The ambiance, service and quick turnaround time for dinner would've scored Osa 5-stars, not gonna…read morelie. An excellent date night overall for our first night in the area, but their mocktails literally tasted lake expired La Croix. I try not to use Gen Z slang her, but the definition of mid lol

The food is always excellent at OSA. I've been several times and never had a bad meal or bad…read moreservice. Recently we had a larger party than our reservations and they were able to accommodate us with a short wait, even though the restaurant was packed. The place looks and feels comfortable and elegant at the same time.

fantastic steakhouse in Middletown cooked perfectli and…read morefull of flavors the portions were very generous

We had a fantastic steak dinner here! I had the filet and my husband had the bone-in rib eye- both…read morewere cooked perfectly and full of flavor. The portions were very generous... so much so that we had another meal the next day! We sat in the bar area which had a nice vibe - relaxed but still upscale. Our server was attentive and genuinely sweet, and she made excellent martinis, too! Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded at all which made for a very enjoyable evening. Once word gets out, I'm sure that will change. Bonus: There's plenty of free parking in the back. We'll definitely be back!

Came here after the pride parade and ordered a tropical sunrise cocktail. It was very good, but…read moreunfortunately is the only thing we got due to lack of service. There were only 4 tables being served, and unfortunately, the people left next to us because they had to wait a long period of time also The food looked decent but not what I was interested in.

Went to The Forbidden Llama on May 2nd to celebrate an early Mother's Day brunch with my family…read more Our server, Jen, was very attentive and friendly, which made the experience more enjoyable. All of our food came out around the same time, which I appreciated. The ceviche was my personal favorite--super fresh and flavorful. The Peruvian street wok was also very well seasoned. The ambiance and scenery of the place are really nice and add to the overall vibe. There were a few downsides. Parking was a bit of a hassle, and for a Saturday, the place was surprisingly empty. Unfortunately, there were some men at the bar being rude to women, and at one point even flicked us off, which was uncomfortable. Jen handled the situation as best as she could and was very apologetic and reassuring. As for drinks, the towers tend to have a lot of ice, so by the time you get to the bottom, they're pretty watered down. The bottomless mimosas were definitely worth the price, but the service could be improved--I wish there was more consistent check-ins rather than having to flag someone down. Overall, I would go back because the food was really good, but I do think having security during brunch and improving drink service would make the experience much better.

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!

Amy and I went at the Blackbird Tarven. We ordered two burgers and fries. I had Buffalo blue burger…read morewith bacon, lettuce, Buffalo sauce, and cheese. Burger looks a good taste and fries too. The staff is really friendly, funny, and fun.

Very unfortunate that I have to write this review because I was expecting something very different…read more This sadly has been my worst restaurant experience in years. We had tickets at eight for Haunting at the Ridge about three minutes away. After looking at the menu, we decided to come here for dinner. I was very excited because of all the great menu options. The service was terrible from the start all around. We arrived at 6:15. There was two people in front of us. The hostess acknowledged us, but never took our name. A few minutes later, other people started coming in and she started taking their names and asking them if they wanted to sit outside. She never gave us that option. One of the people came in and started to debate whether or not they wanted to wait 20 minutes. She told them "You can stay or go, it doesn't matter to me." I should have known right there to leave. We were seated at 6:30 which was not a bad wait. 6:45 our orders were taken. Our waitress did not come back to the table one time after bringing our drinks. Never checked on us, never let us know what was going on with the food. She came back at 7:28 with our appetizer. We asked her how long would it take for the rest of our food. She apologized and said it would be another 20 to 25 minutes. I didn't understand how burgers take over an hour to make. We canceled the rest of the order. I was excited about the hotdog. Another letdown. It was cold when I got it and the chili on top had no flavor. I'm not even sure if it was deep-fried. Definitely not worth the $14.50 price. I will say the fries were very good. They were the only bright spot of the night. They have a lot to offer, but I would never come back here due to my experience.

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!

We had a light dinner here on a weeknight. There's a nice parking lot in front of the restaurant…read moreand we were warmly greeted, and seated at a nice big booth upon entry. A complimentary small dish of olives and a small bowl of buttery garlic bread were delicious! Had a late lunch so I wasn't too hungry. Ordered the arugula salad with the added protein of chicken. Inexpensive and delicious dinner of only $13! The chicken breast was flattened and grilled. It was juicy and tender. Everything on the menu looks pretty good so I'll have to come back and try other dishes when I'm back in the area.

Meh. Eggplant grinder to go. Sauce was sweet. Eggplant was flavorless and def not made in house…read more Side of meatballs were flavorless as well, seemed like a lot of the ingredients were straight from Sysco. Won't be back.

I honestly only got pizza from here because I really needed to use the restroom after being at the…read moresoccer fields, and I am so glad I did. This was a 10/10 great pizza experience. We are not often in Middletown, but we will definitely be back. This is a great place to stop, and I 10000% recommend it. Of course, I had the gluten-free veggie pizza, and I added pineapple because I am a pineapple-on-pizza person. Sue me, I am an islander. My partner had the shrimp pizza, not gluten-free, and ordered a medium. The size was honestly obscene for a medium. He kept asking to drive back down there every day after because he wanted it again. Definitely returning.

Our neighbor raves about Mondo, so we thought it was high time we paid a visit…read more Mondo is fairly easy to find; our only error was accidentally pulling into the wrong parking lot. They do offer a free lot in the back, but judging by all the cars, Mondo is very popular on a Friday evening. Sure enough, there was a big line of people picking up orders, but we walked right in and were seated immediately. We started off with a beet salad, which was surprisingly delicious, combining candied walnuts and sweet orange and green apple slices with salty feta and tangy balsamic over a mountain of mixed greens. We then moved on to paninis, generous portions of meat and toppings on freshly baked, crispy bread. One of us chose more mixed greens tossed with dressing while the other chose crunchy French fries. We also ordered a third panini to go, the Mondo combo. We asked for fries; the kitchen accidentally gave us a salad. Our server, Heather N., saved the day by noticing the error and giving us both side orders. Mondo is family friendly, and there were plenty of children during our visit. As such, the volume was a tad loud and boisterous, but nothing obnoxious that would prevent us from returning.