The Refectory

So Good! I nearly forgot to take any photos, my group was just chowing down. We ordered a lot of the things, but my favorites were the brussel sprouts, buffalo cauliflower, nova fries, spicy vodka rigatoni, and the carrot ginger soup. Drinks were excellent as well. Ordered 2 cocktails, Dem Apples (tequila base) and Blue Moon (gin base). Absolutely recommend both. Next time, I'll try to save room for dinner.

What a great find! The parking lot is a little bit of a walk, but the interior is gorgeously designed. The bar was fun and lively on a Thursday night. The prices were totally reasonable. The bartender Chris was awesome, making sure we had the drinks and food we needed. I would highly recommend the fried sunchokes and the buffalo cauliflower. They were not soggy like some can get

What a beautiful restaurant! Love the atmosphere. Drinks and food are so amazing. Even stuffed, I finished every bite! Can't wait to go back. The staff are all so friendly and attentive.

What a great place! The food was very good, the atmosphere was inviting and the service was top-notch. We were made to feel very welcome. My husband and I really enjoyed our night out here and will be looking to go back.

Very good place for lunch. We really enjoyed the sliders and sandwiches and the service was great! The fries were very well seasoned as well.

Had our company Xmas party/dinner there last night and it was wonderful. Darcy was our server and she knocked it out of the park. I love not having to ask for things when a server just knows what everyone needs before they need it. Kelsey took care of the arrangements and her whole team was great. Food was very good and the wine selection (which Kelsey made great recommendations from) was wonderful. Thanks, The Refectory!

Went here for a relaxing lunch. Got there around 1pm in June and it was empty. Small menu, but everything we got was really well done. I got a Turkey sandwich that rocked. Very nice at atmosphere right in the heart of the beautiful Villanova campus. Service could have been a bit more friendly. But otherwise, it was great!

Such a delicious meal! The service was great and the food came out so fast. The drinks were so good and very unique

We dine here often. Weekend brunch and dinners especially. There is also a special happy hour menu which includes oysters. It is consistently great service and food. Reservations are recommended and now they validate parking in the Villanova garage next door. Only negative is we can't take our handicapped guests.

1st time here and the food and service was amazing. Would definitely go back to try the dinner menu.

02Aug2023 Update
We returned to Refectory on 02Aug, this time to dine in. From start to finish we had a much better experience. Our server was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. His descriptions made us excited for each course, which did not disappointment. The chef puts an elevated twist on classics such as the touch of truffle with the deviled eggs and the surprising, yet delicious, oat fritters served with the filet. Can’t wait to return!

Original review:
Ordered spicy pepperoni flatbread and the 1/2 rack of ribs from the website for takeout. When we arrived to pick up, there was an error with our order. Totally understandable so we patiently waited. Our corrected order came out in a timely fashion. But I was disappointed to see the lack of care to package our flatbread. It was haphazardly placed in an ill fitted box. When we got home 10min later, the flatbread was warm at best and the crust was soggy at parts due to the packaging. The ribs were fall of the bone but the sauce was way too salty.

EDIT: The manager contacted us and was so so helpful and gave us a gift card. We went back tonight for dinner and the service was incredible, and the food and drinks were phenomenal. They really went above and beyond to make this a much better experience for us. Im changing my review from 1 star to 5 stars. Thanks again, Gina!!

The service was AWFUL here. I even emailed them about this experience and never heard back. We never got a water refill, and they brought out the wrong dish and never came back to check on us so I ended up not eating dinner. I would give this 0 stars if I could

Had an amazing girls dinner (including my ten month old!) with great dishes from the For The Table section of the menu. Family friendly, easy to park, very nice staff. The food and cocktails were delicious and the pastry for dessert was amazing! The new GM Gina checked in on us several times and had wonderful recommendations.

Good experience! The flatbreads were great, as was the chocolate chocolate chocolate dessert. Good service and cozy two-person booth.

Great Order. We loved the setting and the ambiance. It was nice to spend some time here and the crowd was popping. Definitely one of a kind.

Classy place and service, as well as tasty faire. There was a miscommunication with the order I made and what I received. When I explained to the server my concern, without any question the item was removed from my bill. Needless to say, the server was tipped the full amount for their first class service!

Interesting cocktails! Clover Club was quite tasty. The peperoni flatbread was also good. Interior design is very nice.

This hidden gem is by far my favorite restaurant by ambiance alone. I love the styling of the place and it’s got a real surprise element, almost like a secret bar, since it’s an upscale restaurant inside of castle-like Villanova building. The food has that quality of being comforting but unique. The corn and truffle flat bread was unbelievable. Their bacon wrapped dates were the first item I’ve ever tasted where I enjoyed blue cheese (since they used it as a subtle component of the manchego sauce). Their desert menu is incredible and much larger than I would expect. Their pastry chef is clearly talented. I’d recommend the rice pudding ice cream bar which tastes like horchata. But the crown achievement is their drink menu.

If that wasn’t good enough, they also are extremely kind and accommodating.

They recently had my wife and I for our anniversary. Jill (FoH manager) helped me to surprise my wife with a special drink which Proteus made beautifully. Our waitress was so kind and attentive too.

And on a previous visit, the bartended James shared with us insight into what made our drinks so special. At a time when ingredients are hard to source and the pandemic has made patience hard to find as well, it’s amazing how excellent the service and food is at The Refectory.

Oh and on the times I bring my toddler to brunch, they make her feel welcome too. They do everything: upscale to family friendly all while making us feel special. A++

First time. Had Saturday brunch. All food is clearly either made in house or sourced from high end purveyors. Absolutely worth the price (which is reasonable based on the food quality). Our server, Maggie, was awesome. Super clean and modern yet with a nautical twist. Bar looks very nice. Anyone near this place should check it out.

We absolutely loved this place. The food was spot on, and the service was thoughtful.

We were eating getting excited about our next visit

Get the tiriamsu!