Eric W.
Yelp
(Last visited July 2, 2021) Hanging out at home and this is a very LGBTQ+ friendly establishment so I love how open they are. My family truly enjoys coming and the people are always friendly. Here's why we keep returning...
Atmosphere/Appearance: Nestled just west of downtown Hartford is this gem. It's right on Farmington Avenue and has a small private parking lot. Be careful as to not park on the laundry mat side, because you WILL GET TOWED. There is usually ample street parking that's available if the lot is full. Walking into the restaurant you'll walk past the small outdoor seating section with is cute and quaint. Once inside the restaurant is split into 2 main sections. To the right you have the bathrooms and a few booths. To the left you have the bar area, more booths and the entrance to the outdoor seating area. The exterior looks like a decent-sized house with the name plastered on the side of it. Inside is nicely decorated. It gives me a tavern feel with the tiled floors, wood trim and eclectic mixture of different artifacts scattered throughout.
Service: Everyone who has taken care of us here has done it with remarkable vigor. They're friendly, sweet, funny, full of life and full of personality. The staff here alone is one reason we keep coming back.
Food: Not going to lie, the food here isn't my favorite, but like I mentioned before, it's not the reason we keep coming back. I'll quickly run through some of the things I've had here. My favorite thing that I've had here would be the "Chef's Daily Steamed Buns". Each day the chef will choose a steamed bun to prepare for the day. Today's was a sweet chili grilled chicken with sesame seeds, chives and a mixture of other crunchy vegetables beneath it. They were fantastic and something I'd get over and over. My next favorite thing would be their Togarashi Edamame. It's served hot, super flavorful, decently salty and just an overall great dish that's hard to mess up. Next up, the crispy chicken wings. To me, they tasted like someone just wanted wings on the menu. We chose a Buffalo flavor and a sweet chili flavor. They were okay, small and felt a bit overcooked. Lastly was the Tso's Chicken Bowl. It's white rice with steamed broccoli, shaved carrots and grilled chicken. It wasn't very exciting. It lacked some character and was just... boring. However, the drinks here are fantastic. I'm not gonna go through them, but please explore the menu when you're here. You're guaranteed to find something you'll love.
Value: Decent to be honest. Chef's Daily Steamed Buns will give you an order of 2 for $8.00. The edamame will run you $6.00. The wings were $12.49 for 8 and my chicken bowl was $14.29. Decent value for sure, but the drinks will certainly run the tab up.
In conclusion, I'd love to come here and drink. The atmosphere is lovely, the people are awesome and so is the music. I'd just rather eat somewhere else or load up on all the steamed buns. Lol. Feel free to check this place out if you're in the area or if you're looking for a safe place to hang out in the LGBTQ+ community. Even if you're an ally!
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