dobbin house tavern

unique,casual dining experience in the springhouse tavern. this colonial tavern, which is gettysburg oldest standing building, is set among 3 natural springs and 2 glowing fireplaces. there are candles at each table as well as at the bar, which is where we sat. the dining tables are communal style-like at hofbraus house if you are familiar with there. it opens at 11:30am, we arrived at 12:15pm, and were able to grab the last two seats at the bar. apparently the dining room was already on a 45 minute wait. going back to the history of the house, it was also used as a stop on the underground railroad and you can go tour upstairs and see the crawlspace that was the main hiding place. all of the walls are stone and the handcarved woodwork has been restored throughout thetavernto it's original 1800s appearance. all of the staff wears period clothing which is another neat point of interest. now onto the dining experience....
we each ordered a beer (troegs perpetual ipa for me and yuengling for him)and it came served in a goblet as it would have back during the civil war era. service was very friendly and quick. i chose to do the "gill of porridge and 1/2 sandwich". i chose to substitute the baked king's onion soup for the porridge. for the sandwich i chose 1/2 of a turkey sandwich on wheat with lettuce and tomato-dijon on the side. it came with a choice of side too and i chose potato salad (other choices were chips or coleslaw). the soup came first and instead of a cup it was a massive bowl! it was very freshly made with chunks of beef in the soup and lots of onions. the cheese ontop was plentiful and the pieces of bread in the soup were delicious too. this was handsdown the best french onion soup i have ever eaten! only way it could have been improved was if it were served a bit warmer. my boyfriend ended up finishing it for me since there was such a huge portion. the sandwich was basic-no explanation needed. it was ok. the potato salad was really,really tasty with a bit of a mustard taste to it which i enjoy. my boyfriend ordered th e dobbin's hot beef sandwich-tender roast beef piled high on a hearth baked roll. served up with its own juices for dipping. he chose coleslaw for his side. he said this is the sandwich he always gets and he was practically salivating coming into town looking forward to this sandwich! we will be back here the next time we are in gettysburg and i highly recommend this as a must-see destination while in town.

go off season. generally i love this place always go there when in town, last visit was fair, thetavernin the basement is my favorite, must have new help, barmaid refused to acknowledge i wanted to check out, so when i took my bill to the cashier (after 10 minutes or so) she was right on it then she was adamant i was to pay thru her, it will be a while before i'm back.
(side note: prices need to be a lil more realistic)

we had high hopes for thetavernbut were pretty disappointed. my clam chowder was too salty to eat and meg husbands french onion soup was just ok. the fruit tray appetizer was decent but i expected more out of the cheese (it was just a chunk of cream cheese) and the fruit selection. the crab cakes were decent. overall i think this place thrives on being a tourist trap and the food is disappointing.

loved it! thetavernis the casual dining which is in the cellar. the food was great as was the service. it is a small space so i would definitely go early or check on reservations. we will definitely eat here again.

best ribs around. we always eat in the basementtavernwhere the ribs are the meat eaters meal of choice. you can't get themin the the upstairs dining room and frankly the ambiance in the basement is just too cool to pass up. you will love everything about this place.

1800'stavernatmosphere. dark with candles. this adds to the feel of the tavern. great food and period dress. highly recommended!

okay food. stopped in to the springhousetavernfor lunch during the gettysburg reenactment. wait time of 20 minutes was worth the atmosphere and history of the tavern, however the food wasn't anything special. i ordered the maryland colony crabcake sandwich which included a decent amount of crab for the price. for dessert, i had the warm colonial gingerbread which had no hint of gingerbread and included a lemon sauce that looked more like lemon jello. wish i'd ordered a yuengling for dessert!

exceptional ambience, good food. grade: b

this is an old favorite. it's like coming home.

for years, trips to gettysburg have included a stop at the springhouse tavern, the informal basement bar and dining room of the dobbin house. as long as you know what to expect, this can be a good idea.

the dobbin house is a stone house dating to 1776. it served as a stop on the underground railroad, and you can see a hiding place used by runaway slaves before the civil war. upstairs is a higher-end restaurant and a gift shop unfortunately filled with vera bradley purses and other holly hobby schlock. you'll probably have to see this while waiting for a table.

downstairs, the springhousetavernis dim, lit by candle and low overhead light. its stone walls and wooden ceiling beams, combined with rustic furniture and the staff's quasi-19th century clothing give exceptional ambience. on a hot summer day, the cool air is very refreshing.

sandwiches and soups are the mainstay downstairs, although they also offer steaks, chicken, and seafood. the sandwiches, served with chips, slaw, or potato salad, are good, not the least bit skimpy, and very satisfying. a troeg's or yeungling, both pennsylvania beers, go well with the sandwich.

menu-wise, though, the best thing here is the french onion soup. this is made with a rich beef stock that merges nicely with the onion, pieces of beef, and crouton. served in a regular bowl, it is covered with a ton of cheese that is melted to a beautiful golden brown. even if you've been in 100 degree heat all day, this will be the way you want to rehydrate.

note: a couple of things to take into account if you plan to come here. first, if you are coming during tourist season, be prepared for a wait. even around 2 p.m. on a sunday, we were given a vibrating puck to summon us after 25 minutes. you'll be best off stopping for either an early or a late lunch.

dobbin house staff usually do okay with regard to service, but there may be delays because it is so busy. turning out sandwiches with a handful of potato chips ought to be quicker. (late entry: the most recent visit was speedy and efficient. the bartender was a woman who could keep many plates spinning successfully.)

note: verizon cell reception doesn't work in the basement tavern...remember to turn you phone off if you want to save your battery.

if you have a little time and want great atmosphere with a side of lunch, give dobbin house a try.

waiters in knickers, oh my!. the dobbin housetavernis one of those places you go to on "having a real american experience" vacations. i was there with my sister, three nephews, and friend. although it was a holiday weekend and the place was jammed, we were able to be seated without a reservation. i truly felt sorry for our knickers and puffy shirt wearing waiter. three kids who were hungry and thirsty after a day of sightseeing in gettysburg are not the ideal customers but he handled them well and kept the sodas flowing (and giving the 9-year-old bathroom inspector reason for his visits). the food purports to be reflective of colonial fare, and the ye-olde-timey menus and the ambiance of the warren of rooms helps pull this over, except that the food was surprisingly good. duck in an apple sauce was crisp with juicy meat. an avocado and limb crab meat app was recommended and did not disappoint, sweet crab folded into a louis sauce was succulent and slightly tart - but where did our colonial foremothers find avocados in central pennsylvania? hamburgers and crabcakes kept some of the boys happy while a sautéed crab in butter was wolfed down by the middle child. veal in a madeira sauce had my sister scraping the sauce from her plate - i barely got any! the dessert that night was a rather good bread pudding with currants. very tasty. that colonial specialty - the margarita made my sister happy too (but tasted like a bad mix to me) and the wines by the glass, while economical, were nothing special. i'm sure the couples at the tables in this candlelit room were relieved when our noisy group left so they could get back to their romantic evening. overall, a very good experience.

historicaltavern-- great food. if you're in gettysburg for the history, the dobbin housetavernis the one restaurant you really need to go to. the environment is a bit dark, lit by candles -- the bar looks like it hasn't been updated since the 18th century, except that there's quite an assortment of single malt scotch!

there's a real full-menu restaurant upstairs, and that's where we had reservations. after a drink at the downstairs tavern, we compared the bar menu with the upstairs menu and decided to eat at the bar. it's a bit cheaper, smaller portions, and we really liked the service / ambiance.

food was great -- bar food that included filet mignon, chesapeake bay crabcakes (awesome) and a bunch of other basics. in all we spent around $50 including a couple drinks. much better than the $80-100 we would have spent upstairs. i've heard that thetaverncan get loud, but it did not while we were there around 6pm. locals from gettysburg really like the tavern, but they tend to eat earlier in the day for some reason -- according to our innkeeper.

you won't be disappointed by the dobbin house.