I'm not often surprised by a restaurant, but the Avenue surprised me. I have driven by the Avenue in Berlin numerous times, and I've noticed they have a 4 Star Yelp rating. I've been under the impression that Avenue was likely a casual pizza and grinder takeout spot and that parking might be difficult. As I discovered this week, Avenue is much more than that, and there is ample parking behind the restaurant. I entered from the back into a small open area with a nicely decorated Christmas tree, and a cool wide painting of a street from decades ago. I wasn't prepared for the Avenue to be as comfortable and almost lodge-like as it is. Wood Floors. The walls are a mix of light colored wood and red brick. The seats and tables are dark. There's a fireplace with fresh cut wood stacked up in cubbies on each side. The Avenue is a very pleasant place to spend some time. And they clearly had a number of loyal regulars there during my lunch. The Avenue has a robust pizza and grinder menu, but they also have Italian entrees like chickens Parm, Marsala, Franchaise. Etc. They have pasta. I noticed a scallops special. Given the menu, ambience and service, it's safe to say that Avenue can cover most of your Italian restaurant needs. I was impressed by the Italian Combo grinder I ordered. It didn't look like the giant grinders we're accustomed to seeing in CT, but it was reasonably-sized and very good. The bread was fresh and good crusty. I added cherry peppers to the Italian cold cuts, veggies, cheese and mayo. The ingredients, flavors and textures were in perfect balance. I'll be back to test drive more of the menu. 4.5 Stars read more

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The food, the atmosphere the service, everything is excellence. I definitely recommend this family business. I have never had a bad experience here. read more

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These guys know how food, service, and overall experience should be done! The place is always packed and has a wait, the bar is full of amazing customers, and the owner's are the nicest family you could ask for. Best Penne Ala Vodka pizza in the area! Best espresso martini's in the area! And even during the winter, they have a fireplace inside that they use to heat the building and also sets a great mood for a date or a family get together! If you showed up by yourself, you would still get the treated with the same respect. Gone plenty of times and will continue to go! read more

Everything is excellent here , the staff is really great they are all very attentive, HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Went with old friends, good service, drinks and food. We had eggplant, veal parm grinders and another had pizza. All tasty food. Would go again read more

Excellent food, been there for lunch and dinner and was not disappointed. Had a burger for lunch and a pasta dish for dinner. The service was on point. Attentive but not overbearing. Casual atmosphere. Very impressive decorations for Halloween . They really went all out. read more

After reading the reviews my wife and I were excited to try this place. We walked in and were greeted and seated immediately by an expressionless woman. She took our very simple drink order and returned promptly with our water, soda and menus. She gave us plenty of time to decide what we wanted. We both ordered the French Onion soup, the Honey BBQ Chicken Wrap and the Veal Paramagnon Grinder. We had plenty of time to talk before our soup arrived. It arrived hot and looked beautiful. The cheese was perfect. The bread croutons were large, crisp and flavorful. The soup had a great onion taste but I found myself searching for the onions. The ones I found were tasty. We were given plenty of time to talk before our meal arrived. The wrap looked great, stuffed with chicken, the fries were large and plentiful. The grinder was hot, the veal was hanging over the sides of the bread, the veal was crispy while smothered in tomato sauce. Just the way I like it. On first bite the veal was tender and I crunched away with a smile on my face. However I was quickly disappointed with flavorless veal. I so wanted this to be good. It was crunchy and held up under the sauce, it was tender but any flavor was missing. The sauce was average. I grabbed one of my wife's French Fries and it was ice cold. I took a second one and it too was cold. My wife only found a few warm fries. She was disappointed with the lack of flavor from the wrap. After the anticipation of a wonderful sandwich by the looks of it, the chicken was dry and flavorless. The ambiance was very nice. The fireplace was burning, warm and inviting. The room was elegantly decorated for Christmas. I wish the food had a little more flavor. read more

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First time here somehow and definitely not our last! What a great place- all the other reviewers were spot on. Food is delicious and the staff is SO friendly and just looking around you could see how well the staff worked together- quite a good crew they have there. Oh and They decorated for Halloween and it is so fun and adorable! Great ambience. Food was sooooo good. And wowza do they pour a nice size glass of wine. Our waitress was Kristy and she was attentive, super friendly and just added to our great experience so thank you! Cannot wait to go back and probably try the pizzas next! read more

The Avenue - Shrimp scampi - Bars Near Me - Berlin, Connecticut

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Food was very nice I got the vodka parm and loved it. Was happy with the service and the whole ambiance of the restaurant was good as well. Very welcoming family friendly restaurant read more

The Avenue is a Berlin staple! The staff is so welcoming and know their regulars very well. I love a seasonal cocktail menu and they have that here. I got the blood orange margarita and loved it! My friends got a pistachio martini and espresso martini, apparently this place makes great martinis! My chicken parm grinder hit the spot. My friends wings looks so good, I'll probably come back here for those. Menu has lots of options which I appreciate. Service is always great and attentive. This place is casual, definitely had a nice/comfortable vibe to it. I love the lighting in here! Be aware it can get pretty busy on weekend nights. read more

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Try the Big Mac pizza or Hot honey pizza- both are . Great food, excellent service. Never had a bad meal or experience at The Ave. They even deliver if you don't want to go out. Stay local, try The Ave. read more

Fantastic food and staff clean nice place to have a meal and a cocktail you got it and they go above and beyond for to go orders

Close it down. It's still a dive with the owner's good time buddies from years ago. Hooting and hollering at the bar all night. Just like it was always years ago. They can put all the lipstick on the place they want. It doesn't matter , old habits , are hard to give up..Save your money go somewhere else. read more

Excellent food and service! OMG try the garlic knots!!!! I've only been there once but will be there again soon! Can't wait to try EVERYTHING! Fresh, tasty, good portions. read more

What a cozy, delicious, and wonderful spot for drinks, appetizers, and an amazing meal. I met up with some coworkers today to have a cocktail but ended up having a few! The espresso martini was not only yummy but eye-catching, too! The bartender makes pretty chocolate swirl designs on top! I also switched it up and did the dirty martini, which was delish! Those bartenders were quite the mixologists and even made us green tea shots! The stuffed mushrooms were cheesy and yummy, and the mussels fra diavolo were very flavorful. Other entree dishes that were tried were the flank steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe and the crusted cod with risotto and broccoli rabe. I heard both were phenomenal. My favorite is always dessert though and the molten chocolate lava cake did not disappoint! It was topped with vanilla ice cream chocolate sauce and even had the whipped cream and cherry! What an overall excellent experience! Thank you, The Avenue! read more

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We had The Avenue cater our Jack & Jill for 50 people, they were Great! First they have a good selection of items, we're easy to work with ( we added a last minute gluten free meeal - no problem!). We had a 1 pm delivery time, and they were there. The food was hot, fresh, just awesome! We had steamed veggies, 2 types of pasta, chicken francese & marsala, all very good. Lots of compliments from guests. A BIG THANKS to the Avenue for a job well done. read more

Food was very good. Waitstaff attentive but not too much so. Good drinks too. Prices are not overboard.

Inside that house off Farmington Ave. is one very cute restaurant, on both sides of that fireplace. The wine and beer lists aren't huge but includes a good selection and seasonal offerings on tap. A burger list and pizza list are the menu pillars, and yes, the mashed potato pizza is excellent. Shouldn't be, but is! The clams casino was fresh, and happily, Melissa has been our friendly, prompt server more than once. Aside from yummy food and drinks and the cute dining room and bar areas, the bathroom was sparkling and smelled of Fabuloso. Clean spot, yummy food, and kind staff--hope they keep it up! Update--still yummy food (good burgers if you can't make the drive to Beantown Pub in Boston), still Fabuloso scented, still kind service (thanks Diane!). The new parking lot is smooth and happily has angled parking now, and I'm not changing my star rating, but those new spots are kinda narrow. read more

Food and service is always excellent. Relaxed, casual atmosphere. I had the swordfish piccata last night and it was amazing! Our friends had the mashed potato pizza. Another incredible dinner! read more

The Avenue - Swordfish piccata - Bars Near Me - Berlin, Connecticut

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Got the wrap and risotto. Risotto had too many onio lbs for me but that's my preference. Wrap was really good and tasted fresh read more

The Avenue - BBQ chicken wrap - Bars Near Me - Berlin, Connecticut

Went to The Avenue yesterday. Really great pizza and wings Hope the bartender was lovely. Excellent service read more

Great food and atmosphere. We always order lasagna for events. Always able to accommodate our large family outings. read more

Thank you thank you thank you!!! Hosted my husband's birthday party on Sunday the 13th and had The Ave cater. Food was so amazing and plentiful! Everyone raved and went home with leftovers. Really appreciate The Ave! read more

Stopped in for lunch. Veal parm grinder was so bad we didn't eat it. French onion soup was salty and too cheesy for me. The server was sweet and the decor was nice, loved the fireplace read more

don't waste your money. owner is extremely rude and unprofessional. terrible parking. pizza was disgusting. very dark and not welcoming.

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. We love going there and getting a table to eat or grabbing a cocktail at the bar. I've always seen the bar lively. read more

This place has been on my radar for sometime and it just so happened we were in need of a bite on a Sunday afternoon. Started off with some cocktails and they were very good I really enjoyed my Manhattan. The clam casino app was outstanding, fresh clams with great flavors. The pizza exceeded our expectations it was a NY style thin crust with a really nice sauce and tasty toppings. Also ordered a small Caesar salad...dang it was great they make house made bread and use leftovers for croutons!! We can't wait to come and have dinner here!! read more

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I'm not sure what the appeal to this place is from the food to staff. They claim to have Italian cuisine but it doesn't taste it. Bartender who was my server looked bothered and hurried. Was somewhat rude like she wanted to fill my seat with a regular. Pizza I was told was the thing to get and it was under cooked badly. The app I got tasted frozen which was disappointing. To me it is a local dive bar vibe and wouldn't go back. I guess if you want a beer with the loud local folks it's maybe worth a shot? Otherwise you can do much better on food and atmosphere. read more

Service was great. Margarita pizza was excellent. My third time in there. Cozy open wood fire place. Nice full bar. Outdoor seating. Great for a date or meeting with friends. Nothing else I could ask for anytime of the year. read more

The Avenue - Margarita pizza - Bars Near Me - Berlin, Connecticut

The lunch menu was reasonably priced. The clam scampi sauce was amazing. The martini was made perfectly by our waitress/bartender. She was awesome and so was the owner. The place nice and cozy. My honey had the grinder which he loved. My veal Francese sauce didn't have the lemon flavor, I'm not sure if that's all it was missing, my honey said it taste closer to Marsala sauce. Sometimes I wish there were half a star as an option. read more

Consistently great food and service! Love their pizza and buffalo chicken salad. The interior is always decorated beautifully to

The food and service were great. The cheesecake waffle cone was a homerun with our hot cup of coffee! read more

The Avenue - Bars Near Me - Berlin, Connecticut

Happy I gave this place a try! I ordered a half order of garlic knots & a small Buffalo chicken pizza. The flavors/toppings were good. Sadly, I was not a fan of the crust. I will definitely try other food there. read more

The Avenue - Small Buffalo chicken pizza - Bars Near Me - Berlin, Connecticut

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We made an unscheduled visit on Valentine's day and I was surprised by the number of vehicles that can be accommodated in the parking lot situated behind the restaurant. Both the bar and dining room were filled to near capacity, but we were immediately seated at a table for 2 which worked nicely since there were 2 of us. We had made up our minds to order pizza so the menu received a cursory glance. A well executed large pizza with mozzarella will set you back a mere $11 and our pint glasses of Coors light came in at $4 each. Service throughout was friendly. The only negatives were the elevated noise level and the limited number of beers on draft, but those won't deter us from making a return visit. read more

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Take out service is really good. Bar area is a little small but drinks are good. Service here is really nice. The staff is attentive. I definitely recommend this place. 4.5 in my book read more

Excellent pizzas and LOVE The Avenue Salad. I add salmon (when available) - perfectly cooked and so delicious. Only downside is that there is usually a wait for to-go food but it is worth it! read more

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Amazing food, service and ambiance!!! Portion sizes are very large so there was plenty to take home. Very affordable too! Great experience!

Never had a bad meal at the Ave - always great food and a friendly staff. I highly recommend the lasagna - tons of cheese and baked to perfection. The recent addition in the back really added to the charm of The Ave and there is still plenty of parking in the back. read more

This place is amazing food on every level. My only regret is that seating can be limited but it's due to the open feel inside. We are lucky and scored a table on a almost deserted Wednesday night, thank you mr snow squal. We order as appetizers the salmon risotto balls crisp and the chili aioli had a pleasant zing to it. Garlic knots and fried mozzarella. Dinner was fettuccini Alfredo which was amazing, a eggplant stuffed bread which was to die for and a small vodka penne pizza. Luckily we have a takeout menu for those times you can't get in here. read more

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Ordered 3 small pizzas. The Adriatic pizza had spinach on it that made the pizza really watery and drowned out the feta. The avenue pizza had way too much garlic and onions and they were both too raw and overpowering. The meat lovers was good but again a lot of large under cooked onions. Would like to see how the sandwiches are. read more