Tavern — Restaurant in Middlesex

Definite Miss: The Food was Once good, What Happened?

I ordered takeout on St. Patrick’s Day, but this should not be an excuse for delivering subpar Irish-American fare. The service was confused and the food was not good, a colossal waste of money. Red flags went up when I called to place a takeout order. I had called when they first opened with some questions about the menu and I informed them that I would call back in a bit with the order. When I called to actually place the order I was informed that they were not taking to go orders over the phone . I informed the person that I was talking to that I had called earlier, my husband was on his way, as we do no longer live close, and I was told they were taking to go orders. The person on the phone said they had new people and they were misinformed and they would not take my order. My husband had to go in to place the order. Once he picked up the order and was about to leave, he witnessed people walking in with bags of corned beef!

This was by far the worst corned beef that I have ever eaten. It was tough, flavorless, and literally had juices because it was that dry. The accompanying carrots were not even closed to cooked. They were hard. The cabbage was hard to cut through. I ordered two platters, one came with horseradish. The mustard packets and butter need to be packed separately. The Shepherd’s Pie left me wondering why they would sell this to people. The dish had almost zero potatoes and the meat was chewy, at best. The flavor was there, but The fish and Chips was simply not good. There was no flavor in the fish and the fries were gross. The oil definitely needed to be changed. See photo. No pickle or lemon. The coleslaw was hot. It needs to be packed separately. French Fries: Absolutely gross. Change the oil. This should have been done before opening. We ordered around noon.

No to go utensils or napkins provided for a takeout...

Kerwin's has been my local watering hole for the better part of a decade and it's been an institution in the area since before I was born. Whenever I'm back in town, I try to stop in if only for a drink.

I like to describe Kerwin's as an "old-man bar" but I mean that for all the right reasons. It's cozy, the drinks are strong, the service is honest, and the comfort food hits the spot. Every once in a while you'll get a fun classic rock band in playing live.

What I think I love most about Kerwin's is that it knows exactly what kind of joint in is and is rightfully proud of it. It's not fancy and there aren't any designer cocktails, but I wouldn't change it...

Hubby and I have been going here for 6 years. Used to love it, but it's going downhill fast. Stopped in last night, waited 20 minutes for service and nobody approached us. They know us there and it wasn't busy.....maybe 30 customers and 2 servers/bartenders. Some customers were going to the bar for service (not allowed during Covid mandates), but we witnessed several regulars doing it. Super disappointed in the lack of service from a place we've supported and spent a lot of money over the years. We walked out and may not be back. The bar manager has been there over 20 years and seemed overwhelmed with a...