***Special events only*** Drawing influences from every corner of the former British Empire, the cuisine at James Shield’s Tavern offers an authentic taste of the cosmopolitan nature of the Colonies in the 18th century. Enjoy sugar, molasses, and rum from the West Indies. Sip wines from Portugal, coffee from Africa, and tea from Asia. Savor unique spice blends from around the world, and sample colonial favorites such as black eye pea soup, butter chicken, and West African stew.
Reconstructed 18th century tavern serving Southern fare while fiddlers play, plus a ghost walk. Based on 691 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.3 stars. Price $$
Address:
422 E Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Phone: (888) 965-7254
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Reviews
K Fields
We ate here a while back. The food was delicious. We ate in the basement which was a unique experience. From the outside it looks like any other building in Colonial Williamsburg, but inside it has more to it than meets the eye.
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Restaurant Rating Critic
A great buffet. Just couldn’t indulge with it being so hot outside 95° and soupy
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Orlando Q. Johnson
My wife and I were on a well bedded vacation and celebration of our second anniversary. We went to Williamsburg because I’ve fallen in love with the culture there. We went to the Shields Tavern last night and it was a wonderful experience. We had a Southern dish and it was quite delightful, and they gave us the history of of the Tavern and I’m a old history buff. Great experience for all.
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Laura W
I ate here with my family for dinner. We had a reservation for five. However, even though there were many larger tables open we were seated at a table for four and the staff just added a chair to the end. This made the table much too crowded and really was unnecessary when there were other options. The food was fine but nothing amazing. Even though on their menu online they had a less expensive chicken dish option that choice wasn’t on the menu the night we were there. In its place was a $35 fried chicken dinner that came with soup and a dish of ice cream for dessert. Everyone else in my family ordered that and the felt everything was just “ok”. I order a seafood pasta dish that came out lukewarm which made the sauce goopy and unappetizing. There were no dinner options less than $35. For a family of five, with only one person ordering any alcohol, the bill came to $250. Even accounting for the fact that we understood we would be paying extra for the atmosphere prices were way too much to justify. The wait staff was fine. However, with prices being so high expectations rise. When I’m leaving a $50 tip on a normal length meal I would expect there to be attention to detail. There was a rushed feeling from our waitress and questions were brushed off. A highlight was the musician strolling around. He sang and played his instrument well.
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A.Levent Kilic
No drink service. Foid comes from the main resort so tgere is no kitchen in this place. Waiters were very rude, never offeref water or ice tea which was sitting on the side table.
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Barbara Krueger
Spectacular! Seated in the parlor room main level. Had a fantastic meal of squash soup, shrimp, ham biscuit, and a terrific glaze on chicken. Actually took home my bourbon pecan pie as I was so stuffed but knew I wanted it too! Excellent attentive friendly service offered up with the history of this tavern. Saw the original gigantic fireplace in the lower level as I passed by on the way to the nice ladies restroom. The mandolin player who came in to our room to entertain was good and had an excellent singing voice as well as telling us some history of how the original tavern rented violins etc to tavern goers and then they played and possibly got free drinks from others. A great experience here tonight. Be sure you make reservations. I did mine on open table.
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Robert Nielsen
Nice atmosphere in an old Williamsburg tavern. A very pleasant server named Kayla demonstrated that she truly cared about our dining experience. Someone was playing a dulcimer in the background while we dined.
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Nicole Gepson
We enjoyed a nice lunch here as a family on our vacation. Live music as well. One member of our party has a peanut and tree nut allergy and was able to enjoy the Apple Cider Chicken.
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Jacquelyn Rowberry
Had a delicious meal at Shields Tavern this afternoon. Great service and detail to attention. The food was wonderful and our waitress provided me with recipes to try at home.
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Renee Grubbs
I was a party of one and stood in the cold for 30 minuets before I was called into the warmth of the Shields. A thoughtful manager would have brought out heaters or arranged for some sort of bonfire; it sounds unbelievable but there were approximately 50 people outside freezing before being invited in to eat their very pricey (but tasty) Thanksgiving meal.
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