Inn of the Hawke

 

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Bob A.

Bronx, NY

Over the years, I have dined at the Hawke on a number of occasions.  After a disappointing meal at the new, highly-touted, over-priced Nevermore outside New Hope, PA, the night before, I dined there once again this past Saturday evening over the Memorial Day weekend.  A delightful contrast that perhaps fires my enthusiasm for the Hawke which I have always found better than average for its food, service, and prices.  My companions and I dined in the garden/patio area outside and throughly enjoyed the experience.  I had an excellent rack of lamb with two fresh vegetables and tasted my wife's filet -- both comparable to food served at some of New York City's finest steak houses.  When you consider the very reasonable prices for the fare, the Hawke rates as one of the best values among New Hope-Lambertville restaurants.

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Elite '08

61

143

Heather L M.

Trenton, NJ

This is a 3.5 star review.  

The space itself is quite nice.  Set in an historic building on a corner lot in town, they feature a huge round bar, with dining rooms off to either side, and a really big outdoor seating area.  They also have hotel rooms upstairs.  Friends once stayed there and had a nice experience.  

My biggest grievance with the place is the bartenders.  You'll sit at the bar forever before they get around to serving you.  And it won't even be crowded!  It's pretty annoying and sometimes I wonder if they act like that intentionally.  

I don't eat here frequently, but did last night.  I had a burger and it was quite good, served with their delicious homemade chips.  And it was only $8.  Our server was really on the ball, especially considering we were a table of 8, and the place was packed.

Definitely one of the better spots in L'ville.

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Elite '08

83

194

Victor C.

Fremont, CA

Yesterday was the 2nd time I went to eat at Inn of the Hawke.

This place is walking distance from our NJ office, so it was not a complete surprise to see at least three groups of people from my company eating there yesterday.

The first time I came here was with my "new" boss, so maybe I was just a little apprehensive/nervous, but I thought what I had then (a chicken sandwich I believe) was bland and not very tasty.

Yesterday, I went back with some of my NJ colleagues, and I ordered a roast beef sandwich (which someone else ordered too). Five minutes later the waitress came back to tell us that they only had enough roast beef to make one more. =/

So being the gentleman that I am, I let my co-worker take it, and I ordered the skirt steak sandwich (medium-rare) instead. Well, the sandwich was pretty good surprisingly. It was nicely not over) cooked, and it the steak was quite juicy. Not a big fan of bleu cheese (which it came with, but it was still good).

I'm not a particularly big fan of the greasy "home-made" chips that most of the sandwiches/burgers come with. Though they weren't "bad-tasting", if I'm getting fat off of greasy tators, I'd much rather have fat, greasy steak fries to go with my steak sandwich.

I'm sure the next time I'm in town, I'll probably end up here... and I won't complain too much.

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Elite '08

28

250

Janelle T.

Lawrenceville, NJ

While biking the canal path, my friend suggested we stop for a beer.  Feeling rather parched, I agreed and followed him to the Inn of the Hawke.  It was late afternoon on a beautiful spring day, so we made our way out to the patio - this was until the hostess/owner told us the patio was a no-go if we were just drinking.  A little annoyed, we made our way back to bar.  Once I sat down in the air conditioning and ordered a ice cold Sam Adams Light, I realized this was a far better deal after all.  The atmosphere was quite pleasant; chill people, attentive bartender, and Dead tunes playing in the background.  What more could I ask for?  Maybe some food - but hey, we were just taking a short break from pedalling.  

So, overall a good spot.  I'll be back, but minus one star for less than pleasant hostess.  

Two notes: (1) This is also a B&B - there are six rooms available, 4 with a private bath. (2) Zagat rated.

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5

37

Jacob R.

San Francisco, CA

The food here is fine, the atmosphere is spot on.  The service is almost a little slow (but not quite) and there was definitely some friction between the servers - curse words were exchanged on a few occasions between them.  (I mention that only because I thought it was funny, and reminded me of my days as a bar back, which I've already told you too much about.)

So what takes it up to four stars?  Well, I was there with my good friend Karl, who in addition to being an Irishman, actually used to own a bar in Ire-land.  A Guinness bar, which apparently means something special, with certification and whosy-whaty and what not.  

And Karl, who seems to know about these things, said that the pints of Guinness that were poured here were "fine," which in Irish seems to mean "near perfect," in the quality of the pour, the cleanliness of the pint, and the little intangible things like how the head sticks to the glass when you sip it (or quaff it, like I was) and how think the head was and stuff.

Except for the part where he nearly snatched away my pint because I wanted to drink it before it settled - I did know better, I was just very thirsty and not thinking - it was quite an experience.  

So hurray for the Inn of the Hawk.  If I come back, I hope to see a Ladyhawke movie reference in there somewhere - that would get a fifth star in a heartbeat.

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