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All the United States Virginia Williamsburg Chowning’s Tavern
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Chowning’s Tavern

Enjoy dishes that founding fathers once ate at this Colonial Williamsburg pub.

Williamsburg, Virginia

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Hoppin John Risotto   Colonial Williamsburg/Used With Permission
  Colonial Williamsburg/Used With Permission
  Colonial Williamsburg/Used With Permission
Tavern sign   ickaimp / Atlas Obscura User
Chownings Tavern   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Tankard says ‘Chownings’ along the bottom.   ickaimp / Atlas Obscura User
  ickaimp / Atlas Obscura User
Both tavern signs.   ickaimp / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Guests at Chowning’s Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg travel back in time. An ale house and restaurant at a living-history museum, the establishment recreates 18th-century ambience with a menu to match.

According to records from the Virginia Gazette, the original Chowning’s Tavern opened its doors in the late 1700s. Little is known about its founder, ​​Josiah Chowning, but in his ads he wrote, “I hereby acquaint the public that I have opened a tavern,” a place “where all who please to favour me with their custom may depend upon the best of entertainment for themselves, servants, and horses, and good pasturage.”

Until it was torn down sometime before the Civil War, the bar was a popular gathering site for Virginians. In 1941, Colonial Williamsburg restored the building, conducting research to stay faithful to the tavern’s original architecture, furniture, and food.

A menu unveiled by the culinary staff in April 2022 includes dishes from Martha Washington’s cookbook. These include Stewed Duck (roasted duck leg submerged in a thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and peppercorn stew) as well as an Onion Pye with layers of potatoes, onions, and apples. Also on the menu: Snow eggs, a notable and historic dessert of whipped egg whites on custard sauce, and a creation of James Hemings, an enslaved African American who worked in Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and is a father of American cuisine. 

To further honor the history of Black chefs in America, the culinary team added Hoppin’ John Risotto, a nod to the Gullah and Low Country dish that developed from ingredients and practices brought by enslaved Africans. The dish is made of black-eyed peas simmered with spicy sausages and ham hocks in pork fat and rice.

Related Tags

Bars Restaurants Unique Restaurants & Bars Colonial America History Food

Know Before You Go

If you order a local craft beer, you can keep a traditional salted mug. Learn more by visiting the tavern's website.

Colonial Williamsburg has other eateries, including the King's Arms Tavern, which has an equally historic menu.

Community Contributors

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Omnia Saed

Edited By

ickaimp, blimpcaptain

  • ickaimp
  • blimpcaptain

Published

May 26, 2022

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Sources
  • https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/hoppin-john
  • https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/colonial-williamsburg-restaurant
  • https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/james-hemings-jefferson-chef
  • https://www.thespruceeats.com/american-culinary-founding-father-5113634
  • https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/va-vg-chownings-tavern-0707-20210706-5jvwblduqngoxgk6w7jlgwp3j4-story.html
Chowning’s Tavern
109 East Duke of Gloucester Street
Williamsburg, Virginia, 23185
United States
37.271985, -76.699243
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