Wide variety of seafood. Generous portions and delicious food!…read moreService was above and beyond. Great take home portions and nice take home wrapping. Also great music playing (yacht rock-perfect!)

First, don't come with more than 4 people. We were told a 50 minute wait. It was our anniversary…read moreand my wife loves the restaurant. So we opted to wait. Assuming they know how to seat people, we patiently waited. When it was finally time to be seated, we walked past about 30 empty tables. When asking the "hostess" why they couldn't push anyo of the other tables together, she was rather short saying those tables pushed together make it difficult for our servers to get around. Which 2 tables pushed together takes up less space than 2 apart. The back room was full of empty tables. A business model to stay in business means you turn tables. I'm not sure how leaving the tables empty and not seating helps to keep you in business. Had we left, our waitress would be out $60 tip and the restaurant out $300. Luckily we had Barbara who we had in the past and is a breath of fresh air for the start of our experience. She is such a friendly waitress and helpful. The food was good as always and Barbara did all she could to make up for our initial seating ordeal. Drinks were good, food was delicious. Hostess gets a 1 tonight.

J Gilbert's in Glastonbury, Connecticut…read more I got the 10oz sirloin with creamed corn (with bacon ) and potato au gratin -- everything was super flavorful and cooked perfectly. Total comfort food but elevated. My husband went with the burger topped with an unreal shallot jam and sweet potato fries... and yes, it was as good as it sounds Such a solid spot for a cozy steak night.

We made this reservation a week in advance and specifically requested Amanda, as she was a big part…read moreof the reason we previously decided to return to J. Gilberts to celebrate another milestone with our son--his completion of ODS. Our reservation was for 7:30 PM, and after waiting about 10 minutes for our table, I asked whether we were being seated in Amanda's section. That was when we were told that Amanda no longer works at J. Gilberts. I was honestly surprised and disappointed that we weren't informed of this when making the reservation, especially since we specifically requested her. The food was OK as our steaks were more than medium rare (dry, not juicy) but unfortunately the overall experience felt very average this time. What made our previous visit special was the warmth, personal attention, and connection we experienced with Amanda. That feeling simply wasn't there this time. I understand that staff changes happen, but given that Amanda was specifically requested and was a major reason we chose to return for another family milestone, I would have appreciated being told in advance. It would have allowed us to set different expectations--or perhaps make another choice. We came back hoping to recreate a special experience, and unfortunately, it just didn't have the same warmth this time around.

The Charles…read more Delicious food and a great atmosphere in beautiful Old Wethersfield We love the vibe here!

Food: 3.8/5 Service: 3.4/5…read moreAmbiance: 3.7/5 Value: 3.6/5 The Charles is a nice upscale restaurant on Main Street in Wethersfield which opened in 2020 and quickly made Connecticut magazine's list of best restaurants. It is inside an old house of some sort, so it has a charming ambiance. They have a small parking lot so the spaces are a bit tight. Then, although we were on time for our 8:15pm reservation, we found out that they didn't have a table for us on the main floor, which is bad because my parents have mobility issues and cannot climb stairs. They asked us if we would be ok waiting five or ten minutes. Sure, that was fine we said. The host was very reassuring and he let us know that the corner table near the fireplace was finishing up and he'd get it bussed promptly. So that was good. But after we sat down we experienced service issues. Many items were unavailable. No orrechiete. No crab cakes. No sirloin special. It was weird. We hadn't arrived that late, on a Saturday night, how could so many dishes be sold out/unavailable? We ended up going with the scotch egg $11 and butternut squash arancini balls $12 for appetizers, which were both great. The scotch egg was a decent size and came with a mini salad. The arancini balls were small, but the truffle gorgonzola fontina cheese filling was really nice. Entrees were not bad. My Berkshire pork chop cooked medium was tender enough and had decent flavor. My Dad's veal ribs over mac and cheese were really good. My Mom's wagyu burger was tasty and my sister's salad was satisfactory. However the cost of the additional protein to the salad seems high (Grilled Chicken +14 / Seared Salmon +16/ Grilled Shrimp +21 / Churrasco Steak +24). The drinks were well made, but took a while to get to us. The "Charles... In Charge!" with old forester bourbon, montenegro, spiced cherry bitters, luxardo $15 was a hit. My Dad enjoyed his $17 Manhattan made with Angel's Envy bourbon. My $11 FreeBird mocktail was refreshing. Yet, throughout the night we found it difficult to get our server's attention. All four dishes did not arrive simultaneously. We had to flag someone down for more silverware after the appetizers were cleared. Right at the end when we were ready to pay, she got tied up listening to a couple at a neighboring table tell her a story or something. This must have been quite a yarn because she was totally enrapt and oblivious to our needs. We started wondering whether our table was actually her responsibility or not. Finally she came by and we let her know we were done, no dessert or after dinner drinks, just the check and a few boxes for takeout please. This was a new restaurant that we hadn't tried before, and maybe I took a risk by booking it for my Dad's 89th birthday, which was supposed to be special. Our experience was okay, and maybe we'd go again in the future, but there were too many more ups and downs this evening than I would have liked for a special occasion. I am rounding up to four stars overall, even though on this particular evening I didn't think each individual component met that mark exactly.

Stopped in and it was happy hour. Everyday 3:30-5:30 drinks, apps, food & pizza. We got the $8…read moresmash burger and it was delicious. Think a grilled cheese with a burger inside. It was just the right size too. Very flavorful. Got a side of fries too and they were just ok, next time we will try the duck fat crispy potatoes. Partner did get a bite of bone in their burger, but understand how that can happen. Great atmosphere and service. Sir at bar for happy hour.

This place is a great spot to eat and unwind with friends. Including indoor and outdoor patio…read moreseating. The servers are friendly and nice with good service. The food is classic American dining: seafood, pizza, salads, great mocktails & cocktails. They do have some vegetarian options. Overall a great spot to have a nice summer meal

Delicious food, great gluten free options, friendly service. All of us enjoyed our meals.read more

We went to this place for Mother's Day brunch, and it was one of the worst experiences I could have…read moreimagined. First off, the ambience of the place is fairly nice though you would not know it from how many of the other patrons choose to attire themselves. If you're looking for a upscale, dining experience, other patrons would suggest this is not the place for you. They started off by attending to put us at the wrong table per our reservation. The table was apparently filled, and they moved us to a different table, which was perfectly fine as it was a nice booth with a window right next to the table. They then gave us several menus from which to choose, which was confusing as there were so many different menus with similar food options, including brunch, menu, a burger, menu, a dinner menu, a Mother's Day, special menu, and the regular menu. There were also two separate drink menus. We started by ordering some drinks and an appetizer of the meat and cheeseboard for the table. We put in our full order at just before 12:59 PM and the meat and cheeseboard came out fairly quick. Overall, it was the best part of our time at the restaurant. With regards to our main meal, we had ordered an eggs, Benedict, a children's pancake and bacon, special, and a steak and eggs meal. That was apparently a mistake as it took them over one hour six minutes before the food hit the table and when it did, it was a mess. The medium rare steak was cooked to a well done with the eggs being extremely messy and not very runny for over easy. The potatoes were dark and charred in places, but we're not crispy by any stretch of the imagination. The Canadian bacon had not been rendered well on the eggs Benedict and one of the two poached eggs clearly had not been poached appropriately. Also, my daughter indicated that the syrup was way too sweet, which was especially surprising as she is someone with a sweet tooth. The pancakes themselves were extremely dense and unfair and served on a plastic tray missing one of the size that was supposed to come with the order. It is clear that the kitchen does not know what they are doing as I was the second person in a row to have issues with the cook temperature on my steak, a problem that appears to carry over to other aspects of the meal as well. At the one hour mark, I've been so frustrated. I had requested to speak with a manager and he was actually the one who brought out the food to our table. There was a good four minute gap between two of the meals being brought out and the third meal, which is what my wife had ordered for her Mother's Day brunch. By the time the eggs Benedict came out, I showed the manager my stake and eggs, and he agreed that it was cooked to a well done rather than the medium rare I had ordered. I had overheard the exact same issue on the next table over where the older woman had not gotten her meal until nearly all seven others at the table had completed their food. At that point, I sent back my steak and indicated I did not want it to be remade as I was done with the place. Shirley, thereafter, I was clear the rest of the family was of the same mind as the meals were a mess and cooked improperly. The manager eventually came over and indicated that he is going to take care of the entire CHUCK which makes sense sense more than 75% of the food ordered had been uneaten or inedible. The service was no better as waiters and waitresses would walk by and failed to refill empty water glasses, even though they would look right at the empty water glass and would have pictures of water in their hand at times. One waitress went to five separate tables around us, including table she was not serving and failed to fill our water, but filled water at other tables. Our waiter was also missing an action for a good portion of the meal. Despite having the meal taken care of, I did leave a small tip for the waiter, though nowhere near what I would have had the service been even somewhat competent. This is a major disappointment as the last experience I had at this restaurant for dinner had been so positive it convinced me to book the place for Mother's Day brunch. I'm not sure if this was a one off situation but I would never recommend a return to this place based on the experience I had this day. What's worse, our reservation appeared to fall between two rushes as we were the second table in the rush that showed up about 10 to 15 minutes after our arrival at the place. As such, our food should've been fairly quick and coming out but others who ordered their food more than 20 minutes after our table received it with no problem. I have to say that the Taco Bell we had as result of this poor food service was Myles and Myles better than the food experience at the restaurant itself.

We stopped by on a Friday, not realizing they had live music--and what a great surprise! Billy was…read moreplaying acoustic music, a great mix of country and other favorites. The candle-lit atmosphere made it perfect for a date night. Our waiter, who has been in the industry for decades, was exceptional--his experience truly showed. As for the food, I started with the clams and mussels, which were packed with garlic-wine flavor and cooked to perfection. My only critique was the accompanying bread, so I opted for the bread from our basket instead. For my main, I had the salmon, which was flavorful and cooked perfectly. For dessert, we shared the cheesecake and bread pudding. The cheesecake was rich and delicious, but I actually preferred the bread pudding! For wine, we chose a white Burgundy, which paired well with the meal--I'd highly recommend it! I can't wait to come back!

We had a surprise birthday party for 18 (ages 1 - 75) in their private room and could not have been…read morehappier. The table was beautifully set, the staff was great to work with in setting up the event to meet our needs and they were incredibly accommodating to all ages during the dinner. The food was delicious and everyone really enjoyed the evening. Thank you!!

City Fish Market has become my absolute go-to for fish and chips. It used to be Johnson Fish…read moreMarket, but this spot has taken the lead for consistency and quality. While it can be a little pricey at times, you get exactly what you pay for--freshness that most "fast" options can't touch. The real advantage here is the ability to kill two birds with one stone. I can grab a high-caliber prepared meal for lunch and pick up my raw seafood in the same trip. While I know spots like Apple Tree and A Dong Supermarket are good, they just don't carry the variety of seafood that I actually eat. City Fish Market fills that gap perfectly with a selection that meets my specific standards. Pro Tip: Call ahead for your order. The lunchtime line can get crazy, and you don't want to be caught waiting when you're just looking to get in and out.

Just came here based on a tip from another Yelper. Had to wait until I got back to Manchester to…read moretry them. Welllll.... the whole bellies are a little small, but the quantity and taste are spot on. I'll do like my mum told me and come back when there is a month with the letter 'R' . I wish they had homemade tartar sauce. They only offer the packs. The service was spot on and really friendly. There is even a fish market right there so I ran over to get some fresh salmon. I'll be back in September... hopefully the bellies have grown up by then (lol)

This place has a unique location on the banks of the CT River. Extensive outdoor seating provides…read more great views! It went through a period of change over the last year or two but now seems to have its act together with an interesting menu, well trained staff and fair pricing. For lunch today we had the fish (haddock) sandwich and the BLTA Club sandwich. The sides are fries or salad. Both sandwiches were excellent!

The only reason I give this restaurant 1 star is that the food tasted good. Otherwise I'd give it…read moreZero stars! Here's a list of what went wrong here: 1. I reserved an outdoor table for 4. When I arrived I was told it would be a 45 minute wait. Basically my reservation was useless. The 2 greeters made no attempt to address this whatsoever and didn't care at all. We decided to wait at the bar 2. The bar was not crowded with a couple of bartenders. We placed our order. The bartender looked like she didn't know what she was doing and greeted us with about as little enthusiasm and happiness as possible. (Maybe she was having a bad day). She didn't seem to know how to mix two drinks; a manhattan and a Negroni. She couldn't answer our question about what gin she had at the bar and just told us to ' look' as she pointed behind her. Then it took about 10 minutes for three drinks to arrive; the poorly made Negroni, a Coors light in the bottle (she never asked if I wanted a glass), the wrong glass of white wine that she had to redo with the correct one, then after 5 more minutes the manhattan arrived, also made poorly. She didn't charge us for that drink due to the delay saying she had to wait to get the vermouth. That's an odd excuse from a bartender. I've been a paid bartender, I know what to expect and she was just horrible. I'm sorry but that's a plain fact. If she worked for me I would have fired her on the spot and took over myself. 3. By this time, about 7:50, we were seated at an outside table. The crowd was dying down but our waitress was less than attentive and certainly not prompt. We have dietary allergies that she promptly noted but did nothing about as she said she would check wth the kitchen about of couple of possible choices we had interest in, but never came back to give us the answer. Now being quite impatient, we ordered anyway based on the menu description. One appetizer could not be eaten because of the allergy. We asked for the wine list, that never arrived, and it was 10 minutes until she came back to the table, but we ordered without it. The waitress seemed like she could care less about how we were doing or how she was performing her job. After dinner, ironically, the manager stopped by to ask how everything was, but we quickly said things were OK only because it would have taken too much time to make note of everything that had gone wrong. By now it was after 9 and my reservation was at 7. We had to leave. Suffice it to say, we won't be back. A sad overall experience indeed. I don't expect this restaurant and or management will be around for long as I have no reason to believe we were the only party to endure this horrible dining experience.