Roosevelt Tavern — Restaurant in York

We just celebrated our Dover Area High School graduate this past Saturday (5/31/25) at the Roosevelt Tavern, and everything—from the food to the atmosphere to the service—was absolutely FANTASTIC.

What made the day even more meaningful is the personal connection we have with this place. The father of my children, Edward “Peewee” Green, was a chef here many years ago under the previous owner, Bob Schimmel. Sadly, he passed away in November of 2012. Though my kids were only 4 and 5 years old at the time, many patrons still fondly remember him and speak so highly of his time at the Roosevelt.

What we didn’t expect—what truly left us speechless—was the incredible gesture from the current owner. Unbeknownst to us, he had held onto one of Peewee’s old chef coats for the past 15 years, and he gifted it to our graduate during the celebration. That thoughtful, deeply touching act gave our kids a priceless piece of their father’s legacy—a physical connection to a man they’ve heard so much about, but lost too soon.

We are forever grateful for that moment. It meant the world to me and to our family. Thank you, from the bottom...

First experience here missed the mark for us which is a shame because it's so close to our home. There are very few choices for vegetarians. So, my wife was stuck with one choice for an entrée, which was okay - not great. It tasted like any generic Olive Garden pasta dish, but more expensive. My real disappointment was firmly on my steak dinner - "The Cowboy (something)." I asked for medium and it came pretty close but it was flavorless and bit too much char. The house steak sauce was similar to an A-1 sauce with something added to it. And unfortunately, 30% of the steak was fat and gristle. The mashed potatoes tasted pretty decent, but presentation-wise, looked a mess. And finally, the asparagus was wildly overcooked, limp, and bitter. I don't mind paying $50+ for a dinner that shines, but sadly, this one did not. The server was friendly, polite, and attentive and did very well. The atmosphere seemed a bit pretentious and you can literally smell the age of the room. Like, old musty wood. Overall, it's definitely overpriced for what they deliver. Not sure we'll be back...

I went to the Roosevelt Tavern for their annual lobster dinner. When I was served I immediately went for the claw. As I broke it open water poured out of the shell and filled my plate. I had to move my ear of corn because there was so much water. And the only other thing in the claw was a mushy substance. The waitress tried to make excuses as to why this was this way. She took my lobster and had it cooked a bit longer. Brought it back and by then I was talking to the host about it. First of all if you steam a lobster it should not be full of water. When I broke the tail off more water poured out along with more mush. I finally told them I couldn’t eat it and please take it off of my bill. Being that this is considered an upscale restaurant I expected to get a tasty dinner especially if they have been doing this for years. Was I ever wrong. I usually don’t let one bad experience keep me from going back but in this case it has. I will not be spending my money at the Roosevelt...