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    Bonda Restaurant

    4.3 (77 reviews)
    PriceyNew American
    Closed 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Bonda Restaurant Photos

    BONDA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    ​pan roasted duck breast, roasted poblano stuffed with polenta, molé sauce
    David N.

    I have only had the change for 1 meal here and it was a heck of meal! I can't tell what kind of restaurant they are trying to be as each meal has its own country of origin. One thing i know, the Duck Mole was exceptional! The duck was cooked a perfect medium rare and the fat cap on top was crispy and perfectly cooked! The polenta stuffed poblano was perfect and I needed bread to mop up all the mole I could!!! Can't wait to go back and try more dishes.

    a dining room with a table and chairs
    Andres A.

    What a pleasant experience we had this time around. The Rey had both indoor and outdoor dining, we chose indoor. All tables were properly distanced along with a partition which kept us separated from other diners. For starters we had the scallops as an appetizer and they were perfectly delicious. So rich and flavorful. For our entrees I had the steak frites and my girlfriend had the red snapper. The steak was cooked perfectly at a medium temperature. It was served with string beans and a side salad which was dressed with a delicious vinaigrette. The steak was perfectly seared, I could not put down my steak knife down. My girlfriend had the snapper, usually she has the whole fish and it is fried but not this time it was the fillet. She was absolutely blown away with how good it was. To finish our meal we had space for dessert and we tried the buddhino (sp.) the dessert was served I a glass jar and it was a mix between a flan and a custard, served with some type of a cookie crust on the bottom. I loved it and would have it again. We were expertly taken cared of by Mauricio who did a wonderful job of explaining the menu and all of the dining options. He took our orders and ensured we were served adhering to our food allergies. Our first experience was not memorable at all, matter of fact I was not to keen on trying this place again but I am so glad we did. We will definitely be going back again.

    Steak Frites
    Chad L.

    Parking: ample lot right out front Inside: very posh, nice bar with 2 separate dining areas Drinks: Tuesday is BYOB (Excellent liquor store in parking lot with a fantastic wine selection!) Food: presentation was excellent though taste was less than enjoyable. I had the Steak Frites and could not chew it, scallops were cooked perfectly as the appetizer but sauce was so spicy it killed any flavor of the scallop and the bean/pea in broth was cold (though it might be that way on purpose but staffers thought they were supposed to be hot also) Staff: very attentive and on their A Game. They are one of the only reasons I would go back...maybe for drinks at the bar too. Overall: wish I could go Half Stars as they would be a 3.5...but I'm rounding down based on food taste.

    Wedge Salad (where are the toppings??)
    Benjamin R.

    Very odd experience this week at Bonda... wines that are listed as "Cabernet (California)" and "Pinot Noir (Oregon)"... unless you ask for the full list... who knows what they really are (btw the Pinot turns out to be very nice... so why the mystery)... then a wedge salad that looks like it was from Dennys... (just google wedge salad and compare to this pic - you lost the tomatoes, onions and parsley... ?? lol). What happened Bonda ?? You used to be our closest local place with a well executed gastropub-like menu, now you seem to have gone a stray... a disappointment. Please return to your former self and let us dine in peace without people yelling at overstuffed tables approved for 4 with 7+ people sitting at them... thank you!

    Unbelievably good pork chop with cherry peppers
    Sergio P.

    Another ground hog's day was made a little different thanks you our yelp night in. We started early and got dinner at 6:11. That was only 4 minutes after our slotted pickup time. We picked up a great dinner to go from Bonda a fantastic and very local small restaurant only about 2 miles from our house. We have been trying to get Bonda for a couple of weeks but you have to order in the morning if you want dinner that night. So today we placed our order before 10am this morning and have been thinking about it all day. This is only our 2nd "celebration" dinner since the lock down started. Thanks to yelp for getting us involved - it was a nice way to celebrate the end of a high school career for my daughter- not like we thought we would be doing this - but still special to be with family tonight and enjoying a great meal. The staff at Bonda are very nice people and I really liked that they are taking all their tips and splitting them with all the workers they can't have in the restaurant. This is kind of business I want to support that cares about their employees. All the meals we got traveled very well for the 10 minute drive back to our place. The steak frites were perfectly cooked to medium rare and the pork chop was fantastic with the cherry peppers and the couscous and broccoli rabe. My daughter was delighted with the pasta carbonara- it was so rich and flavorful. Great dinner in tonight.

    Mandla T.

    I've been coming to Bonda for a few years now and this has to be a hidden gem in Fairfield. I'm usually here for business dinners, but the food and service are excellent. The restaurant is small and provides a very intimate, cozy feel. My favorite appetizers are the artichoke hearts, whipped burrata, and sea scallops. For entree's the trout and salmon are prepared perfectly. The fired chicken is very good as well, if your looking for something other than fish & steak. Bonda has some of the best deserts. The caramel budino with salted caramel sauce is my favorite desert. Get it, and you won't be disappointed. A great restaurant with professional, friendly service.

    Chicken laksa. Could hardly cut it the chicken was so tough
    Lauren O.

    Went for dinner. My wedge salad was really good but it's hard to do that wrong. The chicken laksa I picked for dinner was gross, so so tough and chewy that you really couldn't enjoy the flavors. I got an iced cream sandwich for desert which I thought for some reason would be more impressive than ice cream on a cookie for near 10 bucks. For the prices this place isn't very impressive I must be missing something.

    Sirachi Sriracha - Brined Fried Chicken

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    2 months ago

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    25 days ago

    Quaint, cute, local and Orange. French posters on the wall and good food. Service was ok. They removed the burrata from the menu : (

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    1 year ago

    Outstanding food and service. Great personal attention to details as well as excellent cocktails and wine list.

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Sat at the back bar and they graciously accommodated us last min. Food was on point, vesper martini was on point, service was on point.

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    4 years ago

    Bonda is a complete gem. Always delicious food and fantastic service. Consistently a great choice.

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    3 years ago

    Love this place. Ideal for family or date night with my wife. Or dinner party w friends! Always a good experience.

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    3 years ago

    This is hands down the best restaurant in in Fairfield; if not the county. Impeccable service, great ambience and diverse menu.

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    Food is good, but service was slow and prices are high. Seems like there are better options

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    4 years ago

    It is a gem in Fairfield!! Super friendly and kind staff. Food was delicious! Very special place!!

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    Ask the Community - Bonda Restaurant

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    Artisan - Steak and Sunny Eggs

    Artisan

    (244 reviews)

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    Well, they did it again. Another great outing at Artisan…read more This place is still firing--excellent total experience here to celebrate a milestone for my son with my extended family. We came for brunch on a Saturday. Food was excellent. I had the avocado toast with smoked salmon and perfectly cook over-easy eggs, others had the frittata, and the French toast. We all had Bloody Marys too. They tasty and just the right amount of spicy. The kiddies had pasta (off menu, thank you for accommodating, Artisan) and the delicious pancakes with the works: cream, chocolate, and chocolate. Wow. They enjoyed their food, and the adults enjoyed theirs too. The service was excellent--no empty water glasses or coffee cups. And the lead server had a great way about him. He even concocted a special orange soda-like drink for my son (whom we were celebrating). He loved it. They made the event extra special by giving him a little treat (an amazing s'more-like desert) for home. He devoured it and even said that he wanted to come back for his birthday--just to get that desert! The ambiance is same as it ever was: understated elegance. It was a pleasure to dine here.

    As beautiful as the Delamar locations are, this is the third time I've been unimpressed with the…read morefood. Artisan West Hartford I've been to twice and this one time in Southport. We had visited the bar here in Southport back in June and it's beautiful. Beautiful outdoor area to sit as well. Menu looked so awesome here when we visited back in June that I couldn't wait to come back for dinner. There were three events going on this past Saturday. As mentioned, ambiance is stunning at this hotel. Driving up - gorgeous property. Charming. Unfortunately the food doesn't quite match up to the ambiance. Moving on, wish we knew November offered "No corkage fee November" to start. Nice offering for the month. Food - Waitress brought me gluten free bread which was very nice. I got the Cioppino for my entree. Not much going on with the dish. Had a few mussels, maybe 4 SMALL pieces of chorizo chopped up, maybe 4 SMALL pieces of shrimp chopped up, a few slices of potato, and a piece of Monkfish on top. It's almost like they ran out of seafood!! They didn't skimp on onion though. The dish was swimming in flakes and flakes of onion. I can't really have onion so I was piling the onions on the side of my plate. They were excessive. There wasn't much there for $40. My boyfriend got the salmon per usual with the cauliflower risotto. He enjoyed. Not much to report there. I have heard good things about L'escale (restaurant at Delamar in Greenwich) so still went to check that out. Maybe it's just an Artisan thing I don't care for. We shall see. Parking is tricky here. Both times we got lucky and found a spot somewhat near the front, otherwise not sure where else you park.

    Ryebird - The hot  House!! Prettyvspicy and very well done

    Ryebird

    (30 reviews)

    Such a cute little spot in downtown Fairfield by the theatre. I just snagged a drink one afternoon…read morewhile walking around but I absolutely loved the feel of the space. I wasn't hungry but the menu looked delicious and my drink was excellent. The bartender was very attentive and although it wasn't busy then, I heard them answer calls for reservations constantly while I was there. Def coming back hungry next time! .

    "Like whippets, they dance in a curly-queue dance Of pulses…read moreand ringing and campfire chants Birds of a feather are flocking outside" (Phish) There are so many nice restaurants in Fairfield, picking one for lunch can be a formidable task. But because it was so cold today, we picked one close to the train station for our lunch for three, and it turned out to be a great choice after our meal at Ryebird. Their website describes Ryebird as "A Neighborhood joint where friends and family meet" and that seems pretty much spot-on. The bar is gorgeous, the dining room is beautifully decorated with red painted walls, dark distressed wood tables, and stainless-steel colored chairs. The service was great, I mean outstanding. Our server Leo was friendly, helpful and very accommodating. We had a few conversations with Manager Thomas who was very charming and a real joy to talk with. And I haven't even gotten to the food yet! OK, here we go! Our party of three went with a small Chicken Soup for The Soul with Cheesy Bread ($14) for me. What's Cheesy Bread? Well, how about three toasted pieces of gooey pizza bread topped with a feta spread and olive oil. My brother-in-law went with their Daily Pot Pie ($23 for Chicken today), with a house-made buttery crust, scratch-made filling, and an added $4 up-charge for a gravy boat full of mushroom bourbon gravy. My wife went with a Roaster sandwich ($18) of pulled chicken, cheddar, BBQ sauce, pickled onion, on a baguette served with fries. We also had an order of Lemon Chili Zucchini ($9) for the table. The food was wonderful, as both the pot pie and the sandwich were devoured. My soup was a pretty big bowl for a "Small" but was loaded with more carrots and celery than chicken. I asked our server Leo if they had any hot sauce, and he asked me how hot did I want it? Ryebird has a few different types in increasing levels of hotness. I asked for the max, and he brought out a little ramekin of some of the hottest hot sauce I ever had. It was pretty much at my upper level of tolerance. I chatted about it with the restaurant manager on the way out, and he was pretty sure it was made with Ghost Peppers, so that explained my thermonuclear mouth numbing reaction. Anyway, we loved our visit to Ryebird. Their food is reasonably priced, portions are generous, the quality is high, and the service is exceptional. What more do you want in a Fairfield County lunch?

    The Sinclair - Brussels sprouts

    The Sinclair

    (340 reviews)

    $$

    The service the options, the customization! On a cold snowy night in January, this place was packed…read moreand jumping. Nice vibes, music pumping, drinks flowing...Chris our server was PHENOMENAL! She was a huge part of our magical experience. I started off with the buffalo cauliflower. I will preface this by saying I'm not a big Buffalo flavor person, but I'm a vegetarian and didn't feel like getting my usual vegetarian app - brussel sprouts. I wanted to expand my palate that evening and surprisingly I actually really liked it. The amount of blue cheese was perfect for me (despite the reviews) as it would have made it too salty and greasy. Next was my entree: Modified Kettle Cooked Zoodles. As a vegetarian, I never have the highest expectations but I was blown away! Chris our server was so sweet to have this customized for me. We took the idea of hubby's Branzino sauce and added more veggies to the Kettle cooked Zoodle dish. It was so yummy! Hubby's Branzino: fish was well cooked, elegant flavors from the Puttanesca sauce with spinach and mashed potatoes were excellent! Faux-ito: I got two, the first was the classic, the second was a mix of strawberry and pineapple. Both delicious mocktails! The Forbidden Pear: hubby got this one. very balanced, not sticky sweet. I can't believe this gem is just sitting here in Fairfield. Not too far off from a night in the city. We will definitely be back!

    Decided tonight to grab a nice dinner after a long day of work... and had a very rough evening…read more We decided to sit at the bar, where one couple was taking up about 1/2 the bar with jackets and bags on chairs, bar tender didn't even acknowledge us trying to sit down till after we were standing there for over 5 min, debating on should we just go somewhere else. Had a drink, still being quite ignored and decided to get a table. Was sat down, and handed two menus and one that stated "lunch" on it, were very confused what was going on, and why, but was a long day and just caught up with my wife. Ordered some apps that came out in 10 seconds, the salad was delicious and the meatballs were cold. Was followed up with ordering just some shareable side plates, and again came out almost instantly. Asked for a fresh glass with another glass of wine, and got a wet glass that smelt like wine, when I went in to ask for a fresh glass, over heard the young gentleman man saying, what I rinsed it. You're at a fairly nice restaurant that has a great deal of glasses, don't know why it was an issue to request a fresh glass. Sat outside where it was a bit quieter, and nice and warm. Towards the end, asked the waitress why we were handed a lunch menu, and she then explained as our meal was over, specials were on the other side. Guess was on us for not thinking to flip a menu that was handed to us with lunch specials on it. Finished the meal, got the check and saw my wife's drink from the bar, which was paid for at the bar, was now on the table bill as well. Was too exhausted to even question it and paid and left. Went home and from multiple good experiences here questioned if we would come back. Love this spot for summer outside, but this was just an overall bad experience with the waitress we had, if we return hope to not have her!

    Seagrape Cafe

    Seagrape Cafe

    (36 reviews)

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    As a recent Fairfield U grad, I have to give the grape 5 stars. If you were a Fairfield senior and…read moredid not go to the grape at least once a week, then I'm not sure what you did. In fact, you should just walk out to the light house during low tide and wait a few hours until you can't see the shore... I'm proud to be a regular at the grape, present during the school year on most Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. James H. makes a fantastic timeline about a typical grape-night. And Mike C... to my defense and the defense of my classmates, only about 10% of seniors fell under the tube top/gelled hair category. However, I can say that about 95% of us were blacked out before close. I was there a few times during the summer and I have to say, I'm very disappointed about the light crowd. Even though the students are gone, I figured locals and shoobies would pour in more frequently. Regardless, the grape is the epitome of the Fairfield U social scene. My night at the grape (after a hefty pregame at lantern point) would usually start with a few vodka 180's and a half a dozen house shots (which are only $1). Chris, the DJ, pretty much sticks to hip-hop all night. And even though Fairfield might be the least diverse campus on the East Coast, we know how to drink and embarrass ourselves through the art of dance, preferably right next to the dartboards. We also know how to waste money in games like Buck Hunter, Lobster Claw, and Bowling. On Tuesdays, most drinks are $2, and all the time $2 bud light bottles are hard to beat. I've never heard of another bar that supports a shitshow of a water/booze fight the night after graduation and gives out commorative t-shirts to their loyal Fairfield U senior customers. Sea Grape Cafe, I love you.

    Had the buffalo chicken wrap, it was clearly freezer burned. Lettuce was bruised and wrap was dry…read more Wouldn't go back if the Pope begged me. Wings weren't the worst I've ever had. A bit too much vinegar and pretty soggy. Bar tender was nice though, gave us a round of shots

    South Bay - Soft Shell Crabs on pasta with veg

    South Bay

    (166 reviews)

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    This was my first time here, and it exceeded expectations. The food was outstanding--from the mezze…read moreplate to the Caesar salad, chowder, shrimp cocktail, and perfectly grilled squid--everything was fresh and full of flavor. The drinks were just as impressive, and bartender Steve truly stood out. The service was exceptional, with attentive servers and a great chef making sure everything was just right. Overall, an amazing experience--I'll definitely be back.

    Very bad first impression! Wife and I went in hoping for dinner at a very nice new spot and were…read moregreeted very awkwardly! We decided maybe just a drink at the bar, we ordered two drinks, very flat, no carbonation in the drinks at all, wife's soda had not one bubble in it, my beer had no foam or bubbles at all (extremely flat). Not to mention the stemware was very poor, glasses were very small, very basic, and did not make for a want to be "chic" bar vibe. When paying, placed card down and asked for change for tip- (worked in food industry in the past, always better to tip cash). Bar tender looked at it, and decided to make 4 other drinks first as my wife and I sat there with empty glasses waiting to leave. For a bill under 14 and change, asked for change for a 10, was going to tip $4 and given back two fives, granted it's only $1 but the service and everything did not grant a 29% tip sorry! Would have loved to have tried the food, but as an empty restaurant, on a hopping Thursday night, was very put off on the first impression.

    Bonda Restaurant - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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