Delicious food and amazing service. Anytime I am in town for work I pop in for a visit.

I think Trumbull Kitchen has become the most innovative restaurant in downtown Hartford. In the past year, no two experiences have been the same; the only common denominator has been outstanding food paired with amazing service. Four of us went last Saturday night for a late dinner and right off the bat, our server suggested we try the General Tso's Cauliflower. I am not crazy about cauliflower, nor what General Tso does to a chicken, but this Trumbull Kitchen pairing was worthy of immediately ordering a second round of the same dish, something we never do. It is a perfect pairing of texture and spice and typical of the clever small plates we have come to expect from TK. If you've not had their Oven-roasted Marrow Bone appetizer...it is an entire reason to eat there. All four dinners were excellent, but the catch of the day was Halibut and Chef Torla prepared it with 'Nduja. 'Nduja is one of those ingredients that often falls into the same world as Saffron or Truffle Oil; some chefs think, "if a little of this is good, then I'll bet more will be even better". In this case, it was a sublime addition, particularly when spooned up with the butter beans. Fish and cheese, or fish and meat, tend to trend toward the disastrous, but here, the 'Njuda gave the Halibut the slightest hint of fire, yet overpowered nothing. What a great idea! I'll spare you the individual dinner details but they were all in the, "You have to try a bite of this" realm. One last credit has to go to the French Fries which never get enough love. The Trumbull Kitchen French Fries are on the verge of crispy, they are spared no salt whatsoever, and they arrive really hot. There is no way you can stop eating them. They are a perfect food. The service is old-school. Any time I caught an employee's eye they came right to the table. I love it when I ask, "What's good tonight?" and our server talks about what she had for a shift meal and what others were raving about. I hate, "Oh, the (most expensive thing on the menu) is really good tonight. I want a first-person experience, and it was nice because she could tell us exactly why she liked her dinner so much. Plus, she was fun. It makes eating out worthwhile, and this experience was particularly worthwhile as the chef came out of the kitchen at the end of the meal to get some feedback and answer our questions. Once again, it was an A+ experience from an A+ restaurant. read more

I've had pretty good experiences here. The first time I went the food was pretty good. The time I went for their happy hour was very good. Really good appetizers and drinks. read more

Always enjoy visiting when in town. Great service and food to go along with the ambience of the place. Will be back again.

In town for work for a few days and this place was a 2 min walk from my hotel. Super cool vibe inside and the service was great. Very friendly staff! Had the beet salad for an appetizer and it was great. Everything was super fresh and it was tossed with a really tasty balsamic. Dinner choice was the meatloaf. Blew my mind. Full disclosure it's not traditional (fine by me) and there were a lot of flavors going on (sweet, spicy, fruity and tangy). Came with cheddar mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. Both of which were very tasty. I will definitely come back for this dish alone next time I'm in town. Awesome spot! read more

Absolutely loved my meal! The crispy Brussels sprouts were the best part and the crème brûlée was amazing too. Will definitely be coming back read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Great atmosphere. Great server and great food. I had the salmon tartar. It was a generous portion and was delicious! I also had the brussels sprouts with bacon again they were cooked perfectly and delicious. My date had to Cesar salad with light dressing and asparagus. We went before A Hartford Stage performance. I'll definitely return!! read more

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My favorite dish here is the Chiang Mai noodles, SO yummy. Food is consistently great, service not so consistent. Also, if you plan to come here before going to the Bushnell or Infinity, give yourselves about 2.5 hours. We once missed the first act of a show at the Bushnell because we mistakenly thought 2 hours would give us enough time (and yes, we even told them of our time constraint). read more

I went in for dinner for the first time. My appetizer was Scallop ceviche. My dinner was Braised Beef Short Ribs. Both were outstanding. I did not wait to try dessert because I was very displeased with my Server. Worst of all, she didn't seem to care that I wasn't pleased. It is a shame the Chef and kitchen staff worked so hard to present a fine meal. Just a bit of effort on her part and it would have been a good experience read more

Another of the Max Group restaurants. As with all others the staff are well trained, observant but not obsequious. As you expect, the food is stellar and the ambiance is lovely. Good for a night out. read more

We enjoyed The Baldwin, Peach Cobbler Old Fashioned, and Shrimp & Sweet Potato Cakes. We loved all of it and would come back. Service was wonderful and answered all of our questions. read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - Dinner Specials - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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We ate there Sunday night while there for a volleyball tournament. There were 4 in our party (2 adults/ 2 teens) and everyone enjoyed their dinners. Big portions and delicious. This will be our go to when we are visiting Hartford again. read more

We recently went to Trumbull Kitchen to celebrate my mother's 80th Birthday. We were a party of 12. I can not say enough of how well we were taken care of by our server John. He greeted every member of our party, and accommodated each individuals wants and needs. He was instrumental at making sure our group had a lovely evening. As always, the food at TK was extra special. The sweet potato fritters were a big hit with everyone and I personally enjoyed being high fived for ordering the meatloaf. 12/10! Sherry (on behalf of our whole party. read more

Stopped here for happy hour based on a friends recommendation and did not disappoint! From the 'crispy pork belly banh mi', the 'fried salmon rangoon' (which I had to get a second order as it was delicious) to the huge 'banana split' (definitely a dessert to share as it is a lot for one)...I think I've found my favorite restaurant in downtown Hartford! read more

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What a delightful experience! When the menu offers pork buns, scallops and jalapeño margaritas, I know what I'm having!! Absolutely Scrumptious!!! A Wonderful experience all round! This place is not be passed up!! Thank you Phillip and Emily for the great service! Hats off to the chef! read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - Heavenly Scallops - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Came here with my family on a Tuesday night for my sisters birthday and we all left happy & full. It's hard to say what the best part of this night was, but if I had to pick it would be the food. I ordered the pesto pie and it surely did not disappoint, however, after trying my sisters filet mignon I wish I'd ordered that instead. That might have been the most tender and delicious piece of steak I've ever tried. Aside from the food, the ambience and setting inside was very pleasant, along with our delightful server. Great overall experience! read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - Grilled Vegetable Stone Pie - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Great ambiance and food. This place has never disappointed, the staff is great, and cocktails are also delicois

Came here and had dinner. Restaurant was fairly busy and got busier as night went on. The shrimp, avocado and arugula salad was very good. The brick herb chicken was very juicy but it was served with a small dollop of mashed potatoes and a few peppers as vegetables that did not seem to go with the dish. Restaurant was nice decor and service was good. read more

Excellent food. Go here for happy hour often as it has a good assortment of food. The menu is always changing and the quality is excellent. Definitely a must read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - Burgers, Eggplant dish, and rizzuto balls - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I was in town for the Hartford Marathon. I came here for an early dinner after running the marathon. Since I was dining solo, I got a seat at the bar. The bartenders were friendly and the service was great even though I wasn't drinking any alcohol. *Rice Flour Crisped Calamari* According to their menu, this came with Togarashi, baby arugula, and sweet chili aioli. This was one of the best calamari appetizers that I've had anywhere. I would get this again. *Miso Glazed Atlantic Haddock* According to their menu, this came with Napa cabbage salad, green onion rice, and soy mirin glaze. I love seafood and this one did not disappoint. This dish had a very good flavor combination. Overall the food here was great and service was great. Everything that I ordered had good flavors and the presentation was excellent. If I'm ever back here again, I would not hesitate to eat here again. read more

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Food was excellent and staff was very good!! We went there after a ceremony and were not disappointed.

The ambience is pretty chic, everyone was really friendly, but my server Micheal was exceptional! I wasn't a fan of the seasonal drink I originally and he got me a glass of wine with no problem. He was very helpful and attentive. I started off with the Rock Shrimp & Sweet Potato, please believe the hype these were so good, crispy, and surprisingly filling for an appetizer. My main enter was the shrimp pasta, which was okay, shrimp was slightly overcooked but the flavor was okay. The second star of the meal was the waffle carrot cake, it's like the perfect dessert with ice cream, icing, caramel and whipped topping, I took it to go and it was still superb . Definitely will be back again! read more

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Absolutely fantastic. Came in last night for some birthday celebrations. I have had this restaurant book marked for quite some time now, and have finally been able to make it. I loved everything from the ambiance to the service, and of course the food. Our waitress was super nice. I was stuck between my main entree and she helped and gave her honest opinion, which I really like...so thank you! For our starter me and the hubby ordered the chicken lettuce wraps. Honestly, everytime I go to a P.F Changs restaurant it is my go to, because they are known for it. I have to say these took the cake. The display was great and the chicken thai mixture was phenomenal. Next up, our main dish. I ordered the hanger steak, which was probably one of the best steaks I've ever had. It was served in a soy caramel sauce, with broccoli and shitake mushrooms. I had ordered my dish Medium and it came out spot on. I am a huge fan of a killer sauce...still thinking about it this morning haha it actually reminded me of a madiera sauce. My husband ordered the sirloin steak, which was served with asparagus, fries (frites) and this interesting other side we've never had before. It sort of reminded me of a korean pancake but it looked like a potato wedge...if that makes sense. Any who, he loved it and we would definitely order both dishes again. Finally, the apple crisp dessert. I really enjoyed the vanilla bean ice cream on top of the apple crisp skillet. The crisp itself was really really good, I almost wish there was a bit more of it. The apples were crisp and fresh. By the way, they are part of the Max's restaurant chain (I had no idea!) read more

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My husband and I were finding it hard to find somewhere to eat a nice dinner that wasn't super expensive. We found this place online and looked at the menu/prices beforehand and decided to give it a shot. While it was on the pricier side, it was much better than some of the other options in downtown Hartford. They have ample outdoor seating (but it is on the street) and multiple seating rooms inside. I was unimpressed with the host that greeted us upon arrival but our waiter made up for that. The waiter was SO friendly and helpful. He checked in on us many many times while there. We both ordered drinks which were really good but in hindsight not worth their price. You are given a breadbasket while you wait for your meal. There were a few pieces of grainy bread in it along with a really thing kind of bread that was almost like a chip. It is served with their "spread of the day" which was a delicious horseradish cream cheese spread. My husband ordered a black jack burger which he really enjoyed. I ordered a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and honestly it was one of the best chicken sandwiches i've had. The fries with both of our meals were good too. For dessert we ordered a cannoli which was honestly underwhelming. I would absolutely visit this place again. Next time, I would just skip the drinks and choose a different dessert. read more

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Delicious oysters and other goodness. Tenderloin appetizer sooo good. We'll worth the stop.

We brought a service dog in and they were very polite and accommodating. It's rare we get to go out anymore, so being able to enjoy a nice lunch meant a lot. Food was delicious and cooked perfectly! read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Oh my goodness I LOVE this place! The food is to die for, even the bread you get at the beginning is absolutely amazing. And the service is on point as well, our server Melissa was lovely! Look forward to coming here in the future for the ambience, service and of the course the food. read more

Had an early dinner for 4 last night before walking down the street for a show at Theaterworks. Started off with a nice complimentary bread/flatbread basket served with a whipped pumpkin cream cheese. We ordered a few drinks -I had the Max Bloody Mary for $9 - (very good). My wife ordered the cooly named Painkiller (Plantation Rum, coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice for $9). Very "Pina Colada-ey). We ordered the Steamed Pork Buns and Roasted Fiddleheads as appetizers. The buns were OK, but there were just 2 of them for $8. How were the fiddleheads? Well we don't know because they weren't being sold. Even though they were on the menu. Even though we weren't told until after we ordered. We switched to the Grilled Filet Mignon tooth-picked to a truffled "tater tot" we got 6 of them for $11. I thought they were pretty good - the filet was tender and juicy. Our four entrees were a) Seafood Pad Thai (rice noodles, gulf shrimp, scallops, lime-chili sauce, roasted peanuts $23), b) Furikake Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna (with lo mein stir fry, spicy garlic sauce, snow peas $27), c) Crackling Pork Shank (with crimini mushroom whipped potatoes, three chile braise, watercress $19), and d) Hilda's Meatloaf (with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted shallot-garlic sauce, green beans $16). My tuna was excellent - a nice portion of perfectly tender and flavorful slices with an excellent lo mein side. My son's Pork shank was great fun to look at - a huge slab of meat as big as a football. All of the entrees were gorgeous to look at and all disappeared. Desserts, yeah, we went there too. ordered three off the menu and one daily special. They were all reasonably priced at $7. We ordered a Compost Cookie Sandwich (Vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, almonds, an Irish Whiskey Coffee Crème Brulee with White chocolate and fresh raspberries, a Caramelized Banana Split with Orange candied walnuts, a trio of sauces and fresh whipped cream, and a Daily special of grilled pound cake with bananas and chocolate sauce. Somewhere along the line I ordered a beer off the menu but just like the Fiddleheads, what I ordered wasn't available. That's annoying. So - in summary - how was it? I thought the food was pretty darned good. Expensive? Yes but not out of this world expensive. Service was a few ticks off -not a ton of attentiveness. And I don't care what you order or where you go -you really don't like to hear "Sorry we don't have that". We heard it twice last night.... read more

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We came during happy hour and ordered an assortment of appetizers and drinks. They were understaffed so service was disappointing. For example after we finished some appetizers, they cleared the plates and my wife's salad came, but it took 10 minutes before we got silverware as they were taken when they cleared the plates and my wife had to get up and ask the front staff for help. Food was average. read more

Cute spot. Great happy hour prices. Good service. Strong drinks. I only had cocktails and apps. Would go back. read more

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Had a great beet salad, plus the scallop ceviche... This place is a really nice culinary driven experience

WOW! That's all I have to say! Their GF crust was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I'm speechless! Absolutely amazing! Service was great too.

Service is excellent. I sit at the bar and the bartenders are cool and they speak to you . The regulars are friendly and talk to you. The happy hour apps are very good , fairly priced, and portioned right so you may want to eat a few more The filet tips , read more

3/5 for the food and customer service. 4/5 for the location. Decided to eat dinner with a group of 7 here after work. Was seated after about 5 minutes. Food: I ordered the Caramelized Sea Scallop "Ravioli" and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't think I could have ravioli with scallops. It tasted a bit runny and it was sloppy to eat, but it still had a good texture and taste. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but my friend had the Hangar Steak and LOVED it. Our group also ordered the Dulce de Leche Crème Brulee, Cast Iron Apple Crisp, and Double Chocolate Bread Pudding. I highly recommend the Apple Crisp, it was not too sweet, and it definitely tasted amazing with that buttery bread. The double chocolate bread pudding was way too sweet for me. The crème brulee was delicious as well. Customer Service: Completely understandable that they are busy, however, it was so hard to track my waiter down for them to refill my glass of water. It took about 15-20 minutes for them to take our order, and it was difficult since they did not check up on us as much. I did notice that there was a party of 15 behind us, so I figured that was the reasoning. Maybe they were short staffed? Location: Great walking distance from downtown. Close amenities, easy to spot, nothing to complain. Overall, would come back here for their drinks and happy hour specials. Wouldn't necessarily indulge on their "high-end" food though. read more

Whenever I'm downtown I roll past this place and promise myself that I'm going to get here someday. Well it's Taste of Hartford Restaurant Week and what better reason to go than now? Atmosphere/Appearance: Very classy exterior with plenty of outdoor seating with easy listening music. Great place to do some people watching since this place is right on the corner of Trumbull, Pearl and Asylum. VERY classy inside with multi-level seating. Nice wood floors, plush comfortable booths and elegant low lighting really give this place a chill, laxed vibe. I really liked just being able to hang out in here. Service: Johnny was awesome. I like to badger and mess with the people who happen to be waiting on us and he was a champ. I only do it in good fun and am not a prick about it. Lol. He made sure our table of 4 had everything that we needed, waters, drinks, food, bread, all of it. He was awesome so ask for him when you go! Food: So naturally for Taste of Hartford you get the chance to try some of their featured entrees for a lot less money. You get to choose one of 3 starters, one of 3 entrees and one of 2 desserts. I started off with the Mediterranean Watermelon Salad. It's a concoction or Romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, mint and watermelon. It was delicious. The sweetness of the fruit went very well with the saltiness of the cheese. For my entree I went with the Oreganato Grilled Ribeye Steak. It was served as a beautiful presentation along with Deer Crest Farms zucchini, ratatouille and peanut potatoes. Absolutely delicious. Cooked well, seasoned wonderfully. The portion was a little on the light side for me, but it left room for dessert. Speaking of, I went with the Black Bottom Cake Sundae. It's a brownie with vanilla ice cream, berry sauce and mascarpone whipped cream on top. A great finish to an excellent meal. Value: For the Taste of Hartford Restaurant Week this meal was $30.18. Worth every penny in my opinion and certainly made me want to come back and dine here in the future. I'm very glad I had the chance to come here to check out this place. I don't know what took me so long, but we really enjoyed ourselves. It even changed Tiffany's mind on this place. Lol. read more

Always a great meal here. I enjoy having business dinners here for the nice atmosphere. The service is always on point. They're owned by the Max restaurant group so they strive for a good customer experience. read more

Had a wonderful dining experience at Trumbull Kitchen on NYE. The prix fixe menu was more extensive than I would have expected and there were several excellent-sounding choices. We opted for the cider-brined tomahawk pork and the halibut. Not only were our dishes executed perfectly (seasoning and cooking), but the entire operation was so well run. We were seated right on time, our plates were brought out at the right intervals, we never had to wait long for a drink, service was very attentive without being overbearing, we didn't feel rushed and we were able to join the dining experience. Couldn't have asked for a better experience - truly a 10! Having dinner at TK on New Year's Eve was such a wonderful way to start a festive evening!! read more

Stylish, welcoming and hip. They have a huge wine selection by the glass though it is somewhat confusing what size they are asking you to order as it is not clearly marked on the menus. This happened to me not once but twice. I also saw something weird with the professional guy sitting next to me who was on a date - he wasn't allowed to order another drink until he finished the one he was drinking. I don't know what was up with that at all. You know if a bartender said that to me, I'd jump down their throat. LOL. Gladly, it didn't and I was able to enjoy my late night pinot noir. The inside bar is very comfortable as is the outside terrace. Food choices are excellent and varied though on the heavy side for my taste. Enjoyable overall. A nice choice if you find yourself in Hartford. read more

Max's Trumbull Kitchen - Bad photo but huge wine list... - New American Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I wish I could give it 3 1/2. There are definitely pluses and minuses to this place. Pluses: + nice atmosphere, lively and comfy + Good risotto + Great restaurant week specials, great deal for delicious food + Homemade butter spreads that they change up daily(?), not a fan of the olive butter spread but a huge fan of the apple butter spread + giant shrimp cobb salad that was really good + Good salmon dish and vegetarian pad thai Minuses - Waitress was super annoyed that we asked for split checks...she was like yelling at the machine and clearly frustrated that she had to enter all those credit cards (she was right in our line of sight). I know it's somewhat annoying, but it's just a part of a large group going out together... and even if you are annoyed, I don't think you should ever SHOW how blatantly annoyed you were in front of your customers. - waitress also made us feel guilty for not ordering an appetizer for the each of us. - Pear-apple salad was actually horrible...it was lukewarm...so the temperature was really just not right and the taste was really off. - Service was slow...we had a group of 8 and it took us forever to get our food... it was to the point that it was making us uncomfortable waiting. - pricey menu and not a whole lotta options. I wasn't wowed by any of the choices. From others: I've heard the sushi being recommended. Have no tried myself. I think if the pear-apple salad was done better, this would've gotten 4 stars regardless of the service. But since this simple salad could've been great and it wasn't... I just couldn't give it higher than a 3 1/2. read more

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We came here on a Friday night before a show at the Hartford Stage. We called ahead and made reservations. We were very appreciative that they were even willing to take reservations for two...we were in a time crunch and weren't able to wait for a table otherwise. The space is modern and has a great vibe. I'd definitely recommend this place for some apps and drinks. The service was great! Both our waiter and the bussers did an excellent job ensuring our small table was cleared efficiently (which was a tall ask given how many small plates of food we ordered...). We ended up ordering glasses of wine and five apps: dumplings, lettuce leaf wraps, ceviche, fish tacos, and spinach and artichoke dip. As you can tell from those selections, the place has an eclectic mix of food options. The food was OK. The artichoke dip was horrible. It was bland and tasted incredibly bitter for some reason. The dumplings and ceviche were great. Everything else was good. We did not have any entrees, so I am unable to comment on their quality. Overall prices were reasonable, approximately 8-10 dollars per appetizer which is fairly standard. Overall a good experience, but there are a lot of great restaurants in this area and not sure I'd come back here before trying more of the others first. read more