The Lodge - Windsor — Restaurant in Windsor

We had a terrible experience here. From start to finish it was one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. We left before our food even arrived.

Edited to add clarity to the response:

My husband and I have been to The Lodge a few times prior to this. Our experience has been that both the food quality and service quality are very inconsistent. But we like to support local restaurants and we decided to stay in town to celebrate our birthdays this year (our birthdays are one day apart). Our go to "nice" restaurant in Windsor is typically Chimney Park, but because they are closed we decided on The Lodge primarily for the view. We've only been in the winter and have always wanted to try the patio. I scheduled our reservation through open table and then called and spoke with someone over the phone to convey the importance of sitting on the patio. When I made the reservation there was no mention of the patio being used for a large party.

As soon as we arrived we were told that it would be difficult to seat us on the patio due to a large party. The patio was the only reason we chose The Lodge. I have never been to a restaurant where large parties weren't given their own space. It was very clear that the patio should have been blocked off that evening. If it would have been conveyed to me when I made the reservation that the patio would be closed at that time to accommodate a large party, it would have been fine and I would have booked a different night.

We were informed that they could seat us on the patio once the table was cleared. We were seated right next to the large party and it was very loud. However, that was not why we chose to leave. We chose to leave when it was made clear that the large party was the staff's priority and we would be receiving a substandard experience.

The waitress that was helping us took our order, than came back and let me know that I could not have the chimichurri with my steak because it wouldn't fit with my food allergens (gluten and dairy), so they would just "leave it off". She was rushed and immediately started to leave, I asked if there were other options, she said she would have to check. It struck me as strange that she didn't know what was in the sauces and didn't offer other options.

What prompted us to leave was when the large party got up to take a picture, the waitress (not our waitress), asked another table seated near where the group wanted a picture to get up from their dinner and wait while the group took pictures. It was very rude and inappropriate to ask other guests to get up in the middle of their meal to accommodate the group. At the same time several people from the group were up and walking around close to our table. The waitress that took the pictures looked at me and laughed and said, "well I guess you guys aren't getting any personal space tonight." Up until that point we were trying very hard to be understanding of being seated right beside a group of 20 loud, drunk people. After that comment and watching this group displace another table right in the middle of eating dinner, we decided the behavior of the staff was intolerable and we chose to leave and eat elsewhere.

I'm glad to hear this was a learning opportunity. It was very clear that the restaurant needs to both handle large groups in a way that doesn't impact other guests, as well as train their staff to be considerate of other diners when serving large parties. We left because it was obvious that we were not going to be treated respectfully nor were we going to receive the same service as the group...

I recently visited The Lodge, and while my experience had some highlights, it was a bit of a mixed bag overall.

Let’s start with the good stuff: the drinks (El Camino and a Cosmopolitan). The cocktails were really good – well-balanced, flavorful, and the kind of drinks you savor. They had a good selection of options that really set the tone for the evening. We ordered two different appetizers (The Elk Carpaccio and the Salmon ceviche) and everything came out fresh and tasty. However, they tended to be on the kick of “throw everything and the kitchen sink onto them.” A taste of too many flavors going on.

When it came to the main course, things took a turn. I had the Crab and my wife had the Short Ribs. Unfortunately, the dishes were far too rich in flavor. It almost felt like the chefs were trying to pack in as many intense flavors as possible, but it ended up overwhelming the taste buds. After a few bites, the richness became hard to manage, and I found myself wishing for something lighter or more balanced. The food wasn’t bad, per se, but it definitely missed the mark in terms of being something you could comfortably enjoy all the way through.

The atmosphere of the place was warm and inviting, wood, stone, fire place and low mood lighting.

When it comes to service, when we arrived there was no attendant at the maitre' d stand. We had to wait a few minutes before someone showed up. We had a reservation and we were five minutes early. We were told that we could wait at the bar or in the lobby until our reservation time, because they were trying to help out the kitchen and slow down the seating of the patrons. This struck us as very odd, due to the fact that it was a holiday weekend and they were not accepting walk ins, only people with reservations. We did proceed to the bar where we received amazing service. Our reservation time came and went and we had to get the maitre'd's attention just to get seated. Our server, Jocelyn, was attentive and great.

Overall, The Lodge offers some good drinks and appetizers, but if you’re someone who prefers more subtle or balanced flavors, you might want to think twice...

Went on a Fri night for a nice night out. Got there 10 minutes early, as did about 4 or 5 other people right behind us. They had us wait there (with plenty of tables empty) until 6:30 before they sat us. Fine ok - we were early no problem we'll wait until the exact time.

Waiter seemed like he was forced by his mom and dad to work there - 0 interest in really being there.

He took our drink and appetizer order, but not main course order. Figured he'll come back for that, ok...

Drinks get dropped off by someone and then we waited around 25 minutes until a flatbread and ricotta cheese appetizer comes out. Flatbread is way over done and how does it take 25 minutes for a cheese spread and bread? Still no order taken...

When we are done with the appetizer we have to ask to order - if an app took 25 mins how long will main meal take??? Time to find out!

In this timeframe a table near us walked out as they were seemingly waiting too long for food after they received their drinks. We should have followed...

Anyhow, after they clear our appetizer we order - they are out of what I wanted to I quickly order the halibut, no way I'm thinking this over too long or we'll be here all night.

About 35 minutes later the main courses come out for the table. Halibut and pumpkin sage risotto. The risotto had good flavor but clearly over done and mushy. The halibut was WAY over cooked and dry. At a normal high end restaurant I may alert the waiter, I can't afford to wait another 35-40 minutes to eat though. Swallowed it down - not good at all. For $30 for a small piece of halibut you think they'd cook it right, same with the risotto.

Lots of work to do here both on service and food quality. Cannot wait for the fire damaged restaurant in Windsor to open back up - they are miles ahead of this place. No reason to come back here ever, food is not up to the price and service was SLOW.

Their manager responds here a lot and sounds very caring, but it would be nice if they cared...