The Golden Lamb

My friend recommended we come here. When I heard it was historical, I was definitely intrigued. We enjoyed our burgers. There were things on the menu that I would definitely like to try when I return again, which I fully plan on doing. (That Couscous, Mushroom & Vegetable "Cobbler" sounds amazing!) Our server, Karen, was a delight and had a snappy sense of humor. As a bartender for over half my life, I treasure excellent service, and it's exactly what we received

The Golden Lamb never disappoints! Thanks, especially, to Lauren for making our soiree in the Henry Clay room a smashing success on 11/14/25. We've been friends for > 60 years and know how to have fun together, but this was one of our best. Thank you! : )

A wonderful dining experience. We didn't feel rushed. Excellent service with charming atmosphere. Delicious food with large portions. We truly felt pampered.

They catered our company Thanksgiving. Everything was delicious and the portions were huge. We order from them every year and everyone looks forward to it!

I've wanted to go to The Golden Lamb restaurant for years. It did not disappoint! The decor was beautiful and the food was absolutely fantastic. We'll be back!

The team consistently demonstrates exceptional courtesy and professionalism. They are always eager to assist, making sure every need is met with efficiency. Going beyond expectations is a standard practice, ensuring a positive experience for everyone. Their dedication contributes significantly to a supportive and welcoming environment. This commitment to service fosters strong relationships and enhances overall satisfaction. The culinary creation is a true masterpiece, meticulously crafted to captivate the senses. Each element contributes harmoniously, resulting in a symphony of delightful flavors. The precision in every bite exemplifies the chef's skill and passion for their craft. It stimulates a craving, leaving one yearning for another exquisite taste. The overall experience is an unforgettable journey for any food enthusiast.

It’s a great restaurant, both the food and the ambiance. Karen was our waitress, and the inspiration for this review. This was the sort of experience where you feel the warmth of the fire along with the hospitality in the air.

I've been dining here for over 50 years. It never gets old and I've always loved every dinner. Just had the turkey dinner again as I've everything on the menu at this point. Plus had leftovers for the next day. Service was great. Lots of memories over the last 50 plus years. A bit of a drive but worth it. Paul

Met some friends for lunch at The Golden Lamb. We had eaten there numerous times but it never fails to impress. Building is so historic, menu is extensive and the service is great. Food/presentation was great and certainly helps to always bring you back. After lunch we spent time shopping in many of the cute shops in town. Don't pass up this area staple.

Absolutely amazing food, and the history of the place is fascinating! The staff was outstanding—friendly, professional, and incredibly knowledgeable about the building’s past. Special thanks to our host, Rob, and our server, Maizie (sp?), who made the experience even more memorable. I highly recommend visiting this restaurant—the food and service are among the best you’ll ever experience. While we didn’t stay at the hotel, Rob encouraged us to explore, and we were in awe of the rooms and the rich history throughout the building. A must-visit for both dining and the experience!

Wonderful food, rustic feel. In the heart of Lebanon's charm. They have a wonderful Ohio Fried chicken dinner, halibut, and a decent Shepards pie. Great for date night, dark horse tavern is attached with a cute gift shop. Didn't stay at the hotel, only dinner.

Great spot for a nice meal. Easy to park. Clubby decor. Friendly staff. Historic building.

I've been wanting to go to this place for 10yrs when I discovered it while in Lebanon and I just took my better half there for her birthday yesterday and we both ABSOLUTELY LOVED it! The service was the best I've ever had, the food was beyond perfection and it was by far the best dining experience I have ever had. I would recommend that everyone should dine there! I loved the history, I loved the food and I'm so glad I got to share it with someone that's so special to me. You will be seeing us again and again. Thanks for the awesome night

Delicious meal. Cozy atmosphere. Will definitely be returning. Our server was fantastic. Hostesses were just okay. Made us wait for 10-15 mins until exactly 4pm to seat us with plenty of open tables. Food was excellent, very tasty, large amounts. Server was great and it was fun looking at the rooms upstairs.

We go to the Golden Lamb once a year for a family get together. The braised short ribs are my favorite, but would like to try the braised lamb. The halibut and salmon were excellent according to our guests. The wait staff were personable and attentive. The dinning areas were decorated beautifully for Christmas, lots of guests were taking pictures of theit their family members in front of the fireplace a d Christmas tree. Sure put me in the Spirit of Christmas!

The food was great! The turkey was tender and the portions were large. The rooms.in the dining area are small enough to be quieter than other large restaurants. You can fit larger groups in some of the rooms.

Our family came for dinner in the Eisenhower room on the 21st, the waitress (Suray?), was wonderful and service was quick. Food was great as always. Partly why we've continued this tradition for so long. 50+ years and counting.

If it id on the menu, it is good. Best egg salad on the planet. But I miss the original relish tray. Always start with sauerkraut balls and with Sister Lizzie's pie. Spaetzle and Squash Blossom soup are another must!

Our club went there for Christmas and throughly enjoyed our afternoon . The decorations were stunning. The food was delicious and generous portions. Parking is difficult at times,it is a historic place and downtown

Update: We celebrated our 34th anniversary at the Golden Lamb this afternoon and it was, as usual, an amazing dining experience. Steve was our waiter (he's waited on us before and he was attentive, on the spot and also talked us through a few new things on the menu - he's always great). The food was absolutely wonderful and never disappoints. We had their cheese platter appentizer - always fantastic with a lot of variety including their house made butter crackers - we always order this great starter. We order a couple glass of the nice, sweet Golden Lamb Moscato and coffee. Steve quickly realized we were going through the coffee very quickly and brought us our own pot. My got the Deviled Eggs w/o the ham (she's a vegetarian) and the shrimp coctail as her "dinner" - she said both were amazing - the deviled eggs were big (4 egg halves loaded) and she loves the dijonaisse sauce it comes with. She also had their homemade tomato bisque and I had the chicken spaetzel - so fresh and tasty - nice serving size. I order the Prime Rib for dinner and it was stellar. I order it rare and the kitchen absolutely nailed it. I took half of it home because piece was so big. The red wine sauce was amazing as were the smashed redskins with garlic and the homemade onion straws. We got a free piece of Sister Lizzie's Sugar pie for our anniversary which we were not expecting. If you have never had this sweet delicacy, you should try it. Another stellar dining experience and what we have come to expect from The Golden Lamb. We love this place as part of our Christmas tradition every year, but we've been trying to get there more often because it is always a great time out (it's about 45 minutes drive for us - well worth the drive time). As usual I forgot to take pictures.

We just stopped in for lunch. The fried chicken is great. It reminds me of eating at my grandmother's as a kid. The house salad I'd amazing. Fresh cut greens, with slivers of apple, and candied pecans I believe. The salad came with balsamic vinegar one of my favorites. Plus don't forget to walk thru the gift shop plenty of cool items to check out. There's also many little stores around the block that are worth checking out. This is a really nice area to take family and friends, just so much to see.

We went here for our anniversary dinner and we absolutely loved our experience! It is such a unique building. We loved the salmon dip, but honestly everything we ordered was delicious! They even gave us a piece of pie for our anniversary, which was so sweet (literally and figuratively). We also enjoyed checking out the gift shop!

This is our favorite place to dine for special occasions. We were just there on Valentine's day and everything was just perfect. The food was amazing and the service that Ashley provided was the best ever. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Recently went for the time while in town and were very pleased with historical charm of the restaurant, the building and the food. The cheese curds and tangy ranch were delicious, the yeast rolls and apple butter were so good! The tenderloin sandwich our boys had I actually liked better than the fried chicken. The tenderloin was very, well tender and flavorful! While I did like the flavor and skin on the chicken it was a bit dry. The salmon needed salt but then was good and cooked properly. The bourbon smash was light on bourbon and the martini wasn’t the best but overall it was a nice experience and dinner. Service was slow to be recognized and to get drinks but once we ordered food it was timely.

I did not stay at the inn and only experienced the restaurant. Service was excellent. Food was good. May be back again to try something else from the menu.

Came to the Tavern early Friday evening after Christmas, was busier than I expected but I opted for open seating at the bar if which there was plenty. A group of 3 arriving around the same time was told it would be about 20 minutes for a table. Bar staff was pleasant and food was good albeit a little under seasoned. I enjoyed the short rib.

Dinner was great, had the pan seared halibut. Service was slow, not necessarily bad in any way. Just set aside a couple hours for a larger group. The slower consistent service, made for a relaxing dinner with friends. I highly recommend the Blueberry Bourbon Smash!

It was a cool look back on history. The card that they give you with all of the things and people who have been in that restaurant / hotel. The food was good our server was great she knew alot about the Golden Lamb. Easy to park easy to find.

We stayed here for 2 nights to coincide with the Carriage Days Parade. The staff are awesome—special props to Kenny who helped get us some food during the evening day mayhem. Our room (Harding) has some challenges. Our sink had a hot water stream about as big as lead in a pencil. The shower has valves from the 70’s and during all showers, the water temperature varied wildly….scalding to cold. Finally, there were no blanket choices for the bed. The comforter was far too warm. A lighter blanket choice needs to be in the closet. Again, we knew the rooms are old but felt some updating is in order. Overall we had a great time!

I was craving for lamb, and ended up eating at this restaurant. The service by Alison and dining area was great. Overall, I was not much impressed by the taste and quality of food per the menu price. I ordered lamb shank with house salad, and was served with two small pieces of warm buns with sweet fruit sauce at the beginning. Not sure which fruit it was. It wasn't tasty, just very sugary and the buns were sub-graded wheat quality. The salad was average. The lamb shank was very tender, mouth melting, but very salty. I had a hard time finishing it because it was very salty. Later I ordered dark chocolate Gelato, and that was great quality stuff.

Limited menu that night so wasn't able to order what I wanted off the menu. Our server was phenomenal!

The Golden Lamb dining was good, wish it could have been better. They had a Christmas menu with 3-course option and holiday cocktails to choose from. Then they also have the regular menu. Food was great all around, no complaints. They have a meal for all types of eaters. From a classic chicken dinner to a sweet potato & ricotta Lasagna. Both delicious! Our only issue was our waitress, who might have been a little too busy or overwhelmed with tables. After a table member asked for another bottle of beer, & 10 mins had passed, he asked again. Unfortunately, it was met with hostility. She loudly said “I’m getting it” & she quickly ran to the bar and slammed the drinks on the table and left. Very awkward and uncomfortable situation because we left like we could no longer ask her for anything else without being met with the same attitude. We did not ask for any refills for the rest of dinner. Wish we could have had a different outcome as dinner just seemed awkward after the drink slams and silent treatment. This was our 2nd time dinning with GL, if this was our first we would not be back.

Service was good. Everyone in my party enjoyed their food. I got the halibut and dear lord it was so sweet. It is sitting on a carrot pure, pesto, and paprika infused honey. I thought the fish and pesto would balance out with the sweetness but I’m not sure if they just put too much honey or what but it was aggressively sweet. The fish had a crisp exterior and was perfectly cooked so it was a shame about the sugar punch in the face. I wouldn’t normally write a review but the dish was $32 and borderline inedible

Went there today for lunch and I am sad to say I did not leave happy. We started off with sauerkraut balls, these were crispy on the outside and mush on the inside. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich with no bun and instead of the french fries i went with the salad, the chicken was good. My sister ordered chopped salad it was huge and good. We also got the salmon dip. The dip itself was good but the choice of crackers was not. We also got the cheese app to go. Didn't see that till we got home. That was disappointing for the price and with the same yucky crackers. The waiter service was not great at all. He took one appetize before we were done, had to ask for side plates to share. We we received our bill I was charged for a salad. When we asked he said side salads were extra. I didn't order a side salad, I ordered the salad that you get when you don't want fries. Food took longer then it should have coming out. The server was either training or over is head. I wish my experience was better. This place is historical and has been here forever. I will not be going back.

We eat here quite often, and usually the food is quite good. However I decided to try the Halibut dish with the pesto, carrot puree, broccoli and wild grains. The fish and the broccoli were fine, but the carrots were terrible. There was too much seasoning on them. Probably smokey paprika or some other spice that added a hickory smoked flavor. It was not edible. I ate the other items, but the food was tainted with the spice so it was not enjoyable. I will not order this in the future since the cost of Halibut is so high.

1 star for the gift shop. 5 stars for the restaurant. My husband and I ate at the Black Horse Tavern on the evening of 10/25 with our two young children. We had a great dinner with great service. We’ve been there several times and always enjoy going to the gift shop so we were excited to stop in after our meal. There were 2 ladies working. Our 1 year old was squirmy and wanted to walk around which prompted my 5 year old to want to play with him as normal young children do. One of the ladies working didn’t appreciate their playfulness, and told me that they would need to stop running and stated “it’s not fair.” It was obvious by her disrespect and rude elitist attitude that she didn’t want us in the store. I told her we would leave so we left and decided not to buy anything. On our way out, she said it’s a parenting problem. My recommendation for you would be to put up a sign that says no children allowed. And then watch your sales drop. She could have approached it differently instead of using a rude elitist attitude but instead she decided to victimize a young family. While we recommend the restaurant, we’ll be sure to spread the word about the rude saleswomen in the gift shop who dislike children and young families.

We've been going for 8 years or so to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. Our experience in September and January were so disappointing. September - once the waiter realized we were not drinking alcohol, he didn't have any interest in providing good service. He'd go to each table two or three times before assisting us. January - we had reservations like usual but everything took longer than usual to leave the kitchen, there were open tables in several of the rooms and no one waiting in the lobby. When our food came out it was overcooked, half my of son's chicken was so hard he couldn't eat it. My husband mentioned sending it back, but it took so long to get the food I didn't want to wait again. Our dressing was visibly burnt and the gravy was thick and chunky. This is supposed to be a special night out where we splurge on a great dinning experience and it's not worth the price or time anymore.

Don’t bring family here, I genuinely hate this place for the way they acted towards my veteran grandfather who not only paid but was the only reason we went to this trash establishment in the first place. Had a reservation a month ahead for family, somehow they lost it in the computer system, after that the 50 year old grey hair manager wearing yoga pants got upset when asked if we could put 2 tables together to have our family eat together. Don’t waste your time coming here in general the menu is pathetic & the burgers are the only thing worth trying even at that.

For the last eight years, I have wanted to write this review, and today is finally the day. Every year, our family takes our children to dinner at the Golden Lamb before boarding the Polar Express. That tradition is the only reason we come here. Unfortunately, it also means enduring consistently disappointing experiences year after year. The food is below average at best, and the overall atmosphere feels tired and dusty rather than historic or charming. More concerning, however, is the service. For eight consecutive years, we have been met with staff who appear unhappy, unwelcoming, and, at times, outright rude. There is a persistent sense that guests are an inconvenience rather than welcomed patrons. Making a reservation is treated as though it is an impossible task, yet the dining room routinely sits mostly empty. Service is mediocre, and the food does not justify the pricing or reputation. At this point, I am simply relieved that this is an experience we only have to endure once a year.

Shockingly Unwelcoming to Families I’ve never written a negative review of a restaurant before, but what happened at the Golden Lamb was so disappointing that I feel people should know. My family was told — by the manager himself — that we were “not welcome” because my kids touched the old-fashioned decorative gun hanging on the wall. They’re children, curious about the historic décor, and we were right there with them. To make it worse, my kids have always loved walking upstairs to see the history in this place, and that joy was met with rudeness and refusal. The manager wouldn’t even seat us. No flexibility, no kindness, no attempt to handle the situation with any professionalism. Just… “you’re not welcome.” If you have children, be warned: this is clearly not a place that embraces families, curiosity, or hospitality. We left stunned and embarrassed. There are far better restaurants as the food rivals Cracker Barrel and Bob Evans with a huge markup!!!!