Libations Winery — Restaurant in Springfield Township

I really want to like this place! We hadn't been there for a while so we decided to give it a go again. We have never been thrilled with it but we keep going back because we really want to be thrilled! I feel like that's what every eating establishment should shoot for: thrilled.

First the good. The owner greeted us very genuinely and warmly. That's always a plus. The server we had was really nice and helpful. The outside venue is so welcoming and really pretty! We were happy to be able to bring our pups and they even brought us a little bowl of water for them. We loved watching the planes and the skydivers And appreciate all the work they've done to make the venue so pretty and comfortable. Unfortunately, it was after we sat down that things started to go South...

There were a number of items on the menu that were unavailable, including a couple of beers. From the reviews, I can see this is not unusual for them. However, this is, literally, the only place we go to where this has happens. We settled on an appetizer that was available and it was delicious! After that, we had to rearrange what we wanted because everything was out so we settled on a couple of sandwiches. It took FOREVER for them to get to us! L I had ordered a parm chicken sandwich with fries. The sandwich was awful with barely any red sauce, the bun was so not right for that sandwich and looked like it was stale (I immediately removed it), and the fries were ice cold. My companion's was only slightly better. We decided to just deal with it and move along, concentrating on a beautiful day and surroundings. However, once we were done, it took another long while to get the bill. And then the bill had an error on it. And then it took another long wait to get that fixed. And then it took another long wait for her to come back for us to sign the check. We were very disheartened by then because, like I said, we really want to like this place! As we were leaving, we noted how much work had gone into fixing up the outside. We noted a beautiful meadow with some trees that would be the perfect setting for an additional fire pit or gazebo.

Based on the other reviews, this place seems to incur ongoing issues too often. If people can't find help, there has to be a reason. Underpay? Bad management? Bad reputation? I know it's difficult but people want to work for what they're worth. When I see an establishment that can't keep people, I have to wonder what they're being paid or what the environment's like. When I see an establishment that can't keep stock, I wonder if it's a money issue or just bad management. I realize post-covid is a difficult time for many businesses, but when something like this happens a couple of times, it's understandable. When it begins to happen all the time, it's how businesses lose customers. Then when you start comparing the reviews to others in the area, you start to see which businesses are thriving and which ones are really struggling.

I'd like to see this one flourish! It has so much potential but since it's opened, there have been issues. I wonder if they may benefit from a consultant coming in to do a review and give them some ideas on how to build the business better. It's not unusual to hire someone like that. Businesses do it all the time. It's such a beautiful venue and when it's good, it's really good! But when it's not good, it's REALLY, really not good.

We will definitely go back and give them another try. I'm all for supporting local businesses and I know it's hard to be a business owner, hard to keep good help, hard to come back after covid, etc. We have to support our local businesses. But when you have a day when everything is going wrong, please consider offering incentives to your customers who have gone out of their way to give you their business. Whether it's a free dessert or a free glass of wine or something while they sit for far longer than they'd planned at your establishment. I hope the owner takes my comment as constructive criticism and not as an attack because that is truly not what it's...

The food is good, nothing special, but good and menu is an interesting mix of options. We didn't try them but the appetizer offerings looked especially eclectic and different. Our service was perfectly fine, not like the negative experiences chronicled in some other reviews, which anyway probably reflect growing pains plus covid staffing challenges for a newish restaurant. So, three stars.

But, food is also overpriced for the quality and portions you get. Calling this a "winery" and charging top dollar for anything from the bar is a total joke. $9 for a half a wine glass of hard cider? Are we in Manhattan? The wine "list" only gives types, not labels (a glance at the website reveals they are all from Volant, which apparently excels at everything from Chardonnay to Cabernet Sauvignon) and a third of it is fruit wines which is hardly counts as "wine" in my book. The flavor of one red wine (NOT a fruit variety, an actual red wine) was compared in the description to a "cherry Tootsie Pop". Maybe my palate isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate subtle notes here of childhood Halloween candy, but I kind of doubt it.

Atmosphere is acceptable but overall the high ceilings, huge dark dining room, and widely scattered tables created the feeling of a church dining hall with a lighting problem rather than a cozy restaurant. Do not come here thinking you'll curl up with a nice glass of wine and chat all evening in comfort next to a fire. Probably it's much better to come in the summer and sit outside, however.

The thing is this is presented and priced as an upscale wine bar, but in fact it's just pub food and third-rate wine served on square wooden tables with cutlery wrapped in paper napkins, and red plastic water glasses that are straight from any Dot's Diner. All of which would REALLY be okay but for the fact that they are charging you for a lux experience which does not exist here. The stiff prices would be justified if it were, but it's not. I can't decide if the owners are trying to fool the public or are just deluded about what they've actually got here.

If you come here cause you're in the area anyway, it will be fine if you just manage your expectations. But I'd stick to the beer. It will pair better with anything on the menu than the wines and cost a slightly...

I am very saddened to make this review as I have been here before and did not have an experience like this but tonight’s experience has turned me off as a customer in the future. It was very busy tonight which did not bother me - I am happy to wait for food but not the way it came tonight. We had to ask for appetizers to be dropped as we waited 40 minutes before we asked our waitress where they were and she said “oh I can drop them now - I thought you would want it closer to when the food came out” - when she brought appetizers, a piece of plastic was found in the chip dip….discovered upon attempting to digest by one of the members of the party. I don’t know where the plastic would have come from because there is no plastic silverware. When our food finally came, someone in our party ordered a portobello mushroom steak and the picture attached is what was presented in which the waitress said your meal is comped because they sliced up the mushroom for you….this was an insult to my friends intelligence as it was clearly the mushrooms you would find in a can for pizza toppings. I do appreciate that they didn’t charge but it would have been nice if a staff member came out and said we can’t do this dish tonight what else can we get you? I had to send back my sirloin sandwich because although it was described as medium rare the pink in the patty was red and cold. I will say this meal was comped as well but with everything that happened it would have been nice for the manager on staff to come and address the issues during our visit. To top it off we addressed the waitress about the mushrooms being canned and not a portobello mushroom and her response was “Yeah, I know” which implied when she delivered the food she deliberately misrepresented the dish as a “chopped up portobello mushroom” all in all a 1 star experience. Only gets one star because the drinks were good even though there was a lengthy wait for...