If you’re in the Garden State or nearby, Medieval Times dinner theater might be for you. Family entertainment junkies should give a read as we dive in with this review.
Medieval Times is a family-friendly dinner theater that’s themed around the Middle Ages is more than just a dining location. There are 10 Medieval Times — nine in the United States and one in Canada. We’ve visited the Lyndhurst location several times over the years and are happy to keep going back. Is this a travel destination? We’d say depending on the distance, for sure.
A brief history
The Lyndhurst, N.J. Medieval Times was the third to be built in the U.S. The first one popped up in the Orlando area and was fashioned after two dinner theatres that were located in Spain in the 1960s. Medieval Times USA, Inc., as we know it today, was formed in 1983 and the Lyndhurst location was opened in 1990.
What to expect?
Medieval Times is a highly entertaining dinner theater that’s geared towards families. The show consists of horseback riding acts, combat with swords and other weapons, and exhilarating jousting matches complete with lances that explode when an opponent makes contact with their target.
“Upon arrival to the castle you will be crowned with the colors of your kingdom. Warm up your voices and get ready to cheer your brave knight to victory!” the Medieval Times website says. “The 11th century comes alive as you explore the castle. Suits of armor stand guard as you walk through the halls. Discover treasures and trinkets to commemorate your visit and stop by the bar for refreshing libations.”
Preshow
Prior to the show guests have an opportunity to wander around the castle property. As noted, there’s a bar and plenty of areas to shop for “trinkets.” At the Lyndhurst castle, there was a falcon on site that could be viewed prior to the show — falcons are also part of the show in the amphitheater.
Besides toys and trinkets, there’s a whole host of “replica” swords and daggers.
Depending on what kind of package you purchased or upgrades, you have an opportunity to participate in a knighting ceremony with the king and the queen. The knighting ceremony is a fun bit of play and perfect for junior adventurers as well as those junior adventurers at heart.
The bar
There’s a fully stocked bar at Medieval Times. In addition to hard drinks, beer, and wine, there’s an assortment of options that would appeal to those under 21. Slushies were a big hit with our crowd.
For patrons who are feeling extra thirsty, there are refillable souvenir glasses and mugs available for purchase. I did the math and the beer mug I purchased paid for itself after two beers. This is something to consider since you get a discount on refills. That discount does not expire either. You can bring your cups back for future visits to Medieval Times locations. Huzzah!
Getting into the show
When the doors are opened, guests are ushered into the theater and directed where to sit. Depending on what kind of ticket and/or experience you paid for depends on where you’ll be sitting.
Once seated, a server will introduce themselves to your party and start taking drink orders. Soft drinks are included with the price of your ticket. So you soda junkies out there can drink their fill. Your server will also extend to you bar service.
The food
The food options at Medieval Times are pretty good. Understanding that you’re in a theater where the entire space needs to be fed and cleaned up rather quickly, what you get is not bad.
One place I’d say the good people at Medieval Times kind of stretch the truth is in their advertising. The organizers consider the meal a “Four-Course Feast.”
“Medieval Times’ noble guests feast on garlic bread, tomato bisque soup, roasted chicken, sweet buttered corn, and herb-basted potato,” Medieval Times says on their website. “And a feast isn’t complete without dessert! Satisfy your sweet tooth with a treat worthy of royalty served with hot coffee. Based on supply, an item from our feast may occasionally be substituted for a different item.”
Somewhere in there there’s allegedly four courses. The garlic bread comes with the soup. The corn and potato comes with the chicken. And the dessert comes with the dessert. That’s three courses. Do they consider the garlic bread its own course? I’m calling a big ole BS on the people of Medieval Times for passing this off as a four-course meal.
Digging in
The chicken was surprisingly not dried out. Tasty too. The soup was good as were the sides. The garlic bread was not bad but it was rapidly approaching crouton status. So, maybe use the soup as an aid — you know because they’re the same course — in getting the bread softened up a bit.
For dessert they served an eclair and it was below average. Absolutely nothing special about it. And the lukewarm coffee I drank was also nothing to write home about.
That all said, for what you’re getting, this was acceptable and I’d say good. Perhaps that does not sound very convincing, but again, remember where you are and what you’re there for. I’ve paid far more for far less in life. The kiddos — if they can get past eating chicken on the bone, which I have adults that can’t — are likely going to like the food. There is something about eating entirely with your hands though, isn’t there?
I will note, there wasn’t any real standout dish — for example at a similar dinnertainment in Tennessee at Dolly Parton’s Stampede, they have some awesome soup there. The soup is so memorable at Dolly’s show that they sell it in the giftshop. They’re not selling build your own giant crouton kits at Medieval Times. Or any stuff your own substandard eclair kits. I digress.
The show
In reality, if you’re coming to Medieval Times, you’re going to watch some knights beat the snot out of each other. And beat the snot out of each other they do a good job at.
The show has a plot that gets changed up every few years. This 2026 iteration of the show, things start up all nice and peaceful, then get kinetic quickly.
Naturally, there’s jousting. Who doesn’t love to watch some people get driven off of horses by giant pikes? The jousts explode into pieces when they make contact with an opponent’s shield. It’s a good show. They all do a great job there.
There’s also plenty of combat. The knights battle each other in hand-to-hand combat with different weapons. Landed hits can be heard echoing across the amphitheater. Some of the connections result in sparks flying. It’s all very exciting to be honest.
Is the show a little campy? Absolutely. That’s part of the appeal. What I can say is that the actors do put a lot of heart into what they’re doing and do a great job at it.
Value proposition
Going to Medieval Times isn’t all that expensive. We’d consider it a fairly affordable big night out for families. Tickets for adults run from $65 to $77 each and $40 to $47 for the kiddos. Aged three and under are free.
Are those bank breaking prices? For some families, absolutely. For others, no. Starting at around $210.00 for a family of four — dinner and entertainment. That’s not that bad in 2026. An evening for the same family at a trampoline park might cost about the same if you’re talking food in addition to admission.
My advice? Look for some coupons. Digging through the Medieval Times webpage, I found one in seconds. Then there’s also coupon and sales sites online that you can use to find some deals. That’s my advice.
Overall experience
I like Medieval Times. My family likes Medieval Times. Over the years we’ve all gone multiple times. I went back in the 1900s when I was a little squire myself, in addition to my man-child visits. If you’re in the market for some quality family-friendly entertainment, I can recommend hitting a Medieval Times location. While we can’t vouch for the other castles, we can say we have so far enjoyed the brand.
Medieval Times Lyndhurst Castle is located at: 149 Polito Avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
