10/10- amazing prime rib and steak! Highly recommend; the old school atmosphere is a plus too! read more

The Smithy - Prime rib - Seafood Near Me - Monroe, Connecticut

Came for a date night with my husband. Loved the surf & turf and their salad bar is the best! We will be back!

Service and food was outstanding! The wait staff could not be any more attentive. Food was cooked to order perfectly.

We had the surf and turf and it was excellent, The service was excellent as well. I highly recommend. read more

The Smithy - Surf and turf excellent. We had a party of11and it went very smoothly. The food was excellent and the service was excellent as well. - Seafood Near Me - Monroe, Connecticut

Sad to see you go Maureen, but perhaps if your response didn't endorse a patron sitting directly across from us vomiting at a table through our entire dinner, we would have given your restaurant another try. read more

Well, where do I begin? The staff was good, pleasant. Salad bar? OMG looked like a small trough of lettuce and a few addons, We ordered the prime rib and boneless ribeye. Asked for the prime rib medium came out medium well. but, was tender. The rib eye was requested medium came out closer to medium rear. That was ok but tough as a catcher's mitt with lots of fat. Reminded me of caddy shack. High grade dog food. And then the cost. $182 before tip! WE did tip 20%. OMG. We would have been better off going to American steak house! I understand they are for sale. Appears they already checked out. Good luck if you go. Was date night for us and well, dissapointed BIG TIME. Big miss and had a better time having a drink down the street at Vazzys while we had to wait as we did not have reservation. BTW this was a Saturday night Prime time with subprime beef. Let your taste buds and wallet beware. read more

I'm leaving this at four stars - for the benefit of the doubt - and another return will be due. I've been here plenty of times, always returned with the same expectations, great food, amazing service, and intimate. However returning after 6-8 years later, renovations, new owners - those expectations did not hold. I still adore the place, love the cheese board, however I do miss two options. And the salad bar is a must grab. There's more types of dressing than there are toppings but are sufficient. They added to their menu, upgrading from 3-5 options, I find the quality lacking. Too much for one cook, overwhelmed with many plated options and battling the crowd. And the food showed for that. Porterhouse ordered medium rare - arrived a dry medium rare which upgrades it to an immediate well done. Ribeyes were given justice which is why I saved this post at four stars. Service was impeccable, great explanations, servicing multiple tables, and attentive. The place has been updated and I'm glad they kept the fireplace, although the red walls are gone the fireplace keeps it cozy. read more

This place is great. Best steak place I have been to outside of the brand name, high end steakhouses. Service was quiet and very attentive. I ordered the 18" cowboy steak and it was tasty and cooked to perfection. My wife had a different cut and it was also excellent. They have a salad bar that comes with dinner and a cheese tray that you can serve yourself read more

Very cozy place. Simple but nice salad bar. Attentive waiter. Great food. Nice to see servers who are excited to work there.

This is the second time I've gone since I thought my last experience was a one off. I went with my son, his gf, and my boyfriend. The server was great and attentive. My son's steak was great and his gf's was a little dry but ok. The stuffed chicken was dry and not anything like it was years ago. My bf had a special of swordfish which was dry. We will not give this place a 3rd chance. It was so good years ago!! read more

Update: To the owner, you totally missed the point of my review. The thesis of the review was DIMINISHED QUALITY. I never said higher prices were inherently bad. I said they couldn't be justified when quality has slipped. Both in terms of food and service quality. There's a restaurant where I live that sells $80 filets and $175 wagyu ribeyes. Nobody complains because the execution on everything is flawless. So, the mismatch between price and quality is the issue, not price in a vacuum. read more

We had such a nice time visiting The Smithy last night. The host was very friendly and gave us a seat very close to the fire place which was lovely. The service was very polite and informative, as it was our first time there. The salad bar was very fresh with a few different choices. The cracker station with cheese block was a fun and different option rather than your usual bread basket. I decided to go with the filet mignon and baked potato and my fiancé ordered the striploin and lobster tail. We both enjoyed our meals very much. The ambiance was cozy and the service was warm and welcoming. We wish we lived nearby, we would definitely come often. We will definitely visit the next time we are in town. Thank you for such a nice evening! read more

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Went for the first time and enjoyed our visit. Cozy fireplace as you enter. Food was good, loved the little cheese and cracker snack. Only damper was a large noisy party, that also likely stressed out our waiter. He cut us off a number of times as we were a little undecided and just wanted to chat a little but he made us feel like we were wasting his time and he had to get food out. We'll be back again to give it another try and hopeful it was just an off night. read more

Really enjoyed my meal. The steak was perfectly made. I'm very particular of my steak and they made it exactly how I like it Will be back soon read more

The Smithy - Seafood Near Me - Monroe, Connecticut

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First trip to The Smithy did not disappoint! Took Ron for his birthday. Ron, a trained chef with very discerning taste, loved it. Said porterhouse was the best he has had and wants to go back next week. We will. My birthday ! Well worth the half hour ride. Everything very very fresh. Great salad bar too. I loved the cod and many fish options ! Recommend the baked potato with butter and sour cream, just like grandma made served in tin foil too. Beautiful atmosphere, much to see on the walls and lovely antiques, fireplace. Great for this time of year too. RJ recited all of the many specials with ease ! Great service, very attentive. read more

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We came here for my moms birthday, per my brothers recommendation, as he is a frequent visitor who lives nearby & really likes this place. My hubby ordered clam chowder which he enjoyed, & I partook in the salad bar, which was good. We all got steaks, which were cooked to perfection, & seasoned just right. My brothers girlfriend really liked her salmon as well. This place has a nice ambience, but service was definitely on the slower side. read more

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It pains me to do this, it really does. This is our first time back here since it transferred owners. It was always a very "basic" place. They did steak, a mediocre salad bar and cheese and crackers. Something I never quite understood. Unless you are an 80 yr old grandmother, cheese and crackers does not make sense. Their wine was no name, just cab, merlot, white or white zin. But you could always count on a good steak, baked potato and or rice and veggie. And my husband was in the mood for steak. Not so reliable any more. The menu is a little larger, I think. Still no name wine and cheese and crackers, but the cheese consisted of some cubed cheddar in a bowl; pass. The salad bar is blah and difficult to navigate, the french onion soup had absolutely no flavor, to their credit they took it off the bill. My husbands steak was cooked perfectly but with no flavor, but he was hungry and ate it and I ordered stuffer chicken. First of all, it is not stuffed chicken. It was 2 small nearly 3" rounds of chicken with stuffing placed on top. The stuffing had good flavor, the chicken was so dry I nearly choked as was the rice. Our waitress was lovely and the place was super clean, which if memory serves me, was needed. So disappointed. I do hope they read their reviews. This is a well known restaurant that was barely half full on a Sunday. I wish them luck. There are too many other options to pay for dry mediocre food. read more

This is our favorite place for date night! The food is always incredible- steaks cooked perfectly, delicious sides, and one of the very few places left with a salad bar! the service is always great, also. Last time we went, I was bummed we had to sit at the bar (we don't drink), but this is what you get for showing up New Years Eve Without a reservation. oops. It turned out to be wonderful. We sat next to the owner, Maureen and met her husband and son as well. They are lovely people. We got to hear so much about it , which only made us appreciate it that much more. Thank you for saving this iconic restaurant! Oh and the Almond Cake for dessert is a must! We will be back soon! read more

The Smithy is like being zoomed back to 1978 and eating at a local steak restaurant. It has a very cool, retro vibe, probably from the limited lighting and older dark furniture. But we like that and LOVE the food and service. It's a cozy place where we consistently get great meals. Love the open salad bar also. Definitely missed that and the cheese bar during the pandemic years. It's a great local favorite. If you are expecting an updated or splashy place, you'll be disappointed. read more

Love The Smithy! It is almost hilariously retro - exactly what you think of when you think of a '70s steakhouse - dark wood paneling, heavy pine furniture, low lighting. When you walk in, you are immediately overcome by a desire to order a whiskey sour. The menu is limited, with a few specials. The cheese board you remember is still there, a big chunk of port wine cheddar, sesame sticks and crackers, as is the salad bar - small but serviceable. But you came here for steak, and if that's what you're in the mood for, you won't be disappointed. There are a few other choices - chicken, pork chops, seafood - all served with the aforementioned cheese board, salad bar and foil-wrapped baked potato (or rice pilaf, if you want to walk on the wild side). Just can't say enough about this place, which is exactly what it should be! read more

My wife and I try to do different places for each date night. I actually have driven by this place a million times and we've never tried it. We finally did and it was ok. The service, well it was excellent. The staff there are very nice and helpful. I ordered a steak and my wife the shrimp. The food, to include a salad bar which was nice to see again, was excellent. Can't complain about that. Two reasons why it's not a 5 star rating. First is the wine list. Definitely needs to be updates along with selling by the glass. The wine we ordered wasn't good but it was the only option for Cabernet by the glass. I wish they would offer more selections by the glass. Next is the darkness. I mean this place is dark when seated to eat. They need some new lighting in there. Overall, great food, service was excellent. read more

The Smithy - Steak and Baked Potato - Seafood Near Me - Monroe, Connecticut

I used to love The Smithy, and we ate there often. Then, the place got sold. The new owners renovated, and I guess they overspent, because the prices here became absolutely insane. There are other options in the area, where you won't feel fleeced after your meal. I sincerely hope they come to their senses. Until then, I simply will not pay what they want for a meal. read more

Love everything about the smithy ! We have been coming here since the day the opened years ago. Love the menu lots of things to pick from steak is the best and the lobster tail is the bomb. The only thing I was not crazy about was the prime rib . read more

This place has been here forever and the food is still very good and the atmosphere is nostalgic and reminds you of days gone by. The staff is very friendly and attentive and the salad bar is a big plus. I had the steak and it was very good for the price point, I will definitely go back. read more

I will always love this place! The salad bar and cheese bar, is my favorite part! Staff is always friendly and attentive. Always a long wait, for it's a small place. But it's definitely worth it! read more

This has always been a go to spot. We stopped in and dined inside (socially distanced); they also offer outside dining options. We found out the restaurant is under new management and was really surprised. The restaurant still has a lot of the charm which it always had but interestingly enough you can also notice some changes as well. The menu has some of the reliable choices but it also had a few twists. One of the changes I immediately notice was the addition of an 18oz. Ribeye steak. This was my choice and I was glad for it. The cut of meat was great! The steak was well seasoned and cooked at the perfect temperature. My girlfriend usually has the lamb chops and as usual they never disappoint. The prices were a little bit more than previous but when the food and service is excellent you don't mind. Give them a try and during these Covid-19 days you may want to call for a reservation just to ensure you can dine when you want to. read more

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Best kept secret. New owners but the seasoned chefs are still firing up great steaks and fish. Check them out, a Monroe staple and worth a look. Unlimited salad bar, specials, great service. Gobbled up the steak so fast forgot to take a picture! read more

I have been to the Smithy more times then I can count. And no matter what, I could never ever give them less then 3 stars as they have given us many happy memories and meals. But (for now anyway) I am not a customer. Here's why: Nothing to do with the service. It's always been rock solid with friendly staff. Nothing to do with the atmosphere. It's warm and homey inside with a fire going and on a cold winter's night, The Smithy is particularly inviting. And nothing to do with the prices. They are on the pricey side but it is a steak house. It is a bit to dark inside and I think they could brighten it up but many steak houses are dark so I can accept that. But..it's the food itself. This place has served some of the best meals I have ever had. But the last few times I was here, I noticed a change and I see other reviewers have mentioned it to. First their hamburgers. They used to be yummy and some of the best burgers in the area. I do not know if they switched vendors or what but the last few times I have had a burger the taste was completely different. Not a little different but alot. And it tasted funny. Last time, I could not eat it and gave it to someone and he couldn't eat it either. I gave them a few chances and kept coming back but they did not improve. Also noticed they apparently stopped selling coke or pepsi? Instead they offered a substitute. Again..major difference as this substitute tasted nothing like normal soda and I could not drink it. This was awhile ago. Maybe they have gone back to the way they were. I don't know. I'm sort of afraid to find out. I really enjoyed myself here and am baffled as to why things changed. Take my review with a grain of salt as I have not been here in quite awhile due to the above mentioned reasons. I miss it. I hope they go back to the old way as I would love to come back. read more

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Could eat here every day and never get tired of a single thing. From soup to steak, salad bar to desert, I never leave unhappy on any front. It's a small, cozy little house with a lot of local history they're happy to tell you about, and I definitely recommend grabbing a seat by the fire. No frills, high quality produce, great cocktail selection and caring service. This is absolutely my favorite restaurant. read more

Wonderful dinner at The Smithy on Saturday. The server was excellent, the meals were prepared perfectly and we enjoyed every minute of our dining experience. read more

We dined at The Smithy on a recent Saturday. We've been before so we know it helps to arrive right around when they open at 5PM, and we were seated immediately. The wait staff was truly attentive and quick. We like the environment of the place, it's very cozy with the fireplace on and you truly do feel like you're in the dining room of a friend's home. The salad bar was limited, but has all the basics with everything fresh and the dressings were outstanding. All of us enjoyed our entrees and the soups were great - looking forward to our next visit. read more

food and services was really good. Pleasantly surprised I know people who live locally who don't even try this great restaurant because they don't think it's "fancy enough for them ". They're missing out on a good restaurant with good food. read more

The waiters didn't have assigned tables so we had 3 people trying to take our order and when we were finally ready no one was around. The stuffed chicken was dry. The salad bar was scarce and the cheese block only had cubes of cheddar in a bowl. When we were ready to get the check no one was around. We waited 10 minutes to finally flag down a bus boy to get our waiter. read more

The Smithy - Seafood Near Me - Monroe, Connecticut

It pains me to write this, but after my last visit, I'm changing my vote. We stopped in the other day and waited an unusually long time to order and to get our food (more than an 1.20 minutes from sitting down). It took a looong time to order and if our entrees hadn't come out we had openly talked about leaving and paying just for our wine and soup. Despite how long it took for food to come out, we were never once told about any delay or acknowledged in any way. I understand they were busy, but after waiting more than an hour, you do need to acknowledge the wait with your guests. The French onion soup was delicious and really hit the spot. The salad bar didn't have too many options and left me wanting more. My meal was the biggest let down, I got the stuffed chicken and despite asking about the meal in advance, it was basically a ton of stuffing with some chicken underneath. I ate two bites and that's it. Since I was hungry, I ate every single bite of my baked potato. I would have returned my chicken, but didn't want to wait for something else. It wasn't that it was bad, it just one hundred percent wasn't what I expected, especially since I asked about it when it was ordered. Our carafe of pinot grigio was hardly drinkable and we each left a glass on the table. It was an expensive meal for the little I ate and how long we waited for everything. read more

After driving by for close to 30 years my wife and I were finally able to stop in for dinner. Unfortunately we might have caught them on an off night. They don't take reservations but we were seated right away by the nice fireplace. Very pleasant waitress told us about the cheese table and salad bar that was available. We put our order in and headed for salad and cheese. First disappointment was the cheese table which was just a single bowl of cheese cubes, a bowl of horseradish spread and crackers. The salad bar was on the small side but adequate with a variety of dressings but no oil/vinegar. After a bit of a wait our steaks (porter house and filet mignon) arrived but before our appetizers. They were apologetic and assured us we would get new steaks. The waitress explained they have a new ordering system. We enjoyed the shrimp cocktail and stuffed scallops. The 4 shrimp were decent size. The scallops came on two shells with drawn butter. Very tasty. The biggest disappointment was perhaps my porter house. First it came with rice vs the baked potato (odd because we joked about the baked potato with the waitress when we ordered). The steak itself was just ok. Not well seasoned and not very tender. Kind of reminded me of a steak I could have gotten at the local supermarket and grilled myself. My wife did enjoy her filet mignon. We also ordered side dishes of sautéed onions and mushrooms. The onions were excellent. The mushrooms on the bland side. After the meal the waitress did confirm she put the wrong order in and told us to take it off her tip (which we did not do). We skipped dessert. The final bill with tip was $180 for two apps, two steaks, 2 side dishes and 3 glasses of wine. read more

Enjoyed another wonderful dinner last night at The Smithy. Call me old fashioned, call me a dinosaur but there is just something I love about eating a meal in a quiet, human-scaled, softly lighted, dining room that wasn't built twenty minutes ago by the most recent cutting-edge designer. About enjoying well prepared traditional American food that is not swamped by the most recent grand sauce so you can both see and taste the meat or fish and potatoes. About excellent service by people who really want to know your name so they can greet you personally when you come back. About owners who work the room every night of the week and care about your dining experience. If you want bright lights, modern art and sculpture on the walls, leather booths, blaring music and roasted kale with quinoa do not go to The Smithy! Okay so maybe there was a little kale in the salad bar! If you want a place to go where you can relax, enjoy a salad bar and a good steak or well-prepared piece of fish, this is the place. Other than this throw-back approach to fine dining there are no surprises at The Smithy and that is by far the best thing about the place. It is what it is. It hasn't changed much in fifty-five years or now under new management. Bring an appetite and a love of the predictable. read more

It had been a while since I have eaten here. My meal last night was very disappointing opting for the scallops special over steak.The scallops were tasteless, smothered in buttered bread crumbs. The service was limited/ slow, no one ever came over to refill our water glasses, and took a long time to get our food and eventually the check. Too many other options in the area. read more

Classic hometown steakhouse. The steaks are good. The service is good and the ambiance is good.

Terrible meal. First time at the restaurant and it will be our last. I am writing this review so you don't ever have to endure a meal there. The steak was not good. It wasn't 'bad' in the sense of 'rotten' or 'gone bad,' but it was not good. I could have gone to Shop Rite and bought a steak and put it on our grill and it would have tasted better. I could have gone to Andros Diner and had a steak and it would have been better. It was so bad that we were laughing while we were there because there was nothing we could do except wonder why on earth we found ourselves in such a godforsaken restaurant. At least we were entertained by the 'cheese table' where the waiter intermittently dumped a large ziplock bag of pre-cubed cheese onto the tray as needed. It was comical how the place was run. Who has a cheese table with nasty manufactured cheese? The so-called salad bar looked like it was borrowed from what fell on the floor at a diner salad bar. Nothing was quality, nothing was worth going there for. Everything fell so short of what was expected, or what is 'acceptable' that there is no hope for this restaurant. It looks like the owners are looking for profit, not a good experience (buy the worst lowest-cost food, charge steakhouse prices, and laugh all the way to the bank). The atmosphere is called 'rustic' but really it is run-down and dirty. My husband was sick for a full day after his meal. Just don't go. read more

Was charged $3.00 for each Diet Coke I ordered. Not worth the money! Beef stew had very little beef in it. First time and last time.