Rustic Rooster — Restaurant in Shrewsbury

I had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant. With only 5-7 tables and about 15 bar seats, we expected faster service, especially considering how hungry we were after not eating all day. We ordered wings, salad, pizza, burger, and fish and chips to share between the two of us. After about 20 minutes, we received our wings and salad. Once we finished those, we were still hungry, but the empty plates were taken away. We then waited for another 50 minutes for our entrees.

After 30 minutes of waiting, the server came by and mentioned that our food was on its way, but we ended up waiting an additional 20 minutes. Several groups were waiting for over 45 minutes by the door, and I started to feel frustrated as it seemed like our food was nowhere near ready. I finally asked the server if he could check on the entrees, and he returned after a while, saying our food would be the next thing out of the kitchen. There was no apology for the delay, no acknowledgment of the long wait, or any attempt to show good gestures like “Sorry, it’s been a busy day, your food will be out very soon.” Nothing at all. By this time, we had already waited over 45 minutes.

When the food finally arrived, I was underwhelmed. The pizza had a store-bought crust that was too dense and resembled a thick tortilla. The burger was okay, but the fish and chips were overly fishy, and the coleslaw was bland and needed seasoning. The food didn’t make up for the long wait, and by the time we finished, we didn’t feel like trying dessert.

To top it off, when we asked for the check, the server jokingly asked if we were good since we had ordered a lot of food. No one mentioned the long wait or checked in with us about the meal. To be honest, I wasn’t full because the food was so bad, I didn’t want to eat it, even though there were leftovers. Overall, it was a frustrating and...

What a tragic experience at this restaurant, which otherwise has lovely ambience and perhaps typically good food? Ingredients felt good quality and prices were reasonable. Outdoor setting was divine. That’s the good stuff.

We arrived and they inexplicably refused to seat us, despite five open tables (inside and out) and calling ahead to ask if they had room (they said they did).

They wouldn’t even show us to a table and set us up with drinks? We just stood there in the grass like chumps for 25 minutes. 3 staff passed by us no less than 12 times and never once made eye contact. We should have left, we almost did, but we didn’t. Big mistake.

Mains took 55 minutes to come out, burger was truly uncooked (I ordered medium), fish tacos were served on hard shells (more tragedy!), and even getting a check took 15 minutes from request to delivery?

This place has so much potential and perhaps we caught an off night, but from where we sat they need to take a Hospitality 101 class. I had been dying to try this place all summer....

Without cell signal in the area, we found this the old fashioned way... driving by and pulled over to check it out. It looked like a wait, but it wasn't too bad and seemed worth it for a local, rustic Vermont place. We got a seat quickly at the bar, greeted warmly by Greg. My husband and I both ordered burgers, but I subbed onion rings. The local couple sitting next to us recommended the fries, and even shared one with us before our order arrived. Crispy on outside, soft on inside! Our burgers didn't take terribly long given the busy holiday weekend, and they were "one of the best burgers I've ever eaten" according to my husband, who is stingy with his compliments. Greg told us he gets local grass fed beef.

A locally owned, charming and rustic restaurant with hospitable owners who make everyone feel welcome and provide great service, food, and atmosphere... It's exactly how we should be spending our time and money! Thank you, Greg, for a memorable meal. We will be sure to stop next time we are in your neck...