I went to Town Meeting Bistro for afternoon tea with several friends with high hopes, but unfortunately we were disappointed overall. The tea selection was very limited; there was only one decaf option, and although there were cute steeping timers on the table that we were instructed to use depending on whether we wanted the tea to be light, medium, or strong, by the time the tea was brought to our table it had already been steeping for several minutes. The food menu looked promising, but asking for vegetarian options seemed to confuse the server, even though when I made the booking I'd specified that one of our members was vegetarian; the server seemed thrown by that request, and clearly hadn't been informed of it ahead of time. Portion sizes overall were very small. Flavor-wise, the tea sandwiches were quite bland. The coronation chicken was the most flavorful of the bunch, and basically reached the level of "ok". Cucumber sandwiches are always delicate, but these had no flavor, or apparently any seasoning, whatsoever. Additionally, the edges of some of the sandwiches were dry, indicating the sandwiches had not been made to order. The good news about the ginger scones is that they had very good flavor and texture, probably the tastiest baked good on the plate, and the lemon curd to go on top was delicious. The bad news is that the scones were about the size of a half dollar (smaller than an oreo), and there was one tiny scone per person. I've had afternoon tea in at least a dozen different places, and sometimes they serve one scone, often two, but the standard size is generally about three inches across. The other pastries were of varying quality; the flavors tended to be ok, but overall either the cake, or the frosting, or both were dense and heavy, not light and fluffy. The one exception was the carrot cake, which everyone in our group enjoyed. Additionally, other physical details were not good: the area under the table was dirty, parts of the table were sticky, and the handle of the honey pitcher was also sticky. If this tea had been around $30 per person, we would have thought it was adequate; for almost $85 pp including tax and tip, our group was very, very unimpressed. We will not be returning.
Jeffrey S.
Food and service was fine, but the lobster rolls were too small, and the iced tea was commercial and nasty.
Selki A.
Beautiful dining room, excellent service and attention. The food was elegant and delicious--priced appropriately for the quality
Keely C.
We were sad we weren't able to stay at the inn, but at least we got to eat dinner there for our anniversary. The service was friendly and on pointe, offering a complementary glass of bubbles for our anniversary. The space is open and intimate, you can hear each other and not feel crowded by the other tables. Cocktails were perfectly balanced.The oysters were amazing. The monk fish is firm and a little sweet like lobster, the duck was divine and beautifully medium rare. We had never even heard of vinegar pie, it was great! Similar to but better than chess pie.
Jon Allingham
Had a private dinner/work function there and everything was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dione Moser
Not many food choices. Got a Ceasar salad very small for 14 dollars and a side of chicken for another 8 bucks....it was just ok. My friend liked his burger. Very nice people but slow. Beautiful location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Charles Lamb
I hosted a nice group lunch here. Great lunch dishes with vegan and vegetarian options. Service was spot on.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Norman Howden
Great food and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meghan
I can't rave enough on how delicious the food was!!!! We had breakfast twice here!I am allergic to eggs, and to have a breakfast that wasn't oatmeal?!? Outstanding!!!!!! ? I had the quinoa vegan bowl, it was crunchy, warm, and absolutely delicious!Dietary restrictions: Egg allergy and dairy allergy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Irene M.
Service was extremely slow for Sunday brunch, staff seemed confused and unable to help. Seemed to have a lot of problems dealing with computer and credit cards. Buffet was pathetic for the price charged. Could have eaten at any diner for 1/10 of the price! So very disappointing!
Breakfast on the porch Sunday morning. Give it 5 stars all around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lihos S.
Have been for brunch and the high tea. Both were amazing experiences with great service and top tier food, drinks, and New England atmosphere. Highly recommend.
Paula H.
Food is pricey, but very good. Had the duck, presented nicely; asked to be prepared as suggested "med-rare" - which seemed more like med to med-well and the skin wasn't even crispy. Service was ok -- nothing overwhelming good or bad.
Torrie L.
The afternoon tea experience and atmosphere were fantastic. The tea was great, but then the food was disappointing. The menu was inaccurate, and the portion sizes were extremely small. The finger sandwiches were actually cut in half in order to make the serving for 2 people - I've had standard finger sandwiches in England and they're twice the size. Substitutions and additional scones could not be requested, though additional tea was included. This would have been acceptable except for the price. There is an unfortunate expectation that tea is fancy so it can be exorbitantly expensive - this meal was not work $65 per person. I think $40 or $45 per person would have been acceptable - it is still high enough that it recognizes the high end service and atmosphere, but better represents the portion sizes.
Amy S
This was a really fun place for Sunday brunch! I like the combined buffet with an ordered entree. Felt it was just a tad expensive.
I went to Town Meeting Bistro for afternoon tea with several friends with high hopes, but unfortunately we were disappointed overall. The tea selection was very limited; there was only one decaf option, and although there were cute steeping timers on the table that we were instructed to use depending on whether we wanted the tea to be light, medium, or strong, by the time the tea was brought to our table it had already been steeping for several minutes. The food menu looked promising, but asking for vegetarian options seemed to confuse the server, even though when I made the booking I'd specified that one of our members was vegetarian; the server seemed thrown by that request, and clearly hadn't been informed of it ahead of time. Portion sizes overall were very small. Flavor-wise, the tea sandwiches were quite bland. The coronation chicken was the most flavorful of the bunch, and basically reached the level of "ok". Cucumber sandwiches are always delicate, but these had no flavor, or apparently any seasoning, whatsoever. Additionally, the edges of some of the sandwiches were dry, indicating the sandwiches had not been made to order. The good news about the ginger scones is that they had very good flavor and texture, probably the tastiest baked good on the plate, and the lemon curd to go on top was delicious. The bad news is that the scones were about the size of a half dollar (smaller than an oreo), and there was one tiny scone per person. I've had afternoon tea in at least a dozen different places, and sometimes they serve one scone, often two, but the standard size is generally about three inches across. The other pastries were of varying quality; the flavors tended to be ok, but overall either the cake, or the frosting, or both were dense and heavy, not light and fluffy. The one exception was the carrot cake, which everyone in our group enjoyed. Additionally, other physical details were not good: the area under the table was dirty, parts of the table were sticky, and the handle of the honey pitcher was also sticky. If this tea had been around $30 per person, we would have thought it was adequate; for almost $85 pp including tax and tip, our group was very, very unimpressed. We will not be returning.
Food and service was fine, but the lobster rolls were too small, and the iced tea was commercial and nasty.
Beautiful dining room, excellent service and attention. The food was elegant and delicious--priced appropriately for the quality
We were sad we weren't able to stay at the inn, but at least we got to eat dinner there for our anniversary. The service was friendly and on pointe, offering a complementary glass of bubbles for our anniversary. The space is open and intimate, you can hear each other and not feel crowded by the other tables. Cocktails were perfectly balanced.The oysters were amazing. The monk fish is firm and a little sweet like lobster, the duck was divine and beautifully medium rare. We had never even heard of vinegar pie, it was great! Similar to but better than chess pie.
Had a private dinner/work function there and everything was
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not many food choices. Got a Ceasar salad very small for 14 dollars and a side of chicken for another 8 bucks....it was just ok. My friend liked his burger. Very nice people but slow. Beautiful location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
I hosted a nice group lunch here. Great lunch dishes with vegan and vegetarian options. Service was spot on.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I can't rave enough on how delicious the food was!!!! We had breakfast twice here!I am allergic to eggs, and to have a breakfast that wasn't oatmeal?!? Outstanding!!!!!! ? I had the quinoa vegan bowl, it was crunchy, warm, and absolutely delicious!Dietary restrictions: Egg allergy and dairy allergy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Service was extremely slow for Sunday brunch, staff seemed confused and unable to help. Seemed to have a lot of problems dealing with computer and credit cards. Buffet was pathetic for the price charged. Could have eaten at any diner for 1/10 of the price! So very disappointing!
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Breakfast on the porch Sunday morning. Give it 5 stars all around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Have been for brunch and the high tea. Both were amazing experiences with great service and top tier food, drinks, and New England atmosphere. Highly recommend.
Food is pricey, but very good. Had the duck, presented nicely; asked to be prepared as suggested "med-rare" - which seemed more like med to med-well and the skin wasn't even crispy. Service was ok -- nothing overwhelming good or bad.
The afternoon tea experience and atmosphere were fantastic. The tea was great, but then the food was disappointing. The menu was inaccurate, and the portion sizes were extremely small. The finger sandwiches were actually cut in half in order to make the serving for 2 people - I've had standard finger sandwiches in England and they're twice the size. Substitutions and additional scones could not be requested, though additional tea was included. This would have been acceptable except for the price. There is an unfortunate expectation that tea is fancy so it can be exorbitantly expensive - this meal was not work $65 per person. I think $40 or $45 per person would have been acceptable - it is still high enough that it recognizes the high end service and atmosphere, but better represents the portion sizes.
This was a really fun place for Sunday brunch! I like the combined buffet with an ordered entree. Felt it was just a tad expensive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Eggs Benedict