The Smithfield Inn and Tavern - Smithfield, Virginia

Austin S.

My husband and I stayed at this charming bed and breakfast for a Valentine’s date, and it was absolutely perfect! The inn, built in the 1700s, has a rich historic charm with beautiful antique details, yet still feels warm and cozy with modern touches. Our room was spotless and so inviting.

The staff went above and beyond to make our stay special, and the highlight of our evening was the tavern. The bartender was fantastic—knowledgeable, friendly, and made us some of the best drinks we’ve ever had. It truly felt like a hidden gem, and we can’t wait to come back! Highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and memorable stay.

shawney C.

Thank you, Smithfield Tavern Inn, for your lovely hospitality, on our early Valentine brunch date...

We really appreciate your restaurant week brunch specials of 3-course meals with tasty appetizers, prime rib chili, coleslaw, and scrumptious homemade banana pudding.

We rated your Tavern Inn 5 stars because of the impeccable friendliness and outstanding services your establishment provides... 'Literally fit for a President. Opened since 1752,, it's Historical Colonial nostalgic hometown atmosphere and Victorian style quaint fine-dining was awesome.
And outdoor bistro patio seatings are great for warm and sunny weather days... 'Which was definitely the icing on the cake!

Thank you, Smithfield Tavern.
We will definitely come back again.

Suzanne T.

We’ve visited Smithfield several times in the past ten years and had always admired the outward appearance of the Smithfield Inn. We decided to book a one night stay.
Upon arrival, I immediately noticed the exterior seemed to lack some general maintenance. It didn’t seem to be as appealing as previously observed. Once we entered the front foyer area, we were greeted by a very friendly woman, who directed us to the check in area. The inn keeper was friendly as well and very informative.
He kindly suggested an upgrade to our room that would allow more space. We accepted.
We unloaded our belongings in our room and left to go shopping. Upon returning,
We decided on drinks and appetizers at the bar. The innkeeper was also the bartender and he was great. However we were Disappointed in the ham and biscuits; a dinner roll with dry ham shavings. The oysters Rockefeller were good but average at best.
We decided on dinner based on the guest seated behind us enjoying a prime rib dinner that looked delicious.
We were taken to beautiful dining area. Which at first seemed to be OK, however, it was awkwardly quiet, even amongst the two other tables that were seated near us. They’re definitely needs to be some type of music playing in the dining room. We asked to sit back in the bar area and continue with dinner service. Our server was great! Prime rib and shrimp and grits were ordered and at first taste so good. However, both dishes ended up being highly over seasoned the more we ate. The flavor was good but definitely doesn’t need so much salt/ spice.
But what was really disappointing was the ambience. We noticed every light, even the foyer chandelier, had bright white led bulbs, all turned up way too high, which made the dining and bar area lack the charming colonial & cozy vibe.
When settling in our room for the evening. The furniture lacked appeal & seemed to be worn. Quite a few areas on the walls that needed repair and fresh paint. We were annoyed to find the vents in the bedroom were not properly vented so that the air conditioning could reach us. It was extremely hot and so uncomfortable for sleeping. We tried to lower the ac but found it to be locked at a set temperature. We had to sleep with a fan on. Which left us stuffed up. Not the sleeping experience we anticipated at an inn of this caliber.
As we walked downstairs the next morning to check out, we found that we were the only ones there. Literally…no staff at all. No where to leave our key, no instructions, no one to give us our receipt.
We also wanted to voice our concerns with the AC.
We left…disappointed.
We also noticed even more disrepair outside.
Overall, we weren’t pleased with our stay.
It was average at best. It could be such a charming place to dine and stay with just a few small changes that would make a huge impact.
We did enjoy our breakfast at the eatery down the street and our server there was outstanding!

katieharris

Came here for valentine’s day dinner and it took 30 minutes til someone came to get our order. the waitress was sweet but we had to ASK for bread when all tables around us had some. when we got out appetizer the sauce that was supposed to come with was no where to be found. and then She had to come back and ask us for our order AGAIN 30 minutes after we originally ordered. atmosphere was great but the slow service and having to ask for the basics was not cool.

Evan M.

Great food! One of the best flounder sandwiches I've had. The ham biscuits were good but I expected more.

Must try the Vidalia Onion and Sausage Pinwheel. Old family recipe I was told.

C T.

This review is for the tavern. Sorry, but lunch was really bad. They served parker house rolls and called them biscuits, the ham was dried out and wasn't Smithfield ham. 3 of us had lunch, waited over 45 minutes with only 4 tables of people. Lots of excuses for the time and the food and the waiter kept saying over and over, "thank you for the feedback " seemed like he heard that a lot. Just not what it's been in the past. People were very nice, food was not worth going back for.

Lora W.

This review is for the restaurant-
So disappointing. Another suggested title- The only dip is the dip in the kitchen who thinks this French dip is dippable.
The Smithfield Inn itself is a beautiful establishment with classic old southern charm but don't look at the light gray carpeting too closely. It's filthy looking.
After seeing their southern ham biscuits on the food network, we made a plan to visit. We drove an hour to try them. "Smithfield Inn ham biscuit" is listed on the menu as six for $15. Instead of delicious homemade biscuits, we were given tiny store bought rolls with small amount of salty ham.
We also ordered "Crustini's with pimento cheese." Maybe the erroneous apostrophe should have been a warning. Instead of freshly shredded cheese with mayonnaise and pimento, we received a hard mound of cheese that we thought might have been frozen. It was not creamy and was almost impossible to spread. I ordered the fried flounder sandwich. It was the tasty but so large it was difficult to eat as a sandwich. It fell apart when hand held.
My two dining companions ordered French dip. They said that the sandwich was good but the size of the dip was ridiculous. The cup with the au jus was a small salad dressing cup. There was no way to dip the sandwich into this cup. They resorted to dribbling the dip over the sandwich as they ate. When I explained how ridiculous the dip size was, our waitress said "that's good feedback." I got the feeling she wasn't going to tell anyone. So much planning, so much driving, so disappointing.

Joyah D.

I have always loved the brunswick stew. I placed a to go order over the phone for a bowl of the brunswick stew. With a $2 tip on the togo order, it cost $12 total for this bowl of soup. The container was only half full and was cold. The soup itself barely had any flavor compared to how it used to taste. I picked it up maybe 10 minutes after i placed my order. To charge $10 for a bowl of soup and give someone a CUP is just wild. Not only that, but it also being cold and flavorless is crazy.