Really cool building. We'll Lite interior with lots of seating space. Food options on the lunch menu had something for every appetite. We ate the boa buns, onion soup , steak sandwich and the Cuban. All dishes were amazing and really well balanced. Can't wait to come back sometime for dinner and a cocktail! Also, wait staff we're very polite and enthusiastic about the restaurants mission.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rachel
What a gem. So glad I discovered it. The food was outstanding and the service impeccable. Beautiful, warm atmosphere to boot. I would be impressed by this restaurant even if I didn't know its mission and status as a non-profit; the good it's doing is the icing on the cake. You guys have seven new loyal customers, and probably more because we are going to tell everyone we know about you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Britt Pellerin
Amazing food! Staff very friendly and helpful. Building reminds me of steampunk for some reason and I love it!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Greig Ashurst
Absolutely wonderful experience. Samantha was superb. The cocktails were fabulous. The meal was incredible
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Peterson
Great place for lunch. Good food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cidalia Silva
This place is doing it right. Not only are they supporting their staff the way they should be with benefits and compensation, but they are giving back to the community, and the cherry on top is the service was super charming and food equally delicious. Will be back for sure ❤️Parking: Valet parking on site.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Maple Cream Cheese Flan, Tostones Nachos
Tim Burns
Excellent food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Bose
Best steak I've had anywhere in CT. Took it to-go and it was still perfect when I got it home. Maple cream cheese Flan with scorched marshmallows was uniquely flavorful. Fast bar service while waiting with good local choices. Can't wait to come back with family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rinku S
Excellent service and delicious food. Non-profit restaurant that serves the community and provides training for new chefs. We tried the Up & Down onion soup, which is essentially French Onion Soup with a veggie broth. It was cheesy and delicious, but a tad bit too much salt for our liking. The wild rice and garbanzo veggie burger was excellent as were the chili oil fries. We will definitely recommend this place to everyone!
kanya polavarapu
Beautiful atmosphere! Everything about this was great. One of the best cafe I tried in Hartford. Will definitely come back!
Oh! How I wish they continued to deliver meal kits to the home. They did a fabulous job. Miss them and they must have taught and employed many…a major contribution to the community. I am home bound.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jojo S.
Ambiance was great we came at a time where they were transitioning from lunch to dinner about to close down but they didn't kick us out. We didn't feel rushed or anything when they first sat us down we were in a more crowded area and we asked could we be moved to another room and they did we were the only people in that room we had quiet and we were able to talk and have fun. We ordered different meals than we would typically order. We tried three different dishes. They were all very good. I loved the duck poutine but I didn't actually like the duck lol but I'm always up to try something new. Nevertheless, it was still a great experience. The waitress was so nice and the restaurant was clean!
Onie Mollica
Staff was very attentive ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason P.
I finally visited Hartford's Fire by Forge for the first time, and I was excited to learn that one of my favorite area chefs Van Hurd had recently become Executive Chef and Culinary Instructor. Van knows food and has worked at CT restaurants many of us love. If you don't know, Fire by Forge is a beloved Pan American restaurant in an iconic building in Frog Hollow. In partnership with Forge City Works, they also provide job training and experience for people with barriers to employment. Great mission. Great food. I sat in the bar. The bar area has very high ceilings and lots of natural light. There was a great sense of community in the bar area. The FxF crew knew many of the customers and there was good chemistry. Service was very kind and inclusive. People ordered coffee and pastries to go while I sat at the bar. My Argentinian Choripan sausage sandwich with juicy chorizo and chimichurri on a perfectly griddled Asiago roll was delicious. It was literally bursting with flavor. The saltiness was well balanced with acidity. The inside of the roll had a great crisp, presumably from being grilled in oil. Nice touch. The Knife Skills soup is a hearty tomato-based vegetable soup that utilizes the veggies from culinary training. A little sweet. A little acidic. Full of veggies! I'm all the way in on Fire by Forge. I'll be returning for lunch, dinner, brunch, happy hour, coffee and pastries. Fantastic addition to Hartford. 5 Stars
Star Borne
I ordered the wild mushroom empanadas for lunch. If you're a mushroom enthusiast, this would definitely delight your palate. The empanadas were light and crispy yet able to hold its structure against the juicy mushroom filling. The filling was seasoned just so to not negate the mushroom taste that you're looking for.The three empanadas are roughly 3-4" each and just enough to satisfy a lunch belly without feeling like an oompaloompa after. This will definitely be my go to for mushroom cravings.The ambiance of the bar area is a dimly lit, but not so dark, industrial style setting with soulful tunes playing in the background. The music volume is just enough to enjoy without having to make a proclamation everytime you want to speak.Vegetarian options: I ordered the wild mushroom empanadas for lunch. If you're a mushroom enthusiast, this would definitely delight your palate. The empanadas were light and crispy yet able to hold its structure against the juicy mushroom filling. The filling was seasoned just so to not negate the mushroom taste that you're looking for.The three empanadas are roughly 3-4" each and just enough to satisfy a lunch belly without feeling like an oompaloompa after. This will definitely be my go to for mushroom cravings.The ambiance of the bar area is a dimly lit, but not so dark, industrial style setting with soulful tunes playing in the background. The music volume is just enough to enjoy without having to make a proclamation everytime you want to speak.
Really cool building. We'll Lite interior with lots of seating space. Food options on the lunch menu had something for every appetite. We ate the boa buns, onion soup , steak sandwich and the Cuban. All dishes were amazing and really well balanced. Can't wait to come back sometime for dinner and a cocktail! Also, wait staff we're very polite and enthusiastic about the restaurants mission.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a gem. So glad I discovered it. The food was outstanding and the service impeccable. Beautiful, warm atmosphere to boot. I would be impressed by this restaurant even if I didn't know its mission and status as a non-profit; the good it's doing is the icing on the cake. You guys have seven new loyal customers, and probably more because we are going to tell everyone we know about you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food! Staff very friendly and helpful. Building reminds me of steampunk for some reason and I love it!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely wonderful experience. Samantha was superb. The cocktails were fabulous. The meal was incredible
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place for lunch. Good food and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is doing it right. Not only are they supporting their staff the way they should be with benefits and compensation, but they are giving back to the community, and the cherry on top is the service was super charming and food equally delicious. Will be back for sure ❤️Parking: Valet parking on site.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Maple Cream Cheese Flan, Tostones Nachos
Excellent food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best steak I've had anywhere in CT. Took it to-go and it was still perfect when I got it home. Maple cream cheese Flan with scorched marshmallows was uniquely flavorful. Fast bar service while waiting with good local choices. Can't wait to come back with family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent service and delicious food. Non-profit restaurant that serves the community and provides training for new chefs. We tried the Up & Down onion soup, which is essentially French Onion Soup with a veggie broth. It was cheesy and delicious, but a tad bit too much salt for our liking. The wild rice and garbanzo veggie burger was excellent as were the chili oil fries. We will definitely recommend this place to everyone!
Beautiful atmosphere! Everything about this was great. One of the best cafe I tried in Hartford. Will definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Oh! How I wish they continued to deliver meal kits to the home. They did a fabulous job. Miss them and they must have taught and employed many…a major contribution to the community. I am home bound.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ambiance was great we came at a time where they were transitioning from lunch to dinner about to close down but they didn't kick us out. We didn't feel rushed or anything when they first sat us down we were in a more crowded area and we asked could we be moved to another room and they did we were the only people in that room we had quiet and we were able to talk and have fun. We ordered different meals than we would typically order. We tried three different dishes. They were all very good. I loved the duck poutine but I didn't actually like the duck lol but I'm always up to try something new. Nevertheless, it was still a great experience. The waitress was so nice and the restaurant was clean!
Staff was very attentive ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I finally visited Hartford's Fire by Forge for the first time, and I was excited to learn that one of my favorite area chefs Van Hurd had recently become Executive Chef and Culinary Instructor. Van knows food and has worked at CT restaurants many of us love. If you don't know, Fire by Forge is a beloved Pan American restaurant in an iconic building in Frog Hollow. In partnership with Forge City Works, they also provide job training and experience for people with barriers to employment. Great mission. Great food. I sat in the bar. The bar area has very high ceilings and lots of natural light. There was a great sense of community in the bar area. The FxF crew knew many of the customers and there was good chemistry. Service was very kind and inclusive. People ordered coffee and pastries to go while I sat at the bar. My Argentinian Choripan sausage sandwich with juicy chorizo and chimichurri on a perfectly griddled Asiago roll was delicious. It was literally bursting with flavor. The saltiness was well balanced with acidity. The inside of the roll had a great crisp, presumably from being grilled in oil. Nice touch. The Knife Skills soup is a hearty tomato-based vegetable soup that utilizes the veggies from culinary training. A little sweet. A little acidic. Full of veggies! I'm all the way in on Fire by Forge. I'll be returning for lunch, dinner, brunch, happy hour, coffee and pastries. Fantastic addition to Hartford. 5 Stars
I ordered the wild mushroom empanadas for lunch. If you're a mushroom enthusiast, this would definitely delight your palate. The empanadas were light and crispy yet able to hold its structure against the juicy mushroom filling. The filling was seasoned just so to not negate the mushroom taste that you're looking for.The three empanadas are roughly 3-4" each and just enough to satisfy a lunch belly without feeling like an oompaloompa after. This will definitely be my go to for mushroom cravings.The ambiance of the bar area is a dimly lit, but not so dark, industrial style setting with soulful tunes playing in the background. The music volume is just enough to enjoy without having to make a proclamation everytime you want to speak.Vegetarian options: I ordered the wild mushroom empanadas for lunch. If you're a mushroom enthusiast, this would definitely delight your palate. The empanadas were light and crispy yet able to hold its structure against the juicy mushroom filling. The filling was seasoned just so to not negate the mushroom taste that you're looking for.The three empanadas are roughly 3-4" each and just enough to satisfy a lunch belly without feeling like an oompaloompa after. This will definitely be my go to for mushroom cravings.The ambiance of the bar area is a dimly lit, but not so dark, industrial style setting with soulful tunes playing in the background. The music volume is just enough to enjoy without having to make a proclamation everytime you want to speak.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Poutine