Truly an awesome experience! Our first time at Grano Arso and it will not be the last! From the streamlined screening process upon entry to the personal attention given by each and every one of the staff, we felt safe and comfortable dining here. Our waiter, Lamont explained the farm-to-table philosophy and put great emphasis on the care put into each and every dish. To say the food was incredible would be an understatement. 10+/10 for taste, presentation and service! We cannot wait to dine again with Grano Arso in the future. Until next time! read more

Outstanding! Valentines Day price fix was fantastic! Food and service exceeded expectations. First time at this somewhat new local restaurant. Romantic atmosphere with a full bar tended by a true professional. Large portions, come hungry and bring a few extra dollars for the tip- everyone was well trained and knowledgeable of the food and wine. Highly recommend and look forward to a return visit. read more

Food is great and servers super friendly with tasty drinks as a bonus. We experienced an off night at one of their pop ups because of waiting both before reservation and during meal but we've never experienced anything like there during regular service so it won't keep us from coming back....but be prepared on pop up nights. read more

Wow! Grano Arso is as good as advertised. I rate Italian restaurants by their Rigatoni Bolognese like I rate Pizzerias by their Margarita Pizza, if they make that right they do everything right. If you read the website the Chef Gangano has a impressive resume. He worked Millwrights in Simsbury along with several other restaurants I will be looking up. They make everything from scratch including flour, pasta, cheese and pancetta. This is a Outstanding restaurant best Rigatoni Bolognese that I have ever had, end of story. I feel grateful for having the pleasure to eat at this restaurant, please don't go here. Thank you Chef Gangano, for setting the bar that other restaurants should aspire to! read more

My husband and I drove two hours to try this place and were not disappointed. The food is innovative and truly special and our knowledgeable and our knowledgeable and gracious waiter was an excellent guide for us and enhanced our experience even more. the Chef/Owner is gifted and has such a passion for his craft it is infectious. A truly magical place. read more

Wow! Baked eggplant, small dish, best I ever had. My wife and friends all really enjoyed their pastas. Friendly and exceptional professional service. We will be back often. Great addition to the Chester dining scene. read more

We came here on the recommendation of a very sophisticated and knowledgeable friend, and we were delighted with the food, service, ambience and even the noise level. This is a real find! The food was expertly and freshly prepared--bread, butter and pasta all made on premises. The dishes--meatballs, salad, stonington shrimp and spelt spaghetti, and the hake fillet were accompanied by delicious additions and beautifully presented. The waitstaff were attentive but not overbearing. And although there were several large parties in the rather small space, the noise level was fine, even for such fussy people as we are. Prices for such excellent food and service are reasonable. One of the best restaurants in the area! read more

My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary at The River Tavern and had a delightful time. Small restaurant and a little cramped and loud, but the clientele at the time we ate was older and and more subdued, which we prefer. The service was outstanding and the food was very good. However, the star of the night was the date bread pudding that was spectacular. We will be back. read more

I've been here twice now. They offer some impressive cocktails with the Lower Manhattan really standing out. The pastas are the best I've found in the area. On our second visit, there was a mix up with our reservation which could have been disastrous for a party of six in a pretty small restaurant, but the staff went above and beyond to figure something out. Didn't hurt that they offered prosecco while we waited for our table which only took five minutes to put together. Great food and service at a reasonable price. We will definitely be back. read more

This is a really nice addition to Chester center. I've been here probably a half dozen or so times, and I'm pleased each time. The reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because seating is limited and the prices definitely get the inflation you see many Chester businesses charge. Nonetheless, it is a solid restaurant for a night out. read more

Wonderful restaurant- service was excellent, the food was well presented and delicious. I have recommended Grano to friends and will be back soon! read more

Enjoyed everything about this place - warm atmosphere and memorable food, cordial and attentive staff. Our table shared the burrata appetizer - delicious with their fresh bread. I had a new addition to the menu - rye ravioli stuffed with potato and a short rib ragu sauce, perfect portion. Savored every morsel. Well priced menu too. read more

Each bite is more delicious than the last! The food at Grano is delectable, the ambiance in the front room is warm and cozy, and the servers/bartenders are attentive without being overbearing. Cocktail and food menu are creative, and change regularly reflect the seasons (while maintaining some staples). We appreciate their support of local farmers and the work they put in to honor the ingredients. The corn and ricotta pasta, budino, and eggplant al forno are among our favorites. Their take out mac and cheese was exceptional! read more

Service and food was excellent! You can tell it's homemade with love and attention to detail. I've made bread and homemade pasta and from now on this is my go to place! read more

This place is unbelievable. The menu changes every couple of days, everything is farm to table and seasonal. The bread and food is exquisite. My ONLY downfall for this restaurant is that the drinks are all craft cocktails (OUTSTANDING) but it takes SO long to get your drinks. Sometimes youll be on appetizer before getting even the first drink to your table. It is worth the wait, but some of my guests have gotten restless waiting for their drinks before. I wish they would hire two bartenders! Other than that I love this place so much!!! Beautiful modern restaurant with outstanding seasonal food. read more

We visited Grano Arso for the first time yesterday evening. Folks, this restaurant is the real deal. All of their pasta is made in-house, and served perfectly al dente. Our table ordered the four pasta dishes on the menu to share, and all were simply outstanding. Loved it. read more

We finally made it to Grano Arso and we couldn't have been more excited. We had booked a reservation in advance to celebrate an anniversary. The food was insanely great but honestly the service wasn't up to par. As someone who has worked in the same level of restaurants we often felt like we weren't getting the level of service expected. Hostess was amazing and sad us right away and made sure we had water and even checked on us multiple times during the meal. The drinks we all had were great even the bottle of wine suggested to us, although we had to ask for a chiller. Then we noticed that every other table was greeted with a glass of sparkling except for us. This wouldn't have bothered us to much except for the fact that we had wanted to get a bottle and they said they didn't have any by the bottle, which is totally understandable, however being the only table in a room of six tables to not be greeted with the glass made us feel out of place. We ordered food and it came out in a timely fashion and was impeccable in flavor. We literally ordered half the menu as we were a table of four and sharing everything. I highly recommend the short rib and gnocchi. The only issue with the meal if the server had put in one of the wrong dishes. We got an extra dish out of it which was awesome and delicious (crab pasta) and the replacement was brought out shortly after. Then dessert. We all ordered espresso and three desserts. Only two desserts came out and by the time the server was back we had already finished and didn't want to ask about the third. Overall food was amazing, service was okay but we will be back to give it another shot. Very aware that all the issues could have been a little mistake and not common. read more

Charming spot. Italian comfort food like Grandma would make, but it looks a lot better. 2nd time here and we love the simple olive appetizer. It'll be a staple for us going forward. The 'spicy gemelli' was a homerun. Simple fare done very well run by very nice people read more

My husband surprised me with dinner here on Saturday following a beautiful beach day. From the moment we sat down at the bar the magic continued to unfold. We are still talking about it. It was an amazing experience ! Wonderful staff beautiful setting, outstanding food- the cocktails were absolute perfection. We want to keep this restaurant a secret but just can't ...you will NOT be disappointed! Thank you for adding such a terrific restaurant in a wonderful little town! Can't wait to come back for more!!!! read more

First rate restaurant in the quaint little town of Chester,Ct. Not pretentious at all..Grano Arso serves up some terrific food in a very pleasant atmosphere. "Hidden Gem" doesn't do it justice. Started off with a delicious cocktail called "Lower Manhattan"...loaded with rye,rum and walnut flavoring...its a small yet potent delight. Wife enjoyed her pinot grigio. Next was their home made and milled whole grain bread--amazing! Served with salted butter. We had seconds! We split a Misticanza salad...the lemon vinaigrette flavor is outstanding. We both chose pasta dishes....I had the Rye Orecchiette..delicious pork sausage throughout. Wife had the Rigatoni Bolognese..who knew pasta could taste this good. We split a Panna Cotta for dessert. less successful--we both thought it was bland(but looked pretty). Wife loved her coffee..served I think in a french press...she still talks about it. Our main server Emily did an outstanding job....no less than five other people assisted her..you get treated very nice here. Everyones friendly and quite casual. The overall menu seems small yet focused..believe it changes quite often depending on the availability of locally sourced product. Prices might seem a tad high...but not for what you get. We aren't "foodies" but we do know a great restaurant...and thats what this place is. read more

Great space, excellent service, interesting and flavorful menu. We will definitely return many times. A great addition to dining in Chester. read more

My absolute favorite local restaurant. Drinks & food are amazing! My favorite part is the home made bread & handmade pasta

We sat down to a beautifuly set bar, with a very polite and intriguing bartender from Brazil. Wesley made a dank jalapeño margarita, and the food runners were accommadating and always asked if they could bring us anything else. I'll be coming back more often than not. Thanks for a great night. read more

Did you ever leave a restaurant hungry? Well, I never did until I left Grano Arso, last night. My husband and I dined with another couple (one was gluten free). Our service was poor. Our waiter became disengaged with us at some point leaving us with another waiter who displayed a pompous attitude. He brought 3 slices of bread. When I pointed out that there were four of us, he responded with,"but one of you doesn't eat gluten". By the way, if we wanted more bread, it would have cost us an additional $2.50!!! We were never asked how our meal was and getting a second glass of wine took over five minutes to make eye contact with our first waiter. The two husbands order Hanger Steak...and that's what they got. My husband said he thought he saw 3 small pieces of some form of potato near his steak. The steak looked very lonely laying there splayed open by itself. I ordered the Spicy Gemelli. The menu placed octopus as the first ingredient, followed by mussels, fennel, tarragon, preserved lemon, olive bread crumbs. I was given a bowl of pasta. Embedded in the pasta were mussels out of the shell and one thinly sliced octopus leg, topped with a whole baby octopus leg. This was hardly what I had envisioned. How was the food? I suspect this restaurant will go the way of the last 3 or 4 restaurants housed in the old bank building. BTW. My husband and I went home and made a snack. read more

My wife and I went for dinner on 02/16. I had the spaghetti, basically a shrimp scampi with pesto. It was amazing. We had the egg appetizer which was also amazing. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. We can't wait to go again. read more

Really poor customer service. Yeah, the food is good, sure, but you can't completely mess up someone's reservation and then not do anything to make up for the mistake. We arrived early for a 7:30 reservation, and we were informed - after a considerable amount of waiting beyond our reservation time - that our table would not be ready for a while and that we could either continue waiting or eat outside in the chilly weather (even though there seemed to be plenty of open tables...). We opted to eat outside, where it continued to get darker and colder, and the wait staff did little to accommodate us beyond the typical experience. read more

The food is amazing! The hostess station was a bit disorganized. Even though we had reservations, we were left in a crowded doorway for 10 minutes. Once seated, three different waitstaff asked us what type of water we wanted. Once our waiter, Lamont, came to us, the dining experience sky rocketed. His service, along with the "bus staff" were right on point. The dining room is small and a bit noisy but quite lovely. Dress can be casual-the waiters are in jeans. Every bite of food was delicious from start to finish. Don't miss out on this incredible dining experience. read more

Wow, this place totally blew my socks off! My boyfriend and I went this past weekend to celebrate our 8th anniversary, and we were totally stunned by how great our experience was! This place was incredible - both the food and the service far exceeded any experience we've had in New York City, New Haven, Boston, etc. They brought us champagne right off the bat to toast our anniversary. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the food - and seemed very excited to be there and to talk about all their great options. Every staff member we saw was busy - either chatting with customers, or keeping up with dishes going in/coming out. The vibe was super casual, but they were getting the job done like seasoned pros! We had the Salum e Formaggi as an appetizer - the cheeses and meats all worked so well with each other, the olives were unlike any I've ever had - I typically dislike green olives, but I couldn't keep my hands off of these ones! We're also not typically big fans of blue cheese, but the blue they served on this dish was *wonderful*. My entree was the Campanelle Amatriciana which was TO. DIE. FOR. I nearly caused a scene in this restaurant - it was *so* good. The chili/san marzano sauce carried a perfect level of heat - not too spicy, not bland at all - just absolute perfection. The handmade noodles were cooked perfectly, and I can't even get started on the pancetta and red onion - absolutely divine. My boyfriend had the Rigatoni Bolognese, and let me try a bit (ok, several bites) and it was also spectacular. The fresh basil on top added enough aromatics and freshness to really elevate his dish. YUM. Our dessert was a chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and vanilla gelato. Guess how that was? If you guessed "f*cking amazing" than you're correct. Please give this place a try - you will not regret it! I can't wait to go back! read more

First of all, Grano Arso serves the most amazing bread --- some of the best I've ever had. They grow their own grains, mill the grains, and then create truly amazing pastas and breads. I just have a few quibbles with a recent experience: 1. I've eaten here many times and always received a second portion of bread on the house. Now, they charge for the bread. I was with one other person on my visit and we received two modest sized pieces of bread. We just wanted two more --- seems stingy of Grano Arso and, since it is a new policy, I'm hoping that they reconsider. 2. I called ahead to confirm that there was food that a vegetarian could eat and explained that meant no fish. We were assured this was so. When we arrived, the waiter confirmed that we had called and that he knew we needed vegetarian options. So, I was surprised when I ordered olives for the table, they were topped with anchovies. It's a small thing --- I should have asked them to be removed --- but it is the kind of touch that makes the difference between four and five stars. Also, the waiter said that sometimes there is a chicken jus in what looks like a vegetarian entree. It would be nice to have the vegetarian options noted as is done on many menus these days. 3. The talk from the waiter (and I am not blaming him --- I know it is part of the schtick there as I've experienced it on other visits) at the beginning of the meal is right out of Portlandia ---- too much talk about Puglia and grains. Don't get me wrong --- I love the whole grain-to-table concept but would be happy to read about it on the menu. 4. I called to make the reservation and then ordered for our table --- so, I was surprised when the check was presented to my college-age son. Again, a little thing, and, perhaps, the staff is taught to always give the check to the man but, given I was clearly captaining this boat, I was surprised. So, really small peccadillos. At most places, I wouldn't even comment but I know Grano Arso sees itself as a top-end place so these areas of concern were of note to me. read more

Stopped for cocktails based on a recommendation from someone and it did not disappoint. Everyone was so friendly, the place itself is somehow chic and adorable at the same time, the cocktails were incredible, and the fresh warm in-house-milled-flour bread was a delight. We didn't eat dinner here but I can't wait to do so! read more

Spent the night in Essex for a one night get away for our anniversary. I read the reviews on several restaurants in the area but Grano Arso caught my eye so we decided to go there. I wish I could give it 6 stars. Our experience was off the charts. read more

Bread was delicious.. the butter was perfect. Loved the bolognese. The pasta that it was served with was cooked beautifully. Indulged in the lemon cake for dessert- it was a wonderfully refreshing conclusion to the meal. read more

one of the best restaurants i've ever been to. will be back for sure! just a little out of the way for my boyfriend and i - but we are always up for a nice drive for amazing food! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

I loved everything about this little gem in the center of the quaint town of Chester. The staff, the food and the vibe of this restaurant was supreme. The pasta is home made and is incredible. The Rigatoni Bolognese was one of the best I have ever had. The salumi e Formaggi is a must for a starter. We will definitely be returning! read more

Fantastic food, service and drinks! Got a little loud, once they filled up but the Owners can eliminate that by installing noise absorbing panels. Wonderful experience. Already planning next dinner! read more

Best meal we've had in a number of years (and we travel internationally & nationally a lot)! Experience was fantastic from start to finish - from the owner welcoming us at the start, through to them replacing the silverware between courses to avoid transferring tastes between dishes, to the excellent fresh tasting food. Staff are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the food and wine, and the restaurant is very nicely decorated and comfortable (one of the few restaurants in CT that is warm during cold/winter weather). We will most definitely be coming back. read more

We've been multiple times since they open and will keep returning. Food is excellently prepared, the staff is friendly but not overly so. The general manager is also the bar manager and comes up with excellent, unique cocktails. Wine list is great too. Pasta is made from scratch- if it's your first time going get the bolognese it will not disappoint. Lani, the owners wife/co-owner greets each table with a warm welcome-to-my-home smile. Can't says enough great things. read more

This place had amazing food, if it wasn't for the terrible manners shown by management I wouldn't have given it one star

Great new restaurant in Chester. Food is fresh, original, and delicious. Vibe is great and the the service was excellent.

It was a fabulous experience, from Chelsea the hostess to our wonderful waitress, meeting the owners and then WOW, the food was fantastic! How special! We can't say enough about this restaurant. Will go back as often as possible!! Friendly, fantastic food and overall fabulous (that's alot of "f" adjectives)!!!!!!! read more