I was there with a group of five and we were all very impressed with the food. My branzino was so delicious I might get it again next time. My wife loved her chicken pot pie, and our martinis were fantastic. My mother-in-law's Trout Almondine was a hit too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trout Almondine
Drew O'Brien
Superb!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
M Terry
Best food in town. Great service from long term staff. Can get a little loud because it is not a large spot. I don't know where they get their fish, but I always order the fish special. Has never disappointed!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
judy c.
The restaurant is so charming and the wait staff is excellent. Now if they can order better quality food that would definitely solve everything. The Steak frites were below standard. The bread, which is nothing special should be served warm. No need to continue....There's too much competition in the area with such lovely high end restaurants - with effort this could be one of them.
M. Fgteev
I really wanted to like this place but its just not great.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ebbe Bassey-Manczuk
The food is really good in this quaint French bistro, and they don't skimp on the liquor in the cocktails when you eventually get it. I had been so very pleased to find that a French restaurant existed in my town, I just moved into the area two years ago, so I'm still exploring my culinary options. That said, I prefer my meal without a side of attitude.On Saturday [May 13] night, my sister and I decided to give Martel a try. We waited at the bar, and we were the only two people standing there while the others were seated and already served. The bartender Natasha did not acknowledge our presence, though she saw us. A gentleman came up to the bar, and she immediately asked him what he wanted to order. I let her know that we had been waiting to be served. He apologized for skipping over us. She didn't.I don't know if he was flustered because it was busy, but the big, tall gentleman whom I suspect is the owner displayed a brusque, impatient, and unwelcoming manner.We were fortunate enough to be seated next to friends, the only pleasant thing that happened there as we proceeded to wait for 15/20 minutes. When a wait staff member came to clear up their crusted dishes, we asked if she would be serving us. She looked her nose down and smirked a sarcastic "no" at me.Finally, our server Esteban came along. The first thing out of his mouth was not "Hi, my name is Estaban. I'll be....". It was "I came to ask for your order but you were talking." He did not. The place is so small, we couldn't have missed him coming to the table. Not for nothing, he was wearing a mohawk. How could I have missed THAT?We ran out of water, and he didn't refill until we waved him down. I wanted another drink, but since he didn't return to check on our progress, I never got to ask. I got the bill, and that was it.It seemed like the place was filled with regulars, I had hoped to become a regular, however I'll chose to spend my money where I am respected, not suffered.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Sergio P.
The staff were all very friendly and attentive. We enjoyed a quick dinner tonight. My wife enjoyed the French onion soup. It was super hot and very cheesy, she enjoyed it after it cooled down. For dinner she enjoyed the Branzino which was flavorful and a large portion. I had the pork Milanese which was pounded thin and breaded and fried. The salad on top was fresh and tasty.
Daren D.
Don't even think about sharing your disappointment about the horrendous service and amateur hour food, the manager won't have it. He'll tell you to take your service elsewhere. I've never run a restaurant so I don't know what it takes to be successful, but I don't think customers should be told off for sending back undercooked chicken.
Harry F.
We ate here recently and once again the meals were excellent and large-portioned. I had the fish stew special which was outstanding. The wine pours were overly generous which one rarely sees in a restaurant and the wine quality ( both the Cote d Rhone and the Pinot Grigio) was great. The servers are caring of the customers as is the owner Martel is a rare and consistently good find in Fairfield County.
Daniel DeCastro
Excellent food, and perfectly cooked eggs. Very important for perfectly cooked eggs.. i was here on Sunday, so props to the chef!
Fairfiel is one of the best places in CT, the staff is very good, the customer quality is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David H.
Food price / quality (value) rating 8. The atmosphere is contemporary tavern. We both had the Lobster Roll. Served with fries or salad, we got one of each and both were good. The Lobster Roll was served cold, however, which wasn't mentioned on the menu, and I like it served hot with butter ten times better. Overall, the food and service were good, and the prices were reasonable for this area of Connecticut.
Anthony Possidento
Felt cozy as we walked in. Amazing escargot dish! Sauce was excellent; you can put it on anything...Lobster risotto was also good and my wife enjoyed her branzino. Our server Paul was super. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Escargot, Lobster Risotto
Rainer Schrom
I think it's under new ownership for a few years now.Same small tables, tiny place, long waits on busy days; good food.This place has never been really affordable, but, boy, prices have become steep. We just paid $123 for two persons, and we only had soup (French Onion Gratinee, very tasty) and the specials of the day (scallops and a beef stew), no drinks, and no desert.For that kind of money we expect prime service, the full extra mile, table cloth, a table that fits everything comfortably, candle light, soft general lighting (lights were flickering), at least filtered tap water if you can't serve cheap regular bottled water that costs you 50 cents, some soft materials to cut down on the noise (can be very loud in there) and we don't want to hear a "Are you guys done?" and "I'll take care of that for you, guys".The regular water is cold tap water as it comes out of the faucet, chlorine taste.Not something I would expect for a $100+ dinner for two, without frills.Please clean up the parking around the building too, there are pot holes and your dumpsters are not nice thing to display, when arriving for dinner.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Onion Soup Gratinee
Ravin Ramanan
Food was amazing, service was A+ thanks to paul, highly
I was there with a group of five and we were all very impressed with the food. My branzino was so delicious I might get it again next time. My wife loved her chicken pot pie, and our martinis were fantastic. My mother-in-law's Trout Almondine was a hit too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trout Almondine
Superb!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best food in town. Great service from long term staff. Can get a little loud because it is not a large spot. I don't know where they get their fish, but I always order the fish special. Has never disappointed!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The restaurant is so charming and the wait staff is excellent. Now if they can order better quality food that would definitely solve everything. The Steak frites were below standard. The bread, which is nothing special should be served warm. No need to continue....There's too much competition in the area with such lovely high end restaurants - with effort this could be one of them.
I really wanted to like this place but its just not great.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food is really good in this quaint French bistro, and they don't skimp on the liquor in the cocktails when you eventually get it. I had been so very pleased to find that a French restaurant existed in my town, I just moved into the area two years ago, so I'm still exploring my culinary options. That said, I prefer my meal without a side of attitude.On Saturday [May 13] night, my sister and I decided to give Martel a try. We waited at the bar, and we were the only two people standing there while the others were seated and already served. The bartender Natasha did not acknowledge our presence, though she saw us. A gentleman came up to the bar, and she immediately asked him what he wanted to order. I let her know that we had been waiting to be served. He apologized for skipping over us. She didn't.I don't know if he was flustered because it was busy, but the big, tall gentleman whom I suspect is the owner displayed a brusque, impatient, and unwelcoming manner.We were fortunate enough to be seated next to friends, the only pleasant thing that happened there as we proceeded to wait for 15/20 minutes. When a wait staff member came to clear up their crusted dishes, we asked if she would be serving us. She looked her nose down and smirked a sarcastic "no" at me.Finally, our server Esteban came along. The first thing out of his mouth was not "Hi, my name is Estaban. I'll be....". It was "I came to ask for your order but you were talking." He did not. The place is so small, we couldn't have missed him coming to the table. Not for nothing, he was wearing a mohawk. How could I have missed THAT?We ran out of water, and he didn't refill until we waved him down. I wanted another drink, but since he didn't return to check on our progress, I never got to ask. I got the bill, and that was it.It seemed like the place was filled with regulars, I had hoped to become a regular, however I'll chose to spend my money where I am respected, not suffered.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
The staff were all very friendly and attentive. We enjoyed a quick dinner tonight. My wife enjoyed the French onion soup. It was super hot and very cheesy, she enjoyed it after it cooled down. For dinner she enjoyed the Branzino which was flavorful and a large portion. I had the pork Milanese which was pounded thin and breaded and fried. The salad on top was fresh and tasty.
Don't even think about sharing your disappointment about the horrendous service and amateur hour food, the manager won't have it. He'll tell you to take your service elsewhere. I've never run a restaurant so I don't know what it takes to be successful, but I don't think customers should be told off for sending back undercooked chicken.
We ate here recently and once again the meals were excellent and large-portioned. I had the fish stew special which was outstanding. The wine pours were overly generous which one rarely sees in a restaurant and the wine quality ( both the Cote d Rhone and the Pinot Grigio) was great. The servers are caring of the customers as is the owner Martel is a rare and consistently good find in Fairfield County.
Excellent food, and perfectly cooked eggs. Very important for perfectly cooked eggs.. i was here on Sunday, so props to the chef!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Fairfiel is one of the best places in CT, the staff is very good, the customer quality is great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food price / quality (value) rating 8. The atmosphere is contemporary tavern. We both had the Lobster Roll. Served with fries or salad, we got one of each and both were good. The Lobster Roll was served cold, however, which wasn't mentioned on the menu, and I like it served hot with butter ten times better. Overall, the food and service were good, and the prices were reasonable for this area of Connecticut.
Felt cozy as we walked in. Amazing escargot dish! Sauce was excellent; you can put it on anything...Lobster risotto was also good and my wife enjoyed her branzino. Our server Paul was super. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Escargot, Lobster Risotto
I think it's under new ownership for a few years now.Same small tables, tiny place, long waits on busy days; good food.This place has never been really affordable, but, boy, prices have become steep. We just paid $123 for two persons, and we only had soup (French Onion Gratinee, very tasty) and the specials of the day (scallops and a beef stew), no drinks, and no desert.For that kind of money we expect prime service, the full extra mile, table cloth, a table that fits everything comfortably, candle light, soft general lighting (lights were flickering), at least filtered tap water if you can't serve cheap regular bottled water that costs you 50 cents, some soft materials to cut down on the noise (can be very loud in there) and we don't want to hear a "Are you guys done?" and "I'll take care of that for you, guys".The regular water is cold tap water as it comes out of the faucet, chlorine taste.Not something I would expect for a $100+ dinner for two, without frills.Please clean up the parking around the building too, there are pot holes and your dumpsters are not nice thing to display, when arriving for dinner.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Onion Soup Gratinee
Food was amazing, service was A+ thanks to paul, highly
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Calamari, Fresh Oysters, Bistro Steak Frites