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The Library Wine Bar & Bistro

3.6 (359 reviews)
Closed • 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM

The Library Wine Bar & Bistro Photos

THE LIBRARY WINE BAR & BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Classy
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - The Library Wine Bar & Bistro

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Jacob C.

Very charming restaurant with a clean, upscale, and colonial feel. Food and drinks are great, and the wine selection is awesome. I love to get their smoked old fashioned. Totally recommend this place if you're in the Wallingford area!

Charcuterie
Mary C.

Come if you have time to spend! The food was great but unfortunately they were short staffed for a Friday night so the service was subpar. Plenty of options for appetizers and dinner. The breakfast brunch is currently $35/person and I've been once and would recommend for a special treat. The building is beautiful as the former library, not to be confused with the "Pub" down the road also known as the Wallingford Public Library!

Happy Pirate
Nicole D.

The rest was very beautiful and in a great location. We came early and sat at the bar. The bartender was very nice and accommodating. The menu for happy hour needs some work, however we would come back for cocktails. The seafood pasta was good and just enough for 1, however we shared it. The Buffalo chicken flatbread was okay. The cocktails were underwhelming and we tried them out of curiosity. The bartender was making an old fashioned that i think we will come back to try.

Lava Cake
Alia W.

I went to The Library for a date last Thursday night. Overall the experience was extremely average. My date and I were in no rush, so we put our drink order in and were waiting to put in our app order until we got our drinks, and we're waiting to put our dinner order until we got our appetizer. Our waitress was very sweet, but she was hovering and kept asking if we were ready to put our dinner order in. She then admitted that because it's a slow night, the kitchen might close early so that's why she wants us to get our food order in...it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet and they are open until 9. She was super sweet about it, and we put our order in and then when she came back with the apps she said another party walked in so the kitchen is going to stay open. It was just weird. The food was extremely average. Since the food is a bit on the pricier side, I was expecting it to have more flavor, but it was just okay. I got the short ribs and they were dry and had a lot of buttermilk fried onions that didn't add anything to the dish and just didn't taste good. My date ordered filet median rare and it came out more like medium well. I ordered the Bees Knees for my drink and it was very very strong and didn't taste good. We did order dessert to see if maybe at least that would be good, but unfortunately it was just okay. I got the lava cake but it was too sweet, artificial tasting and you could tell the ice cream was not local. For how much this restaurant charges, I would expect a lot more so unfortunately I would not recommend. I gave it 3 stars only because our waitress was very sweet and the music was good.

Burger with side salad instead of fries.
Allison K.

Such a gorgeous building - worth the trip just to see this place! The servers were so friendly and attentive! We had a pumpkin espresso martini that was so yummy! The tuna nachos were a bit sweet for our liking but the seaweed salad with it was perfection. The burgers were OUTSTANDING, as was the chicken parm, the maple chicken and the cauliflower steak. All in all a 5 start experience. Will definitely return.

Cauliflower entree
Anju P.

I had an amazing dinner experience at library almost 10 years ago. And shortly after that I heard that the place was under a new ownership. Somehow I never got a chance to check it out until recently. Now the menu is small yet everything I tried turned out to be delicious. They even have a few yet solid vegan options. The place has super cool vibe with good service and is a good option for special occasions in New Haven county.

Ribeye
Ivana F.

From the moment I arrived this building was just beautifully lit up outside in the evening. A gorgeous tree with lights stands in front of The Library Wine bar and bistro. As I walked into the main entrance lobby I was greeted by character all around. The place mirrored an old library with a relaxed atmosphere and dining areas of all kinds. We were lucky enough to be seated on an upstairs balcony that overlooked the bar with a beautiful chandelier. The balcony had tables and chairs, booths and little nooks with books and cushions making it so cozy. Our waitress was phenomenal and the food was some of the best! The burrata appetizer was so different yet so tasty. It was on a bed of apple jam with crumbled pistachios topped with candied bacon and served with crostini and sliced Granny Smiths. I never had anything like it and thought the pairing was perfect. The steaks were all cooked so tender and melted in your mouth. I also especially loved dessert. The pistachio lemon olive oil cake was light and refreshing and cured my sweet tooth. I thought the check arriving in a book was a clever way to receive the bill. I was amazed with all the details the library had offered and enjoyed my entire unique experience!

Steak crostini
Jeannine H.

Went on a little date night with my husband. We made a reservation and got seated right away. Unfortunately, the two of us were sat less than 2 feet away from a tabletop of at least 6 to 7 very enthusiastic girls who were very loud. We were greeted by our very pleasant waitress. We ordered drinks then we waited. The waitress was outside on the front lawn, doing tables out there, and having lots of lengthy conversations with people. She finally took our appetizer order, probably after waiting 30 minutes The appetizers came out by some other staff members. The tuna nachos are absolutely the best. The chips are light and crisp, and the tuna is always very fresh. I also ordered steak crostini, that came out in the steak was so overcooked. I couldn't even eat it. Very disappointing because the sauce was very delicious. Ordered a peach salad which she enjoyed. For dinner, I ordered shrimp and grits and my husband got a burger. He was very happy with the cook on the burger and very juicy. The shrimp and grits lacked flavor. The grits were clumpy and dry, and the shrimp were overcooked. I would not get those again. Thankfully, there was the red wine. By this time, we have been here an hour and a half already and waiting for the waitress for some more drinks which she never came back with, we asked her to remove them from our check. We had our dessert delivered. Finally, the chocolate mousse was delicious. Overall, we liked the library, but a two hour dinner! Thankfully we had good conversation and good company

Wallingford, CT
Joe F.

Great date night place. It's in an old library. Food and drinks were great, the local beer was the best Lucky 19 which was recommended by our server! Portuguese influenced style food. Will be going back soon.

Brunch buffet
Danielle K.

I went to the library's Sunday brunch buffet with a friend. I read great things. It cost $35 plus the cost of drinks. Coffee or tea was included. It was very lovely and decorative for Christmas. We sat near a fireplace. Seems nice to go for a romantic branch or with a group of friends or family. There was a long table full of buffet platters. The first half was breakfast items and the second half was lunch items. Some of the items were scrambled eggs, potatoes, French toast, bacon, eggs Benedict, salmon, pasta, eggplant, some sort of beef. As a vegetarian, I wasn't sure. They have a dessert section with fresh fruit. Also an omelette station with a chef preparingomelettes. They had so many ingredient options of vegetables, different cheeses, and different meats, there was also a bagel section with things like cream cheese and smoked salmon and other options.. Overall, it was very lovely and I enjoyed my meal. I did get an omelette and it was delicious. I had some of the pasta and eggplant. However, I did not care for the eggplant. I did enjoy the fresh fruit. I would recommend coming here for brunch as it overall great experience. Unfortunately, I could not drink any of the alcohol drink since we were there very early in the morning and Was too early for me .

Looooved this art work
Sally A.

We went for buffet brunch and overall it was a pleasant experience. The ambiance is fun. Classic vintage library vibes. The food was pretty good overall but I've had better brunch experiences. There was a good variety of brunch foods including your customized classic omelet station. I think the French toast and other carby foods were ok. I am biased bc I do feel pancakes, French toast are much better when made to order. Cocktails were ok. I ordered an espresso martini and it was standard but the bartenders were pretty friendly. Service was decent maybe a little slow. Would I go back? Maybe, if a group of friends wanted to go, I'm down to try again.

Scallops
Lindsay N.

I've been attracted to The Library in Wallingford since I heard about it a few years ago. It has become a favorite spot to celebrate our wedding anniversary. There is a lot of rich history in building and the facade is very grand. When you walk into the foyer, it's warm and inviting as you meet the hostess to bring you to your table. We normally sit in the large dining room by the fire place. I love that the building has a lot of the original features still intact; high ceilings, crown molding and preserving the craftsmanship. There is a bar and an upstairs loft/dining area too. Our meals are always perfect and delicious. I do appreciate that they are able to make small adjustments to dishes to accommodate my food allergies. The starters are large enough to share between two people. We have tried the Pulpo (octopus) and Crispy Brussels Sprouts. If you are an adventurous eater, I highly recommend trying the Pulpo. It had a tasty grilled flavor, delicious piri piri sauce, and I love the addition of the olives. For the mains, I have tried the Scallops and the Cauliflower Steak. I love how all the dishes have a different flavor profile. The Scollops are the perfect autumn dish; roasted butternut squash, sweet potato puree, quinoa and apple salad, and the scallops melted in your mouth. The Cauliflower Steak--a whole head of cauliflower that is in a chickpea curry with jasmine rice and grilled eggplant. Love all the spices! My husband has been trying the steak options. He has had the New York Strip and Ribeye. They've been perfectly cooked to his liking and he had enjoyed. Most of the time we are too full for dessert, but we have tried a Chocolate Crème Brûlée like dessert with toasted marshmallow and a graham cracker cookie. The dessert is a big, shareable portion. It was rich, chocolaty, and smooth. The toasted marshmallow was my favorite part as the caramelized coating was amazing. The perfect bite was breaking up the cookie and getting a bit of marshmallow and chocolate all together. Tasted like a s'mores! The Library is a hopping place no matter the night. I highly recommend making reservations even if it's for a week day evening. Reservations are made easy online on their website through Open Table. The Library is in the heart and busy street of North Main Street, but there is plenty of parking in the surrounding area. Plan and be prepare for a short walk.

Bloody mary
Dawn P.

We did a girls holiday brunch here. Large selection of hot and cold food. There was a bagel bar, omelet station, prime rib and many other breakfast and lunch choices. For someone like me who doesn't like breakfast, I was very happy with the options. The building itself used to be a library so it is very interesting inside. It was also decorated very nicely for the holidays. The staff was very friendly.

Short ribs

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2 years ago

Exceptional everything. Had short rib over garlic mashed with cauliflower and it was solid 10!

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1 year ago

Always top notch fresh food great service everytime recommend to anyone for fine dining

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Ask the Community - The Library Wine Bar & Bistro

Is there seating at the bar itself?

Yes, there is!

Are u serving Easter brunch tomor?row

I understand they are serving brunch

Does the Library bistro serve ala carte for Sunday brunch 10-12 or only the buffet?

Aka carte

What time does happy start?

Everyday from 3pm-6pm, and sometimes there's extended happy hour until 7 on fridays.

View All 5 Questions

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Chicken pimiento

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IL Gusto - Lots of meat on the board

Lots of meat on the board

IL Gusto - This is the atmosphere in the bar has a beautiful outdoor patio

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The Library Wine Bar & Bistro - wine_bars - Updated May 2026

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