What an amazing experience. I had a late night out and before you know it .. it's just before 6 and there's no other places open till then except for The Gathering Ground. Mon to Sat they open at 5am. I was only 10 minutes away from 6 but I figured they look like a place I'd want to eat at anyway and fate brought me to this awesome establishment. Upon entering it's not too bright and not too dark especially for this hour. The place looks immaculately clean. It's your typical diner feel just a little more modernish with the color scheme inside. Two breakfast bars and the rest booths and tables. Round stools at the bar for seating. The waitress greeted me and I just sat at the breakfast bar. I got a a coffee to start, nice med - dark roast. Not burnt and tasted freshly made, good quality Java to wake you up. Better than Dunkin could offer lol. For my breakfast I decided on the Crazy Good Hash and a side of sausage (they offer links or patties, I love my patties so that's what I chose). First bite was just amazing. I wasn't sure what to expect .. I low key was just thinking it would be the stuff from a can like other diners use but no.. you will not get that here. It was legit fresh corned beef... griddled with hashed potatoes .. it was light and flavorful, crispy crust and soft interior. Not drowning in sodium like the can stuff. The corned beef really just melted in your mouth, so juicy and tender just like a properly cooked corned beef should taste. It was just amazing and I was completely blown away. Paired together with high quality eggs and perfectly toasted with butter toast, there was not one bite left. I couldn't stop eating it. I was almost sad with my last bite .. but I was about to explode anyway since it was a very generous portion. I'm just a glutton when it comes to good savory foods. The sausage patties were great too .. nice crispy and juicy, good flavor profile, not herby like some .. I don't like those but these were great. Please come give this place a try and go for the Crazy Good Hash and Eggs. You won't regret it. read more

Gathering Ground - Crazy Good Hash and Eggs - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

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Absolutely delicious hash- probably the best I've had. What was Really nice was that the owner/chef didn't have enough left to give me a full order, but he graciously gave me what he had left. The restaurant was spotless; the service was excellent; very quick delivery of our breakfasts! We will definitely go back!! read more

I had breakfast with a few of my friends traveling together. We had a few hours before our flight left and picked this spot. I had the crab cake Benedict and it was outstanding. I added asparagus to the meal. Fresh crab, nicely seasoned cake.. Service was on point, always getting drinks refilled and checked on. Everyone was pleased with their order. The restaurant was very clean and homey. I wished that I lived in the area, so that I could dine there often. Everything came out as ordered and prepared. There were five of us and nobody had a complaint, just praise! Go, you won't be disappointed. read more

This deserves a zero star rating. We showed up to get seated and the hostess didn't look too happy to seat 14 guests. They stated "we do not do that many people". The restaurant was not full when we walked in with plenty of empty tables to put together. This was a very unpleasant service we received thinking it was going to be a good place to eat in a local town with good reviews. If you are an out of towner don't go, unfriendly people. read more

Been here many times, and hard to believe I haven't previously written a review. But Yelp says I haven't, so here goes. The food has always been really good, especially the CBH, which is housemade. Very clean eatery, and fair prices. Nevertheless, about 2 years ago, I stopped patronizing. It had gotten to the point where service was snail like. And it was both in the waitstaff and kitchen. It seemed there were always signs up advertising for help. In fairness, part of this was COVID related. A few days ago, two friends wanted to try a local place for breakfast. We went here, fingers crossed. The place was pretty busy, but... our server, Jessica, seated and greeted us promptly and took drink orders (which came quickly). My two friends both ordered eggs over w CBH and toast. I ordered a ham and egg on a grilled roll. I was amazed how fast the food came out. Everything was eggggcellent and Jessica checked on us several times, keeping us well caffeinated. Gathering Ground is back on its game! 4.5 stars read more

Gathering Ground - Eggs over, over CBH, 4/11/24 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

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I met a friend from GA that was traveling through CT on the recommendation. The restaurant was busy but we got a booth right away. You can tell this is a regular spot for people. The waitresses knew people by name and greeted everyone warmly. You immediately feel welcome here. I have a gluten allergy. I had an omelette with potatoes and a side of bacon. The omelette was so fluffy and was excellent. The bacon was crisp and well cooked. I usually don't like potatoes but they were excellent. I ate them all. I had the GF toast. Very good. My DD had pancakes. They were huge and very good. read more

Gathering Ground - Omelette with bacon and GF toast. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Great homemade hash. The eggs Benedict with hash and potatoes are delicious. You will not leave hungry either.

Delicious food, good, no frills service and a comfortable setting. Absolutely great place for breakfast or lunch. read more

Gathering Ground - Corned beef hash omelet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

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We always love visiting the gathering ground! It's a local staple! The food is always delicious and fresh, service is fast and friendly. We've had family gatherings here and they were so accommodating and supportive. We come back every time we are in town, usually multiple times! read more

Trying to find something near the airport. Saw this review it was fantastic husbands had special which was a double breakfast sandwich ion a croissant with two eggs ,double bacon and cheese huge and delicious . Son just had a bulky roll with eggs on it done perfectly. I had one pancake which covered the whole plate & an order of bacon where there must've been six or seven slices. Everything was perfect , service great place is spotless. What a find. Next time the hash! read more

Food was salty, waitress was not friendly and all were racist. My hubby and I are clearly hispanics- and we were not greeted with a good morning or when we left- however they did do it for everyone else. Needless to say we will not return. read more

I had a delicious crazy good breakfast here today. This restaurant is a little off the beaten path but worth the trip. Everyone on the crew is a total professional. I was very impressed with the terrific service and quickness of food delivery. The menu gives a diner a lot to consider, but I made a sweet choice. Brought my own cup o joe, so I simply had ice water. I will go back again on my next day off if possible. I loved the prices too. I want to try EVERYTHING!! read more

Great breakfast in a joint that is clearly patronized by locals and that's a good thing. I had warm, welcoming service, a lake of coffee and a delicious breakfast served by a waitress who was pleased that I was here. I chose the corned beef hash breakfast, which came with two eggs that I ordered over easy and rye toast. It was delicious and thoroughly enjoyable. A good portion and cooked with care. No fancy frills here and that's perfectly okay with me. I had a great breakfast. [Review 15189 overall, 691 of 2021, number 41 in Connecticut.] read more

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Older lady butted into our conversation and then freaked out when she was wrong and refused to look at my phome or accept google or any other source. Stubborn and iggnorant see wbat happens when you dont mind your business. Go next store to Krauzers they make a great sandwich breakfast or lunch . They are cheaper and very nice and gracious read more

While the food is amazing, the service is terrible, I have been here several times and each time the waitress appears stressed and rude. Took at least 15 to even take our order. And when she finally took it, our table felt like we were an inconvenience. Just isn't worth the aggravation. read more

Great prices, huge portions, friendly service always, and such a homey feeling! The omelette and homemade hash are to die for

The food was excellent and they open early so convenient if you have an early flight out of BDL and want to catch an early hearty meal.

Classic American diner, that primarily serves breakfast and lunch. After working a long graveyard shift, grabbed my favorite go to breakfast combo of corned beef hash with sunnyside up eggs, wheat toast and a piping cup of black coffee. If I'm feeling extra, I throw in a fresh, crispy hash brown patty to boot. The waiters were always welcoming and the price is just right. If you're ever in this area and need to start the day with a good breakfast, this is the spot! read more

Gathering Ground - Crazy corned beef hash - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

I'm sorry but this was recommended to us by a local family member bee who lives close by. This place was not good. I didn't even eat the food nor did my mother in law or niece. They were out of the majority of items we were wanting to order initially and some things on their menu they said they only serve certain seasons. Took a while for us to have our order taken, and forgot to bring my water when I had asked. After waiting 30 minutes I told my sister to ask for it for me again. Very disappointed as I was hungry going in and left with no apetite since the corned beef has was gross. My over medium eggs weren't cooked correctly and it just wasn't a great experience. read more

The food is excellent, I love to have my breakfast in the Gathering Ground restaurant. Nice people and the best service and ambience.

My family drove over 3 hours to visit family in CT and we were meeting for breakfast and needed table for 8 including 2 children. They put us in two tables near each other so moved the table closer. The waitress came over and asked us to move the tables back before the owner comes out cause that's how the tables break. We started to move the tables back when the owner Tom a man with his fly open and looking disheveled asked us if we were asked not to move the tables. We explained the waitress just asked us to move them back. He then started getting nasty telling us that's how people get hurt and break his tiles and then told us to get out. Your establishment was empty and it is clearly not a place for gathering. This is by far the worst customer experience I have had. Do not give Tom any of your money. read more

Really home made corned beef hash! Served hot and a side of Tatar's black coffee. Small strip mall easy access to BDL read more

Gathering Ground - Corned beef hash. Excellent! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Coffee was like mud and service non existence. The waitresses more interested in visiting than waiting. Food mediocre.

We had breakfast at The Gathering Ground this past Sunday.I ordered a chili omlette. It arrived with a filling I would not feed my dog.The cook told our server they did not have red beans so they used something else. The whole dish was disgusting. I find it hard to believe that they thought a frequent customer would not notice this disgusting filling folded into their omlette!!! Also, there was a sign when entering that said"Due to lack of business we have laid off staff,so be patient with waiting". Our server was very underdstanding. We cannot imagine at this stage of Covid,they have lost their dedication to the quality of food served. This was our favorite breakfast restaurant. We will not be returning soon. read more

Came in with a group of 16 unannounced. They worked hard to get us seated in a timely manner. The food and service were excellent. Great place. You won't be disappointed. read more

I've had breakfast at this restaurant several times, and found the food to be very good. This morning we went for breakfast, and we sat ourselves as I always had. Well, there was a "Wait to be Seated" sign we didn't see and walked past. We were told to go back and wait, so we did, and I made the comment that it didn't seem unreasonable that we sat ourselves. One of the waitresses was jawing behind that counter to a customer that there was a sign and we walked past it, which I found comical. She then came and seated us, and said they needed to spread out the seating, and I told her "it's all good, not a problem." Within a few minutes we had our drink order taken. Then, we waited another fifteen minutes and still hadn't had our food order taken, and there were only four other tables on our side. It became clear the waitresses were harboring an attitude and forgot their sole reason for existing as a business is to take a customers order, and bring them their food and drinks. That's it. So we decided to go elsewhere, and I said to the waitress "it's been 15 minutes, and we won't wait any longer." Her response was a shrug of her shoulders, and an "okay." There is no reasonable reason for abysmal customer service, and it's certainly not a win for these waitresses or the restaurant owner. It's a small town and word gets around. While the food is good, the bad service overshadows that and we won't be back. read more

We are here with 16 people on a whim while in town for a softball tournament. Cannot recommend this place enough. Excellent food- service and hospitality. Donna was amazing and if I'm ever back in Windsor I will definitely stop in. Had pancakes that were excellent and the coffee was hot and perfect. Homey place with such a comfortable feel!!!! Thank you for such a great meal and morning! Highly recommend read more

Clean and neat as a pin. Super friendly wait staff. Very large breakfast menu reasonably priced (two omelettes and 2 coffees for about $20. Stopped in early today after a 7 AM airport drop-off. We stopped here specifically because of Yelp - that's how I learned Gathering Ground existed. Its in a small strip mall just off of 75 behind the airport. and our first impressions of the space were that it was pretty large and very bright, neat, clean, and modern looking. No old booths repaired with electricians tape here -c'mon --you know that look, right? Service was pleasant and efficient. The coffee was hot and fresh and tasted great. I created my omelette, choosing hot Italian sausage, jalapenos and onions to go along with egg beaters- and I'm not really sure, but I think there might have been no surcharge for the egg beaters. If that's the case, it is headline worthy- because it drives me batshit crazy to pay an extra buck or two for that in some places. Our 2 omelettes and 2 coffees were about $20 and a half bucks- right in the usual price range for a breakfast out. It's a really nice place with a big menu and friendly service. A definite "keeper" for our breakfast rotation. read more

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This is the second time we have tried this place the first time they chose not to acknowledge us at the door while the waitress played on her phone we waited at the door for 15 minutes. The second time we came in we were seated it took 15 minutes for our drink order from our rude waitress we waited a additional 45 minutes for her to take our order for her to tell us she couldn't scramble the omelette into a scramble omelette and she continued to argue with my friend my friend said that she didn't want to order but the rest of us were ready and the over dramatic rude waitress said she couldn't deal with it because she couldn't handle being told she didn't want to order anything i was so angry this waitress should have been terminated on the spot read more

Good service, loved the homemade hash. A solid old school breakfast place, better than a chain.

" Best corned beef hash breakfast I have ever had! " Wow! It was 5 a.m. driving towards Bradley International Airport and was looking for somewhere open to have a decent breakfast before catching my flight. The airport is filled with traditional fast food and I wanted to sit down as I had well over an hour to kill in the whee hours of the morning... A quick search for early open spots leads me to a nearby street and an easy to miss, out of the way strip mall where " higher ground " has an unassuming diner/truck stop style, hole- in-a-wall , family run restaurant. As soon as I opened the door at 5:15 a.m., I was surprised at the number of people and tables that had the dining room humming. I went to the bathroom for a minute and on the way out, you get to take in the simple grandma's place type decor and artifacts. The place looks like an extremely clean and well maintained diner stuck in a time warp from the 1980's - and In this case, it is a very good thing, somewhat timeless realism... Service wise, the lovely youthful waitress was extremely upbeat for the time of day. The extensive menu was spot on and Priced right. My eyes kept turning to the corned beef hash which was topped with two eggs that I had over easy with brown toast; served with a side of sliced fresh fruit. The coffee refills were abound and I didn't even have to ask once. Service was super friendly and attentive; the menu prices absolutely, very affordably priced right. Wow! Wow! Wow! I can honestly say that, hands down, this was the best corned beef hash breakfast I've ever had!!! Higher Ground is a simple, wholesome, wow factor, no fuss no Huss, airport breakfast " diner " destination; Will definitely return!!! read more

Gathering Ground - Corn beef hash platter - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

The place is very clean and people are nice. We had the big man breakfast to go. It comes with 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 toasts, home fries, hash fries, and choice of meat. The food is big portion and they are yummy. The price is also very reasonable. read more

Gathering Ground - Big man breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Best place In town for breakfast or lunch. Food was served hot and flavorful. Pleasant staff and welcoming atmosphere.

Went in this morning for breakfast and received terrible customer service. Waited several minutes to be seated, waited several minutes for a high chair/menu. When we told the waitress we were immediately ready to order, she told us there were several other tables that needed to order first. The restaurant was not that busy, and was very much following COVID capacity restrictions. It's disappointing to try and support local business during this difficult time and receive poor service. read more

Tried Gathering Ground based on so many good Yelp reviews. The Yelpers were right about location, it is set back off of the street and easy to drive by without seeing. We entered in and sat ourselves and immediately looked at each other and simultaneously said "it's nice and clean". My friend ordered the Southern breakfast. Her sausage and gravy passed the yummy test. The gravy had a good flavor and a well seasoned sausage was used. I will definitely get that plate next time. I had pancakes and bacon. The pancakes had a good flavor to them, a little on the pale side so specify golden brown if that's your preference. By the time we left the place was really packing up. It definitely has it's regular crowd. The coffee blend wasn't my favorite but certainly overlookable. Our server was warm and friendly. Environment was cozy. We loved the cleanliness. We definitely liked this very place and will return. read more

Gathering Ground - Southern breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

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I ordered a short stack of pancakes with a side of sausage... whatever the pancakes were cooked in made them taste heavy and oily, and not fresh oil either. The hash was overly salty, and greasy. The breakfast potatoes were only so-so. My coffee was the only "good" part of my breakfast. read more

Great service and food. It's a solid no frills breakfast offering. If you're looking for a good breakfast option close to Bradley Airport, this is the place for you. read more

Always on the lookout for great breakfast places (that are kid-friendly), I heard lots of recommendations for Gathering Ground. A few trips later, it's become part of our regular breakfast/brunch rotation. Gathering Ground is located in Windsor Locks on a connector street between Ella Grasso and Route 159. It's fairly easy to find, and it's in a small shopping area with a ton of parking. Even on a busy weekend, finding close parking isn't a problem. I've only had breakfast, so I can't speak to their lunch menu. However, all the breakfast options I've tried were very good. The corned beef hash stands out and is my favorite - crispy and flavorful, without being too salty. We've ordered pick-up a few times, and have never had an issue. The food is hot and tastes just as good as it does in the restaurant. Service is fantastic as well, very friendly and efficient. Overall, Gathering Ground is definitely recommended if you're looking for a tasty, affordable breakfast in the area. read more

I'm glad we read the reviews, they were right! The hash is great! Service was right on top of things and prices very reasonable. So much so that we're going there tomorrow too! To the staff; thank you, again! read more

Really a nice place to have an excellent breakfast Had a waffle with strawberries and bacon with oj Generous with the strawberries and bacon and a large glass of oj Topped that off with reasonable prices and excellent service. Wi I'll be back when I'm near bdl airport read more