The Blackthorne Inn

Mom and I went here for Thanksgiving Day dinner - we had a reservation for 2:30 pm. We arrived a tad earlier right at 2:00 pm - so we headed downstairs to the Pub for a drink while we waited. Mom got a Pinot Grigio that she really liked, I ordered a Pint of Hard Cider - which turns out they were out of. C'mon, this is an Irish Pub - you should NEVER run out of Cider! So I ordered a Guinness instead. The lady who poured my Pint appeared to know what she was doing - it was a well poured Pint. The ambiance of the Pub feels rustic - parts of it - almost Medieval. The walls are all stone - and the entire Pub area is permeated with the pungent, yet fragrant smell of the fireplace. A couple of flat screen High Def TVs were on showing the Detroit Lions vs. The Tennessee Titans football game.

At 2:30 pm - we were invited up to our table. We were seated in the rear of the building - in an area that looks like it used to be an outdoor patio and then was later enclosed. Out the back window is a nice view of the Pond.

Our server was an older gentleman named Dean (who it turns out has only been with the Blackthorn Inn for three weeks).

The Thanksgiving menu offerings are limited - you get to choose from a pre-set menu. You choose from one of two soups, one of three appetizers, one of three main courses, and you make a dessert choice as well.

Mom chose the Cucumber soup, the Pear and Prosciutto appetizer, the Turkey Dinner, and Pumpkin Pie; while I opted for the Cauliflower and Irish Cheddar soup, the Bacon and Stilton Cheese Tart, the Turkey Dinner, and the Pumpkin Pie.

A lady went from table to table with a basket of bread - which was a good thing we would later figure out - as it seemed to take them a while to get the food going. The bread came in small slices, but was the perfect mix of crusty crust and chewy bread - served with butter.

The soups came out first - I asked for Black Pepper and Dean produced one of the largest wooden peppermills I've seen and ground me out some Piper nigrum. My soup was good - not outstanding but good. Mom liked her cold Cucumber and Herb soup as well.

Next were the appetizers - neither of us were impressed with our appetizers.

Then came the main course - our Turkey Dinners. You also had the choice of Prime Rib or Crab Cakes. I saw one of the Prime Rib dinners being delivered to the table next to us - I was astonished at how large it was!

The dinner was solid - the dinner also comes with a cast iron serving pot with cooked vegetables to share: Brussel sprouts, green beans, scalloped potatoes...

Then came dessert, a pumpkin cream pie of some sort - I'm not a fan of this - I was hoping I was going to get something a tad more traditional in terms of Pumpkin Pie. We finished it off with coffee - Decaf for Mom and High Test for me. I could not finish all of my main course and got it to go. Honestly though, I think they should have offered the option to just have dinner and dessert and skip the soup and appetizer. It was waaaaaayyyyy to much food! $55.00 per person - total bill with tax was $120 and change. I tipped Dean $25.00. Service was not outstanding, but not horrible - being a holiday and all - I tipped 20% plus an extra dollar to make his tip $25.00.

I absolutely love the ambiance of the place. There were so many little rooms here and there with a table here, a table there, fireplaces crackling merrily, diners enjoying themselves and the company.

When we pulled up to the place, I realized I have been here once before - many, many moons ago - back when it was then called the 1763 Inn. We held a going away party for one of the faculty back when I worked at George Mason University.

I would definitely come back here. Great place for a date!

3 stars for the food
5 stars for the ambiance

If you like authentic style Irish pubs, this out of the way Inn, restaurant and bar my be for you. Located between Middleburg and Upperville on Route 50, hunt country central.

Service was great, appetizers good, the turkey club I head was okay, the others I was with who had more traditional fare seem to really enjoy theirs.

The Blackthorne Inn is the cozy getaway of your dreams - with fabulous food, amenities, and true hospitality. Set in the heart of Virginia's Hunt Country, the Blackthorne Inn blends into the surrounding undulating hills, horse farms, and elegant estates from an another era. You won't believe that you're only 40 miles from DC (tip: if you're coming from that way, enjoy the leisurely, scenic pace of Route 50 over the 70 mph on 66).

We stayed in one of the cabins close to the main house and couldn't get over how comfy and spacious it was (with charming decorative accents). A perfect amount of privacy, without feeling out of the way. I'm an able 26 y/o, but I was glad to see the cabin featured accessible accommodations for those who aren't so much. We brought our own fire wood per a previous review. However, the wood provided was seasoned and an adequate quantity.

The first thing I did was take a luxurious soak in the tub, watch a little mindless TV, and relax from a long work week. Then we got ready for dinner. Here is my only small complaint, a suggestion really - a little stool at the counter area with a vanity mirror and / or a full length mirror would be great (or if you're vain and self-obsessed like me, just bring your own ;) ). Anyway, I can't say enough good things about the cabin. The bed was super comfy, as was the couch. I'm going to save my review of dinner for the applicable page (Wolfe Tone's Pub), but let me just say, A++.

Above all, the hospitality of the staff, the coziness of the cabin, and the beautiful setting is what stands out. Whether you're looking for a romantic escape from DC or a home base to explore the many fabulous wineries of northern Virginia, I can't recommend the Blackthorne Inn enough.

Also, we really enjoyed socializing with the other guests and locals. Cheers & thanks!

The restaurant is so adorable! Very cozy, very pub chic and the Irish nachos are fantastic! The food around us all looked delicious so I can't wait to come back here for a quaint date night. We just stopped in for a quick bite but it caught my attention for a curious trip back to taste more of the food and really have a better opinion.

Stayed overnight at the Inn. Very cozy room. Would definitely do it again.

Went to the pub for dinner, it was a ton of fun. There was live music that was perfect for the small space and the age of the patrons.

Food was good, especially the homemade chips. Bartender was friendly.

You can't beat this setting or atmosphere. It's Irish traditon in hunt country. We stop by often since the combination of Irish hospitality, frequent live music and good food is a welcome change in the Virginia hunt country. The place used to be a German restraunt for years that was purchased by an Irish restaraunter six years ago. He and his family of sisters, wife and occasionally kids can all be seen adding a family touch to the Dining Experience.

I've ended a busy Paddy's Day here for the past four years it it's always the highlight of a multiple-stop day. Lots of friendly locals, good food and interesting conversation. Plus there are guest cottages if you've enjoyed too many Guiness to make it home.

Closed for renovation
Whaaaa???? Please open again soon this is my favorite date night spot!

The Blackthorne Inn restaurant had a dozen diners on a Thursday night, all seated along the rear windows overlooking the pond. The wine list ran $25 and up; I ordered a pinot gris called "A-Z" that was about $35 and had a decent bouquet. For my appetizer I had the escargots (snails), which in the U.S. are almost always from a can, and were presented here as a rounded grouping with a nondescript piece of puff pastry, all floating in a quarter inch of melted butter. My main course was rockfish with wild mushrooms for around $28. It arrived timely and properly cooked, accompanied by a few asparagus. The bread was rubbery and unimpressive. My companion had angel hair pasta with mushrooms and seafood ($26). The seafood was a small amount of shrimp and scallops. Her dish made no overall impression. Small bacon strips were difficult to distinguish from the mushroom strips, and represented a major disappointment to a vegetarian. The menu or the server should have noted that this seafood entree contained meat.

Although service was good apart from the one omission, we found that the food flavoring and uniqueness of presentation lagged behind the pricing. Our bill for one ordinary salad, one drowning appetizer, and two entrees - plus the wine - was $100.00. The water view was pleasant enough out the back window, the stone building (except for the restaurant build out where we sat) exudes colonial tradition, and the locale is flush with wealth. So maybe this kind of dinner is okay if your experience is going to rely more on company and surroundings than on the quality of the meal. The multi-level & outdoor pub areas appear to be the soul of the place; on April 2nd they contained more people and atmosphere than the restaurant. If you go to the Blackthorne Inn, I would stick to the pub.

So before I purchase a deal or plan to go somewhere, I almost always look up reviews and try to check it out first. (I bought a LivingSocial deal.) Blackthorne had some reviews online that looked promising. I checked out Yelp and Trip Advisor. I perused their website as well. To try to get a better sense of their rooms and whatnot, I looked allover online. I was excited about this much-needed weekend getaway outside of the city.

When I made the reservation, they only had one room available, the Galway. That right there sounded promising (that all their rooms were booked full) but worrisome that I was getting the unwanted room. When we arrived, check in was easy, Donna was nice and we were quickly on our way to our room. We went in and were immediately put off. While the room was fairly clean, aside from a few stinkbugs and a sad looking loveseat couch, I'm just not sure how they can advertise and even rent it for the advertised price. The room had a slanted roof, so if you are considered even slightly tall, you will have issues. There are several random steps that are unmarked through the room. My boyfriend tripped up and down them a few times. He's only 5'7" and the top of his head almost skimmed the doorway to the bathroom. We both felt like tall giants in there, or elves.

The bathroom was very minimal and quite lackluster. The worst part of all was that what they advertise as "Queen bed, Jacuzzi & shower, flat screen satellite TV, deck" for $190 a night was an outdated Jacuzzi-like tub with an old shower head in it. It was a partially-enclosed space with a shower curtain on two sides, one that opened to the bedroom and bed and the other to the bathroom/toilet. There was no privacy when in the bathroom. Whoever was in the room was going to hear anything you did in the bathroom. There is a bathroom door, but with the tub open on the other side with only a curtain for privacy, it doesn't help. Needless to say, they don't volunteer this information at any point in the reservation nor check in process. Luckily my boyfriend and I aren't prudes, so we were okay, but the tub was so outdated and dark inside, that it creeped me out and I refrained from showering but only once the whole time (weekend) I was there. It was miserable and gross, and to make matters worse, the shower and sink water smelled atrocious!

Speaking of water, we had dinner in the Wolfe Tone Pub the first night. We had a $25 off coupon and free welcome drinks. Promising right? While they were very busy (there's nothing else to do in the area) I ordered Magner's on tap, but it tasted terrible. I guess that's what I get for getting cider on tap. Not many people order cider and it probably just sits around. My bf had a Guinness and I think he enjoyed it. We shared fish and chips and chicken pot pie. The pot pie was yummy, with a side salad that had a good dressing but lacked enough of it to cover it. The fish in the fish and chips did not taste very fresh, which was sad since it had a nice batter and I had read reviews of how good it was. After that we were apprehensive about dinner in their nice restaurant and our complimentary breakfasts.

We had breakfast the next morning and the food was okay. It was a generous breakfast but nothing fantastic. The drinking water that they serve at the Pub/breakfast and in the nice Restaurant is not fit to drink. It tastes terrible!!! I am a water fiend, but I am not picky. I don't care if its tap or bottled, but I couldn't get past their water. It tasted like straight metal pipe. I'd liken it to biting my tongue and drinking water together. It was such a metallic and unsavory taste. We went ahead and had dinner at the nice restaurant there but checked out the menu and with our past luck, decided to just order Caesar salads. It was advertised with hard-boiled egg. It came with a quarter of a boiled egg... oh well.

Everyone was nice throughout the whole weekend. So I can't fault that. I just didn't care for the quality of the place. The grounds are fun to explore and we even played Frisbee outside for a bit. I enjoyed the shared deck off of our room. When the sun was out it was nice to sit out and read. There were two guinea hens running around, and a cat, which was fun to see.

We could hear our neighbors a bit and also, since our room was located in a shack shared with another equally unimpressive room (I would imagine), we could hear all the guests of the Pub stagger out and leave at night when the live bands concluded. I'm hopeful that they have better rooms and cabins on the property but I won't be back again.

This place has changed hands and used to be called the 1763 Inn. It now has an Irish pub on the lower level and a outdoor patio for alfresco dining. It has become quite a popular hangout and they often have live music.

The food is pretty good. The Chicken Curry Salad is divine, the Pate just okay (although they tout it as their best appetizer). Overall, a very nice option for a weekend afternoon or evening if you are passing through. They have a nice selection of wines and beer. There is a pretty pond in the back with a storybook bridge and a swan. A beautiful location for a wedding, we met a couple there just last week that are getting married here next year.

Also a wonderful option for DC folks looking for a weekend getaway. Their rooms are lovely and the location is ideal for visiting vineyards and enjoying the hunt country.