Food

So this might be my last question. How much do you think a family of 3 will have to spend to eat in Williamsburg. Some of these reviews for taverns seem very expensive. I%26#39;m on a budget. So I%26#39;m planning on getting a room w/ a small fridge %26amp; microwave. We%26#39;ll be able to have breakfast %26amp; maybe lunch this way (cereal %26amp; a bunch of canned stuff-I%26#39;m normally a healthy eater which my son hates but I%26#39;m making the exception for our trip). I%26#39;m guessing there should be plenty of fast food places but I could be wrong.

We%26#39;ll probably eat out for dinner 1/2 nights but I don%26#39;t want to eat breakfast,lunch%26amp;dinner out times 3 people.

Food

Well, there are definitely affordable options. The taverns are pricey but I would say that going there is something to do more for the experience than the meal.

There are plenty of chains that normally have a degree of affordability, if that%26#39;s your thing. There are also small shops and such where you can get sandwiches and the like.

If you want to seriously save money, I would definitely stay away from eating at any of the attractions. But don%26#39;t forget that can be something fun to do in its own right; your mileage may vary. IMO, the food at BG is definitely a good value considering what it can cost to eat at an amusement park, and how park dining can often be rather mediocre.

Here%26#39;s a site where you can start your research: visitwilliamsburg.com/restaurants-in-william…

There are also plenty of supermarkets in town, including a Trader Joe%26#39;s, which I find has at least moderately healthy and attractively priced ';microwave'; meals.

We do about 70% of our normal grocery shopping at the one near us, so I%26#39;m looking forward to staying in a condo (w/kitchen) more than I ever have before (we haven%26#39;t been there since before TJs opened, or at least we weren%26#39;t aware of it last time we were there %26lt;4 years ago). It will make feeding our 1.5 y-o daughter SO much easier, since most of the food she eats is from there as it is.

Food

Great topic! I need this information as well. We are staying at the Governor%26#39;s Inn and need to eat on a budget. Can someone list restaurants that nearby? I have read about the Cheese Shop but other than that I don%26#39;t know if there is a Pizza Hut or a Panera Bread or McD%26#39;s, etc.

Trader Joe%26#39;s - Is this way better than a regular grocery store? What can I find there that is better/different?

Thanks!

Places to eat within Merchants Square, adjacent to the Historic Area, include:

Aroma%26#39;s - soup, sandwiches, salads, breakfast, desserts. With tax, figure $7 and up.

Retros - hot dogs, hamburgers, freshly cut french fries, limeades, frozen custard. $3 to $4 for most items.

Lenny%26#39;s - sandwiches, salad, sushi, soup. $7 or so for a sandwich.

Seasons - American fare - steak, hamburgers, chicken tenders, salads. From around $8 and up.

Stephano%26#39;s - pizza, subs, salads. $7 and up.

The Cheese Shop - sandwiches, salads, dessert bars and cookies. Most sandwiches $6 or so.

Berrett%26#39;s Taphouse Grill - casual, nightly specials (a bucket of lobster, clams, corn, and cole slaw for $25)

Berrett%26#39;s - fresh seafood, upscale.

The Trellis - seasonal lunch and dinner menus.

Blue Talon Bistro - bistro ';comfort food.';

Fat Canary - dinner only, real foodie food.

The last four on the list are the priciest of the bunch, but they have menus posted outside, so you can decide before you go in.

A bit further afield, but easy driving distance, are lots of other places, both local and chains. Do a search on the forum, and check the restaurant listings on the side, and then ask if you need more information. Lots of the restaurants have websites, too.

Ah, Trader Joe%26#39;s... I can wax endlessly on the wonderfulness (sic) that is my favorite grocery store, but I%26#39;ll do my best to keep it concise.

It%26#39;s a great grocery store if you want to eat food with ingredients that you can pronounce but don%26#39;t want to break the bank. Also, if you like a varied diet and/or consider yourself a foodie, if you like organic, minimally processed, or ';wholesome';/';natural'; foods (quotes because those words can have different meanings to different people), it%26#39;s a good place to shop.

Most of their stuff is private label (ie, their own store brand) and very good. They have a good variety of organic food at very good prices, as well as commitment to non-GMO foods (not sure if it%26#39;s store-wide though). They also have a minimal amount of preservatives in their foods as well. Not everything is cheaper, but a lot of things are.

In my experience it%26#39;s not a very big grocery store, and you can%26#39;t get everything there. We still go to regular stores for paper and cleaning products (though TJs does have them), health and beauty items, etc, as well as sales we just can%26#39;t say no to, random stuff here and there, as well as a fair amount of meat and produce.

But for my family, most of our shopping is done there.

They have great prices on eggs, some fresh produce (notably berries, carrots, apples and avocados), frozen produce, cereal, bread, some cheeses, some pasta and sauces, spices, bread, vitamins, packaged lunch meat, cookies, and I don%26#39;t know, I can keep going, but I%26#39;ll stop here.

They also have some prepared foods, and as for microwave meals they have several options that are probably healthier than most of what can be found in a larger supermarket.

Okay, I know I%26#39;m biased but I am really a huge fan. You%26#39;re experience may be entirely different, but my family has come to trust them over the years. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask; I will do my best to answer.

Yes, I def agree... I love TraderJoe%26#39;s %26amp; if you can find 1 by you, you will love it too. Monster pretty much covered the description.

The 1 by me is small %26amp; I probably get about 25% of my food from there. Most of the stuff I buy are things like already marinated fish, chicken, %26amp; beef, canned goods...etc. I would say that cost isn%26#39;t that bad when you consider what similar products cost at reg groc stores or at Whole Foods.

And Thank you Zoey those suggestions seem to be what I%26#39;m looking for! We%26#39;ll see how it goes, I keep having this feeling that I%26#39;m not going to be able to stick to my food budget.

Tell us what your food budget is and we can steer you to places within that range.

We do have plenty of fast food, you know what those prices are.

Check the tourist magazines for coupons - they are evrywhere, some places offer a small % off. Our local paper is published Wed %26amp; Sat, spend .50 on The Virginia Gazette, check the ads and coupons.

I find the taverns expensive for the food - since I don%26#39;t think they are great. I know some like the ';experience';, if that%26#39;s what you want then it%26#39;s ';worth it'; to you. We think the food is mediocre. I%26#39;m not sure who - a recent visitor posted of the disappointment in the tavern - if you%26#39;re looking for opinions see if you can find that.

The grocery stores will of course have sandwich and picnic items if you can keep food at the proper temp all day. TJ%26#39;s is great - I go to Farm Fresh or Fresh Market for items not available at TJ%26#39;s.

There are a few buffets, whch people seem to like for quantity, that are about $7 for lunch - Golden Corral, Wasabi (chinese), Peking (another chinese), Pancho Villa (mexican).

Dining out out here is just like anywhere - everything from fast food to fine dining. Our prices seem to be comparable with most areas of the country.

Oh, and you don%26#39;t have to guess on those fast food places. Just go to the respective website and use the ';locations'; feature, or post here if you have a specific one in mind.

I was reminded of Cheeburger Cheeburger - not the cheapest burger in town, teens seem to love it.

Also look at these specials: Mon-Greene Leafe Cafe 50% off burgers; Center Street Grill 241 burgers; 50% off shrimp; Tue-Shackelford%26#39;s 50% burgers; Wed-50% shrimp at Shackelford%26#39;s %26amp; Sunday-50% off snow crablegs.

Call to confirm specials.

There are some great small places - NOT chains that are very reasonable right on Richmond Road. Check out these money saving coupons for food, shopping and activites......

sunnydayguide.com/williamsburg/cg_coupons.php

Thanks for all the great information! Bridgefan asked for more information on what I am trying to do with our food budget, so here goes...

Our daughter is extremely picky and will basically only eat pasta, pizza, chicken strips, grilled cheese or PB %26amp; J sandwich, and fresh fruit. There are 3 of us (me, husband, %26amp; 11 yr old picky daughter).

We are staying at the Governor%26#39;s Inn for days 1 - 4 of our trip.

Day 1 - Arrive in Williamsburg

Dinner - take out, somewhere nearby

Day 2 - Colonial Williamsburg

Lunch - somewhere in CW, maybe Cheese Shop, Retros or musuem cafe

Dinner - sit down meal - any ideas?

Day 3 - Jamestown

Lunch - take out or sit down, somewhere around Jamestown

Dinner - Richmond Rd area or on way back from Jamestown?

Day 4 - Colonial Williamsburg

Lunch - somewhere in CW

Dinner - Shield%26#39;s Tavern

We are staying at the Great Wolfe Lodge for days 5 %26amp; 6 of our trip...

Day 5 - Great Wolfe

Lunch - fast food near Great Wolfe

Dinner - sit down or take out near Great Wolfe

Day 6 - Great Wolfe

Lunch - Pizza Hut in Great Wolfe

Dinner - sit down or take out near Great Wolfe

Day 7 leave Williamsburg

Our budget - generally I%26#39;d like to stay under $30 for lunch (some days much less - fast food) and under $40 for dinner. I know that some days we will exceed that (Shield%26#39;s Tavern) but as long as we make that up by eating cheaper for another meal, that%26#39;s OK.

Thank so much for the help! We are trying to have a great trip while staying in budget.

My budget is the same as Cmom%26#39;s %26amp; there is the same amount of people in our group.

Thanks palmtre2 good link.