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.

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!

"Concentric circles Wider and wider…read moreFrom the stones that you threw" (Fatboy Slim) Located pretty much under the Arrigoni Bridge connecting Portland to Middletown lies the Concentric Brewing Company. When you walk in, you'll notice two big attention grabbers -a big circular bar in front of you and big silver brewing tanks to your right. The tanks are key, because all of their beers are made right here at the brewery. Fourteen of them were on tap, with representatives from the IPA, Stout, Fruit Sour, Pilsner, Irish Red, Witbier, Brown Ale, Saison, and Stout branches of beer's family tree. The non-beer drinkers won't go home thirsty, because Concentric offers them cocktails, wine and ciders on the menu. A professional organization I belong to met there last night for beers, food, and a charity collection. I enjoyed a pint of their Portland Lite Pilsner (5.1% ABV) - it was refreshing and quite tasty. Concentric has a pretty nice bargain on four-beer flights for just $12. Our group bought quite a few of them and I also enjoyed a short pour of their Forever Red Irish Ale (5% ABV) and Quarry Brown American Ale (6.2% ABV). I enjoyed both and as a non-IPA guy, I was struck by how many non-IPA's they had. Now we all know that a good beer goes best with some good food, right? Well, we had big serving trays of Chicken skewers, French fries and excellent Firecracker Braised Pork and Beef Meatballs, cooked with Concentric Beer and a Smoked Ancho Glaze. The chicken was served over an incredible bed of spicy cabbage chunks that a friend described as "vegetable crack". That serving tray should have been classified as a controlled substance! It was cold last night, so we didn't have the chance to wander around outside and take advantage of the outdoor beer garden and lawn areas. The staff was excellent, especially the young ladies who chose a non-IPA flight for me! Well, done, Concentric.

I went for New Years Eve for about an hour because they closed early :(. I really enjoyed the…read moreflight, specifically the Donut stout or porter was well made, and actually tasted like a DONUT. I couldn't believe it! Definitely good vibes! I will be back to play games, there are plenty to choose from!

You need to come eat and drink even NA All of the food on…read morethe menu has been great every time we come in their homemade drinks are great as well even if it's a non-alcoholic homemade lemonade fresh squeezed at the bar for you then whether you sit in the basement or upstairs or even outside on their patio area such a nice area great service all of the staff is friendly and helpful

Certainly an interesting restaurant, tucked away in the middle of a less-than-pretty road, which…read moresomehow makes it even more intriguing. I do wish there were more signs, as both the parking lot and the entrance felt a bit vague and easy to miss. Once we finally found our way inside, we were pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere reminded me of another local tavern. Staffed by friendly people. The food was good, and the overall experience was enjoyable. My only disappointment was the lack of information about the history of the establishment. There is a lot of marketing that references its connection to a jailhouse on the menu, but very little information is actually shared within the tavern itself. I found myself wanting to learn more about the story behind the place. I also think it would be fun to add a photo-op area--perhaps even outdoors--with a set of mock jail bars where guests could take pictures. It would fit the theme and add a memorable touch. The tavern itself is fairly small, so I can imagine it gets quite crowded during busy times. Overall, it's definitely worth checking out.

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.

Great location and customer service. Prices are reasonable and it's never overcrowded.read more

We started frequenting The Grog Shop when we lived close by and it was a quick and easy stop on the…read moreway home. We've since moved across town, but I still find myself driving there. Why? Service and prices. My favorite wine is $2 cheaper here than it is at CT Beverage Mart, and the service is better than any other store in the area. The owners and employees are so helpful. Unlike other stores where you may wander around aimlessly with no one to help you (yes, CBM, I'm talking to you), at The Grog Shop they're quick to lend a helping hand. They have a relatively big selection and will give discount pricing on cases of wine. If you want something but don't see it, just ask - they may have it in the back or may be able to order for you.

Cool venue overall. 3.5 rounded up for having some local 3rd party drink options, a large clean…read morespace, food truck and a bunch of fun vendors with booths setup while we were there (though I believe it was the last day for that). It's not very local nor particularly convenient to any of my normal routes, but it was a nice stop on the way home recently. They're in the back section of a multi-tenant complex, sharing part of a steel / metal siding "Butler" building with a few others such as a cross-fit place. Decent enough parking, huge indoor space with games, some TV's, a large bar and very nice, newly built restrooms. The beer overall was pretty good. All seemed clean, refreshing, and of sufficient quality, but none of the ones I tried were enticing enough for me to consider any to go. The sour was probably my favorite overall. The water station needs work. It doesn't work all that well / kind of slow, and it's frustrating to find yet another business won't serve water (even when not busy, and apparently even if you're seated at the bar. I get it, that costs time and thus money, but it seems odd to expect people seated at the bar to get up and walk away for a water. If there wasn't any bar seating, it would make more sense to me. (Couple places in Manchester follow the same trend, but neither of those has bar seating.)

Rule of 3 offers several beer options and all done well. The owners set up a very inviting…read moreatmosphere with large TVs and games to play. You can sit with friends play cards or pick a day board for a couple rounds. Plenty of seating available. Service is friendly and knowledgeable on the beer selection. They have cool merch with their cool logo. Enjoy!

Never had Meade before and I'm kicking myself now. I'm not a fan of "hoppy" drinks, BUT the hoppy…read moreMeade I will drink and actually got me to venture down other "hoppy" lanes, like beer. Especially for someone who likes cider and wine, the Meade has a nice, refreshing flavor. The different flavor nodes of the honey make it sweeter and not bitter (personal preference). Awesome sit in areas with TONS of games for socialization with friends. In this order are my favorites!! Wally, Whip, Lemon, Bouchot, Ginga, Cherry, Hoppy, Pecan

Bergen House is a craft meadery that opened in Middletown, Connecticut in September 2020. It was…read morefounded by army veteran Talon Bergen. He first began experimenting with homebrewing when his brother-in-law gifted him a Mr. Beer kit. The first batch of Bergen's homebrew was awful, but the kit came with an interesting book that he read over and over again. He soon became fascinated with the science behind brewing and fermentation. Later on, a friend gifted him a bottle of homemade mead. Bergen's wife Emilie liked it much more than any beer she ever tried, so he decided to try his hand at crafting mead. Mead is a fermented beverage made from a mixture of honey, water and yeast. It is the oldest fermented beverage known to man (predating beer, wine and cider). Like his first batch of beer, Bergen's first batch of mead was also awful. After several months, Bergen finally began making mead that was drinkable. The Bergens later had an idea to open their own brewery. After seeing how many breweries that Connecticut already had, they instead decided to open a meadery. The Bergens found a space in Middletown's old trolley barn building to house their meadery and taproom. Although not the state's only meadery, Bergen House is the only one to have its own taproom for on-site consumption. I recently visited Bergen House for the first time after going for a long bike ride on the nearby Air Line State Park Trail. I was greeted by Emilie Bergen who was very friendly and talked to me about the different meads. There were eight different meads on tap during my visit. Each one has different spices and fruits added for flavoring. I ordered a sampler flight which featured "Crime Scene" (Rye Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sweet & Sour Cherry Mead), "Local Buzz" (Dry Mead made with local honey from Hilltop Apiaries), "Wally" (Off-Dry Mead made with wildflower honey, green tea and Citra hops), and "Grapefruit Meads Business" (Wildflower Mead flavored with rosemary, grapefruit & ginger). The latter two were my favorites! Emilie also gave me a small sample of "Bochet": a traditional French Mead made with wildflower honey caramelized before fermentation. I ended up taking home a growlito of "Wally", which tasted a lot like a honey-infused New England IPA. I had a great experience at Bergen House and I look forward to returning!