Gaetano's Tavern On Main — Restaurant in Wallingford

We have been frequenting Gaetano’s tavern each week for drinks and appetizers while our daughters had dance class. On the last class of the year, we decided to celebrate with our children - ages 5-8 - with dinner out at Gaetanos after class. We were a party of 18, so we made a reservation in advance. When I called, the manager expressed that there was another large party and there was no guarantee we could sit outside. If you are unfamiliar with the restaurant, they offer indoor seating in the bar, seating in the restaurant banquet room and outdoor seating. I told her that would be fine - we would be okay with either indoor or outdoor seating but would prefer to be outdoors. The manager at that point asked no other questions about our party.

When we arrived, they sat out large party at two different tables in the bar area. While we were surprised by this location, we took our seats and settled our children. They kids behaved well, but they are kids! They were excited to be in a restaurant, but colored pictures at the table and truly were on their best behavior.

That being said, a patron of the restaurant at a nearby table twice screamed “shut up” at our children. Obviously, this was upsetting so we asked for a our checks and spoke to the manager. The manager then spoke to the couple and asked if they would like to be moved to a different location. The couple refused. The manager then came to our table and placed the blame on us for making too much noise and for not alerting her that we had children in our party when we made the reservation.

Again, these kids were not screaming. They were not running around the restaurant. They might have been talking a little loudly because they were excited and celebrating, but they were not misbehaving. Any large party - especially adults who were at a bar and indulging in some alcoholic cocktails - would have made as much noise as our children if not more! The fact that the manager 1. Saw our party of children and chose to sit us in the bar anyway when we arrived and 2. Tried to place the blame on us for not alerting her that there were children in our party is what made this experience so disappointing. This establishment is a restaurant/bar and features a children’s menu. It is not solely a bar. For this reason, we will not be patronizing this business again in the future. I would urge you to consider this story if you are dining with children and select another, more family friendly establishment in the area...

The center of Wallingford has some great food choices. My favorite wasn't opening for another hour so we chose Gaetano's Tavern on Main, after looking at a couple of posted menus in windows. Outdoor seating all neighbors each other on the street in this restaurant row, so we chose a sidewalk table by the door. I had to go inside to ask for service but they were happy to accommodate us and gave attentive service throughout.

The chicken lemongrass dumplings, which was one item that brought us to the door, were really well done. Special menu drinks from the bar were as described on the menu and flavorful. We switched to wine for our meals. My soft shell crab sandwich was innovative. Fried like most seafood shellfish, it was crunchy and a good size served on white toast with lettuce and tomato. I ate half of it on the bread and then finished the crab with a fork. Fries accompanied the dish.

The steak sandwich on focaccia bread with gorgonzola and spinach had a great presentation, but my partner thought the meat was too rare. He likes medium well to well-done meat. I prefer rare to medium rare, but in some instances as with a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, I only expect meat with no pink. Still, a fine choice and large enough to bring half home.

Large interior with tables and bar seating, unique menu with an interesting variety of items and right in the middle of town makes Gaetano's a...

Had dinner here with a larger party (7 people). Dining room was not too busy, decent atmosphere. The bar and dining area was larger than I expected, definitely don't feel crowded in, also had a nice outdoor eating/patio area. The service was a little slow and not very receptive. When asked for drinks, we asked for a water with lemon but were told by the waitress that she would bring a pitcher of water over. During dinner we asked for extra napkins but never ended up getting them. Also, took about 20 minutes after eating to get our check which was a little frustrating but not the end of the world. The food was good. Appetizers seemed like a good amount of food for the cost, and the entree special I had was good. The one thing that kind of turned us off at the start was a note that was a part of the table menu listing drinks, deserts, etc. It stated "Our goal is for everyone to always leave our restaurant satisfied but at times we do mess up because unfortunately we are not perfect." While the message is fine and acceptable, we couldn't help but wonder why this had to be stated as it was. It is one of those things that by stating it, you are trying to excuse mistakes before they happen. Rather than remembering the food, we left remembering the odd note.

Overall not a bad spot, service was slow and it was a slower night, other than that it was a decent place to eat...