Stella's Italian Kitchen & Cafe — Restaurant in Lyme

Very hostile attitude from owner Morgen not believing my small dog was a service dog. Here’s what happened. As per ADA requirements I told him my service dog helped me with certain tasks related to my disability. He still gave me a very hard time saying no dogs were allowed of any kind and I again corrected him on that fact per ADA guidelines service dogs are. Then he went on to say he had a kitchen worker allergic to any and all dogs. When I asked to speak to that person he said have a nice life and walked away. We, my husband and I, ended up staying as there was little open nearby and the bartender said we could be served. Food was good but nothing to write home about. Service was somewhat attentive and bartender Katie was very kind and nice. Other gal just kind of blah /stonefaced. When we left owner Morgen, who stayed back in the kitchen area the entire time we were there, followed us out the front door. We were quite surprised and maybe thought he was going to apologize for his difficult attitude earlier. He asked if we enjoyed our meals. My husband said our food was good and I agreed but then said I was not at all happy with how he treated us. Boy did that set him off!! He became quite belligerent saying that he lost three customers because of my service dog. What a bunch of bs! (No one could even tell that a dog was there he’s so small and quiet - in a very busy bar area! - and well trained for this type of activity. My dog laid down and there was not a peep from him as we ate our meal at the bar.)This guy does not follow ADA guidelines and needs an attitude adjustment. I truly feel sorry for anyone with a psychiatric or medical disability trying to have a meal in that establishment with their service dog. It’s just not right and we definitely won’t be back. I will be reporting this establishment and its owner to the ADA. Oh and as we walked away from him he yelled after us we could come back again but to leave the dog home! Thumbs down...

We live near Stella's. We get takeout frequently and dine there several times a year. I can sympathize with the reviewers who had to wait too long for seating. That's happened to us once or twice. There's really nothing Stella's can do about it, except perhaps to train the staff to estimate wait time more accurately. We've learned to go early or late to avoid the rush. The food is always excellent. It tends to taste somewhat better served in the dining room, perhaps due to cooling off or contamination from the unfortunate foil containers Stella's uses for take out orders. Those containers are simply terrible, often popping open in the bag when removed from the car, making a mess of things. Plastic containers that seal well would be much better. Take out portions have gotten a lot smaller lately, which they tell me is true of dining room meals, too. Smaller portions are OK with me, but the prices should be adjusted downward. And that brings me to the only real knock I have on Stella's: it's way too expensive. A take out order for my family of four generally runs over $100. While the food quality is excellent, it's not outstanding enough to merit the prices charged by Stella's. That's why I only gave...

Came in due to us staying nearby. The website gave us high hopes. When we arrived it looked like the restaurant was closed. It took the staff at the front 5 minutes to even greet us and we were told that they are not "doing" table service but we can order anything on the menu and eat it in take out containers. We had 0 cell service and had no other options. We paid 54$ for 2 dinners and a dessert and ate with plastic forks. Food was decent but I was highly upset with the situation, no discount or anything posted on their website. Tried to order coffee with dessert and was told they already cleaned their machines and couldn't serve coffee...in a cafe an hour before closing. Sealed the deal. They have a sign inside saying they take reservations for dinner...but don't keep the...