The Guilford Bistro & Grille Cafe — Restaurant in Guilford

"Staff goes out of their way to make you believe you are stupid."

Went on line and checked for dog friendly venues, specifically searched for pet friendly places saw that this location was recomended as pet friendly and one of 12 restaraunts which allowed pets in Guilford. (Google "pet friendly restaurants in guilford ct")

Made reservations several hours in advance.

Arrived on time and was informed that they did not have a reservation in our parties name and they did not allow pets and that we must have arrived at the wrong location as another bistro in Guilford did allow pets and they did not.

They stated that we could not use the outside area as a party of 10 was coming shortly.

Lets do the math. The outside area has 4 tables and each table has 4 chairs, so the party of 10 would take 3 tables.... leaving a free table for our party of 3.

But no.

So, we followed the " oh its close enough to walk to and people get the two bistros mixed up all the time and if they can't take you come back and we will seat you but not with the dog..." directions and couldn't find the other place.

We double checked the directions on the website and the address and it showed our original location.

So we call the number that we had called for the reservations.... And it was the place that we had been turned away from.

Apparently they had placed the reservation under a totally different name. And even though the website said they were pet friendly the woman said on the phone "just not at dinner..." ( This from an establishment that only serves lunch and dinner!)

Really? Did she just happen to do the same search we did and realize that they had lied and were now trying to cover their backsides? Its now a half hour later and there was no way we were going back.

The pup we had brought with us was well behaved and with the summer heat we were not leaving it in the car.

We ended up going down the street to THE PLACE. We had a great time, the food was awesome, the staff adored our pup who was well behaved and they were fantastically friendly from the moment we arrived past the time we left them with a massive tip when we left.

Maybe the Bistro staff felt they could make more money on a party of 10 than they could on our party of three.

Maybe the person who was at the counter saw an old handicapped person and decided they didn't want to serve them so they made no effort to be helpful.

Maybe they decided even though the website said casual clothing and my shirt had a few wrinkles in it from the seat belt that I was just a little too casual with my appearence and used that as a reason to make a snap judgement of wealth.

A restaurant survives on its reputation with its customers to bring future clients.

There is nothing this establishment can do to "fix what went wrong to win back...

Took the scenic route home to get to i95 again, in order to stop at The Bistro. I had to bring my husband because I told him about when I came here 3 years earlier with my mom and we were impressed by our meal.

For starters we got fried calamari "spicy with peppers" oh boy was that good, and HUGE portion. We didn't even need a main dish! We also got a salad. Fresh and delicious. He ordered the spaghetti carbonara. He was in awe. Huge chunks of ham/pancetta. He loved it. Said it may have been one of the best Italian meals he has ever had. I got the same thing I had 3 years ago, the scallops with pasta. No disappointment there. Just as I remembered... garlicy, and cooked perfectly. You could taste every herb, the quality of oil, etc. I am so glad we came here again. I keep thinking this place is like a gem. You would have no idea its a spot on Italian restaurant from the outside or from the name. Its worth a try. I promise you won't be disappointed.

We couldn't finish our meal we were so full but the best part is taking it home and eating it later that...

I came here the other day, and the waitress was noticeably delightful. She was so friendly and so welcoming, and just gave off this comfortable demeanor.

I ordered my food, learned that there are no burgers at this place, and settled down to sit. She brought me this beautiful glass of water, but it was kind of heavy, and I couldn’t lift it to drink it because I’ve injured my elbows.

I asked her for a straw. She asked if I wouldn’t mind telling her how I injured my elbows and I told her “well I have Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which means…” and she completed my sentence for me. She knew what it was!

She is apparently studying to be an EMT. I have encountered many medical professionals in extensive fields of learning, who have no idea what Ehlers Danlos syndrome is, so I was very impressed.

She offered to open the door for me when I was leaving. She held the check down so I could sign it because I couldn’t lift my arm. She was insanely accommodating, and so kind.

I will absolutely be back.

I wish her luck on her studies! The world needs more...