Hoof's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Stonington

I normally don’t leave reviews, especially for places I genuinely enjoy, but I feel the need to share my experience from tonight. We had an 8:00 pm reservation at Hoofs. When we arrived, the host seemed overwhelmed and frazzled. I let her know we had a reservation, but she didn’t check our name or confirm anything — she just said it would be a 15-minute wait because the kitchen was behind due to a new system.

We were okay with waiting, but things felt disorganized. After 15 minutes, we asked if we were on the list since she never actually took our name. At that point, we noticed they were still accepting walk-ins even though they clearly couldn’t keep up. A fellow diner told us they had a 7:30 pm reservation and still hadn’t ordered food by 8:15 — they had only just received drinks.

I understand that restaurants have off nights, but there are a few things that were really frustrating: If you’re unable to keep up, online reservations should be paused. Guests should be told honestly how long the delay might be — especially those with reservations. Walk-ins should not be accepted when there’s already a significant backup.

As someone who is pregnant, I make reservations in advance to avoid exactly this kind of situation. Sadly, this visit left me disappointed in a place I used to look forward to. I hope this was just a rare off night — but communication and organization really need...

Well...first off I have been a chef for over 40 years. Please take what I say as accurate and the truth with no prejudice. The menu is great, the owner is great, service great. Problems with the execution of the meals. Recipes are off on certain items. Ordered Chicken Oscar. Terrible, different ingredients not working well together. Loaded with sundried tomato sour, this was done to cover the lack of lobster, maybe 1 teaspoon worth. Dish was loaded with capers not rinsed, sour. Artichokes canned not rinsed, sour. Chicken tender maybe 5 oz. Small. All presented over sauced on a scoop of watery mashed potatoes. Now mind you this was a presented in a Bowl. Terrible. Grapefruit martini was good 13.00 no garnish. Dessert was a joke. Tiramisu, house made boasted the waiter. 10.00 served in a 5 oz parfait glass. Mostly whipped cream very little cake, liquor, or marcapone cheese. Very disappointing. Spoke with Hoof, owner. Talked about the changing restaurant industry, run with his two sons, didn't know where the place would be in 20 years. Well if you want to build anything that lasts over time...start with the foundation. Chefs and recipes need some classical cuisine training and over haul. May come back, just to see if your listening....

We have always been fond of this restaurant, but our recent Sunday visit was somewhat disappointing. Despite securing a last-minute reservation, which was unexpected, the establishment was surprisingly empty at 6:30 pm. Our initial orders of drinks were met with unavailability, including my husband's non-alcoholic choice and my beer selection. When ordering our meals, we encountered further issues as every dish the five of us chose was unavailable. Both my order of pork chops, which is a menu item, and another guest's had to be altered. My husband's special order was also unavailable, and another guest received the wrong appetizer. I attempted to order an alternative beer, only to be informed that it was also out of stock. While our waitress offered apologies, her tone seemed insincere, and the excuses provided were unconvincing. Notably, the owner failed to address our concerns personally. Upon receiving the bill, we discovered overcharging. The meal was not inexpensive either. I experienced adverse health effects after consuming the meal. I sincerely hope the establishment resolves these issues, as it has been a great spot to visit...