Looking for lodging and dining suggestions for my wife and I near Longwood Gardens for a night or two. Upscale rather than economy. We’ll have the car with us.
Dillworthtown Inn for food. Well stocked cellar too.
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I think the locals will need to weigh in. https://www.historicdilworthtown.com/
You’re not far from Philadelphia, I’d stay and dine there.
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I used to live not far from there. Plenty of decent restaurants choices (nothing great). There is a restaurant there requiring advance reservations (Talula’s table- minimum 4 guests-BYOB) that I have heard raves about but I personally have not eaten there. I believe Dilworthtown Inn is in West Chester, Pa. (About a half hour drive from Longwood). West Chester has a bunch of restaurants of varying quality.
I would NOT stay in Philadelphia unless you want a miserable hour ride on highway 95 and be disgusted by the time you get to Longwood Gardens.
By the way, Longwood Gardens is lovely and definitely worth a visit!
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Dillworthtown Inn’s restaurant is closed. Tabla’s has two tables and claims to be the country’s hardest reservation.
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I’m local but that means day trip so I’m not too much help.
I agree that Philadelphia is too far but West Chester is doable if you don’t find anything in Kennett Square or Chadd’s Ford.
Andiario (https://andiario.com/) in West Chester has a great reputation but the reservations may be as tough to get as those for Talula’s.
Kennett Square is known for Mexican restaurants catering to the farm workers (mushrooms). I’d also highly recommend visiting the Brandywine River Museum of Art (Museum | Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art).
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Send a PM to Jeff Vaughan. He lives very close to there (i.e. 5 miles).
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=15930
RT
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Thanks all.
Dilworthtown Inn was the first offline I ever attending, many years ago, with a bunch from the Squires crowd, a number of whom are now stalwart WBers. That was where I first looked before posting here but sadly they are closed.
I will try the suggestions and PM Jeff Vaughan.
Andiario for sure not BYO, but you can make arrangements with corkage. Reservations requests are released on the 20th of each month. We are generally open Wednesday-Saturday. Reservation for the following month become available to book online at noon on the 20th of the current month. For example: reservations for the month of June become available to book on the 20th of May.
Other possibilities
Krazy Kats at Inn at Monchantin
Verbena - Kennett Square
Sovana Bistro - Unionville
Snuff Mill - Wilmington but not far- Have not been but friends rave
Terrain - Glen Mills
Brandywine Prime - Chaddsford
To stay
Fairville Inn
The Inn at Monchantin
Hi David. Mark’s list is very good. I’ll check with my wife on places to stay and will get back to you with more information. Are you looking for a BYO or will you be buying wine at the restaurant?
Ok, so here is what my wife said about lodging. “Fairville B&B and Kennett House would be my first choices. Then Bancroft, Faunbrook (it’s in West Chester).” Full disclosure - I know nothing about those places.
As far as restaurants go, here are my thoughts.
For BYO, Talula’s Table is the best, but impossible to get a reservation near term, unless someone has just canceled, and depending on which table is available, you would need a foursome. If someone has canceled on one of the dates you are in town and you have a second couple, I’d definitely recommend it. I also like going there for coffee and pastries. No reservation needed for that.
Andiario in West Chester is great. They now do a set price fixed menu. I preferred it when you could just order off the menu. Outstanding pasta dishes. I think he was a James Beard nominee. You can generally bring a bottle if you also buy a bottle from their list but I would check with them first.
My other favorites are Sovana Bistro and also Terrain which is in a cool greenhouse setting.
We were not thrilled with Verbena, but we were there the first week they opened, and we have not been back since. I have heard good things, but not they were not from the people I trust the most.
Not fine dining, but a very cool place is The Whip. The food is excellent, but somewhat limited. It is in beautiful horse country. BYO for wine only, but they also have very good beer list. Parking can be tough here. Drive up 82 through Kennett and Unionville to get there for the scenery.
Brandywine Prime is pretty good, but I’d rather go to Snuff Mill if I was looking for steak. It is not a BYO, but the food is great and they have a very good wine list and the Co-owner also has a cool wine shop across the shopping center called Swigg. This might be a tough reservation to get depending on how soon you will be in the area.
Check out their websites.
I’d be wary of the Snuff Mill place, just saying.
Maybe Robert Panzer has recommendations.
I heartily 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) the recommendation for Andiario. It is indeed BYOB at $25/btl. Reservations are not especially hard to get if you try exactly at noon on the 20th of the month, for reservations the next month. Also it’s not unusual to see some same day or next day reservations free up at the last minute.
I live in the area but Jeff seems closer like the actual town.
Lots of luck getting reservations for Talula’s.
Sovana is good and recommend that. Just down the road from Longwood. Would definitely recommend them.
The Whip is definitely a local place that has some charm. British pub in the countryside so not as upscale as you may think. Parking is tough and the wait can be long.
Four Dogs is good outdoor dining not too terribly far away. Again the wait can be somewhat long but more parking. https://www.thefourdogstavern.com/
Catherine’s in Unionville is pretty good too. BYOB. https://www.catherinesrestaurant.com/
Agave is sit down Mexican, also BYOB http://agavebyo.com/
Not knowing where you are staying, in West Chester, Spence Cafe also a BYOB was rated as one of the best by Open Table. https://www.spence.cafe/
Teca is good too.
PA is state store liquors but DE is a stone’s throw away with more options if needed. Wegmans offers some good but limited selections. Closest liquor store to Longwood is here. I frequent the West Chester store (2nd link) Google Maps
I live a stone’s throw away.
For lodging, Fairville and Inn at Montchanin are great settings. No experience with the actual accommodations.
For dining, Talula’s and Andiario are great but difficult to get reservations. Talulas has nice prepared lunch options to eat there or at the picnic area just outside Longwood.
No great local wine lists. Sovana is good food, close and $10 corkage. BYO because the wine list is ok but not great.
Spence Cafe is also a good choice if you want to BYO.
The Whip is not upscale but good food and a great local experience. They usually have some great beer selections or you can BYO wine. As Jeff V suggests, take 82 for a nice drive. I always take visitors 82 one way and 926 past New Bolton and belted galloways in Unionville the other.
If you want a great food experience but just solid wine and no BYO, Bardea in Wilmington is 20 minutes and blows everything else away in food quality. Get the fish or steak table share plus a selection of apps. It competes with high quality dining in major metro areas. It’s surprising there is food this refined in the area, and it keeps getting better, unlike just about every other dining experience since the pandemic.
PM if you have any questions about the above or anything else.
We stayed at the Inn at Mountchanin when visiting Winterthur and Nemours estate (both very highly recommended). The Mountchanin was very pleasant but we didn’t get a chance to eat in their restaurant (Krazy Kat) which is supposed to be very good.
I’m local as well, about 20 minutes from Longwood. I think most of the food options have been covered but for lodging The Inn at Grace Winery is a very nice property. The wine isn’t good, but the setting is beautiful.
Note: this is just a bad joke. Snuff Mill is supposed to be pretty good.
I suppose that it isn’t so different from Maryland, but for us Pennsyltuckians DE is a wine-shopping paradise. I like State Line; Moore Bros; and Kreston (been years since I’ve been there); and I look forward to visiting Rob Panzer’s new Liquid Culture. The food writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer likes a store named Swigg and also recommends 4 restaurants (at least 2 of which have already been recommended)…Review: 4 exciting restaurants are energizing the dining scene in and around Wilmington