Where to eat in Colonial Williamsburg

Last week I posted Part I of our trip to Colonial Williamsburg with friends. Today I want to post Part II:  namely, the two can't-miss places to eat (with kids or even without them) when you're in town.

My little sis went to William and Mary, and so our family got to sample many of Williamsburg's great restaurants when we visited her. But in my opinion, the only place to get lunch when you're there is The Cheese Shop, a little gourmet market/sandwichery on Duke of Gloucester Street. It has everything: the food is fantastic and it's just a short walk to the main attractions and sights across Henry St. Plus, there is heaps of cheese, and also wine. By the time we'd finished outletting on Thursday, we were all starving and so I suggested The Cheese Shop as our lunch destination -- and by "suggested" I mean that I basically told the others in the group they would regret it for the rest of their lives if we went anywhere else.

The only drawback of The Cheese Shop is that wait times can be upwards of 15-20 minutes for your food to be prepared and also, seating is limited, and most of it is outdoors. Because we hit it just at the lunch rush, our option was basically one of the benches that line DoG Street. We parked ourselves and our strollers, and tucked in. I think the verdict across the board was YUM and well-worth waiting for.

Try: the super-sized grilled cheese sandwich, with a locally made Chowning's Tavern root beer -- and don't forget to pick up a bag of bread ends for $1, to dip in the wonderful, mustardy house spread.


And then, for dessert! After Molly and I said goodbye to our friends B. and J. and Baby T., we drove by Sno-to-Go on our way out of town. The tiny, walk-up frozen-treat place is open only part of the year, and the last time I was in town, it was closed for the season. It opened back up in March, and I've been dreaming of it ever since. I raved about it so much that Molly had no choice but to join me in my pilgrimage.


Sno-to-Go's specialty is shaved ice snow-cones in literally hundreds of flavor combinations, which can then be "stuffed" with soft-serve ice cream. The combination at first sounds strange but you'll have to believe me when I tell you that the end result is one of those perfect "why didn't I think of it?" pairings. Even if you're not a shaved ice fan, the soft serve by itself is worth the drive -- it's thick and creamy and custardy delicious.

We ordered treats for ourselves and the kids even though it wasn't really the day for it -- 46 degrees and sleeting (!). We sat in the car with the heat blaring and shivered while we ate. But sometimes you just have to go for it -- Sno-to-Go is amazing, any time of year.


Try: Tiger's Blood (mixed berry and coconut) shaved ice stuffed with vanilla soft serve.

I think this face says it all: