Besides the rustic atmosphere and the pickles - it was very much a disappointment. We were a party of 4 at a 2 person table. When the water is brought to you it's warm tap water WITHOUT ice. we ordered the nachos and to say they were a disappointment is an understatement. We couldn't tell the difference between the beans and the pork. The salsa had no flavor and there was nothing else on them but cheese. I thought that was bad, then i got my Cubano wrap. The pork was so dry i didn't even eat half of my sandwich. And they don't tell you that it comes cold. So not only was it chunks of cheese but cold, dry pork. I asked for a side of bbq sauce and it tasted like molasses. Also, the whiskey selection is not expansive. We will not be returning and i feel bad for my guest who drove 45 minutes to try it with us. read more

Whiskey Barrel - The inside of the Cubano wrap. Dry pork and a chintzy piece of prosciutto. No flavor at all. - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Whiskey Barrel is a great spot if you want to hang at the bar and grab some drinks. If that's what you are looking for then this is the place for you. This place has great decor & a killer ambiance so definitely a good spot to post up at the bar and drink. However my recommendation is to avoid the food. Usually at most places that have subpar food, there will be 1 or 2 redeeming qualities of the food. That's not the case here. My fiancée & I ordered Brussels & the pretzel to start. The Brussels came out in this Thai chilli sauce and it tasted like they had been stewing in the sauce for a while. This made the Brussels really mushy...almost like vegetables cooked in a soup too long. The sauce was ok, it had good heat but it had a strange aftertaste that I can't put my finger on. When I order a pretzel, I usually omit from my reviews because it's a pretzel, not hard to make & pretty much tastes the same everywhere you go. But I got to bring up the fact that this pretzel was so dry...it was tough to swallow! For my entree, I ordered a pulled pork sandwich & all I can say is that if this was served in Kansas City/Memphis/Texas, there'd be a riot. The description of the pulled pork indicated that is was slow cooked. I'd recommend WB to smoke the pulled pork instead because it gives it so much more flavor when you do. Even with the pulled pork being lackluster the rest of the elements of the sandwich missed the mark. The brioche bun was soggy so everything fell apart upon first bite. The slaw had no crunch so it didn't provide any texture contrast to the pulled pork. The sweet potato fries were run of the mill. Could've been cut a little thinner for the right balance of crispness & substance. There were misses across the board for the food here & as you can see, reflects in the rating I gave. The service here much like T-Mobile (definitely not a sponsor) was spotty. Our waitress had a lot of tables so she was running around trying to take care of everyone. When she did get to us and take our orders, the drinks and food came out promptly. If WB added 1 more server, the service would be top notch. Overall, WB is great for its vibe/ambiance and if it was closer to where I lived I could see myself posting up at the bar and getting after it then ubering home (don't drunk drive people). read more

See all

Always great food and music, very welcoming, never disappointed. Always have a great time.

Burgers are insanely good. Service was fast. Highly recommend Berry Mule. Servers are really nice.

My lunch experience at Whiskey Barrel was impressive. Unfortunately, it was a "work lunch" so no alcohol, but the food was delicious. I had the Poutine, Clams Casino, and the Rhode Island Clam Chowder. All were fantastic. The Clams Casino had a drizzle of bourbon bbq sauce on top! It sounds a little funky but it was awesome! The Poutine was traditional with cheese curds and gravy. The RI Clam Chowder was excellently seasoned and delicious. I'll have to go back dinner and drinks soon. The wine list looked great. Obviously, if whiskeys and bourbons are your thing, this place has all the options. read more

Whiskey Barrel - Poutine - FANTASTIC!!! - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Came in for happy hour but no happy hour menu. Ordered shrimp tacos and tater tots, and jalapeno margarita. Everything was okay, not bad. I may give another try once they solidify their happy hour. read more

Whiskey Barrel - Shrimp tacos and tater tots. Of course hot sauce!! - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

If you are in ct, this is a good bar. As a city guy, it's pretty close to what you'd get in an urban environment. The beer was good and plentiful and the cocktail were nice as well. read more

Music too loud. Your ears are ringing. Food comes out in increments, so by the time you eat everything is cold. Servers don't check on you and they seem to act as if you're bothering them when you ask for something. Not a place I would recommend nor return to. read more

To be honest - I don't know how I feel about this place. I've been back multiple times since the first time I went to give them another shot. While I don't LOVE the food, it's not the worst. The first time I had gone was all just drinks so that's neither here nor there. A beer is a beer, can't mess that up. More recently I went back and had a burger of some sort with bacon on it. The bacon was extremely thick cut - almost like a pork belly size. It was just too much and too thick to take a bite out of it and chew - I felt like I was going to choke every time. Hmmm. I would go back but not sure what I would want to order. read more

Great place for cocktails and bite to eat ... staff is friendly Just went the other day for breakfast and food was tasty. One of my favorite places read more

Arrived a little after 8:15pm with step son and fiancé, was promptly seated and greeted by a very pleasant and helpful waitress Jessica who took our drink orders and quickly placed my stepsons order as he was getting fidgety. After placing our order at about 8:30, we received appetizers within fifteen minutes Barrels And Tots, and the Blue Calamari. The tots were crisp and as expected, but the steak tips were bland and didn't taste of very much in spite of being cooked in a rosemary and red wine reduction. This dish would have been far and away better if the protein were burnt ends from bbq'd flank or brisket, or even pork bely with a house made bbq sauce or glaze. The calamari were a bit overly spiced for my taste but not bad. Couldn't taste much of the bacon over the Thai chili sauce however and so it all just tasted of sweet heat, and not much more. We did not however receive our entree until over an hour after ordering. Jessica was extremely apologetic during the wait, and did everything she could to help keep our six year old toddler entertained by bringing him some plastic toys to play with and tried chatting with him (he's not very chatty with strangers) without much luck. Jessica stated that the kitchen needed extra time to cook my double thick pork chop "to kill all the bacteria" but being a classically trained chef and in the business almost 30 years now myself, it doesn't take an hour to cook a two inch thick pork chop or to get it to 165. Later she informed me that the kitchen claimed to have lost the order, hence the delay. When our food arrived at nearly 9:30, we found it was decidedly not worth the wait. My fiancés salmon was burnt on the bottom, over cooked throughout and had no taste at all; and the "roasted sweet potatoes" were just large chunks of peeled roasted sweet potatoes which were very Al dente, such that I could hear the crunch from the other side of the table when she took a bite, and were served dry without any sauce, oil or any seasoning. My double stuffed pork chop had a crispy crust, and the sauce was delicious, but the chop was otherwise bland and tasted of nothing in particular. The sweet potatoes with the dish were again just large chunks of dry, un-seasoned, un-sauced, and under cooked sweet potato; as were the Brussels sprouts, some of which were nearly raw and felt like they were just waved over a pot of boiling water... Very disappointing and decidedly not worth the wait or the $22 and $27 respectively. We very much wanted this place to be our new "go to" place whenever we were hungry and had the money to splurge on dining out, but alas.... Jessica was completely apologetic and graciously took off the salmon and one appetizer from the bill to make up for the excessive wait time and substandard food. This place needs more Jessica's! And some better training for the culinary team to boot. Either stick to your business model (a watering hole with good pub grub) or train your team better; and hire a chef that knows what they're doing... read more

Great atmosphere. Large bar and two outdoor dining areas, one in front and one in the back with plenty of indoor dining space. Staff was attentive and nice. The food was great. We also had the Thai chili wings which were very good. read more

Whiskey Barrel - Teriyaki Bowl with salmon - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Tuesday night.... My wife and I, looking for a place for a drink and a few appetizers decided to swing by the Whiskey Barrel at around 8PM. Nice selection of craft beers and friendly gals behind the bar serving. Here is where they fall short... We decided to order the ribs and clams casino. As a gentleman of 60 years of age... I've had my share of clams casino and these were not even close. 5 clams for 13 bucks (or was it 12) came out with barbecue sauce on them. No buttery garlicky goodness. And to top it off the ribs were uneventful. I expect ribs to fall off the bone and these were dense and slathered with sauce. What is upsetting, or sad is that this place can kill it in Stratford if they step up their food quality and attention to detail. Perhaps they need "Bar Rescue". I will be back but if their food doesn't improve the Whiskey Barrel may be crossed off my list for food and drop to a "Swing by for a beer on my way home" place. read more

Writing this from my husband's yelp page. Went out for a girl's night and have an amazing time! We sat at the bar and had a great bartender! James was so attentive and made our drinks perfect. What really made the night was when we realized the women's bathroom was at the other side of the establishment, we only asked him to please not give our seats away (it was packed!). When we came back our drinks had coasters on top of them. He covered our drinks and watched them for us on a busy night. Listen that alone will have us coming back. He made us feel like our safety mattered. It's the little things, you know. Great atmosphere, no drama, and everyone is really nice there. I'd check it out! We had the calamari and it was okay, nothing amazing hence the four stars. read more

Whiskey Barrel - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

This restaurant has an extremely talented chef! The steak tips are so tender and flavorful, and the garlic bread crostini it came with were amazing. Their poutine and deviled and eggs were also fantastic. I can't wait to come back and try more food! Great whiskey flights available too. read more

I really like the food, drinks and service at the whiskey barrel. It the bar area is spacious and cozy. We have been here a few times and really had a great time. This is a great addition to Stratford considering the choices in this area are not very good. We came here with my sister and brother in law and they loved it as well. I highly recommend it if you are in Stratford and want to enjoy a good drink and good food. read more

See all

I have eaten here 3 times in the past 2 weeks for no other reason than this has become my new favorite spot. The margarita alone is enough to get me to review 5 stars, it's huge and only $8. The atmosphere, and the food keep me back. Service is friendly and fun, and I don't think I've eaten one thing here that I've disliked. Honestly it's a great little spot, my new favorite. read more

What a great little place right off the highway. Awesome and friendly atmosphere with GREAT service. We had Sayyiad and he was super personable, funny and provided perfect service. Food was absolutely awesome and drinks too. Highly recommend to anyone. read more

First impression, #&C@ there's no parking, then I realized how great of a sign that is in food related industries, I called the resultant and they tell me "across the street gurrlfrennnn" so I went and I wasn't even mad about it I'm actually excited even though it was wicked cold! First actual bar impression. They don't only have the pretties girls and handsome guys working there they're also absolutely awesome! VERY friendly and attentive even with so many people. Of course me and my gal friend can't live without a good happy hour the drinks were super good and the food? Was F-Eye-yaaaaa! I'm obsessed with three things soft pretzels, Brussels sprouts and drinks ...prices are great and to be honest with you I plan on going to the tailgate event for st. patties day so if that plan works out you'll see more pictures. In the mean time I'm gonna check the menu out again so that I know what I wanna try when I go back. read more

Whiskey Barrel - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

The food is good here, and they have a large beer menu. The service is friendly, but our dinner order took forever (over 50 minutes for sandwiches/burgers for 4). Not a bad spot for happy hour or a drink, but for dinner I'd recommend Joey C's, Liberty Rock and StillRiver up the road. read more

First time I came here there was lip gloss on our cups and some bugs in the drink as well. When the food came the Mac and cheese burger I got was actually awesome and so cheesy. My girlfriend got Mac and cheese as her meal and my burger was more cheesy than her entire dish. The drinks were pretty good. I would come back for drinks again but would not rush back for food. read more

Saw they changed the menu on the site not in the pics. I love a big pretzel! My husband got one. He went there had a few beers. Ordered it. Burnt to crisp. Never again read more

Whiskey Barrel - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

I liked it. The whiskey flights are good. The bar area and outside area have a good ambiance/atmosphere. The back big room with tables was just too bright. It didn't have that same vibe the bar area had. Menu has lots of good food on it. read more

Whiskey Barrel - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Heard some good things and decided to give it a try. Decent wine selection for a whiskey place. Lots of flight options and an excellent rotating beer selection. Wish their were more local breweries on tap but that's a personal preference. Ordered two burgers, the whiskey burger and the b57 burger( thick bacon, sunny side up egg) both burgers were cooked to order and seasoned nicely. The sunny side up egg was also correct. They came on a cheap sesame bun and I would have liked to see a brioche or pretzel bun. The come with three sliced pickles not Spears as well. The bartender did an excellent job providing continuous service throughout our meal. Two small anecdotes. I have a personal peeve when I see the hostess living on her personal cell phone, plenty of things to do including clearing tables. The second is a server to assist the bartender would be helpful even if it is a busier. I vote come and try and don't read to much into the small negative comments it was a great overall experience. read more

See all

Nice big clean place. Easy to find and ample parking. Basically a sports bar. Sat at the bar and ordered food. When the food came it was delicious and well made, but cold, I ate it anyway because I hadn't eaten in 8 hrs and was starving. It was still good but was like eating left overs. When finished the bartender ask how it was. When I told her "it was very good but, cold". Instead of giving attitude she apologized and said "you must have been hungry to eat it?" "I was," I told her. Later she informed us she bought our drinks. That was very nice of her. For no other reason that she cared what a costumer thought. Respect! Thank you. read more

Things I love about Whiskey Barrel: - Food is always so good - Great selection of drinks - Very friendly staff - Great atmosphere Have been here multiple times over the past few months and am always impressed read more

We had a great experience here. The atmosphere is right up our alley, and we had been looking forward to trying out this new addition to the neighborhood. We stopped in on a hot Sunday evening. We originally were planning to eat by the water, so we decided to sit outside to enjoy the weather. They were super accommodating and let us choose between the front porch, inside, or the back porch. We chose the back porch because it had proper tables and we were ready to eat. Our server was lovely. Very attentive and helpful with suggestions. There was another server always around filling water and clearing plates, which was appreciated. The beer menu was good. I was a bit disappointed that most of the ones I wanted to drink were "coming soon" but it's okay. Hint: bring some craft light ales / wheat beers soon! There were some common ones, but I prefer the craft selection. However, a bunch were listed to look forward to. We started with the soft pretzel and it was awesome. Presented well and delicious. The weather quickly took a turn and we found ourselves under some storm clouds. The servers quickly and smoothly helped us move inside and didn't seem annoyed at all, which can often be the case. I got the Whiskey dogs (hot dogs with pulled pork on top) and my boyfriend had the whiskey burger. Both were delicious. Prices were reasonable, too. We will definitely be back! read more

Whiskey Barrel - Jumbo Pretzel - American Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Nice variety of food. Haven't been there since COVID. Still very good. Went for restaurant week and they had some good deals. French onion soup and chicken tacos were very tasty. On site parking and great service. read more

Today, I flew in from California. My brother recently mentioned to me that there is this cool spot where the old "Frog Pond" used to be. I went in and was pleasantly surprised. The place looks amazing!!! I met the owner, told her the locale was great, the decor was on point. Could use a couple more scotches and whiskey's but overall she nailed the concept and the place is booming! The food is really good and I believe it will only get better. If you are in town, or live locally it's definitely worth the visit. The prices are reasonable and food is not your typical cheap bar food. A Dope spot, cool decor, great vibe, good food and great beer and whiskey options. My go to spot whenever I'm back in town! Great experience, will be back again! read more

Great place, very energetic and fun... really solid good food. Only issue is with take-out. CONSISTENTLY wrong order sent out. They need quality control. Getting very tired of having to call back to tell them the ticket is correct (person taking order is fine) but it loses something when it goes to the kitchen! read more

Such disappointment after its initial opening. I have been back 2 times since it opened and sadly my review rating has dropped considerable. Last visit, I received a completely raw burger when I requested medium rare. (you could still see the squiggly meat pattern). I hate sending food back but the middle was completely cold and purple so I sent it back. What came back was a burger that was burnt a good quarter of an inch on the top which they tried to hide with a layer of cheese and the middle was still cold! This wasn't the only food issue. My co-diner asked for a cubano with chipotle mayo. It arrived without the mayo and it was requested again. Mayo never came. It's sad. I feel like there is potential here but they have dropped their standards too much. read more

Absolutely awesome. Went for dinner with wife and sons... food was delicious- drinks were outstanding and service was exceptional. Highly recommend for a night out. Double stuffed pork chop was amazing and Poutine is top notch. B57 Burger also a very big hit. read more

Fun atmosphere, food is incredible. Drinks are delicious. The staff is so friendly. The music is always bumpin 10/10 recommend

Nah, I didn't care for it. Service was really nice, no complaints, there. Except for their dishwasher... bluh. Ok, so fried pickles were served hot, good good. But they were soggy, saturated, and droopy. The spinach artichoke dip was really oily. I got a house salad with grilled chicken. Played it safe, and it was a solid choice. However, the lettuce was not very fresh. One of my friends got the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw as a side. The slaw was quite watery and bland. The pulled pork was ok, but wasn't warm when we got it. My other friend got a whisky burger and tots. Hey, remember those pickles in the beginning? The tots were soggy, too. The burger was a bit dry. I very much hope the tip I gave was not shared with the kitchen. read more

We just came in for lunch as we saw the restaurant week menu. I was so very impressed with this brand new restaurant/bar. It looks amazing inside. the place is spotless, nice music, great people. the food was amazing and our server Nina was fantastic. Very friendly and bubbly and very attentive. We will definitely keep coming back. five stars for sure. read more

See all

Just enjoyed an amazing meal at The Whiskey Barrel! Our first time here, and we will definitely be coming back! They even made my service dog, Boxcar, a complimentary plate of chicken! Excellent food and service! Doesn't get better than that! Thank you all so much for a wonderful evening! Cheers!! read more

Great space great attentive staff great location great taste in their food and drinks absolutely loved the frisky whiskey. Definitely comí back I would say one of the top ten in this area . read more

Stopped here for a bite on our way back to the city from New Haven. Great spot for drinks and a delicious, unpretentious meal. Staff was very friendly and super attentive. Also, the lava cake is an absolute must! Will likely take the drive up again just to try some more items on the menu. read more

Great service, awesome brunch! We loved our waitress and she didn't rush us when some of the brunch party was late. Venue was clean and spacious. Definitely can't wait to come back. read more

i asked for a well done burger (2 of them) - both so pink inside that it was when cold! gross. also their food is bland