Backyard Westport — Restaurant in Westport

I’ll preface this review with the acknowledgment that this is a relatively new restaurant getting their bearings, but wow… what a disappointment.

Pros: Location is beautiful. Indoor is cute with a little bar and some high top tables. The outdoor area was so fun with games, an igloo and they even lit a fire at night. Also, even though they only had one white wine to choose from, it was a nice selection. When I sat down, she immediately took my order…

Cons: That order took almost two hours to get. That nice wine I mentioned I had to stop a waiter TWICE to have it delivered. I didn’t get it for almost an HOUR. The table behind me asked for their money back because they gave up waiting. No one checked in to give an update, so I figured the order was never put in. However, we liked the vibe, flagged another waiter for a second glass and decided to see what happens. Amazingly two hours later, the meal shows up.

The food: Despite waiting for two hours, the food arrived hot. My companions ordered the burger w mushrooms and the backyard burger. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich. The fries were excellent! Nice and crunchy. My friends said ordering them “backyard style” was excellent. The burgers were flawless. The fried chicken sandwich was crispy but definitely on the burnt side. The additional downside is they clearly used a chicken thigh instead of a chicken breast. It made it a bit fattier and harder to eat. Despite the crispy crust, I most likely wouldn’t order that again. The homemade pickles were a nice touch.

Overall, i’ll probably give this place a second chance, but I’m not gonna go for a while… They need to add more staff (clearly overwhelmed) and need to figure out their process so I don’t have to devote three hours of my life to going out to eat.

If I return, I’ll be happy to update my review with a...

Stopped by on a whim on my way back from visiting Gooseberry Island, and was incredibly pleased with my experience.

The food was fantastic. I got the pickle platter and their Black n Bleu burger. The burger was well cooked, with a heaping of carmelized onions and blue chease on a toasted potato bun. It came with some fantastic fries, perfectly seasoned. Great proportions too, so it's worth the extra dollar or two that you might pay versus elsewhere. A really great entree. The star of the meal for me, however, was definitely the pickle platter - pickled carrots, green beans, asparagus, onions, and more, all with different flavors and seasonings added. It was so good I bought three containers to bring home! The pickle platter is a must try if you go by.

The restaurant's name isn't lying - Much of the seating is in a literal back yard, with a cozy little bar and a few tables inside the building. This isn't meant as an insult - sitting on the back patio, enjoying a burger and coke from a can, it really felt like going to a cookout, except the people making the food really know what they're doing! Service was very friendly and great to talk to, and it's just nice sitting in a yard on a warm summer's day.

If you're in the area, either as a local or as a tourist, I highly recommend you drop by and give them a shot. I promise you won't be...

Knocked it out of the park. Really chill back yard vibes but cute tables— picnic and cafe style— so it doesn't feel like you're paying money to go to someone's cookout. Had maybe a couple dozen local beers lined up on the bar — order food and beer at the bar but they delivered it to our table. Both got the standard back yard burgers and split an order of tenders... I'm a culinary school grad but used to be a chef at a bar so I'm a snob for bar food and the chef absolutely killed it. Burgers were temped perfectly and had a great sear. I got med rare and my wife got med. Butter griddled buns and what I would assume are simple house made vinegar pickes. Hand cut fries were definitely made with the ideal blanch-cool-finish (or triple cooked?) The tenders were juicy and definitely brined, then dredged and finished with panko, and fried super crispy. They were dark— looked like they might have been over but they were bang-on. They seemed particularly proud of the white BBQ but honestly not a fan of white BBQ in general, so I didn't try it— wife said it was DELICIOUS. The honey Sriracha and buffalo were both solid. Couldn't be happier that...