When I think vintage, I think old and unique. This place attempted to pull that off but didn’t succeed very well. From the outside in, it looked like every other cookie cutter chain restaurant.
I try to aim for the opposite when choosing a nice place to dine. The part that resembled a chain restaurant the most was the seating in the main dining area. The tables were close together providing diners with lots of noise and no privacy. Although the atmosphere was not all that impressive, the service was.
We were pleasantly greeted and offered cocktails and three choices of water—sparkling, bottled, or tap. The food was average–not bad but not great either. The best thing of the whole evening was a ham biscuit I had at the beginning of my meal. It was the best biscuit I’ve ever tasted.
Would I go back? Only to drink at the bar because it was the only part of the place that looked inviting and maybe I’d dine there again if someone else paid for the meal.
The Vintage Tavern has become a very popular place to eat in the short time that it has been open. I had been hearing rave reviews from their customers and was very excited when Geraldine and I went to visit. I was to be sorely disappointed.
Upon first glance you would think the Vintage Tavern was a chain – with the exception of the wonderful door the exterior looks very generic and uninviting. Parking is a mess and we were lucky to find a spot. I can’t imagine what we would have done had they been even slightly busier. Once inside, the feeling of being in a chain grows even more intense. In fact I would compare it to a Tony Roma’s, but with worse seating and a larger bar. A sinking feeling came over me when we arrived at our table, which was in the middle of an open floor with only a few feet of air separating us from other guests on every side. It’s like eating at an upscale cafeteria.
Moving on past the atmosphere, the food was nothing to write home about. With the exception of one excellent ham biscuit and an above average apple crumble for desert, the rest of my meal was average at best. Service was one high point – our waiter was knowledgeable and personable. The food is certainly not worth its price tag, and you feel like you’re paying for the bar more than the food itself.
If the owners redesigned the floor to create a more sheltered environment and more effort was put into the entrees, the Vintage Tavern could have potential. At present, it’s only a few steps up from an Applebee’s.
Contact Information for Vintage Tavern Restaurant:
Vintage Tavern Restaurant
1900 Governors Pointe Drive
Suffolk, Virginia 23436
757-238-8808
http://www.vintagetavernvirginia.com/