Cottage Restaurant & Cafe

I had the most excellent meal at the Cottage the other night. Everything from the bread on the table at the beginning to the dessert at the end was divine. I ordered the special of the evening which was Maryland-​style crab cakes and they were everything I’d hoped they’d be and more — crisp on the outside with good sized chunks of crab inside. The french fries served on the side were the best I’ve ever had. I was able to sample some of my friends’ meals and they were just as delicious. We ordered two desserts to split at the table. The warm apple fritters topped with ice cream was out of this world and the praline cheesecake was so light and velvety. We will definitely be going back very soon.

By far, hands down the best food I have eaten at a restaurant. True hidden gem. Amazing creativity, menu always changing. Fresh homemade meals. This review is not for a specific visit because I haven been here numerous times! Every single time was fantastic. If you can’t decide on something just pick anything because there is not a single thing that comes out of that kitchen that is not perfect. The entire family is very good at what they do and the dedication is outstanding. I’ll be back this weekend!

If I’m able to find hidden gems such as this place, I know 2016 is going to be a good year.
It was a Friday evening and I was in the mood for wings. My boyfriend and I decided on J Timothy’s but those plans quickly foiled when we were informed of an hour and half wait. I was so hungry and didn’t want to travel to much further for dinner. So of course I turned to Unilocal and found this local eatery. The reviews and pictures looked decent so we decided to give it a try.
From first appearance it looks a bit questionable but once inside you quickly get the feeling you’ve made the right choice. We were immediately greeted by the hostess who happened to be one of the owners. She was so gracious and seated us promptly. Upon being seated our waitress came over and informed us of the specials and then left us to explore the menu. The variety and uniqueness of the menu was impressive. Cajun style poutine with crawfish and fried oysters, and duck/​chicken meatloaf just to name a few. Let me just express how everything on the menu looked appealing and I wish I could have sampled them all.
We looked over the menu and decided on fried chicken wings for the appetizer. For my meal I ordered the lobster roll special, with onion rings and shrimp soup. My boyfriend ordered the prime beef brisket pot roast. The chicken wings were out of this world!!! I don’t know what they use to batter the chicken but it had a perfect crunch and the buffalo sauce was out of this world. My lobster roll was warm, just enough butter and bun toasted to perfection. The onion rings had the perfect amount of seasonings, and the soup was great. My boyfriend said his brisket was outstanding. I did not try it but he definitely finished his meal.
My mouth is still watering as I sit here writing this reveiw. I CANNOT wait to go back to see what else they have to offer!!!

We are eating here for our 10^th aniversary and Chef Patty is a Rock star… it’s the best kept secret in the area… she has so much passion and artistry for all of her entrees. a true palace of exquisite incredible cuisine. I GIVE IT 5 STARS… A TRUE GEM
Joe B

My husband and I have been a fan of The Cottage for many years. We always know what to expect when we arrive.
Fabulous food, superb staff, and a comfortable environment. We love The Cottage! It’s our goto place for special occasions and treating friends from out of town… and to just have a night out.

Just amazing! Hidden gem.
I love that the menu changes with the seasons and is very inventive. The menu has everything from American classics, Asian inspired dishes to more «fusion» or organic items.
I really like the ingredients they use you know they are high quality, local or organic.
Recently I had the piggy mac which was mac and cheese with pulled pork and onion strings. I have also had amazing pork belly tacos here as well.
My only complaint it is a really elderly crowd so it is not a hip restaurant but for me the food makes up for that.
I think you really get what you pay for and for the quality of the food the prices at the Cottage are reasonable.

First the good. I’ve been twice to this restaurant and the food is excellent. The bread is top notch. The fried oysters are to die for. The chef is really talented, obviously. If you aren’t fussy, don’t have any special requests, you won’t be disappointed.
Now the not so good. We had reservations for my 40^th birthday, party of 6. And we dropped $ 650 as a party. So you’d think they’d bend over backwards for us. If you’re going to spend a ton of money, you would think they would want to accommodate.
Not so. Walked in the door… My sister asked where we could park as the lot was full. The maitre d’ made a snide comment: «What can I tell ya? It’s a small lot. Figure it out.» Great. We felt really welcome.
Service was slow at the best of times. Reservations at 7:30, we were there until 9:30.
Want it your way? Hahahaha! I asked if I could sub the potato for some beets — no substitutions. My stuffed shrimp was served on a hot plate which wasn’t stable — I had to move it to a bread plate because the hot plate was sitting on a bowl, and rocking side to side. I was eating off a tiny bread plate and I mentioned I’d like a dinner plate … Alas, no dinner plate came. Other tables must have been more important.
I wished The Cottage would have tried harder to make my 40^th birthday dinner a little bit better. If you don’t mind spending a ton of money to have it their way, you’ll be happy here. But if you intend to get excellent service — drive a little ways more and go to Max Downtown.

Our server was quick knowledgeable and friendly. The food was absolutely amazing. My wife and I definately had a fantastic dinner date and a great time. If i had to be critical of anything it would have to be the décor. It is quite dated and while sometimes that «dinner at grandma’s house» look can work with southern home style food, their chef is clearly of the fine dining caliber and the décor doesn’t mesh with the food. Its like ordering a filet mignon and eating it at cracker barrel.

The food and the service at the Cottage is absolutely on point.
The bread to start the meal is fresh, homemade and served with cranberry butter. Our meals (special flatbread and salad) were yummy and both of us cleared our plates. Please order the sticky toffee cake for dessert — it was the BEST I have ever tasted. I would come back just for that dessert menu.
The décor is straight out of the 90’s and seriously dated while neat and clean. I hope it stays outdated, so I can easily get a table. If the owners update, the Cottage will be impossible to get in.
A worthwhile hidden jem!

I’ve lived 2 miles away from this place for a year now and never knew it existed. We found it on Unilocal and wanted to try something new. We were greeted by a very nice hostess and our waitress was right over to the table — also extremely pleasant.
The food was simply awesome. Whoever is in that kitchen can easily be in New York or Chicago, but instead they are in a converted house in Plainville for all of us Farmington Valley people to enjoy. We had the calamari, Salmon, and the Piggy Mac. We have eaten at some of the best restaurants in CT and while traveling for work and both my wife and I agreed that each of those dishes was one of the best dishes we’ve ever eaten.
This place is going to be more money than like a Joey Garlic’s or J. Tims, also some of my favorite places to eat, but let me be perfectly clear here… for the extra 10 dollars a person you will have an experience here that you normally couldn’t buy for double that.
Go try something new tonight, you won’t regret it.

The food was pretty good… not worth all the hype or prices. The waitress seemed annoyed and irritated from start to end. Went there for my grandma’s 85^th bday and before my grandma walked in I said, «it’s my Grandma’s birthday. If you do anything that be great»…she responded «if you buy a desert I can put a candle in» and walked away from the hostess stand. Okay, rude, but I can deal. After we waited 20 minutes to get the check, I went to get the car, so my grandma didn’t have to walk far. Our waitress chased me out instantaneously… as if I was doing a «dine and dash» all by myself, even though the rest of my party was still at the table. Embarrassing. The «mom» (i think the co-​owner?) was stuck up and had a rude essence as well. Both the waitress and the «mom» had RBF…(resting bitch face). Won’t be going back. This is the 3^rd review I’ve ever left, the other were good reviews. I hate wasting my time on the negatives, and I was a waitress for year. This place sucks at service though! Especially for 4 star prices!

The four of us had a truly enjoyable meal here Saturday night! The term «hidden gem» describes the Cottage perfectly. Like dining in someones house. Its not fancy. and a little dark… but the atmosphere and food are what separates the Cottage from others. its possible that many employees here are related… all seemingly work together. from the hostess. the server… bartender. chef…its a family affair. while the menu might appear to be a little «foo foo» fancy… the presentation is incredibly down to earth. We split two Caesar salads… very tasty with the best tomatoes ever. croutons were soft and melt in your mouth. three of us had the Maryland lump crabcake and all gave it high grades. I had the grilled ribeye with twice baked stuffed potato and fantastic onion rings. All tables were full (its not a big place) but we had no pressure whatsoever to leave. service isn’t speedy but this is a place for dining. not just eating. looks like the menu changes seasonally. I forgot to mention the Italian manhattan I had! amaretto mixed with bourbon. vermouth and bitters. a unique twist… and potently delicious. we are looking forward to our next visit here! Big city food… small town ambiance.

Well do get the calamiri, must get fried eggplant. What ever it was that i ordered on flatbread, order that. Best thing i have esten in my life.

This was the halfway point for me driving back from Maine. Based on Unilocal reviews this seemed like a winner and it sure was!
We got a little nervous because we were the only people in the restaurant on a Friday night at 6pm. The menu has a lot of variety but it’s not huge — something to please everyone and the description of everything sounded amazing.
Me and my dinner-​mates got the following: Filet, Shrimp Po-​boy, and a special which was a crabcake and scallops over fresh pasta. We were absolutely blown away!!! The steak was cooked better than any steakhouse… a perfect medium and had to be over 2 inches thick. The scallops were as big as a silver dollar and the pasta melted in your mouth. The po-​boy had 5 humongous shrimp, with crab salad, guacamole and bacon… all in one roll! It came with a small side of jambalaya, eggplant fries and coleslaw. My only slight criticism is the eggplant fries were more like wedges… big ones. Smaller more fry-​like would have been better.
Needless to say you will not leave here hungry. The food, and the service was absolutely amazing. I would strongly consider making this a stopping point for future travels just to be able to eat here again.

Wow!!! Our first time here and what a great meal! We didn’t have reservations on a Saturday night but figured we would try it out to see if we could get seated. Staff was very hospitable, attentive, and personable. Good was really great in flavor and portion size. I could eat that Caprese salad daily!

Cottage Restaurant has earned itself a 5 star rating. I am completely baffled by this establishment. Even as I sit here now to write my review, I still am rendered completely confused by this place. And, here is why:
Pulling into the parking lot, one would assume by the no frills looks of this place that it was a hip spot for the blue hairs. It’s not «pretty much» a house, it IS a house — converted into a restaurant. Walking in, one would assume by the lack of swanky chairs and lighting that were instead replaced with older 80’s style wood slatted seats and a bright airy dining room, that the food was dumbed-​down pub fare. Fries, sandwiches, soda and the cholesterol-like…Then, my assuming stopped.
We were greeted by a warm and smiling server, Trisha who was every bit professional as she was pleasant. Gone was the stiffened upper lip of fancy establishment dining — glancing over the menu we were met with «fancy dishes» while it felt like we were sitting in someone’s house — warm and bright, a beautiful breeze through the windows.
The bread that was brought to us wasn’t bread. In fact, it was the farthest thing from bread at any place I have ever dined. It was heaven. The garlicky flavor, the sweetness and saltiness of the herb butter. The pumpkin bread they served it with — could have been dessert but I didnt let it stick around long enough to find out.
I ordered the Rhode Island Clam Chowder. A beautiful clear broth full of clams and potatoes and scallions (oh my!) was brought to the table for $ 4. My boyfriend ate the other half and he was astounded just as I was. In fact, we both spent the better portion of our dinner wondering how in the world food like this existed in a location such as this. And, what were they going for? Ultimately, we settled on «Frenchy Peasantry Comforty Thing» but looking back on the experience, I can’t say for sure why our food was so amazing.
For dinner, I ordered the Porcetta — pork belly wrapped in bacon tenderloin with a huge serving of mushrooms and peas and tomatoes, a huge pile of sprouts on top all covered in a demi-​glacé. I ate a slice of my Porcetta that was so crispy and salty I desperately wanted more, but I couldn’t tear myself away from swimming in the sauce. KILLER! Rich and savory but not overpowering. Hints of citrus would explode here and there and quietly fade into the background. And my boyfriend’s dish was just as complex — an organic seared and crusted salmon cooked PERFECTLY that sat atop couscous and a carrot bisque. It reminded me of something you would eat at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Rustic, cozy and warm.
The flavor profiles of this meal surpass my expectations and any and all restaurants I have been to. Capital Grille who? Ruth’s Chris what?
Cottage is heaven on earth. We had one of the best meals of our mouth’s lives for $ 62. A hidden gem, Cottage should be one of the Wonders of the World. I don’t know why it works but… it does.

We lived nearly down the street from The Cottage for 8 years before trying it — despite its unremarkable exterior. And now we go there almost weekly! And since, have never even had an average meal there.
The food is a unique combination of creativity and comfort. Both the ‘pub food’ and the specials menu are especially great-​and dare to try the pumpkin pizza! It’s really good. Also, they have an interesting beer list and cocktails.

Don’t let the rather unremarkable exterior mislead you: the food here is first-​rate: we had the chicken special and their rib-​eye steak with baked potato and they were excellent. The menu is varied, with something for everyone and it changes frequently.
And the personal service from the hostess makes it feel as if you are dining in her own home. Great place.

Excellent service and food. I gave this place two tries before reviewing it and I can’t say enough good things. To start they give you some bread which included pumpkin bread and was served with cranberry butter (the two together was DIVINE!). My first time at cottage I got vegan lasagna. It was great!
The second time I opted for the pumpkin pizza (it was Halloween after all!) and I have to say it’s probably one of the most glorious things I’ve ever eaten. Between the sweet potato and the pumpkin seeds, I can’t begin to describe its amazing-​ness. You must try for yourself. I also tried the vegetarian antipasto (which varies) but it was delectable. The crispy artichokes were my favorite.
Definitely a quaint little spot to check out if you’re in the area.

Went here after an afternoon movie for an impromptu dinner.
The experience went as thus. «You sure this is a restaurant?», my wife asks as we pull up. The exterior is very mundane, with common housing siding and a wheelchair ramp.
We walk inside and are greeted by a friendly older hostess and seated. The clientele is a mix. The interior consisting of country tables and wall hanging cross stitch country fare.
The waitress was fantastically friendly and the menu clearly changes often. We order a few cocktails, ceviche, lobster bisque, my wife gets the lobster roll and fritters, I get the Cajun NY strip steak with twice baked potato.
Soon our bread comes, deliciously warm pumpkin bread, toast, and warm herbed smooth butter. Our hopes are raised as we munch on great bread, and our spirits are raised as we watch one of the cooks cut fresh herbs from the garden.
Fast forward. The meal was amazing, every piece is fresh and expertly made. We leave stuffed and happy, and slightly guilty for judging a book by its cover.
Great food served in an unassuming building, a diamond in the rough. I could only imagine this restaurant would get more deserved praise with an exterior and interior make over. Absolutely worth enjoying, go here if you’re looking for great fresh cooking served by a smiling and friendly staff.