I've been here twice, and both times was exceptional. The history is this building is worth the visit alone. The food is more than tasty. All five of us had cleared plates! read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - The twin Philly cheese, and their signature bourbon drink - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

The inside look of this place is very cool. Super high ceilings. Industrial feeling. Great. Good sized bar, lots of tvs and friendly service. I usually wait to go a couple of time to write a review, but, I know all the food will be good. I saw it and I'm here to write about the boneless wings, bbq style. The ranch! Both are my favorites in town. I need them in my fridge and belly!! Go and enjoy, you'll be back! read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Boneless bbq wings and ranch... get in my belly! - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

What was once a great place to go for food and drink has unfortunately turned into just a great place for drinks. The food has become borderline inedible. Among the top menu items to avoid are the bowls. Instead of a dish of carefully curated ingredients, it was practically just a bowl of slop with aged guacamole at the top. On the plus side, the ambiance is amazing, as is the rotating beer list. read more

Local Kitchen and Beer Bar is a New American restaurant and craft beer bar that opened in Fairfield, Connecticut in December 2013. It was founded by the SBC Group (formerly Southport Brewing Company), under the direction of restaurateur Greg Pettinella. No stranger to the restaurant business, Pettinella grew up in Derby where his family owned a pizzeria with multiple locations. After studying hospitality at SCSU, he worked as a consultant in more than 100 restaurant ventures around the country. He joined the SBC Group in 2012. The restaurant group secured the boiler building of the historic Fairprene Rubber Factory complex in Fairfield. This new venture "Local" launched a New American menu paired with an excellent selection of craft beer on draught. Additional locations opened in South Norwalk in 2014 (Closed 2020) and Branford in 2016. My family and I recently visited the original Local location in Fairfield. We were meeting some members of our extended family for brunch and Local came highly recommended. We really liked the old exposed brick of the building as well as its lofty layout and industrial decor. The menu features an excellent selection of craft beer with at least 30 offerings on draught and another 20+ available in bottles and cans. The menu also features an extensive selection of wines, spirits and signature cocktails. I decided to order a delicious draught pour of Maine Beer Company's "Lunch" IPA, which I'm always happy to see on a beer menu. My wife and I ordered and shared the "Breakfast Bomb" (giant stuffed burrito with scrambled eggs, sausage, cheddar, pico de gallo, served with breakfast potatoes) and the "Shrimp BLT Tacos" (lettuce, slaw, cilantro lime marinated shrimp, bacon, charred salsa and kickn' crema, soft flour tortillas, served with fries). They were both great but we liked the latter the best. Our older son was happy with his delicious "Chicken Bites" (all natural, all white meat crispy fried chicken bites served with fries) from the Kids Menu. The rest of our family ordered the "Street Pho" (Pad Thai noodles, jalapeño, sprouts, snap peas, mushroom, pho broth, shrimp), "Warm Goat Salad" (warm crusted goat cheese, greens, tomato, cucumber, candied walnuts, honey white balsamic), "Mexicali Bowl" (rice, chicken, roasted corn, black beans, charred salsa, cilantro, avocado mash), and "Southwestern Ranch Salad" (mixed greens, roasted corn & black bean, cheddar blend, roasted chicken, pick de gallo, chipotle ranch, crispy tortilla chips). Everyone was very happy with their choices! Overall, we had an excellent brunch experience at Local and would definitely stop there again! read more

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We ordered a burger and the Tuna bowl. The burger was good, little messy to eat. The bowl was anything but, it came in a bowl but not at all what I was expecting, taste was alright. Ordered a Guinness on tap, guy did not pour it right, he poured it straight into the glass and let it foam up and then settle. read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Burger - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

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Rustic vibes at this spot. Big bar with a lot of tvs. Staff was super friendly and helpful. Burger was super juicy, bursting with flavor. Fries had a nice crunch. read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - 50 50 burger - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

Very good beer and burger bar. Actually their entire menu is good...salads, burgers, fish and chips and great apps. Among the countless beers they serve, they've made room for the Champagne of Beers which makes this Milwaukee-boy happy! (And adds a star) Trivia on Tuesday night is great fun. Staff is great and scene is good. Worth the visit. read more

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Food was not very good for basic wings and fries. Drinks were ok but not worth it the price. Server was very nice and attentive which is the 2 stars. I was excited to try here but it's definitely a miss. It was way too expensive for bad food and mid cocktails. read more

Only reason giving two stars is amaze g service from Our waitress and fabulous cocktails even though they were very small and over priced. Went for brunch with our family and showed up fifteen minutes early was told ample times that they can seat us but not serve for fifteen minutes even though there was people already seated. We ordered two kid meal burgers which the rolls were burnt fires were minuscule snd they didn't have lids for the kid cups. I got the spicy crunchy tuna bowl (I ordered the large) and it was the size of two tuna rolls. The rest of my family ordered From the brunch menu (hangover burger and bomb burrito) as Wells as the crab cake tater tots. The best part was the breakfast potatoes. Best part is drinks and service Doubt we will be back They do take credit card and have ample parking read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Second story of restaurant - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

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I was hoping the recent reviews were wrong. We've been here before and it was good and service was fine. This Sunday we had a group of 8 for dinner around 6:00. I alled to see if they take reservations for 8 and they said no. Tried our luck and went anyway. When we arrived there were several groups waiting at the hostess stand and there was no hostess. More people came in behind us and we all waited about 5 minutes for someone to come over. We got lucky and were seated right away. It was fairly busy with a lot of families with small kids. Once seated we waited about 10 minutes for the waitress to come over. We put in our drink order and a few appetizers. 20 minutes later the appetizers came, but we still didn't have our drinks. I asked the food runner to check on them and she brought them right back. They had been sitting on the bar waiting for the waitresses to serve them. The food came out about 30 minutes later. Everyone loved their meals, so that was a bright side and brought the rating up. The Brussel Sprouts were delicious with a maple bacon flavor. The steak tips were cooked perfectly and the guys raves about the 50/50 burger. Desserts all looked fabulous as well. I'm going to guess that they need more staff, which seems to be happening everywhere. We were there for over two hours in total by the time we received the bill. If we weren't with good friends and enjoying the conversation, it would have been way too long! read more

Had a great lunch here. Love the lofty look and feel of the restaurant. Their drink menu was large with fun options. I had the peach rosemary fizz, which was light and refreshing. My friend and I shared the Buffalo Mac and cheese, which was cheesy and had a nice kick from the chicken. I also had a chicken sandwich, which had good flavor and even better French fries! Service was friendly and fast and prices were fair as well. I'd come back! read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Mac and Cheese - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

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I love Local because its a great spot for a casual dinner with friends or for drinks on a weeknight. Tuesday night trivia here is the best and you can't go wrong with a marg here. Usually I order a turkey burger, and the pretzel bites are not to be missed! Service is always great here read more

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Interesting to see the negative reviews here because I've only had good experiences and have been here several times. I usually get a chicken sandwich of some sort but this time I went with the twin phillys because I was intrigued. They were so good! The buns are the kind you get lobster rolls on. So buttery and toasted. Sandwiches weren't overpacked, just the right amount. read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Twin Philly - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

Collectively and consistently the rudest/most unfriendly staff at any restaurant I've been to in Fairfield County. Only seems to get worse over time. Went for the last time a couple months ago after ~3 years of repeated patronage. Food and general experience not even close to making it worth it. Go elsewhere in Fairfield. read more

Sunday, 2/18/2024 we decided to try "The Local". Since we weren't very hungry, we decided to eat at the bar. TJ was the bartender and quickly took our drink order and asked if we wanted a menu. After a few minutes perusing the menu, he was back with our drinks and offered several suggestions. We settled on the Classic burger, added cheddar cheese, bacon (extra crispy) and pickles as well as a side of hot sauce and side of mustard. For our side, we chose fries. We took a walk around the entire restaurant and on the 2nd floor which overlooks the bar, there was a large party of men. Seems like a wonderful spot to have any type of get together, privately. The restaurant has several TVs at the bar and would be a fun place to catch a game. Our food arrived timely, and the burger was cooked to order and very tasty. The fries weren't very hot, and TJ quickly replaced them with fresh ones. We noticed walking in that in the warmer months, there is outdoor seating available. It was our first visit, and we will definitely go back. I didn't give 5 stars for the simple reason the fries weren't fresh, and we had a limited meal, so need more information, but go with confidence. I did leanr that the owners also own the Sitting Duck in Trumbull which is also tasty, however read my previous reviews on them. HH at Local is 3-6 M-F and Tuesday looks like a really good night for tacos. read more

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Went there on 6/25 with two friends. Food was good (The roasted brussell sprouts w/bacon were the BEST -so kudos to the chef) the tuna bowl was good.I gave it three stars because the staff members are baffled (or at least the two that we had interactions with were). First, when we walked in the door and WE greeted the hostess (vs. the other way around). She just stared at us upon our arrival and we said "Hi, how are you?" She asked how many and asked if the bar area was OK. (It was 5:15pm so not crowded at all) I asked if you could still have Happy Hour menu if seated at a table near the bar and she replied "Yes" so we followed her to our table situated near the big bar. We got seated and and were looking for the happy hour options menu. Our guy waiter was standing at our table ready to take our drink order and he got a little annoyed because it took us a minute to figure out what we wanted to drink (we felt rushed) and it wasn't busy at all. I asked about the Cosmos for Happy Hour (which the website says are part of Happy hour for 1/2 price) he said only wine & beer is available for happy hour. Then we asked about the food items available for Happy Hour and he said "we don't have special food for Happy Hour at the tables"...that's not what the hostess who seated us said, nor that's not what the website said. I told him that they need to update the website AND inform the young lady at the hostess area. We still gave a 20% tip because waitering is a tough job. We ended up staying but the staff needs to get their *hit together . We picked this place because we thought it would have a good happy hour. We're not going back. There are plenty of great restaurants in Fairfield to choose from. read more

Ordered through Uber eats. Over cooked burgers and they didn't put cheese on either burger. They had no option to put cheese. Other restaurants include the option for cheese. Most people want cheese on a cheese burger! Figure out how to add the option to Uber eats. I won't order again. I hate when I have to "fix" delivery food when I'm trying to have an easy night. read more

I have been to Local in Fairfield and Norwalk before, and I admit I had low expectations coming here again, based on my original experiences. But I really enjoyed my meal here! The location for the restaurant is great, right off exit 21 and right next to my rock gym. There are cathedral ceilings making the space feel larger than it is, with a huge bar at the center. I came with some friends, and while we drank, we ate. We began with the Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Brussels Sprouts are something very easy to mess up, because they need to be cooked a long time. But these were fried to perfection with a sweet sauce covering the veggies. For my meal, I enjoyed the Birdhouse, a crispy chicken sandwich (on a wrap). It was tied together with delicious hot honey (wasn't spicy), bacon, cheese, caramelized onions all tied together with a delicious aioli. I wasn't expecting much, but it really was worth every bite. I will be back! read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Crispy Brussels (GF) and the birdhouse on a wrap - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

Our server was friendly enough but unfortunately all the beers were lukewarm, so none of them tasted very good. The beer selection looked promising but execution fell well short. Food-wise, I'd recommend picking a grilled or fried food item; the rare items (ahi tuna, etc) were also lukewarm and not worth ordering. Sadly, this is both the first and last time our family will eat here. read more

Went to Local a couple of times and my friends and I loved going to trivia on Tuesday night. The guy who ran it was super fun and you even get a chance to win prizes! We won trivia and got a $50 giftcard to Local. Who doesn't love free trivia and better yet a chance to win a prize!!! Even better, is that the well margaritas are only $5. (Downside is that they said they cannot salt rims on trivia night due to all the margs they make). The food is pretty good but nothing too exciting and the service is very friendly, but slow which is fine when you're not in a rush. I would come here again for trivia but it probably wouldn't be my first place to choose if I was going out to eat. read more

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I ended up here by accident as this establishment never seems to show up on my Yelp searches. Visited on a Tues night before the $5 majarita prices that begin at 7p.m. Taco special starts at 7 p.m. as well I believe. My excellent server helped me narrow down some draft beer choices based on my preferences and even brought a few to taste. There are 30 beers on tap! I chose the Show Pony which I appreciated more with each glass. Unique and spacious feel inside, with the industrialized decor of what the building had housed before. Nice wooden tables, high ceilings, second floor available for dining. Service was on point all night. Fish and chips were most satisfying, tasted fresh and moist with delicious batter perfectly seasoned and fried. Hit the spot. Ample parking, outdoor seating. Trivia night occurred but really only detracted from the enjoyable experience (acoustics not that great ). Will return on a night this is not happening as this seems a great local place. read more

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Fabulous spot. Excellent food and beer in a fun and laid back setting. Plenty of TVs to serve as a sports bar. I had the Buffalo Chicken wrap and loved it but would have been happy with just about any selection folks at the table had and/or on menu. Fries were outstanding too as touted. Service was very on point and accommodating to our group - look forward to my return! read more

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The food was very good - steak tips were tender and very well marinated (I compliment them in that the teriyaki flavor was subtle and still noticeable but not overpowering). Rest of the food was good ... probably would not order the grilled cheese with tomato soup again. Seemed like they tried to do too much and it just didn't work. Building is very nice and has a good ambiance to it. Service was decent ... friendly and kitchen was quick. read more

I've been coming here since it opened...always loved it... However...today I ordered one of there burgers with coleslaw. The order came out looking great! I went to the coleslaw first ...I touched the bowl it was in and could have almost burned my hand....obviously the bowl had JUST come out of the dishwasher....not a smart move in the kitchen....super hot bowl ...hummm let's put COLD coleslaw in it. It was taken back to the kitchen and a cold bowl with the slaw was brought back....excellent! However, I'm not going to say it was the worst slaw I've ever eaten but it was close....basically no flavor and almost dry.... In the grand scheme of things not a big problem but very disappointing. read more

We love this place and miss the SONO location so much!!! We came on wing Wednesday - honestly some of the best wings I've ever had at a restaurant, we got the mild Buffalo and the lemon pepper and the flavors were spot on and the wings were so juicy. Finger licking good. We also got the Cadillac burger which was cooked perfectly and we scarfed it down in like 2 seconds. Aileen was our server, she's awesome! We'll absolutely be making the trip to Fairfield more often to come here read more

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My first time going to this place was to watch the Super Bowl. The service was great and the drink selection was ideal. Our bartender, Nick, was great all night, always seemed happy and was great to talk with. This place had a unique interior design, I will be coming back again. I highly recommend the nachos with the chicken. read more

Perfect burger, delivered medium rare as ordered, plus great beer. Can't go wrong here!

Stopped into this place for a late lunch and was very pleased. The decor is very industrial but it was very nice. Very high ceilings and also kind of intimate as well. The hostess immediately seated us and took our orders. We had the New England clam chowder which was really thick(the way I like it) and we ordered two burgers-the black and blue burger and the Bison burger. Both were cooked just like we ordered. They were delicious. The bison burger had a bacon jam which was really good. For drinks we had a Sangria and a pumpkin spiced beer which was very good. The menu is varied and they give you the options to order small or large plates to share. Overall we really liked the place and will definitely come back. read more

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Went here for happy hour since I'm always looking for some good deals. They only allow happy hour at the bar, I called ahead and they said that nearly all beers are $4. Great! BUT as I browsed the beer menu, nearly all of the beers or at least more than half had a star meaning not happy hour ( * picture attached) Sort of like lure you in for a good deal but you won't even be able to pick a beer you like. Happy hour food is okay, tiny portions. The popcorn chicken was 4 tiny pieces of chicken for $5. Only 2 wines to pick from for happy hour even though they make it sound like you'd have options. I just think there's better deals for happy hour elsewhere! Of note, a Friday night at 6:00 was dead there, totally quiet too, not even any music. Awkward!! Too bad because the beer selection was good, just not worth coming in for happy hour for. read more

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I've been coming here for about a year. Between work happy hours, drinks with friends, sporting events, and date nights I absolutely love this place. The atmosphere is relaxing but fun, and the drinks are always great. All of the food is great that I've tried, even the (surprising) maple bacon Brussels sprouts. I went for brunch today and couldn't have been happier. Usually when a place does happy hour / dinner food so well, the breakfast food isn't as good.... well, not here. The breakfast tacos were amazing (I personally think because of the pico de gallo). Brunch is from 11:30-3 on weekends so don't miss it!! My friend and I were so happy and the waiter was so helpful telling us about all of the weekly specials they do all the time. Here's what he told us... Monday: craft beers night Tuesday: taco Tuesday, $5 margaritas, $3 draft, & trivia Wednesday: wing Wednesday Thursday: craft beer free pint night read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Breakfast tacos - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

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Food is ok. The onion soup was good. The goat cheese salad was decent. Just ok. Not brilliant not bad. read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - people sitting at the bar - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

**UPDATE 2: General Manager never reached back out to refund the order. Does not seem like the staff care about the customers ***UPDATE: The general manager (who was out of town at time of incident) reached out to me with an apology for the acting managers behavior. I was told they would be sure this kind of service does not happen again and offered a refund. HORRIBLE customer service. I have ordered the Mac & Cheese with no bacon on multiple occasions and more than half of the time it has bacon. I am a vegetarian and for health reasons I cannot eat the bacon (the food was coated in it). I called to see if I could get a replacement after not noticing it had bacon until I returned home and they REFUSED to give one (have allowed exchanges in the past). As someone who comes here often, this does not make me ever want to return to this restaurant due to the horrible service. read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

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Happy hour Friday... a few drink specials for well liquor and beer. No food specials. I ordered 2 specialty cocktails, one of which I did not care for. Waiter rectified by immediately replacing, at no charge. Had a few apps, which were tasty: bang bang chicken and calamari. I requested additional sauce when our tiny cup of sauce ran out- it was brought immediately. However, we were not informed that there was a one dollar charge for our tiny second sauce. I found the charge ridiculous, and we should have been informed. Nonetheless my friend and I stayed for more than a few hours and overall it was a good experience! read more

How the mighty have fallen... Local used to be my top pick for eating out when visiting family back home. The location is great, right by the highway and with plenty of parking, and the space itself is wide open, with a comfortably casual vibe. There were options on the menu for everyone, which is no small feat for my clan of picky eaters and those of less adventurous tastes. Classic American staples fill out the bulk of the menu, focusing largely on burgers and fries but with plenty of attention paid to bigger plates and trendy grain bowls. To my great disappointment, the options have grown progressively less vegan-friendly over the years. There's still the Hippie Bowl, my go-to order including quinoa and greens, but even that has changed for the worse. Gone is the avocado, and the tofu (although well-cooked) has become depressingly scant. There's almost always something missing despite the paired down list of ingredients. I can tell there's a lot of thought that went into the food: It's always well seasoned, fresh, and visually appealing. Servers are genuinely kind, invested in getting straight answers from the kitchen when it comes to sensitivities. It's just that there's almost nothing left here for me to eat. read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - The new Hippie Bowl as of November 2016- Less kale, more quinoa. - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

Just okay: This is my third trip, but this review is based on the three trips combined. Last visit was just okay. We had a couple of beers and 2 appetizers. One of the beers tasted off, the others where fine. The calamari app was too well done and as a result, really not good. The bartender also had a bit of an attitude, like we were bothering him. In the past, we have enjoyed our meals and drinks. Could be better, but wasn't worth the price. read more

I'm going to be brief and to the point here... Five stars for the Lobster Waffle! Good God! I had to get a to-go order, but Good LORD! *Heavenly!* As an aside - have always had great service here, attentive staff, good atmosphere. Thanks Daren & staff! read more

Local Kitchen & Beer Bar - Local Kitchen's Lobster Waffle (omg) - New American Near Me - Fairfield, Connecticut

Amazing! I ordered catering from here for the rehearsal dinner for my wedding. My sister said the food was 11/10. Everyone could not stop talking about it. Everything was hot, nothing was smashed, everything looked really fresh. Highlights were: MAC AND CHEESE, brussel sprouts and sliders! They did forget the cheesecake in my order but called me back and had someone drive the cheesecake to where we were hosting our event. I really appreciated how they went out of their way to correct the mistake quickly. And the cheesecake was absolutely amazing. read more

The interior space is so cool. Exposed brick, industrial, lots of natural light, open & airy, great horseshoe style bar, booths, communal tables, and there is an Airstream esque polished stainless steel bar back drop which is pretty cool. Great for groups & happy hr specials M-F 3-7! But unfortunately, I found neither the food nor the service good. I'll save this spot just for kicking back a few ;) Easy walk from the train station. Summer promises outdoor dining under the huge exposed original wood beams too. read more

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Ok, so I was there on Wednesday night with two friends. We sat upstairs, loved the ambiance, the food was very good, but uh...the service. The server was aware that everything was off, as she apologized several times, but what the heck? We waited over an hour for our food and we didn't get silverware or napkins until we asked (they ran out of forks?). I'm going to leave it here because our server really was very nice, but jeez, either she was new or they were REALLY short handed. read more

Solid place, good selection of bar food. Great beer list, great options for drinks if you are looking for a decent bar for a pint.