Tavern in the Square — Restaurant in Shrewsbury

Tavern in the Square is now one of my favorite restaurants. Hosted my wife's surprise 30th birthday party at Tavern in the Square in Shrewsbury, and it was perfect!

To start, reaching out to the event coordinator, Hannah, and also Kelly, it was easy to plan this surprise party. They were prompt in replies and transparent about the entire process. I had a personal profile page for the event details & contract. I was offered and provided plenty of help with the function (banquet) menu for suggestions based on logistics of the event. There were ~25 people; we had half the patio rented out from 5-9pm. Pricing was fantastic compared to other venues, and it all went towards food and drink. The menu was diverse with options from their usual menu, and the food was delicious. People were RAVING about the food. And we had plenty for leftovers to go around!

The space was ideal - close enough to everyone to socialize, but not on top of each other. It fit the decorations we had beautifully. The patio area was heated and closed in with high quality windowed doors during the cold weather (and is open when it's warmer with nice weather - which is great any time of the year) - there were no drafts. The restaurant and patio area (which is huge) is always clean, the patio area is classy. We had 2 rectangular tables, a round table, and part of the bar area for seating and setup. Also a beautiful buffet station set up with all the food, and apps and entrees were promptly exchanged out at preset times throughout the night. Leftovers were boxed automatically too! The decorations fit the space perfectly. Tavern provided clean and well fitting tablecloths. We had 1 hour to decorate before the event, which was ample time. I was with the guest of honor (my wife) so could not partake in the set up, but was told it was smooth and the staff were happy to help how they could. They even allowed for board games to be brought and played! The only thing that was not allowed (which was very reasonable) was confetti.

Now to the staff themselves - Erin was the manager and Maddi was our server (please forgive me if names are not correct!). Erin immediately greeted me upon arrival, and reviewed expectations for the night and to ensure all our needs were met. Maddi and Erin routinely checked in to make sure things were going smoothly. They were accommodating throughout the night, and the overall experience was a flexible and fluid one. Maddi ensured she was checking on everyone, even intermittently when coming through with someone else's order. Food and drink were all served in a timely manner, and Maddi did a great job finding guests throughout the night as we were all up and about talking with each other. Erin and Maddi were very courteous and eager to help, along with the person who came to cut and serve the cake (forgive me as I am not recalling her name). At the end of the night, Erin explained the bill and ensure it all was correct. The bill was as expected - all correct. I had asked for the minimum cost to be met, and then people could pay for drinks if they chose thereafter, which is exactly what happened.

Overall, Tavern in the Square in Shrewsbury made this night one of the most special for my wife to celebrate her 30th birthday party with her loved ones. They were transparent, well-priced, flexible, accommodating, easy to work with, eager to help and sought to make this event exactly what I wanted it to be. They exceeded my expectations and needs! The food was outstandingly delicious, and everyone at the party agreed that they would want to go back to dine at Tavern in the Square. I could not have imagined a better experience than the one provided by Hannah, Kelley, Erin, Maddi and all the staff at Tavern in the Square. I would recommend raises for all of them. It was truly a pleasure to work with them.

I would highly recommend Tavern in the Square to anyone for food, drinks and any event planning needs - every time!

With warmest regards,

Javin

(Sorry no photos as they all had us in them, and we prefer not...

A Deeply Disturbing Experience of Racism and Discrimination at Tavern in the Square .

I am writing this review to express my profound disappointment and outrage over the treatment my family and I received at this place today, around 4:00p. What should have been a simple dining experience turned into an incident of blatant racism and discrimination that has left us deeply hurt and shaken.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by a hostess. I specifically requested to be seated in a quieter, more private section of the restaurant, as it would better accommodate my family, particularly my son, who is on the autism spectrum. Despite the fact that the restaurant had several empty tables in that area, I was told that all those tables were reserved. Trusting this information, we reluctantly agreed to sit elsewhere.

However, shortly after, another couple without a reservation arrived and was seated near us. Astonishingly, when they requested to move to the very table I had asked for—one in the quieter, more private section—the staff promptly accommodated them without hesitation.

As we waited, it became apparent that we were being deliberately ignored. Despite sitting for over 10 minutes, a server bypassed us entirely to attend to the couple who had arrived after us. This was not only disrespectful but clearly discriminatory. My husband and I decided we could no longer tolerate this treatment and made the decision to leave.

The situation escalated further when my son, who could not understand the unfairness of what was happening, became visibly distressed and anxious. I confronted the waitress who had refused to seat us in the area I had initially requested. Her response was shockingly dismissive, as she nonchalantly claimed that no one had served us yet. I then pointed out that the same tables she claimed were reserved had been given to others without any issue.

At this point, my husband was speaking with the manager. While she appeared confused about what had transpired, it was evident to us that we were being treated differently based on our perceived identity. The fact that the couple who arrived after us was accommodated promptly while we were ignored suggested a bias related to our appearance. As an American citizen, I find it unacceptable and deeply offensive to be subjected to such prejudice. I felt humiliated, degraded, and disheartened that my family—my husband, my daughter, and my son—had to experience such an ugly display of discrimination.

This incident is a stark reminder that racism and ableism still exist in places where they should not be tolerated. I strongly urge Tavern in Square to address this matter seriously and take immediate corrective action to ensure that no other family has to endure...

Racism and open harassment at this place!

I never thought I’d go through something like this at a restaurant, but here we are. I went with three friends to grab a bite, and because of the time (around 9:30 pm), we could only sit at the bar. That was fine. Right away, though, the bartender refused to serve one of my friends alcohol because she felt he’d had enough. He accepted that without issue and just ordered water.

Two of us ordered margaritas (one with sugar rim, one with salt) and parmesan garlic wings. Instead, our drinks were mixed up, and our wings came out buffalo. When we mentioned it, the bartender literally just switched our margarita glasses in front of us. Mine was already salty, so that “fix” made no sense. Her attitude came across as dismissive, like she didn’t want to serve us at all. We let it go because we didn’t want to make a scene.

Later, my friend (the one who had already been cut off) during a joke, hit the bar louder than he meant to. He immediately apologized and stopped. A customer sitting to our right then decided to bang on the bar, TWICE. Everyone looked at us. A second bartender who was there, instead of asking what happened, came straight to us and told us to “knock it off.” We tried to explain it wasn’t us, but he wasn’t willing to listen. This escalated into an argument with my boyfriend. At this point, it felt like the staff and others had decided we were just troublemakers. Not worth their time. My boyfriend and our friend chose to wait outside so we could get our wings to go, pay, and finish the drinks we had already ordered.

Then things got even worse: the same customer said loudly to make sure we heard him, “Brazilians are so sensitive.” This was an outright racist comment directed at us. I stood up for myself, and because I reacted to blatant provocation, we were the problem again. Security came over saying we were causing a scene. I asked her twice to just listen to what I had to say, she heard me, but she didn’t care at all. We had to leave.

In the end, we paid for margaritas I didn’t even get to finish, no one addressed the racist customer who actually caused the trouble, and he was allowed to stay while we were kicked out.

The only positive part of the night was the busser who brought our food. He was polite, apologetic, and showed more professionalism than anyone else there.

This establishment allowed open harassment, treated us unfairly, and completely ignored racism happening right in front of them. Absolutely unacceptable. Needless to say that we’ll never return, and I strongly caution others about how this place handles customers, or rather,...