Colony Grill

Mediocre oily pizza? Bad Avon locale? Route 44 voodoo claims another victim. Someone down in Fairfield County has a case of the bonehead…6 months in operation and GONE.

CLOSED
I was wrong– I thought they would succeed. They are done after 6 months…
Good luck, Madison

Out with Jill & Cory tonight to try this pizza joint that has made its way north from Stamford. I have been to the original Stamford location and I love it. This new incarnation, however, it completely different. The interior is spacious, clean and modern, versus the wooden, worn-​down Irish feel that Stamford has. I was absolutely delighted that while we were waiting for our booth to be ready, the owner came over to greet us and tell us about the restaurant, specials and what to expect. He also highlighted the additional menu options that Stamford does not have, such as buffalo wings.
When we were seated, we waited a few minutes for a server to come over. A girl came over, only to find out that we weren’t her table and she told us how the new hostess was «running them ragged», but graciously took our drink order and offered to find our server – very nice of her. Our actual server came over, confirmed the drink order and took our food order. We decided to start with the chili covered nachos – nice flavor on the chili, decent serving size. I let everyone know that the pizzas were one size and we should plan to get a few since they are thin crust. We went with: sausage and hot oil; bacon; meatball. Of course, the sausage/​hot oil is and was my favorite, with that signature oil giving the pizza a little bit of a kick. The bacon and meatball were also good, no complaints here.
Another thing to note – after noticing that we were emptying our glasses faster than she could refill them, our server brought us pitchers – really nice touch, appreciated by all of us.
Overall, the four of us had a nice evening and although Colony can’t replace my love for New Haven pizza, it is a decent replacement when in the Stamford or Avon area!

The sweet chile and bbq wings are both great. Chili pizza w/​hot oil yummm. Brought a small group for my 12 yr old’s bday party~ very accommodating, reserved a table with the frost center strip for drinks. Tons of mini snowball fights. The manager even gave my daughter a bday tshirt. down to earth fun.

Never have been disappointed by the pizza here, and people have to stop being dumb about it. It’s thin, it’s crunchy and yes, the restaurant basically only has that. Don’t get me wrong, the salad is good too, nice and fresh with a decent greens mix and good salad dressings. We also had the wings tonight, which are a wonderful addition to the menu, but the pizza is good enough to stand on its own. The wings were meaty, the sauce was great (barbecue), and they had a good texture.
What doesn’t seem to be mentioned in any of the reviews is the real niche that the Colony Grill has made for itself. Yes, it’s only a pizza place and not really a grill, but, they have a long history, with quality of ingredients that have remained the same since the 1940s and they are also making a lot of their menu items gluten free, including a pizza.
I really hope that it doesn’t join the restaurant graveyard of those before it.

Finally checked it out. This place thought they could rest on their name only from Stamford and just offer Pizza. They were wrong and many people left disappointed.
Fortunately they’ve learned from their mistakes. How so? They’ve added salads and appetizers and fries. Its starting to live up the «grill» name.
We went on a Saturday night with the kids and we had a very good time. Nice friendly service. Big cold beers. Good kids corner.
And most importantly solid food. The pizza — almost cracker crust– reminded me of Imo’s in St Louis. Wasn’t sure at first but it really grew on me. The hot oil though just kind f made the pizza greasy. Is it the best eva? No but very solid around here. (I’d still prefer Da Vinci pizza for take out).
And those new apps? Good crispy buffalo wings and solid fries too. We left feeling satisfied.
(But two quibbles: water glasses the size of a shot glass, and ketchup in packets? What is this, McDonalds??)
And to top it off, they had great live music too. I’m a sucker for a guy with a guitar who sings Margaritaville.
Here’s the issue for the place: for a Saturday night the place was ¹⁄₃ full.
After getting off to a rough start I hope it’s not too late for them because its now a solid addition.
Better late than never. Give it a try.

This place is trying to hard. They need to rethink the game plan.
Don’t let my rating fool u. Read below understand.
Positives: newly renovated and opened up the space, stinger pizza, I love everything about it, and know that not just the peppers, but it’s the hot oil used on the pizza that creates the burn. BBC steel rail on tap out of Mass.
Negatives: they promote pizza beer and salads with all there advertising, but the have 1 freaking salad!!! Wow
We tried the burger sliders… just take a look at the photo; buns were hard where a potato bun should be used, burger had nothing going for it an was served with tortilla chips, that are for something else made in the back. The have this new European tap system but gives way too much head and the employees can’t top it off without a managers key. Drinks are week and over priced.
I can’t recommend this place. I give it three stars because I like a few specific items, but if they not lighten up on being a little more forgiving on the Booze offered, I can’t see it survive. It’s one negative downfall that it along with the On the Border and 99 restaurant is that the bar faces a wall! Not there fault but u better have a good reason for me to sit at that bar with nothing to look at other tvs.

The pizza is really good. I like the thin crust foldable pizza. They have since added wings. Tried them, not a fan. Asked for extra crispy they came out slimy. That being said beer cold, pizza good stick with that.

Overall not very impressed with the quality of the food or it’s prices. They basically have two things on the menu… Salad and pizza. Pizza is thin crust. Almost New Haven style but not as good. I tried the burger sliders. (they are in the process of adding items to their menu to satisfy the pub crowd). Burgers were ok, but nothing to write home about. They came with a side of tortilla chips. (strange side if you ask me) They have some decent beers on tap, but their precision pour system will make you think you are getting less than what you paid for.

Not impressed. Given the name «Colony Grill» my family was expecting to find burgers, salads, etc… To our surprise, there is only one thing on the menu… pizza! oh, and basic salad. The pizzas are small, almost individual size. The dough did not taste fresh and the toppings were nothing special. No one of the family has a desire to go back.

This is a very airy place, an open floor plan with a half wall separating the bar from the dining area. I thought I read that their menu says they have wings coming soon to complement the bar atmosphere… but who cares. Forget the wings and get the pie.
True thin crust, maybe as thin as those Mama Celeste microwave pizzas, except a lot better. This is the type of pizza that makes the Northeast great.
Hot oil pizza, one of their signature items, is a regular thin crust with a bright and spicy pepper oil sprinkled on it. The stinger pizza has the peppers that they get the oil from laid out one per slice (there are six). I can’t say which is better. Buy one of each, or ask for both on one pie. They’re small enough that a glutton like myself can put one down very easily. Pepperoni and bacon are good too.

Colony Grill has been part of my life for 20+ years, and even now that I have moved away from the Stamford and Fairfield locations, this one pops up in Avon to make it easier for me to keep my Colony Grill Stinger pizza intake up.
Yah, some people will say ‘the sign says grill and theres no burgers’ but i guess you should read the menu before you sit down. I always do for new places, because I am picky and I guess you are too if you complain about a misconception based on a places name.
Anyways, they make pizza. it’s thin. its got a nice crispy cracker like crust with some charring. its got cheese on it but not that oooey gooey rubbery stretchy stuff, its just a little different and that’s ok with me. tomato sauce is simple and doesn’t distract from the crust and cheese. i get it with hot peppers and it is divine.
What it boils down to is — Colony Grill is a bar that serves damn good unique CT pizza.

The people who give this place a low rating because they don’t realize it’s a pizza place, and they find the name misleading, are a little ridic bc who doesn’t research a restaurant a little before going? If I expect Irish fare, I’ll Unilocal it. So those taking points away are just darn silly. It’s an established small group of restaurants so a little due diligence would have been helpful to those reviewers.
We have very high pizza standards and on a busy Thursday night, we enjoyed the pizza. It wasn’t OMG amazinggggggg, but we liked it much more than the doughy pizza glopped over with cheese and various fatty meats we find around here, with a few decent exceptions. We are New Yorkers, so we have serious pizza issues in general.
I liked the house salad and the balsamic dressing was good — it would be nice if they had grilled shrimp and chicken options to add in, if I want to join my family but don’t want to go all carby with pizza.
The hot oil pizza wasn’t that impressive to me, because it just made it oilier and I like to dab the extra oil off my pizza. We had a party of 5 and had heard the pizzas were small, so we overordered — 2 plain, 1 hot oil with sweet peppers, 1 anchovy and 1 mushroom. They were good, and we had plenty to take home.
We still mourn the loss of On the Border in this location — we loved the fajitas and the festive atmosphere. We went to the 99 once and were slightly appalled. So if Colony would just add those salad options for the carb conscious, I’ll bet they’ll have a good long run here.

We were excited about having a new restaurant in the Avon area. They are in the old «99» space, and they have made some slight upgrades to the décor. Sat down at a booth and was greeted by a server. She said we have a menu, but all we have is pizza and salad… I was shocked… I had asked the server how is your pizza, it better be as good as Pepe’s of New Haven. Of course she never heard of Pepe’s, but she replied it is very good… We ordered 2 pizzas, cheese, and bacon with meatball… She indicated 30 minutes, we ordered a salad since we were starving… The kids had to sit there and wait since there is nothing else on the menu…
Anyways, salad comes, puzzling… Cheap to go containers for the dressing, and a strange bowl to serve in… Average salad at best. Kids still sitting there…
Pizza comes, moment of excitement… I look at my wife, kids look at me, not sure what to say… My first impression is that the pizza is something that my 5 year old would make out of her easy bake oven!!! But here we go, dig in… After 3 bites, zero flavor, my wife laughs, we waited 30 minutes for this? I actually had to put salt on then pizza. I don’t ever salt anything, let alone pizza.
I don’t get it, 6700 square feet of space, a nice bar area, the rest is tables. No menu, I have to say it is the worst pizza to serve unless it was free pizza during happy hour. Unless they go to a full menu, they will close down in a year or less…
Very puzzling, Irish theme, I am Irish, nothing Irish about this place. Grill in the name, no grill here, just microwaved pizza. Avon was screaming for something else than pizza, mexican, Italian… Got that covered… Also, get rid of the cheap sign for the $ 1.50 draft specials in the window… This is not a college campus bar.
FYI, if all you do is pizza, make it good, not sure why the other reviewers are saying that the pizza is great, I would have to compare it to worse than dominoes… And not kid friendly since their is nothing for the kids to do while they patiently wait 30 minutes for pizza.
The bill total — 2 small pizza’s, small salad, 3 soda’s, $ 40.00… I guess next time back to chilis…

As a place to eat pizza, you can’t get much better than the Colony Grill in my opinion. I too was a little disappointed by the limited menu (pizza, salad, and ice cream), and would have given 4.5 stars for that if it was possible in Unilocal,but, other than that, I think Colony Grill stands out as a pizza restaurant for a uniquely enjoyable pizza.
In terms of atmosphere, Colony Grill has a nice pub feel but is also spacious, with a great bar on the left, plenty of booths and additional bar-​type seating on the right. There is even a kids area in one corner with wall-​sized chalk boards, which parents can monitor via a television monitor.
I found the salad to be quite tasty, with mix of greens including spinach, cherry tomatoes, and peppers. One salad was enough to serve two for us. Beer selection was decent, with some solid microbrews to choose from (we got a Berkshire Brewing Company IPA and Pale Ale).
The pizzas were very distinct, with a thin very crispy flavor. We got one with the hot oil topping, which added a nice, unique, slightly spicy kick to the flavor. The kids had a basic cheese pizza, and they loved it. I would say the quality of these pies is right up there with some of our favorites, such as Little City in Simsbury, Naples in Farmington, and Pizzeria Pomodoro in Farmington, and they certainly stand out for their distinct flavor with the hot oil topping.
As for service, I have to say that we had a much different experience than some of the prior reviewers. The staff as a whole was very friendly and accommodating. We were seated promptly, and our waiter was very friendly, prompt, and attentive. We experienced none of the delays or issues with courtesy that were described in earlier reviews.

YES the owners made a mistake putting «Colony Grill» on the sign outside of the Avon restaurant instead of Colony Pizza; HOWEVER, if you know what the infamous Colony restaurant is (say, from Stamford or Fairfield) then you know that it’s only pizza.
That being said, this is hands down the best pizza in CT. All pizzas are same size (a nice personal medium thin crust) and you start with a plain cheese for $ 10. You can then add on toppings for just a couple bucks more. My favorite combo is hot oil /​pepperoni which makes for a spicy yet flavorful pizza.
Good beer selections, great pizza and plenty of HDTVs throughout the place to make for a great game-​night outing. So happy this chain is finally in the Farmington Valley!

Second visit was just as good as the first. This time, the owner came to our table and welcomed us all. He was very nice and very helpful. We ordered two pizzas this time. One was your basic cheese while the other was another hot oil, sausage /​black olive pizza. Along with the Gunniess and Wine, the meal was very good… I think the interesting part of this restaurant is the thin crust and that hot oil addition. Nothing in our area has the hot oil option.

It’s only been open about 2 weeks but I’ve had their pizza 3 times now. The pizza is delicious. It’s a nice thin crust, maybe a little more substantial than Da Vinci Pizza which also is a thin crust. Less topping choices for sure than Da Vinci and a very limited menu (only salads and pizza). I like restaurants that keep menus simple and do them well but this may be pushing it. Their pizzas only come in one size, it’ll feed about one and a half people, and they’re $ 10. Additional toppings are $ 1.50.
I think it’s a pretty good addition to the rt. 44 strip and a good replacement for the old 99 restaurant. I haven’t actually eaten in yet, all the pizzas were take out, so I can’t comment on the service. One thing I noticed though is they boast about some high tech beer delivery system that keeps their beers at some ‘perfect’ temperature. Fact of the matter is they don’t offer a large selection of beers and a shitty beer kept cold is still a shitty beer.
Pros: Simple menu, delicious pizza, good location
Cons: Maybe a little too small of a menu. Why is it called The Colony ‘Grill’ when there is no grill. And what’s with the Irish theme?

Thank god this place finally opened! I grew up going to the Stamford location and in my opinion they have the best pizza in the state. Personal pizza’s with the must have hot oil topping plus whatever else you like. The one thing that stood out to me was the huge size of the place. They are definitely going for the sports bar crowd with the 8 flat panel TVs behind the bar and ample standing room. They have some German tap system that serves their beers and shots at very cold temps and a place to put your beer thats also cold, pretty cool touch. Can’t wait to get back for some more of the best pizza around.

Went here over the weekend anticipating an Irish pub/​grill given the shamrock and the word ‘grill’ on the sign. It was very disappointing to find out that all they serve is thin crust pizza and one salad. Nothing Irish about it! It’s unfortunate because this area really needs a good pub rather than another pizza place. We definitely have our fill of those.
I sat at the bar which was really nice. They had a good selection of beer. Since all they offer is pizza you would expect it to be really good. Again, unimpressed. It was thin crust with little flavor to it. There are way better pizza options in the valley. (First & Last, DaCapo, Bertucci’s, Harry’s)
I gave it two stars because the bartender/​server was really nice and the bar is a good place to go for a drink but that’s about it.
I think that the owner should consider expanding the menu and making it a ‘grill’. Otherwise, I don’t anticipate it will be open for long.