I will not be back, tried it a few times but the food is always mediocre and overpriced. Last night I had the chicken, which was overcooked and pure gristle at one end, and the beet salad had very little goat cheese on it, weird hard macadamia nuts, and was covered with a sickeningly sweet dressing.(To be fair I have had this salad in the past, and it was completely different and very good.) My companion’s fries were floppy and soggy, and the wine was not very good, and had a screw top. Maybe the menu should be less ambitious and the focus more on execution? Service, on the other hand was great, polite, on the ball, and friendly. Nice atmosphere, although a bit loud. Too bad the food does not match!!! I know a lot of people who love this place, and it is very popular. Just not for me.
Michael R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Milford, CT
Amazing food and service! We picked up a groupon which gave us the opportunity to try some excellent cocktails and appetizers along with our meals. We especially enjoyed the fried oysters and the cocktails. We had the hangar steak and braised short ribs. Excellent spot we plan to go back to soon!
Chris S.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Miami Beach, FL
My girlfriend and I went this past Sunday evening after following up a suggestion from our friend. Let me tell you, it lived up to the hype! Unfortunately I was not able to take any pictures because I felt like the environment wasn’t very suited for such. We started with Parmesan truffle fries and a jumbo crab cake as our appetizers both of which were very good. For my entrée I got the hanger steak which came with spinach and mashed potatoes. Everything was very well seasoned and very delicious. The only reason I am giving it four stars is that they were out of tuna which I can understand, but to be out of chicken was a little weird. Excellent service will be back.
Erin L.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Trumbull, CT
If I could rate you a zero, I would. My husband and I arranged a day for my mother in law’s 60th birthday this past weekend, where we would end by eating dinner at Whitfield’s. There was a large craft fair going on, on the green that day and our party of 14(reservations made several weeks in advance) wanted to take some time to poke around there while there were those of us who wanted to have a drink before dinner. About 5 of us walked into the restaurant and were greeted by a very pleasant waiter. I told him we were the large party, and he looked us up right away and started setting our table. From there we sat at the bar expecting to, at the very least, be acknowledged. Nope. The bartender was clearly restocking for dinner service, but with her back to us the entire time, not even stopping to politely say that she had to grab a few more things and she’d be with us shortly. Instead she proceeded to tell us that the restaurant wasn’t quite open yet and that she had to finish what she was doing. I get it, but poor delivery. News flash, you are in the service business. Meanwhile there was a party of two who were already seated in the front of the restaurant with wine in their glasses. What a joke. The hostess was beyond rude as well, looking at our party like we were aliens the whole time. There were 14 of us, and yes we were probably a little noisy, no one else was in the restaurant and we were celebrating a birthday. We had three children with us who didn’t make a peep the entire time and sat politely while our family had dinner. I will say the waitress who served us was very nice and helpful and did a fantastic job. Get with the program, Whitfield’s. We may not have been regulars but we most certainly will not be back.
Dan C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Wallingford, CT
Cannot beat Whitfields. always constantly spot on, service, food and drinks. Sit outside on the patio, sip one of their house cocktails, puts your mind at ease. There’s not much more I can say, I’ve already reviewed them many times! Come here, you won’t be sorry.
Brenda C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Northford, CT
Service, food & cocktails are consistently terrific! Whether you’re dining there for dinner or Sunday Brunch you won’t be disappointed.
W. E.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Plymouth, MA
Extremely rude management team on botched reservation. No empathy, aggressive attitude and verbal abuse to a regular customer whose only mistake was not taking the name of the Whitfield employee who botched the reservation, and no accommodation for mistake. Whitfield’s should be a case study of poor customer service at Guilford Chamber’s customer service symposium on 5⁄20. Never again, maybe they shouldn’t make it to their 11th anniversary. Wish Andy and Sal were still there running A&S Deli!
Terese H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Madison, CT
This is a very nice restaurant. The location on the green is perfect. I’ve had both lunch and dinner here and it was terrific. The ambiance is soft and comfortable. The staff is polite and attentive. The menu is varied and food is very good. Nice selection of wines and cocktails. Lovely date night spot.
Joseph D.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Hamden, CT
The general consensus of my party of 6 is that the food was substandard. Especially considering the price of the menu items. We were there for brunch on a Sunday. The place is nice and had an intimate upscale feel, which is perfect for its location on the Guilford Green. The service was also good as our server was very polite. Despite how nice it looked, it’s all about the food. Presentation was nice enough. But again, this review is based on not getting what we paid for. The food quality was more suitable for a low end diner. I had some of the French toast which was good. My main entrée was an angus burger on a brioche roll. It truthfully tasted as both the burger and the bun were previously frozen. When the staff noticed my issue with the bun they kindly offered me a new one. Which when delivered had the same stale feel and taste. The patty itself was bland. While I didn’t taste much of the other food, the party expressed the underwhelming nature of their meals. Truthfully, the best looking plate on the table was the two eggs, bacon, and potatoes. But I can get that anywhere. I would not go back for brunch. 2.5 stars. The setting and good waiter bump it up.
James C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Shelton, CT
I have given 5 stars before. I have really enjoyed restaurants before. I now wish there were extra stars to give. Whitfield’s stands above everywhere i have EVER been. Read carefully!!! EVER!!! This is without a doubt the best restaurant i have ever been to. It gets crowded make a reservation. We went on Valentine’s day. My fiancée had seen this place in the summer and wanted to go there. We finally did and thank goodness we did. The food was out of this world. Most of the menu was unique. Things i hadnt ever had before. Made it difficult to choose. So as if you read my reviews i did what i always do in this situation. We ordered an awful lot of food. We started with 2 salads. Fresh well prepared and good sizes for $ 6 next we got the dumplings. GETTHEDUMPLINGS!!! i felt cupid had shot me with an arrow right before my first bite. I fell in love with them. Luckily the same thing happened to my fiancée so she wasnt jealous. Next the meals. Her diver scallops were above average. But not unique. Now my pork tenderloin with a cinnamon fumango(probably not spelled right) and pico de gallo. Was quite remarkable. What a combo of sweet and heat. This meal has me dreaming of the next time i will go back. We had desserts that were perfect also. A bottle of wine. Now here is the thing. The bottles were so reasonably priced. Most were under $ 45 and a good variety as well. You would have no problem finding a $ 30 bottle. Catherine our waitress helped guide us to our decisions. She must have worked there awhile as she had tried most things. Dumplings were her fave also. The staff was quick with water and clearing the table. The crowd was quite. The mood felt perfect for a snowy valentine’s day. I cant wait to go back. My only regret is i havent been going here for years. Put on some nice clothes on a weekwnd night. Guys in jeans looked out of place. But go go go asap.
Jonny C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Cambridge, MA
Whitfield’s is the type of small town establishment that is nice in comparison to the establishments in the immediate vicinity, but falls a little short when compared to the culinary hubs of the North East. The menu was ambitious and featured a variety of interesting plates: between the 2 of us we had the tuna tartare and the pork belly to start– both okay but a bit bland, the scallops which were good but a bit overcooked and should’ve come with one more scallop, and the tenderloin which again was tasty but nothing spectacular. All had the feel of something I’d put together in my kitchen, but not a knock-your-socks-off night out. The same could be said of the entirety of the experience: good, not great. Prosecco was a little flat, the art on the walls was all of jazz musicians and was very homogenous in its bright surealism, the tables and chairs felt less robust than they could. Nothing bad, and I’d certainly come back, but I had higher expectations.
Cathy M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Madison, CT
I was not coming for lunch to sit at the table by the cold doorway with so many empty in the middle of the restaurant. Their tables blend cushioned wall seats with hard chairs or tables with the hard chairs. The walls are covered with interesting art and attractive lights dangle at the heavy wood bar. The large front windows let great natural light in. You can watch the activity on the town green or watch the pedestrian traffic. Nice location and parking, at lunch time, was easy. My friends and I ordered soups and simple sandwich. One was in love with her green salad and my tuna melt and a pastrami. My Tuscan Bean soup was delicious. Location was nice, pricing is what you would suggest— about $ 20 for the soup and sandwich and the service was quite good on this snowy day in January. I would return.
Caytlin G.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Hamden, CT
I had the crab burger which was a little dry. The fries were overcooked, as well. Coffee was good, though. Service was slow, and the hostess took several minutes to acknowledge us on arrival. She walked right by us and spent several minutes talking to another waitress.
Mike N.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Manhattan, NY
Thank God for consistently great food and devoted service. Latest trip was better than i remembered it from a prior visit. Took some family visiting from NYC and they were equally very happy with the experience. Our table ordered the duck, the short ribs and a seafood special. There were no duds in the group. Smiles all around. Our waitress, was attentive, personable and pro-actively apologized for a slight delay in the arrival of our wine– which really wasn’t that slow but glad she was on top of it. Will return.
Thomas M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Hamden, CT
I really like this place it’s kind of quaint and artsy. They have cool paintings on the walls and it’s packed whenever I go there. I had a pasta dish — bolonaise I think. It was meaty cheesy and delicious. She had the salmon and it had this sauce that was so good. The fried calamari is always good and a bit spicy with the peppers they use. For dessert we had a peanut butter cheesecake that was just amazing. Of course it doesn’t hurt that I’m a sucker for anything with peanut butter. The service was great except that she didn’t check up on us after the food came out. Also, it’s pretty great that they leave a carafe of water at the table for those who drink lots of water.
Matt M.
Rating des Ortes: 1 New Haven, CT
Went for a Date Nite and was not impressed! The server walked away twice while trying to ask about different menu offering, and her suggestions were off! She described the pumpkin drink as «Christmassy», and for a suggestion she mentioned the Pork Belly, and I asked what she stated she didn’t know but was having the Crab Cake for dinner. To get to know the server better I asked where she was from but and she stated North Haven, but went to school in Newtown, and then blurted«I’ll be back» and I after she walked by 5 times and helped the table in front of me, I asked for a manager and left because the service was horrendous. I can’t describe everything because it would take too much time, but left and went to Mikro in Hamden and was more than pleased with the knowledge of the menu and servers. I come from a hospitality background and the service at Whitfield’s does not even merit one star!
Tamara R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Wallingford, CT
A friend and I came here for lunch the other day. I had an expired Living Social coupon and wanted her to experience a classy Connecticut restaurant on a charming New England green(she was visiting from Florida). Whitfield’s did not disappoint. Interior has high ceilings, large windows, feels very light and open. We started with the steamed PEI mussels. INCREDIBLE. So flavorful and addictive. Initially we were not given bread but when we asked for it the server brought it out immediately(I think it was an oversight not to get the bread with the mussels). You do not want to waste the broth; one of the tastiest I have had with mussels. I had the grilled Atlantic salmon entrée. Divine. It came on a bed of greens and was very lightly coated in dressing. Salmon was cooked to perfection and the lobster black bean relish was the perfect touch. My friend had the Cemita a la Milanese sandwich– she loved it. The fries were fantastic– perfectly cooked and seasoned. We each had a tasty, strong adult beverage(don’t remember the names– mine was with a gin base; hers was with a caramel apple drink). Will definitely go back.
Pam G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Bradenton, FL
I am joining the limb with Sarah as I agree this place is overplayed. The style of the restaurant looks like it was fantastic in the 80s and being from the Shoreline I can tell you it was. There’s nothing to really complain about here but I can’t say I’ve run across any dish or dining experience here that makes me say you have to try it, and I don’t go it if my way to go here. It’s basically a place to stop when you don’t want the food from whatever event is on the Green. The outdoor dining is quite nice. You would expect it would be in front on the sidewalk but it’s quite nice behind the restaurant looking out at an art gallery. The service is fine and the food is good. The disappointment is that nothing has been exceptional. It’s a consistent place and you won’t be disappointed but I’d be surprised if you’re overly delighted.
Ron C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Guilford Center, CT
Great location, lively and interesting menu choices, and an attentive staff make this a great local favorite! Combine the food with one of their fun beverage choices and you’ve got the makings of a great evening!
Sarah C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 West Hartford, CT
Im going to go out on a limb here and say that i think Whitfields is overplayed. While the food was good, it wasnt anything better than other«upscale» restuarants. For the prices, it seemed sub-par. I will say that everything was fresh and the food was good, but it was just good. We had a chicken ceasar salad and the currey chicken salad plate(lite fair). Its pretty hard to screw either of those options up, so they were fine. The mussels in a tomato based broth were probably the highlight of the meal. The serving size was generous, mussels were tender and fresh, but my dining companion bit into broken shell on the first mussel. It happens. About 15 minutes after we sat down(by this time we had wine/drinks, and were snacking on our bread and olive oil) the host came over and said he sat us incorrectly and now had to move us to another table. Ive never expereinced that before. Apparently, they needed the two of us to move so they could combined our table with the one next to use for a party of 6. That seemed odd to me, because its incredibly bad edicate to move people after they’ve sat, ordered, and are niblling on food. We had to move everything to another table. What’s even more strange was that it was a Wednesday evening and the resturant wasnt even full. There were other tables available so Im really not sure what happened there. The servers were friendly, but i thought our waitress was somewhat inappropriately dressed for an upscale, preppier place(think lots of cleavage, a black cotton t-shirt, lots of eyeliner, messy hair). Now, theres nothing wrong with all of that, it just didnt seem to fit the establishment or the clientele.