Bidwell Tavern Cafe
| Address: | 1260 Main St, Coventry, CT 06238, USA |
| Phone: | +1 860-742-6978 |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
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A Private User
Having just moved into the neighborhood, I thought I had hit the lottery. I remember the old Bidwell when Claudia the tavern cat would wander table to table & sleep on the wood box behind the stove. (They have removed her grave marker under the tree outside) This is no longer your daddys tavern or the Bidwell of old. I am giving it two stars because of the beer and wings. But... Any idiot can serve beer and wings. My experience over numerous recent dinners has been thus: Service has consistently sucked. Zero training and most often service with indifference. One visit, after 20 minutes I had to go the bar to remind them we waiting and to retrieve our own drinks. If you want to see college girls in tight fitting clothes, fine, but have dinner somewhere else. Also, poor inventory management. How do you run out of hamburgers? How do you run out of lettuce? Send a lackey to the grocery store & buy what you need to get through the night. What the hell??? Last nights Chicken Gorgonzola was the last dinner for me. Not even the vaguest hint of Gorgonzola and they boiled the chicken that was in the dish. (Hmmm... Rubber chicken... *drools*) Oh, and the cream sauce was nasty, like 50s Betty-Crocker, nasty. This place has always been a "college bar" kind-of place, but it once had integrity & superb quality. About 20 years ago there was a Gorgonzola dinner on the menu to die for. Someone should dig around in the basement & revive that old menu. ...and hire kitchen staff that does not boil chicken for their dishes. If you are reading this on your mobile device go to Coventry Pizza. In the middle of nowhere but not far. There is no decent beer selection, but an exceptional wine selection. The owner takes great pride in what he serves. Clean & staff that care.
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A Private User
The wings and burgers here are great. They have a decent selection of beer on tap as well. Prices are a little steep for the quality. Although the waitstaff are friendly, the place is horribly mismanaged and it shows. My girlfriend was served an under-filled and completely flat (no carbonation at all) hard cider. At $4.50 a pop, draft beer/cider should be good. The managers also had the hostess waiting on our table. She had no idea what she was doing, what beers were on tap, how to take an order, etc. which wasnt her fault, but made for an uncomfortable experience for everyone involved. Special pricing is available only in the bar (not the dining room) which was not made clear to us until after wed already ordered (management charged us the full amount for the drinks). Additionally, gratuity was included on the bill, but because the bill was put onto multiple debit cards, gratuity was added twice (which seemed like rubbing salt in our wounds since the service was so bad to begin with). Every time Ive gone here (once every few months) over the last two years, Ive left feeling irritated and overcharged. Dont waste your time and money. Head to the Willimantic Brewing Company in Willimantic or Basils in Stafford Springs for a much better experience.
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A Private User
Theres not too many 200 year old taverns still in business. With its long history, Bidwells has an opportunity to differentiate the tavern from the standard restaurant fare - but chooses not to. Aside from the history, theres really nothing special about Bidwells Deck is pretty small. Dining room is fairly dark, with simple wood furniture and a handful of cheap pictures of local turn of the century events. Service is decent most of the time. Menu is typical offering of simple tavern food that seems to cater to the nearby UCONN population - lots of buffalo wings and quesadillas with a decent selection of Beer. Price is reasonable. I think you get a better bargain at a chain restaurant - but if youre in the area or really desperate for some wings, Bidwells is worth going to
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A Private User
Flys, flys, flys! Look up & see how dirty it is nowadays. Was a regular years ago but service has gone downhill. Wings used to be meaty, now they are small. Today grossly overcooked. Stuffed mushrooms used to be a favorite with creamy cheese all over the crabmeat stuffing. Today? No crabmeat, tasted like boxed turkey stuffing -could taste the poultry seasoning. One slice of cheese covered 5 mushrooms. Just terrible. Filthy bathroom at Lunchtime! Sadly gone downhill, today was the last visit. :-(
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Phil Mann
The Bidwell is a local attraction thats been around since the 1800s. If you can sit in the old part of the building, its pretty funky and cool. The food is standard pub fare, and some things are better than others. The place has a reputation for wings, and they are pretty reliably good. Theres good beer on tap. I find the newer parts of the restaurant to be noisy and unpleasant to sit in- lots of hard surfaces and people shouting because its like an echo chamber.
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A Private User
went there tonight and waited to be seated. Finally asked the waiter if I should take a seat. He said, "sit in the middle of the floor if you want". Sat down and a patron came by and told me not to let him serve me because he is so rude. Sadly, I had picked this restaurant to take my son to dinner on Veteran Day to honor his service. When this waiter finally came to my table I asked him not to serve me. All in all, a sad experience for an honorable day.
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Bingo Bingo
When the wings are on they are on and when they are off they are off. I have found it to be hit or miss over the years. Its not bad, kinda a dive bar in the old section but it works. Alot of people love the place I can take it or leave it. The service is very inconsistent and sometimes confused for lack of a better word. When you walk in there is no place to go and you have to stand at the cold doors next to the toilets basicly. Its a bar lol
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A Private User
The tavern was actually the original town hall in Coventry. Now they serve cold drinks and great wings. The variety of wing styles and flavors is amazing. I brought a large group in recently as did the previous review. The service was very patient with us. Yes, gratuity was included and no separate checks are allowed with large groups but, this is the industry standard in 2009. Keep up the good work Bidwell.
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John Way
Excellent, we took the family for dinner tonight. Alyssa our waitress,was right on the spot. We ate outside, very nice. Alyssa and the rest of the Bidwell Staff kept an eye on the weather as well. They provided direction if the weather should change. I am impressed. Thank you for your great service and concern John J Way
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Jonathan Birdsey
Good food, and fun atmospheres. The restaurant has a few very different eating areas from the old tavern in front, to the modern dining room, and outdoor deck in back. Negatives?: Sodas cost the same as most restaurants - but the Bidwell doesnt offer free refills.
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A Private User
Management has an major attitude if you have a problem. They dont care if you have a complaint and would rather ignore you. The food isnt even that great. The wings are decent, but not worth the crappy service. Your money is better spent at a 7-11
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Gracie Putnam
Everyone I was with thought the wings were great, but I dont eat meat so I ordered the vegeterian saute. The pasta was too soft and the dish had no flavor. We also got the pretzels and cheese but the cheese was very bland. Sick to the wings here.
