Jarrettown Hotel — Restaurant in Upper Dublin Township

Very mixed emotions about our recent Fathers Day visit to the Jarrettown Hotel. Upon arrival we were told we would not be able to sit outside due to the restaurant being short staffed...we were on the fence about this anyway so not that big of a deal. After we were seated indoors, we were presented with our menus and fresh poured glasses of water, some on to my menu which then travelled on to my lap but these things happen so, again not a big deal. We then placed drink and appetizer orders; my drink from the bar came very quickly, hand delivered by the bartender himself, but the other drinks lagged significantly. it was long enough that we made some bets, jokingly, which would arrive first- the drinks or the appetizer. Sadly, I lost as the drinks came before the apps...evidently there was a mix up at the bar which had our waitress waiting for the mixed drink which had already been on the table for quite some time. Again, no big deal. I must note- the Lobster Bisque was absolutely delicious as was my Red Beet Salad. Must try's if these are in your wheelhouse! We were then introduced to the specials that day, (all of which sounded delicious btw) and I was enticed to order the Chilean Sea Bass. My wife selected another special while my son ordered off the menu. Unfortunately, they had ran out of that aforementioned delicious sounding Chilean Sea Bass so I resorted to the rack of lamb. Again, not that big of a deal. As we had been there for some time at this point, I was a bit disappointed that I had to ask if any bread was forthcoming and was told it would be out of the oven shortly...again, no big deal as who doesn't love fresh, hot bread? The entrees arrived soon after and, while I was not disappointed with my selection of the Lamb, the Filet was served with copious amounts of their demi glaze which really stifled the flavor of the meat which was not of the greatest quality. Perhaps this is the reason for the excessive sauce??? We may never know...but yet again, not that big of a deal. We declined dessert so I have no notes on that but a few of the ones that walked by us definitely looked delicious...maybe next time we said. Then came the check. This was the tough pill to swallow for the fact that it comes off really deceitful and underhanded. With no mention of it on the menu (for a party of 3) and no mention by the server, a 20% gratuity was included automatically. I have never seen gratuity added for a small party in all of my years of dining out so this really put a magnifying glass on our dining experience as a whole. As we are typically rounders when it comes to a tip this ultimately cost the server a couple of bucks but the money is not the issue as, to me, it will be the intent. I have to wonder how many folks left a tip unknowing one was already included? This simple act, perhaps merely an oversight, made everything that wasn't a big deal much bigger.

All in all, food was good, but I would STRONGLY caution anyone who dines here to check your bill before you pay it, you may be...

I made a reservation about a month in advance for Mother's Day lunch with outside seating. There was NO special menu listed on their website (unless it was so difficult to find I didn't see it). It was a beautiful but sunny day and we were seated at a table directly in the glaring sunshine. When asked to get some shade we were told very matter of fact- NO- that table is reserved. When I spoke the to the manager and told them we had reserved this a month ago and to sit in the shade they finally moved us. Then we were given dinner menus- we thought they were mistaken but said there are no lunch/brunch items served and the 'dinner' menu was the 'special' mothers days menus (even though it was just the regular dinner menu). Entrees were upwards of $45...who wants to eat a rack of lamb at 12pm on a Sunday? When I asked about it I was told very bluntly this is the menu and they are unable to serve anything beyond that (I just asked for a sandwich or egg offering). I had stated this was supposed to be our special mother's day occasion. I was met with a major arrogant attitude and a complete unwillingness to help us out to create flexibility as there was not any lunch items on the menu. They basically didn't give a F and shrugged it off. I guess having a lunch/brunch menu on a Mother's Day Sunday was too much to ask for and perhaps the price point wouldn't bring in as much money for them. This is the last time we will ever visit here. Absolutely unpleasant. We left and had to scramble to find another place last minute. We live in the area and will definitely be...

Went here for my mother's birthday with a party if five. The dining room is beautiful and they a have live piano player on Fridays. Ordered the shrimp cocktail, the mussels appetizer and a wedge salad to start. Shrimp cocktail was underwhelming. Clearly came from a frozen bag of precooked shrimp. There was still ice on the shrimp and they were bland and void of flavor. The mussels were fairly good and the wedge salad was average. Our entrees included the pork ribs w cornbread and a side of fries, a margarita pizza, chicken Jarrettown, and the diver scallops w risotto and balsamic glaze. The ribs appeared juicy and had a nice, smoky flavor. The cornbread was average. The chicken Jarrettown was portioned appropriately with a side of angel hair pasta. But, the diver scallops w risotto was SALTY, SALTY, SALTY! The scallops on both entrees we're slightly overcooked and had too much glaze for such a delicate shellfish. The risotto was kind of goopy with cheese. You could tell it wasn't watched carefully during the preparation process. The amount of salt in the dish was shameful....it was really disappointing. We decided to skip dessert based on our meal. Our server was nice but seemed overwhelmed. Perhaps she had too many tables which needed her attention, because she seemed a bit preoccupied and only slightly personable. I may give this place another try as it gets warmer because they have lovely outdoor seating and I enjoyed the live music. Bathrooms were clean but the toilets did not...