Place looked dirty and in need of a face lift. Despite 3 servers in the downstairs dining area, and not very full, service degraded throughout our time there. After several attempts we finally got one of the servers to stop to order a second round of drinks while we waited for our dinner which took over an hour to deliver. And only after I had to flag down a server again to ask why it taking so long. Especially after seeing other tables seated after us served before us. Excuse given was their system went down and lost our order. Since we had to leave for a show across the street at the Grand, we asked for our check when the food arrived, and quickly ate, paid and got out of there. Finally , they automatically added a 20% service charge... for TWO PEOPLE. To their credit they told us they comp'ed us 50% on the bill but since we were in a hurry I did not look at bill closely and thought afterwards that it was an awful lot of money for two drinks each, an app, and two entrees if a 50% discount was applied. Fortunately we got to show on time.
Lisa
Indoors at the Tavern was very stuffy, but when we asked to be seated outside, we were told it was sold out. Fifteen minutes later, we observed someone else asking to be seated outside and they were promptly accommodated. Food was average and the burger I ordered was overcooked and lacked two things specified on the menu (beer braised onions and aioli). Service was slow and mediocre. Server didn't even bring me a glass for my beer, so I had to snatch one from a nearby table. To top it all off, they added a 20% "service fee" onto the check (without mentioning this to us). We were just a party of 2 and I've never seen this before unless it's mentioned on the menu or by the server. We won't be back.
Sue
Food was adequate, air conditioning not working so we sat outside in the garden area. Ordered a wood fired pizza only to be told they're not turning on the ovens because of the heat😡. A 20% service fee was attached to total without our knowledge. Stating that 2% went to the house because of the increases in goods and the other 18% to the staff. Everyone that works there were very friendly and accommodating, but we won't go back.
Tina
Always great food, great service and a great beer selection. It is our go to place with family and friends.
Nancy Hahner O'Shaughnessy
We just had a bridal shower there in May 2025. We picked Chelsea Tavern because it was in a central location for our 2 families to come together and celebrate. All I can say is that everything was fantastic! The service, the room, the attention to detail was perfect! The food was phenomenal! The portions were huge and tasted terrific! Madelyn was a wonderful hostess and Rob the best bartender and pancake bar chef! We couldn’t ask for a better day. Picking Chelsea Tavern was the best decision and the bride to be was so happy and said everything was exactly as she had imagined. Thank you to everyone involved, it was the most special day 🌸💗🌸
Donna
I have been I have been here on several occasions and I was very disappointed this time. How can management put a 20% gratuity and take 2% for itself?!?! Our server was pleasant enough however, there weren't enough servers. Our drinks were at the bar waiting for pickup, beer got warm and Bloody Mary watery! No refills on water! Food was mediocre at best. Don't know if I'll return again.
Lee Anne
Not a fan--food was awful, gratuities added to the check, place appeared dirty. I would never return.
Dan
We dined at Chelsea Tavern prior to a show at the Grand Wilmington which was conveniently located across the street. The service was very good and attentive and menu choices were plentiful. My wife had the Sante Fe Steak Sandwich which was very tasty and well presented on an Italian seeded roll. She had ordered Sweet Potato Fries and they were delicious. I had the Honey Parmesan Chicken Sandwich which was very good. The only issue was that the bottom of the brioche roll was soggy which made for a messy meal. I ordered the Trio Fries and they were okay in that there was a small scattering of onions in with regular and sweet potato fries. Not what was expected especially with an up charge. I would suggest that maybe the sandwiches that have a soggy or wet texture be put on a hardier roll so it doesn't get too messy. The wine pours were very good. I would recommend a visit to Chelsea and we are planning a return on our next trip to Wilmington.
Eileen
The table was dirty. The glass was chipped. The food was bland. The wait staff was wonderful. Won't ever go back.
Ronald
Service lacked attention to detail. Advised server that I had a show to atend at 7. Reservation was 5:30. Entre arrived at the table at 6:40. Had to woof down my diner.
Food quality not quite what we had in the past. Worst experience was getting hassled by homeless going from parking garage to the restaurant. We went to a show at The Grand and got approached again on our back to the garage. That area needs to be policed.
Michael
Had dinner for the first time at Chelsea Tavern with friends before seeing "Toast" at the Grand Opera House just across the street - fantastic food, drinks, and we definitely will be back to try other items from the menu!
Allison
We came here after reading some positive reviews online about this little tavern in Wilmington. We came here for parents weekend from University of Delaware, and decided we wanted to have a fun night with good food. We started off with the nachos, which were tasty and had lots of flavor. Kudos to whoever put that really good cheese on and melted it perfectly, and there was plenty to share. My companions had their burgers which were terrific, juicy, with plentiful portions of toppings and sides. I had a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp, which was perfect. Here's the problem... The service was nothing short of abysmal. Our service came over and introduced herself, gave us water and disappeared for 10 minutes. We were looking around for her so we could order. She came back and took our order, and disappeared again. After 10 minutes the nachos came out by a food runner, and our server came by to give us water. Food was brought out and my dish was done incorrectly so I had to send it back. It came out in timely fashion, but again we didn't see her for at least 15 minutes. No one came over to check on us to see if we needed extra water, no one came over to see how the food was and it was only after, we stacked dishes on each other that she came by to give us her check. Caveat Number two... There is an automatic 20% service charge which is meant to be gratuity, 18% to the server and 2% for the food runners. The food runners did a good job delivering the food, but our server did not deserve the 18% gratuity. We got the bill there is space to offer additional gratuity if we wanted to. I wanted to find a manager to say I don't want to pay 20% because frankly, all the food was good, the service was next to awful. By the way, the place was not busy where she was being drawn in 20 different directions, only half the tables were full and it was only 7 o'clock on a Saturday evening.
Suzanne
Food was average. Salads had almost no chicken on them and too many croutons. Pizza oven broke so first meal choice wasn't available. Bar service was slow. Asked for dressing on side and that didn't happen. Server was nice and apologized for issues which was appreciated. Won't be going back anytime soon.
William Woodall
One of my favorite spots! Ask for the military discount! Try the burgers!
See you soon Chelsea’s
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Great Beer Selection, Tavern Trio Fries, The Chelsea, Tavern Chicken Wings
Place looked dirty and in need of a face lift. Despite 3 servers in the downstairs dining area, and not very full, service degraded throughout our time there. After several attempts we finally got one of the servers to stop to order a second round of drinks while we waited for our dinner which took over an hour to deliver. And only after I had to flag down a server again to ask why it taking so long. Especially after seeing other tables seated after us served before us. Excuse given was their system went down and lost our order. Since we had to leave for a show across the street at the Grand, we asked for our check when the food arrived, and quickly ate, paid and got out of there. Finally , they automatically added a 20% service charge... for TWO PEOPLE. To their credit they told us they comp'ed us 50% on the bill but since we were in a hurry I did not look at bill closely and thought afterwards that it was an awful lot of money for two drinks each, an app, and two entrees if a 50% discount was applied. Fortunately we got to show on time.
Indoors at the Tavern was very stuffy, but when we asked to be seated outside, we were told it was sold out. Fifteen minutes later, we observed someone else asking to be seated outside and they were promptly accommodated. Food was average and the burger I ordered was overcooked and lacked two things specified on the menu (beer braised onions and aioli). Service was slow and mediocre. Server didn't even bring me a glass for my beer, so I had to snatch one from a nearby table. To top it all off, they added a 20% "service fee" onto the check (without mentioning this to us). We were just a party of 2 and I've never seen this before unless it's mentioned on the menu or by the server. We won't be back.
Food was adequate, air conditioning not working so we sat outside in the garden area. Ordered a wood fired pizza only to be told they're not turning on the ovens because of the heat😡. A 20% service fee was attached to total without our knowledge. Stating that 2% went to the house because of the increases in goods and the other 18% to the staff. Everyone that works there were very friendly and accommodating, but we won't go back.
Always great food, great service and a great beer selection. It is our go to place with family and friends.
We just had a bridal shower there in May 2025. We picked Chelsea Tavern because it was in a central location for our 2 families to come together and celebrate. All I can say is that everything was fantastic! The service, the room, the attention to detail was perfect! The food was phenomenal! The portions were huge and tasted terrific! Madelyn was a wonderful hostess and Rob the best bartender and pancake bar chef! We couldn’t ask for a better day. Picking Chelsea Tavern was the best decision and the bride to be was so happy and said everything was exactly as she had imagined. Thank you to everyone involved, it was the most special day 🌸💗🌸
I have been I have been here on several occasions and I was very disappointed this time. How can management put a 20% gratuity and take 2% for itself?!?! Our server was pleasant enough however, there weren't enough servers. Our drinks were at the bar waiting for pickup, beer got warm and Bloody Mary watery! No refills on water! Food was mediocre at best. Don't know if I'll return again.
Not a fan--food was awful, gratuities added to the check, place appeared dirty. I would never return.
We dined at Chelsea Tavern prior to a show at the Grand Wilmington which was conveniently located across the street. The service was very good and attentive and menu choices were plentiful. My wife had the Sante Fe Steak Sandwich which was very tasty and well presented on an Italian seeded roll. She had ordered Sweet Potato Fries and they were delicious. I had the Honey Parmesan Chicken Sandwich which was very good. The only issue was that the bottom of the brioche roll was soggy which made for a messy meal. I ordered the Trio Fries and they were okay in that there was a small scattering of onions in with regular and sweet potato fries. Not what was expected especially with an up charge. I would suggest that maybe the sandwiches that have a soggy or wet texture be put on a hardier roll so it doesn't get too messy. The wine pours were very good. I would recommend a visit to Chelsea and we are planning a return on our next trip to Wilmington.
The table was dirty. The glass was chipped. The food was bland. The wait staff was wonderful. Won't ever go back.
Service lacked attention to detail. Advised server that I had a show to atend at 7. Reservation was 5:30. Entre arrived at the table at 6:40. Had to woof down my diner.
Restaurantji Recommends
Food quality not quite what we had in the past. Worst experience was getting hassled by homeless going from parking garage to the restaurant. We went to a show at The Grand and got approached again on our back to the garage. That area needs to be policed.
Had dinner for the first time at Chelsea Tavern with friends before seeing "Toast" at the Grand Opera House just across the street - fantastic food, drinks, and we definitely will be back to try other items from the menu!
We came here after reading some positive reviews online about this little tavern in Wilmington. We came here for parents weekend from University of Delaware, and decided we wanted to have a fun night with good food. We started off with the nachos, which were tasty and had lots of flavor. Kudos to whoever put that really good cheese on and melted it perfectly, and there was plenty to share. My companions had their burgers which were terrific, juicy, with plentiful portions of toppings and sides. I had a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp, which was perfect. Here's the problem... The service was nothing short of abysmal. Our service came over and introduced herself, gave us water and disappeared for 10 minutes. We were looking around for her so we could order. She came back and took our order, and disappeared again. After 10 minutes the nachos came out by a food runner, and our server came by to give us water. Food was brought out and my dish was done incorrectly so I had to send it back. It came out in timely fashion, but again we didn't see her for at least 15 minutes. No one came over to check on us to see if we needed extra water, no one came over to see how the food was and it was only after, we stacked dishes on each other that she came by to give us her check. Caveat Number two... There is an automatic 20% service charge which is meant to be gratuity, 18% to the server and 2% for the food runners. The food runners did a good job delivering the food, but our server did not deserve the 18% gratuity. We got the bill there is space to offer additional gratuity if we wanted to. I wanted to find a manager to say I don't want to pay 20% because frankly, all the food was good, the service was next to awful. By the way, the place was not busy where she was being drawn in 20 different directions, only half the tables were full and it was only 7 o'clock on a Saturday evening.
Food was average. Salads had almost no chicken on them and too many croutons. Pizza oven broke so first meal choice wasn't available. Bar service was slow. Asked for dressing on side and that didn't happen. Server was nice and apologized for issues which was appreciated. Won't be going back anytime soon.
One of my favorite spots! Ask for the military discount! Try the burgers!
See you soon Chelsea’s
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Great Beer Selection, Tavern Trio Fries, The Chelsea, Tavern Chicken Wings
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