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The Library Wine Bar & Bistro

3.6 (364 reviews)
Open • 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated 2 months ago

THE LIBRARY WINE BAR & BISTRO · YELP ASSISTANT

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THE LIBRARY WINE BAR & BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

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

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Duck Breast w/ pickled baby carrots, honey garlic roasted brussels sprouts, roasted delicata squash, sweet potato puree, amarena cherry sauc
David N.

Charming restaurant in a restored 19th century library. The staff was warm and welcoming and we were able to sit at the bar. Great tap selection and their wine list is pretty extensive to cover all palates. While the appetizers list looked good, we were not starving so we went right for the mains. I went with the duck and was so satisfied! Most say breast and you don't get the whole thing. Here you do! All the sides were flavorful and highlighted the duck. Some finishing salt would have been welcomed. My wife had the scallops and was so happy with the root veggies as she does not do glutton or flour and most places put it over something she can't eat. Can't wait to come back and try the rest of the menu

Emma G.

This is a rare instance where we had a decidedly subpar experience and yet would still give the place another shot. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I came here for brunch on our way back from Boston (this is right around the halfway point for us) after there was a long wait at our first/preferred destination down the street. There wasn't a wait time at all here despite Library simultaneously hosting at least one event in a different area on the establishment, but maybe that should have told us something. Super cool interior, and there's no way around it. The building very obviously housed a legit library back in the day, complete with Doric columns (a term I usually reserve for describing presidential monuments, not restaurants), and the current business leans into it, as they should. You can see in the accompanying photo that their beer tap at the bar has book covers on them, and a lot of the original interior has been preserved. So understandably, you can see why they also sell themselves as an event space; you can play around with a couple of different business models here. Without a doubt the biggest selling point we saw on our visit. Library had an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet, which is a concept I try to typically avoid because I don't possess any portion control (there are memories from the 1990s surrounding Pizza Hut and their lunch buffet that I'm still not willing to fully address) but honestly? It wasn't a problem here, and that's not a compliment. The set-up was pretty impressive; they had a pastry table, an omelet station (I think there was a roast beef or pot roast situation over here as well?) where a cook was serving up made-to-order requests, and a long table of self-serve items for both breakfast and then lunch further down the line. So you had a LOT of options depending on how your palate was feeling. Unfortunately almost everything was a giant miss. The eggs tasted like they were made from powder, the pastries were stale and/or tasteless and virtually all of the food came off as the worst kind of mass produced meal, something you'd encounter in a very low-end motel offering. The only item worth recommending was the roasted potatoes, which I thought were very flavorful and the only item that didn't require copious amounts of additional seasoning. It was so universally mediocre I'm genuinely surprised this is still something they offer every Sunday - the quality just isn't good so it feels like an unforced error to do buffet style in lieu of a more traditional sit-down brunch. Our bartender was friendly; she wasn't consistently attentive especially in the second half of the meal (we were trying to make eye contact for close to 10 minutes for the check, and she was nearby for all of it) but when she was around she was professional and accommodating. This could be a mark against us as degenerates, but we both thought the mimosas were a little too heavy on the orange juice (I'm not looking for gasoline in my brunch beverages, but ideally a nice hue on the cheeks emerges). I have to think the brunch is not their specialty - and if it is, that's a little concerning. But if I'm back in the area during a different time of week/day, I'd see if something else works here.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

Brunch buffet

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21 days ago

The Food and Service is CONSISTENTLY good ! Perfect for Date night or when Moms in town! Would absolutely recommend

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3 months ago

Great food, excellent service and a unique decor. I went with a group of friends recently and was very pleased

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3 years ago

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

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

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