Meagan A.

Amazing Food, Beautiful Ambience, and One Billing Issue to Fix Fire by Forge is quite an experience. The ambience is beautiful, with gorgeous brick walls and a thoughtfully designed space that makes the restaurant feel special. The food was absolutely amazing, and the service was top-notch. Our waitress explained that Fire by Forge is a nonprofit organization that teaches culinary skills and helps employees find jobs afterward. It's a wonderful mission, and it was great to learn about the work being done through the restaurant. I had the honey chicken sandwich, which was delicious. The honey was perfectly balanced, adding just enough sweetness without overwhelming the other flavors. The homemade kettle chips were a little overdone but still very good. My friends had the ribs and the burger, and everyone was extremely impressed with their meals. The alcoholic drinks were excellent, too. We had mules, and they were fantastic. Unfortunately, the billing process took some of the shine off an otherwise excellent experience. The check included an automatic gratuity that appeared to be less than a standard tip, along with another charge that none of us could identify. We assumed the additional charge might support the nonprofit's mission, but that wasn't clear. We were then left trying to calculate how much additional gratuity to leave on top of the amount already included. For example, if a customer wants to leave a 25% tip and the bill already includes 10% gratuity, they have to calculate the additional 15%. If there's another unexplained charge, it becomes even harder to determine what has actually been paid and what additional amount, if any, should go to the server. This should be explained clearly upfront and itemized on the menu or check. Supporting the nonprofit may be a worthwhile part of the experience, but customers should know what they're being charged for before the bill arrives. Clear communication would also help ensure that neither customers nor staff are left at a disadvantage. Overall, Fire by Forge has exceptional food, wonderful drinks, outstanding service, and a beautiful atmosphere. I would absolutely recommend it. With a little more transparency around the billing and gratuity, the entire experience would be just as impressive as the meal itself.

Melissa T.

Found Fire by Forge on yelp and saw that it had plenty of good reviews. Very easy to get to from my hotel and loved that it had a parking lot. Sat very quickly at a window seat which I loved it gave me a chance to people watch. I ordered the dulce de leche latte iced with the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. The latte was incredible. The sandwich was filling. Plenty of bacon and the bun was tasty. My waiter was great, very attentive and helpful. The decor was inviting and loved the variety of seating. The message of this place is wonderful.

Kathleen S.

.Enjoyed coming here for a yelp event. Got to enjoy an arrangement of appetizers ranging from different meats and cheeses with fruits and crackers ,duck jambalaya, Brussels sprouts , and braised lamb. Service here was fast and friendly, establishment was clean too. To drink I got the ELDER WISDOM It was made with gin, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, rosemary simple, elderflower, elderberry liqueur, prosecco, lemon wheel, smoked rosemary. It was tasty!

Joseph L.

It's a great mission, with great food and drink/drank choices. Bathroom: ***** (super clean/classy) Quality: **** Quantity: ** Presentation: **** (well platted) Price: $$$$$ (pricy for quantity) Ambiance: Loud/Casual/Busy Attitude: Kind/Attentive Overall: too pricy for the overall experience and food. Nice to contribute but you're contributing your check!

Danielle K.

I came here for an early dinner on a Saturday with my friend to celebrate her birthday. It is seven minutes from the Mark Twain house. The restaurant looked very nice. It has multiple rooms. The waiter was very informative and explained their mission and how they help people to to learn skills and keep a job. We had the biscuits as an appetizer, which was very good. It was sweet and dense with lots of flavor. My friend had the burger which she thought was very good. I had the barbecued jackfruit meal. I thought the baked beans had a lot of flavor. The jackfruit was good. It didn't have as much flavor as the baked beans. The only thing disappointing was the corn on the cob. I did not feel it was cooked all away. However, the staff tried to fix the issue. We did take cookies to go, which were delicious. Overall, we were happy with our Milan and would love to go back to try other food. I would recommend trying them out.

Chuck D.

A rainy weekend morning brought us to Fire by Forge. It's a great space. It screams converted factory. The bar and bar area are huge. How much liquor do they have? All of it. It's a really well stocked bar. We started with mimosas and Bellinis. They were delicious. The Americano was double size, made properly. It was arguably the best I've ever had. Deviled egg starters along with an incredibly tasty cinnamon roll. A few sandwiches, bagels, and avocado toast did it for meals. Jessica ok great care of us, but everyone in the place was friendly and engaged. It's good food, for a good cause. Check em out!

Deanna H.

We went for Mother's Day Brunch and loved it! Get the biscuit appetizer served with butter and jam! They were delicious! Industrial atmosphere and large seating area in the back. We loved their vegan tofu scramble. (However the vegan bacon was too crunchy!) My mother got the steak & eggs and she loved it! Something for everyone! Kind staff. Great family spot!

Mia A.

Delicious! We really enjoyed our food and the staff was very nice. Spacious place with a casual but nice feel to it and good ambience.

Christine M.

Went here for a yelp elite event. The place was packed in the back where regular diners were seated for dinner. The place was super lively, beautifully decorated, and inviting. We were able to try many of their dishes, my favorite was their gumbo. I couldn't have eaten enough here. I tried their smoked apple drink which is one of the most delicious drinks I've ever had. I would def go back with friends . Thanks fire by forge !

Moni W.

We arrived with a large group without reservations, kinda chose it on a whim, so we had to wait a bit but it was fine, we were shortly accommodated. The place looked spacious and with a lot of light, it looked clean and they seemed to have a nice selection of wines (for those that like it) , they were displayed for people to see, which I thought looked very nice. I went to the restroom to wash my hands and I found it odd that there was only 1 restroom for the size of the restaurant. Our waiter was nice, he took our order and we were excited. The food took a VERY long time, we were starving, and we had kids with us so that wasn't good. Some of our orders were wrong and so unfortunately we had to wait even longer for the right meal. We didn't order alcohol but we did older a couple of mocktails. I was SUPER excited for them because that's something I always appreciate at a restaurant. I'm sad to say that they were AWFUL!! straight up syrup, not bubbly (some were supposed to have soda in them) not sweet, simply not enjoyable at all, I ended up switching it for a simple club soda, I figured it was a safe bet. When my food came out, it was ok, I had the avocado toast, and it was forgettable, my sister had the chicken and waffles and now THAT was the meal to get, it was large in portion and that chicken was beyond tasty!! My other sister has the lomito sandwich with the chips and it was good, something missing but she enjoyed it. The rest of the food were burgers and they were ok, the kids had burgers and Mac and cheese and they were not tasty according to the children's disinterest in barely touching their food (and they love cheeseburgers). I'm always willing to bypass certain things as long as customer service delivers BUT unfortunately they fell short. We were celebrating an engagement and so we were all very happy and in a great mood, when suddenly workers around us were cleaning up the neighboring tables, and even sweeping very close to us. We thought the place was possibly closing? (Even though it was only 2:15pm). I asked if they were closing and they said that they close the restaurant from 3-4 so their employees can go eat .... I'm not against giving them a break BUT, it really felt like they were kicking us out, we felt pressured to eat fast and wrap it up, not a good feeling, when you are in the zone of happiness. It was our first time there so, I would have appreciated if they would have informed us that the restaurant takes a little break in between and then we would have decided if we wanted to stay or go elsewhere. They did bring a little dessert and 2 mocktails for the newly engaged which was nice, I'll give them that. Overall, I don't think the food and experience was worth me coming back or recommending this place, I'm sure there's other much better places.

Jazzlyn S.

Another fun night with the elite squad I got to sample bites like the Brussels mushroom empanada with truffle mayo, picanha steak with chimichurri butter and the duck jambalaya! Bar drinks were delicious and vibrant, and the atmosphere felt social. Parking is available in lot and also along the street. Busy bartenders, happy patrons and creatively unique food.

Sara R.

Extremely overpriced for what it is. We came for lunch- I originally ordered the Holy Mole chicken arepa, but they didn't have the arepa. I got the burrito and it was bland. The street corn dip was okay but not worth $16. There was also a small hair in it that I didn't notice until we were done, it was under the tortilla chips and definitely not mine. The American Up n Down onion soup was good ($11). I liked the lavender lemonade. My partner got the steak sandwich, which he was disappointed in. Very small portion for $22. His drink was never brought to the table. I would maaaaaybe come back to try their brunch but I know it would be overpriced as well. There's a lot of better places to eat that don't cost nearly as much. $90 for a lunch for two- no alcohol- and it wasn't very good. Very disappointing.

Eric W.

Through the grapevine (social media pages I follow), we heard that Chef Van Hurd from Season 6 of Hell's Kitchen was now the executive chef here at Fire By Forge! So naturally, we pulled up to check it out! (Disclaimer: Chef told me that he was so new there that his featured items hadn't hit the menu at that time. ALSO, he's been long gone from there at the time of this review.) So anyway, here's how things went! Atmosphere/Appearance: Set right in Hartford, just a little on the outskirts is this gem. It's on Broad street a little out the way and there is a very small parking lot next to the restaurant, but street parking is also available. The outside looks very well put together and rustic. Once inside the restaurant is kinda split into 2 sections. You have the main section which is nice, open with high ceilings, bright red bricks, big windows, soft leather couches and all kinds of seating arrangements. If you walk past the bar you get into a smaller section, but it's kinda like a tunnel of tables. Lol. That tunnel of tables then opens up into what almost looks like a different restaurant, but feels like a space they expanded into. So there's plenty of places to sit, though I still encourage reservations! The atmosphere was lively and full of energy. This place also lets you know that it's a cooking school too! Amateur chefs can come here to learn knife skills and cooking skills as well! (This is just a small snippet of what they do, but I encourage you to visit the businesses website to learn more about what they offer.) Service: Here's my only gripe about this place. Right online it says "Happy Hour is from 4:30 PM to 6 PM daily and 8pm-9pm, except on holidays, events, or show nights." But like, when isn't there a show or some sort of event going at at The Bushnell or some nearby theater?! You have to literally call and check with the host to see if they're doing happy hour before you come because if you THINK you're in the clear, they can just say... oh there's a show tonight so there will be no happy hour. So that bothered me. Oh well. We still dined. Now for the good stuff! Let me tell you something about Suzie Johnson! She is the bartender here and she won BARTENDER OF THE YEAR in 2024 via the Connecticut Restaurant Association! She is a TREAT! She's full of personality, knows her stuff and is just a true pleasure. Food: First off was the Up In Smoke Old Fashioned. It had great, subtle sweetness up front, warm taste from the Up & Down branded bourbon, cold, smooth, not too harsh and of course, a bit smokey. As a courtesy to guests, they're served pickled carrots as palate cleansers instead of bread, crisps or anything like that. Clever. The first small plate I got to try were the Duck Mole Wings! These are described as "5 crispy duck wings with a tequila mole barbecue sauce, served with sesame seeds and pickled onions. These certainly looked the part! These were smooth, not necessarily crispy, extremely tender, hardy and just balanced. Mole is a very ingredient-heavy sauce and these were delicious. My 2nd drink was the Ghost Rider which is Up & Down bourbon, spiced Nightrider espresso, Licor 43 and an orange twist. This had a sharp cinnamon/hazelnut/nutmeg flavor/spice-y flavor. Very good and warming as well, even though it was a little sweet. Next up was the Knife Skills Soup! This is a soup compiled by the trainees and all the vegetables they've chopped in class! How cool is that?! It was a very thick vegetable soup, hearty, salty and warm. Next up were the Tostone Nachos! These were so fantastic. The pulled pork on top was so meaty, so tender and the queso fresco was lightly cheesy adding subtle notes to the hearty pork and carb-y tostone. This was my favorite thing of the night. My last drink of the night was the Sazerac. If absinthe is in the building, I must try that restaurant's version. This one was spectacular, but could've used more rye bourbon. The last thing we had to try was their Smash Burger. The burger consists of 2 1/3 lb angus beef patties, a "crystal bun", American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and special sauce. You can add bacon, egg or anything else if you'd like. This was delicious. The whole thing just melts in your mouth. The flavors were all there and so defined. Excellent. Value: This place won't break your bank, but it's not cheap either. Each of my drinks hovered around $13.00 a piece. As I'm late to write this review as I'm still catching up from years of backlog, none of the food I wrote about is on their current menu except for their smash burger which came in at $19.00. So like I said, not cheap, but... reasonable. In conclusion, I really liked this place, but as I am a happy hour hunter, not knowing if they'll have it or not based on how busy it is... is kind of a turn off. Like, just make up your mind and the people will as well.