Belfry Inne and Bistro — Restaurant in Sandwich

There are two fine dining restaurants in the world that I would eat at during this COVID-19 time, and one of them is the Belfry Inn. We did the overnight package with the Wine Wednesday package which included dinner and a bottle of wine from a special wine list, overnight stay in any room, and breakfast. They offer outside dining, in front of the building and under an open-sided tent on the side. Tables are spaced at least 6 feet apart, and I felt safe at the generous distance apart. Servers were masked. You need to wear a mask when you walk around, but you can remove it at the table.

The ahi tuna appetizer was so fresh and delicious complemented by the seasoned slaw and ginger. My husband enjoyed the fresh salmon, and I had the two duck legs with pommes frites/french fries.

For breakfast, we got the feta cheese omelette and buttermilk waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.

We stayed in our favorite room the Saturday room in the Abbey which has a jacuzzi tub with remote control in the bedroom with Archangel Michael overlooking the room. There is shampoo, but I remembered to bring our own bath salts/bubbles this time.

There is a balcony overlooks the outside dining and the parking lot, so you can watch people walk in. The room was spacious and had two leather chairs. The room also had a shower and a sink with room for toiletries. There are two flights of stairs to walk up to the rooms. The Sunday door opens to a flight of stairs which is easier to take your luggage straight down to the parking lot, instead of around to the front of the building then to the parking lot.

For COVID-19, they spend three times a much time cleaning the room, they use a ultraviolet light sanitizer plus allow a day between guest to air it out.

Staff wear masks and the doors to the inside of the restaurant are open and allow air flow.

The Belfry Inn location is very convenient in town with stores and other informal restaurants in the same block. You are walking distance to the free spring water that is down by the church and mill. Bring your own container or drink from the always running, cold water.

We love Belfry Inn and Bistro, and it is one of our favorite places in the world. Where else, can you have dinner and sleep in a former Catholic church with the beautiful stained glass or be served a drink from the liquor cabinet former confessional booth. The ceiling are tall and soaring. It is truly a special place. Celebrate the Belfry Inn's 25th anniversary this year by a stay and or dinner there.

Chris, the owner, innkeeper, and person who is always there has done an exceptional job in continuing to create an exceptional and safe experience well...

Belfry Inne and Bistro

Our experience posed a dilemma for me: whether to review the Belfrey Inne and Bistro based on my experience alone, or upon the combined experience of our party of 12. After considerable thought, I've chosen the latter, and I'll describe our meal as a group. My meal was excellent. My wife and I shared an arugula salad. We were impressed that our shared salad was thoughtfully served on two plates. We followed up with grilled octopus, which was perfectly prepared and artfully presented, with chorizo and fingerling potatoes. My wife had duck, which was quite good, crispy and, again, beautifully presented. I had the yellowfin tuna, again, perfectly prepared and presented. For my wife and I, great food, great presentation, 5 stars. Sadly, other members of our party did not fare so well. Those who had steak au poivre or filet mignon questioned the preparation. Folks who had scallops seemed pleased, and one person has shrimp fra diavolo liked it. The Belfrey Inne has a limited menu, so the consensus felt that all items should be excellent. A second issue was that our waitress, who was wonderful and trying mightily, was struggling to care for our party. It seems that a restaurant like The Belfrey would press staff to help out so all members of the party can be served at once. As it was, some of our party who were waiting to be served were urging those already served to begin eating. In a more casual setting this might be acceptable, but in a restaurant like The Belfrey, this is a gaffe on the management's side. I would emphasize here that our waitress was accommodating and cheerful throughout, and went above and beyond expectations several times. The Belfrey is a unique and interesting venue. We we seated in a pleasant room to the side of the dining room, which we found conducive for easy conversation. Although we did not take advantage of it, there was a very nice outdoor dining area. Parking was excellent, the overall facilities clean and well maintained. Were there specific issues accommodating a larger party on our visit, I don't know. It seemed to us that some backup should have been provided to insure that all members of our party received the wonderful treatment my wife and I received, and for which we all paid handsomely. As it was, a truly memorable dining experience that fell short in...

I recently stayed here on a little weekend getaway from Northern New England. We stayed in the Thursday Room. We also ate at the Belfry Bistro, and The Seal. Another restaurant next door, which is owned by the same owners.

First I will review my stay in one of their rooms, and will follow by a review of my experience at their dining locations:

Lodging:

Pros: Beautiful room, clean, and spacious. There is a very fun, and eclectic ambiance. My daughter, whom I was traveling with, thoroughly enjoyed the jacuzzi tub in the room. I don't think she's ever taken that many baths in a two day span. The woman at the front desk is an absolute joy. She is knowledgable about the area, the Inn, and seemed genuinely invested in ensuring our stay was wonderful. She was, hands down, the highlight of our stay.

Cons: The walls are PAPER thin. I mean, unusually so. While the service staff was cleaning up in the evening after the restaurant closed (around 10PM), we could hear everything. There was nothing the service staff could have done to improve on this, as they had to communicate with one another to complete their work for the evening, and they had to vacuum. They were not speaking to one another any louder than normal. Just a standard conversational tone, but it was so loud in our room. It kept us up both nights. The second night we were kept up by those staying in the room next to us. All. Night. Long. and we heard EVERYTHING they were doing. I mean.. everything. I am not a prude by any means, but the last thing I want to have to explain to my 7 year old daughter, is what our room neighbors were engaging in at 1:27AM.

Food:

Pros: Staff were friendly, professional, knowledgeable. Food came out quickly, and care was obviously taken to ensure the freshness of ingredients. The oysters were fresh and delicious. My daughter and I were pleased to see a Kid's Menu and she loved what she ordered.

Cons: So many beautiful ingredients drowned or plated amongst so many sauces. Which made me feel as though the person preparing or creating the dishes either didn't have the creative freedom to really let the ingredients shine without heavy sauces, or didn't really have the training or desire to do so. The meals at The Bistro felt very old fashioned and outdated. Each meal we had between The Bistro and The Seal just lacked balance, and was sadly,...