Soulbaila

Great food, live blues, and the Wildcat O'Halloran Band…read more Black-Eyed Sally's is popular for a reason. We've been here before and they always have a great show. The $5 cover for Wildcat O'Halloran was an easy yes. We had the gumbo, brisket grilled cheese with collards and slaw, and baked mac and cheese with brisket. The cornbread is extra now, but who cares: we should've been paying for it all along. That good. The food, drinks, murals, brick walls, and live music make this a great date-night spot. The band played songs from their new album, Welcome to Sunderland, and had CDs available. If the artists are offering merch or music, get it. It supports them, and it's worth it. This is already longer than I usually write, which says a lot.

I recently visited Black-Eyed Sally's for lunch. It's been maybe a Decade since I've been, but I've…read moreprobably eaten there between 10 and 20 times. The space boasts cool Blues and New Orleans vibes. Only place I know in CT like it. Service was pretty good. There was a bit of a delay getting me started with water and a menu, even though it wasn't busy, but things went smoothly after that. My New Orleans Shrimp Po Boy was good. The shrimp were tender. The batter was a bit denser than I prefer, but good. I liked the shredded lettuce, pickles and zesty, creamy dressing. The bread was fresh. I don't remember any other places in CT presently doing Po Boys. So this is the place to get one. The Gumbo was OK. They got the blackened roux part right, but there really wasn't enough nuanced flavor. It could have used some fresh herbs. More salt. I would try something else next time. 3.5 Stars

Interior

Cup o' gumbo

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Hurricane

Sandra's Next Generation

4.6(675 reviews)

33.2 mi

I love going to Sandra's for the convenience, but my favorites have fallen off. String beans tough,…read moreno flavor. Smothered pork chops too much salt. Caribbean rice, too salty. White rice too mushy, Mac & cheese lacks a rich cheesy kick. The last time I had the cabbage, there was no flavor. Nonetheless, I am grateful for this place because I don't like to cook anymore. I just doctor the food e.g. rinse off that salty gravy & add more cheese to the Mac. Add sweet pickles to the potato salad. Make it work.

Looking for Sunday meal almost everyday then Sandra's is the place to go to. The service is amazing…read morethey make you feel and treat you like family. The ambiance is just as comforting as the food and staff. It's a must try if you haven't tried.

Soul Roll

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Church Plate

Greer Southern Table

4.6(206 reviews)

57.5 mi

We went for brunch and everything from the food to the service to the ambiance was amazing. Being…read morefrom the gulf coast, finding good southern food is few and far between but almost everything here was good, not just "good for Connecticut." The mac & cheese wasn't my personal style preference, but I'll be back for the fried chicken!

Beautiful restaurant. Great service. Great food and drinks [try the June Bug cocktail.]…read moreI inquired about the adorable table lamps (beautiful green color which is my favorite color) and the (I think manager) said he would check and get back to me. BEFORE I ARRIVED HOME! I had a text telling me the specifics about that item! We went to dinner with friends - it was our first visit - but will not be our last! Next time we want to go for brunch. A great experience for us.

Inside entry

Fried green tomatoes

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Miso and bacon mussels

The Crooked Goat Kitchen and Bar

4.4(33 reviews)

31.6 mi

Love this place! If I owned a bar/restaurant this would be it!…read more Greeted by a charismatic young lady that was extremely helpful and welcoming for a mid week lunch stop off on my way north. I was hooked by the name. Quirky. Perfect for me. The decor is very local. It's plain but upper middle class dive feel. The menu was very ambitious, but delivered. Hot-crispy fries and chips seasoned perfectly. Chicken sando on a great focaccia was a banger. Beverage was a Fuzzy baby duck IPA. Quirky and I couldn't pass it up. Highly recommend!!!

Not a fan of this place. The decor was confusing.....sports, a crooked goat head, big sexy signs…read moreand a few ?? Satanic symbols similar to Baphomet. I just didn't get it. Loved their sours idea of the Cajun spiced chips but they were so excessively spiced they were inedible (your lips and tongued burned awfully) and I love heat (I'm a fan of ghost peppers) and spice. The big sexy sandwich tasted great but left me nauseous all night long making me wonder if something in it was off. It was disappointing. On the other hand they make an excellent expresso martini. As a bar I'd recommend this place but as a restaurant I would not

Trashed fries and meatballs

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Resturant

Engine Room

3.9(1.6k reviews)

44.9 mi

Came here on Sunday night and it was one of the best restaurants I've been to in some time. We sat…read moreoutside since it was August, dog friendly deck and our waitress gave our dog a water bowl. Inside was lively and the bar looked very cool inside. I got the Fried chicken Sandwich and it was the best chicken sandwich I've ever had, super juicy and the sauce on it paired very well with the chicken, the fires were seasoned perfectly, couldn't stop eating them. Food came out pretty fast around 20 minutes after ordering. I also got the confetti milkshake for free because the table behind us were sever tow instead of one, it was good, typical milkshake but I will be back to try the other flavor. I signed up for their rewards program and I'll definitely be eating here again to try their other food!

Honestly one of the worst burgers I've had. There was basically no flavor and something about the…read moretaste was just off. I ordered it with a gluten-free bun and the bun came out pretty much burnt. The burger was also supposed to come with cheese, but there was barely any cheese on it at all. The "pickled" onions were probably the strangest part. They honestly just tasted like slimy raw onions and added nothing to the burger. They also don't have a separate fryer, so being gluten-free meant I couldn't even have fries with my burger, which was disappointing. I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately the burger was a huge miss for me, especially with such limited gluten-free options to go along with it.

Bar area

Grass fed burger ($17.50)

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Double Randy Burger

Bear's Smokehouse Barbecue

3.9(1k reviews)

12.4 mi

Really enjoyed the experience overall. The food was very good, creative, and flavorful, and the…read morevariety of beers on tap was definitely a highlight as the ambient The only small thing worth mentioning was the service felt a little inconsistent at times. I'm not sure if it was a shift change or just timing, but even though the restaurant wasn't very busy, it felt like we were left a bit on the side for a while. Nothing major, just something noticeable. Also, while the food is creative and well made, some items felt a bit pricey for the portion size (for example, a meatball serving), so value may depend on what you order. That said, it definitely wouldn't stop me from coming back. Good food, good beer selection, and overall a solid spot.

Boy I hate writing this. I've been going to Bears since it opened up in its first location, which…read morewas shared with another restaurant in an old gas station/drive-in... it was PHENOMINAL back then. I would bring everyone there. When they opened the new location in Windsor , it was still great. It was a birthday outing type of thing. I went again last week, which was likely my final time. For the past few years, I've been giving it a pass... growing pains, maybe? But the food is not what it was. The succulent, juicy brisket that I used to dream of has been dry and cold for the last year or so (probably 3 or 4 visits). The burnt ends, which used to be as addictive, are now no longer made from brisket...but what seems to be cubed chuck...again, dry. Texas sausage and pulled pork are still ok, as are the sides. On top of that, they are always short staffed, and the staff that they do have is not helpful...not friendly.. Just a big NOT anymore. I haven't been to the Hartford or New Haven locations recently, but as far as Windsor is concerned, it will not be going back anytime soon. I don't mind paying the premium prices for quality food and service, but you are no longer premium. Please figure this out. My favorite place no longer exists.. and I really want it to return to the quality of the past.

Burnt Ends (takeout)

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Taps

BIRDCODE Chicken

4.4(268 reviews)

3.0 mi

Locally owned & operated

Outdoor seating

Tried it out and had a great experience. I messed up ordering and the man doing takeout fixed it…read morefor me with a big smile, no charge, very kind. The food was absolutely delicious.

Recently tried BIRDCODE Chicken and had a good overall experience. The chicken was fresh, crispy,…read moreand flavorful, with a good balance of seasoning and spice. The portions were satisfying, and the food arrived hot and well-prepared. The restaurant was clean, and the staff was friendly and efficient. Service was smooth, and the overall atmosphere was welcoming. While there is still some room for improvement to make the experience exceptional, the food quality and service were both solid. Overall, BIRDCODE Chicken is a good spot for fried chicken and sandwiches, and I would definitely consider coming back to try more items from the menu.

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BIRDCODE Chicken

3.3(38 reviews)

10.9 mi

Locally owned & operated

Free parking

We tried birdcode on opening weekend and it did not disappoint. We tried one original and one hot…read morehoney, and we mixed it up and had regular fries and seasoned fries. Enjoyed everything enough to go back a week later Great addition to the area

My son wanted to try the NAUGHTY NEIGHBOR comes with chicken breast bites along with either all…read moreFrench fries or 1/2 macaroni & cheese combo along either the chicken and your degree of spicy coating. Has Pickles, Vinegar Slaw and Comeback Sauce. You get a great amount in the box that you won't be disappointed. I also got the banana pudding for dessert to try out. I don't think it's worth the price of $5 they charge as it wasn't anything special.

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Opal's Kitchen

5.0(4 reviews)

47.7 mi

I've been ordering from Opal's Kitchen for a few years and the food is ALWAYS on point! Very…read moregenerous portions! Flavorful & authentic Jamaican cuisine. It's honestly the best in the area! Chef Andre puts so much love and his own special twist on every dish whether it's Jamaican or American! You can't lose placing an order.. try it for yourself you won't regret it!

Great place for breakfast My first time here and the service was amazing. It's looks like a…read morediner. You can't go wrong here.

Pineapple Baked Chicken

Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta

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Honey Glazed BBQ Chicken with Chef Dre's Wild Rice

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Bridgette B.

2 years ago

I recently dined at SoulBaila, and unfortunately, it was not a pleasant experience. Upon entering, I noticed that the restaurant was completely empty, which should have raised a red flag. We were seated at a table right by the door, which I was told had to be be propped open because there was no security. Security for what? There was no one in the restaurant but us. The chilly draft made for an uncomfortable start to our meal. The service was lackluster but our waiter was nice and at the end of the meal apologetic. We ordered two drinks--rum punch and soul punch--they tasted and looked exactly the same. Now, let's talk about the food. We started with the calamari, which was overwhelmingly salty and nearly inedible. Most locations have a cocktail or marinara sauce, but this location gave us hot sauce. We also ordered garlic shrimp, those were pretty good. One of us had lobster grill cheese, he had no complaints. Another one of us had lobster Mac and cheese. The plate was too hot to eat and it did not have much lobster in the Mac and cheese, but it tasted ok. We order an appetizer of chicken wings. They were burnt on the outside and not completely cooked in the inside. Almost as if the grease was too hot. I had to send back because burnt and the chicken was overcooked. I also ordered the fish and grits meal. The fish crumbled apart as soon as I tried to pick it up. To top it off, there was an odd garnish of parsley or some unidentifiable green in my grits that completely ruined the dish for me. Also the grits looked more like cream of wheat or a mash potatoes than grits. Overall, my experience at SoulBaila was disappointing. The cold atmosphere, poor service, and subpar food made this a one-star outing. I wouldn't recommend visiting unless significant changes are made. read more

Natoka W.

416

5 years ago

The owner Jay was so nice and greeted me with hospitality. The food is amazing and the music and ambiance was a whole vibe!

Soulbaila - southern - Updated October 2026

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The restaurant has had some updates done. Gives a nice lounge feel. The bars & seating areas are…read morethe same places. I came in for the 4-6p happy hour & had the Jubba wings, side of oxtail Mac n Cheese (not HH), Strawberry Margarita, & Red Sangria. I arrived at 5p & it wasn't too busy since they opened at 4p. That soon changed. Thankfully, I put in my order pretty fast, & received the food promptly. As it became busier, I noticed there was a delay in food coming out. Especially if am entrée was ordered. The food itself was delicious. They didn't skimp on the amount of Oxtail & cheeses in my side order. The portion was also filling & I had leftovers (yeah!) It was hot, tender, & it had the cheese pull. The wings were tough, but the sauce was everything. So good, I didn't bother with the dipping sauce, that has a mayo consistency. The strawberry margarita was tasty, a little sweeter than I'm used to. The sangria was ok. It more of red wine, orange juice & maybe pineapple. The service was good until the crowd came in. My bill had an extra drink on it & had to have it corrected twice, with the result being refunded some money in cash. Despite this, I would still frequent the restaurant. The music is always enjoyable & the food is delicious.

We went for a little Galentine's dinner, and while the food was absolutely amazing (that oxtail mac…read moreand cheese is to die for ), the service was really disappointing. The restaurant was packed, which I get, but this has happened on multiple visits (July and September) the staff can be so rude and inattentive. During this visit, our waitress basically forgot about us. We never got water, had to track her down through the hostess, and watched her serve other tables while we waited. Eventually, she admitted, "omg I forgot about them," and they took 10% off our bill. A nice gesture, but it doesn't make up for feeling ignored. Great food, terrible service it's hard to fully recommend unless they fix their staff issues.

Tavern on 3 Bar & Grill

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Had an Awesome time. "Kara" was our waitress/server. After a hard day, me and my mother came for…read moresome drinks and something light to eat. "Kara" ended up Making me the best *watermelon Mojito* that I have had this year. The service was great, and the food was even better. I'm definitely coming back with my sister and my friends,For drinks and for food, Indefinitely! And those are the facts

Went for lunch and unfortunately they were understaffed. Took a little while to get help, but all…read morethings considered they were as attentive as they could be. The food took a while to come out as well. It was decent, not the greatest cheese steak I've had but certainly good. Their other menu options looked good as well, lots of different options. For a "bar" I would say they are pretty good. The all wood interior is a cool vibe and I'm sure at night with a live band this place would be great.

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We stopped here today on the way home from a retreat in Vermont and we were so blessed by the…read moreexperience. I ordered meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and macaroni and cheese with a side of stringed beans. My nephew ordered fried chicken, corn and collard greens. My husband ordered fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and a side of potato salad. We also ordered bbq ribs, potato salad and yams to go. The service was good and so were the staff. This was my first time visiting and I will certainly stop again if I'm ever in the Hartford area.

Tavern in the Square

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The food here always hits, and I highly recommend the happy hour to get some cheaper appetizers…read more(because tbh some of the food can be a bit overpriced). However, everything is always cooked really well. Our favorite appetizers is the bang bang broccoli, you get so much and it tastes so sweet, a little spicy, very unique. The steak is very well cooked in the sandwich, super juicy. Service is good can't really complain, and it is very nice in the restaurant, but the later you go, the louder and busier it is. Wide variety of seats and tables.

The service was phenomenal. Our water was constantly being refilled, and we had some enjoyable…read morebanter with the server. The food was mediocre at best. I got the steak and cheese melt. The breading was great, but the steak wasn't seasoned well. The rosemary fries aren't worth the extra $2-3.

Smoke Public House

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My expectations aren't super high, but I think the "ska club," "night at the Roxbury" music playing…read more that didn't fit the vibe might have something to do w/ it. There were 6 other people at the bar, a couple in the corner & a table if 6 behind me. The manager came out to talk to the couple in the corner about their experience, which is not a great sign, but we'll see. He saw that I was writing a review & never went back in the kitchen after that, unless it was for a brief moment. He involved himself in pouring drinks & barely left my side. He made small talk & I learned that he had been open for 4 years. It was difficult for me to eat, take pictures of the food or write the review with his constant engaging presence. He was pleasant & made sure to pick up the bartenders slack. For instance, a coaster under the drinks, offering me a glass, or putting down a placemats under the food or supplying silverware, none of which she did. I ordered a Modelo, but when she grabbed it out of the cooler, i saw that it was Especial not Negra, so i asked do you have the dark? She said no & w/ out hesitation opened it, not giving me a chance to ask for something different. Not a big deal, but she seemed indifferent & with no affect. None of this is a deal breaker, just an observation. The food, that was a deal breaker. I ordered the (smoked BBQ sandwich) & opted for the brisket. It came with a side & I chose onion rings. They were pre-salted, almost too much, but they were good. No complaints there. The sandwich however was impossible to eat. The meat was very tough & stringy. It was impossible to tear, bite or cut. The roll was soft, untoasted & soggy, causing it to fall apart making a mess. I gave up, turning to fork & knife to cut what resembled a tangled bunch of hair in both in taste & texture. There was something on the meat, but it was more of a marinade than BBQ as we know it. The same goes for the cheese. I did not see any caramelized onions, but there were two jalapeños. The owner asked how the meal was & I said eh. He said only ok? so I elaborated. He said he would relay the information to the kitchen & I thanked him. After that he never came back into the dining area until after I had left. I do feel bad writing this review because he was so overly involved in my experience & he was a nice gentleman that I would like to succeed, but I do not think I would want to return there after my experience with that sandwich, especially for the price. The meal alone was bad enough. Maybe a change in staff would help, unless they were related. I felt bad writing this review because the owner made it a point to be overly engaging with me once he saw that i was writing a review, but the better way to handle things is to make sure that you guest's experience is top notch. I felt like he tried to keep me engaged, so i wouldnt be rough on him, but it is supposed to be about the customers experience, not my empathy for the friendly owner. I wish him the best of luck.

It wasn't wine that I had too much of It was a double shot…read moreof my baby's love" (The Swinging Medallions) We had a Double Shot of fun at Smoke last night when we enjoyed a Dumpling Making/Prosecco Tasting Experience followed by a terrific dinner. Shout out to Smoke's owner Rich who dreamed up the Dumpling/Prosecco Experience for a dozen regulars and social media followers. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by Rich and a small split of Maschio Prosecco. After all the participants arrived, Rich's wife Claire and Claire's mom (the star of the show) walked us through the process of making homemade dumplings. Claire and her mom made the simple dough using just two ingredients -water and all-purpose flour. We watched our instructors mix the dough, stretch and roll into a thin rope, snap it off into small chunks, squish it into a disk, use a mini-rolling pin to flatten it out into a small circle, fill it from a pre-made bowl of Ground Beef and Cabbage, then fold and pinch it into shape. Then our dozen attendees tried their hand at replicating all of those steps. Our mother and daughter team's dumplings looked as though they came off a 3D printer- just perfect and uniform. Mine looked like rejected factory seconds. The mother didn't speak English, but I had a blast watching and copying her little tricks on folding in the corners and squeezing the wrappers together. Once the dumplings were folded and squeezed together, they went into a pot of water, and we all enjoyed them before dinner. Dinner was a real pleasure. I loved the vibe at Smoke. If you want to cool it hip and chic I won't argue. I loved all the paintings on the wall. There is a large painting of a ghostly looking, red-lipped female blowing out a puff of smoke. I told Rich what a cool painting it was, and he modestly said he had painted it. So not only is Rich a fun and engaging personality, and a talented painter, but the food at his restaurant is great. Our friend ordered a $15 Spicy Smoked Philly Cheesesteak with American Cheese, Peppers, Onions on a Grinder Roll with fries. I sampled a small slice, and it was terrific, and yeah -it was spicy. My wife ordered a $11 Shrimp and Roasted Corn Bisque served with pita chips, She loved it. I ordered a $10 Smoked Beef Brisket Chili served with tortilla chips. It was a big portion, full of flavorful chunks of beef, and packed just enough heat to make it perfect to my taste. Smoke offers a Sunday Brunch from 11-3 and a Happy Hour Mon-Sat 4pm-7pm. Their pricing is excellent, the vibe is super fun, the food is delicious, and the service from Rich and his staff is excellent. What a fun evening!

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