this place doesn't seem like anything special from the outside or inside but the food was absolutely phenomenal. we showed up with 6 people on a sunday night and sat way in the back corner. the server (younger blonde bartender whose name escapes me) was very attentive and left her post at the bar to serve us promptly. the food came out quickly and it was absurdly good. i will be recommending this to the local people i know. 4 stars instead of 5 for the charge of a refill on a soda. read more

Stopped in on 25 August to have lunch at 2:30 with our pet as the website and maps says it's pet friendly. Come to find out apparently they've changed the rules and decided it's not pet friendly here at this location. Very much a waste of our time. Maybe take pet friendly off your website? read more

Food= 5 stars, my salad was terrific. The meatloaf entree was flavorful, done just right. I love mashed potatoes and Cole slaw gave me some variety away from broccoli. The beer was local CT brewery. Hit the spot. Service=5 stars, Taylor M. was exceptional. Explained the side options and delivered excellent service. She was friendly and helpful. Ambiance=4.5, they played fun music to give off a good warm vibe. They greeted folks as they came in the door. They told me to sit any where I want. I was able to see TV's and they had enough variety on the channels keep me connected. I recommend and I will return. read more

The Blackboard Cafe - Bars Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

We stopped in here to get lunch after we landed at Hartford / Bradley. Seemed like a local dive bar with good food. Menu had a lot of options ... was honestly a great menu , I wasn't expecting. We all enjoyed the food and the beer was VERY cold ... as it should be. Our server was great. I'd def eat here again read more

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On a recent visit, enjoyed the "Fat Bastard Burger", advertised as a 10 oz Angus beef burger. Added cheddar for $1 more. Also came w choice of fries, waffle fries or o rings. Burger was perfectly broiled, brioche bun held up well. Waffle fries nice and hot. TBC is definitely a locals bar. It can get loud at times, which can be good or not so good, depending on your perspective. I've previously had some wings there, which were really really good. Lots of interesting choices on the eclectic menu, many of which I expect to try over time. Service decent, prices reasonable, grub good. Not necessarily a place to take a date for a romantic night out, but a solid neighborhood bar. 4 stars read more

The Blackboard Cafe - 9/5/24 the "Fat Bastard Burger" - Bars Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

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Food is good for a bar. Service is also good. It is a dive bar with pool tables. This place would get a higher rating but they charge for refills on soft drinks. I can't recommend this place. I hate when they nickel and dime you. read more

The Blackboard Cafe - Bars Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

I go for the quesadilla, I add shrimp and it's delicious. I get it to go. I did go in a few times to play pool with my husband. I had the hippie drink it was really good. One night we went they had a good DJ. The service is good. Friendly owner and the lady that took my order yesterday, 7/19/25 was really friendly. read more

Nice bar with good food near the airport, conviennent to the airport hotels. Hand dipped fish for the fish and chips, one order is enough for two people. read more

Great dive bar. My flight landed late and needed a quick bite and beer. Staff was super friendly. Just wish there were better karaoke singers in Windsor locks:) read more

First of all the bartender Lauren was easily one of the hardest working and yet most efficient bartenders I've ever seen. Crushed busy today and she killed it. Blackboard has consistently had excellent food. It's very townie oriented, but everyone there makes new people feel at home pretty quickly. Service overall is excellent. Fun-wise, there are at least two pool tables, a beer pong table, and they have a pretty good mixture of live events that they host over the week and weekend. If you're in town or local, Stop by and check out this place, because you really can't miss if you enjoy townie style places. Food wise, Wings are unreal, but they also do a great job of specials. read more

Really nice local pub, with very friendly staff and reasonable prices. They have a full bar and can make you any drink you can think of. Service is excellent. read more

Food absolutely sucks I ordered 2 burgers with 1 bacon on the side but came in the same plate the drink I got was a Long Island ice tea which was absolutely disgusting so sour and bitter can't even finish it plus my boyfriend ordered a Miller light and gave him a different beer never again so much batter places to go around the area read more

The Blackboard Cafe - three plates of food - Bars Near Me - Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Always a favorite when in the Windsor Locks area. Great place with good people serving good food and tasty drinks.

We discovered this place last night and what a treasure it turned out to be. Crazy to think I've driven past it a hundred times and never thought to go in. It's an awesome "hometown" bar with a Cheers feel to it. The owner, the staff and the patrons are all super friendly. We had heard about their wings and wanted to give them a run for their money. So we ordered EIGHT flavors! WHOA!! From Hot Buffalo, to Hot Teryaki, Jerk, Asian Fusian, BBQ Wasabi, JD Bourbon BBQ, Hot Crack Wings, and Gluttony (which was a bacon ranch fried with bacon fat!) OMG!! Solid, relaxing bar/restaurant with pool tables, shuffleboard, darts, beer pong, and TV's everywhere. What else do you need? We give Blackboard 5 stars! read more

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If you don't know what to expect when you walk through the door, you'll know by the time your big toe crosses the threshold. A few of the previous reviews have used the words "dive" and "divey" to describe the Blackboard. I think that description may be a teense harsh, so I'll call it a neighborhood bar. We saw all types here -a table full of landscaping guys relaxing at a table after a hard day's work in the sun, half a dozen regulars parked on their barstools, and our group -half a dozen of us getting together for an "off site meeting" to welcome back a visiting work colleague. The beers were cheap, and the food we ordered was fine. We went for a 20-piece honey barbecue wing order and the BBC Nachos ($8.50) - a big platter with corn tortillas, chili, cheese, tomatoes, black olives, red onion, jalapenos, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and salsa. It's bar food , and to be honest it was pretty good bar food. The interior of the bar is huge -two pool tables, a foosball table, and a beer pong table. Lots of tables and booths. The jukebox was great!! I played Cocaine Blues by Johnny Cash, Intro/Sweet Jane by Lou Reed, Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns and Roses, and Beast of Burden by the Stones. Listen, its not a white linen place and not a place to impress a first date. But for what it is---its pretty awesome. read more

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This is my third time here having lunch, I happen to be a picky eater and find it difficult to find a quality meal. I figured after driving by on Spring Street many times I would give it a try, the food was exceptional and the portions were substantial. I feel that the chef is very passionate about quality control and consistency. The staff is attentive and kind, Emily in particular takes her job very serious and is always checking in on the customers. It's extremely important to have excellent food but just as important to have a kind responsible staff. Try this place for lunch or dinner and you won't be disappointed. read more

Ordered a soda, calamari and fish n' chips for the price I expected more of the calamari. total was about 33.00 This place is basically a pool hall and bar. My main nit is the sheer number of flies everywhere. As soon as my food was brought out i was swarmed with flies. I moved to another spot but this did not help. I took my food to go. The food is ok, but the music is too loud and the flies, Omg, Just disgusting. read more

My cowokers and I decided to stop in after work around 1230am Friday evening/sat. After ordering drinks and heading over to the beer pong table I was immediately approached by a young male staff member who started asking for my name as well as my female cowokers names, where we worked and if they were "shy". He proceeded to sit directly behind us at the table while we continued to play. My friend accidentally spilled some water on the floor and another male staff member cleaned it up and I apologized for the mess. We were there until close and the entire time my cowokers and I were there, the first male employee proceeded to harass my female cowokers trying to hit on her and "get to know her" as well as asked my other female cowoker in the parking lot about her aswell. My cowoker was not interested in this male employee and did not feel comfortable with his behavior. We ordered drinks at last call and were standing at a table and not even before 2am the 2nd male employee only approached our table telling us we all needed to leave. It wasn't until my male cowoker spoke loud enough for other guests to hear, as to why you were only telling us to leave when there was the entire crowd still sitting at the bar. So after that is when the male employee said out loud to everyone that it was time to go. None of my cowokers including myself parked directly infront of this bar but to the side infront of the neighboring business. We were on the sidewalk saying goodbye when the 1st male employee proceeded to tell us that his manager said we were "loitering and needed to leave" at this time it was not even 2:03am because I checked the clock. The male employee proceeded to stand directly infront of our vehicles (again..not parked infront of blackboard) with multiple male friends who were not employees and continued to make comments about my female cowokers appearance and all stood directly infront of our vehicles watching us leave.. when there were other costumers aswell as his friends still on the property. I wanted to make this public to warn other females about entering this establishment and choosing to go somewhere else because of the male staffing. My coworkers and I did absolutely nothing to be harassed and did not appreciate being followed by this male employee who spent the entire time trying to talk to my friend, while on the clock and in full uniform. We will not be returning due to this behavior. The only positive experience was the 2 Bar tenders working that evening who made us good drinks and were attentive to our group. We are disgusted by the behavior of the male staff of this establishment and find it highly unprofessional and uncomfortable being a female customer. It was our first and last time there. read more

Decent place to grab a drink. Have yet to try the food, but what I've seen on other reviews looks okay. Just more of a place to hang out and grab a drink, maybe shoot some pool if that's your thing. Pretty sure they have live music too, but we did not stay for any. read more

Place is a joke. Drive all the way from Massachusetts in a limousine and they told me and my crew I was too intoxicated to go in. Place is beat read more

Always great food friendly service and lively atmosphere. The little bastard burger is best on menu but onion soup is also a winner

I got the black bean burger which was delicious! Fries were amazing. My husband got the wings which he said were just ok. They were a little bigger than we like them to be and were lacking a little seasoning. read more

Great vibe. Was visiting Hartford Connecticut and stumbled upon this place. Obviously a locals favorite. Lots of people hanging out after sports events that they just participated in food was great I had a wonderful burger and enjoyed the very friendly staff definitely recommend this place read more

Very delicious fried clam strips and shrimp. Didn't care for the beer battered french fries though read more

Great drink specials, service top notch. The food was better than some restaurants that I have been to. I love on Long Island and work in Windsor for softball and will highly recommend this place to other umpires and parents who are at the complex. Great job Blackboard cafe. read more

Came here once during the covid limitations. Everything was underwhelming and uncomfortable. Probably because of the limitations in place. Food was decent. Drinks were lacking pizazz. read more

Good food surprising selection and service was excellent. Great location by BDL If you want to grab a beer and food before your flight.

The bartender Adam was as bad as the food would not recommend this place to anyone. Short staffed terrible service

Great place for strong drinks, good service and yummy food. When Kellee is behind the bar, I can just sit back and enjoy my time. Wings, paninis, salads, fries are all good and come out of the kitchen fast! Good beer selection and margaritas are even so good. Now open on Saturdays for lunch too!! read more

Bartenders are attentive and friendly & on point! The tuna tacos are also to die for! Food is great too!

Food is amazing drinks are reasonably priced, the staff make you feel like family.. I would recommend not only going for a night out for pool and a few drinks, but also stopping by for lunch and dinner. Definitely not just "bar food" their menu selection is unbelievable read more

Great food, atmosphere and staff! Have been there a couple times with friends and family Will definitely be back soon !! read more

This place is a super fun place to go. There's a group of eight of us that went just for appetizers but discovered so much more. I highly recommend the drunken nachos they were amazing. The place is fun for everyone has a great menu and obviously the beer. It is definitely a place to go to hang out and spend some good times with some good friends. The service was excellent also at the table and at the bar top read more

Pricing and portion sizing is pretty good. The quality of the food was not bad as well. Had me some buffalo chicken tenders and they were fresh and kosher chickens. The bartender here has some nice knockerbockers so you'll be entertained while you eat. The only way I would come back here would be to see that. The place itself is def an overall ishthole so not a place I would go to on my free time or out of the way. Nothing really differentiates this joint. read more

This place gets packed for such a small town, they've got a lot of theme nights and Thirsty Thursday seems to be very popular. Its got your typical bar food and other nonsense. If you're just looking for a place to have a little fun with your beverage of choice then this is for you. read more

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Very trashy. Asked for a menu and the girl-stripper?- acted like that was a very complex and strange question. The wrap was ok, but I'm wondering where it came from, and why there would be a kitchen staff when there were no bar guests? Since a menu was so hard to come by and all. Decent selection of vodkas, never would have tried froot loops vodka if not for this gem. One thing that I can't stand- walking into a bar with my husband, and the regulars who look like they rent the stool they're parked on, stare down who ever walks through that door. Not a great first vibe. Overall, this place looks like a frat house. read more

As a professional traveler, I rarely spend more than a night in a particular place each month, however, I had a layover in Hartford, once a week for 7 weeks. After visiting the Blackboard Cafe the first time, I returned weekly. The food is good and very reasonably priced. Service is excellent. In particular, the young lady, Emily, really knows how to keep customers coming back. After only a few weeks, she remembered my name. I noticed her interacting with other customers and seemed to know something about each one of them. The only negative for me is the noisy atmosphere. It is a little loud for my tastes, but the food and great service keeps me going back. read more

Friendly quick service and awesome Halloween decorations that our kids loved. Food was fairly standard American but wings and clam strips were well done and good size. read more

It's be awhile since been there but dying to try new menu. OMG the burgers were awesome. Good job and will be back.

The blackboard cafe is a smaller bar by the airport. Let me start off by saying that this place is divey so if you're looking for a fancy night on the town a) get out of Windsor Locks and b) choose a different bar. I'm not sure why other yelpers bashed it as "trashy" ... What did they expect? The restaurant right next to it is called "Pickleworks" This is a good place to go for drinks after work or to grab a few drinks with friends on a lazy friday or Saturday night. The drinks are cheap and the music is decent. Crowd is made up of locals and is hit or miss. Sometimes it's crowded and sometimes sparse (whatever you do, DO NOT wait in line for this place). There are pool tables and a foosball table. Yes, the outfits the bartenders wear are ridiculous, but they must bring in the tips or I'm guessing management would have changed the policy. read more