Tavern off the Green

Restaurant: Tavern off the Green, Litchfield

When you are hankering for: Contemporary American with influences from all ethnicities

Occasion: We were headed north to the Warner Theater to do a feature on MOMIX and needed to fuel up for the night ahead! Tavern off the Green was conveniently located on Route 202, en route to Torrington.

Post sponsored by Tavern off the Green. Experience is our own 🙂

If you eat too much (which is distinctly possible) you can always check in to the Litchfield Inn. Tavern Off The Green is inside!

The dining room is spacious with lots of seating choices. Pick from different sized tables, cozy booths, or opt for the popular community table. The vibe is warm and contemporary and whether you’re looking for an intimate dinner for two, a casual night out, or a family get together, everyone will be happy here!

Our lovely hosts for the evening, husband and wife, John and Jennifer Roller. They run the restaurant and operate all the food and beverage operations at the Inn. John, plus another John (Chef John Tomlinson) are the creators of all the marvelous dishes we were about to sample. Here goes!

What we ate…

Steamed PEI mussels with roasted garlic, leeks, plum tomatoes, and fresh basil.

Thai shrimp spring rolls with ginger lime chili dipping sauce

Field greens tossed with dried cranberries, apples, roasted pecans, and gorgonzola

Grilled Farrow Island salmon with a crab crust and lobster sauce

Chicken saltimbocca with portabella mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella in a Marsala glaze

Let’s chat with the chef!

Actually, we let the chef continue to do his magic in the kitchen and asked Jenn to hang out with us instead!

When did Tavern off the Green open? 

We opened on October 21, 2015.

Tell our readers a little bit about John and Jennifer!

We were married in August of 2000. We have four amazing children; three daughters and one son. We own Crystal Peak Wedding and Special Events facility located in Winchester, CT, along with Tavern off The Green, which operates inside the Litchfield Inn. We’re responsible for all the food and beverage service at the property including the restaurant, weddings, and other special events. John has been in the restaurant/hospitality business for 40 years! He has a passion for creating delicious food that he loves to serve with great wine at reasonable prices. He loves to greet and thank his restaurant customers as often as he can and takes great pride in helping wedding couples create days that become special memories for all who attend. Along with helping out with the food service business, I’m a passionate realtor assisting clients in finding their dream home or getting the very best for them in their sale. We’re a very hard-working couple who take great pride in everything we do.

What is your approach at Tavern off the Green?

Our concept is high quality at a fair price in a fun and friendly atmosphere. We like to have some quiet nights, but Wednesday through Friday we offer live entertainment to listen or dance to creating a unique night out.

What are some customer favorites?

Gorgonzola crusted New York strip steak with crispy onions and a rosemary demi-glaze which we offer in full and half price petite size. We constantly rotate quality meats such as duck breast, lamb chops, short ribs and one of our summer favorites, apple barbecued baby back ribs. Customers love our house-braised corned beef Reuben, our house smoked wings, and our seafood changes weekly enabling us to use the freshest products each week such as Nantucket swordfish, Farrow Island salmon, PEI mussels, Arctic Char and many more. We also have a black Angus tavern burger, great salads, many appetizers and are constantly changing our menu to keep it interesting for our customers.

All steak at Tavern off the Green is 1855 Beef

Such a spacious restaurant – how many do you seat?

We seat approximately 70 in the Tavern in the restaurant, but have the ability to expand into our carriage room and library on busy evenings. We also have a spacious patio that seats up to 100 guests when not being used for the many weddings we entertain.

OMG the desserts! Tell us more about who makes them?!  

Margie Secora, who has loved baking since she was a child. She’s always researching new recipes and baking in her downtime; she’s very passionate about it. The best part for her is hearing someone say, “This is delicious!” She makes all of the bread including hamburger rolls and focaccia for sandwiches, desserts for the Tavern Restaurant, and all special events here. She also makes the desserts for our sister special events facility Crystal Peak, as well as wedding cupcakes and pastries for weddings at both facilities. Margie’s menu changes seasonally but some of the favorites currently are her warm apple tart with bourbon sauce, peanut butter pie with caramel, and coconut cake with pineapple compote.

Warm apple ginger tart with a cider Bourbon sauce

Peanut butter pie

Hawaiian coconut cake

Things you should know:

  • Tavern off the Green is located inside The Litchfield Inn, an impressive boutique hotel which has recently undergone a huge makeover. We had a mini-tour of the theme rooms and couldn’t believe how reasonably priced they are!
  • They do lots of different weeknight specials which make particular meals even more of a bargain!
  • Monday Night Angus Burger Night and Pasta Night
  • Wednesday Night Prime Rib Stuffed Shrimp Night – Karaoke starts at 7:30 PM
  • Thursdays are steak night and Friday Night is all night Happy Hour at the bar and music with Vinny!
  • The perfect place to book your next special event. They have packages for weddings, anniversary celebrations, birthdays, retirement, showers, and any type of family or corporate event.

 The Takeaway!

Tavern off the Green is the perfect place to go for a laid-back delicious meal that’s incredibly reasonably priced! Be prepared to go home with a doggy bag. It’s also a fun place to head for a good nights entertainment. Anyone for karaoke?

Bev’s favorite thing: Pinching crispy prosciutto off Lora’s dish. Portion sizes – we love bringing leftovers home to our men LOL! AND…the desserts were ridiculous!

Lora’s favorite thing: Besides the food, I loved the atmosphere. Family friendly, happy bar scene, the community table, or a romantic booth!


Tavern off the Green, 432 Bantam Road, Litchfield, CT 06759

Join the Conversation

  1. Great article! Because the Litchfield Inn had so many previous restaurants that I didn’t like enough to visit more than once, they were off my list forever. Glad to know they have a new partner to try.

    1. you won’t be disappointed!

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