Barnwood Grill

This was our first time dining at the Barnwood Grill in Sandy hook. We went with our son for lunch on a Monday and were pleasantly surprised. The food, service and atmosphere were all great. The lunch specials were awesome and I've attached photos to this rating. We also had an order of the tuna tartare and it was exceptional. Highly recommend this restaurant for lunch or even better probably for dinner when in this area.

We are outside.. Such a lovely evening. My spicy tequila drink was sooo good. Pork belly for a starter was excellent. Shrimp and grits for dinner so very tasty. No room for desert. But next time we will

We've been hoping to try this restaurant for a while. Atmosphere is nice. Our calamari was ok and scallops were undercooked, underseared, under seasoned. Our waiter was not very personable and didnt elevate our experience at all considering i let him know it was my wifes birthday. Would not go back.

Writing this review to give accolades to the fabulous bartenders at Barnwood in Newtown. All 3 bartenders that served us in the past month have made amazing, delicious craft cocktails! See photos attached. Their professionalism and friendliness is above and beyond. One bartender even kept an eye on getting 4 seats at the bar for my party on a very busy night. Very nice selection of apps at happy hour at 20% off. For dinner, the chicken Milanese was really tasty and the lobster tacos on special were great too. Happy customer!

Beautiful atmosphere for the holidays. Went for a small family get together and asked for a quieter area and they happily placed us into a more private room towards the front which was beautiful and perfect for the occasion. Food was great. Ordered each appetizer from the menu to try all. I would only suggest to offer more chips with the tuna tartar. For the amount of tuna; the chips broke easily and it was not enough to comfortably share amongst others. Other than that I would rate them as a great local to enjoy lovely drinks and food in a super cozy atmosphere!

Hailyn was our server and she was amazing!! Speedy service, she made all our drinks and did so amazingly. We got the brussel sprouts, baby arugula salad, house cheeseburger (cooked perfectly) and truffle fries. Everything was perfectly cooked. The sticky toffee pudding is to die for!

I made a phone reservation last min for Easter Saturday lunch for my group of 9. Even though they were pretty book , they still accommodated us. It's a beautiful, trendy place. Perfect for hosting events, too. We were sitted immediately & service was amazing. They catered to all our requests & service was fast. Now food, ohmygosh, everything was so delicious & good. Everyone loved their food & and was so happy with it. I 100% recommend this place & hope to visit them soon.

Had dinner there on Saturday….was so disappointed as this restaurant always was oh so delicious. First one person order the cowboy steak and it was so tough that it was barely able to be cut with steak knife…..one person had the veal and was also impossible to chew …..the scallops lacked the sear that makes them outstanding. I have always bragged how delicious there food was. Will give it one moretry before I take it off my rotation of restaurants. Oh what happened to the shrimp and grits?

Yummmmmmm this food was so gooooood!!!!!! I went here for brunch and got the pancake brunch board and it was so tasty!!!!!!!!!!!! The waiter was extremely nice and kind and I asked for lots of pineapple juice and he was glad to bring it to me everytime!!!!!!! I was super excited to come here because it was so tasty definitely coming back more!!!!!!!!!!!!

On an unexpected visit Sunday afternoon with my fiancé, we started with the stuffed mushrooms, which were fantastic. For our entrées, I ordered the Chilean sea bass special, and it was phenomenal. My fiancé had the Tuscan chicken and was very pleased. Overall, it's a great experience every time we come here.

Went with a large group. Split a ton of appetizers all of which were good. Brussels Sprouts, Rice Balls, Calamari, and Pork Belly. Nothing on the main menu was jumping out at me so I went with the lobster tacos special, mostly because it came with yuca fries which I love. Tacos were good but had a seasoning (maybe celery salt?) that I found slightly off putting. Overall solid meal.

Very nice space, beautiful bar, excellent service but the food? Really solid "Meh." I had a Smoked Salmon Flatbread situation and didn't care for it at all. It came with waaaay too many chopped red onions, a good amount if capers, and a stingy amount of a dill sauce. It was so dry. And room temp? My husband's burger was pretty standard but all was too expensive. Again, service was incredible and the vibes were immaculate. Just too bad my food was kinda gross.

Went for a lunch with a friend. New to both of us. Enjoyed the calamari to start and then we both ordered the Kobe burger. Was over cooked but still juicy. Truffle fries were fantastic. Bar was set in the back left. Looked cozy in there but we sat in the front as the back had a baby shower going on. Will check out this place again.

On a very hot day in CT we ended up sitting outside. This was not a good choice. The food was good, but the service was not the best.

been here numerous times the food is fantastic. The service is excellent highly recommend.

Suprised how great this place is! Saw it next to the grocery store and thought it was another fancy pub food place--but food was amazing. We had the tuna tartare which was a huge portion with amazing wonton crisps, empanada special, a flat bread, Newtown chicken, and kids tenders. Even the tenders were fresh and perfectly crispy. We'll be back and so glad we tried this place.

It was warm and cozy and the restaurant was filled with chatty people. We called ahead of our drive and were able to get a table for 4 at 5:15pm. Delicious food and kind and attentive service. Dessert is a must.

Really fancy atmosphere and great service. 2 stars are solely for the food. Overpriced, very small portions even for an appetizer "to share", and they have my friend Kraft Mac and cheese honestly. I will not be back, eve !

Family dinner on a holiday season Saturday. We were seated quite quickly. This place has an upscale bar and grill feel. Decent beer tap list and solid flatbread appetizers (Would recommend the fig one). My rigatoni with Italian sausage was excellent.

Pleasant greeting on the phone by Dafina. Mike the owner offered us a table of our choice. Florina his wife also pleasant. Amazing meal! Fireplace and lighting was romantic.

This was our third time visiting and this time we brought along a guests! The restaurant staff were EXTREMELY accommodating to the many people in our group, even though we had two extra people join us. Even with a baby shower going on in the main dining area, they took the time to meet our need and we are incredibly thankful for that!! The food was delicious, definitely recommend their brunch menu!! The kids also had a great selection to choose from. Beautiful restaurant and location!

2025 May 24: 1) cremini mushroom soup 2) ahi tuna medium rare 3) Kansas strip medium. They are all from the specials menu. The soup is excellent. As for the main courses, the tuna is the better of the two, because it is cooked just right and the sauce is very tasty.

Everything was delicious! The Fig Flatbread has pistachio goat cheese w drizzle truffle honey was really good! And so was the Chicken Milanese w burrata, arugula cherry tomatoes w drizzle balsamic!!! The kids chicken tenders and french fries was perfectly crisped. We ate EVERY BITE! Oh and the Ghost Guava Margaritas was perfect!

Food price / quality (value) rating 9. The atmosphere os contemporary chic. This was our first visit here. They have a large bar with some high tops, and some beautiful mural style art pieces. The restaurant is very tastefully decorated and lit. The menu is wonderfully varied with familiar offerings from flatbreads to fish, pasta, beef, and chicken entrees. I had the poached pear, blue cheese, and arugula flatbread - fantastic! The wife had the Baby Arugula Salad, and she said it was excellent. We also got a Lemon Marscapone Cake dessert to-go. They have a pretty good Happy Hour Monday through Fridays 3:00 to 6:00 pm. They also offer eight well chosen locally brewed draught beers . Their dessert offerings are a great mix of classical, but not common choices. We arrived here around 5:00 on a Friday and sat at the bar. The bar and bar area filled up very quickly after that. Service was very good, and the food was excellent. The food, two drinks each, dessert, tax and tip came to $101.00, which was a little higher than we guessed since it was Happy Hour. We'll certainly come again.

The best bar in town! Ladies night every Wednesday means buy one get one drinks. The bartenders are extremely friendly and quick with service. The dining room has huge windows while the bar area is cozy and decently spacious.

I had a 12:00 reservation today and the restaurant was closed. The restaurant was supposed to open at 11:30. I was really looking forward to trying this place for the first time. There needs to be better communication, whether it be a sign on the door or on the website saying 'due to the bad weather expected, the restaurant is going to be closed for tomorrow.' I was disappointed because I was left in the dark.

Food was fresh and a good portion. Scallops delacious, mussels were prepared very well. Burger was pretty good but the Cheese was odd w a grainy texture. Drinks were well Made and eclectic. The only thing we didn't like were the clams. Very very sandy. We didn't expect that. The flavor was perfect, but every bite if every clam was crunchy and that's just big turn off. Servers were friendly but extremely slow and let the dishes like up and carry over to another course

Looking for new to us restaurants, my wife and I found the Barnwood grille. We absolutely loved it. Great service, paced beautifully, a nice decor and convenient location but the star is the food. I enjoyed the pork belly app which had a great BBQ sauce that complimented the pork and did not overpower it. We had two special entrees, the Seafood Pappardelle and the Pork Cutlet Milanese. We were impressed with the perfect flavors and balance. We will be back for sure. A shout out for our waiter Cruz, he and his staff serving us were attentive to all our needs.

New York strip was excellent paired with mashed potatoes and beet salad. Visited the new Barnwood in Danbury, Connecticut.

Wonderful ambience and food! Definitely worth the visit. The wait staff were attentive. The food prepared was excellent.

Just a few things were not to my particular taste. I like a cheesier french onion soup and the rice balls were Ok. Our table was super wobbly I was afraid food and drinks were going to slide off it. The fried calamari was lightly fried and nice big rings. Both of our steaks were nice, juicy, and tender. The atmosphere was beautiful from the dinning room to the bar.

My wife and I had a horrendous experience recently. We waited an hour for our food after we ordered. After 45 minutes I said something to the waiter who did not come by at all till then and was not even empathetic to the situation. He gave us an excuse, the owner came over and gave us a different excuse, you should at least get your lies in order before you talk to the customers. They did comp the meal, but while we were waiting for an hour, they did not offer anything considering the long wait. The worst part was even after they told us they were sorry it still took another 15 minutes to get our food. You would think they would've rushed the order as quick as possible. When we did get our food, it was very average. Will never eat here again!!!!!

Great for takeout and I'm sure even better for dine in. Love that they have spot to note food allergies. Got burgers, pasta and brussel sprouts and that hit the spot for a light family dinner. Service was great and the ambiance inside looks like a fun place to meet up with friends.

Monday, 3/4/2024 we were in Newtown to grocery shop (Caraluzzi's, see their review) and decided to try the restaurant in the same strip center, "Barnwood Grill". We were promptly greeted and seated in the bar area at a high top as we just wanted a snack. When you first walk in, you immediately think, special occasion place as very romantic, lovely ambiance in the main dining. The bar is to your left and features apx. 14-16 seats at the bar and a few high tops (2 tops). Wednesday evenings feature lady's nights where ladies receive buy one get one drinks during happy hour. The ceiling in the bar area has unique hanging dangle lighting like you would put outside your home at Christmas and so pretty. We decided to try a special on the menu, the meatloaf. I wish I had taken a picture of the description as can't recall what the name was, but it was the most unique meatloaf we have ever had. It was in a sauce, had mushrooms and potato's which doesn't seem inspiring, but the taste was truly a delight for the taste buds. They also offer a good variety of both white and red wines without Canyon Road (yuck) as an offering. I don't know why so many restaurants are using this as their house wine, but it's truly distasteful so we appreciated tasty options. During warmer months, there is outside seating, but it overlooks a parking lot and busy road, so to me, I wouldn't choose it as just not as beautiful as indoors. Our service was close to excellent but truly there were only 3 different tables with customers when we entered so expected. It was our first visit, but we are looking forward to experiencing a complete meal in the future. Side note, the soap in the bathroom smells so good, hope they keep it and the area was spotless. Always a good sign. I would have given five stars, but our review was on one item, the outside patio area overlooks a parking lot and busy road, but I think a quick fix (think Remo's in Stamford on Bedford) and then it would be spot on perfect. Go with confidence.

We can only eat outdoors for medical reasons. On a warm but rainy day the hostess would not accommodate us, even when I explained the situation.

Incredible vibes and espresso martinis are so good. Chicken Milanese was perfect and nice waiter

This place is very good! Just left after Sunday lunch. Staff is very friendly and on their game 110%! Food was delicious: we had the Seasonal Salad which was outstanding, burgers were good, appetizers ; roasted Brussels sprouts and Perogies were excellent.

This place is a solid 3.5 stars. The service was very good, attentive and professional. We started with the butternut squash ravioli: 4 house made raviolis in a brown butter sauce. They were really tasty but the serving size was disappointed for the $15 we paid for 4 ravioli. For my entree I had veal risotto which was loaded with great ingredients including sun dried tomatoes, asparagus and chunks of braised veal. It was ok, really under seasoned though and just needed a little fortified wine to put it all together and lots of salt... it lacked salt . My friend ordered the halibut which she was said was tasty. We didn't have time for dessert. I'd go back to this place but I'd ask a lot of questions before ordering.

Excellent chicken Milanes!! Good Kobe burger. Service was attentive. Ambiance was nice. We were driving thru and it really hit the spot.

Food was pretty good. GREAT ambiance, service, and cocktails. The toffee dessert cake.... Just get it. Thank me later.

Went to Barnwood for lunch. Great menu, delicious lunch, pleasant and attentive wait staff. Nice atmosphere with outdoor seating in nice weather.

We went there for our daughter's birthday. It was seven of us. My daughter and her 4 kids. We had very tasty appetizers. We had calamari, Smoked blackened Nachos and rice balls. The appetizers aren't that big but it's big enough for two if you get one appetizer. My favorite is the blackened nachos and All 3 appetizers were gluten free. My two grand daughters had the pasta and they really enjoyed it. My daughter had the salmon she said it was very tasty and moist. My grand son and I shared the steak and flatbread brisket. The steak was made medium rare, prefect and yummy. My husband enjoyed his Kobe burger. He said it's the best taste moist burger he ever had. The service was excellent and the seats are comfortable and the place is spacious and has high ceilings. It's nicely decorated. We will be back. I really like that they offer a lot of gluten free options especially if you are allergic to gluten like one of my Grand daughters. This place is a must try. We will be going back.

Great service and fantastic food and wonderful atmosphere . Not rushed , the staff is very attentive to your needs. Definitely will be back .

Excellent food, vibes, friendliness. It's a little fancy, not too much, and has a good selection of creative dishes, mostly New American with an Italian twist. Not terribly overpriced by today's standards. We've been 3 times and would definitely go back !

Great service and food. There were many specials to choose from as well. I also love the rustic scenery.

I came here with my cousins for dinner after the holidays and it was such a cozy and welcoming restaurant. Everything was decorated nicely for the holidays and our table was next to the fire. It had a rustic feel but still a classy ambience. We started with the fried mozzarella, which was tasty and a great starter. I had the lemon chicken, at the adamant recomendationnof our server, and it did not disappoint. My cousins got pasta dishes--the butternut squash ravioli and rigatoni and both loved it. Also, the cocktails were fantastic! The margarita was the perfect blend of tasting delicious (i.e., you can't taste the tequila) but you could feel it as soon as you started drinking. A good sign of a quality bartender. I'm excited to go back again!

We would absolutely recommend the Barnwood Grill for family friendly dining, gatherings with friends/coworkers, or a date night. Service was friendly and ambiance was inviting. Their winter sangria and espresso martinis were delicious. Burger and fries were average. The Chicken Milanese Burrata is a must try, served hot on a cast iron skillet with enough for a second portion to bring home. Parking lot was very crowded for a Friday night, we had to park in other lots. Would recommend making a reservation.

I made a phone reservation last min for Easter Saturday lunch for my group of 9. Even though they were pretty book , they still accommodated us. It's a beautiful, trendy place. Perfect for hosting events, too. We were sitted immediately & service was amazing. They catered to all our requests & service was fast. Now food, ohmygosh, everything was so delicious & good. Everyone loved their food & and was so happy with it. I 100% recommend this place & hope to visit them soon.

Very nice atmosphere even being across from a large grocery store it seems like you are in a relaxing place. Professional staff with great service. Food was delicious and prices reasonable.

Update. Well, I don't think management or ownership has changed perhaps chef or executive chef has changed. Barnwood went from excellent to marginal and we ate there for the first time in a while last week and found it to be very good again. Lots of gluten-free options for people with sensitive diets, lots of specials and deliciously cooked food served in a positive manner. Back to recommending.

We've gone to the Barnwood Grill once. We dined outside. We ordered their rice balls, fried calamari, and the pan seared scallops which were on their special. The scallops were excellent and was not overcooked with nice sear it melted like butter. The appetizer came out hot and fresh. They were delicious. I ordered the steak Medium and it was excellent. I'll definitely recommend if you're in the area.

Great local Newtown favorite. The specials are key. They are always offering interesting new dishes and flavors if you're willing. The bbq pork belly and charred Brussels with aioli are on the menu, and if you are a fan of either you must try these. The pork belly is a little salty with a little spicy. Perfect. The Brussels are crispy without being too flaky. Best dish of the night was the tacos, hands down. Delicious. And the naan stays together despite the juiciness of the meat and sauce. If they are available when you visit I highly recommend them. The ahi tuna was also delicious. Didn't even need the sauce that was added. Service is good, though it's a very popular spot and can get pretty crowded. If you're in Newtown it's worth a stop.

The food was delicious; service excellent; ambience perfect. Denard is a master at the art of dining! Bob S.

Great experience!! It has a very cozy atmosphere-- we were right next to a fireplace which made it even more aesthetic. Your meal starts off with bread (always a great start). I got Newtown Chicken for my main, which comes with mashed potatoes (yum!) and bacon brussel sprouts (they were okay). Other people got the scallops, steak, brisket, salmon, and pasta; everyone was happy with their meal. I tried the brisket and that was pretty solid as well. You can also order sides separately-- we got mac and cheese-- and it was a QUALITY portion, definitely shareable (we shared between 2 people but you could also share with 3 and still get enough per person) Finally, dessert!! Look no further than the sea salt and caramel cheesecake.... It was delicious!! The chocolate chip lava cake (chocolate chip cookie, with chocolate sauce-- not chocolate cake with chips) was also enjoyed! It is located in a plaza--like a little strip mall-- so depending on the time of day and what other businesses are in the plaza, I'm not sure how busy/what parking ends up being like. Use this information as you wish lol

We passed a few times and had noted we wanted to check it out. Great meal and great service. I also appreciate their generous kids menu. Side note: we had recently also tried Bora in Bethel and really enjoyed it. We were not surprised when we realized they were affiliated.

Super cute place that we tried after going to a local pumpkin farm. You can't tell from the outside since it's next to a supermarket, but inside is so cozy and makes you feel right at home with beautiful barn wood accents, a fireplace and cute decor. I had the little purse pasta which was very tasty. Some folks at our table got the fajitas which looked absolutely amazing and were so good that they were demolished! The service was excellent. I would definitely come back here again.

Finally tried this place... and no regrets. Food was really good, had the steamed clams- satisfied my seafood craving that day, broth was delicious, not too garlicky.. just perfect. Had the razor clams too- I haven't had this in years- it was fantastic. New York strip was perfectly good, juicy and full of flavor and you can never go wrong with brussel sprouts. Drinks were well made. Atmosphere was fun, bartender was great. Highly recommend