Honest Town Eats — Restaurant in Southbridge

I am a business owner here in town. I took my admin to dinner here this evening. I ordered the baked haddock with brussels sprouts and a small side salad as was offered to me in place of mashed potatoes which came with the meal.

When it was presented to me, it looked more like cod. One bite and I had to send it back. Completely dry, very fishy and honestly inedible. I opted not to have another meal and ate the small portion of brussel sprouts and small 4 inch bowl of salad..

The waitress came back over and asked in light of NOT having a meal, they would like to offer me dessert. I thanked her and said I take a slice of the chocolate cake home.

The bill came and I was CHARGED $22.00 for the meal! That certainly won’t break my bank, however, I will not go back, my admin was unimpressed with the beef empanadas stating ther my were flavorless.

We do not plan to go back, thus was poor business practice on behalf of the owner.

——————-/———————-/—————————— Respectfully, I decided to edit this review in response to the owners response. Who stated he was going to return the price of my meal, but it could not because I paid in cash??? Simply return the money! However he would be happen to do so if I came back in? What? The owner of the restaurant was present during my meal. He knew the meals were unsatisfactory. He had the opportunity to make it right, he could have come out and spoken to me, he could have offered a gift certificate… He could’ve had his lovely wait staff simply not charge for the plate before he accepted payment, instead offering me a piece of cake. . Adding insult to injury after the fact simply makes this more offensive. Anyone can have an offer night, trust me, I understand these things happen. Trying to save face one again, after the fact is just poor...

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My spouse and I have been scoping out the Southbridge and Sturbridge area for retirement planning and have found this little downtown to have just enough variety. This is one of those places. Easy to find, adjoining off street parking and open most days.

We were welcomed as we entered the door and immediately seated. This was a Sat afternoon. Not super busy. The place must be fairly new, or at least everything looks new and modern. It’s definitely clean.

They have various menus depending on the day and time. We came for brunch. The menu isn’t marked for gluten sensitivity but the server helped my navigate the menu and I eas able to make it work. It’s Korean American fusion and it works! The food was really good. I also spotted some drinks that I want to go back to try later in the day.

I noted that the place appeared to be LGBTQ friendly, and had gender neutral bathrooms. Thanks for that! I think this place is more geared to adults, singles and couples alike. Seniors or those with mobility needs will do fine here as well. Kids, not so much. I’m thankful for that too candidly! It’s a great date kind of place.

I found the prices to be surprisingly reasonable given the presentation and quality of ingredients.

Overall, a great find and...

This dinner experience was worse than the first. We tried to give this cute little local spot a second chance. The exact same situation happened the second time around.

Service? We are seated, ordered food & about 10 minutes later told that the dish that I ordered was 86’d. When I respectfully told the waitress this had happened to me the last time I was in, she laughed. 🫤 It’s customary,at most restaurants, to let customers know what is off the menu for the evening. I asked particular questions about the meal I chose instead and the waitress gave me wrong information. We had to wave down the waitress twice for water & side plates.

Food? My bin mah bowl was a total disappointment, the fried egg and rice was luke warm, didn’t get much cilantro and was charged full amount even though I requested no pork on the dish. My friend ordered a Mediterranean salad that had so much vinegar on it that her eyes were watering.

Atmosphere ? The music is very distracting. The space is very loud to begin with. Impossible to have a private conversation. Tables are so close to each other. They should consider a playlist that is not so loud and that the customers want to hear not what the staff wants to hear. Sorry Honest Town Eats. I’m not giving you a...