The Willows

I just listened to Inside Edition tonight (4÷29÷16) and they spoke of a scam surrounding inferior meats sold as Kobe beef. The Willows offers a Kobe beef hamburger on their menu. Checking on the only 8 restaurants certified to sell Kobe beef in the US from the Hyogo region in Japan and The Willows is not one of the 8 restaurants listed.
Inside Edition may not be the FBI or CIA of foods so I will give The Willows the benefit of the doubt on the authenticity of their «kobe» beef menu item for now.

I gotta say i never would have expected such high quality of food here in the middle if nowhere Bristol. If you are splurging on a celebration or lucky enough to have an expense account and don’t feel like dragging your ass to West Hartford or New Haven this is your best bet
Get the New York strip, the Seabass or the diver scallops and risotto. He will be very happy you did

Have brunch here every time we stay at the Doubletree. Friendly Staff and can not say enough about Nancy who manages breakfast service. Buffet offers a number of choices and is a great morning treat. Would Highly Recommend

Like many other people, thanks to Opentable and the 1000 points for check-​in, that I decided to try this place. This place is kinda tough to spot as it is part of the DoubleTree hotel. Me and my companion were there for dinner. We were the only people as we walked into the restaurant. But later there were more guests who came.
The hostesses was welcoming and we had the preference of choosing our seats. The waitress came to the table right away and served us water and offered us the menu.
The menu is short and not a lot of options to choose from, so that helped in making our decisions faster. The waitress did not have a knowledge on the wine list as I had asked for recommendations, so I landed with my favorite Manhattan for a drink. We ordered the sweet potato bisque for soup and it was very creamy and delicious. For Entrée I ordered the NY strip and my companion had the filet minion. Both the meat were done as requested and was delicious.
My overall experience has been great with the exception of the knowledge of the waitress. She could have had more information on the questions that we asked about the wine as well as the food.

I was impressed by the lovely staff and the preparation of the food. I don’t know if I’ll be in this art of CT again but the hotel and its restaurant are both places I would return to

An oasis in an otherwise nutritional wasteland, Willows has the potential to be something really special. The problem is the inconsistency: some dishes are great, some are not; sometimes the service is excellent, sometimes it sucks.
The dishes that stand out to me are the sweet potato bisque, the eggplant napoleon, and the baby greens salad with pear. You have to try them! The gnocchi were good too, as well as the browned butternut squash ravioli. The desserts are good, but nothing blew my mind.
I tried both the filet and the short ribs. Short ribs were okay, but the filet was waaaaaaay overcooked — especially since it was requested medium rare. It was closer to the well spectrum. They served lobster bisque here a while back and it was like eating out of a saline bag. Go easy on the salt, homies.
Had a great waitress the first time, then the second one was terrible, then great, then terrible. The more inept server actually suggested pouring different wines in a glass because she didn’t understand the concept of blended varietals. :/​Please, guys, educate your team. I also frown upon people talking trash about their peers or throwing their co-​workers under the bus when things don’t go right. If there’s a delay in my order or something is wrong, just inform me and move on. Don’t pass blame or tell me how frustrated you are with your team. Also, a lesson in utensil usage could go a loooooong way here — the server didn’t know whether to give us spoons or forks with our dishes and would often forget utensils entirely when we needed them.
Finally, if you’re going to order drinks, just get the stuff off the menu. Any deviation, and I mean any, results in a high likelihood of disaster. I must have spent a good 7 minutes trying to explain the difference between citrus PEEL and RIND, only to get exactly what I didn’t want.

I had a pretty nice dining experience here. We had bookmarked this place on Unilocal almost a year ago, and kept meaning to stop in. The other night, when we were looking for dinner and right in the neighborhood anyway, it seemed like as good a time as any to stop in. It also helped that it was a 1000-​point table offer on OpenTable.
Nestled in the corner of the DoubleTree, the space is small, intimate, and posh. I immediately loved the greys and reds that give a sophisticated feeling to the restaurant. It was almost empty; when we arrived one other couple was finishing up eating, and after that we were the only patrons until we left. It was after 9pm on a Friday night, so perhaps the hotel dinner crowd had passed. The hostess and waitress were friendly and fast.
The wine list is not huge but includes some really nice options by the bottle, including a few great quality Napa reds (although they are pricey).
My companion started with the Autumn Lobster Bisque, described as: Essence of Vanilla, Green Apple and Ginger, Peppery Pastry Leaf. It was a tasty starter, although neither of us could taste the lobster almost at all. It did have a nice autumn spice to it.
For entrees, I had the Diver Sea Scallops and my companion had the rack of lamb. Each came with an interesting autumn vegetable mix. The texture of the vegetables was great, although there was something about the flavors that didn’t quite tie in fully with either dish for me.
The four large sea scallops were fresh, perfectly seared and delicious– my favorite part of the meal by far. The seasoned jasmine rice that accompanied them was good, although the flavor didn’t blow me away. Overall the scallops dish was a very nice dish, but lacked something cohesive that would have made it more memorable.
The rack of lamb was also perfectly cooked; hot pink center, tender, juicy. The seasoning on the lamb was delicious, although again there was something just a little off with the way it meshed with the minted tomato jam it was served with, as well as with the autumn vegetables on the plate. Perhaps it’s my palette and others would find these dishes to be great symphonies of flavor; I thought instead that there was one individual perfectly cooked food on each plate (the scallops and the lamb) and then a few pretty good ones, with a lack of overall cohesiveness.
If the prices here were a bit lower, this would probably be a 4-​star rating. For the amount we paid, though, I did have slightly higher expectations for the overall experience.

This is where you are eating. Just stop your search now.
Beautiful, fresh, portioned plates make this easily the best restaurant in the area.
I often stay at the DoubleTree, and since it’s transformation I never considered The Willows, although I pass by it on the way to my car every morning heading to ESPN.
Last night I did, and now I always will eat at The Willows.
It was ¾ full, the service was impeccable.
The décor is mood lit, classic-​modern. Tiny purple orchids for centerpieces.
NOW THE FOOD:
Wine– They have a great wine list. I really only have a palette for whites and was very pleased.
Bread– They make their bread fresh, in-​house. I received a giant, crunchy looking steaming sourdough muffin. I cut into it and found warm flaky deliciousness I quickly inhaled.
Entrée– I ordered the ‘FISH OF THE MOMENT’, which was a grilled Mahi-​Mahi over a bed of spicy udon noodles, with a side of carrots and beans. I’ve lived in Manhattan for 3 years now, and ate at some of the nicest seafood places and this plate was a contender. NYC quality service and food for sure.
Side– I couldn’t resist ordering the fries with parmesan and truffle oil. I never can resist. The portion size was perfection, and they didn’t skimp on the premium flavors.
Dessert– Well at this point, I wanted to see if it was complete perfection. The waitress informed me all desserts were made fresh and in-​house. (Nothing worse than some frozen cake thing). I ordered the CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE WITH PISTACHIO ICE CREAM. It was heaven. *See Photos*
To summarize, I have been eating around this area the last 3 years. This BY FAR is the best restaurant in the area (without having to drive to West Hartford). You would be missing out, crazy, and probably disappointed if you picked another place to eat. Bön Appetit!
PS. Crazy good sports bar attached that ESPN’ers and athletes can sometimes be found.

Great restaurant. Very convenient if you are staying at the Hilton. Food was was excellent and our server was very nice. Atmosphere is great as well. A high end restaurant at very reasonable prices. I would recommend it to anyone.

This place is an unexpected gem given that there really aren’t any fine dining establishments in Bristol. My first visit to the Willows was during Restaurant Week and I was impressed with the creativity of the menu as well as the quality and preparation of the food. Subsequent visits were with my young son for dinner and we had the pleasure of being served by a young lady named Ivette. She was prompt, attentive and kid-​friendly. My food was perfectly prepared. In addition to my own positive dining experience, she ensured that my son felt very special. She spoke to him directly and without being asked, she made sure my son’s food came out at the right temperature, never overfilled his glass and took lots of little steps to allow both of us to have an enjoyable dinner. I recently had a chance to try the breakfast buffet at the Willows and was also very pleased. Ivette was the server once again and provided outstanding service as usual.

We came here with a bunch of friends for my cousins birthday. The food was amazing! All three courses! The customer service was outstanding! We will definitely be back!

I visited the Willows with three of my besties and was blown away by the superior service and dishes at The Willows. The Autumn salad was beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious. The Charcuterie platter was a terrific appetizer to share with friends together with the Artichoke fritters. The wine bottles this night were half price and the manager stopped by our table making us feel super welcomed! We’ll definitely return to the Willows, especially for their upcoming Hopfest!

So my husband and I wanted to find a restaurant for our anniversary that was close and we haven’t been to yet. Well all I can say is that I was very dissatisfied and disappointed. Walking in and there was one person sitting in the restaurant. Our server was wonderful acknowledged our anniversary and was very attentive. Why shouldn’t she be there was only one other person in the restaurant. Our meal was average at best. The downward side is that while we were dressed up for our anniversary another couple walked in wearing sweat pants and t shirts. Beautiful atmosphere was the highlight of this restaurant. I’m sorry to say we will not be back. Oh the kicker. Our anniversary dessert was said to be prepared while we were there … So totally not. Don’t lie …

After a disappointing return visit here this past weekend, I feel that I must share this with my fellow Unilocalers. The quality of food was not even close to what it has been in the past and the service was a bit lackluster also. My girlfriend and I ordered off of the restaurant week menu and her steak wasn’t very warm (yes, I know that a medium rare shouldn’t be piping hot but it wasn’t even as warm as it should have been). My tilapia was uninspiring and I was a bit let down. All in all, if this had been my first experience here, I wouldn’t return but I hope that it was perhaps just an ‘off’ night and I hope that The Willows can once again get back to the quality it used to be!

Staying at The Doubletree for business. Being from Southington originally, I know the area and the restaurants in it, pretty darn well. I wanted to give this place a go A. Out of convenience, B. The pictures in the lobby looked yummy as hell and C. My colleagues and I agreed without any long discussions required!
Other than the friendliness of the staff and the surplus of water refills, nothing about this visit was satisfying.
— All three of us ordered the same Willow garden salad, mine with dressing on the side. The salads were supposed to come with edible flowers: they did not. When I asked about the type of flowers as a hint and said our salads didn’t come with the flowers, the woman came back telling us they were pansies, but did not bring said flowers. Also, my dressing wasn’t on the side. Thankfully they know how to not overdress a salad so it was fine; simple and fairly tasty.
Entrees
— Filet Mignon — ordered Medium rare, received well done. For $ 39, I had to send it back. When it came out the second time, it was very rare (which is just fine with me, but may not be for others). Why can’t they figure out how to cook a simple steak? Also, the food was under seasoned, but after some salt and pepper, was fairly nice. I didn’t love the grilled shallots/​scallions. One or two would’ve been a nice add, but I didn’t need a whole serving. Maybe spinach or asparagus instead?
–Salmon special (wild caught) — overcooked and dry. The mango salsa was absolutely needed with each bite. I’m told the rice was good, but the squash medley was practically nonexistent. Two bites?
–Fishmongers Stew — overcooked. It’s a sin to overcook lobster, or any shellfish for that matter! It was a great portion size and the flavor was there, just ruined by what I expect was too much time under a heat lamp.
Other cons
Restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived (one other couple) and only added a party of 8 (including 4 children) once our order was placed, yet the service took FOREVER!!! Even just our salads took over a half hour! It’s lettuce in a plate!!!
When the server took away utensils, they weren’t replaced until after the food arrived. I saw this happen at the table next to us too.
A bowl for the shells for the fishmonger stew, as well as a shrimp fork, wasn’t brought to our table until my colleague took her last bite of the stew. Literally.
I hate leaving negative reviews, but this place was just not worth the expense. It took so long, we didn’t even wait around for the dessert menu. I definitely don’t recommend this restaurant. Not sure how they got 3.5÷4 stars in CT magazine. Maybe this was just a bad night. For their sake, I hope so!

I just can’t believe Bristol finally has a restaurant that’s not a fast good chain! I was very impressed with the service and food. The portions are small like French food but you can tell a lot of thought was put into it and the best ingredients were used. Delicious!

Well, after hearing the raves about this place from our Community Manager, I figured it was time to gather up some friends and head to this place.
So glad that we did. Worth the trek. Go.
Just high caliber new American food.
The diverse menu was such that eight of us each had a different main course. Totally unplanned but that shows how good the menu looked. And each of them was terrific. The pork porterhouse. The salmon special. The halibut. And the gnocchi. Particularly the gnocchi. Rich and hearty for a cold winter’s night.
And for our vegetarian in the group, the kitchen made a special dish to order just to her liking. She was in heaven. Even the amuse bouche was custom made. That was a particularly nice touch and made a great night even better.
And the desserts! Well, just stop at the cider donuts with ice cream (we had the salted caramel ice cream — even better than the butter pecan). Outstanding.
Add in accomplished service and a warm décor (though a little empty on patrons) and this is a big winner.
Go and make sure this place stays open. It is one of the best in the Hartford area. And deserves long success.

We’ve been here twice now, once for a Unilocal event and once for for a special wine tasting dinner. The food is exquisite. But what makes it so special is the staff. The chef came out to greet us, the servers are fantastic, and the other staff makes sure all the guests are taken care of. Love this place!

I got to celebrate this year’s birthday at «The Willows». My husband makes sure every occasion to be celebrated special so did this one.
Our table was booked through open table for dinner for a Friday night. Till about friday afternoon there was no confirmation call from the restaurant. So my husband had to call them n confirm the reservation. When he called the staff on call took nearly 10 minutes to connect to the right department. Since this is a new restaurant probably they need some more time to get there.
We drove to the restaurant by 8pm, I liked the location of the hotel, it’s located off the busy roads. As we entered the staff was welcoming and we were seated quickly. It’s a cozy restaurant with bright coloured décor. On the tables were a beautiful flower vase n candles, wow it was so romantic!
We placed our orders and quickly went out to have a look at their lobby and we also took few pics. The staff on board at the restaurant was pleased to take pics on our camera and took great pics. She was very sweet and was suggesting us to pose: D
We started off with 2 glasses of champagne and the veggie salad. The champagne was smooth n nice and the salad was filled with different greens and the dressing too was good.
We were also served with a basket full of different breads n three types of butter. This basket was yum yum. The chef sent a corn salad which was completely vegetarian and made best to taste. This was complimentary. It had a bourbon dressing n was delicious.
For the entrée we were suggested a pasta bowl which was custom made to vegetarian. This pasta had a mild pesto sauce with some cherry tomatoes n green beans. I was not satisfied with this pasta bowl! They could have added a lot more veggies.
Lastly to finish of the meal we ordered panna cotta. It was a coconut one, the portion seemed to be really small otherwise taste n presentation was loud.
When you see the menu online, they don’t have vegetarian option. While making a reservation I recommend you to mention your comfort n I am sure they will accommodate your needs.
Overall I would give it 3 n half stars. I’d say its a fancy restaurant with a decent priced menu.

Where to begin?
Well, first, I love finding the unexpected gems of hotel dining. Hilton guests are beyond lucky because if I had my way, I’d drag this restaurant to downtown Hartford or New Haven and eat there every night. Bristol would never see it again!
One of the reasons this restaurant is so excellent is the fact that Leo Bushey is its executive chef — previously of Acqua Oyster Bar (again, a restaurant that was out of place in Vernon!). I came for dinner a few days before the official grand opening and sampled an array of delights from The Willows’ carefully and exquisitely crafted menu.
Along with my fabulous dining companions, we dined on a selection of magnificent hors d’œuvre including a forest mushroom ragoût, toasts topped with seared duck breast with lingonberry preserves, fried Connecticut Blue Point oysters with maple cream, and a scallop ceviche with pickled peppers.
Entrée samplings included the decadent seared Stonington diver scallops served over a Gorgonzola polenta cake with cured tomatoes and a spring pea coulis. If I could eat one dish for the rest of my life, that would likely be it. Or maybe it would be the Australian spring lamb rack accompanied by purple rice, warm grapes, haricot verts, and cranberry mint glacé.
I could go on but instead I’ll say:
Go here. Just go here and be prepared to get blown away. For seasonal New American dining, the Willows is among the best restaurants in the region.