The Temperance House — Restaurant in Newtown

Temperance House dates back to the 1770's. It consists of 3 separate areas: a 13-room inn upstairs; a small, formal dining room; and a tavern with seating in the bar area & several adjacent smallish rooms.

This review is about The Tavern. We arrived after 6pm and a friendly employee told us to sit anywhere. She brought menus to our table and told us Happy Hour was on until 7pm.

There was nothing in the menu about Happy Hour. When the bartender came to take our order, we asked about Happy Hour. She brought the list of food & drink specials and gave us time to look it over.

At this time, we noted how cold the tavern was inside. We were warmly dressed, and it was VERY chilly inside.

When the bartender returned, we asked for 2 mixed bourbon drinks, i.e. Old Fashioneds. "Mixed Drinks," written as such, is itemized on the Happy Hour menu. For food, we chose an appetizer from the Happy Hour menu, an appetizer from the regular menu, and a burger.

Now back behind the bar, the bartender asked what type of bourbon we wanted. We responded, "well" or "house" that is on the Happy Hour special. She told us our mixed drinks were not the "Mixed Drinks" that are meant by the words "Mixed Drinks" printed on the Happy Hour menu. So we selected a bourbon for each drink. On the check, my date was overcharged for a double, and the total for 2 bourbon Old Fashioneds was $37. You read that right... $37 for 2 average size basic cocktails.

As a home bar enthusiast, I tell you that an Old Fashioned has exactly 1 spirit - either whiskey or bourbon - along with a little sugar syrup, a little water, a dash of bitters from a shaker bottle, and a fruit garnish. This is not a complex drink that has several spirits or ingredients that would be costly to make. There is no reasonable explanation that could suffice as to how 2 basic "Mixed Drinks" are not "Mixed Drinks" and THE PRICE IS MORE THAN TRIPLE the Happy Hour price.

If they meant something very specific by "Mixed Drinks," that should be printed on the Happy Hour menu.

The Happy Hour appetizer, Mozzarella Triangles, came out. These were quite good.

The Seafood Pot Pie appetizer is a round, tallish bowl topped with an oblong sheet of baked puff pastry. The pot pie really was nothing like a pot pie. It was more like a thin chowder with so much herb seasoning, it was impossible to taste the seafood at all. I left most of it.

My date ordered the Temperance Burger. It was completely burned to the point that it smelled and tasted like wet cigarettes. It was disgusting & inedible.

The bar was busy, and the bartender never came back to ask how the food was. When she eventually returned, she instinctively took the edge of each plate (still largely full of food), to bus the table while asking if we wanted more drinks. We asked for the check.

On the check, she overcharged us for the double drink and the Mozzarella Triangles - using the regular menu price instead of the Happy Hour price. We did not challenge the drink overcharge because we had no proof even though we didn't ask for any doubles.

We did challenge the Mozzarella appetizer, and she balked, "You're saying the mozzarella is ON the Happy Hour menu?!" We said, yes. She took the check behind the bar, and then scoured the Happy Hour menu because she thought we were lying. She, of course, adjusted it because we were telling the truth.

Review Summary - Temperance House Tavern: Atmosphere 2 out of 5 Service 1 out of 5 Food .5 out of...

We just had my sons baptism reception at the Temperance House. My wife and I highly recommend the Temp house. The food was really good, drinks were great, and all 50 people in our party were satisfied. The price was very very fair as well.

The owner, her name is Kathy, even let my son roll around in his walker on the dance floor. This was very nice because he is 10 months old and although he was passed around like a football, he likes to have his independence. In addition, Kathy cut the cake for all the guests, because my cutting skills, well let’s say, is not very good. I never thought an owner would do this but Kathy was amazing.

Also, the staff there decorated for us, and made the banquet all look amazing. We truly had a great time at the Temp House and will be definitely booking future parties here. We will be coming more frequently as well, as I really liked the variety of the menu. Plus it’s such a nice historic location but with up to date amenities.

My one family member stayed at the hotel. He told me the room was so clean, ( please note my uncle is a clean freak, little obsessive 🤣 He was blown away how clean it was, and he said his linens were in immaculate condition. Lastly, he said the bed was extremely comfortable as well.

Finally, if you want to have a party here, get a bite for lunch, have a business dinner, date night or want to watch sports. I highly recommend the...

I hate to leave such a review at a time when the restaurant industry is just recovering, but I’m hoping this will be constructive for the staff and ownership. We had a reservation for Valentine’s Day, arrived early, and were seated with no problem, off in an area next to the bar. We waited almost 25minutes before a drink order was taken. The only reason we didn’t leave at that point was because we didn’t think we could find anywhere else to eat on Valentine’s Day, with no reservations. Our drinks arrived and our server disappeared. My husband got up to find someone to let them know we were ready to order. I dined with my coat on because the room we were sitting in was drafty and cold. I later saw there was another dining room and wish we were offered a seat there where it was warmer and had more people. My Bibb and pear salad arrived as a romaine and apple salad. I didn’t care so much, but felt it would have been a courtesy to let me know about the substitutions. Our salads arrived before our silverware, as did our meals. The food was okay- I expected better based on reviews. We went across the street to enjoy coffee and dessert because we weren’t offered any, just sat with empty dishes before getting up to ask for our check, even though we both felt we could have gotten up and left, and it would be a while before anyone noticed. I had much higher expectations. Disappointed and...