The Duck — Restaurant in Sturbridge

📍 Location & Atmosphere The Duck, located in Sturbridge, offers a charming and rustic dining experience with warm wood interiors, ambient lighting, and a cozy, structured layout that’s perfect for both casual afternoons and intimate dinners. We visited on a quiet Wednesday afternoon and enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere that allowed us to really take in the space and service.

🍽️ Food & Drinks We started our meal with cocktails—each with its own standout qualities. The Coconut Key Lime Martini was perfectly balanced: not overly sweet, with just the right hint of coconut and citrus. It was refreshing and smooth. The Juliet was much more tart, likely due to the blend of citrus and bitters, making it a bolder choice for those who enjoy a punchier cocktail.

For starters, we ordered a variety of small plates that could easily double as entrées due to their generous portions: • Crab Cake: Exceptionally fresh with a light hand on the filler. The texture was delicate and moist without being overly dense—truly one of the better crab cakes we’ve had. • Mussels: Served in a flavorful tomato-based broth, the mussels were plump and well-prepared. A touch more bread for dipping would have elevated the dish even further, as the broth was too good to leave behind. • Poutine: A unique twist using waffle fries, cheese curds, and rich duck gravy. This dish was indulgent, flavorful, and well-executed—the duck gravy added a depth that truly elevated the classic Canadian comfort dish.

Altogether, these three appetizers were more than enough to fill us up, and each brought something special to the table in terms of flavor, quality, and presentation.

👨‍🍳 Service & Hospitality Service was smooth and unobtrusive. Our server was soft-spoken and efficient, with a kind demeanor and subtle charm that came through with conversation. They kept the pacing of our meal well-timed without making us feel rushed.

💡 Unique Selling Point The Duck offers a refined twist on comfort food, elevating familiar flavors with quality ingredients and creative execution. The use of duck in the poutine, the freshness of the seafood, and the attention to drink composition are all standout qualities. Combined with the rustic-chic ambiance, it’s a...

I can’t begin to express our disappointment after hearing such great reviews. We sat out on the patio. We started our night with specialty cocktails that left more to be desired. It took nearly 45 minutes for a replacement cocktail or even the waitress to come out and take our app orders or refill our water. Drink orders wee forgotten and time passed waiting on food. A party that came in without a reservation left HOURS before we even got our check. After two hours it started to rain and we asked to move inside for our comfort. They informed us that they could “TRY” to “SQUEEZE” us in but we might sit with another party. When we finally seated insight after we went inside and insisted to be acknowledged we were surrounded by 4 empty tables. So much for the squeeze in the other adjacent restaurant. It took nearly an hour to get our main course which was three apps and a plate of Mac and cheese that was clearly premade. When we requested to speak to the manager she was very dismissive and unapologetic. She blamed it on the kitchen being slow- despite the later party leaving hours before we even received our meal. She very unapologetic and unprofessional. She has no business being a manager. When we finally got our bill nothing was even comped at an attempt to address our grievances. I understand things are difficult in the setting after COVID 19 consider that I work in healthcare - but this was gross mismanagement with zero apologies. Even with the compensation our bill was still not cheap. I hope management and ownership reads this review and changes its practices to better accommodate their clientele. Unfortunately these two restaurants will never receive our...

I had the BEST experience at The Duck 🙌. I sat at the bar. The bar area is raised, giving the appearance of the dining area being "sunken in" which is very cool. It is such a cozy space. The chairs are the most comfortable chairs at a restaurant or bar that I've ever sat on. They are a leather material, soft, and a great height. They're a curved shape and have wheels, which allows them to easily slide back and forth. The chairs are in front of a giant window, which lets a lot of beautiful natural light in, and it's nice to see that natural light dim as evening sets in. When seated and facing the bar, you can see all of the gorgeous exposed ceiling beams, beautiful twinkle lights, another window, a lighted chandelier, and the restaurant.

The bartenders are AMAZING! I had the pleasure of meeting Judy ❤️. She is friendly, bubbly, and absolutely adorable. I ordered a mocktail and told her to whip up whatever she thought would be good. She made the BEST mocktail I have had, like ever. It was a blueberry mojito mocktail. She made a simple syrup out of fresh berries. The drink was not sweet and not bitter. It was crisp and refreshing, so much so that I ordered multiple! She and the other lovely gal that was working the bar also gave excellent suggestions on great meals to order.

The dishes ordered were so delish, and eating up at the bar was so comfortable. The ambiance, in addition to the musician that was there playing his guitar and singing cover songs, set the perfect vibe for a Saturday evening ✨️. It wasn't too loud, and the seating was so nicely spaced, which made conversing easy.

I would 10/10 recommend the Duck for a great meal, setting, and...