Nataz (Southington) — Restaurant in Southington

We just had a birthday dinner here

We had a party of 6 and we were promptly seated. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and the host and server were both friendly.

We ordered a bottle of wine to start (this place has the most well priced wine menu I've ever seen at a restaurant) and 2 mixed drinks were ordered. The wine came decently quick but the mixed drinks took 25 minutes, the table next to us had the same issue.

When it was time to put our order in the waiter explained the menu very well. While we waited for the food we drank the bottle of wine fairly quick and no one came by to ask if we needed another bottle.

The food finally came out (it wasn't extremely long for a Saturday night but I felt we waited a decent time but no big deal). 2 people in our party ordered steak but the server did not give them a knife so we had to wait to get his attention and ask for them. When he brought them out he placed the knife down with the sharp end facing them.

All the food was very good and there weren't any complaints in that department.

Once the food was served we were pretty forgotten about for a while, the mixed drinks were finished and I had to get a different waitresses attention to ask for more. Put water cups were empty and no one came around to refill them.

We all ordered after dinner drinks and coffee and they brought out the milk and sugar for them but no coffee. 10 minutes went by so we had to try to get someone's attention to make the coffees.

This place has a great menu and food, the wine selection is great and the prices for the wine are unbeatable. The service was pretty bad, it was a special occasion and the service kind of spoiled it for us, especially when the restaurant automatically adds 20% gratuity. We always tip well but this service did not warrant 20% at all.

I may consider trying it again but I will wait until I hear better things about the service

*Edit The owner saw my original review and reached out...

He called me and I explained what made me review the restaurant the way I did. He explained that night he was short a few staff members. I totally understood and appreciated the phone call.

He also offered to make it right. He offered me a full refund, a gift card to the restaurant, and he also invited me to a supper club that he occasionally has next door. Considering the food was great I chose the supper club. The original party of 6 we had were all invited at no charge to attend. It was outstanding, it was a 6 course meal that was well thought out and definitely high quality.

The fact that he reached out was good enough but the invite at no charge for a party of 6 was an extremely generous gesture. I highly recommend this restaurant not only for the great food but the fact that ownership/management cares that much about a customer having anything but a A+ experience shows that this place is focused on the overall experience.

Definitely give...

Some things to note. I don't often give 5 star reviews. Great places get 4 stars, I save 5 stars for exceptional. This place would have gotten 6 stars if I could have given it. This is one of those places that's so good you want to tell everyone, and so good you don't want to share it so that you can still get a reservation.

Short version - this place is phenomenal! You have to try it. Make a reservation (I hear Saturdays book out for months).

Long version - I made this reservation for a Thursday on a Wednesday and we were able to get in. But it is a busy place, so make a reservation. Also, as busy as they are, they don't rush you. You can sit there all night, doesn't matter. One thing to note is that it's BYOB and they charge a corkage fee but considering the markup on alcohol at regular places, it's a small price to pay.

The staff we met were so nice, friendly and welcoming. This is a small, cozy place with great decor. I just loved the ambiance.

Now, the food! They have a prix fine menu - $35 for 4 courses (there's a $70 option too). There's bread on the table and it was tasty. You get a cheese plate to share. We opted for the tomato/mozzarella/basil option. It was divine. Everything tasted so fresh.

Then there are two options for the salad, we both got the signature salad. Good size, great dressing. Overall, very good.

For entrees my husband for the hanger steak and said it was one if the best steaks he'd ever had. I tried a bit and it was so tender and flavorful. I got the lamb and it was perfection. And whatever sauce came with it was slap-yo-mama good! Both entrees were regular sized which I appreciate.

Finally, for dessert we split the lemon cake and the coconut and pecan pie combo. The latter was great. A bit heavy but yummy. And then that lemon cake! So soft and moist and the frosting was amazing! Lemony without overdoing it and without tasting of fake lemons.

We will most definitely go back! Just one question - why are you still reading this...

I read great reviews about this place so I did not hesitate to reserve it was for mother's day we got reservations no problem. They usually open at 5pm but for the holiday opened earlier so we got in a 2pm. The service was great she was very nice... The place is super small (3 or 4 tables the most) not sure if there's more space upstairs. So everyone can hear your conversation, there's no privacy. The concept of 4 course meal is cool I've seen it in other restaurants. The food came out quick we order an appetizers which it was not included but the calamari was delicious. Where did they go wrong? On the main course. I ordered a 16oz NY steak and my fiance ordered a 20oz steak. I asked for mine medium well and he asked for medium 🙄 they came out fast enough but came with a bland mash potato no flavor, not anything inside just plain o masshed potato was not good, vegetables were also flavorless. My steak was really tough practically rubbery and his was way undercooked almost rare. We are steak people we have eaten steaks from $20 a steak to a $120 a steak and we looked for flavor and cooked state in these there was no flavor at all, I had to ask for salt and pepper and we had to put so much in it in order to make it good. Another thing, I love fat I was on a keto diet for many years but the amount of fat that his steak had not even I could handle. We make it a point to never send food back (we try to be grateful for any food) so we ate like half of each meal since everything else was good we were pretty much full. A few hours after I was so nauseous at home and wasn't sure why, then my fiance calls me and tells me that he was feeling nauseous also...not sure but the only thing we both ate yesterday was the food here. I will definitely order their calamari and dessert to go but won't go back for a full dinner at the restaurant. I've heard other locations like Brantford are better, might risk it...