I love a moody vibe and Conspiracy is just the right amount of dark and laid back. The entrance is…read morea bit tricky if you're driving by and expecting a big sign but once you're in the door and up the stairs, you're set. I got the pixie eyes which almost reminded me of an aperol spritz just a bit sweeter. The drink came with a banana bread shot which I thought would be strange but it works so well. We sat in the back and things weren't too busy. The staff is cool! Can't wait to come back.

Went here for a date night with my boyfriend around 6pm. Loved the vibe in the place and would have…read moreloved it more if we went later and it was darker. The drinks were awesome! I don't drink and the mocktail list was great and the non alcoholic prosecco was so good! My boyfriend had the campfire mocktail and he absolutely loved it! The food on the other hand was definitely a let down. Definitely seemed like frozen chicken in the general tsao waffle and it was very spicy and drenched in sauce. We also got the loaded potato waffle which was ok, nothing special! Our waitress was great although she seemed to hover a bit. Overall we had a great time and will definitely be back!

Came here after the pride parade and ordered a tropical sunrise cocktail. It was very good, but…read moreunfortunately is the only thing we got due to lack of service. There were only 4 tables being served, and unfortunately, the people left next to us because they had to wait a long period of time also The food looked decent but not what I was interested in.

Went to The Forbidden Llama on May 2nd to celebrate an early Mother's Day brunch with my family…read more Our server, Jen, was very attentive and friendly, which made the experience more enjoyable. All of our food came out around the same time, which I appreciated. The ceviche was my personal favorite--super fresh and flavorful. The Peruvian street wok was also very well seasoned. The ambiance and scenery of the place are really nice and add to the overall vibe. There were a few downsides. Parking was a bit of a hassle, and for a Saturday, the place was surprisingly empty. Unfortunately, there were some men at the bar being rude to women, and at one point even flicked us off, which was uncomfortable. Jen handled the situation as best as she could and was very apologetic and reassuring. As for drinks, the towers tend to have a lot of ice, so by the time you get to the bottom, they're pretty watered down. The bottomless mimosas were definitely worth the price, but the service could be improved--I wish there was more consistent check-ins rather than having to flag someone down. Overall, I would go back because the food was really good, but I do think having security during brunch and improving drink service would make the experience much better.

My son and I popped in completely randomly. Passing through town on the college tour circuit, late…read morein the evening--the posted menu spoke to us on an otherwise quiet, cold night in Middletown. What a lucky draw. Right through the door, the interior is jaw-dropping. Clever, whimsical, and completely transporting...to where? Inside a boat? Inside a whale? Inside a Scandinavian forest? I often look at wine lists first. Seeing what a restaurant chooses to serve by the glass provides a clue to creativity, thoughtfulness, pricing. Osa was off to a great start on all points. Then the food started arriving and we knew we'd struck gold. Unexpected flavor balances and combinations. Fantastic use of game meat. Spot-on execution. We sat there "mmm'ing" at each other and then bargaining to trade bites. Great service too. I don't know that I'll ever get to go back, but I still think of that meal from time to time.

The ambiance, service and quick turnaround time for dinner would've scored Osa 5-stars, not gonna…read morelie. An excellent date night overall for our first night in the area, but their mocktails literally tasted lake expired La Croix. I try not to use Gen Z slang her, but the definition of mid lol

Excellent food and service. I enjoyed the southern blt with fried green tomatoes and hubby had the…read moreHuntsville beef. Awesome

Certainly an interesting restaurant, tucked away in the middle of a less-than-pretty road, which…read moresomehow makes it even more intriguing. I do wish there were more signs, as both the parking lot and the entrance felt a bit vague and easy to miss. Once we finally found our way inside, we were pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere reminded me of another local tavern. Staffed by friendly people. The food was good, and the overall experience was enjoyable. My only disappointment was the lack of information about the history of the establishment. There is a lot of marketing that references its connection to a jailhouse on the menu, but very little information is actually shared within the tavern itself. I found myself wanting to learn more about the story behind the place. I also think it would be fun to add a photo-op area--perhaps even outdoors--with a set of mock jail bars where guests could take pictures. It would fit the theme and add a memorable touch. The tavern itself is fairly small, so I can imagine it gets quite crowded during busy times. Overall, it's definitely worth checking out.

Our first experience and we will definitely be back!! The restaurant was quiet and unassuming…read more Beautifully clothed tables with white linen. Staff highly attentive. Cocktails were delish (I had the Bees Knees), they all looked great. Served quickly and refilled, if we chose. The steaks were tender, well seasoned and aged. Hardly needed a knife! Melted in our mouths. Mine came out on a sizzling plate with rosemary accents; mmmm! Dessert was a crème brûlée, which was so creamy and rich; a taste that harmonized beautifully with the plump blueberries that topped it. Such a lovely evening. I don't eat steak a lot, but when I do, I prefer quality, which is what you'll get here! Highly recommend!!!

Having heard good things about this restaurant we decided to try it for my birthday. We went early,…read moreso there were only a couple of other diners at the time so service was good. The interior decor of the restaurant is a bit bland- multiple tables arranged in a large room. The room could definitely use some color to brighten the mood. Ceiling tiles were stained and detracted from the atmosphere. But I did like the choice of music- Sinatra, Patsy Cline, etc.! Great choices! The food was, overall, fairly good. The wedge salad was different than usual, served with blue cheese and dressing but also with a balsamic addition. Unusual but good. The rigatoni bolognese was very tasty. The Canadian salmon was good- however the Parmesan risotto could have used more flavor (salt?). The Delmonico steak was served on a sizzling platter and was cooked properly (I ordered it rare and it was rare). However, the meat was a bit tough/chewy which detracted from the meal. Not the quality of meat I would expect from a higher end steakhouse. Overall the meal was okay, but not up to par with other steak houses I've been to.

We went and sat at the tiki bar to watch some World Cup Games and we had such a great time. It was…read moresuper hot but the bar had water misters around it helping us cool down. We shared the Birria nachos which were delicious, the meat was so good. Our drinks came in these fun fish cups. Bartender was very attentive even after it started to get very busy.

new location, new menu, new everything!!! Mezzo has so much to offer - from the bar to their…read moreoutdoor venue and restaurant, there is so much to experience here. We came for happy hour and they have really awesome deals! The espresso martini I got wasn't the best, it was a bit watered down but the margarita my friend got was delish! We got their garlic parm pretzel bites that had a nice dipping sauce, an insanely delicious hot honey pepperoni pizza that i can't stop thinking about, cheesy and impressive birria nachos, flavorful gochujang wings, and a HUGE smash burger! i have to say, i was very impressed by the food and would instantly come back just for that. the servers and owner are super kind too and you can't beat live music, huge tvs, and great food!

Never in a million years did I think I would find myself sitting at Eli Cannon's in 2026 but here I…read moream, writing this review. I was visiting Connecticut last week for wedding and staying with some friends in Middletown. I arrived on a Tuesday night with a hungry stomach so we figured Eli Cannon's was an easy spot to hit up. I went here many, many, many years ago when I still lived in Connecticut (I live in LA now) but don't remember much of the experience other then what the inside looks like and man, it still looks the exact freaking same. We arrived around 8PM and got seated right away. The staff was super attentive with providing drinks and menus and the kitchen staff had the food out super quick as well. I kept it simple and ordered a Buffalo Chicken Wrap with a side of french fries and really enjoyed it. The Buffalo Chicken Wrap tasted great and the hot sauce wasn't overpowering. The french fries here were crispy and tasted great, the perfect pairing for a late night bite (look, eating out at 8PM is late for me). Overall, Eli Cannon's is mostly a bar, but is also a pretty solid place to grab a bite to eat. The place truly is Middletown and with friends living nearby, I can definitely see myself returning in the future for some night time grub.

Great weather day to sit on the patio at Eli's. Experience was hit or miss this time. Had a…read moreserver we were not familiar with and his attentiveness was a little lacking - would have ordered another beer if he had checked in while we still had food. The spicy caesar salad was fire as usual - the size might be a bit smaller, but it's still great ! Ordered the back bean burger and that wasn't a good experience for a few reasons. The burger was more like a mush pancake and the bun was way too big for the burger as well as not that toasted which might have made it seem not as fresh; i will order it again to see if it was a fluke since I appreciate the effort to make it themselves as opposed to serving a frozen black bean burger . If it is always like that, it's a texture problem for me. Please put some hooks on the outside rail for purses to hang from when sitting at the mini picnic tables since there are no chair backs

I identified The Hop Knot as one of the CT spots hosting a miracle pop up. I was surprised I had…read morenever heard of it because it's a Craft Pretzel and Beer Bar, and that's a unique concept for CT. They have pretzels with dips, gourmet stuffed pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, wings, tenders and fish and chips. The bar was decorated for Christmas and they were serving special holiday drinks in fun Christmas themed mugs. I had the Christmasaurus in a red ceramic dinosaur and my wife had a Butter Rum Mocktail in a winking Santa mug. My drink was tasty and the mugs were fun. We bought a couple of the fun mugs to go. A person who I believe was the owner and the chef, was wearing a Christmas sweater and obviously loves the Christmas theme. Our server who doubled as the bartender was a bit more stoic about the theme. LOL. The food was generally good. It seemed like the pretzels may have picked up another aroma from the kitchen while the pretzels were cooking, because they had a slight aftertaste. Manageable, but not ideal. The pretzels looked great and had good texture. The beer cheese dip and mustard dip were both good. My pretzel stuffed with Mac and Cheese and short rib was good. We also split some holiday snack mix and Carolina BBQ wings. They were probably my favorite part of the meal. 4 Stars. The Hop Knot is definitely a place to check out. I understand that there used to be one in Middletown, CT and one in New Hampshire, although I'm unclear on the relation to the present owners in Portland.

Boneless wings were very good. I would order again for sure. Nice people work here and the…read moreprices, parking cleanliness, noise level etc were all just fine. Beer selection is decent. I had a nice IPA. It's a bit out of my way so I won't get here often but will stop in any chance I get to return. Highly recommend!

Went for an early dinner and brought my cousin for the first time . She loved the delicious garlic…read moreknots. I had salad and eggplantl rollatimi and she had the meatball grinder . All very good . The staff was very nice and very cozy inside.. enjoy Chris M

The best Italian dinner I've ever had! This place deserves all the business! We ordered the…read moremeatballs & house salad for appetizers and both were amazing. Our server, Emil was so hard working and had great recommendations. Definitely will be coming back when coming to town!

I had been to Esca in the past, but this was my first time in a while, so I was excited to return…read more We were seated upstairs overlooking the restaurant, which gave the space a nice atmosphere and made for an enjoyable setting. At the start of the meal, we asked for sparkling water, and the waitress specifically told the busboy not to bring still water as well. Personally, I think it can actually be nice to have both on the table, but it was not a major issue. For an appetizer, we ordered the octopus, which unfortunately was the low point of the meal. It was extremely chewy, almost difficult to chew, and probably should have been sent back. The scallops for the main course were much better and redeemed the experience considerably. They were cooked properly with a pleasant texture and served over a decent risotto base with a flavorful sauce drizzled on top of the scallops that complemented the dish nicely. For dessert, I had gelato, two scoops of chocolate and one vanilla, and both flavors were excellent. Very rich and one of the better parts of the meal. Service overall was solid. One person in my party did not like being referred to as "dear" by the waitress, though I personally did not mind it. She was nice and seemed to really know the menu well. Overall, this was probably closer to a three-star experience based on this visit because of the disappointing appetizer. However, I know the restaurant has been better in the past, so I am giving it four stars and would still consider returning.

Decided to try Esca an Italian restaurant in Middletown located right on main st . We stopped in…read morefor a grils dinner / happy hour ! They offer happy hour M-F I think 4:30 to 6:30 ! Which we loved ! They had amazing options for happy hour . We tried the Arancini balls ( 2 large balls) , which were my favourite highly recommend . The cheesy garlic bread was also amazing! We tried the humus with homemade sesame crackers .. the hummus was okay a little bland for me and the house made crackers were not my favourite personally . - the lemon shrimp was good to ( but only 3 shrimp ) We also tried the tomato basil flatbread which is a regular pizza size ( perfect for sharing ) - the crust was thin and flavours were good ! Overall we had a great time drinking our $6 sangrias ( during happy hour ) and had a great time trying the small bites and pizza . Service was good and plenty of seating cozy environment. Will def be back for happy hour and to try some more options on the menus