We're a pretty easy going couple when it comes to dining out and this is the first meal review I have ever written. We planned a weekend get away to the NY Finger Lakes wine region, which included reservations to Red Newt Bistro and tasting room. Arrival was just on time and we were promptly seated to a beautiful sunset over Seneca Lake. With menus received, drink orders taken, and specials noted, our server was very nice and accommodating. Beyond the Southern Tier Brewery Porter I ordered (all wined out for the day) and the sunset, that is where all pleasantries ended. The specials included variations of grilled cheese sandwiches as a highlight, which was a major put-off and two primary entries, one consisting of meatloaf $18, the other a pork loin medallion plate $18. With difficulty attempting to choose from such lean offerings we almost decided to leave, but without reservations elsewhere we thought we'd loose out altogether. Unfortunately, we stuck it out, to our dismay. My wife ordered the mac and cheese with sausage and I ordered the lighter pasta dish, as I had a heavier meal the night before. The plates arrived, and our hearts sank further. The mac and cheese itself was fair in flavor and texture. The sausage link was obviously a frozen store bought item, and if it wasn't, that is a proper comparison. It was edible. My plate was basically wretched. The pasta sauce was sour as it had some type of cider vinegar base which collided with the slightly off Asiago cheese. The slight funk of the cheese, the sourness of the sauce and the shaved, marinated ginger carrots, along with the raw kale made my stomach turn. I regret not sending the plate back immediately!!! That, along with the pretentious up-charge prices of the wine, the bland feel and decor of the dining room, just about ruined the night. The grilled cheese would cut it for lunch, which might generate positive reviews, but for a special evening dinner, and at those prices...no. Red Newt - rethink your evening menus. There are so many wonderful farm to table scenarios possible in that region of NY that this menu is unacceptable. And compared to the wine prices along the Finger Lake region, these prices were ridiculous. I would not suggest this eatery to anyone, and go so far as to suggest going elsewhere altogether. read more

Delicious wine and food. Get the grilled cheese! We ended up buying 6 wines from here. Staff was fantastic, friendly and knowledgeable.

I stopped by for lunch after doing some advanced reading about the winery/bistro. The view from the back porch of the slope of the hillside down to Seneca Lake is beautiful (the lake is not visible however), the two wines I tried--a vineyard specific dry riesling and pinot--were quite good but at $7 and $9 the pours were small. The menu is overly limited--more like a snack menu. The burger I ordered came with a smattering of kettle-cooked chips (out of a bag?) and a dill pickle wedge. Dill pickles with wine? I don't think so. The burger was small and overcooked, and the homemade ketchup sauce was undistinguished. My bill with tip was $37 and I left hungry. read more

What a waste of a night. The staff could have cared less about working and knew nothing about the menu. My wife and I ordered the pappardelle pasta and the chicken breast dinner. The food was slightly above average. Factor in the price and service against the meal. Very disappointed. Better off at a chain restaurant. read more

I would say skip this place for lunch. The menu is very limited and the quality of food was not there. The pork loin was just a bunch of fat. It was half fat half meat, but it was a small portion to begin with so for $18, definitely not worth it. Nothing really special here. Service was nothing to write home about. Left feeling like I got robbed. If you're deciding between two places to go to, skip this one. read more

We have been to red newt bistro many times and are case club members in the wine room. Today we were turned away from the bistro by a rude waiter that told us we could not seat ourselves and that there was a long wait. Multiple empty tables were clearly available and this waiter ruined our afternoon with his rudeness so we left. We have spent a lot of money at Red Newt, but we won't be in the future after this experience. We recommend not stopping a Red Newt to avoid the rude treatment in the bistro. We drove back to Rochester and had dinner there and we will not be going back to the Red Newt or continue to be case club members. read more

We had a wonderful lunch today on the deck with one of those views that just take your breath away! The place was a bit pricey, but well compensated for with excellent super friendly service and attention to detail read more

It looks like their menus change every few weeks. We went for lunch so that we could hit the tasting room (open 12- 5pm) after wards. RNC's Bistro is cute. There's a screened in wrap-around porch with a lovely view of Route 414. I couldn't really see Seneca Lake, but the view was lush and green. We got the open faced sandwich with grilled portabella, grilled eggplant, tomato, spinach, fresh mozzarella on sun dried tomato wheat flatbread drizzled with balsamic syrup and the Monte Cristo sandwich on wheat bread with smoked turkey breast, ham, cheddar and spinach. The open faced sandwich was on a sweet & hearty piece of bread, not a flat bread. The Monte Cristo was a bit soggy. Both lunch entrees came with a side of daily "bistro" soup (creamy broccoli) or a house salad (great greens with your choice of dressing. We chose peace ginger vinaigrette). There are 4 white wine, 4 red wine flights ranging from $6.25 to $16.50. Nice selection of desserts, too, and local Gimme! coffee. What I like about RNC Bistro is that the chef puts local farms, breweries, dairies, etc. on her menu. The tasting room is large and airy. We grabbed a bottle of the 2006 Red Eft (an adolescent newt) as a gift for a friend. Yum. Wish that we had bought more. read more

Fabulous lunch in a beautiful setting. They are not just coasting on their gorgeous location.

I just had an exceptionally great dinner at Red Newt. They do a southern style menu on Monday nights and I can't say enough good things about it. My friend had fried chicken (Honey Stung Chicken) with cornbread and coleslaw. I had the best vegetarian burger of my life on a homemade roll and totally unique sweet potato fries with herbs and a mustard dip. Gimme coffee and brownie sundae (better than any regular old sundae) were a perfect end to one of the best meals I've had in this area. Maybe the best. read more

two years in a row we encountered the same rude wine server . This time we had the courage to ask for our tasting fee back. And left . He slammed the tasting paper in front of us, had a very cocky attitude . We were put back and he said what's the matter no sense of humor today? Thant when we walked out. We will never return. The wine is ok but not worth the insulting atmosphere . read more

I went to this place the other day with my family for a quick bite. We we're visiting the vineyards for the day and we all were hungry. So we decided to get a trio spread of dips before our meals. There was three spreads consisting of black bean, hummus and a cheese. We had to buy a cup of crostini, but one cup was not enough for the amount of spread that they gave us. So we had to order another cup of crostini. I would suggest the make the cup of crostini bigger. Then we all got our individual lunches. I had the grilled cheese with meatloaf. It was very good. I was original going just have the grilled cheese with bacon but the waitress said that the meatloaf was excellent. So I decided to take her suggest and she wasn't wrong. If I'm ever visiting Seneca lake, I will definitely think about stopping at Red Newt again. It was very good food with excellent service. read more

We attend the Watkins Glen Vintage Grand Prix races and winery tour each year, and Red Newt is one of the destinations. The staff in the tasting room are not the friendliest or most knowledgeable, but the wine is not bad. We had lunch on the outdoor porch, and the food was very good, with a lovely view, but the service left much to be desired. Servers should act like they are actually happy to serve, not as if you are interrupting their idyllic afternoon.... read more

This was an amazing experience. We got there and we were the only ones in the restaurant and got the absolutly best service. The food was outstanding. Going back tomorrow to taste wine in their tasting room. The staff is very knowledgeable. If you are ever in hector, this is a must. read more

The menu at the Red Newt Bistro isn't very extensive, but the food is high quality. They use local ingredients from nearby farms and businesses which I found to be nice. I had the autumn's harvest pasture raised burger which included smoked cheddar, grilled canadian bacon, greens, and mayo. I found the burger to be excellent. They have indoor and outdoor seating and although the service was a little on the slow side our waitress was very friendly. They also offer a tasting where they pair different wines with different food, but we did not try this. We also did a wine tasting after lunch but did not find any of the wines to be great. If you are in the area I would recommend at least having lunch or dinner at the bistro. read more

OVER-PRICED AND OVER-RATED We stopped in to the Red Newt for dinner on Wednesday, August 30. It was shortly before 6:00 PM and, despite the fact that the dining area was nearly empty, we were told there was no table available. We could either sit outside in 90 degree weather or take a small high top in the bar area. We should have left but had had fine meals at the Red Newt in the past so took the high top. Several other parties came in after us and were also told the restaurant was booked and they could sit outside or at a high top. We were there for probably an hour and a half and the dining room continued to be nearly empty -- but still people were seated outside or turned away. I brought this situation to the attention of the hostess who said there was nothing she could do as she had to hold reservations for two hours (????) but she would take it up with the management. This absurd response was very disconcerting but not as disconcerting as our meals which were definitely sub-par. From the caesar salad which was anything but (field greens, NO romaine, cherry tomatoes, corn, chicken shreds, bland 'mystery' dressing, no parmesan) to the incredibly disappointing Beef on Beef entre, which consisted of a small, tough, overdone piece of sirloin covered with beef barbecue. It tasted like something that would be served at Sticky Lips -- just not as good and for a lot more money. The Red Newt serves only NYS wines and, since we do not drink NYS reds, we were looking for a dry sparkling wine to accompany our meals. They did not have one dry sparkling wine on their "extensive" wine list so we ordered the bubbly recommended by our waiter. It was supposed to have just a touch of sweetness but was far too sweet for us. To add insult to injury, at 7:00 PM, an annoyingly loud acoustic blue grass band started playing in the dining room making conversation difficult at best. The young servers at the Red Newt were enthusiastic and attentive but this alone could not make up for a VERY disappointing dining experience. We will not be returning to this over-priced, over-rated and poorly managed restaurant, which has gone WAY downhill and is resting on its laurels. read more

This place use to be great,in the last few month it's gone down hill fast. The waitstaff knows nothing of the wine they serve, rude and very inattentive. The food also has gone down hill possibly to do with a chef change. read more

This was our second visit and we enjoyed it just as much as the first time. The food is phenomenal and unique, supporting local growers and not skimpy on the vegetables in a dish. The service is great and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. We also really appreciated that we could have our dog out on the patio with us for dinner. What a special evening! read more

Wonderful tasting of their many white wines. We particularly liked the Circle Reisling and semi-dry Reisling. We did not eat at the Bistro this time but it is really nice (and rare on Seneca) to have the option to snack (olives, almonds, cheese tray) while sampling the wines. read more

The staff was terrific; can't say enough good things about all with whom we came into contact. The grilled cheese with bacon and kale was very good. The gnocchi dish was very tasty. The pork dish was tasty but had way too much fat. The brownie sundae was okay; big enough to share but the vanilla ice cream was totally tasteless. Great venue! read more

Stop by for lunch with my out of town relatives. Small menu but the food was delicious. The mac and cheese with sausage(locally made) was out of this world. Had a spicey gewerts ,whicjh was perfect. read more

Food was good but I was disappointed in the atmosphere, the bistro itself has absolutely zero character. Our waitress was great, very sweet and knowledgeable but the food took a looong time to come out, even the appetizer course which was only soup or salad. Bathrooms were also yucky, grungy and not well kept up. Overall, food was good but there's lots of room for improvement. read more

It is difficult for us to properly characterize Red Newt. We are sure the facility, at one time, was THE place to be. The staff are all very comfortable with one another and with customers, know the place and their product inside and out, but aesthetics have suffered simply due to age and wear. As for the wines, we felt they were a bit of a mixed bag. There are solid stylistic elements at play in many of the Rieslings, though many of the drier offerings straddled the fine line that divides "classic" from "ascetic." Old world-like tension and austere minerality could be found in these wines. However, some of the harvest and vinification choices made to achieve this have smothered the lovely orange, tangerine, clementine, and floral qualities that Seneca Lake so often imparts to her Rieslings. We ultimately did not find this style compelling, though some may. An interesting experience, but Red Newt is not high on our list to revisit. read more

Really a lame experience. Here we have a prime example of a place that is trying to be so much more than they actually are capable of. Pushing the level of "annoying". Soup ..... very good basic soup, leave it alone, but NO, you have to put some stupid compote in the middle that ruin the whole thing and then sprinkle some freakin' sunflower seeds that are so hard they can break your teeth. My father-in-law was spending more time spooning those away than spooning the soup into himself. Just a joke. Beef was good, but you know what it is from local farm so it SHOULD be good, this is the only positive thing about the main dish. It doesn't take a great "Chef" to grill a high-quality steak into perfection. If it wasn't for this great piece of beef, I would leave only 1 star. We had the "Chefs menu" or whatever you want to call it, included 3 courses AND wine with each course (1) ridiculously small pour, as a table of 4 we could've purchased 2 full bottles at the same price, and we SHOULD'VE. DO NOT allow these people to be in control of your pour. (2) Wines paired with First course and main course, completely wrong, should've been other way around, that was the last nail on the coffin. It's going to take a lot for me to go back there. Staff doesn't give me any reason to give 3rd star. If you have to go this area, there is a much better place down the hill. I really want to just give one star and I am really amused about the level of my niceness and actually able to leave this page leaving that second star up there. read more