Joshua Wilton House Inn

Overall excellent dining experience in Harrisonburg. I wanted to take my wife out for a nice dinner prior to the blizzard, and we got here on a Thursday. They have this «Thursday Date Night» menu which we ordered because it had a very nice selection. My wife had the scallops which she said tasted delicious and pure, while I had the duck breast which was prepared very nicely (medium rare) with rich flavor. Service (Sarah) was absolutely delightful and efficient, and we were offered a tour of the Inn afterwards by the manager, Bill, who also gave us the history of the house. All in all it was the best meal of the trip by far.

This was a delightful experience from entry to exit. The service was excellent, the meal delicious, and the atmosphere pleasant. We will definitely return there.

We stayed here overnight. It was a lovely place to spend the evening. I enjoy sitting on our chaise in Room 3, and the big windows. I appreciated the quick-​working air conditioning when it was so hot out. I LOVED the rocking chairs on the porch.
And that [included!] breakfast. wow. those cheese grits. Delicious! I also really appreciated their generous accommodation of my not eating bacon, which was in the grits. They could have just dumbed the breakfast down for me, so to speak, but instead they worked up a whole new dish with fresh veggies. Very tasty, and very thoughtful. Didn’t feel like I was missing anything this way.
Access was good. The place is easy to find, it’s a VERY quick walk into town, and there’s free parking right next to the building.
Less loveable – the room was tight for the price and the bed was TINY. They say it’s a queen but god did it feel smaller than a queen.

We stayed at the B&B for 3 nights while enjoying the RedWing festival in nearby Mt. Solon. The house is quite charming — various old fireplaces, curved staircase, wide entranceway with old hardwoods, chandeliers, broad front porch and many other features. Our room was very comfortable — excellent bed and shower/​bathroom. The owners have done a marvelous job of preserving much of the historical interest while making it a great place to retreat and relax. The staff was very friendly and service-​minded. Although the restaurant was still closed for renovations (dinner meals), our breakfasts were out of this world! Fresh berries and local yogurt, and fresh local pastries were just for starters each day. The steak and eggs (with potatoes and fresh tomatoes) were perfectly prepared and seasoned. On day two, fresh raspberries with cream cheese and whipped butter sandwiched between a layer of french toast positively melted in our mouths! The last day we were served eggs benedict — with perfect sauce and eggs just right — with thinly sliced ham and asparagus. OMG!!! You might consider asking for a smaller portion, but then again your taste buds might not forgive you. We’ll look forward to another stay here in the future for sure!

I live next door and it’s such an incredible place that I sometimes pay to stay the night there, do yourself a favor and stay.

Just spent the night and found the place to be charming and delightful. The bed was a fantastic queen size feather top bed. The bath products were Aveda. The staff is warm and genuinely friendly. We’re not from the area but would make a trip back to stay at this beautiful place.

JWH is a huge Victorian (Edwardian? I don’t know the difference) house/​mansion steps from Downtown Harrisonburg. Literally, it’s just a safe, 90 second walk to the court square area.
The restaurant is great, the lounge/​bar is one of my favorites and the accommodations are what you would hope for — quiet, clean, spacious, nice bath facilities (including higher-​end products).
They’ve survived in the hotel and restaurant industry for a long time because their client service is stellar. Everyone is a pleasure to work with. I’ve taken clients, family and significant others there many times. The prices are very reasonable, given the quality and location.

LivingSocial-​Holiday-​Multi-​Point Review:
B&B: Parking is not an issue (you can park on the street or there are several cars that can fit in their back). It doesn’t seem like an unsafe neighborhood, but you don’t have any scenic views. I know I’m a first-​timer in reviewing B&B’s, but I was kindof looking forward to middle-​of-​nowhere peace & quiet. This is in the middle of nowhere, yes, but its in a small town, next to a church, with lots of main road traffic & the sound of early morning church bells. The place is very clean, not anything fancy. We stayed in room 5 with old windows (= drafty & only way to prevent this is to close the shutters) was not a plus. The queen bed hubs & I stayed in was super uncomfortable (sorry). Both of us aren’t super picky about our beds, heck, we’ve stayed at motels, but we both had bad neck & back pain waking up and didn’t get very good sleep. We checked out early for this very reason. So on the B&B part, I would probably give this place a 3 Star.
Food: For breakfast on Saturday morning, we were given OJ, a yogurt parfait cup (tart fruit and sweet crunchy granola and yogurt went well), scrambled egg-​potato-​spinach-​meat platter, and a fresh cranberry scone (perhaps my favorite thing because it came out home, soft, moist & absolutely like I had bitten on a piece of a cloud — not dry or hard). I think I would come back just for the scone. For dinner on Saturday, hubs had the crab bisque, filet mignon, and s’mores; I had the mussels, joshua wilton salad, and house-​made papparadelle pasta. Complimentary-​fresh bread was so good. We felt like dinner was a bit over-​salty on all the items and nothing that really stood out and made me want to come back screaming for more. There def was a disparity between the food cost and quality (i.e. $ 150 for 2 people hurt). On the basis of just quality of food though, I would give this place a 3.5−4 Star.
Customer Service: We checked in on a Friday evening and were very warmly greeted at the door. It was really nice that the ladies were so on point with our reservation & even wrote down what my allergies were. While we took a tour of the place, they had a gentleman employee bring up our bags (plus). Service for breakfast and dinner were both very much to par with the way we were greeted. So for customer service, we def give this place a 5-​star.
Would I come back? Maybe, but a 2.5 hour drive doesn’t seem likely.
Notes:
— Dinner here def seems like a suit & tie affair, because I rocked up with uggs and an off-​the shoulder shirt and jeans and hubs came with a dress shirt and jeans and we felt wayyy out of place.
— Free wi-​fi.
— Rooms have small-​teeny-​tiny-​1950s tv’s (we didn’t even bother trying to use it).

We spent a weekend at Joshua Wilton House and had dinner there on Saturday night.
First the restaurant review…
The restaurant is spread across the first floor rooms of an old Victorian house that has been refurbished. Very elegant and understanded atmoshpere without being stuffy. Noise level is quiet and it is a wonderful place for a romantic dinner.
The food was very good and we appreciated that much of it was local. Here is the rundown:
— bread and dipping oil to start. The breads were a bit soft and doughy for our tastes, but the two oils provided were fresh and flavorful
— PEI mussel appetizer; large sweet mussels in a rich, delicate wine sauce. I loved the very crisp toast that was provided to mop up sauce
— goat cheese appetizer– very large portion and interesting presentation. Would have like the goat cheese to be a bit warmer inside.
–Wilton House salad — light and VERY fresh; a wonderful precursor to a rich meal
–Grilled rockfish with lemon couscous and sauteed peppers — excellent. The fish was very fresh and cooked perfectly. Lemon couscous was light and tangy and an excellent accompianment to the fish
–filet with demiglace and potatoes. Perfectly cooked filet; demiglace was very tasty if a bit salty. Potato dish as good as I’ve hand anywhere
–crème brûlée — creamy classic version of our favorite dessert. We loved that the burnt sugar topping was crisp and thin.
Overall a lovely meal. They have a very interesting wine list and the wait staff are very knowledgeable.
Now for the B&B…
The staff is lovely and very friendly. The rooms are quaint. Comfortable but nothing special. Very small TV, but who cares — we were there to spend time in the mountains! Breakfasts are delicious!

This is going to be a REALLY long review — advance apologies — but I ate at the Joshua Wilton Inn Restaurant and stayed at the Inn, so I want to ensure I review both parts of my visit.
Let’s start with the restaurant. My husband and I ate at Joshua Wilton the night before JMU’s opening game — this was the first time I’d ever been there after hearing about it for years. Let me just say — the reviews I’d read on here and TripAdvisor set the bar pretty high — and they exceeded it. Our server greeted us after a few minutes and explained the specials, and then we decided to order a bottle of wine. Here was only one bump in the service road — we ordered a bottle of Barboursville Cabernet Franc for dinner, and our server went to go get it. We waited… and waited… and waited. She returned to let us know that the Innkeeper was looking for the bottle in the cellar but she was worried they might be out of it. A few minutes later, the Innkeeper approached us and apologized because they were in fact out of the bottle. She recommended a comparable wine at a similar price point, which was delicious. I appreciated the extra touch of the Innkeeper coming out to apologize to us herself. To begin, my husband ordered the pork belly and I had the warm goat cheese salad. My husband said it was one of the best pork belly dishes he’s had in a long time. The pork belly was seared to perfection and the peach salsa was just screaming summer. My goat cheese salad was fantastic — the goat cheese was baked and perfectly crispy on the outside and accompanied by a delicious sun-​dried tomato pesto. As another reviewer mentioned — the bread was excellent. We had to stop ourselves at two baskets. On to the entrees — I chose the duck and my husband had the lamb. OH MY GOD. Let me start with the duck. It was cooked perfectly — grilled to a beautiful medium rare with the skin perfectly seasoned. My husband loved his lamb (a special that night) — again, cooked to a perfect medium rare. We were also impressed with the portion sizes of both the appetizers and dishes — as other reviewers have mentioned, the prices aren’t cheap, but the portion sizes were impressive, so I felt that we actually got a lot for our money — which often doesn’t happen at more upscale restaurants. I have to say — this was one of the better meals that we’ve had in a long time. The food was prepared perfectly, and the freshness of the food really came out on the plate. Bonus — we didn’t finish our wine at the table (pretty shocking, but it does happen every once in a while) so we went into the lounge to finish it.
Let’s continue with the food review — on to breakfast the next morning! We’ve stayed at a few B&Bs with a few excellent breakfasts, so we were really interested to know how Joshua Wilton would compare. Both days included fruit parfaits with house-​made granola — the granola was delicious, really crispy and fresh with just the right hint of cinnamon. Day 1 included scones as an accompaniment and day 2 included a chocolate muffin. I’m a scone gal, so I was pretty much in heaven, but chocolate lovers would have swooned over the muffin. For the main courses, day 1 was scrambled eggs, creamed spinach, and bacon. The creamed spinach was one of the best I’ve ever had — the perfect balance between spinach and cream, and not overpowering. The eggs were cooked beautifully, not dry nor runny. Day 2 was a poached egg over hash and spinach, topped with tomato tapenade. Again, just delicious, and incredibly filling. We were full for hours.
Final piece of the review — the Inn/​room. We stayed in Room 3, which was in the front of the house. Not the fanciest room I’ve ever stayed in, but it was nice and clean. One thing to note — the room did not have room-​darkening shades, just shutters — but the room faced West, so light coming into the room in the morning was not a problem. The bed was incredibly comfortable.
Overall, we had a fantastic experience and I hope I can visit again soon.

the food, service and atmosphere were excellent, but it was very expensive and portions were small. dont go there hungry. the house was beautiful it felt like you were walking into the 1800s it was an experience. i dont think i would choose to go there again but only because of the price portion ratio. it was my birthday so the money was not an issue, but on the other hand i just cant see spending 300.00 dollars and leaving their still wanting more, that is ok for a good book not a restaurant. tammy

We picked this restaurant because of the terrific reviews, and it did not disappoint. We were in Harrisonburg for a B&B weekend and this was our special Saturday night dinner. Made even more special because there was a marriage proposal between our entrees and dessert! (The boy called ahead and discussed the plan to bring champagne out following the proposal — our server Noël was great and really worked hard to keep the surprise and make it special. The manager came after dessert to offer his congratulations).
The specialty cocktails were fresh and creative. The wine list features some excellent choices and has options for all the delicious dishes. An appetizer of andouille-​stuffed quail, and main dishes of roast duck and ossa buco (holy cow it was good!) stuffed us and the Oregon pinot complimented it all wonderfully.
If you have the means, I highly recommend having a special dinner here. We’re planning on getting back for the one-​year anniversary of the proposal!

I recently attended a wedding at the Joshua Wilton house and was lucky enough to stay there during the weekend festivities! My fiancé and I had a wonderful time there and enjoyed the food thoroughly. There was a small little box of the most amazing little treats in our room upon arrival and we could NOT get enough of them. They were AMAZING! The breakfasts were wonderful, especially the benedict and the yogurt parfaits were delectable. The dinner for the event was very nice but I think that for us the breakfasts and goodies in the room were the best we had. The venue is so beautiful and the porch was a great place to relax and enjoy ourselves. It was my fiancé’s first time at a B&B but after our experience there he wants to go to more! Thanks for the wonderful experience!

We stayed at the B&B and ate dinner in the restaurant, so I wish we could leave separate reviews. In lieu of that, I’ll just split my written review.
B&B: 3.5 stars
The location is very convenient in Harrisonburg (about 3 blocks to the center), though beware that Harrisonburg itself practically closes on Sunday. (Whatever the day, be sure to visit the Oasis Studios.)
The staff members were nice and attentive, although I think they were mostly preoccupied with running the restaurant. They seemed interested in fixing any problems we might have or getting us anything we needed, but it wasn’t as personal as some other B&Bs we’ve visited. For example, they didn’t really take an interest in acting as a concierge to help us find and arrange things to do during our stay. They are nice and professional; I just think their focus is on the restaurant.
It’s a neat old house, though I think the renovations (1986 – 1988) would have been nicer if they’d been more period-​accurate. For example, they could have avoided the gold trim on the shower door or the sleek, modern faucet design and perhaps had a more detailed, multi-​colored paint job on the exterior trim (to fit the Victorian style). Similarly, although I appreciate their use of antiques, they seem a bit thrown together – e.g., an art deco armoire, a Victorian dresser, a early American stand, etc.
On the whole, it’s probably time for another renovation, at least a stylistic one. Small rooms are just part of the deal when staying in an older house like this, but I think they could do a few things to make the décor more charming. (My impression is that they’re not sure it’s worth the investment, given that the restaurant probably generates more income for them.)
The breakfast was quite good, although the English muffin seemed stale or freezer burnt and the potatoes were pretty oily. The lemon muffin was excellent.
The rates are comparable to other B&Bs in the area and better than some of the chain hotels. (If you’re looking for a B&B closer to Shenandoah National Park, I’d recommend the Greene Mountain Inn, which is where we’ll stay again when we’re in the area.)
RESTAURANT: 4 stars
I wouldn’t say the food is inventive or transcendental, but it’s well prepared and quite tasty. The scallop and duck dishes were very good.
The biggest demerits for the restaurant were the spotty service and flat ambiance. Although our waiter was good, he repeatedly forgot things for the people next to us (e.g., their mixed drink, their salad, a piece of silverware, etc.). Also, he tended to talk to us and describe the menu in waiter-​speak… you know… that overly prim, faux royalty, you-should-really-be-impressed-with-what-I’m-saying tone. Just speak regularly, buddy; the food will impress on its own.
I think the ambiance could be improved by paying more attention to period details. Pot lights, abstract art, and a faux-​gold ceiling fan don’t show off the Victorian architecture. Glue up some replica pressed-​tin ceiling tiles. Add some Victorian-​style curtains. Get a nice area rug to replace the plain brown one in the study. Overall, the house has a lot of history and potential, but would greatly benefit from a design intervention by someone who knows about Victorian design.
Would we eat here again? Maybe.

I travel alot for my work and have to say i absolutely love this place! It is within 2 blocks of the University and also the main downtown area.
The staff are always very welcoming and will go out of their way to assist you — Anne Marie and Shawn run the front and AM’s husband Mark is the chef. The restaurant and bar are on the 1^st level of the house and the 5 rooms are on the second level.
The food here is amazing! The menu changes regularily based on what they can find locally. They always have a couple of steaks and chicken dishes on the menu and then whatever is fresh seafood wise. For starters, i usually have their soup of the day — its made fresh each day… shecrab, seafood chowder, sweet onion, tomato basil… they all have been great! For the entrée’s — i have had the steaks (both the Filet and Ribeye are perfectly cooked and have great flavor) as well as various fish specials (Tuna, Grouper and Rockfish). Recently i tried the Pork Tenderloin which is cooked with basil and garlic and then topped with an andouille sausage cream sauce and served with cheese grits — absolutely awesome! They do a great job with the various sides that go with each dish or they allow you to mix and match. They have a small wine list by the glass but each is a very good wine.
If your traveling, i would recommend the rooms here as well. There are 5 rooms upstairs that the other Unilocalers have described very well. They are very comfortable and also quiet in that you dont hear the noise from downstairs or other rooms — plus with the comfortable beds you cant help but get a good nights sleep. Each morning they serve orange juice, coffee, muffins and granola yogurt.
Whats not to love about being close to the main area’s of the city, great food, very nice owners and a walk upstairs to go to bed!!!

This place is wonderful and was perfect for a weekend getaway.
I have traveled around the country and have stayed at some outstanding places and this is certainly up there in my top 5.
The staff was so nice. We are a younger couple and often times are not taken seriously at places like this, but they were so great to us.
The décor and rooms are lovely. Everything is top notch from the perrier water in the rooms to the three course breakfast in the morning.
The town is small and you can walk to downtown from JWH. We went to the wine shop and bought a few bottles and explored the rooftop bars before dinner. It was fun and I loved the small town feel.
Dinner was outstanding. Appetizers were delicious, the wine was wonderful. The main course was perfection! and dessert did not disappoint. We had the entire dining room to ourselves, since most people were on the outdoor patio, which was fabulous. This was one of the best meals I have eaten.
I can’t say enough good things about it!

I’ve had the pleasure of staying here twice. It is cozy yet elegant. The Victorian décor is spot on. Also, I absolutely love that they display and support a local art gallery and the artwork can be purchased while on your stay.
The rooms are decorated with such style, including the furniture. It really does create the atmosphere of that time period perfectly. The pastry wrapped in a box found on the desk is to die for. The small touches make it that much more memorable and special.
The food is on an entirely different level. I haven’t had much fine dining in my lifetime, but the food here has set a high standard in flavor, creativity, and presentation. It is impeccable. The menu is always changing especially with the seasons. Mark, the chef, supports local farms and uses fresh ingredients. The service here is superb.
There is seating inside, which is more formal and the outside patio with gazebo create a romantic setting.
If you haven’t been here, you’re missing out!

My bf and I have family in Harrisonburg but due to my raging pet allergies I can’t stay at their homes overnight. Fortunately, it’s always a pleasure to stay at the Josh Wilton House Inn.
The breakfasts (available only to guests, I believe) are quite tasty, elegant and well-​served. Granola and yogurt and a muffin or scone to start, and then some wonderful breakfasty delight like pumpkin pancakes or Eggs Benedict; for meat eaters there are excellent bacon or sausage that is made locally.
I also like their dinners a lot, though we rarely eat there. A reasonably ambitious menu and a quite good wine and beer list.
JWH is very short walking distance from the Square that is at the heart of Harrisonburg, near the city’s sparse but nice collection of restaurants and shops. I so much prefer being able to walk to things when I’m on vacation, this is a big plus for me.
The fits and finishes in the rooms, if you’re staying, are pretty nice. They have comfy robes and Aveda bath products. At least a couple of rooms have working fireplaces, those are my favorite to stay in. The rooms are on the small side, and there are no television sets; fine with me when I travel, but maybe not for everybody. My only quibbles would be that the very large windows in the rooms are quite drafty and the shutters don’t cut the draft; and, the bathrooms all have showers, not tubs.
If life takes you to Harrisonburg, I think this is the nicest place to stay and to dine in this part of the Valley.

This is the best dining you will find in the Valley. The menu changes regularly and offers a selection of fresh meats, fish, and veggies. The wine list is also impacted by seasonality and availability, but will offer something for even the most discerning pallets. It can get a little pricey, but it is well worth it.
If you’re having an sort of special event, Joshua Wilton is up to the task. We had them host our rehearsal dinner, and are thrilled with the outcome. Ann Marie is a pleasure to deal with!

Expensive but a great romantic spot. Don’t overlook this gem.