Mill on the River

Bolella/​Desilet wedding June 11, 2016.
If you are considering venues in the Hartford Ct area, you will not be disappointed with The Mill on the River!!!
What a beautiful setting and fantastic staff! The Wedding coordinator (Laura) did a fantastic job and was meticulous with all details. The wait staff and bartender were the best and I wish I knew their names to give them a shout out as well. The food was fantastic as well!!!
They have photographers (Mike and Paul Nash) and a DJ (Rob Guilmette) that are regulars there for events and you won’t go wrong in choosing them as well!
Thank you all for making Eric and Ashley’s wedding a such a special and memorable event.
With gratitude,
Lou Bolella

I always come to this restaurant every now and then, they have good food and the place it self very beautiful. Yesterday when I had dinner it was very packed but staff were still very attentive and make sure everything was fine with us.
My fav is coconut shrimp, and yesterday for the first time I tried their dessert, flourless chocolate cake. It was great too.

Wonderful wait staff. Had a perfect New York sirloin with a creamy pepper sauce. But what was the most special was the complimentary strawberries dipped in chocolate for 20^th anniversary plus two flutes of champaign. Well done Mill by the River, you made this day spectacular !

We had a wonderful dinner there last night.
Food was wonderful and the service exceptional. Our server Shea was beyond terrific. Thank you so much.

I was invited to this establishment for a friends bridal shower brunch this past Sunday. The food was delicious. It was buffet style with fresh fruit and pastries, hot entrée items., I sampled a little of most of the items. I enjoyed an omelet with I think corned beef hash inside, beef tips, salmon, a waffle and home fried potatoes. Everything was very delicious. I would like to try this restaurant on a date night type deal one of these days.

Food was impeccable. I was there for my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding reception and we had a party of about 25 people. The waiters were all very welcoming, attentive, and accurate, I will definitely be back the next time I’m in Connecticut.

First time dining here for my graduation dinner, and everything was amazing! Service was great and everyone in our party loved what they ordered. Appetizers, entrées, desserts, and drinks were all on point!
We had a party of 14 and they were able to accommate with 2 tables at an L-​shaped booth, which was probably more convenient than one massive table for all of us. There was some background noise from two wedding parties going on during our dinner reservation, but we didn’t really mind since the rest of our experience was so great.
Family members came all the way from Stamford, CT and enjoyed themselves so much that they plan on returning for a special event in the near future. I was originally going to choose a restaurant in downtown Hartford/​WeHa to celebrate my graduation, but I am so glad I stumbled upon this place instead!

Came here with a large group for dinner with fairly high expectations given the other Unilocal reviews. Unfortunately, I did not find The Mill on the River to live up to its current Unilocal rating.
The restaurant itself looks nice from the outside, but the décor and furniture are extremely outdated. We were down on the lower floor, which was furnished with old wooden tables with not-​so-​tasteful tablecloths and silverware. It was way too dark inside… The dim yellow lights made it hard to even see the color of my food.
Regardless whether or not I could see my food, I knew most of it tasted subpar. We had meat and cheese platters, salad, rolls, potatoes, bean spouts, roast beef, and what I believe was chicken piccata with lemon, capers and artichoke. The chicken was overdone while the roast beef was underdone! I swear, cutting into the chicken was rather difficult given its dry texture, and the pieces were only half an inch thick. I don’t even know what was going on the with sauces too, they tasted very, very plain… I had to sprinkle salt and pepper on the food given the lack of flavor. The meat (salami, bologna, and ham) and cheese platters were even worse than the main dishes — the food wasn’t fresh by any means. The cheese was of a strange texture, making it taste like rubber.
For dessert, we had brownies and cookies… which were also underwhelming. The chocolates cookies were rock hard! I had trouble breaking one in half, which is pretty ridiculous. The oatmeal cookies and brownies were soft, but too soft. The texture of the brownie was like Playdoh. get ready to get your hands dirty if you go for them. We ended up ordering a separate dessert, some tiramisu, which turned out to be the best thing we had that entire night (besides the strong drinks, which were consumed BEFORE dinner, meaning that even after a couple of drinks, the food tasted bad!). The tiramisu itself gets a 7/​10, but the tasty dessert doesn’t make up for the lacking dinner.

Top notch Sunday brunch! Mill on the River is a beautiful restaurant/​special event venue that I had been to once before for happy hour a few years back. We just went with 6 people this past Sunday for brunch and it was phenomenal!
We were seated very quickly with an 11am reservation. The brunch is $ 20 per person for an entrée, breakfast buffet, tea/​coffee, and two beverages (either mimosas or bloody mary). What an awesome deal! The entrees were cooked perfectly, 4 of us had the steak and eggs and 2 people had eggs Benedict. The breakfast buffet had fruit, pastries, salmon, and desserts. The mimosas were delicious!
The service was also very good and our waiter was very attentive.
All in all, a great experience and we will be back!

Make sure to stop on the kissing bridge on the way in and way out and kiss your SO, it guarantees a successful relationship!
The food here is spectacular. Every time my wife and I come here it is always a pleasure. The staff is phenomenal. Superb service every time.
If you are looking to impress a first date, a client, or romance your SO, this is the place to go.
Wine wine and more wine selections for those who imbibe.
The view outside, small waterfall, and rustic inside are sure to impress.

First brunch experience at the Mill on the River. Have been there a couple of times for dinner and enjoyed it very much. I have to say the food was outstanding both for dinner and brunch. The only problem I found was with the brunch. It seems as if they have two seating’s for brunch. One at 11 am and another at 12:45 pm. The server makes this very clear to you as soon as you are seated at your table. The way they tell you that you have a time limit is kind of awkward. Something like «the next group will be in at 12:45 and I want them to have as good a time as you will have… but take your time» Something like that. Now granted an hour and a half should be more than enough time for brunch.
They do their brunch a bit different. They have a menu, a very nice one, with several entrées on it. They also have another area with all sorts of items being offered. More traditional to a brunch. You select one entrée and can have all of the buffet you like. You also get two adult beverages of your choice.
After taking our drink order and bring water and coffee the server explained how the brunch worked again adding that the food comes out quickly. That was really an understatement. We took a sip of out drink and went straight to the buffet table. Got some fresh fruit and returned to the table. I started on the fruit when I had to move it out of the way because my filet mignon eggs benedict arrived. The server again saying enjoy and take your time, knowing he did not mean it.
Again the food was very good and a different way of doing it at a reasonable price. It’s the way they make you feel rushed while telling you not to rush. Had I had a bit more time between the fruit and the entrée I still would have been out within an hour and a half.
Perhaps the answer is to take the 12:45 seating so you can have time to relax after eating.

I love this place — its s beautiful no matter where you sit. We had our post-​wedding dinner here and everything was great — but I find it funny that you need to be served a roll instead of getting a bread basket (extra fancy). They have a great selection and amazing desserts — the molten chocolate lava cake is to die for.
Their brunch is AMAZING. Its the best brunch I ever had. Its such a great value and they have so many options. Everything in the buffet is great quality including the smoked salmon, bread pudding and fresh cut fruit. Go there HUNGRY because you will be so stuffed afterwards. Their customer service is good. We will keep coming every Sunday we can!

We celebrated a friend’s birthday here and it did not disappoint. Service was amazing and the food was incredible. I had a cup of clam chowder that was fresh (because it was Friday lol). I devoured the Chilean Sea Bass that was served with wilted broccoli rabe w/​sausage and a nice broth. The fish was cooked perfectly. Can’t wait to go back!

My wife and I were married here 25yrs ago. It is still a beautiful venue. We love to stop by when we are in Connecticut. The hours of operation are tricky so check them out before heading in for lunch. The bar has plenty of food options for a bit to share with friends and have a few drinks. The place has changed a bit over the years. The outside dock/​deck and bar area have been added and are wonderful. Always happy to visit when we can.

I was ready to give this place a bad rating, just due to how pretentious it was. The décor is dated. The bathrooms are barely useable due to the overwhelming use of scented candles.
However, the food was really good, our server was great, and the wine delicious.
I had a glass of Chianti while the rest of the party ate their starters. My main course was a wild mushroom risotto with perfectly cooked, flavorful scallops. I had a glass of Pinot Grigio with it, which accompanied it beautifully.
For dessert, I had the crème brûlée with berries — it was delicious. We will definitely be back.

Mill on the River is one of my family’s favorite restaurants. We’ve been coming here for years and have had nothing but great experiences. Service is always exceptional and it’s nice that staff members remember you. The atmosphere is definitely cozy and very romantic.
On our last visit we were celebrating my birthday. I ordered the pork tenderloin entrée which is something different for me. Not being a huge pork fan, this was really flavorful and delicious. Their prime rib and other steak options are also always a great choice. Really, you can’t go wrong with almost anything you order!
I highly recommend this place for an evening out. While I do love this place, it never seems to be quite as good if you go on a holiday. The food is still worth it, but slightly under their normal standards as they are usually very busy. Other than that it’s perfect. They also offer a great wine selection, brunch, and bar menu!

I don’t know why everyone loves this place. Maybe I’ve just had to many bad experiences there but definitely won’t be coming back.
Rude staff… especially when I asked for another extra salad dressing… and couldn’t even get a simple salad order right. I mean come on salads aren’t rocket science.

Came here during the «taste of the suburbs» week. So for a fixed price we got an appetizer, entrée and dessert.
All three courses were delicious! For my entrée I got pecan crusted salmon and it was heavenly. It just sort of melted in your mouth. And for dessert I had the signature apple dish and it was good but would of been even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
They have a great selection of wines and cocktails as well.
This is definitely the type of place to go for a romantic night out or a celebration dinner.

Let me start off by saying I love Mill on the River. It has been my favorite restaurant for years and we’ve dined there multiple times for special occasions. This review isn’t for their regular dining services because that would still be 5 stars for me.
This review is regarding their wedding services. Our good friends had their wedding there this past weekend, and honestly I was surprised at how disappointed I was with Mill on the River.
To start, the couple paid for open bar. Unfortunately, that does not include frozen drinks and the sole bartender working, left her station on multiple occasions. You would think that for a wedding of 120+ guests, there would be at least two bartenders. Not to mention the bartender that serviced this wedding was a complete b**ch, to put it simply.
Next, when the hors d’oeuvres were being passed around, I feel as though I would’ve gotten more samples at Costco (and they’re free)! We were the furtherest table from the door, so often when they finally got to our table, the hors d’oeuvres were already gone. Who is running this show? Teach your servers how to alternate starting points so food is evenly distributed and guests don’t feel slighted.
Then it was time for dinner entrees, I’m telling you, Mill on the River was just very disorganized. We put in our entrée orders months in advance, and even so, a guest at our table still didn’t get his Stuffed Shrimp meal because they ran out of it! How disastrous! How does a restaurant run out of food for a wedding!!! Shouldn’t they be making a few extra plates to avoid this mishap?! The cost per guest is quite expensive and for them to run out of food is inexcusable in my opinion. Also, Mill on the River has great food, it’s one of the reasons why I love the place so much, but the wedding food was very bland and boring. Every dish whether chicken, shrimp, or beef came with steamed green beans and fingerling potatoes. Boring! Especially, when I know their food can be fantastic.
Lastly, when dinner was over and the dancing started, a glass broke on the dance floor. One of the guests informed a waitstaff member, and her exact response was, «IDGAF». I have no words for this kind of unprofessionalism. This is someone’s wedding day. How would you like it if you were paying thousands of dollars for your perfect day, and you and/​or you’re guests are getting attitude from the people who are are supposed to help make it a wonderful experience? Not good I suspect.
You might think I’m being knit picky or harsh, but I think people deserve to know how vastly their weddings defer from regular dining. Especially when it’s going to cost a pretty penny. I was seriously considering having my own wedding at Mill on the River, but after what I experienced as a guest, I think I’ll look elsewhere and just stick to going there for regular dinner services only.
Please work on this Mill on the River. 2 stars because yes, we were a rowdy bunch. However, running out of food and understaffed/​rude waitstaff is inexcusable.

The Mill has a great happy hour and is a «go 2» place to meet up with friends, family, or my honey for a drink and a nibble after work. The dining room is always a wonderful dining experience and we always bring our in-​laws here when visiting from the South. The food there never disappoints and staff are always friendly. The servers are always willing to go out of their way to make you happy and are very knowledgeable. Beautiful patio too!
I set up a lot of weddings (flowers) at the Mill too and Laura (the banquet co-​coordinator) is always so helpful and friendly and makes the experience a delight. I am a fan of all the Mill Group restaurants and the Mill on the River doesn’t disappoint.