Latest reviews from Williamsburg
| 34 /100 1430 HIGH ST “In an interesting spot in a new strip mall area, they picked a space with an odd, huge domed front end. The cooler and bar are in the rear. No brewing equipment on site, all brought in from Richmond. Like their beers but was wildly disappointed with this place. The staff was disinterested and snooty. The kicker was the $2.27 charge for about 2 tablespoons of trail mix. Or you can pay $8 for a frozen pretzel heated up in their toaster oven. Ridiculous. Liked the original place in Richmond, won't go back to their Williamsburg spot. Way too many other solid brewery choices in town.“ |
| 58 /100 The Cheese Shop (Restaurant) 410 DUKE OF GLOUCESTER STREET “While showing my family Colonial Williamsburg we decided to stop into the shops. Was very surprised by the selection of beer they sold. They even had some that were cold back by the deli to buy. Place was pretty crowded around lunch time so couldn't pick thru the selection as much as I would have liked. If here worth a look.“ |
| 64 /100 2054 JAMESTOWN ROAD “Another place in Williamsburg I visited in 2018 and didn't post. This place is just up the street from my friends place so very convenient for us, but not necessarily a location others want to go to. Staff was friendly, pretty packed so can be slow. The beers are okay, nothing world class but drinkable with friends.“ |
| 70 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Visited here a few times now. Open spaced tap room with a food truck outside. After having a few of their beers from beer club in UK I wasn't expecting much, but their tap offerings are really good. Staff knows their stuff and you can take some to go as well.“ |
| 68 /100 224C MONTICELLO AVE “Well I guess I never added my place review for this when I visited in 2018. The service was great, and they knew their stuff about every mead that they let you sample. The prices are normal mead prices, which is not cheap. Was able to sample a few and bought a couple bottles to go.“ |
| 74 /100 1430 HIGH ST “New Williamsburg location for Strangeways Brewing. They have a great space with tons of rooms and 48 TAPS! Lots of selection, if you can't find something you'd like you should probably not drink. If you've never had their beers this is great place to try them.“ |
| 76 /100 110 S HENRY ST “My favorite spot to hit in Williamsburg. They have a system where you go through a line to order and then servers call your beers out when ready. Which seems pretty smooth. The selection is vast, and they rotate beers often. The space has an arcade and two restaurants (foods not great). Very family friendly.“ |
| 70 /100 521 PRINCE GEORGE ST. “Visited here a couple times now since my friend's daughter works here. Nice pub with excellent, but pricey food. They carry Precarious beers as their associated location. The beer list is always changing, and I've been able to get a few scoops every time I've been there. Nice place to have a bite to eat after sight seeing.“ |
| 64 /100 1826 JAMESTOWN RD “Seem like it took forever for them to open, but I made it 3 October when they opened. The place was packed and there wasn't enough parking, so I had to park at the estate sales place next door (sounds like they have deal with them so it's okay now". It was unfortunate that the weather due to Ian was so bad, the outdoor looks awesome. Inside its decent space, which needs better seating and bar flow. There was a ton of servers at the coffee bar and the beer bar, but they seemed overwhelmed at times. Did have a good discussion with one of the bartenders that actually lives street up. They served their first beer at 0700 because of their licensing with the coffee shop which is awesome. They had decent number of beers on tap and styles, most were decent. I've not seen many beers change over since opening; hope they rotate some seasonals.“ |
| 48 /100 1826 JAMESTOWN RD “Newcomer to the Hampton Roads/Williamsburg scene, opened by one of the area's OGs. (They also have a coffee bar, hence the early opening hours). Nicely built, brand-new space. Open warehouse feel inside, starkly decorated with cool moon globe light fixtures. The outdoor area and stage is the real star, as long as the weather's nice, as it was on our first visit. It's early, but they had 12 taps -- 9 of their own beers (some contract brewed elsewhere, but not disclosed), two guest ciders and a guest bubbly wine. Staff was pretty big for such a new place ... at least 5 people tending bar! They ranged from grumpy and disinterested, to effusive and friendly! First couple beers were good to great. A hop skip and a jump from Billsburg, so a packagable visit. Would like to see where they go. Brewery #959.“ |
| 74 /100 110 S HENRY ST “More modern outside than most of the entire historic Williamsburg downtown around it. Parking lots across the street.
Huge beer hall feeling inside, with long tables and a patio along the street. Long bar on one side, with brewing equipment off to the side, plus a ton of arcade-type stuff also involved. Catering to the college age & kiddie/family crowd.
There are about 20 taps, in several styles - again catering to the college age or family groups - smoothie sours, hazy ipas, seltzers. The brews were executed well, although into a limited range of glassware.
The help knew their stuff and supplied flexibility. 2 sizes to the pours, plus offering "to go" selections on about a third of the offerings. Prices were in line.
Also offered a range of taco-type foods in a corner, which almost seemed unrelated to the brewing operation.
Overall, liked the place; good food and tasty brews make most of the other items just noise.“ |
| 72 /100 Craft 31 (Restaurant) 3701 STRAWBERRY PLAINS RD “Away from the tourist hordes, kind of in a weird spot. Good rotating selection of local taps with seasonally-appropriate variances. Solid pub fare, friendly enough service. Good option if you're looking to avoid more crowded venues in town. Probably best selection for a non-brewery in the area, too.“ |
| 78 /100 189-B EWELL ROAD “After numerous years of driving past in the way to the OBX, I finally made the stop, and it was worth it. Indoor and outdoor seating and a nice tap list were the highlights, along with the pleasant vibe. Good beer was a definite plus.“ |
| 94 /100 3593 BUNKER HILL ROAD “nice new brewpub just north of TC in Acme.“ |
| 78 /100 110 S HENRY ST “Just off of the campus and downtown, this sprawling place is wide Open and airy. Long bar, low tables, front and back patios. Pretty vibrant. Food available via on site taco stand. Not a wide range if styles, but quality is good. Attentive service. Worth a stop.“ |
| 78 /100 110 S HENRY ST “A relatively unique brewery and place, in the historic area of Williamsburg. Its a large cavernous space with LOTS of tables and booths-both inside and outside seating. While it is it's own space it also empties into small "mall" building, and has games (ski-ball, air hockey) for kids and lots of TVs showing sports. Seems to have a line-up of 10 beers on tap at all time, and a huge variety of lagers, hazy's, and stouts. Food wise there is a somewhat permanent set up inside of tacos and all things in that vein (burritos, quesadillas, nachos, chips/salsa/queso). Found beers very good but a bit pricey -- $8 to $9 for a 16 ounce IPA? I actually did a flight of three hazy DIPA's and a triple, definitely worth it. Worth checking out for beers and a meal, but I would probably go later in the evenings so there would be less kids -- they were very loud and a bit too much. Family friendly and good beers!“ |
| 68 /100 2054 JAMESTOWN ROAD “Vibe: We have been three or four times now, a great little place down on the water. Its a popular spot to hangout as all of the tables on the outside deck are usually taken and most of the tables inside were filled. There was also a tent outside next to two food trucks, one of which had blue crabs and another that had Jamaican cuisine. The tables inside the taproom and those on the deck overlook a marina. The taproom also had a nautical theme as the tap handles were in an old boat and flights came in a boat-shaped tray.
Service: The place was busy when we were there but there were three people working at the bar, so service was quick. The bartenders were also very friendly.
Selection: A total of eight beers were available on-tap. Beers came in two sizes: 12 ounces or 16 ounces and flights of four beers were available. Crowlers and growlers were also available to-go.
Overall: Main bonuses are location, vibe, seating (inside, outside, on the water, near picnic benches or gas fire pits), and variety. Things to improve would be nitpicking, maybe a couple more well-rated beers. Definitely worth a stop!“ |
| 96 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Visited at the tail end of 2020. First of all, top scores for COVID protocols. Rules were clearly displayed and the staff were doing their best to make everyone feel safe and comfortable.
Some renovations going on and the taproom looks brand new. Looks like future work coming to the beer garden too.
Pints and flights were available, with 16 different beers on tap. Enjoyed that I could sample a British Bitter along with a DDH DIPA. Nice range!
Food truck on-site too. Enjoyed the visit, especially considering the circumstances, and will definitely be back once the renovations are complete to check out the new look and feel of this brewery!“ |
| 60 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Large place with decent beer selection. They were only doing full pints though during COVID-19, so don't go here to knock off ticks. In fact, most of the stuff here is also available in cans in the VA Beach/Norfolk/Williamsburg area anyway. Had one beer and left, though it would be a good place to hang out if living in the area.“ |
| 80 /100 189-B EWELL ROAD “Cool place which manages to have character in a world of generic brewery taprooms. Tent outside as well for nicer weather, though it was rainy when I visited. Tap list has most of their standards, plus a few I hadn't ticked before. And the stuff I hadn't tried was really well done - this place was a surprise, especially since I'd skipped it so many times assuming they'd just be pouring the same stuff you find everywhere in bottle. Friendly service. Food at food truck was OK.“ |
| 82 /100 110 S HENRY ST “Cool, large place right in colonial Williamsburg. Lively on a Friday night. Video games for kids and big patio space. Great tacos inside, though on the pricey side. Beer was mostly good -- these guys go for the trendy stuff mostly, but there are some other Belgian styles to choose from here if you're sick of hazies. Everything available in 6oz pours. Friendly service. Definitely worth a stop.“ |
| 98 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Large, welcoming taproom space. Oversized beer garden with plenty of room to roam (when acceptable). And a very friendly front of house staff!
I appreciated the variety of the beers. Of the 16 options, they were IPA heavy for sure (but it's the top selling style in the country, so why not I guess); but also multiple Stouts; a Golden Ale; a Saison series; a fruited Sour; and some other nice surprises. All the beers were very clean and true to style. And some pretty sharp branding too!
Plus I'm a sucker for any brewery that gives back and they had two beers available where proceeds benefited diversity and inclusion causes, and a third beer promoting Pride Month and beer for all. I'm all for that!“ |
| 80 /100 521 PRINCE GEORGE ST. “Ambiance: Lovely tap room/restaurant just steps away from the main drag of historic Williamsburg. Expect to part in the garage a couple blocks away. Inside everything's clean and modern. Bathroom had keg urinals.
Service: Went for Sunday brunch and the service was excellent.
Selection: About ten of their own items (by which I mean from the affiliated Precarious operation on site) on tap, plus a couple of ciders and one from Hardywood. The Precarious beers were solid to very good, and spanned a nice range of styles with a couple of very creative options (carrot ginger gose).
Food: The brunch fare was top notch. Southern focus full of rustic charm. I had a hickory sausage sage biscuit with pimento cheese that was just tremendous.
Value: For a touristy area, surprisingly reasonable. My theory--they are keeping the prices down a bit for the WIlliam and Mary students.
Overall: Absolutely worth a visit.
“ |
| 74 /100 The Wine Seller (Beer Store) MONTICELLO MARKET PLACE “they have a pretty decent selection. prices a little skewed for my area but nice deals do exist! some good local beers to try and others. some taps...nice for the area.“ |
| 66 /100 Vasquez Hacienda (Restaurant) 11324 US 31 “Good Mexican place with a couple of Michigan crafts on tap.“ |
| 78 /100 521 PRINCE GEORGE ST. “This is affiliated with Precarious. Its just one public space inside, with a restaurant half and a bar half. The brewing area is next door. Service was solid at the bar, friendly, helpful, happy to talk about the VA beer scene. They had 18 taps with about 10 or so their own beers. Flights available of their beers, but you can order 4 oz pours of whatever you want. Of the four I tried, the IPAs were quite solid, the Saison and Sour needed some refinement. All in all a worthy stop.“ |
| 76 /100 2054 JAMESTOWN ROAD “Very interesting location, right on the water with a dock and a great view. Outdoor and indoor seating and a smallish bar. Brewing building adjacent to the taproom. Service was helpful and friendly. Flights available in a board cut to look like a boat. Beer quality varied, but the good ones were actually solid.“ |
| 68 /100 2054 JAMESTOWN ROAD “Great place with a great view. Friendly service with 8 beers on tap. Some of the beers were good. Some mediocre.“ |
| 74 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Nice place. Nice, friendly staff. Video games for kids. Good selection of beers. All of the beers were good. Nothing exceptional, but nothing that would stop us from coming back.“ |
| 84 /100 189-B EWELL ROAD “Nice place with a friendly staff. Over 12 beers on tap. Picked up a sampler. Found the staff, attentive, helpful, and friendly. Excellent brewery. Worth a visit.“ |
| 90 /100 521 PRINCE GEORGE ST. “Just a couple blocks from the main drag of Duke of Gloucester, this is a schnazzy joint with a medium-sized seated dining area, and a large bar area. We didn't eat on our first visit, but the lunch and dinner menus include many interesting southern-themed options and what we saw come out looked amazing. But what makes this a must-stop place for any beer nerd is the amazing and constantly changing tap list including 18 of their own, cleverly-named brews. The four we had on our first visit were all exceptional, and most of the others were incredibly inviting. If only we had taken an Uber! Definitely one of my new favorites in Williamsburg! Brewery #833.“ |
| 46 /100 2054 JAMESTOWN ROAD “Visited about a month after they opened. They've grabbed a fantastic venue, just outside the Jamestown historic site, on the water, atop a marina with a fantastic Virginia view and great outside spaces. They were busy, even on a semi-chilly February afternoon. They had about 14 of their beers to offer. Of the three I tasted, one was decent, one was OK, one was awful. Brewery #822.“ |
| 80 /100 189-B EWELL ROAD “The brewery is located in a small industrial park. The location is off Mooretown Road which parallels the railroad and Rt 60. Visited the brewery after buying some Edwards hams. This is one of Virginia's top breweries. The service was great and very helpful. The flight has a nice size glass for tasting their beers. Bitter Valentine was available for tasting as well. Behind us was a group of people tasting their beers with an employee explaining what to expect with each beer. Worth the visit.“ |
| 98 /100 401 SECOND STREET “My absolute favorite brewery in the Tidewater region. Use of a re-conditioned building (very Williamsburg in that sense). Big taproom. Big beer garden. Fire pits. Corn hole. Food trucks rotating daily. 16 taps, and 8 rotate regularly. A lot of interesting recipes including Brett beers and local malt from Copper Fox distillery. A really fun IPA series and some nice barrel-aged offerings a couple times a year. What really sets this place off is the staff. Knowledgeable but more important, friendly. I feel very comfortable here and it makes the beer taste that much better!“ |
| 70 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Virginia Beer Co is a fairly large space in the commercial area of Williamsburg. They have a large parking lot on the side. Outside patio available. Inside is open with a large bar and a number of tables. A variety of beers available, including a barrel aged entry. Relatively few IPA's -- one English/American hybrid on tap and that's about it. Service was friendly. Everything available as sample sized pours. I was having 4G connection trouble here, but they have free wireless with a password posted on the chalkboard. I have heard a lot of good things about this place, but I was not impressed with the three beers I tried; definitionally average in all ways, but at least lacking in major flaws. Maybe I just hit a bad time or made bad choices.“ |
| 76 /100 224C MONTICELLO AVE “Small space on a busy street. Mead tastings are free, but they also have honey/mead pairing tastings and tours for a price. I just did the mead as I was in a bit of a rush. Sampled a half dozen meads and most were decent. The blueberry was the standout for me. Very friendly and helpful service. I enjoyed the stop.“ |
| 68 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Came here on a sunny Friday with the BF and parents, and boy, was I glad I came. The space itself is larger than I expected, with about 12-15 tables, which is great for larger groups. They have a lot of outdoor seating as well, complete with a fire pit but we (obviously) could not make use of them.
The bar area is very rustic meets modern, and plenty of seats for people who want to hang out by the bar. You can see into the actual brewery through huge glass windows, which really makes you feel like you're getting your beer straight from the tank. There were a lot of people playing board games like Jenga, Battleship, and cards - super nostalgic (not sure if they were provided by the brewery or if people brought their own games, but definitely bring a deck of cards if you're planning on staying a while).
There is a huge wall in the rear with all the beer options - there were 8 when the BF and I stopped by. Make sure you get the sampler - 8 beers for $15 is a deal you should NOT pass up. They have everything from light ales to dark porters, plus a couple of specialty brews that differ throughout the year. Also, if you get hungry, the brewery allows patrons to bring in their own food and even order directly to the brewery!
So if you're looking for somewhere to hang out and grab a few (or 5) beers with friends and family, whether it is in the middle of a hurricane or a beautiful summer day, VA Beer Company is the place to be.“ |
| 70 /100 Second Street American Bistro (Restaurant) 140 2ND ST “Surprising find in Williamsburg, thanks to BF's parents.
First thing, you walk in the door and you are greeted by the wafting smells of fresh baked cookies! Talk about setting the mood. Who would mind waiting 15-20 minutes to be seated on a Friday evening when you can enjoy the smell of cookies! Even better, there were FREE samples!
Seated in about 3 minutes, first win. Always under sell and over deliver.
Quick to see our waitress, a nice young lady that did her job well and without error.
Great varied menu, you must try the Fried Green Tomatoes ($9)! Served with pimento cheese which was divine.
BF opted for the classic Caprese wood fire pizza ($10) and I the 2nd Street Bistro Pasta ($18). My pasta was sauced PERFECTLY. This is something that can easily ruin a good dish. The balance of Parmesan Mushroom Alfredo Sauce to the amount of fresh, crispy veggies and Al Dente Pasta to exquisite. The Beef tips were tender but took a backseat in this dish. This could have easily been offered as meat free without losing any favor from this well executed pasta dish!
Despite the wonderful smell of fresh baked cookies, we just didn't have room for dessert after this excellent meal.
Beer selection pretty good, great mix of local and national breweries. We had the Virginia Beer Company selection.“ |
| 84 /100 224C MONTICELLO AVE “Very cool little place. Not only did we get the mead tasting, but we also did a honey tasting as well. I’d have never thought honey could have such vastly different flavors; mesquite, avocado, etc. Amazing. The owner conducted our tasting himself, was really friendly and obviously passionate about mead and honey, which was nice. I would tell anyone, mead lover, wine lover, beer lover, whatever, to check this out if in the area. The Scarborough Fair is wild.“ |
| 68 /100 401 SECOND STREET “In reading the previous two reviews, I’ll make my review with the understanding that I got a bit lucky. It was saturday evening/afternoon; there was live music; the place was crowded...but the service was fine; most likely because we got lucky and walked up to the bar as soon as other people were getting up. A line formed promptly after right next to us and some people had to wait a lot longer than we did. Staff was very friendly, the sliders truck and prices were good, and the whole atmosphere was really comfortable. I agree that the parking was wholly inadequate, but disagree in that the beer, while decent, was not impressive. I’d definitely go back though.“ |
| 76 /100 Craft 31 (Restaurant) 3701 STRAWBERRY PLAINS RD “Decent stop in Williamsburg away from the tourist crowds. Service was great. Tasters were no problem, and they sell the drafts in small portions so you can try a bunch of them. Food was pretty good. Would go back for sure.“ |
| 88 /100 DoG Street Pub (Restaurant) 401 W DUKE OF GLOUCESTER ST “Cool place, and the bottle shop in the back that has taps of its own is super cool. Between the two, selection is excellent. As for the Pub, selection good with lots of local stuff. Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Food was good. When in Williamsburg, especially if doing tourist stuff, it’s a must hit, particularly if your hotel has a fridge, since everything closes early.“ |
| 70 /100 401 SECOND STREET “Like the previous reviewer, I thought all the beers I had here were very, very good. In contrast, during my late Sunday afternoon visit, the service was excellent despite a busy but not crowded venue. With good sized indoor and outdoor areas this place has the potential to host large crowds but I can see how it could very quickly become stretched if a couple of big groups rolled in. Overall I think it was worth a visit because of the quality of the beers.“ |
| 86 /100 DoG Street Pub (Restaurant) 401 W DUKE OF GLOUCESTER ST “Nice old bank building in colonial Williamsburg.... sports bar area with a nice long bar, high top tables and restaurant seating.... for families we were seated downstairs in a smaller area but still very nice ... waitress was quick and knew her beers .... food menu had a lot of good variety and a mix of southern cuisine, BBQ and your standard burgers and pasta ... there is a bottle shop next door which had glassware, shirts and a lot of local Virginia craft beers as well as Shelves of micros and international sections..... had some beer specials for $5 but reg priced glass was $8 .... I’d definitely seek this place out ... had a really good time here with the family.“ |
| 74 /100 The Wine Seller (Beer Store) MONTICELLO MARKET PLACE “Was able to grab some local stuff while visiting friends. Pretty nice selection of local and imports, taps, beer and wine. Every question that I had was answered quickly. Definitely worth the time!“ |
| 80 /100 189-B EWELL ROAD “Stopped here visiting friends. Nice spacious well set up taproom. The service was very helpful. Was able to get sampler tray and pints. Plenty of swag and bottles to go as well. Well worth the stop!“ |
| 62 /100 401 SECOND STREET “In a well-reconditioned building of what had to be some kind of automative space, VBC fits the mold of so many other places in the current boom of local craft brewers ... nice, clean, family-friendly industrial space, with a nice outdoor, dog-friendly patio, and a decently sized indoor bar/sitting area alongside a growth-ready brewery. There’s a food truck or three on site, too. The beers are very good, considering the recent competition. And the setting is pretty nice, but would be a bit better if there was sufficient parking and wasn’t overlooking a major thoroughfare. My biggest gripe was the service. Like many of these new startups, VBC (on my visit) was completely ill-equipped for the crowd size. There were two lines waiting for service at the bar, both about 20-30 people deep, and taking at least 20 minutes to get served. This may be a phenomenon with new breweries that pour a lot of sampler trays, but a couple extra staff and a better organized bar service would have greatly enhanced the experience. I’ll be back because the beer was good, but I’ll be hoping for more personalized service. Brewery #781.“ |
| 70 /100 4 MAIN STREET “Pretty much the only place to stop if you are traveling along Route 9 to the Berkshires. A classic old New England tavern. Spacious bar. Tap selection is usually large. The brews are OK at best. Service and food are good. Try the fried oysters!“ |
