Restaurant Review - Fraunces Tavern in New York

Fraunces Tavern is located in the Financial District at 54 Pearl Street, New York . The tavern is where George Washington bid farewell to his officers at the end of the Revolution. As one of the oldest building in New York, Fraunces Tavern has been an operating Colonial American tavern since 1762.

We had brunch at the tavern before heading to the airport. We picked this place for two reasons. First I was intrigued by the historic aspect. I mean George Washington was here! How could we not stop by? The other reason was simply because it was half a block from our hotel. Since we'd already walked 34 miles the day before this was a no brainer.

It was Mother's Day and they had a special menu that we ordered from. Choice of a two Bloody Marys or two Momosas, appetizer and entree for $30. That wouldn't have been too bad but we added a beer, two coffees and two desserts. The total for brunch not including tip was $105.00. Yikes! Even on vacation that was a bit steep for us.

 Appetizers and Entrees

I started with an appetizer of Scotch Eggs and it was yummy. The eggs were hard boiled just right, wrapped in a concoction of three sausages and deep fried. Served on a wooden tray with sweet pickles,porter cheese and a tangy mustard and honey sauce. For an entree I chose the fish and chips. Big pieces of deep fried cod and french fries served with tartar sauce and mint pea sauce on the side.

For an appetizer John had Salmon Chowder which he said was so good and filling he could have had that as a meal. For an entree he had the chicken pot pie. A big puff of pastry made for an impressive show but he said overall it wasn't any better than the pot pie at KFC. He loves the pot pie from KFC so that's not necessarily a bad review.

Dessert and Coffee 

There were only four items on the dessert menu: Tavern Cheese Board,  Meyer Lemon Tart, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Classic Sundae for Two. 

Sorry but to me cheese does not constitute dessert so I went with the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Not sure where the toffee was. It was more like a gingerbread cake with chocolate topping. It was topped with some really good whisky flavored ice cream. Overall very tasty. 

My dining partner decided on the Meyer Lemon Tart. Made a very pretty presentation on a platter with the tart, whipped cream and berries. I had a taste and it was okay but then I'm not a fan of lemon desserts. 

I love a good cup of coffee and the coffee here was excellent!

Of course we were in a tavern so we had to try the Samuel Fraunces Ale a 16 ounce draft for $8. So many beers so little time...

Verdict

I will say that the atmosphere was beautiful. We ate in the cozy bar area and just checking out the beer menu was impressive. The food was good but I don't think it warranted the cost and the service was a little slow.  That didn't bother us too much because we were killing time before we had to head to the airport. It made for a nice relaxing meal but I expected a little more attention from an upscale restaurant.