The Laurel — Restaurant in West Hartford

🐾 The Laurel: Where Culinary Ingenuity Meets Flavorful Artistry in West Hartford.

If you’re craving a dining experience that celebrates inventive flavors, thoughtful presentation, and genuine hospitality, The Laurel rises to the occasion. Each dish feels like a creative expression—where vibrant ingredients and unexpected pairings come together in ways that are as visually stunning as they are delicious.

🥗 A Caesar That Packs Heat

We began with a spicy Caesar salad that redefined what a starter can be. Crisp kale and romaine, crunchy focaccia croutons set a satisfying foundation. I requested the chili crunch on the side, since I’m not big on heat—an easy accommodation that made the dish just right for my taste. Ashley, the incredible chef and owner, came out and personally served it along with our prawns—a wonderfully personal touch.

🦐 Massive Prawns & Dreamy Grits

Then came the head-on barbecued prawns, which were absolutely huge and packed with deep, grilled flavor. They were served over a bed of creamy pimento grits that were luscious and comforting—a dish that could easily become your new obsession. With balanced seasoning and soulful Southern character, it was as much about texture as taste.

🍖 St. Louis Ribs & Sauce on the Side

The St. Louis-style ribs were pure comfort: fall-off-the-bone tender, deeply savory, and smartly paired with housemade pickles that added crunch and acidity to round things out. But what took it all to the next level was the Carolina barbecue sauce served on the side—a mustard and honey-based masterpiece that was sweet, tangy, and gloriously unique. We were so wowed by it, Ashley kindly brought us a small container to take home. It’s the kind of sauce you dream about long after the meal.

🍗 Crispy Chicken Wings With a Flavorful Finish

The salt and pepper chicken wings were very enjoyable—crispy, well-seasoned, and satisfying without any trace of grease. While they didn’t steal the spotlight, they still held their own thanks to thoughtful garnishes like green papaya som tom and fried peanuts. The combination added a brilliantly crunchy and slightly sweet garnish that gave the wings a Southeast Asian flair we didn’t know we needed. A solid plate that paired nicely with the bold flavors of the meal overall.

🐶 Canine-Approved Comfort

The dog-friendly patio gave us space to stretch out and enjoy the meal alongside our pup, who was offered three tasty dog treats—each happily devoured. It’s rare to find a spot that not only allows pets but celebrates them—and this was exactly that.

🎶 Relaxed Atmosphere With a Musical Lift

While the patio does sit near some traffic, the ambient music playing from the speakers helped soften the background noise and keep the vibe relaxed and inviting.

🍽️ Portions That Satisfy, Presentation That Impresses

The tapas plates here are delightfully generous—larger than what you’d expect at most tapas spots—making them perfect for sharing or simply indulging. Each dish was plated with artistry and intention, from vibrant garnishes to well-balanced seasoning. We were so thoroughly satisfied, we couldn’t fit in dessert this time… but rest assured, we’ll be back for it.

✨ Final Thoughts

From the outstanding food to the warm welcome (for both people and pups), The Laurel is a highlight of any trip to West Hartford. The dishes are bursting with flavor, beautifully executed, and made even more memorable by Ashley’s care and attention. We’re already counting down the days until our next visit—and next taste of that unforgettable Carolina...

I recently celebrated my 6th anniversary and our dinner at the Laurel met and exceeded my expectations for a wonderful date night dinner. I had eaten at this restaurant months ago and was happy to see how their menu rotates with the season and their local suppliers, with an eclectic menu of wonderful items. They also changed their cocktail menu around as well. My past visit was very satisfactory with food, service and ambiance and had high expectations for this date night.

My partner and I ordered 4 dishes-- the spicy caesar salad, the haluski pasta with duck bacon, sausage rolls and wagyu skewers. The spicy caesar was crunchy and delicious with a nice kick of chili crisp. The sausage rolls were tender on the inside, while nice and flaky on the outside with a really delicious horseradish sauce that balanced the richness well. The portion was rather small for the sausage roll but taste bites. The haluski pasta was very al dente and has a nice denseness to the pasta, the creamy oniony sauce was delicious and the duck bacon added nice texture and umami to this dish. The wagyu skewers were my boyfriend's favorite dish-- very tender, with delicious sauces we savored with every bite.

We also ordered the luna llena cocktail and false alarm cocktails, from their extremely interesting and at times out there cocktail menu (of which there is a caprese-salad inspired cocktail). The luna llena was very smoky and tart, and the false alarm had a spiced quality to it that was very seasonally appropriate. The cocktails were nice, but pretty expensive, however very worth trying.

At the end of our dinner, our waitress kindly congratulated us on our anniversary and brought over a card and surprised us with champagne. It was incredibly nice and made the dining experience extra special. We closed out the night with a salted caramel creme brulee, which was deliciously caramelized with a soft slightly salted custard inside. Overall another amazing dinner here with obvious care going into the menu, ambiance...

Our valentines day date night was an expensive disappointment. We were seated directly next to a little kid, who turned out to be the chef’s son. This normally would not be an issue, but seemed completely inappropriate for a romantic Valentines dinner setting. I shared a booth style seat with him and spent the entire dinner with him bouncing up and down and squirming while singing songs. His mother seemed to not care at all. He was adorable, but was exactly what we were trying to get away from by going out to a romantic valentine dinner. My Caesar salad contained some sort of chili paste, which made it incredibly spicy and inconsistent with a Caesar salad. I ordered the seafood stew as an entrée. What I got was a bowl of muscles with two unseasoned shrimps over a small layer of broth at the bottom. It was actually very good, but it was not seafood stew at all. My date’s swordfish entrée was overcooked to the point that it was difficult to chew. I was looking forward to the crème brûlée, but was disappointed that it tasted like burnt toffee. It was also brown in color and had an unusual texture. I only took one bite and waited for our server to ask me if I’d like another option, as it was clear that I did not like it. Unfortunately, that did not happen and she simply took the nearly untouched plate away without saying a word. The service was fast and everyone was polite, although we found it unusual that we were able to count five different servers that waited on us. One server was assigned to bring us two spoons on a serving tray, which was kind of strange. It seemed like every time we took a bit of food, a different server would ask us how everything was. Between the servers incessantly asking us questions and my seat bouncing up and down from the kid 18 inches to my right, we decided to leave. We contemplated saying something, but we just paid our $200...