Paying for a view of the Long Island Sound by coming to a subpar restaurant in order to enjoy the view is simply not worth it, a lesson which I learned last weekend when my wife and I are at the Wharf. We had reservations at 7: 45 on Friday night and arrived early to sit at the bar while our table was being prepared. We each have a drink at the bar, however my wife's drink was not what she had ordered because the person who is behind the bar didn't actually seem to know what he was doing. Instead of giving her the wine she'd asked for he poured her sparkling wine. Minor quibble. Our waiter seemed to know what he was doing when he first introduced himself. We were promised that bread would be brought out after our menus were taken. And it was brought out..20 minutes later after we'd finally seen our waiter again. Meanwhile, my wife enjoyed her New England clam chowder. After another 30 minutes passed our waiter came by to see how we were enjoying our meal. But it hadn't been delivered yet. "Where's your food?" he asked. "Don't you know?" my wife asked. "You're our waiter." Eventually our meals arrived. My wife's chicken marsala was tasty, but should have been boneless. My chicken schnitzel was tasteless and not worth the effort it took to chew. We didn't love our experience and will probably not be going back. read more

Celebrated a friends birthday here on a nice October weekday enjoying cocktails and lunch on the outdoor deck area The Porch, a heated wraparound porch area with a nice view of Long Island Sound and the Madison Wharf area. Very attentive waitstaff and excellent service unlike many of the other recent reviews noted. Our server Joelene, checked on us several times after each course and the dining manager stopped by as well to make sure our meal was satisfactory. We started with delicious cocktails, two of us enjoyed a delicious entree of Tuscan Chicken sandwiches and the birthday guest chose the Salmon Nicoise Salad. All were plated nicely and delicious. We ended our visit with dessert...a molten chocolate cake, a mason jar pumpkin concoction and a beautifully presented lemon curd and blueberry disassembled baked Alaska. All three were yummy and a nice ending to an enjoyable meal. We really enjoyed our luncheon celebration at the Wharf overlooking Long Island Sound. Service was excellent and our meals were very good. I thought prices were on the high end for lunch but perfect for a special occasion. read more

The Wharf Restaurant - Delicious dessert selections for fall - New American Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

Always loved this place until yesterday. Tuna tartare was mostly avocado with only about 2 tablespoons of tuna . Salads we're so sparse, you could see the bottom Of the plate through the salad. read more

We had dinner here on a beautiful Friday evening in October. Kevin,our server, was attentive and friendly. The clam chowder was a great way to begin the meal. One member of our party had the lobster roll and ranked it among his favorite rolls. I enjoyed a steak and lobster dinner and highly recommend. You can not beat the view! read more

We went here around Christmas after going to the theatre with the kids. Service was wonderful, the menu choices were great and the food was delicious. My cod was cooked to perfection, fresh and tender. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the desserts. Very relaxing and enjoyable evening. read more

Very good meal with good service and an incredible view. Veda's was our server and was excellent. The cocktails were really nice and the Mystic oysters were fresh and fabulous. Really enjoyed the crab timbale with basil aioli. For entrees the bucatini with mushrooms and short ribs were both delicious. read more

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There on a Saturday night @7:30 dining room was 3/4 full. Within 1/2 hour the place was down to 1/4 capacity. The service was mediocre at best 13 minutes for cocktail. Food orders arrived sporadically. The chefs special shrimp dish was so dry im guessing it was under the heat lamps since 6:00. Wait staff totally inattentive. Im not your server. At the end they had the audacity to add an 18% tip on food and beverage Normally im. A 20 % across the. board tipper but our waiter was a dolt. At $100+ per person for a crappy meal slow service we should have walked out. Im sure if you were to head there for the sunset view and a cocktail a 5 star rating would be easy to give but for a special day dinner with good friends I was mortified and ripped off read more

Just Had An Incredible Evening With A Party Of Eight, At The Wharf, In The Madison Beach Hotel. Everything Was Outstanding! Thank You to Kevin W., Gina, & The Rest of The Staff (Including The Culinary & Valet Parking Team!). From Making Reservations, Seating Arrangements for Live Entertainment, Comfortable Room Temp, Food Quality with Large Portions, To Clearing Our Account, Everything Was Perfect! A Very Special Thank You Goes Out To Sarah Schmidt & John McCurry of Sweet Lorraine, that provided the music entertainment. The High Quality Music was loud enough to hear but still be able to talk over dinner. Will I/We be back? YES!! read more

The service was the best I've experienced in a few years! Employees were great and the food was just as good. Lexi & Gual we're lovely and kept us smiling throughout our entire meal! Excellent all around ! read more

What an Impressive Place. A Great Place to "pop the question" or a night out With AMAZING Food. Linguini and Clams, Beef Short Ribs, did I Mention the BEST Cod Fish In Connecticut ? Any Way you cut It, If you Go Just One time You WILL Return. If Your Lucky enough to Have Martha as Your Server than Your Firing On All Cylinders. I CAN NOT Wait To return. Thank You Wharf Restaurant For A Solid Meal, and A Terrific Night ! read more

Loved this place great food and great atmosphere and all at a great price great price. Will be back one day for brunch in the summer. read more

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Exquisite hotel on the beach with excellent service, food and views of the Memorial Day gun salute over the soundThe mussels were huge, tender and tasty. Shrimp and grits thumbs up! Perfect holiday lunch. I felt like I was in Cape Cod! read more

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First Course: Oysters were okay, however there was only one choice and they were dry, most likely opened the day before. Main Course: New York strip was the worst steak I have ever been served. Claimed to be "aged" but was bland and tougher than shoe leather. Virtually inedible. Service: Mediocre at best. Wrong drinks, forgotten bread, waitress missing in action. The Environment: The view is interesting if you like brown-green opaque water and boat repairs. read more

The ambience is fantastic as you would expect from a seaside restaurant with spectacular views of the water. However, the food was uninspired, even pedestrian for a location with such potential. My wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a dinner at the Madison Beach Hotel "The Wharf" restaurant and enjoyed their friendly service, competent attention, and a savory shrimp cocktail appetizer. Yet, the entrees left much to be desired. My wife ordered a chicken schnitzel that was accompanied by a caprese salad. Instead of large slices of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese they served a bargain version with cherry tomatoes and tiny mozzarella balls. The chicken schnitzel was heavily breaded cutlets deep fried to a dry crispiness that lacked any tender moistness. My order was scallops served with diced sweet potato and a tomato relish all on a bed of mashed green peas. The accompaniment was a bland mixture that not only added nothing to the flavor of the scallops it actually detracted from it. The wine was excellent and desserts were luscious read more

Disaster. Don't even try it. Trust me. They've had their three chances, each worst than the last. I don't like to pan places, and I know everyone can have an off night, but I am writing this honest and truthful review in hopes that it speeds the inevitable closing of this place so that something good will rise in its place. Here are the nice things I can say: Good location, beautiful views, earnest young waitstaff but we should have known better by the terror in their eyes. Tonights scenario: Three adults for dinner. My sea bass was not bass (maybe old cod?), and perched on cold Ragu. Companion #1 ordered the salmon, which smelled funny from across the table and was followed by extensive vomiting within the hour. Companion #2 had the surf and turf, so loathesome as to be indescribable; perhaps Dante will come up with a new circle of hell. We literally ate a bit of our entrees, looked at each other, paid the bill and ran. Culmination was theft of at least $20 from "complementary valet". Should have known better than to go back there (but our favorite place was full tonight), as in the last visit Companion #2 had his credit card # stolen. Unmitigated disaster. read more

Well this is a tough review to right because of a few reasons. First, the view and atmosphere is amazing. We were able to have dinner seated outside right before sunset and it was breathtaking and relaxing. Second: The food was delicious - everything was perfect. Third: This is why I gave it 2 stars. The service and wait time for our food was the worst. Very poor - lots of mistakes, very long wait for water, bread, our appetizers, dinner.... and our check. We were seated around the bend of the outdoor deck (not under the heater) and the server kept bringing us the wrong food throughout the entire evening. Our waitress kept apologizing and said that they added three more tables on to the porch and its messed up her table numbers..... so seriously we had appetizers placed on our table and they were for the table behind us. Then it happened with drinks and entrees!! We started inside at the bar and ordered drinks and dirty chips (an appetizer). The drinks took about 15 minutes (2 chardonnays and a beer) - the chips never came. So we closed our tab - paid for everything and they said they would bring the appetizer to our table. 15 minutes into our wait at our table outside - a manager came to us and informed us they just found out they had no more of that appetizer - could he replace it with something else. We said ok - fried calamari. Then my husband said he already paid for them and we were told it would be taken off our check at the end of our meal. Fast forward through the mistakes - and about 90 minutes. We asked for our check as we didn't want to wait for dessert. The first check came and it was for approx $80; it was not our check. We told the waitress the error and she brought a second check. It was for a bit more - but again it was not our check..... Third times a charm and she finally brought out check to us - but NOW my husband must tell her that the appetizer from the bar was not deducted from our check. She started to have attitude and sass to him about it .... came back and said it was credit to his card from the bar earlier... it was not taken off our check. He asked if there was a receipt for the credit and she told him "if you have your bank app - you can check and see if the credit went through" hahaha but not funny. So we went for what was to be a great father's day dinner and we are thankful for the lovely view but have no intention of heading back that distance to spend that kind of money. Hope it goes well in the future and I hope they read and listen to these reviews. read more

Trying to find a place along the shore during summertime is next to impossible so we decided to skip the bigger places and go to The Wharf at Madison Beach Hotel for dinner. The place is located at the end of a small road that leads to a public beach. There's an outside bar that looks over the Sound and an inside, circular bar that features 2 big TVs. The food itself isn't anything spectacular but it is quite good. They had a lobster/shrimp appetizer special that was reasonably priced and generously sized. I think I'd come here more for the bar as it seems to be a nice place to have a drink and watch the game/and or Sound. It's more about the atmosphere than getting a 5-star meal. Don't get me wrong, the food is pretty good. I heard that some millionaire bought the place and is going to raze it and rebuild a new hotel and restaurant. I'm not sure when that is taking place. read more

I do not agree with the previous reviews at all. I was a bit skeptical coming in reading the reviews from other yelpers. I was extremely impressed from the get go. I planned a nice dinner for my girlfriends birthday and they went above and beyond to keep us happy. We both started out with a salad and the tartar which was delicious served with a kettle cooked chip instead of the traditional cracker. For main entrees I went with the pan search scallops and shrimp over mashed potatoes and asparagus with a lobster beurre blanc.. It was cooked to perfection and extremely tasty! My girlfriend has the pork tenderloin which was equally delicious. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I really have nothing poor to say at all about this restaurant and have already suggested it to many of my friends. We will definitely be back! read more

We have been to the wharf twice. The first time was a complete disaster - terrible service , very very crowded and food came out cold ! Waitress could care less - it happened to be our anniversary and the manager on duty did comp out meal. Very nice of him although I believe her only did it because everyone around also heard how bad the experience was. That was 2 years ago. We went back again yesterday because we happened to be shopping in Madison for a prom gown Better food this time !! Great tasting and some unique options. Our waitress was less than enthusiastic! Actually came over and grab the bill after we had paid and looked at the TIP right in front of us and walked away !! We eat out 2 times a week and have never had this happen - ever ! We give it a 2 Star only because the food itself was excellent and the view of the ocean is awesome ! Otherwise this place rates a service of 1 ...... or zero ! read more

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10 of us went a few Saturday night's ago. Been digging Time Out Tavern in Durham but wanted to stay local. Good call. First..new place is beautiful. Not just the views, but the lobby, decor, semi-circle couches in dining room. Ambience was class, but it didn't feel stuffy. Service was excellent, food was very good ( zuppa Di peche, broccoli rabe orachetti, salmon )-all fresh, well prepared. Read some reviews about it being expensive..really isn't. .Kids menu was like 9-11 per, but they loved it. Beautiful fireplace in dining riom with ample seating; all by the water. Great seasonal libations and cool vibe. Will definitely be back. read more

Location, superb. Service could not had been better. Salad of the day was excellent - tomatoes and watermelon with a delicious dressing. My main course was not at all that good. Scallops with pesto risotto did not go well. Unappealing to say the least. Again the restaurant has excellent points when they are excellent and poor when they are poor, all mixed in. read more

4 stars for the view and variety of food at Sunday Brunch. 3 stars for quality of some of the food. Service was actually pleasant and attentive, 4 stars. There was a crotchety old couple walking in at the same time we arrived and the wife said "I like the brunch at Saybrook Point Inn better" and they hadn't even sat down yet. Here's the breakdown: Good: salad, cous cous, curry yukon potatoes, raw oysters with mignonette, Tuscany chicken with mushrooms, roasted vegetables, fresh fruit, cheese platter Bad: over-cooked prime rib (looked brown like pork), but the horseradish sauce was good and helped it go down; cod fish too spicy with green peppers but not enough flavor overall Ugly: soggy shrimp cocktail. sorry, when we're used to Star Fish Market's perfect shrimp cocktail, it's hard to eat pre-frozen soggy ones read more

Middle of the road in a little overpriced. The food was not bad - I had to appetizer since none of the entrées really appeal to me. The service is friendly but very casual. The view is nice, we sat inside and had a lovely view out of the picture windows of the wharf. read more

Great food! We had clam chowder and Chorizo Mussels. Pretty great. The view is amazing!! Friendly staff. They have a covered and heated deck to enjoy your meal and take in the scenery. I think the tap water was better than bottled as bottle was simply Figi. We did a blind taste test and both liked the tap much better. read more

Beautiful hightop seating and tables overlooking the ocean. Great food, great service. Calm and relaxing.

I don't understand the low ratings.... I'm glad it didn't deter us from going and experiencing the Wharf for ourselves. What a wonderful renovation! This place is gorgeous, the food was very good, and the service outstanding. We started with a shrimp cocktail and some oysters. The shrimp were large and cooked to perfection. The oysters were fresh with a nice cocktail sauce and a mignonette sauce. For our salads, we tried the field greens salad and the roasted beets with goat cheese salad. Both were very good. From there we ordered the rib eye steak and a special, a Hawaiian cod fish. We coupled that with a nice Pinot Noir. Very nice! Although we didn't sit in the bar, it looked like a fun place to come for a more casual dinner or a drink. There's also a nice porch overlooking the sound with seating for dinner, probably very nice in fair weather read more

This is an opportunity missed on many levels. The view is 5+ Stars and that is why I gave it 3 Stars. Regardless of the disappointing food, the worst service I have ever experienced at any upscale restaurant, clueless front of the house, the view is so great I go there regularly. Oh what it could be! The Sunday Brunch is expensive ($40) but if you have $40, it is worth it and since it is a buffet - you don't have to depend on the wait staff. April 13, 2016. Tried them again and much better - hope they keep it up as it is a great spot and I want to go there and enjoy. read more

Sat at the bar, not too busy on a Monday evening. Of the 8 people sitting at the bar, all of their food looked delicious! I ordered the clam chowder. Seemed like it had a potato base, but it was very tasty, as was the warm rolls and butter. I had the short ribs. They could not have been more tender. Came with broccoli. Both were excellent. Finished with a glass of Graham's 20 year tawny port. Wonderful dinner! read more

You really can't get more Madison than this place. Equal parts uppity and down-home, the food is solid, the service is friendly, and the vibe is relaxed. You're more likely to have a nice time than a memorable meal. If your evening out is more about spending time with good company, and you happen to find yourself in good ol' Madison, come here. If it's tasty and fresh seafood you're really looking for, get back on the Boston Post Road and head over to Lenny and Joe's. P.S. Say hi to Matt the bartender upstairs in the Crow's Nest. I went to high school with him. Tip well :-) read more

We love this place. Best servers and the food is well prepared. The Madison Beach Tuna Tartare is fresh and a reason to drive over. Great views. read more

I'll start with the positives - location/view is beautiful. Right on the water with breathtaking surroundings - food quality was good. Not incredible but pretty good. Now the reason for the 2 stars - the service. Angela was our server and was poor. Only 3 tables in the restaurant at the time of dining. We arrived at 7pm and placed our food order around 25 mins in after I flagged another server down to find Angela for us. We waited for some time to get bread delivered by someone else and after around 30 mins our salads arrived just before 8pm. Salads were good. Even after checking in on the food our waters were empty. Never an offer to refill and never refilled the whole meal. We asked for more bread. She forgot. We asked for more coffee. She forgot. We reminded her on her next visit and we did eventually get them. Entrees were good, desserts took a little a while. Angela dropped the check silently. Considering the restaurant was empty the service was lacking. Server was phoning it in without paying attention. Wouldn't eat here agin soon based on service. read more

I'm not sure why everyone is so salty about this place. My wife and I are staying at the hotel. We had a very nice dinner here and the service was excellent. I had the swordfish, first time in maybe 20 years, and i thought the fish was cooked perfectly. My wife really enjoyed the pasta. The breakfast was also good. Affordable too. It has a nice view. The bar can get a little loud but if you're trying to get after it you'd be loud too. I think 3 stars it's an atrocious rating. read more

This place has the worst service and food in the state! Lovely location and nicely appointed interior but everything else about this restaurant is just plain awful! Much of the food looks and tastes like like prepackaged food service. We had to ask for everything such as bread,drinks, extra dressing for our Caesar salads because they came out with little to no dressing. The cappuccino was the absolute worst I have ever had! I could go on but I think I got the point across! read more

Breakfast review: First off, I travel frequently and I stay at Hilton branded properties very often. I also read the reviews before my arrival so I didn't have very high expectations. I am traveling solo so this review is for a single breakfast entree. There is no buffet which is fine by me. I ordered the bacon and sausage omelet which came with toast and hash browns. The toast was toast. It doesn't take too much effort to get it right. The omelet was as expected but it was overcooked and very dry except for the excessive cheese oozing out. The waiter asked if I'd like some hot sauce. Why yes I would. Do you have Chalula? When he came back, he said all we have is Tabasco. He left the bottle and walked away. No big deal. Maybe ask if I'd like Tabasco if that is allmlm you have. The inexcusable disappointment was the hash browns. Shredded potato with minimal seasoning fried to a dark brown and saturated with oil. The taste and texture indicates this item is made in advance and dropped in a fryer to reheat. The first bite was my last bite. Really gross. Even though I get a credit for being a frequent traveler, I believe my next breakfast will be full price across the street. read more

For such a great location, it's a Terrible shame they can't get anything right! The food is very average but the service is simply appalling. It's the slowest I've ever experienced. read more

The location and views are 5 stars but the food is fair and over priced the kitchen is painfully slow the waiter Kevin was very good. The hotel guests are mostly from New York city so the atmosphere is a weird combination of condescension and insecurity. read more

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My family was staying at the Madison Beach Hotel and the Wharf is in the hotel itself so we ate here multiple times. Each meal I had was one better than the next. I have to mention the lobster eggs Benedict I had for breakfast. It was delicious and was right on the Long Island Sound so everyday there was a beautiful view. read more

The Wharf Restaurant - New American Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... a townie bar! Yep. Unless you live here, you probably don't go here. It was obviously full of locals and regulars, but that's more of a positive than a negative to me. We just happened to be in Madison the other night, and decided to stop in for a drink. Then it occurred to me, I've been here before! AAAUUUGHHHHHHH! Ok, it's not that bad. Actually, I kind of liked it. The bartenders were very friendly, and we enjoyed ourselves here. I'd have given it 4 stars if not for the complete and utter lack of a decent beer selection. I mean, even if they just had a Magic Hat or Hoegaarden or something like that I'd have given it 4 stars. But they didn't, sadly. Still, we got some food, which was fairly good. The fried calamari was tender and flavorful, the mussels were large and tasty, and the beet salad was decent enough. I don't expect gourmet food here, and I don't think they're trying to serve it. They serve exactly what I'd expect from a place like this, and that's what it's all about... meeting expectations. I'm probably not gonna go out of my way to come here or anything, but I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone else from stopping in for a couple drinks and a bite to eat. read more

Great views, good service and delicious food! We had oysters to start, chicken caprese and NY strip for our dinners. Everything was perfectly cooked and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves read more

Come for the view and atmosphere, not for the food or service. Ordered a glass of rose at the bar before being seated. Was served sparking rose prosecco. Yummy, but not what I ordered . Bartender obviously NOT familiar with the bar, maybe filling in for the regular guy? Seated at our table outdoors, lovely atmosphere, beautiful view, lively environment. Took a while to have our waiter arrive, got some recommendations from him. Very pleasant. Bread basket arrived 25 minutes after we ordered and after my clam chowder had come and gone. Clam chowder was excellent. Dinner served 60 minutes after ordering. Chicken Marsala with room temp risotto...eh. Chicken was moist and flavorful. The rest, a bit salty. Husband ordered chicken schnitzel. Very bland fried chicken cutlet. Best service was the guy who constantly refilled our water glasses! 3 stars for the atmosphere and view. Not for the food or service. read more