Leslie's Tavern At Rockingham — Restaurant in Rockingham

We called for a reservation for a party of six and we were seated on time. We were short (2) place settings and and asked for silverware and water. The owner brought one place setting and couldn’t figure out we were still one short. She counted several times and left the table. The waiter arrived (15) minutes later and we ordered drinks and meals and asked for the place setting again. The chef came to our table and said they were down a person in the kitchen whom hadn’t shown up in a couple of days and it would be a little slow. We were patient and repeatedly asked for updates. The waiter noted it would be the next meal to come out of the kitchen. The owner arrived at our table stating it would be a little longer. We were the second party to arrive for seating in the dining room. A party of three were already seated. The entire night , there were three additional parties, (2) of these were couples and (1) was a party of (4). After waiting (2) hours and an additional (15) minutes for the final meal to be delivered, the food was quite a challenge. (4) in our party were served their entrees one at a time. (2) In the party that ordered steak were served at the same time. Both steaks were ordered without mushroom sauce yet served with mushroom sauce. New steaks were requested and returned. The steaks were delivered again to the table (15) minutes later. The 6th and final entree was delivered a few minutes AFTER the steaks were re-served. It was apparent from the appearance of the steaks, the same steaks were attempted to be rinsed and then re-served. (3) entrees were served with mashed potatoes. (1) entree was served with butternut squash. (1) entree was served with pasta. All were cold like they came out of a refrigerator. We sampled our meals as they arrived. They were not luke warm like one may expect if the food had sat for awhile. The steaks were tough and were not palatable. The food temperatures and quality were discussed with the owner. She sat down at our table and shared how tough things are with the pandemic. Not once did she apologize nor try to resolve the issues. She did note they had a lot of to go orders. We did not see traffic for pick up of take out orders nor do we see bagged or packaged food. It could have been delivered through another entrance were not aware of. It became apparent that she was impaired and it appeared to be from alcohol. We asked to speak to her in the bar area where it was empty with the exception of one person sitting at the bar. We are respectful of others and business and didn’t want to do this in front of their customers. We went to the bar area and awaited the owner. She did not come to speak with us so we asked for her again. She eventually arrived and opened with “what”? We walked her through our experience and food issues again and she noted she didn’t serve us. We asked her to get our waiter. She brought him into the bar. He was very apologetic and agreed there were significant issues with food and service times. The owners reactions and mannerisms were odd and it appeared she had some impairment. We asked her if she had been drinking. Her hesitation and response indicated this may be the case. We noted this would be reported. She started yelling loudly with expletives along with some unintelligible remarks as she walked back to the dining room. We placed an order to pick up pizza on the way home. We paid $241.00 for our meal at Leslie’s. We felt very bad for the situation the waiter was in as we know all need to have an income. We did tip. We also felt bad for the owner as there may be some challenging issues that need to be addressed aside from or perhaps also due to the stress of the pandemic on her business. We read many good past reviews along with a just a few that seemed to mirror...

What a fantastic place we stumbled upon! It was our first time here, as we were visiting for the weekend. We did not know what to expect, but the menu looked great online. We were pleasantly surprised by the cozy atmosphere right when we walked in the door. It has the quintessential antique Vermont feel. We were seated by the fireplace, a wood-burning woodstove. The owner, Leslie, stopped by the table shortly after to greet us. Her husband is the chef, and she told us the story of how it all started. We were happy to chat with her, and hear about everything from the start of the restaurant to the signature dishes and cocktails. Now onto the food and drink! First of all, the pomegranate martini was incredible. You have to ask for it. I don’t know that is going to be a regular offering, as it was a special on the blackboard when we walked in. So glad we tried it, we had several at the table. The pork chop was the most tender and delicious I have ever had. We learned that the pork came from a local farm. You can absolutely tell. The butternut squash that was served alongside was also literally the best I’ve ever had. One of the two “secret ingredients”, a little bit of orange juice in it! We had to ask, because it was that good. We also tried the chicken curry, delicious! The steak was perfect. All of the ingredients are fresh. Each dish is made to order. It shows! Whenever possible, ingredients are sourced locally. That also shows! We completely loved the atmosphere. Casual, quaint, and cozy. We will definitely be back! Thank you to Leslie and her husband, the chef! It was quite a...

I've been to Leslies about 3 times before and had a great experience every time, except for this last one. This was the worst dining experience I've ever had. The wait staff was incredibly inexperienced and the timing and preparation of the food was unacceptable. Out of 4 appetizers ordered (3 were the same soup) we got two of the soups delivered at the same time, then sat around for 15 minutes waiting for spoons. We finally had to ask the waiter. Two of our party ate their soups while the other two sat there for another 20 minutes after the spoons arrived and their soup was finished before receiving ours. Our drinks (which we ordered first) came out part way through the appetizers, maybe 40 minutes into us getting to the restaurant. We got bread (should have come out first?) after the appetizers. After about 1 1/2 hours our entrees came out, first two then about 10 minutes later two more. The rack of lamb I ordered was overcooked to the point of chewy.

During this time we saw one table seat themselves, one table walk out, we overheard the owners yelling and swearing at each other in the kitchen, then in the entry at the base of the stairs. Our waters were never refilled. Just one issue after the other. I've worked at a restaurant for 6 years and I've never seen anything like this. Our bill was $290 with tip.

I'll never go back there again and I'd warn anyone who wants to dine there. It's a mess and I'd be surprised if they...