The Bees Knees Bistro — Restaurant in Wallingford

Update- we stopped by for breakfast 2 days later. :) No wait at all. :) The lavender honey latte was even better today. Our server Michele was amazing! :) the scones were so good! The Basic Bee- egg and cheese sandwich was excellent- perfectly cooked eggs, crispy bacon, excellent rolls. The pancakes were very good- perfectly cooked and fluffy.

Highly recommend! :)))

Wonderful new addition to the area. :)

Brand new- they are working things out beautifully. Give them grace. :)

We stopped by during the week of school break and perhaps the biggest socializing week of the year. :) The place was packed. :) We had a bit of a wait but that was the case in all the other brunch places we visited that week. :)

Definitely worth the wait. :)

Very easy to find on Center St, right by Michael’s Trattoria. There is street parking and a small lot behind the restaurant. We didn’t have trouble finding a spot or walking to the restaurant.

The restaurant was packed. You wait to be seated at the counter. It was a nice day- we waited outside and enjoyed people watching. :)

The ambience inside is very nice. :) It was packed but didn’t feel crowded. Felt like it was a community- everyone was happy to be there, and together. :)

The restaurant is very clean. There is a lot of attention to detail and elegance. Clean lines, soothing color palate, warm and tasteful. The energy in the place is lovely too. The staff were all super busy but not stressed. Everything seemed to flow- which is amazing for such a brand new place.

Breakfast ends at 11. There are specials on a board in addition to the menu. We arrived at the changeover from breakfast to lunch and so enjoyed from the lunch menu.

We tried the honey lavender latte on the specials menu. It was fantastic! Definitely recommend they make that a regular. :) The coffee was excellent. The hot chocolate superb.

For lunch- all of our items were fresh, flavorful and filling! The Patty Smash was superb- one of the best burgers we have had. :) The fries were crisp. The pasta salad was fresh and tasty.

Jenna the owner introduced herself as soon as we walked in. She was transparent with the wait time, kept us updated, checked in on us, and then followed up later again. It was busy but she made the time to speak to most of the guests.

One of the main reasons we wanted to try The Bees Knees was because of the beautiful responses to the reviewers. They are new and doing their best to provide a wonderful experience. :)

Highly recommend. Come visit. A great place to bring a guest or meet a friend. A wonderful opportunity to slow down and experience genuine hospitality.

Finally- the service was superb. Our server was Elaina- very pleasant, communicated very well. And in general, it was obvious that all the servers were on point.

Come in with clear expectations and you will not be disappointed. A wonderful addition to our...

We stopped there for lunch before moving our son into college. The place is adorable -- love the aesthetic and charming details. No complaints there. The server was also very sweet. But, here are the negative aspects.

1. The chicken salad -- menu described it pretty plainly "our house made chicken salad on toasted sourdough with sliced heirloom tomatoes and sprouts" -- we requested no tomatoes and sprouts, which it came as, but the chicken salad was more diced red onion than actual chicken meat. My daughter doesn't like any kind of chopped onion and is sensitive to spicier/strong seasoned foods. It was LOADED -- not just some bigger pieces to pick out. LOADED. And that is a problem, because the menu said absolutely nothing about that ingredient. The server offered to take it back, but the food had taken a long time to come out and we were short on time to get to the university for the move-in. Our daughter was a trooper and managed to eat a portion of the sandwich, but it was a disappointment because it seemed safe enough and basic enough for her tastes.

2. I ordered the Candied Club and that was actually very good -- except red onions surprising me in the middle, again not mentioned at all on the menu item description. They were big enough to take off the sandwich.

3. Our son ordered the Stinger sandwich -- and he is not picky at all. Of all of us he is the boldest eater and likes spicier foods. He had a hard time with his sandwich because the flavor combination was too much combined. He ended up leaving a good portion uneaten. We couldn't take any leftovers because after moving him into school the rest of us would be heading home.

My husband's meal was spot on -- no issues.

A menu needs to be explicit of the ingredients especially with concerns around food sensitivities or allergies. If chicken salad has celery, tarragon, onions, or whatever...it should say it. If the sandwich comes with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, pickles..it should say...

Absolutely outstanding. From expertly prepared coffee to pastries to mains there is something for everyone.

French fry fans: their fries are crispy diner-type fries. Amazing.

We cleaned our plates it was so delicious!! We were so happy with the food that we didn't even stop to take pictures. Everything we ordered arrived so aesthetically prepared.

Bee theme is well executed and makes for a very cute experience. Very trendy but cozy decor, very bright interior was perfect for our brunch. Even the dishes and cups were modern and added to the clean trendy atmosphere.

If you come too late for breakfast they still have a classic egg sandwich on the menu to satisfy!!

Vegetarian and omnivore options are all exceedingly spectacular. The owner was on duty and very active in the workflow, got the opportunity to find out their current chef is vegetarian: it really shows. The vegetables were all prepared with care and attention to each vegetable. The crispy tofu was exactly what I wanted in a very veggie salad.

I am not a vegetarian but I am always looking for a delicious salad that truly feels like a meal. The portion was ample but not overwhelming and the assortment of ingredients worked in perfect harmony.

They stock some of the most beautiful pastries in the county and we were lucky to get the last apple turnover of the day.

Perfect date spot to take your gluten free and veg friends to!! Will be back! They have wine and booch (kombucha) if you're looking for that!!

There was take out but I'm very glad we dined in. The staff was very warm and helpful and really knew the dishes. I got a coffee with honey candy on top and it was next level cute and delicious.

A little more expensive than we planned for a Thursday brunch but I don't regret getting everything we wanted. Everything we tried was fabulous. Really great experience and really worth it, great meal experience for what adds up to be a very reasonable price with the top notch...