Market Place Tavern - Litchfield

This place was so cool inside. It was big, bright, and full of jail cells. I loved it. Their food was delicious. The service however was not the best, I had to keep chasing my server to get me things I needed, and they weren't even that busy. I would go back if I wanted to show someone a cool place to eat.

This place is pretty cool. The building is an old prison and they even left some of the old cell bars and doors when turning it into a restaurant. Our server was so sweet. She was attentive without being pushy or feeling like she was hovering. She even remembered it was our anniversary. The food was pretty good. I think my fiancé and I both agreed the Mexican Street Corn Dip with Blue Tortilla chips was SO good! The only thing for me that knocked a star off for me was my burger didn't seem fresh made. It was like a premade frozen patty. It was bad but I'd prefer a fresh made patty if I'm going out somewhere. All in all we had a good experience. The restaurant was clean and comfy and I would go back again to try some of their other things.

This was a return visit to the Market Place Tavern. The ambiance in the converted former jail is unique with the windows still adorned with the white vertical bars on the outside. The most interesting seats are in the bar area, where you can peer into the former jail cells as you sit at your table. On a Saturday early evening we were unable to eat in the bar with no reservation. No problem because the dining room is also cool with the walls featuring lots of historical photos depicting Litchfield. We started our meal the Farm to Table appetizer. The Brussel sprouts were lovely - crispy and covered in pistachios and a balsamic glaze, accompanied by burrata and prosciutto. I enjoyed the Veggie Haystack bowl , which was a great assortment of vegetables over rice with a tasty tahini sauce. While the food was wonderful, the service was not as stellar. We had a lengthy wait for the main courses to arrive. So not a place to go if you have limited time but the food was really tasty.

We came here for drinks and appetizers since we already ate nearby. We wanted to see this historic building that used to be the 1812 Litchfield County Jail and the oldest building in town. We sat outside on the deck area. The service was good and attentive. They had a decent beer selection and we had calamari for an appetizer. The Point Judith calamari was tasty ;loved the white dipping sauce it came with but not so much the marinara. My only criticism is, the marinara tasted like it came from a jar and it's not fresh tasting. When you go inside, you can see old remnants of the jail cells. We parked in front of the bank next door. There were other businesses in this building also. Next time, we will definitely check out their entrees. Parking is plentiful on street.

As soon as you walk in, the atmosphere is very cozy with warm low lighting, the decor and left over parts from the county jail are a beautiful and unique touch. The food was fresh, delicious and tender, the drinks were well balanced and delicious as well! Unfortunately i have a horrible memory and cant remember the name of our sever but she was efficient and very welcoming. Very excited to go back and try more of the wide variety of food selections they have! They also have vegan & gluten free options!

A former prison, so absolutely fascinating building. Nachos were a great start. The kids steak meal was great, and I enjoyed my miso au jus dip sandwich though I didn't really taste the miso. Another highlight was that they offered small tastes of beers on top. Fantastic service!

A nice dinner with ambiance and history. The service is usually rushed and not especially friendly. The menu is scattered, the burgers and short rib being the highlight. I can't recommend the asain menu options or soups as they are lacking and likely there to only fill the menu. Not a bad spot for a casual date.

The worst meal we've had in a long time. The food tasted old, not well prepared, and the service was poor. My drink was wrong, chicken in the chicken nachos were dry, there was maybe a dab of guac, the steak was tough, the asparagus were raw, the desserts were heavy and the whipped cream was all air and hardly any cream. All in all this restaurant feels as if it's run by children or at the very least, uncaring and inept people. We are locals and have been here many times. A waste of money.

Was running through town after work and stopped in for a quick bite to eat, I must say that the steak sandwich I got was hands down the best I've ever had!! On top of the amazing food, the service was amazing! All staff was very kind and helpful with all questions I had! Definitely 5 stars and I will be back!

Beautiful environment, great service (Thank you Macy), and delicious drinks. I'll need to try the food again as I wasn't impressed but don't want to count it out just yet. Recommend - Blueberry bees knees

I came for Nachovember 2022 (an up and coming holiday where participating restaurants, including the Marketplace, have a coupon for $5 nacho plates when you check in on Yelp. Program runs through November 21, 2022 #nachovember), and also because I had meant to come for years. The restaurant is in the former Litchfield jail, and that's obvious from some of the fixtures inside. The lighting is a little dark in the dining room, but very comfortable and clean. The food was delicious. The nachos had a delicious liquid cheese on top with a harder cheese on the chips. The burger was well seasoned, and fries perfectly crispy. (They also reheat really well the next day) The cake was also fantastic - the interior gooey and chocolatey to perfection, although the outer icing was a little sweet.

Marketplace is amazing! The service is slow sometimes, but the food is delicious! The nachos are my favorite!

Food and service were good. Nice, average restaurant. A good place for every day dining.

On the plus side, the food was delicious with some creative dishes. Our server was very friendly and attentive. The location inside an old jail is cool, and we were liking the 90s music. On the negative side, really slow for the food to come out. FYI they allow small dogs and there was a loud yippy one near us. The dog thing is obviously a plus or minus, depending on what you like.

As a MP employee, I may be a tad biased but our group never disappoints! Celebrated father's day here & it was an absolute delight! Our sever provided excellent service and was super knowledgeable about the menu. Lavender lemondrop was good, but I would ask for extra lavender simple next time. Food was top notch: pork Milanese was so tasty. Absolutely recommend! The building is so cool too, definitely go look around when you stop in!

Waited 60 minites and no food was delivered. Salad and a sandwich. No drink refill offer, no drinks comped. Never going back and don't recommend. Not sure what happened. Waitress was nice but this is worst service I've had ever. --- I've upgraded the rating to a 2. Of course the tavern reached out. My experience was what it was and there were many other tables that left as well. Maybe they improve with in the coming weeks.

I went in last night for the Great Falls Beer Dinner and could not have been more impressed with everything! Chef Matt and Manager Matt with Chris Tripler from Great Falls did such an awesome job of explaining our amazing dinner. Here's the recap- 1st Course- Tuna Crudo with citrus, jalapeno and avocado & Blackberry River Ale 2nd Course- Cubano Egg Rolls with spicy mustard dipping sauce & Cascadia Farewell West Coast IPA 3rd Course- Beef Short Rib and Fried Rice with Gochujang glaze, julienne vegetables and cured egg yolk & Lazy Hazy Housy IPA 4th Course- Banana Split Sundae with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, banana, peanuts and chocolate stout sauce & Barnabas Foster Imperial Stout Market Place Tavern overlooks the Litchfield Green, is the oldest public building in town and one of the oldest penal facilities in the state. It was built in 1812 to serve as a jail for British prisoners during the War of 1812. A cell block and a three-story wing with additional cell blocks, which now is part of the restaurant's bar area, was added in 1846. It was so cool to take pics inside of the actual jail cell. FYI- Great Falls Brewing is located in the historic refurbished Canaan Union Station Railroad Depot in North Canaan and opened its doors in December of 2018. The brewery is named after Great Falls - the waterfall formed along the Housatonic River at Falls Village in the town of Canaan, just 6 miles South of the Depot. What a fun Thursday night!

The date is 6/20/24, at 7:16 pm The Mac and cheese I got was not only amazing, but also fast. We stood for not even a minute before being seated, and we made the food come by going to the bathroom, you should try it some time. Also, the mirror moves, so that's a plus! :)

Just went for happy hour and was relatively reasonable with decent food and drink. Made even better because Costco in Milford sels discounted gift certificates

Food was great. The old jail is a great location. Everyone was happy with their food. I had the Veggie Haystack bowl with chicken and ate the whole thing!

The prices were so ridiculous for what was served. We all chose relatively inexpensive meals. I only had an appetizer we don't drink at all check for three people $115 plus tip for sandwich, tacos, one single tiny crabcake anda plate of burned brussels sprouts. I will not return to this restaurant.

This is likely the best restaurant in Litchfield! Mike, Mgr invited us back when they were too busy in April. We met Bernard, Region Mgr. today who is hands on. The food we ordered was fresh, delicious as always and tasty. Riley our server was great, always attentive to the needs of the birthday friends, one who was her first time. The desserts were superb! Many Thanks from your new diner and all of us too!

Coffee was horrible at $4 per cup. My wife's tea was 5. Noisy room with poor acoustics only made worse by the not so subtle background music. Our party of 5 found conversation difficult. The food was good but awfully close to overpriced. Service was so-so.

Went for a ride with my parents to Litchfield with intentions of going to this restaurant as my mom had never been and I only went once about 3 years ago. I was worried as they only had 3 stars, but I had to give it another try as my first experience was pleasant and the atmosphere is so cool! As the restaurant is located in an old jail established in 1812, they still have some of the original jail cells that are along the booths in the bar area. It really is such an awesome atmosphere and definitely worth the experience. Our server for most of our visit was Mike and then he left about 3/4 through our meal. The bartender, Matt, stepped in for him and they both immediately came over to let us know that Matt would be taking over. Between the two of them, we were all very pleased with the service we were provided with. Mike came over to ask how everything was several times and so did Matt once he had taken over. All of the bad ratings I read had more to do with service than the food and I have to say, I have zero complaints about the service!! Everyone has bad days, so if you had a bad experience the first time, please give them another chance!! I have even been to the Woodbury location a couple times and the experience was very pleasant. For drinks, the waiter told us that they had a deal where every bottle of wine (I think every bottle) was half off, so we got a bottle that's normally $46 for $23. We were very pleased with the deal they offered as the wine was great and affordable! Since it's Yelp's "Nachovember," they had this deal where if you check into this restaurant on yelp, you can redeem an offer to get $5 nachos that are normally $16! Of course we had to get them and they were so good!! The truffle aioli and white cheddar was such a good combination, especially with great chips as well. I chose for them not to put the guacamole on the chips and leave the arugula out as some of us at the table are a bit picky. I don't think I would've liked the nachos as much if they had arugula on them. I highly recommend the nachos though! For our entrees, my dad got the Truffle Burger and I got the Market Place Rigatoni Bolognese. Mike informed us that they only had gluten free burger buns at the time, but my dad took a chance and the bun was actually very good and it wasn't that noticeably different from a regular burger bun. The burger was so juicy and just outstanding. The fries were really good, too. My rigatoni bolognese was so good as well! I love when they put the ricotta on top of the bolognese. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my experience. I didn't just come back for the experience of eating in an old jail, the food really is worth going for! I will definitely be back next time I'm in the area!

Went for dinner and there was a wait to grab a table, which is expected since every place was closed. Staff was super friendly, our waitress was awesome. (Kelly, I believe). When we sat, she put a positive spin on all the things they were out of, gave us a warning that the kitchen was backed up and things were slow. (I'm in the industry and get it so told her not to worry about us, we were fine, frankly just happy to get out of the house and didn't feel like cooking on my day off lol) The 86 list was pretty lengthy but what we did get to order was great, drinks took a while to get to us, like we finished our apps and got our drinks after. The drinks were worth the wait, our server said she actually hopped behind the bar to make ours cause they were backed up. I'll be excited to try this place again on a normal night.

Good food but they were out of half the things I ordered. I understand one item, but by the time we get to 3 items, I g Have to dock you a star

One of the coolest restaurants I've ever been to! I've already loved Marketplace at their other locations, but the Litchfield one is exceptional. I've never dined in an old jail before, and I couldn't believe the cells were still in tact! We were actually seated right next to one, which was super cool. Always love the variety on their menu, and I tried the mac & cheese here, which isn't available at every location. The short rib was perfectly cooked - so tender! Loved the onions in there too. My friends and I shared the corn dip for an appetizer, which was super addicting. They loved their entrees of the burger and ahi tuna. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the Litchfield area!

What a great little spot! It was our first time stopping in Litchfield, and I'm so glad we found this restaurant. The vibe is great. It's in the old, beautifully renovated county jail. I have a gluten allergy, and their menu was very gluten free friendly. Tyler provided great service. We enjoyed it all!

Market Place Tavern in Litchfield is a great spot! The food is always fresh and tastes great. We love going for drinks; they have the best cocktail list and their drinks always come out amazing. I've never had a bad experience with service, their wait staff is always friendly. The atmosphere is very cool seeing that this restaurant is located inside Litchfield's old jail, where some booths are even located in old cells.

The good news is the Danbury and Woodbury locations are still fantastic - atmosphere, staff, consistency in food. The Litchfiled location was disappointing. The structure makes for a fun dining experience, however, the staff from seating to ordering fell short significantly in friendliness, pride, knowledge, and brand sophistication. It's very much "summer job" mentality from the moment you step through the door through to service, which is a shame because Marketplace offers a great opportunity for the right personality to cash in on generous tips. If you enjoy selections at other locations, double check ingredients and preparation. Many dishes and desserts varied. For us, the burgers were greasy, slimy, grey, and taste steamed. Regardless of the temp, the burger will come out slimy and grey. No such thing as med or med-rare. Even the desserts are sloppy and missing ingredients. An open flamed burger and upgraded meat vendor would be an improvement. All the meat tastes the same -- steamed and overcooked. Both times the servers took our order, they delivered the food and never returned. We had to venture away from our table several times just to replenish our beverages and the check. Never again. Lastly, the outdated plexiglass between booths (come on, move forward) has become a row of unpleasant Petri dish art installations. This location could use a staff and management makeover.

I have no idea why this place doesn't have 5 stars. It's amazing. We were in town for a night and looking for a place to have dinner and this exceeded our expectations. The building is an old jail that's been converted and the detail they put into the place is so cool. Not to mention the food was outstanding and the service was great as well. I would say it's an elevated pub/tavern experience. (White napkins, candles lit, very clean. Wide variety on the menu so there's something for everyone. Highly recommended!

My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant tonight, our waitress Tiffany mentioned her favorite items on the menu we ordered both, Honestly 10/10 experience. We will return.

What a funky atmosphere. The ambiance is pretty obvious seeing as how it's in an old jail. Lots of yummy beers. I had a flight and was pleased with all of my choices. My husband and I decided to share a few appetizers as our meal. We tried the everything pretzel sticks with beer cheese, calamari and short rib poutine. All were tasty but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away by any of them. I would certainly go back for the ambiance and beer but would venture to try something different off the menu.

What an unique spot! This place was an old woman's jail, that was converted into a restaurant recently. Service was great, our waiter Darryl wore a mask and was very attentive and personable. Ordered apps for the table: Brussels and Burrata & the Poutine. They were delicious! Brussels had a sweeter sauce on top that compliments the saltiness from the cheese. The Poutine had soft, braised short rib with brown gravy on top of crispy French fries. I couldn't stop eating it. For my main meal I ordered from the brunch menu, Ham & Cheddar Fritatta with a mimosa. Quite yummy, your typical standard brunch. Tip: call and reserve ahead of time for your visit.

It's in a jail! Lots of vegan and vegetarian options. Nice atmosphere. Went on a weekday and it wasn't crowded. Good service, clean bathrooms.

UPDATE: Spouse and I ate here on Memorial Day 2024. Now, it is a truism that restaurants are not at their best on holiday weekends, as it is likely that the more senior staff takes time off, leaving the restaurant in the hands of less experienced staff. Well, I am very, very happy to report that this is decidedly NOT the experience spouse and I had here! The food (I had the salmon with risotto, and spouse had the short ribs sandwich) was delectable, the atmosphere delightful as always, and best of all, the service was impeccable! Tanya, our server, is perfection personified-friendly without being intrusive, constantly coming by to see that everything is as it should be, always helpful. Tanya is so good at what she does that I suggested to the manager that she should train other staffers in customer service. We will definitely be returning, and asking for Tanya's area when we do.

My family called in a pick up order at the start of dinner service on a Thursday night. First of all, it took twice the time they told us it would take to prepare so we were just twiddling our thumbs for 20 minutes. Second and more importantly, the food was honestly really sub par. My mother ordered a salad with chicken on the side and the chicken was dry and kind of shriveled and sad looking. Also a super small portion for a big salad. I ordered a veggie haystack (in fact specifically chose this restaurant because they had a veggie haystack instead of the obligatory fake meat burger option that people seem to think vegetarians want these days). It was THE BLANDEST FOOD YOUVE EVER IMAGINED. Literally an enormous pile of steamed asparagus, peas, and cabbage without even a flake of salt applied before plating. STEAMED CABBAGE, guys. The food was the color green that your middle school used to think was the right color for serving vegetables. Just embarrassing. Editor's note: I hate hate hate wasting food so I threw the entire mess on a hot wok and doused it in soy sauce mixed with the little tahini maple salad dressing side container they give you with the takeout order and then topped it with fried eggs. It made it palatable. I just can't help but feel terrible for all the poor people who pay $19 for this for dine in and have to suffer through it as is. Yikes.

My wife and I ate there a few years ago when they first opened and not really impressed compared to their other locations. Tried again yesterday at 2pm took seat at the bar( only person at the bar). 3 other people in bar area and it looked like the bartender was servicing the bar and outside tables. Ordered the soup/grilled cheese( combo). The 1/2 grilled cheese was floating in the soup and not on plate and they served soup without a spoon, really? Tuna roll app was not flavorful. Disappointed once again by Litchfield location and any attention to detail. Side note both visits that are years apart had a fly buzzing around the bar, must be from the door that opens directly to outside from the bar.

Went for lunch. This place is really cool; used to be the Litchfield Jail years ago. Still can see cells and barred windows! Stephanie was fabulous, and server Amanda was wonderful and the food was great! Highly recommend!

fine ambiance. servers seemed to be trying hard. Kitchen speed is ridiculous and management non-existent. Over 1 hour from seating to serving our order AGAIN (3rd straight time - shame on me). Atop that, Market Place Tavern applied a mandatory 25% tip (meaning "to insure promptness") since we had 8 people (including a 1 year old). Simply beside myself with their disregard for good service If you're good with above - and except 'okay' food... its a fine location Otherwise, i encourage you to look at the MANY other decent options in the area.

Let's talk about Marketplace Tavern in Litchfield for a second! First of all it's in an old jail! Yes that's right the jail cell bars are still on the windows in the bar. Add Halloween decorations and you have quite the spooky setting! The spicy pineapple margarita looked great and tasted even better! For apps I will never pass up on fried pickles. I also will always order a pork belly appetizer so I was pumped to see this special on top of butternut squash. It was perfectly tender and full of flavor! Isabelle got the steamy bolognese with a that creamy ricotta in the middle and I went with the filet mignon cheesesteak sandwich which had a ridiculous ipa white cheddar cheese sauce and a side of Parmesan truffle fries! Let's not forget the hazelnut bomb we ended the meal with! You can't get more decadent than that dessert! Marketplace has so many different locations all with their own charm and unique menu items that make them all must visit spots! Honestly, in Litchfield, I was kind of hoping they would lock in one of the old cells so I couldn't leave.

Stopped by here from our Kent falls hike. Litchfield is a cute little town my friend took us to eat here for lunch, what a cute place, very unique in that this use to be an old jail, so you can see the black iron cell bars and door opening. There is outdoor seating for that fresh crispy air. But it was chilly so we sat inside. Our server was kind and friendly, the food here was really good too. Started with Crispy Avocado-Tuna Roll; Crispy Point Judith Calamari; Everything Spiced Pretzel Sticks; Cesar Salad, Crispy Pork Belly; Truffle Burger checked in yelp and got $5 for "Impossible" Nachos. Everything was cooked well with flavor and good portion sizes. A pretty cool chill place to eat and enjoy.

Food was delicious service impeccable great ambiance we keep coming back Quite a variety on the menu

Great food, delicious drinks, and wonderful waitstaff! I wish I could remember our waitresses name but she was so kind and patient with our 2 year old.

Food price / quality rating 8.5. Atmosphere is Neo-industrial with lots of brick and wood. A fairly typical tavern/pub menu, without any real surprises. This restaurant is in a re-claimed County Jail building, where the prison cells are part of the ambiance. We shared a Mediterranean Chicken Wrap, and substituted the Corn and Bacon Chowder for the French fries (add'l $4). The Chowder was fantastic! The chicken wrap was very good. I also had a flight of beers. They have a decent list of draught beers (12 altogether), plus several bottled choices. An attractive, large, sunny outdoor deck seats about 24 people. The prices were reasonable, and the service was very good.

The best thing about this restaurant is the staff, service and awesome history of turning an old jail into a restaurant. The staff is welcoming and friendly, the service we received from our server was incredible. I was sorely disappointed in the food and cocktails. While the portions are quite large, the dishes were repeatedly mediocre at best. My caesar salad was disgustingly soggy and not edible. There was no crisp to my lettuce and felt like I was served lettuce that sat in the freezer for some time which lost its crisp after it was defrosted. If there was any Parmesan cheese in my dish, it either melted with the sogginess or used scarcely. This was by far the worst caesar salad I've had.. anywhere :( The Rigatoni bolognese was good but many of our other dishes lacked flavor and didn't hit the mark on good seasoning. Our cheeseburger was served slightly on the colder side. The cocktails ordered were way too sweet and syrupy. Ive never tasted a mojito that was this sweet and less on the refreshing side. I also realize that certain items on the menu falls short of their menu description. For example, they currently have a dessert special for the Holidays known as apple crisp. The way it reads on the menu is not how it is presented. I envisioned a delicious filo dough of some sort, but when we received it was practically all apples heavily drenched in cinnamon with no puff pastry/crust of any sort and also... very soggy. I really enjoyed the ambiance and the staff but I'd hesitate to dine here again. Our dishes truly felt like it was rushed in the kitchen and barely any thought put into it.

Overall a really nice experience! Food was solid. My crispy chicken was over done but still tasty. The pickle chips were so good. Perfectly crispy and the dipping sauce was delicious. My husbands steak was good too! I would return.

Really enjoy the atmosphere at the Market Place Tavern here in Litchfield. The old jail is quite intriguing. Bar side is our favorite to enjoy excellent cocktails and apps but don't sleep on the entrées either. Favorites include the mussels, calamari and crispy cauliflower bites. Also the Korean fried chicken, poke bowl, truffle burger and baja shrimp tacos are excellent. Staff is delightful and outdoor seating is great for people watching!

I stopped off at this adorable restaurant for a bite today. The inside is beautiful. Great ambiance. I was alone so I sat at the bar. The bar tender was charming. Young, personable, enthusiastic. I was excited to eat there. He told me his favorite menu item were the wings so I thought why not. They offer hot and barbecue. I chose barbecue. The portion was very generous and they were quite tasty. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to barbecue flavor and this was on point. Very good!