Ballou’s Wine Bar

Great place! We picked up a deal at LivingSocial here and the food and wine choices were great. Friendly service as well!

Sweet ambiance tucked behind the Guilford green. Love the family-​owned quality.
While they have an incredibly extensive wine list, I stuck to the food. The Merlot fondue was remarkable: almost like a port wine cheese but even better. The stuffed mushrooms were also delicious.
For dessert, try the handmade chocolates!

I went to Ballou’s for a girls night out on a Monday, when they offer $ 10 wine flights. Thumbs up for that — for $ 10 it is a good value for three small-​ish pours of wine (of your choice or from a menu of pre-​selected combinations) that come in a fun presentation on a multi-​tiered rack. The food, however, was less impressive. We ordered some fondue with bread, apples, and carrots. It was so thin you could barely get it to stay on what you dipped in it. The taste was OK, but it made it frustrating to eat. We also shared an order of a special — mac and cheese with pulled pork. The small scoop of pulled pork was good but the M&C was strange. Penne with a velveeta-​like sauce on it. Certainly edible but disappointing. These dishes were $ 17 and $ 14 respectively and I didn’t feel either was worth the price.
The restaurant itself was oddly broken up into small rooms, with the area where we sat actually requiring us to walk through the counter/​prep area to get to it. At least on a chilly winter Monday, though, we had our room almost to ourselves and were not at all pressured as we lingered, talked, and laughed, so I do appreciate that. Bottom line, I would go back for the wine, but eat dinner before I go and maybe try one of the less expensive «small plate» noshes to go with it.

Came here for lunch and was impressed with the place. I had the Italian style wrap which was tasty and plentiful. My wife had a combo meal which was a half panini– she had the baked turkey with Gruyère cheese and roasted red peppers and the albacore tuna and bean salad which she gave a thumbs up. I had a glass of so-​so Malbec and will definitely try a flight next time.

A truly lovely wine bar. They have an extensive wine list with several excellent wine flights as well. In addition, the wait staff is extremely informed on the food and wine choices.
I went for a birthday celebration and the bar treated us wonderfully. I highly recommend the smoked salmon salad or the butternut squash ravioli.
In addition, there were two people with allergies (a gluten/​dairy allergy and nut allergy) and the staff was more than accommodating. Great service, great experience!

Paid $ 14 dollars for an $ 8 BLT salad. Ok paninis. Good glass of wine for $ 6. Everything else is overpriced

We loved it here! The service was excellent, the wine was great and the food was really, really good. I had the spinach portobello ravioli with gorgonzola sauce which was delish. My boyfriend had the pulled pork sandwich which could’ve been bigger but was very tasty. The chocolate peanut butter fondue was really good as well. Overall, a fantastic experience. We’ll be back.

A great place to go on a couples night out. Staff is great and friendly. Food was awesome. Wine is fabulous. Would highly recommend to anyone.

I came to this place after buying a groupon for wine flights and fondue. The outdoor seating is nice and dog friendly which I loved. The inside is very small and looks more like a café than a restaurant. They have a huge wine list to choose from, as well as pre-​selected flights or you can make your own. The food menu is a little weird… A lot of pasta and sandwiches, but a lack of meat entrees. The stuffed mushroom appetizer was great. The shrimp fra diavalo was good besides the sauce being watery. The peanut butter and chocolate fondue was delicious.

The Lobster and Shrimp Fra Diavo was a disaster. Very watery sauce and there wasn’t anything spicy within a mile of that dish. I asked for more sauce which took about 15 minutes to come out. At that point, the penne was ruined from sitting in the water, so the sauce didn’t help. Bleh — I got it taken off the bill and went home hungry.

This restaurant is much smaller than I thought it would be! I had purchased a Groupon for wine and fondue for 2, so decided to integrate a stop at Ballou’s in with a day of visiting wineries.
Although we had been drinking wine all day, I was very happy for the respite from CT wines (mostly whites, mediocre reds) to put together a great flight of 2 cabs and a pinot noir. My husband did the same, but with different wines. We also opted for the cheddar merlot fondue, on the advice of our server. We added on the apples and carrots to give some variety instead of just having bread to dip in the fondue.
Everything was great. I loved all the wines that I picked and the fondue stayed creamy and melty to the very last bite. I definitely want to go back for more wine flights (love this concept and really love the way they present them) and to try more of the savory and dessert fondues.
My only suggestions for the owners/​management would be to have more fondue add-​ons for dipping. Apples are great (carrots not so much), but would be great to have potatoes, bits of meat, or something similar. I remember plan B used to use green beans and tater tots and that was great too! Just would be good to have a little more variety to choose from. But it sounds like the variety for dessert fondue is great, as other reviewers have noted using rice krispie treats for dipping, can’t wait to try that!!!

I ordered the Fra Diavolo with spaghetti and chicken. It came with such little sauce that I could barely taste it and what I did taste of it, it seemed like prepackaged marinara… not spicy at all. The chicken did not taste fresh. Based on the quality of the meal, this place was not worth the calories nor the price tag. While I liked the atmosphere and the wine selection, I would not come here again based off the meal. Fra Diavolo is such a simple meal, how can you mess it up?

Let’s put it all on the line here: This place is all about the Fondue and Wine.
Came here on a Groupon for 2 wine flights and 1 Fondue. The wine flights are excellent, as you can try 3 different wines for $ 14. There are also assorted cheese and meat platters that you can get to compliment the wines, however at $ 15 they are a bit pricey.
The Fondue is simply amazing. We had the cheddar merlot for dinner and then the chocolate peanut butter fondue for dessert. Both were amazing. The reason they give you those tiny forks is so you inflict less damage when you stab your significant other’s hand for taking more than «their half»!
The climate is intimate, so it is great for romantic nights out or if you’re looking to wow someone on a date. Be advised, the tab can rack up quickly, so keep that in mind when you walk in.
Sunday & Tuesday nights they have a special deal for two (posted the deal in the gallery). I believe its $ 35 for 2 people, comes with an appetizer to share, 2 entrees (anything under $ 12) and a dessert fondue to share.
Overall, we had a very pleasant experience and will most definitely be coming back again soon!

Excellent Lunch here today, on top of several successful dinners.
We really like Ballou’s. Came to the restaurant on a somewhat empty weekday afternoon. The owner himself was waiting tables– had excellent service. Fast, polite, even the chef came out to see how we were liking our food. Excellent suggestions from the staff on what beers/​wines to pair was a nice touch.
The food itself has always been a hit for us. Whether you’re looking for «comfort food» (today I had a delicious meatball Parmesan panini and stuffed pepper appetizer), or some more upscale seafood or Italian fare, Ballou’s has you covered. The beer and wine selection is deep and you’ll definitely find something that fits your palate.
The prices are extremely fair, and the atmosphere is warm and relaxed. There’s a very informal (but fun) wine tasting on Thursdays which is a fun trip in itself).
Would definitely recommend for dinner or lunch.

Tiny restaurant but great food, specially if you want to hang out with friends for a good conversation and killing time… great appetizers, good, fondues, wines… large variety selection.

Go for the wine. The food is another story. We went on a Saturday about 5:00. The wine flights were great. The food, stale. Fondue disappointing. Meat platter was horrible, obviously made a week in advance, needless to say, the meat was spoiled. The server smelled the plate and agreed it was spoiled. She took it off our bill. And gave us a gift certificate for 15 $ to come back.
Unfortunately, we ate a piece of the meat and we both felt quite sick by the time we got home. Called the Branford Restaurant, left a message for owner, and he never called us back!
The restaurant is not clean. Bathroom was gross. The waitstaff was hanging around talking to the Chef… How about cleaning? Or, preparing fresh food?
What are these people thinking?

Bored in Waterford, my buddy and I somehow managed to make our way down here on an early Sunday afternoon (eventually ending up in New Haven). This sits a bit off the main road in Guilford (apparently pronounced «Gill-​ford»; CT people really like adding random letters to their town names…) across from a big park and next to a few other restaurants.
There is a nice patio area with a dogs welcome sign, which was a big plus considering I had the dog with me.
Despite being a wine bar they did still have a decent selection of bottled beers. This is the first place that actually fits into Unilocal’s «beer and wine only» category, which I found out after asking for the bloody mary I was craving. There were a few regional craft beers (think sea hag) as well as things like Sam summer and others along that line.
We started with an ahi tuna app which was very good. I got a wrap that I thought was great and really well done. It wasn’t a wrap that they just threw some lettuce and turkey into but instead they had some nuts, cheese, and a more bitter lettuce that really meshed well together. Definitely exceeded expectations.
Guilford seems like a nice little town and Ballou’s Wine Bar was a nice place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon (although what’s brunch without bloody mary’s?!). Would definitely return again.

Went on a Wednesday night around 830. It was a little crowded but there was a spot on the patio. Took a little while to get seated but service was great after that (it looked like they were under staffed). I had the rose flight and the pours were generous. My husband and I split the chocolate peanut butter fondue for dessert — so good! Comes with Rice Krispies, pound cake, strawberries and bananas for dipping. My husband hadn’t eaten dinner, so he had a meatball panini. I liked how they left a large bottle of water on the table for us — we typically drink a lot of water with our meals and it’s nice to not have to ask for a refill. I heard you can bring dogs on the patio as well.
Overall, great place and looking forward to going back.

Ballou’s is normally a top contender for me in the area for taking guests from out of town, hosting a week night girls night, or summer time happy hour. However, the last time I was there was overall disappointing.
It was a Monday evening and the restaurant was understaffed, it took a long time to receive our wine after ordering. On top of that — My friend ordered a wine flight and instead of coming out and telling her they were out of a certain type of wine, and to choose another, she simply switched it out for another wine. Not okay.
The cheddar merlot fondue was a crowd pleaser (always is) but the apples came out late — we had to ask for them twice.
I had my menu go-​to, the beet and goat cheese salad with candied walnuts and maple, Dijon vinaigrette. Always delicious.
A cute twist was added to our desert fondue, candles for my friends birthday. Appreciated, but the strawberries were a bit on the soggy side. They are usually way more fresh!

This place would have received a 4-​star rating if it weren’t for the service, which was pretty bad up until the very end.
We came on a Monday night, and it seemed like the place was not only understaffed, but that maybe they also had a newbie on for the night.
To start, I ordered a custom wine flight: one local Connecticut rose, a red, and a white (each paired with each course of my meal). When my wine flight came out, the waitress informed me that since my rose option was not available that night, she replaced it with another wine and «hoped that was okay.» Since I had never been there before and didn’t have their wine list memorized, I had no idea what wine she was even referring to since she didn’t call it by name, but by number (305, or something like that). Not really okay, but whatever.
My three friends and I ordered the cheddar merlot fondue with bread and paid extra for sliced apples. The apples came out late, but the fondue was delicious, so I kind of forgot about it.
As an entrée, I ordered the spinach and portobello mushroom ravioli, which was really nice, though the bread they served with it was kind of soggy/​stale.
For dessert, we ordered the chocolate fondue, which came with apple slices, rice crispy pieces, pound cake, and strawberries. Aside from that the strawberries seemed like they were cut much earlier that day, or even the night before (they were a little on the slimy side). They did, however, somehow manage to stick candles in the apples, strawberries, rice crispies, and pound cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me, which is a rarity these days, so that was a bonus.
In the end, the waitress didn’t understand splitting our bill ²⁄₃ to ¹⁄₃ and rather than dividing by three then adding ²⁄₃ together, she charged one card twice for one third each. Very odd.