WING LOVERS... you might want to put this one on your list! This time Good Eats In CT made a stop at Ideal Tavern in Southington, CT Before getting into the food, I had to give y'all a look around because I really liked the vibe in here. From the dining area to the bar, it definitely has that laid-back tavern feel where you can grab some drinks, catch a game and of course EAT! But let's get to why we're really here... THE WINGS! We went with two different flavors, and just LOOK at that sauce on those wings! Nice size, sauced up and served with the carrots and dipping sauce on the side. Sometimes you don't need anything fancy... just some good wings, a drink and a good atmosphere. Ideal Tavern | Southington, CT Have you been to Ideal Tavern before? And more importantly... what's your go-to wing flavor? Follow @GoodEatsInCT for more Connecticut food finds! #GoodEatsInCT #IdealTavern #SouthingtonCT #CTEats #CTFoodie read more

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Popped in for a happy hour as it has been several years since I have been here. Bartender was awesome, drinks were on point. It was taco Tuesday with $3 tacos, we got four of them to try, carne asada, pork, chicken, shrimp . All really good. Guac and chips- for ne the guac could have used salt or acid but it was and easy fix by adding myself. Truffle fries, good fries, would rather an aioli as opposed to ketchup but to each their own. Arturo for dessert and a lava cake. Bothe really good. Well def be back for another happy hour read more

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I ordered the steak chop chop salad for lunch today, asking for the steak to be medium done. Got well done. Tried to order a Limoncello spritz. No limoncello. Ordered the Aperol Spritz. I ate and drank what I got, and it was good, but it would have been amazing if I got what I ordered. Service and atmosphere was good. read more

Ideal Tavern - Steak well done when asked for medium, I didn't have time to wait for correction as I was there for lunch. - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

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I recently tried Ideal Tavern. There were some things I liked, but my experience was mixed. I arrived a bit before noon on a Saturday. The building is cool both inside and outside. It was also well decorated for the Fall Season. There were a few employees that were visible at times, but they weren't organized in such a way to provide a typical lunch experience. The person who was working the bar also served as hostess and my server in the main eating area. So I waited a minute or so at the host stand to be greeted while she finished a drink. There was also hammering in the kitchen area for a decent part of my lunch. My server was very nice though and hustled to try to meet everyone's needs. I believe Ideal Tavern recently won the Southington Wing Fest. So I wanted to try the wings. I asked my server what the most popular wing flavors are and she didn't have an answer. I ordered the Sweet Chili Gorgonzola because it looked like the most interesting option. I also ordered an Ideal BLT Burger. The wings and burger were brought together, which I didn't ask for. That obviously defeats the purpose of ordering an app. The wings were meaty and had great texture. They were more glazed than sauced. I thought the Gorgonzola component would be more of a sauce but there were actual pieces of Gorgonzola cheese. The Gorgonzola was good quality. The burger was big and cooked to my requested medium rare. I didn't note any seasoning. The burger came with cheddar, which isn't the best melting cheese. You could tell they tried to melt the cheese, but the cheese broke off rather than stretched when I pulled at the side. The bacon seemed like it was probably high quality, possibly uncured bacon. The texture of it wasn't great for a burger. It was hard in parts and too difficult to chew. I also wish the LT part of the BLT had a bit more focus. I didn't think the Truffle Aioli worked for a BLT either. The fries had kind of a unique wide swoop cut style. I think Ideal Tavern could pay a bit more attention to the details of what makes a good customer experience. They have some good things to work with though. 3.75 read more

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I had a great time checking out Ideal Tavern during Southington's Restaurant Week. The regular and the restaurant week menu had a great variety of options. I ordered the vodka meatballs, scallop risotto, and the caramel cheesecake for dessert. All the food came out quickly and was very tasty last night and as leftovers! While I didn't have any drinks this time, I'll definitely be back to check out the bar! read more

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Parking: street and small lot down the street a little. Decor: industrial modern, very tastefully done with plumbers piping and barn wood Staff: very friendly and attentive (Tommy) bartender is on point! And the chef (Moses) had an attention to detail, he even commented on my one dish before I said anything. Food: I love crispy Brussel sprouts and this dish was amazing (see pics). The tempura battered cauliflower was a let down (one star) even chef took one look and said undercooked and mushy Price: below what I was expecting, which is always a nice welcome surprise! Overall: will 100% go back and try new items and get Brussels to go!! read more

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Used to love this place. Great cocktail menu and food. We went last week and the drinks were absolutely terrible. My daughter's pizza had a long black curly hair embedded in the cheese read more

I loved this place. The burger was delicious. The fries were crispy and my drink was really good too. The service was great. The waitress was really nice! I loved sitting outside with the street lights. The locating is nice. There is street parking or a lot nearby but none for the actual restaurant. read more

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My boyfriend and I went last night for dinner. We didn't order any appetizers, just dinner and drinks. I ordered the airline chicken with the spicy sausage. It was absolutely delicious. Chicken was a little dry, but overall very good meal. My boyfriend ordered the bourbon steak tips. He enjoyed it as well. I would definitely go back. I would love to order the wings, but we weren't that hungry and we wanted to enjoy the meal so we didn't order any apps. Next time! read more

Seated and left after over 10 minutes when wait staff never saw us. Don't come here unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

Just moved in town and was looking for somewhere to take my parents and kids to, was impressed by the good reviews and thought to give it a go. ** very nice decoration the design of the place is pretty cool. ** we had two drinks from the special drinks menu which was delicious. ** I noticed one waitress only for the entire floor poor girl was running around like a chicken without a head! ** two of our orders were not accurate the nachos we asked to remove the jalapeños but they served it with jalapeños also my son ordered burger with no cheese and we got it with cheese. ** rest of food was delicious except the blue crab ravioli was horrible not fresh salty a lot of vinegar we returned it paid for it no problem. ** my two kids ordered pepperoni pizza and cheese pizza both were tons of tomatoes souse on top of a flat bread( do not recommend them at all). ** love the short ribs, salmon was delicious even though the mashed potatoes was not mashed all the way and the waitress witnessed that and admitted it was not mashed all the way! Overall experience wasn't the best but definitely worth another chance. read more

Thought we found a good fish & chips place right in town........ WRONG !! , 1st time - a nice piece of fish inside with it being crispy on the outside with some really good fries, everything served hot with excellent service from the waitress. 2nd time fish was good, fries not hot, waitress/bartender poor service and needs training (we went at 4pm ish the waitress was not there yet but not busy at all) , Today at 4pm the 3rd time and the last, the fish was soggy, greasy, not even a good piece of fish it was minced and greasy under the non crispy batter, fries were good but not consistent with the other meals, waitress provided good service. All DONE HERE, next read more

Always good food, always good service. Very friendly staff. No issues at all. Specials are great.

we've been going to Ideal tavern every so often for over 6 years and sadly the last several trips have each been worse than the last and we won't be going back after this last visit. Food prices have gone up a lot (I get it things are costing more) but I do expect that something as basic and simple as Mac and cheese will be tasty, and it was barely edible. At a table of 4 not a single one of us had a meal that was even remotely enjoyable - kids $10 buttered noodles cooked to mush, Mac and cheese horrible flavor and drowning in sauce, French onion soup that was horrendously salty, and clam "strips" that appeared to be almost entirely just over cooked batter pieces and little to no clam... Sad that this once staple in our restaurant Rolodex is now out of the running. read more

The scenery was nice being located in a neighborhood & made a good experience to eat outside. The food was fresh & the dishes are well crafted. The short rib with a nice red wine was a good pairing. The service staff was welcoming & engaging. read more

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My boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant out because of all of the good reviews we seen on yelp. We are from out of town and wanted to try something new. FOOD: 9/10 APPS: We got the Roasted Pork Belly and the Iron Cast Meatballs as appetizers. The meatballs were HOT but were good with parm on top. The pork belly was delicious and even better paired with the vinegary spinach and cucumbers. ENTREE: I got the salmon and my boyfriend got the braised ribs. The salmon was okay to me because it was very lightly seasoned. It didn't have much flavor. The rice and asparagus was okay as well. Now The braised ribs were GREAT! We both loved it. It's like beef stew. I would highly recommend! DRINKS: I forgot what I had, I believe it's the hibiscus drink, but it was delicious. My boyfriend a martini that he enjoyed. DESSERTS: I got the chocolate lava cake. It was pretty dry. It would go better with vanilla ice cream than cool whip. All in all it was a decent dessert. We would definitely recommend!! read more

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We decided a bar and light food would be great - had a huge lunch & have been driving all day. The Tavern did not disappoint. Our bartender clarified that when we said "dry" that didn't mean we wanted more vermouth! I think he was so focused on that he forgot that we wanted twists, not olives. We shared nachos and a chop salad and it was just right. The bar was kinda noisy, but comfy. read more

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Nice spot for a casual date night or hang out with new friends. The Brussels sprouts, calamari, and drinks are the best features, in my opinion. Service has always been consistently friendly and personable when I've gone. A great spot with an elevated pub fare menu. read more

Ideal Tavern - Mezcal cocktail - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

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Good experience here!! Our server was so funny and attentive. The burger was decent, but we were more impressed at our crispy brussel sprouts appetizer. The mac and cheese was good. They also have a large drink selection and the interior is a cozy bar vibe! Would come again for drinks and food! 4/5 read more

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I was looking so forward to trying this restaurant out after seeing they won the wing competition they were in. I love wings, but was disappointed by these. We ordered the buffalo and Parmesan garlic. Both were over cooked, dry and tasteless. The calamari was even worse. It was so overcooked and dry it looked like fried onion straws, and tasted old. The nachos and Mac and cheese were not bad. The waitress was very good. She made it okay. read more

Had a great experience here recently! Bartender was great and personable. When the drinks were empty, he was right there for a refill!! Had a really good burger while my Mom had a Fig dish that she's been talking about for weeks since we've gone... I think we will be back! read more

We love to try a restaurant every week with another couple. Read the reviews on this place, and there were complaints about mistakes on meals orders. Well, those complaints came true for us. 3 of us ordered the hamburgers, and two of the orders were incorrect. One order said no bun and a Caesar salad... got a bunch and house salad, other wanted cheese burger, got no cheese. I wanted to try the marsala pork chop and for some reason, the restaurant didn't have it. My burger was fine. Lastly, I looked at dessert menu and decided a lava cake with a scoop of ice cream for $12 was a little pricey. read more

So, I ordered an aviation cocktail thinking it would be amazing because it was artistically drawn on the giant chalkboard on the wall. It didn't have enough lilac or cherry liquor- and also I received half an $11 martini. The popcorn cauliflower was ok. I went here tonight with a friend. The waitress was lovely however we sat at a table near the bar and the man bartender kept flirting with my friend and asking her how she and her drink was multiple times over the course of an hour and a half, and completely ignored me. That's fine if he had a preference in ladies but at least make both of us seem like we exist. Not enjoyable at all. read more

Ideal Tavern - Popcorn Cauliflower Plate - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

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I've been here about 4-5 times over the past 4 years. I may go with more of a 3.5 but will round up to a 4. Our very first dining experience was about 4 years ago. We had the most amazing meal. Subsequent visits have never been up to the same standard. I hate inconsistent restaurants and Ideal unfortunately fits this category. Some meals are good, some are mediocre. A friend and I met here last week for dinner. We started with a Tuscan shrimp with white beans - garlicky and delicious. I had wanted the tavern chicken - I accidentally called it 'Tuscan chicken' while pointing at the 'tavern chicken' and ended up with the Toscana pasta which was not at all what I wanted. Since I was dining with a friend - I wasn't interested in sending it back so are it. It was fine but not what I had my heart set on so that was sad. The waitress was apologetic. I suppose it was my mistake and just a misunderstanding but it was still disappointing. My friend got the beef rib entree and ate it all. I did have a delicious grapefruit cocktail that I really enjoyed. It was a bit pricey for what we got. It's right in town so I always end up back there but it'd be nice if they were more consistent so I didn't have to wonder what I was going to get each time there. read more

My girlfriends and I decided to try somewhere new for brunch. When we arrived we were told they no longer have Saturday brunch and website wasn't updated because they didn't have access (appears to be updated now). Ugh... ok change of plans, no brunch. We opted to order the Brussel sprouts as an appetizer and they were delicious. For lunch I ordered the mixed green salad with chicken. This was also delicious, I love fennel on a salad. The pomegranate seeds & feta make a salad more interesting as well. For dessert I ordered the Affogato which I was REALLY excited about. Server came back a couple minutes to say they didn't have it and they unfortunately hadn't updated the dessert menu !!! Service was great, restaurant was cold!! I was able to find street parking. Gave it a 4 due to not updated info otherwise it would've been a 5. Will definitely try again. read more

Ideal Tavern - Brussel sprouts - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

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The food was delicious. My burger cooked the way I requested, medium well. Cauliflower app was very good. The waitstaff was attentive and did a good job. read more

Had a great filling lunch here post a long run at Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Nachos and the flatbread were great starters. The rigatoni was good but preferred less cheese on mine. read more

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I have to say it's a couple years since I've been back to this tavern. I'm so happy we gave it another try our bartender was very friendly and the service was good. It's a typical tavern with lots of local people. We had the eggplant tower for an appetizer. Very tasty. I had the fish and chips the fish was lightly battered and it came with sweet potato fries they were very good. I have to say they were the best sweet potato fries I've ever had. It came with some really tasty coleslaw. I would definitely order that again. My husband had the shrimp and grits, which was very good. I highly recommend it. Our experience was wonderful. Give it a try it's casual dining and was worth every penny. read more

Ideal Tavern - Fish and Fish n' Chips - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

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Great service and atmosphere. Restaurant was clean and well decorated. Service was fast and attentive with good drinks--triple H and handcrafted cocktails were delicious! I had the green power bowl with chicken (a generous portion) which was delicious and my husband had the ideal tavern burger which he said was delicious, especially with the addition of the truffle aioli mayo! Great restaurant in a cute and quaint strip of the downtown. read more

Ideal Tavern - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

Nick and Tommy are amazing! 10/10 recommend, perfectly baked turkey and those blanched green beans were perfectly split in the middle! I've never had service quite like this! Superb! Cocktails like no other! read more

Solid restaurant in downtown Southington. Good service, nice ambiance and good menu selection. Had the short rib sandwich w/ fried. Outstanding sandwich! Tender short rib w/ cheese and coleslaw. Fries were outstanding. Really enjoy Ideal as a hometown go to! read more

Ideal Tavern - Short rib sandwich. - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

A few friends and I went to Ideal Tavern for dinner and drinks. Johnna was a fantastic bartender, she makes delicious drinks! We met the manager, Jen, and she is a FABULOUS person. Both Johnna and Jen have great personalities and take pride in what they do! I ordered they Chicken Sandwich and my mouth is still drooling .To drink, I had the Patent Pending and it was PERFECT! The atmosphere is very pretty, the bathrooms are clean and just the overall experience couldn't be better! read more

Ideal Tavern - New American Near Me - Southington, Connecticut

My go to spot for dinner with the girls. Had the best Caesar salad with steak. The Mac n cheese is also 10/10. Service is always wonderful

First time here - Saturday midafternoon. Minuses: The food and drinks came out completely haphazardly. Some of our party were enjoying a drink, but no appetizer, others vice-versa. Price point is high for the area, considering everything. Pluses: waitstaff is fabulous. I don't blame kitchen/bar service on them. The quality of the food was very good. Hot things got, cold things cold. Flavor on point. Overall, I would recommend a visit, with the above caveats. read more

Bug turn around. I love this place, the big hit for me here is the bourbon steak tips

Kyle served our group of 10 tonight with professionalism, patience, and humor. The food was delicious and promptly served! Fabulous restaurant read more

Had a wonderful lunch today at Ideal tavern. Had the blue crab ravioli dish. Honestly this dish was amazing. Great service from my very attractive bartender, hey just calling Balls and strikes.... read more

I had the BEST braised short ribs I have ever had in my entire life tonight. This place is super cutely decorated, and everyone loved their meals, but it was decided that the short ribs were the winner tonight. The drinks were tasty, and our server was so friendly and awesome. We're looking forward to adding Ideal Tavern into our rotation of restaurants to go to whenever we are in the Southington area. Thanks for the hospitality tonight Ideal Tavern! read more

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I sat by the bar and really enjoyed the atmosphere here. The waiters and bartenders were very attentive but not in the over bearing always watching you type way. The place isn't entirely small but its not large so it may be a good idea to call ahead especially during the weekend dinner rush. For drinks we had the Brockman's Bramble which is a gin drink and very delicious. Also a fig Manhattan (I think it was) but I replace the whiskey with gin and it was very good, tasted like tea actually. For food we had the special of the day which was beef stroganoff and it was very tasty, along with the Ideal Burger which really was amazing. I also got an extra side of the truffle aioli for dipping my fries which I would recommend. The location is very nice where you can go bar hopping if you want because there are lots of restaurants in the area and there is a lot of free parking. I highly recommend this place. read more

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can't describe it but the wings smelt like a bar bathroom. wings were full of veins and tried four different flavors and they all lacked any actual real tasteful flavor. wouldn't go back read more