Frogs End Tavern

The Frogs End Tavern is the bar and informal dining venue (there also being a fine dining restaurant) at the Glenmere Mansion. How it got its name is another story. The mansion sits on a 150-​acre estate that was originally the country retreat for the Goelet family, (one of the super wealthy early 20^th Century NYS families hardly anyone ever heard of). Several years ago it was transformed into a luxury hotel and spa. People come here from all over the country, some arriving by helicopter. It’s posh, even though it’s in Chester, NY, an area better known for agriculture.
Being in the area, we come here often and find that the tavern is the best way to enjoy the mansion, unless you are looking for the full spa/​dining experience – which can be pricey. In season, rooms alone are $ 750 a night with a two night minimum. Food and spa are additional. By comparison, the tavern is both affordable, cozy and loaded with good food options.
here are some tips on how to get the best experience at the Frogs End.
Always make a reservation. It’s a small room and hotel guests have first dibs. In the summertime, the tavern fare can be enjoyed in a lovely outdoor Italianate courtyard.
For starters, I recommend the charcuterie board, deviled eggs, and hummus served on endive leaves. I also order two sides – the sauteed Brussels sprouts and sauteed mushrooms as starters. Along with generous complementary flat bread and olives, ordering this way can fill you up before you get to the main course, which for me is either the fish of the day or the trout.
The wine list is extensive and has some really expensive wines. Surprisingly, it also has excellent options for less than $ 40.
Ordering this way, without desert – which is excellent – may wind up costing you less than $ 50 a person before tip.
The service is friendly and unaffected.
I take away one star because there is a plate charge for splitting a course.

Well we are staying at the Glenmere Mansion. So its the best choice for dinning. Trust me it won’t disappoint. We have eating her 3 nights. I love the chili and fries. The staff is very friendly and attentive. I would drive here just for dinner… A Little pricy on the wine by the glass. Get the cheese plate with local honey to start… OMG amazing. Ok Enjoy

Sadly, we were disappointed the last two times we came here. The food was still delicious, but there are other great restaurants in the area. What usually sets Glenmere apart is the service. It’s usually superb (esp in the main dining room. Or ask for a young man named «Lane», he’s so attentive!) However, the last two times we ate at Glenmere, once in the Cortille and once in the Tavern, we were disappointed. Last week when we ate in the Tavern we had a super friendly waitress who was very polite. However, she forgot to enter our side dish in with the rest of the order and she placed the order after we had almost completed our main courses– which means it arrived when we had finished our meal. She could have told us that she forgot it, and we would have understood and said we didn’t want it separately. But she didn’t. She just placed the order late. So we had Brussel Sprouts as a first round desert.
When we were ready to order desert, I told her I have a horrible, deadly nut allergy and I asked if one of the deserts contained nuts. She said she’d ask. She placed the order without confirming and after it arrived she still hasn’t told me if it was safe to eat. I had to leave my seat a second time to go to the bar to ask her. (As with the side dish, she was impossible to call over, I had to walk to the bar each time). And there were no nuts in the dish. Which would have been nice to know before the ice cream started to melt on top.
The tavern had some other patrons, but wasn’t full. She was friendly and polite, but seemed more interested in polishing glasses behind the bar than serving.
We go to Glenmere at least once a month, either to the Tavern or main dining room. But we’re starting to get a little put off by the Tavern. We expect better service than that. (The waitress at the Goshen diner was more helpful!) We usually go with family or friends to dinner, to show off how lovely Glenmere is, but we may choose somewhere else to dine next time. To be honest, we were EMBARASSED by the poor service and we apologized to our family (they were visiting from Europe). We’ll still be back to the main dining room, but we used to love the caudal dining experience in the tavern. It’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ right now when we’ll eat there again. Or maybe we’ll only go the nights that Lane is working.

Delicious food, and a very nice atmosphere. It’s a beautiful mansion, but the tavern isn’t the least bit stuffy. There aren’t many tables, so having a reservation is a good idea. I will definitely go back.

5* food; 5* service, 5* ambiance. I love the indoor room but prefer the outdoor courtyard in nice weather because the tables are spaced further apart and the trickling fountain is relaxing and helps blocks out conversation from other tables. Elegant yet not stuffy; friendly unpretentious service by waitress Cathy. Very creative chef; everything was delicious. I enjoyed the beet salad, veggie sliders and peach bread pudding dessert. Attention was made to presentation. Excellent wines by the glass. It is a pleasure to get a meal this good without having to deal with Manhattan traffic. Always call ahead to make a reservation; they sometimes close for private parties.

The frogs end tavern is the best way to enjoy the Glenmere mansion, especially if you eat in the open courtyard under an umbrella with the fountain gently flowing in the center. The food is delicious and the service is relaxed. If you eat in the bar it can be noisy with people who don’t know the difference btwn ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ voices. This is amazing because the hotel is so over-​priced that you would expect the guests to have better manners. The courtyard is referred to as the ‘courtile’, an affectation which is also true of how they pronounce the original owners name. Make no mistake, the family to this day pronounces it as Gullet (as in the throat) not as Goulet (with a French accent. But if you get beyond that and can get a table you will have a surprisingly delicious meal and a divine evening.