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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES
American, Bar, Contemporary
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
View all details
meals, features
Reviews (156)
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70
37
27
12
10
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LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
70
37
27
12
10
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Reviewed April 5, 2023

Did a follow up visit with a party of 5 to celebrate an academic achievement from the local university. Waited nearly 15 minutes to be seated in a nearly empty restaurant, received impatient service when it became apparent that we were not interested in being...upsold with a bunch of drinks and appetizers. Placed our orders, and 20 minutes later, 2 orders came out, followed by 2 more after another 10 minutes ... and the final order another 15 minutes later, as everyone else's food had already cooled off. Two perfunctory drive-bys "Was everything all right?" without waiting for an answer. Ate for 10 minutes after the final entrée arrived. My meal, pork ribs, were way overcooked and slathered in sauce in the hopes that I wouldn't notice. The server then tried to hustle us into, "Dessert orders?/Can I get your check?/Would you like a to-go box?" as if we were responsible for the dinners arriving at uneven intervals throughout the visit. We ignored the tip guidance on the check and tipped an overly generous 13% ... and were surprised to see that on the final copy of our bill, showing a zero balance, a bold "Suggested Additional Tip" section. Tips are for good service; our tip was for pity. We will not be back, and if you read this review and still visit, you have no right to complain.More

Date of visit: April 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed November 17, 2022

I had the catfish Basket, the fish was fresh, light and well-seasoned it also came with a huge portion of french fries

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed October 2, 2022

Visited our daughter at school to celebrate her birthday and took her and her boyfriend out to celebrate. Located in Town Center, the restaurant overlooks a small lake. We took advantage of the outdoor seating on a comfortable day, and enjoyed chatting and standard cuisine...(burgers, ribs) at a relaxed pace. Parking is in a parking garage a few blocks away. I'd definitely return.More

Date of visit: September 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 2, 2022 via mobile

Came here for a drink with family before dinner. Asked for a bottle of a couple of different wines. They didn’t have them even though they were listed on the black. The barmaid ended up choosing one for us. She opened it and put in...the wine chiller without asking if it was ok. We decided not to argue and took it back to table. It was actually a very unpleasant wine with a after taste, saying it was like vinegar is too kind. We went up and told her asked for our money back (still had four glasses and part of a bottle). At first they said they would refund. When we brought glasses and bottle to bar, they reneged and said that they don’t refund. Don’t come and drink here. They ended up missing out on a dinner order for 13 people!More

Date of visit: September 2022
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed June 26, 2022

Wanted to eat outside one evening so we chose the Cove since it was on our radar for a long time. Nice atmosphere outside seeing and listening to the fountains, we thought. Well, if people would leave their dogs home, it would have been nicer....People passing by were walking their dogs which constantly upset the little yippee dogs dining with their owners outside. We gave our order to a very nice young man and began waiting. After awhile, he came back to tell us they ran out of hamburgers. Really? Ok, reorder to pulled pork. A while later our waiter came back with the news, out of pulled pork! What's left, crackers? Ordered agin and this time they had our food, which was good. We finished and asked for the bill. At this point, seeing our 78$ bill, not even a glimmer of "Gee, we are sorry for that we could not accommodate your choices twice so we'd like to make it up to you and offer some kind of compensation.." Nothing. Paid the bill and left. A restaurant who cares about its reputation would have at least offered a full apology, altho not by the poor waiter. Later we found out our son in law went there and they ran out of steak when he was there. I hate even having to mention this in a review.More

Date of visit: June 2022
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Reviewed May 4, 2022

Staff were excellent, and I ordered the flank steak. It was a much larger portion that I expected and was delicious. My friends also commented on how good their food was.

Date of visit: April 2022
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Reviewed April 9, 2022 via mobile

My friend and I went over for a mid afternoon burger and beers and received wonderful service from Mindy. Always nice to get genuine honest service and conversation with your meal to make a great dining experience. Thanks Mindy with the green eyes.

Date of visit: April 2022
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Reviewed October 16, 2021

I ordered chicken tacos for lunch with celery , carrots, and hips online. I got there on time specified in the e-mail as the pick-up time, and the food was not yet ready. After waiting for 15 minutes at the bar I got my food....When I got home, four items from the order were missing. I took the order back to Cove tavern and requested a refund since I was out of time and my lunch break was over. The manager said he was sorry that the order was screwed up but he would not give my a refund for the order. I had to dispute the charge on my credit card.More

Date of visit: October 2021
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Reviewed September 11, 2021

We decided to do take out. I was going to walk over. My wife was going to place the order. I showed up at the door and patiently waited for the hostess to look up. I said I was here to pickup a take out...order. She directed me to the bar. No place in particular. The bar was crowded with no open seats. I went to an area where all the servers were picking up their drinks. No one made eye contact. The bartender was quite busy. I patiently waited. He finally looks up and says I can’t see you. I sensed this was going to end well. I moved to the other side of this roped off area and he said again I can’t see you. I said I’m here to pickup a take out order. He directs me to the other side of the bar. As I was walking to the other side of the bar my phone rang. Went outside and it was my wife. She’d called 5 times with no one picking up. So I headed back. I called twice as I was walking back. No answer. I stewed the whole way. Lousy customer facing behavior. I called a half hour later and they picked up so we were calling the right number.More

Date of visit: September 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed August 25, 2021

Torrie and Kim were gracious and a welcoming duo at the bar. Very laid back place with wonderful servers and staff. I enjoyed my days having adult beverages at the cove!!

Date of visit: August 2021
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Reviewed August 22, 2021 via mobile

We celebrated my wife’s 60th birthday cove Tavern and Mindy Went above and beyond as a waitress.She handled about 20 people on her own.

Date of visit: August 2021
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Reviewed August 22, 2021 via mobile

Mindy was our waitress fir my 60th birthday party, there was about 25 of us and she was amazing! She kept up and made everyone happy! Hats off to Mindy!!

Date of visit: August 2021
Helpful?
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Reviewed August 22, 2021 via mobile

Stopped in for a quick lunch and left not needing to have dinner! The menu was good. The servers were all so friendly. Food came quickly. Excellent outside seating but it was too hot for us to take advantage

Date of visit: August 2021
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Reviewed August 13, 2021

Our server Caz was absolutely the best! He was very attentive to our large party and everyone received the same quality service! The food came out fast and hot thanks to Caz along with his team Zac and Hailey B! We also had live entertainment...and lots of fun hanging out on the patio. If you are looking for a nice mature hang out spot with great good, great service, and live entertainment, look no further! Did I mention that parking is also free! Park in the garage and in just a few steps you will be on the beautiful grounds of The Cove Tavern!More

Date of visit: August 2021
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed August 13, 2021

I was very impressed with caz our server we came in unexpected party of 20 and he serviced all of us fast with a smile very attentive he all the way around WOWED us very happy with my service thanks to hailey b and zac...as well CAZ you rock!!!!!!!More

Date of visit: August 2021
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
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DianeK-beachlover
January 11, 2020|
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Response from 668haroldh | Reviewed this property |
There is no mention in their menu of vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, etc. call them with your specific request: 757-596-1830
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THE COVE TAVERN, Newport News - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Cove Tavern

Yes, The Cove Tavern offers takeaway services.

The Cove Tavern is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4