Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Darien

I'm so glad I decided to visit Scena! I was looking for a place to grab wine and food on a Saturday early evening, and checked my list to see what I'd been meaning to try. Scena came up as having happy hour on Saturdays until 6:30 pm (it's tues-Sat), and that sealed the deal. The way they do happy hour is interesting, also. If you sit at the bar, you get 30% off your entire order, no matter what you get. It allows a lot more flexibility to try menu items!

The service at the bar was great. Everyone I interacted with was really friendly and fun. The wine list was pretty decent. A little overpriced, sure.. but nice options from quite a range of regions. I like that they have wine specials (and food specials) going on at any time that are different from the normal menu items.

I started with a glass of cheap prosecco, and got a nice full pour. I tried the charred octopus dish, and it was fantastic. The flavors came together so well. My first bite was just a piece of the octopus, and I actually thought, this is a little chewy and should be cooked more (perhaps boiled before being grilled). However, I then tried pieces of octopus with other parts of the dish--the cherry peppers and tomatoes, and the crema--and the various textures worked so well together that I changed my mind. And, the cherry pepper flavor with the others was so well balanced and delightful.

Next I had a glass of rioja riserva from the specials menu, and tried the steak tartare. I enjoy that they use the mini carafes, so you can keep a smaller amount of wine in your glass at a time. Plus, it means they provide the larger pours (a mini carafe is usually a glass-and-a-half size), which justifies the pricing a bit :) But let's talk about the tartare. It was phenomenal. I'm a tartare junkie - basically, if raw food is on a menu and I deem the place reputable enough to eat it, I'm trying it. This was one of the best I've had. The meat was fresh, and the flavors were perfect. The tartare itself was perfectly seasoned and flavored--mustard and pepper but something else, also. The arugula and sauces on the plate were all perfect when combined. I often skip the bread, or have just a bit (for carb-watching purposes, and because I actually enjoy the protein on its own), but this bread was too good to pass up. It was so fresh, perfectly toasted and buttered, and when you put everything together the bite was amazing.

I only tried these two items, but I'm really impressed so far. My only piece of feedback for improvement, actually, would be nicer wine glasses. They weren't bad, but the experience would be even better with even nicer glass. Although the shape of the champagne glasses was...

5-Star Review: A Perfect Mother’s Day Brunch Experience

We had the most wonderful time celebrating Mother’s Day with brunch here! The outdoor seating was absolutely perfect — sunny, warm, and beautifully arranged, making it the ideal spot to relax and enjoy the morning.

The cocktails were a standout — fresh, flavorful, and beautifully crafted. From mimosas to more creative house specialties, every drink was a hit. The food was delicious, with a great variety of options that pleased everyone in our group.

What truly made the experience exceptional was the staff. They were wonderful, attentive, and went out of their way to make sure our visit felt special. They accommodated our requests with ease and genuinely made us feel welcome. They even let us move tables to a shady side of the patio once a table became available.

All in all, a fantastic experience from start to finish. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a cheerful, high-quality brunch spot — especially on a special day like this. We’ll...

Would absolutely never recommend this restaurant. Me and my friend went to dine here and the restaurant was empty. Despite this, we waited longer than you’d expect for just 2 dishes. I got the butternut ravioli and my friend got salmon. The sauce for the ravioli was overpoweringly sweet, and the butternut squash inside the ravioli itself was sour. At first I just assumed that it was a strange recipe that I wasn’t a fan of, but after the waiter confirmed to me that it wasn’t supposed to be sour, along with the fact that I got sick later that night, convinced me otherwise. Only reason I’m not giving 1 star is because my friend genuinely enjoyed her salmon dish, before we unfortunately found facial hair in it and had to send it back... The service wasn’t terrible. My only complaint there was that it was very hard to get his attention, despite literally no one else being in the restaurant due to him continually being on his phone. Not the biggest issue honestly,...