Grove - Briar Barn Inn

We had a wonderful dinner. However the service was fair. We got the menu 45 minutes after we were seated. We ordered our drinks, and had to wait an hour before they arrived. We ordered two appetizers to share between four people and had to ask for plates. The food was delicious.

Great atmosphere. Great service. Great food. Brunch menu a little limited though. Would like to go back for dinner.

I'll try it again and hopefully it will hold up better as the space ha nice ambiance, and we could use a good place to go to in the area. We went during brunch, which hopefully doesn't reflect on their regular menus as options were somewhat limited. I had the lox on toast, which was pricey for one small piece of toast, which was hard as a rock to saw, in fact I had to ask for a steak knife, which was still tough to use, they brought me a non toasted piece of bread, which I had to shift stuff to, and it wasn't great. Onions were part of the dish, however they were pickled, a lemony kindvof kimchi, which didn't go at all with the dish. My partner got the eggs with pork fried rice which was just white rice with a little pork mixed in, hu?

This was our 2nd visit to Grove at the Briar Barn Inn. The first was right around the grand opening and the service was a disaster. We attributed it to not having all the kinks out, so we waited a while before we ventured back.

Our 2nd trip was a very different experience.

First, our server was fantastic! She was attentive, helpful and paced the meal perfectly. We explained our first experience at Grove and she promised we would have a much better one this time. She was right.


The food is exceptional. We had the Kale Caesar salad (they use real anchovies in their dressing- yum!) and the homemade sausage. Delicious! Our mains were the Bolognese and the red wine braised beef. Both were outstanding.

We had wine with our meal, so can’t comment on the cocktails, but they had an interesting assortment of house cocktails and some solid beer choices on tap. We skipped dessert (we were stuffed) and left with a very positive impression that completely erased our previous impression.

It has a very warm, classy country ambiance that isn’t pretentious. Good for groups, as well.

Would highly recommend.

SERVICE & FOOD WAS AMAZING :)
What a gem of a restaurant!!!

I went to the Grove with a friend of mine for over 30 years. It was her suggestion, so I did not hesitate and booked reservations promptly. The restaurant had a fabulous atmosphere, the food was delicious, and there was enough food being taken to other tables that will certainly necessitate another visit to the Grove!

Trying new Resturant. We’ll be back!

Everything was amazing! Not a single thing I would change I can’t wait to go back!

Walked in and were wowed by the room. Tasteful farm motif..service was a bit slow to start, table was a bit wobbley but we adjusted. Drinks were excellent, brunch menu is limited. Food was average but none of the dishes stood out. We will go back but to try the dinner.

Went to Grove for the Santa brunch last week, and it was great. Our server Jess made us feel right at home. She was very attentive, but still gave us plenty of space where we didn’t feel rushed. The food was amazing. Will be back!

Great food, great service and a really rustic, yet elegant restaurant. I would highly recommend

Excellent service. Beautiful environment and delicious unique food

Jessica was great. Prompt service and made wonderful suggestions for brunch

I wanted to love this place but found it just ok. The building and ambiance are great but the food was average. The coffee was just warm. The fresh squeezed oj was delicious but the French toast missed the mark-it was so soggy that the inside practically fell apart. It was like a mushy custard instead of resembling bread and the apple compote on top was served cold. When the waitress asked if we wanted the French toast to go, we said no thank you because we didn’t expect it to be mushy. Her only reply was that it’s a heavy dish. No, French toast isn’t meant to be heavy unless you load things on top of it. Only the very edge of the bread had any crisp to it. I believe the eggs on top of the fried rice with kimchi were supposed to be poached but they were a strange consistency. You could see them jiggling as she put the plate down-undercooked I guess. Overall, we had higher hopes for a place that presents so well. They have some tightening up to do...

Beautiful spot and beautifully decorated for the holidays. Staff was friendly. Food very good and fresh with nice presentation. Nice wine selection.

We had a birthday brunch and the food was great - we were not in rush - and we never felt rushed. The food was delicious. I would recommend and can't wait for my next visit.

Great food and beautiful restaurant highly recommend - brussel sprouts - baked oysters - fish and chips - scallops all perfectly cooked .

Lovely setting
Sad only the brunch menu available
Just Beiber. Christmas carols a bit loud

Overall. Very good
Will go back

Excellent service and wonderful food!!

Ended up seated alone in the banquet room, servers seemed to forget we were there.
Food was only ok and portions were small.

Thanksgiving

I had the haddock, cooked to perfection but lacked flavor/seasoning, served with carrots and a sauce that also had no specific flavor. My husband had the turkey dinner all great except the stuffing was very salty and had too much sage. Annie was our server, she was great. Desserts were fabulous. We will go back.

Beautiful atmosphere, friendly host and team serving dinner, and the food was outstanding!

1st visit and was very impressed. Food was excellent, service great and ambiance inviting.

Awesome as always!

While the food was very good, a few missteps threw off what could have been an excellent review.

Even though we had a reservation, we had to wait while the hostess pushed tables together for us. There were plenty of open tables and usually with a reservation, your table is waiting.

My biggest complaint is the choice of plates. Everything is cast iron(?) and using a metal fork and knife on it is akin to nails on a chalkboard every time you take a bite.

The food was plentiful and delicious (we went for brunch) but those plates just ruined the enjoyment of the meal.

Lastly, we ordered an apple crisp to share and while it came out nice and hot (again in the cast iron!) we were t brought any utensils to eat it with and had to flag down a random waiter and ask for him to bring us some.

Menu is a bit limited, but lovely setting and ambiance.

The menu is a bit eclectic, which is great if you like the menu items. One of us, however, is not a fan of brussel sprouts or most of the other items on the appetizer menu. The food was well-prepared and the service was great.

I was disappointed in the menu- limited selection. I also thought The food quantity was limited .
Although I dont like large portions I thought the portions could be a little bigger. I only had an app for dinner- baked oysters and a kale salad- but my husband had the scallops ( 5 I think) and only cole slaw was served with it . For $29 it was not enough food. The mussels we had for an app were good but we both like mussels in white broth better and would like to have that choice. Also its nice to have some bread served before dinner. By the way, You have a wonderful bread baker just a few doors down form the restaurant . Also my husband does not like craft beer and there were no other choices. I do think you should offer some regular beer.
Very nice job on the building. The room is lovely and Im sure when its warmer the outside is a big asset.

A real hidden gem. Outstanding cuisine in a charming rustic setting. Dinner reservations highly recommended especially on weekends.

Excellent food and service.

The Grove has a beautiful rustic casual chic area for dining. I went for Sunday brunch with two friends. It felt very comfortable, but yet special. I had the homemade english muffins which were amazing, eggs and potatoes. My friends were also very satisfied with their meals. I would return for any occasion or non occasion!

Great space, just wish the total experience matched. Drinks came agonizingly slow, over a few rounds no less, although the waitstaff was apologetic (and friendly/attentive.) While tasty, 2 of our 4 starters arrived cold - although they did replace one entirely upon being notified of same. The entrees, were good to good+, with the monkfish the best of the bunch. We’ll give it another go at some point hoping it was just an off night. Overall, it’s good. Was just hoping for great. So again, maybe it’s on me with wrong expectations.

My husband and I had dinner 10/25/19 and had the pan-seared scallops; they were amazing. The flavors were amazing. We are so happy we can walk down the street and have a lovely meal. The meal was equal to driving into to Boston for dinner without the hassle or added costs. Looking forward to going back. We love the décor and setting of the restaurant. The staff was great

I had dinner at Grove last Thursday evening with three friends. The service, provided by a waitress who presented as aloof, uninterested and unaware of the menu, was very poor. Although the quality of the food was good, we found the portions, particularly the scallops and the chicken, to be quite small for the cost. Minimal vegetables accompanied the entrees. We were surprised that no bread is available, either for purchase or complimentary. The venue is lovely and the restaurant has potential. However, this was my second time there for dinner and found poor service on both occasions. We found the menu rather expensive for what you get.

Waited a bit to try this, let them work out the kinks. Went for our anniversary on a Sunday. The waitress told us it was one of the first Sundays they had open due to weddings. It looks like a very cool place for a wedding, modern but rustic. Great feel. Also, no TV at the bar which I know some people like. We weren't up for much, my wife got the burger, I got the fish and chips. Both were very well cooked. I wasn't in the mood for a larger entree but I'll definitely be back. We ordered tater tots, I ordered oysters and my wife ordered a salad as well. The taters never showed which was fine because it probably would have been too much. We both liked our first course. The menu is seasonal which is great but I observed 3 dishes had squash, a salad, pasta and something else. And the menu is limited. So if you didn't like squash for example you'd have some challenges. The dishes that are there are well executed and flavorful. Good drink selection. I'll be back.

I got the feeling the restaurant was really just a way for the venue to make some money between weddings. The menu is pedestrian, they didn’t bring bread when we were seated, had no olives for a martini (“the wedding party took them all” we were told), the table spacing is odd, etc. the food was fine, just nothing special. Service was ok, though I detected a bit of attitude that I would not expect in a restaurant in Rowley. For a restaurant that will need to be a destination (not much happening in this little town), they will need to do better.

The place is decorated beautifully and the food is fresh but some of the combinations they create are not good. We ordered the baked oysters which were half cooked. The scallops were in this awful thick sauce which did not pair well with scallops. The food is expensive and some of the portions are small. Unless you order a hamburger then it is $16 and you will be full.

My second visit to Grove and equally wowed by service, food quality, feel of the place.

The ambience is wonderful, although all the hard surfaces can make it a bit loud. The food is outstanding. I wish they would speed up the service. Both times I have been service has been very slow.