The House at Gatewood

This place has a great character. The pound of brisket was filling. The menu had a little bit of everything. There was indoor and outdoor seating as well. I will definitely be returning.

On a warm, sit outside type of evening, the House at Gatewood has a very nice atmosphere. Unfortunately, because it's the only restaurant in our area that has a setting like this, they seem to have decided to neglect service and convenience. They also allowed the quality of their food to deteriorate significantly since they first opened. At least they appear to have allowed that if our last visit was any indication. Their other mistake is that they seem to allow smoking at the outside tables, or if they don't allow it, they haven't taught their staff to mention it isn't allowed to patrons.
The issue we had with service, is that the staff does not seem to have any system in place to keep track of what table gets what order outside or when drinks from the bar are ready. We were offered entrees that were for other tables three times while we sat and waited for our meal. We also waited 30 minutes for our first round of drinks, and just as long for the second. If you walk up to the bar, you can get a drink in a few minutes. If you order from your table, you won't. We were told the bar and the kitchen were backed up. I guess they prioritize the people who walk up, which is logical, but the variance is a bit extreme in this case. We've also found that the kitchen can't prepare even appetizer orders in less than an hour.

Having said all that, we did have a very nice 2 1/2 hour dinner visit. It's a nice location, the weather was perfect, and we were with friends. Also, to be fair to the staff, I will say that our waitress, while overworked, was pleasant, as were the rest of the staff we interacted with.

All the problems I see with The House at Gatewood, are related to management. Their decision not to allow reservations for any parties under 10 appears to be a way to get you to sit and wait for a very long time. I understand they want you to keep ordering drinks so they can make money, but they have pushed that too far. The fact that they haven't come up with a system to organize and keep track of table orders is surprising and disappointing. The quality of the food has previously been okay, but was never a reason to visit the restaurant. On this last visit, our third, it was a reason not to visit. They appear to be relying on the uniqueness of the setting and lack of restaurant competition in Hillsborough rather than maintaining the quality of food, working to provide good service, and making a visit convenient. The setting won't carry them indefinitely. If it's raining or cold, or if you don't want to sit outside where people may be smoking, there are better choices. We've been three times, and during this last visit the group consensus was that we will give them a few months to improve before we consider going back again. So we aren't ruling them out. We're just hoping they improve.

Wow! Hillsborough has waited a long time for a place like this. Besides the amazing menu which changes daily, enjoy your meal sitting near a fireplace or outside on the rock patio with soft string lights twinkling above your head. When you think romantic - this is definitely the place!

SO, I liked it. The food was tasty, but not exceptional. The best part was the fried brussels sprouts, like salty vegetable chips. I ordered the pork chops, which were well prepared, and there was a lot there, but I can't say I would get them again. The price to portion size was exceedingly fair, they give you a bunch of food and honestly it would have been nice to have a smaller portion size available with a respectable lowering of price. The building itself is gorgeous and it seems like it'll be beautiful in the summer time. Plus its full of nooks and crannies for semi-private dinners. The wait staff was friendly.

Nice layout, industrial rustic, great outdoor dining with fire pit and outdoor patio. Good craft beer and wine selections with several seating options inside. Overly long wait for service at bar and dining area. Food is top notch and very tasty. And portions are large! Worth the visit.