Spotted Horse Tavern Shelton, Ct. — Restaurant in Shelton

Disappointed. My husband and I wanted to try this place and everything was going well, got a table pretty quickly and the place was packed. Ordered some ciders and the pretzels which were good soft and hot. Our waitress took a while to come over initially and I didn’t think anything of it they were busy right. Ok so we order our food altogether the pretzels and our meal which was brunch the hash and the French toast. So we’re waiting for a long time. Now at first I was thinking it’s just busy but then I watched as other waiters brought over the food from other tables who arrived/ordered after we did and then my husband was like what is going on? Then I would see our waitress every so often look over at us confused as to why our food wasn’t out. Needless to say she comes over to tell us our ticket got “pushed back” we proceeded to wait for another 10-15 after that and then our food comes out. Who I’m assuming is the owner or manager comes over, is all up in my face (hello coronavirus) and says oh I see your face and that you’re not happy I want to offer you a free dessert. I was like no thanks. I don’t want free dessert. You can comp my 1 hour wait meals though that would make more sense. Nope because I was disinterested in his offer he finally gets up and goes off then our waitress asks again do we want the free dessert. The answer is still no. I just want to pay and leave at this point. My husband finally tells her look we waited an hour for our food you should be able to do something. They literally come back and comp the pretzels! THE PRETZELS!!!! That were $10 and came out like 2 seconds after we ordered them. I know this was super long but seriously in 2021 if we don’t know what customer service is then I’m not sure why you decided to open a restaurant. If my meals take an hour to come out and it’s your staffs fault somewhere along the lines just comp the meals. Either way I won’t go back. Food was good but not...

2-14-25 The evening's meal began great. No wait in this crowded establishment. Good specials, which I ordered "medium well (pink, no blood running) 9 oz. Sirloin," literally. It came with asparagus and mashed potatoes. I added Shrimp. All looked great, until I sliced the middle of the steak and saw blood red. I devoured the delicious 7 pieces of Asparagus and three large shrimp as I waited to advise our waitress. She took the steak for the center to be cooked, pink, no blood running as ordered. Well, my partner ate his Pan-Seared Halibut and rice as I ate bread, awaiting my steak to be cooked appropriately for me and my health. I got my food to go since my partner was done. As we waited for our round of "comped drinks," since still hungry, I sliced a sliver of steak to nibble. To my surprise, it was blackened more on the outside and still blood red inside. I literally picked up the steak, squeezed it above the white linen napkin, and the blood dripped on it, staining it red. I asked that a new steak be cooked properly and was told they were sold out. I picked a salad as a substitute. (Quick, minimal cooking, I really wanted a burger as substitute; but, expected no better results than the steak.) In addition, I ordered Apple Crisp to go, I'm curious, does it look appetizing to you? I have been to this location many times and had good experiences at the Spotted Horse Tavern in Shelton, CT. The location has a simple yet aesthetically pleasing environment. Good music plays at a reasonable level for patrons to enjoy while conversing. However, the Lemonade & Grey Goose had no taste of either. It tasted of weak lemonade on ice barely any color. I agreed to a round of comped drinks, and they removed the cost of the steak. I would recommend this location on a regular day. With the exception of the day's steak and Apple Crisp, I find the food...

If I could give zero stars for the service, I would. Our server was great—she did her best to accommodate, but unfortunately, she was the only bright spot in an otherwise abysmal experience.

Let’s start with the food: my burger, ordered medium, came out burnt. Not slightly overcooked—charred, dry, and completely inedible. On top of that, the wrong sides were brought out, adding to the sheer incompetence of the kitchen.

Now, let’s talk about the so-called “management.” I provided a federally issued ID, (passport card) which should be more than sufficient in any situation requiring identification. Yet somehow, this manager, who was oddly unprofessional and completely clueless, came back himself demanding it again. Then, in what I can only describe as pure absurdity, I was told to bring a different form of ID next time because their machine couldn’t scan the one I had. This wasn’t some barely-legal college kid trying to sneak a drink—I’m clearly well over 21, pushing 30, and there should have been absolutely no doubt about my age. If you’re running an establishment and handling anything remotely related to identification, you should at least understand the significance of a federally issued ID. Instead, this manager acted as if I had presented a library card and insisted I bring a “more acceptable” form next time. Ridiculous.

To top it all off, nothing was done to make things right. No apology, no offer to correct the multiple mistakes, nothing. A bad meal is one thing, but an establishment that refuses to take accountability for its own incompetence is unacceptable.

Between the food, complete lack of professionalism from management, and refusal to rectify obvious mistakes, this place is an absolute disaster. Save your money and go somewhere that actually values...