Loved this intimate, 'secret', experience that Conspiracy has to offer!…read more The decor, the lighting, music, is all exceptional. I love the speakeasy vibe that they have very much achieved! Bartenders were great, it was so busy but they handled the rush very well (we barely waited for our drinks to come out, I was impressed!) I ordered the Devil (2024) drink and was very impressed. I will need to revisit for their updated menu this year!

I can't recommend this place enough. If I could give it a 6th star, I would…read more This not only met what I was looking for, but went above and beyond. The staff is always pleasant, the drink menu is perpetually (seasonally) changing. I've been coming here for years, the first time I came the menu was a deck of beautifully illustrated Tarot cards. This time around the menu was an illustrated picture book. And get this... the book had for codes to videos that created a "vibe" for the drink. The atmosphere here is a 6/5 stars, the staff is a 5/5, and the drinks are a 5/5. I love coming to this spot and make a point to stop by when in CT. Cheeseboard was also delicious. The mix of artisan cheese with honey is amazing, then throw in a salted cracker and some grapes with dried meats.... Phenomenal experience.

Such a great towny bar. Adrian is amazing bartender who remembered our names and our drinks after…read morejust one visit. She is always cheerful and friendly. Food is surprisingly good. I definitely thought it wouldn't be so delish just because it's a town bar. Boy was I wrong!!! You need to try the burgers. They are out of this world!!

After so many years coming here, it still never disappoints! The food is still excellent especially…read moretheir buffalo wings and burgers. However I have to give a high praise for their chili, so good I left the bowl clean . The service is still excellent and they really take good care of you. We enjoyed the music playing on the box and we still love the decor inside, that's what makes the place fun. Very fair prices, great drink options and a good time is always happening. So long as The Winchester is around, I will always come here whenever I visit.

I came here for an early dinner on a Monday with my husband and daughter. I started off with the…read moreSpeakeasy Punch - yum! - and shared the Ale House Pub Pretzels with my husband. For our entrees, I had the Nashville Chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries, my husband had the New England Fish & Chips, and our daughter had pasta with marinara sauce. We really liked our food! The quality and serving size was great - we had enough to enjoy the following day at home. It was also a nice surprise to find out our daughter's meal was free since it was Kid's Night. We look forward to dining here again!

Ordered the loaded tater tots to go. Haven't had tater tots in quite some time so thought I would…read moretry them. BUYER BEWARE - tots had very little cheese, of which I thought it would have been the liquid type. NO bacon, NO scallions and NO sour cream - this is all per the menu. @ $14 this is quite a bold price but sounded delish.. CANNOT recommend these or.maybe a retrain on the menu for the cooks.. See photo I will just stick to the Shepards pie which is good along with the French Dip and Fig and Brie Chicken.

I had the fish and chips yesterday. Best, tasty breaded cod, crunchy crust, and flaky meat.read more

Gluten free fryer! That's what got us in the door! Waitress/bartender knew exactly what gluten was…read moreand pointed out the things we couldn't have (which we knew but it was nice to see that she knew too!!) I've been here twice once at night on a cold Friday in the fall and then just a couple weeks ago during the day on Saturday. Both times were just busy enough to not be slow or slammed. Drink service was fast and the food paced perfectly. It's got a bit of a towny feel, we had a few stares coming in but nothing out of the norm. If you see bikers out front, they don't bite. Just go in! Bathrooms are tiny and a bit- divey. Just wash your hands and you'll be fine. My husband has celiacs and although he's a risky celiac, he has not had any issues after eating here.

Came here for the prime rib special on Tuesday. The place fills up quickly, get there before five…read moreif you want the special before it sells also. The prime rib was fine, though there's no au jus. Can't beat the price. However, if you think you got forgotten and are wondering where all the servers went, you probably did. It was frustrating to be invisible in such a small space. Also, even with a couple additional pats of butter, I can't recommend the lobster bisque.

Good food live music is a nice touch. Service is great. Prices are a bit high for what you get but…read morenot terrible. We enjoyed our experiences here every time.

I identified The Hop Knot as one of the CT spots hosting a miracle pop up. I was surprised I had…read morenever heard of it because it's a Craft Pretzel and Beer Bar, and that's a unique concept for CT. They have pretzels with dips, gourmet stuffed pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, wings, tenders and fish and chips. The bar was decorated for Christmas and they were serving special holiday drinks in fun Christmas themed mugs. I had the Christmasaurus in a red ceramic dinosaur and my wife had a Butter Rum Mocktail in a winking Santa mug. My drink was tasty and the mugs were fun. We bought a couple of the fun mugs to go. A person who I believe was the owner and the chef, was wearing a Christmas sweater and obviously loves the Christmas theme. Our server who doubled as the bartender was a bit more stoic about the theme. LOL. The food was generally good. It seemed like the pretzels may have picked up another aroma from the kitchen while the pretzels were cooking, because they had a slight aftertaste. Manageable, but not ideal. The pretzels looked great and had good texture. The beer cheese dip and mustard dip were both good. My pretzel stuffed with Mac and Cheese and short rib was good. We also split some holiday snack mix and Carolina BBQ wings. They were probably my favorite part of the meal. 4 Stars. The Hop Knot is definitely a place to check out. I understand that there used to be one in Middletown, CT and one in New Hampshire, although I'm unclear on the relation to the present owners in Portland.

Boneless wings were very good. I would order again for sure. Nice people work here and the…read moreprices, parking cleanliness, noise level etc were all just fine. Beer selection is decent. I had a nice IPA. It's a bit out of my way so I won't get here often but will stop in any chance I get to return. Highly recommend!

Such a fun local bar that is cozy inviting and welcoming. My fiancé and I are local to Cromwell and…read morealways come in when the grandparents take the babe! Clean kitchen, delicious bar bites, and we love that there is touch tunes (jukebox) and pool! Makes for a quick and fun date night. Love the bartenders and they know us by name.

A friend had recommended The Hideaway for wings a while back. Since then, a number of people…read morementioned them too. I recently visited. The Hideaway is a cool neighborhood bar. Not fancy. Just functional. I was there on an NFL Sunday. There were lots of regulars. There was good interaction with the staff. I didn't catch her name, but the woman who was the only person working the bar and waiting on the tables was amazing. She was super friendly to everyone. She hustled to meet everyone's needs. It wouldn't surprise me if she is an owner too. It's hard to find people, who aren't owners, who are that committed. I asked for a wing flavor recommendation and she said "Montreal Honey" first. I ordered 6. The wings are part-baked and then finished in a fryer. Good inner and outer texture. The Montreal Seasoning was right on. The Honey didn't have much of a presence either visually or flavor-wise. More was needed to balance the salt from the Montreal Seasoning and to justify the Honey in the name. I tried both the Blue Cheese and the Ranch. I'd recommend the Blue Cheese. I'll definitely return to try more wing flavors. I also ordered a crock of chili, which was full of ground beef and topped with melted cheddar and chopped red onions. The chili was solid. I'd probably try something else before I ordered it again though. I'm a fan of Hideaway and I'll be back. 4.25 Stars

Went here on a Friday night to hear a great local band Back In The Day. We haven't been here…read morebefore but a friend who comes often for the daily specials and takeout suggested we try it. We had a great time. The staff was friendly and as they all go behind the bar to pour beer and drinks service was very fast since there's no waiting for one bartender to serve the whole place. We went early and had food before the band started. Chicken nachos. Very good. Coconut Shrimp. Very good Foot long Hummel hot dog Bacon cheeseburger and fries Cheeseburger snd fries Nothing fancy but the food was solid bar food. They do have specials during the week that are more of a full meal. Ie: pork cutlets, mashed potatoes, veggie, etc. It's an older place. Showing it's age in places just like me....but it's comfortable and friendly and the regulars are too. Give them a try when in the area. We will be back.

Very Rude Staff. I hope they were just having a bad day. But they literally seemed like they don't…read morecare.

Decent beer selection, however the outdoor area ambiance is what sells this place. The firepits &…read moreseating in the sand is such a vibe. Great for the warmer months when joined by a couple of friends. I am giving this a 3 stars because the last time me & my partner visited we did not get the same welcoming attitudes which we experienced in our previous visits. Another weird vibe I got was when I was ordering another round of beers for both my boyfriend and I -- my order was taken last despite standing/waiting at the bar before other patron's. I was the only woman standing there so I am not sure if this had something to do with it.... Definitely a college bar-type atmosphere. I will say the crispy brussels & spinach and artichoke dip were tasty and cooked very well.

Stopped in for a quick bite and a beer on our way out of town. Beer menu is definitely what…read morebrought us there but the food was surprisingly good as well. The atmosphere is straight up bar but we still felt comfortable with our teens with us. It would have been fine with smaller children too as the restaurant seating is away from the bar area. The beer menu was fairly comprehensive. They have their own brews and have many local CT craft brews on draft. They also have some cans and bottles if that's your thing. I didn't notice any crazy rare lambics but that's not what we were looking for. We had a few hazies and few stouts and everything was delightful. Our server Anna was a seasoned pro. She knew the menu and exactly when to come by our table to check in. We had some pulled pork nachos and there was plenty to go around. The dry rub on the wings was delicious and the wings themselves were cooked right. Overall, if you find yourself in Middletown looking for a nice beer and some decent food, this is a great choice!

Closed for the season but can't wait to go when they reopen. This place is epic vinyl, beer,…read morebooks, and live music !!! I'm IN

This place is so groovy and welcoming! Martha the owner is quite literally an earth angel! She…read moremakes a mean Bloody Mary and has such a great energy to her, and has cultivated that into her business! Great selection of vinyl, drinks and some snackies! There was live music playing and all of the musicians were really good. It was nice to see the little community come together! 10/10!!