The Hermitage Inn

This is the 3rd or 4th time eating at this restaurant, and it is definitely one place that we will be visiting again. The general manager, Brendan, helped us out with our reservation, which was extremely hard to get. He was so accommodating, honest, and friendly. He made it possible for us to celebrate our anniversary on a busy holiday weekend. The Hermitage Inn is absolutely beautiful. The decor in one room is more beautiful than the next. The ambiance of the restaurant was warm and inviting, with soft lighting and a relaxed atmosphere. The food was absolutely delicious, and the cocktails were as well. Sandra, our waitress, was very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful in answering any questions prior to our food and drink selection. She checked on us often to see if we needed anything to make our dining experience perfect. Thank you to all that made this once again a great experience. Until next time!

I brought my husband, brother, and sister-in-law to the restaurant expecting a first-class experience comparable to what we had when the restaurant was under by the previous owner. This one was terrible! We ordered the baked half chicken, gnocchi, and baby back ribs. None of us liked our meals which were weirdly seasoned and distastefully prepared. For example, the gnocchi seemed to have been breaded and fried and served with a curry spiced sauce. The rib dish was absent the sweet potatoes listed in the menu but served with huge balls of fried chickpea mush. There was a tiny bit of chicken, mostly skin and fat, and another inappropriate sauce in that dish. To top off this VERY expensive unpleasant meal, they messed up the checks and mixed up my credit card with that from another table. When I asked to speak with the manager about this, I was told to wait, he was busy. After at least 10 minutes, the waitress ultimately straightened out the billing but the manager never even bothered to come over. I would recommend this restaurant to no one. We’ll certainly never go back.

Rooms are large and comfortable. Mine had a king size bed for a 6 foot 3 inch guy that is important. The fall color were vibrant with cool cloudy day everything was warm and comfortable. Here for a wedding so food and atmosphere were on point and excellent. Staff was very friendly and very helpful.

We did not stay at the inn but went to the restaurant for a special dinner. First the goo - the inn, the grounds, the setting and the dining room are all beautiful. Now the bad. Before going we reviewed the menu online. My wife saw a past dish that she then had her heart set on. When we were given a menu at the restaurant it was the same as on line except they had eliminated the pasta dish. It was not replaced with another non meat or fish dish. Also the prices on the restaurant menu were higher than those on the online menu. I am used to Greenwich, CT and NYC prices sop I am not easily shocked but the prices were very high by Vermont standards $30 for 6 tiny oysters. $54 for a 6 scallop entre. $22 for a small glass of white wine. While the entre came with a small serving of vegetables, there was no starch served with it. The server never asked if I would like a second glass of wine, just removed the first glass when I was finished. Also when she did ask how the food was she only addressed her question to me. I intentionally and specifically only commented on what I had and she never asked my wife about her food. In summary, a beautiful place but overpriced, small portions, inattentive wait staff, so-so food. Will not go back.

We had an amazing dinner. The staff was very friendly and the food was delicious! A really extensive and impressive wine menu as well. We celebrated a birthday and were so glad we picked the hermitage inn for our night! Brendan- thank you for a great night!

Well worth the splurge. The carriage house was absolutely beautiful. Service was awesome. They were kind enough to bend our check-out time a little bit. Dinner at The Birches was fantastic. Locally-sourced ingredients and inventive menu. Basket breakfast delivered to our room and it was sublime. Thanks to everyone at Hermitage! Will come back soon! xx

Had dinner here tonight. This is one of the most beautiful places we’ve been to in Vermont. The restaurant is stunning along w the grounds. We had cocktails, crab, lobster rolls, wedge and eggplant. Beautiful and well prepared and seasoned. Really a great , beautiful evening!!

It is such a serene and peaceful place!! Unbelievably beautiful surroundings. The best location to make yourself centered and happy. Rooms are beautiful and comfortable. Food is amazing. There are hiking trails and other places to explore. I am glad they reopened and did beautiful renovations. I really enjoyed my stay 💜

The day before Christmas we met one of the chefs at the restaurant, he gave us a personal invite to the place and said it would be no problem since there were only two of us. On Christmas day we called for a reservation and were told that they were fully booked, we told them we had a personal invite and they said "sorry we cant do anything for you" in a nasty voice. We were very nice and were refused on Christmas day, how nice, and so having faith in the chef we made no alternative plans and had to have Christmas dinner from 7 eleven.

One of the few places opened for lunch when we visited in late September! We were surprised that it was quite empty on such a busy Saturday. Service was great! We ordered the burger and the grilled cheese and enjoyed both items. A great spot for lunch and drinks! Beautiful restaurant!

This is a very well run establishment. Upon arrival the hostess sat us at a table in the main dining room, right outside the kitchen. There was a more desirable table along the wall with the mural. I asked to be switched and they graciously accommodated us. The decor was lovely, romantic with the fresh flowers & live fire. Our waitress was pleasant and knew the menu well. I decided on the chili old fashioned and and he got a Manhattan. The cocktails were served in beautiful crystal glasses. The beet appetizer was delicious with the blended feta & grapefruit & candied pecans. For dinner I had the barramundi special and he had the vegan entree with farrow, parsnip and Brussel sprouts. Dessert was the cream brûlée and superb. The following day we came back for the wine tasting that highlighted three merlot wines. This was situated in their "game room" that was again, decorated with fresh flowers and a lovely fire. The wine was flowing freely and they provided a charcuterie board. I would absolutely come again.

Some of the best dinners my wife and I have had for a very long time. Expensive but worth it! Sometimes high-end restaurant dishes look gorgeous but taste so-so. We've eaten here twice, both times on the attractive outdoor patio. The food is both beautifully presented _and_ delicious. Excellent soups of the day; make sure you check out what's on offer! The chef is Erin; make sure you dine on a night she's in the kitchen.

We ate here several years ago when it was under management by the Hermitage Club and I recall not being impressed at all. Clearly the management/ownership has changed and from the moment you walk in you feel welcomed to a fine Inn. This restaurant is a home run! The staff were so attentive and friendly and the renovation of the dining room and bar area were equally impressive. Our meals were outstanding and IMO probably one of the best dining experiences we have had in the West Dover/Wilmington area. The Cornish Hen was scrumptious as was the Seafood Chowder. Definitely will be back!

This place is a gem. Tasteful enough to be a special occasion place, yet cozy and friendly enough you could come here every day. The food is perfectly chosen, cooked and presented . Not one plate we ate here has missed the mark. It's a beautiful location, with lovely staff, a tasteful room, and serves delicious food. Only downside is you can easily get tempted to stay and empty your wallet.

In late December, seven friends and I booked two gondolas for the aprés ski Piedmonte fondue. Several of us had done the same the previous year and had a truly fabulous experience, so we were looking forward to coming back, this time with a few more friends. Unfortunately, while the gondolas are so cute and the fondue very delicious, we were extremely disappointed this year by the amount and variety of food provided to dip in the fondue. For each gondola of four people, we were surprised that we were served six green beans, a handful of croutons, a few slices of sausage and a single mid-sized cauliflower floret. Barely enough for two people to share, really. The previous year, we had plenty of food to dip, with both the variety and amount seeming appropriate to the size of our group (we even ended up requesting a bit more cheese, which was provided). This year, after we quickly finished the small amount of food provided, we requested additional food to dip (as there was quite a bit of fondue leftover) and were served some more croutons, which was fine, but we were very sad that we had spent nearly $100 per person for such a small offering. I know fondue is not meant to be a full/heavy meal, but we all left hungry and disappointed. Based on this year's experience, we would not return. I hate leaving poor reviews, but I did reach out to the restaurant to provide feedback and received no response.

What an amazing spot in West Dover! The food and drinks were outstanding! Terrific service with access to a sommelier always floating around. Highly recommend grabbing a night cap (espresso martini) at the bar after dinner. Cheers.

The Hermitage Inn's marketing implies (and claims) this will be an exceptional dining experience. It is not. The waitstaff is nice and pleasant, but completely incapable of delivering an exceptional dining experience. The food has potential, but does not deliver value, taste or texture. There was 1 exceptional item - a maple-apple turnover for breakfast was the one item that I would eat again. Kudos to the pastry chef! The inn's room is nice and quaint. If an expensive, mediocre experience is acceptable then this is the place.

The dining room is absolutely beautiful. We knew it would be an expensive spot based on how elegant this room looks. I and my partner came for a nice Saturday night dinner. We had a 6 pm reservation and left at 8. This was due to an exceptionally long wait to be served food. They appeared to have adequate waitstaff, our table was serviced by 4-5 different people, but clearly it was chaotic with waitstaff rushing all over the restaurant to serve all the different areas. We were seated near the exit door to serve those out on the terrace which had the Tavern menu with slightly less expensive options. With all the serving folks rushing past our table, the experience was hardly tranquil. I give them only 3 stars because while our food was absolutely delicious, the portions were tiny, totally skimpy. I had the scallops entree which was supposed to come on a bed of gnocchi. Well at $44 for this, each scallop cost $11. Had this dish been served with 5-6 scallops at $44 I would have been happy. My other complaint is that there were barely 5 little gnocchis with this. They were each the size of half a small wine cork! Potato Gnocchis cost next to nothing- The Hermitage Inn could have easily provided many more to fill me up. We didn't have a starter because those cost $14 to $26 each. My partner had a pork tenderloin which while he liked the flavor very much, this too was an especially skimpy portion. At $36 it was the least expensive entree on the menu I might add. We decided to order dessert because understandably we were both still hungry. We split their ice cream sundae. It too was very good and size wise not too bad compared to the other items we had. Because this is such a pretty place and in nice weather they have fire pits and a horse drawn carriage, I would hope to go back and try the Tavern menu. As I witnessed those dishes whizzing past me on their way to the patio diners, I could see the portions were more substantial.

So disappointed tonight. We have been coming to the Hermitage for over 40 years. We have always loved the ambiance, service, food and extensive wine list. We chose to eat in the tavern tonight, ordered a bottle of red wine to go with our charcuterie and eventual meal. However, we ate the entire charcuterie without any delivery of the wine. After several scans across the restaurant for our waiter. We finally saw him and had to inquire about our wine (typically at the Hermitage this would have been noticed by the waitstaff). He said if didn't show up he would go to the wine cellar himself and get it. However, moments later, we were presented with our entrees by other staff members.Still no wine or our waiter. When he finally checked on us we told him to cancel our bottle and just bring us two single glasses of wine. He remarked, "Oh, the sommelier must have gotten lost in the wine cellar." What was really lost was an extra bottle sold for the establishment, a satisfying evening, and a decent tip for a waiter who didn't have the foresight to comp a few glasses of wine for two obvious dissatisfied customers.

We have only rave revues for The Hermitage Inn and feel so grateful to have it back in business and better than ever. The new owners, Mary Lou and Tim have knocked it out of the park in every way. Every bite of everything on the menu is delicious, the staff is attentive and the atmosphere is charming and cozy. A true gem!!!

Outstanding cocktails, wine, service and even better food! Some people in our group commented that it was some of the best food they've had anywhere and I would agree. Congratulations to the new owners - they have done an amazing job executing on a well thought out vision for the Inn and have created a truly unique experience in Dover. We will absolutely be back.

This place is 10 stars, amazing drinks the food is better, we got the cheese board appetizer it was phenomenal, followed up by the gnocchi ( only regret not getting 2 cause it was so good.) Had the filet mignon as an entree which was a 9.5/10. Highly highly recommend, we made a tavern dining area reservation. Can't speak highly enough about it.

Unwind by the open fire over cocktails before settling in for a wonderful and memorable meal. Picturesque setting with cozy vibe. The food, drinks and service all off the charts. Upscale and sophisticated with great menu. Like having dinner in a snow globe when the weather cooperates.

Worst experience of our 32 years of travel. The Hermitage Inn was once a warm, well run inn with gracious hosts and a helpful accommodating staff. The new Hermitage is anything but. An expensive disappointment.

This is worth a visit and a detour. They have done a fabulous job renovating this inn and restaurant. Tastefully done, I prefer the tavern to the larger bright dining room. You can enjoy both menus in either restaurant. The sommelier is very knowledgeable. Everything we had from the truffle chicken pot pie to duck was superb. The cocktails are great as are the deserts. It is cozy yet elegant - a real winner.