Finding a spot that nails the "high-end" vibe without the suffocating stuffiness of a traditional steakhouse is rare, but this place manages to pull it off perfectly. The first thing you notice walking in is the atmosphere. It's gorgeous--lots of natural light during the day and soft, moody lighting in the evening that plays off the wood floors and exposed recovered beams. It feels organic and warm, yet the white tablecloths and pressed-leather menus let you know you're in for a serious meal. The service was impressively discreet; they were always there when we needed something but never interrupted the flow of our conversation. They started us off with some incredibly fresh bread, which was a great sign of things to come. For starters, do not skip the Mussels Fra Diabolo. The broth has a perfect hit of garlic and basil, and the crostini is essential for soaking up every drop of that marinara. We also tried the Parmesan Brussel Sprouts--the candied walnuts add a crunch and sweetness that balances the savory sprouts perfectly. For the mains, the Chicken and Wild Mushrooms Pappardelle was a standout. The truffle oil was fragrant without being overpowering, and the presentation tied the whole dish together. I also have to mention the Roasted Chicken. It's rare to find chicken this flavorful and juicy with such a distinct, crispy skin. The combination of spicy sausage and cherry peppers gave it a nice heat, balanced out by the whipped potatoes and spinach. We finished with the coconut and blood orange sorbet, which was the ideal light, refreshing conclusion to the meal. If you're looking for a place where you can actually hear your companions speak while enjoying top-tier presentation and food quality, this is it. A total culinary delight. read more

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I recently discovered Scena and it's a gem!! Fresh salads (love the goat cheese one), eggplant parm, homemade pastas, great wines, and a very fun drink menu! Delicious Italian food in a relaxed but polished atmosphere, with friendly service. Perf for a date or large group accommodation. Our server surprised us with champagne to go with the homemade chocolate lava cake....so good. I'm glad I know about this restaurant now, and I think they need to get the word out more about their business - they should be busier! Rooting for Scena. read more

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best service, and food! I love to go to Scena Restaurant with my family and friends to eat and enjoy the meal with them. read more

Waited an hour for absolutely NO food on Valentine's Day. Walked out an hour after sitting down didn't even get our single appetizer we ordered. Nobody came to our table to apologize for the wait or anything... read more

Nice place, ok food, nothing exciting. Looks really nice outside from the sidewalk...inside is one large room w scattered tables. The food is new Italian with a lengthy menu. (Too lengthy?) very average. Not sure I'd go out of my way to go back there. read more

Scena - a table with a white tablecloth and wine glasses - Italian Near Me - Darien, Connecticut

OMG..... where did this place come from. Great atmosphere, the food is definitely Chef inspired and reasonably priced considering it's Darien...... I will definitely comeback to try more options off the menu. read more

Scena - Shrimp Amalfi - Italian Near Me - Darien, Connecticut

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Either new or no management or no one wanted to work. Poor service from no water to inedible scallops. We have been many times prior and thought why not for NYE. Mistake of all nights. They did comp a round of drinks in the end yet no one drinks. Just a sloppy service and the cost . Used to be much better. House half full too. Unclear why just very disappointing read more

Popped in after work for a quick drink and decided to order the tuna tar tare, fried calamari and French fries and have to say the best thing was the fries. The tuna lacked flavor and was mushy and the calamari had a very weird texture and portions were very small. The only reason I'm giving three stars is because the wine was very good. Not sure if we came in at an off time or what but service was slow and our glasses were always empty. There is a parking lot toward the side of the restaurant or street parking They do take credit card We won't be back read more

During my last dinner for four of us (two family guests came in from out of town) we had a particularly annoying experience. We all ordered dinner together but, due to a mistake by the server and/or the kitchen staff, my dinner entree was completely wrong from what I ordered. My main course lamb entrée from the menu was combined with my salad order -- literally on the same plate! Huh? Regardless, eventually I never got my salad and the main course didn't arrive until well after everyone else had finished theirs. Not good. And the other folk thought their entrees of salmon were dry and just OK. And worst of all, no one bothered to offer to comp my meal, give us a free drink, maybe a free dessert,... Nothing! Not even a real apology which ticked me me off royally. Now, I am willing to cut the wait staff some slack because it's a thankless job, but we were there early and this is not the first bad experience we've had at Scena. In fact this is the third time we were unhappy with Scena over the years and won't ever be going back, which is really too bad since Darien doesn't have that many restaurants and crossing one off permanently is a real shame. Sigh... read more

Drove by again. Can't believe people go. They withhold pay to their staff..... This chain should be avoided until they make a statement and pay the workers read more

Angelo and the entire staff at Scena were amazing!! The food and the atmosphere was fantastic!! Highly recommend!

A pleasant place, especially at the bar - the staff is friendly, the wines are good, and the food - surprisingly so (the quality I'd the Italian restaurants in Connecticut is...interesting). The pasta is actually handmade, and the pizza crust refreshingly crisp. Mind you, the pasta can be slightly overdone, but it doesn't actually detract. Now, if the prices were only around 20% lower, I'd be here everyday. read more

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We met our friends here for dinner - during Covid after we had our first shot. There had plexi partitions between each table inside and the wait staff was all wearing face masks. I had the Caesar salad which was ok- hub had lobster bisque which was less than ok. Our friends both had salads. My main meal of scallops was very good- tuna was a bit overcooked. My gh got the chicken and she liked it and her hub had a pasta dish which he enjoyed. I wanted to like the food more but it was just Meh....for Darien given the choices I suppose it's one of the better restaurants. But for a better selection of restaurants with better tasting food on par with the price I'd venture to Stamford or Greenwich. read more

Walked into Scena as a party of 2 on a Friday evening and was able to grab a table immediately. The lighting was pretty dim inside even on a bright summer night. We ordered drinks to start - a glass of sancerre and a paloma cocktail. Both were good and reasonably priced. We also got 2 glasses of the super tuscan, which wasn't great but serviceable. The entrees didn't catch our eye so we decided to split 5 appetizers as our meal - buratta, meatballs, steak tartar, grilled octopus, and crispy artichokes. We loved all of the dishes aside from the meatballs. They tasted like unseasoned beef and the sauce had a weird flavor. I will preface I am extremely picky and have very high standard for meatballs/sauce so I probably shouldn't have ordered them to start. All of the other appetizers were absolutely delicious!! read more

I'm a big fan of this place. Last night was my first night there and I had a great time. The outdoor seating is beautiful, downtown Darien is an adorable town. The lights at night were a romantic addition! Of course it being June.... I went with a rose The food was unique with a few classics. The 'Eggplant Parmigiano' appetizer was great, and I'm glad we tried it; thick cut eggplant with tomato sauce and homemade mozzarella! The blueberry goat cheese on the 'Tri Colore salad' was gorgeous, and I liked that they didn't skimp on the pine nuts. I also really enjoyed the 'Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes Cobb Salad'! The cakes were amazing! Don't miss the 'shrimp a la linda' idk who Linda is.... but she knows how to cook up a shrimp! For dinner my favorite was the pan seared duck breast! The duck was perfectly cooked and I appreciated the contrast of flavor. The veal chop was HUGE! I loved the crispy and buttery chop with the fresh arugula salad on top. We also grabbed a few pizzas! Again a winner with arugula on top mushrooms or prosciutto If you aren't into dinner and you are just wanting a cheeseboard and a glass of wine for a quick stop, this cheese and charcuterie board is one of better ones I've had in CT, it was beautiful with a good selection of cheeses. I can see myself coming back here often! I would love to see how the specials change with the season!m read more

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Love the food. And the wine list. Prices aren't bad. Service is quick and friendly. A little too nice for kids but mine liked the food so they sat and ate their whole meal! One of my Darien favorites! read more

Fantastic experience at Scena this past Friday night. In spite of recent poor reviews, thought we'd give it a try given that we had a one free entree coupon. I must say the whole experience was great. Service was quick informative, and professional. Dinner reservation was 6:30, not terribly busy, but lots of staff on hand. Numerous people stopped by our table to ask how everything was. Drink refills were timely, dessert and final check were all presented on time. Meals were great as well, not only in taste and presentation but also in quantity. Brought half of one meal home as leftovers. One notable touch: I'd read the menu online and had my heart set on Cavatelli with octopus and chorizo. Unfortunately this wasn't on the current "in restaurant" menu. Server quickly said he can make this anyways, and seems genuinely glad to do it. It was spectacular with generous portions and a hint of smoke through all ingredients. Pleasantly surprised, and we will gladly be back again, even at full price of dinner for two. read more

Scena - Fantastic Cavatelli with octopus and chorizo. - Italian Near Me - Darien, Connecticut

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What an amazing experience! A party of 10 to celebrate my nieces birthday. The food was excellent, the service was amazing, friendly and warm. We couldn't have asked for a better evening. Creme Brûlée was out of this world. Everything was delicious! . Highly recommend. read more

There was a very minor mix up with my order, however, this establishment went OVER AND BEYOND to bring me my missing items along with a nice bottle of MALBEC. And here I am thinking good customer service died. Thank you so much read more

Scena - Malbec and Crispy Artichoke Salad - Italian Near Me - Darien, Connecticut

Just love the crispy artichoke salad! Excellently prepared dishes all around. Wines a bit pricey, but super friendly service, especially at the bar. read more

Favorite Restaurant in Darien, Consistent Top Quality Darien's restaurant scene has improved in recent years, and Scena remains our number one choice. We were a party of eight, with three other couples from nearby towns who hadn't been to Scena before. They all were impressed with the quality of food. Our group had the Mediterranean Salad, a Watermelon salad, and the Beef Salad Carpaccio to start, and as entrees veal chop Milanese, Red Snapper, Halibut, and Rack of Lamb. All were pleased by their choices. read more

The food and service here is wonderful! The price fixe menu has great variety and every dish was amazing.

We went for brunch, it was good. Service was slow, and not an abundance of food for the price, but it was cute and, in downtown, so convenient as well. read more

I'm so glad I decided to visit Scena! I was looking for a place to grab wine and food on a Saturday early evening, and checked my list to see what I'd been meaning to try. Scena came up as having happy hour on Saturdays until 6:30 pm (it's tues-Sat), and that sealed the deal. The way they do happy hour is interesting, also. If you sit at the bar, you get 30% off your entire order, no matter what you get. It allows a lot more flexibility to try menu items! The service at the bar was great. Everyone I interacted with was really friendly and fun. The wine list was pretty decent. A little overpriced, sure.. but nice options from quite a range of regions. I like that they have wine specials (and food specials) going on at any time that are different from the normal menu items. I started with a glass of cheap prosecco, and got a nice full pour. I tried the charred octopus dish, and it was fantastic. The flavors came together so well. My first bite was just a piece of the octopus, and I actually thought, this is a little chewy and should be cooked more (perhaps boiled before being grilled). However, I then tried pieces of octopus with other parts of the dish--the cherry peppers and tomatoes, and the crema--and the various textures worked so well together that I changed my mind. And, the cherry pepper flavor with the others was so well balanced and delightful. Next I had a glass of rioja riserva from the specials menu, and tried the steak tartare. I enjoy that they use the mini carafes, so you can keep a smaller amount of wine in your glass at a time. Plus, it means they provide the larger pours (a mini carafe is usually a glass-and-a-half size), which justifies the pricing a bit :) But let's talk about the tartare. It was phenomenal. I'm a tartare junkie - basically, if raw food is on a menu and I deem the place reputable enough to eat it, I'm trying it. This was one of the best I've had. The meat was fresh, and the flavors were perfect. The tartare itself was perfectly seasoned and flavored--mustard and pepper but something else, also. The arugula and sauces on the plate were all perfect when combined. I often skip the bread, or have just a bit (for carb-watching purposes, and because I actually enjoy the protein on its own), but this bread was too good to pass up. It was so fresh, perfectly toasted and buttered, and when you put everything together the bite was amazing. I only tried these two items, but I'm really impressed so far. My only piece of feedback for improvement, actually, would be nicer wine glasses. They weren't bad, but the experience would be even better with even nicer glass. Although the shape of the champagne glasses was really cute :) I will totally be returning, despite the awful parking that is this part of Darien. read more

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We came for dinner on Saturday night at 6 pm and it was empty but filled up quickly. We had the charred octopus and crispy artichokes. Both looked good and had nice flavor but the artichokes were not crispy. For dinner, one of us had the halibut special and the other had the grilled hanger steak. The fish had a wet soaked taste to it. The steak had no flavor, was undercooked and the truffle fries were soggy. For dessert, we had the creme brulee and the Apple Cobbler. The creme brulee was not cooked or carmelized. The strawberry garnish was sinking into the brulee - terrible. The cobbler was hot on the outside and cold in the center. The ice cream with it was very good. Scena should be concerned more with quality than quantity. read more

Service was superb - waiter highly recommended the NY steak special so we tried it. We were very disappointed when the NY strip arrived because it was extremely tough to a point where we could not eat it. There was an aftertaste to the steak as if they grilled it on the same grill as fish. The Branzino special, on the other hand, was flavorful and satisfying. The atmosphere was fun, but very noisy and music was inaudible. Wine choices were excellent but overall the experience was dull. Price was fair, but there are better dining options for the overall experience. read more

Love this place! Excellent menu and great service - also fantastic wine specials. Highly recommend and go for the burrata!

No host to show Us a table. A bus boy just pointed across the room and told us to just take it. Took forever for the waitress to come to our table. She seemed over whelmed. She had no clue about the wine list. We asked to talk to someone about the wine list but no one ever came. The pasta came totally over seasoned with something that made it inedible. Have been many times but Will not return again soon. read more

Group dining/event dining-- My sister's family held their son's christening luncheon at Scena. The restaurant separated our party from the rest of the diners, which was great. The waiters were very helpful and efficient. And wow, wine was flowing with our meal. I was sufficiently stuffed with our apps..ricotta stuffed squash blossom (yum!) artichokes, and calamari. Main meal I had pasta dish.. Overall, I recommend this restaurant for a group dinner..I would also be a repeat customer myself, when in the area! read more

Scena - Italian Near Me - Darien, Connecticut

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Went here for dinner tonight and loved it. Perfect for a girls night out or date night! The Cosmo was delicious and super refreshing. The eggplant parm, arugula and prociutto pizza, and charcuterie board were the ultimate starters. Perfect for sharing with a group of about 6 people. The veal and chicken were filled with flavor and seasoned just right- I was also a huge fan of the mashed potatoes! Service was amazing, the patio is perfect for a summer night and we had a great experience overall! 5/5 would recommend! read more

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great food, excellent outdoor safely physically distanced tables. we have ordered for delivery on numerous occasions and dined out twice. pastas are amazing shaved brussels spouts appetizer delicious the duck was terrific highly recommend great service and they are very careful read more

We went to Scena in Darien, Ct yesterday. Service was terrible. Very slow. Waited and waited. Some tables had bread and butter, so we asked if we can have some bread and butter as well while waiting for our food. Why did I even have to ask? Normally that's the first thing that a waiter brings out along with the water. We had to ask a second time and it was finally brought after we were done with the appetizers. I ordered Linguine Vongole. They brought Fettucine. When I asked the waiter why the menu says Linguine and he brings out Fettucine, his reply was "Its pasta." Seriously? And the portion was very small. Five bites and I was done. Ricotta Gniochi Bolognese were rather tasteless. They are just leveraging their location- right on Boston Post Rd. in Darien. Very pricey. For that service and that food? NEVER AGAIN!!!...... EVER!!!!! read more

I met up with some friends at Scena for the first time last night. I'm a wine blogger so my friends know that I have high expectations in regards to a wine list. The wine/ cocktail list at Scena exceeded my expectations. They had a ton of wine to choose from and the cocktails were unique (Raspberry Moscow Mule & Blood Orange Cosmo's are MUST tries). I was equally impressed with the food. We ordered a ton of apps ranging from some of their pizza's to lobster bisque (YUM), to the cheese board, and more. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and presented beautifully. Dinner was the same! I ordered the duck and it was perfectly cooked, no knife needed to cut it! I can honestly say that I have zero complaints and look forward to visiting again. read more

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An all out abysmal experience for brunch. We had a large party, and appreciated that the waiters were doing their best but they repeatedly brought the wrong drinks or forgot what we ordered. A Bloody Mary arrived at our table and it looked like orange soda. We had to send it back. Several menu items were not available. Food took over an hour (it was not at all crowded) and pancakes we ordered for the kids arrived completely raw, oozing batter all over the plates. We felt for the waitstaff who just seemed horribly mismanaged by a proprietor who did not seem to care about his staff's comfort or that of his patrons. If zero stars were an option here, that would be my rating. read more

Here on a Saturday night, very busy. Took three promptings to have a beer delivered to the table. The bolognese sauce was odd, tasted like it might have had a bit of cinnamon in it, whatever it was it added nothing to what was already a lackluster sauce. read more

Enjoyed dinner there. I had the Seafood Pan Roast. The sauce was really delicious but listing lobster as one of the ingredients was a bit misleading. There was one tiny piece, perhaps the size of a nickel. That was disappointing. Not an abundance of seafood in general for the price. One scallop, maybe 3 shrimp, and some mussels and clams. And do restaurants give you dinner rolls anymore? Waiter was awesome and very patient explaining the menu. Nice guy and very professional and easy going. I would consider trying it again. Would like to see veal parm on the menu. read more

Stopped here for a business lunch after a recommendation by my travel companion. I really enjoyed this restaurant. Definitely a bustling mediterranean feel here. Average size interior space with some outdoor seating as well, in downtown Darien. The menu has a nice variety with the prix fix lunch ($19) being a great value. The shaved brussel sprouts are amazing...I have tried to duplicate them at home (not quite). Brick oven pizza looked excellent even though we didn't try it. Definitely a Darien stop for me next time I am in the area. read more

I met a friend there for a quick bite and drink on my way home from work. We just ordered apps. Boy I hope dinner was A lot better. The tuna tartre was hidden under the fresee and no wonder why, it was enough for 2 or 3 bites. The fried artichoke was not much to speak of either. Fairfield cty Italian rest. Mostly seem to feel that since most there dont know good Italian they can overcharge and short serve portions. This place from my minimal experience, is right in that classification. read more

This is a place with an attractive menu with some nasty waiters. We went in tonight hoping to grab a table for two when every question we asked (three?) was answered with a snarky, unpleasant response. My wife and I have been to the restaurant many times before but this ass of a waiter will insure we never return. There are several terrific restaurants nearby (1020, Baldanza, etc). I strongly suggest you go anywhere but Scena. read more

Food price / quality ratio 8.5. Atmosphere is contemporary, with open dining area, 12 to 14 seat bar seperated by glass from dining area. Four hightop tables in bar area. Attractive, functional, well designed restaurant. Entrees were expensive, but worth the price. Drinks were reasonably priced. We split a "Crispy Artichoke" appetizer. Two artichoke hearts cut in half (four pieces) perfect to share. One of the best appetizers I've ever eaten. I had a sirloin steak, and they allowed me to substitute all of the items that came with it, for all of the items on the menu that came with a different entree. Very accommodating. The wife had a homemade veal ravioli. Also excellent. The presentations were beautiful, and service was excellent! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more