Awesome place to eat! Intimate atmosphere. Great food! And the drinks are top shelf well crafted!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Sanguiche, Mac 'N Cheese
EE Grimshaw
This was surprisingly underwhelming. I'd bookmarked this place literally years ago - I don't know how I would have stumbled across it since it's in a section of CT I never go to - probably because of the unique vibe, menu and strong ratings. It felt like fate though when I ended up coming this way with one of my best chums who literally went to the school of hospitality on our voyage to Boston. She loves these kinds of sandwiches/comfort food, and I like historic shizzle and mixology. How do you not stop by under those circumstances?Part of the problem may have just been timing. From the pictures it seems like the best area to sup in is upstairs, but it was closed off when we came by on Saturday afternoon so we had to sit in the basement bar. That was fine, but it wasn't the preference. Also keep in mind the weather was TERRIBLE - it was cold and rainy and 100% may have been a factor here as well. There was some personality to the basement but not as much as I expected, honestly. It was a mostly brick interior, with some framed pictures of ye olde felons, etc. I think again because of the weather it just felt a little damp/meh in there, and there's not a lot you can really do about that - that's the risk of having a basement business, I suspect.I went with the Maple Chicken sandwich, minus the arugula and onions. It was fine; I always like the extra effort of the pulled chicken on a sandwich like this, which was probably my favorite aspect. I think it really needed some kind of condiment because it was definitely on the dry side - the maple bacon jam didn't really do anything in the moist department, and as a personal texture-based palate preference, I wasn't crazy about the random crunch of a bacon bit in there. The maple definitely paired well with the chicken though, and the flavoring was solid.For my cocktail, I decided it was too early to go down the bourbon rabbit hole and opted for the Lights Out, which featured mezcal and elderflower. I was a bit underwhelmed by that one. I'm pretty ambivalent about mezcal, but I thought it was too dominant in the drink and basically gave the whole beverage a gasoline vibe, which...that's definitely not a first cocktail of the day situation.The service was just okay. We were greeted by the bartender immediately and she did stop by once or twice but it was on the slow side for sure. There seemed to be another person helping with bussing, etc., but she was handling the lion's share of responsibility, which included being the only bartender and the primary waitstaff. I imagine it's a tough call to decide on the appropriate amount of employees on a rainy Saturday afternoon versus the evening shift, but it was pretty apparent they needed one more staffer on the premises. It took a while to grab the check and have same processed.I'm not writing this place off but if I happened to be in the area at a similar time of day and/or weather situation, I'd probably look elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Anna Dumais
This is NOT the same place it used to be! Drinks were not good. Bartender simply would not look at us as we tried to order, was too busy watching a movie (granted, an awesome move, best movie ever according to my husband; not the point). Will never return!
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Robert Latulippe
Food was good. Atmosphere was cool . They were very accommodating our larger group.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Zak Edward
Way overpriced for the mediocre food quality and to not include sides. Way too dark inside. Visited both the basement bar and the upstairs restaurant. Bar staff were very friendly. May be back just for drinks downstairs. Terrible parking options.
Had dinner there tonight with 2 friends and it was delicious! The staff was amazing and such a cool atmosphere. I had the "spicy salmon sandwich" and it wasn't even a tad bit spicy. Wish it was actually spicy because I crave that but overall was amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Linda A.
Thank goodness for Yelp!! We never would have found this place! As a matter of fact we passed it and had to circle back because it's in the middle of a neighborhood. Also, if you are reading this and you like a great experience with food then don't go anywhere else! What an amazing environment. It's cozy and has a Victorian flare to it. There is a main level and downstairs bar. It's December so it is decorated for Christmas holiday. We decided to eat on the main level. I'm sure the bar is pretty cool. We decided to try the Devil Poppers (crispy deviled egg served spicy with bacon & jalapenos) first because the Yelp reviewers gave it high ratings. The first bite elicited a "Wow" and the rest was history! We also ordered the Wedge salad. Absolutely amazing. It has some great additions that will excite your palette for sure. We followed the above with the Big Butch Burger. It included two patties, Harries "sauce" , lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions on a brioche bun. Talk about flavor........All in all this is a great find and needs to be explored by you!!! We will return!
Kathryn Visone
Cool place. Great vibes and a fun, yet, laid back atmosphere. Both the food and drink menu was fairly creative as well as tasty. Prompt, friendly, and very attentive service. Would definitely recommend parking on the street rather than trying your luck parking in the lot behind the building. The driveway that runs from the street to the parking lot is very narrow and will only fit one car at a time, so if someone is trying to pull out/in as you’re trying to pull in/out someone is going to have to reverse it so the other can get by.Parking: Would definitely recommend parking on the street rather than trying your luck parking in the lot behind the building. The driveway that runs from the street to the parking lot is very narrow and will only fit one car at a time, so if someone is trying to pull out/in as you’re trying to pull in/out someone is going to have to reverse it so the other can get by.
Great ambience in the downstairs bar. To start we ordered the southern dippers. It is fried green tomatoes and fried pickles. I had the special, chicken cutlet with house made peppers relish and arugula. My husband had the jailhouse grinder. Both were of size. You have to pay extra for fries, onion rings, salad or chips. The only thing I'd suggest is to have more than one brand of vodka! Only Tito's here. I know it's a popular name but I'm allergic. I love a good vodka martini but it must be with grain based vodka and not potato vodka . Absolute, Stoli or grey goose. Otherwise we'd definitely be frequent customers.
Jessica P.
Came by this cute little place this weekend with a friend. The ambiance was very nice and we both enjoyed our drinks which were made perfectly. The food just didn't hit for me, unfortunately.. I had the sanguiche and the fig jam that comes with it was just too overpowering and took away from the tasty Italian meats that I love. I got no flavor of mortadella which is my favorite meat of all time. There was maybe one slice of each meat on a HUGE sandwich. There should have been a bit more meat and a bit less bread. All in all, I think I just made the wrong choice of sandwich and would be willing to try them again if another one of my friends wanted to try.
Matthew L.
Harrie's Hailhouse is a gourmet pub that opened in Middletown, Connecticut in March 2021. It was founded by business partners Carrie Carella and Heather Kelly. The historical structure that houses the new restaurant is the former Pameacha Jail. The vintage 1850s Victorian structure used to serve as a jailer's residence. Twelve cells of heavy brownstone used to extend beyond the back of the house, but were carted away when the jail closed around the start of the 20th century. Two brownstone walls of the original cell block remain intact. Bread and Water Restaurant called the location home for several years until it closed due to a devastating fire.Carella was general manager at Eli Cannon's Taproom for 15 years before opening NoRA Cupcake Company in 2011. Kelly began working for Carella in 2015 and soon became the operations manager. Once the Pameacha Jail location became available, the partners decided to open a completely different concept. The new venture features hearty sandwiches, housemade bar snacks, and classic cocktails -- all with a twist! My family and I recently visited Harrie's for October brunch. Brunch is served the first Sunday of every month, and an Autumn-themed brunch sounded delicious to us. We were seated in the basement bar. For cocktails, my wife had the "Harvest Spritz" and I had the "Basic & Boozy" (SoG cold brew, Jameson, rumchata pumpkin spice, cinnamon whip cream). Both tasted like 'Fall in a Glass'! We all shared a delicious plate of "Devil Poppers" (crispy & spicy deviled eggs with bacon & jalapeños) which disappeared very quickly. For entrees, our son had the "Pumpkin Pancakes" (cinnamon maple syrup, side of berries), my wife had the "Chicken or the Egg" (chicken cutlet, scrambled egg, provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, green goddess dressing, 10" roll), and I had the "Benedict Bake" (egg soufflé baked with Black Forest ham & English muffins, topped with hollandaise & scallions, served with a side of balsamic dressed arugula). My wife and I also ordered sides of "home fries". Everything was delicious!! This wasn't my first time at Harrie's and it certainly won't be my last!
jillian ross
Great little spot, we sat outside because it was beautiful and it doesn’t even feel like you’re in Middletown. There was some construction going on behind the place which was not ideal but the service and food were both awesome. The bar looks dark and cozy as well… so obviously have to go back to check that part out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mykel Bridget Czaja
Our family of 4 found this place on a whim as we were driving home on a Friday night. In a seemingly residential area of Middletown, at first we were uncertain of what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised with the cozy-but-chic atmosphere. We loved the atmosphere so much we assumed the food would be unable to live up, but were again proven wrong when it did. My daughter had the "best burger of her life" with the Big Butch, my son LOVED the Jailhouse (he subbed the green goddess dressing for the Harrie's Sauce) and my husband's Huntsville Beef was voted best on the table. The fries were crispy and well seasoned and I'd punch many of the people I love square in the face to eat more of their amazing Brussel sprouts. 100% put this place on your list of places to try. We will definately be back!
Great! Atmosphere is super good drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Awesome place to eat! Intimate atmosphere. Great food! And the drinks are top shelf well crafted!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Sanguiche, Mac 'N Cheese
This was surprisingly underwhelming. I'd bookmarked this place literally years ago - I don't know how I would have stumbled across it since it's in a section of CT I never go to - probably because of the unique vibe, menu and strong ratings. It felt like fate though when I ended up coming this way with one of my best chums who literally went to the school of hospitality on our voyage to Boston. She loves these kinds of sandwiches/comfort food, and I like historic shizzle and mixology. How do you not stop by under those circumstances?Part of the problem may have just been timing. From the pictures it seems like the best area to sup in is upstairs, but it was closed off when we came by on Saturday afternoon so we had to sit in the basement bar. That was fine, but it wasn't the preference. Also keep in mind the weather was TERRIBLE - it was cold and rainy and 100% may have been a factor here as well. There was some personality to the basement but not as much as I expected, honestly. It was a mostly brick interior, with some framed pictures of ye olde felons, etc. I think again because of the weather it just felt a little damp/meh in there, and there's not a lot you can really do about that - that's the risk of having a basement business, I suspect.I went with the Maple Chicken sandwich, minus the arugula and onions. It was fine; I always like the extra effort of the pulled chicken on a sandwich like this, which was probably my favorite aspect. I think it really needed some kind of condiment because it was definitely on the dry side - the maple bacon jam didn't really do anything in the moist department, and as a personal texture-based palate preference, I wasn't crazy about the random crunch of a bacon bit in there. The maple definitely paired well with the chicken though, and the flavoring was solid.For my cocktail, I decided it was too early to go down the bourbon rabbit hole and opted for the Lights Out, which featured mezcal and elderflower. I was a bit underwhelmed by that one. I'm pretty ambivalent about mezcal, but I thought it was too dominant in the drink and basically gave the whole beverage a gasoline vibe, which...that's definitely not a first cocktail of the day situation.The service was just okay. We were greeted by the bartender immediately and she did stop by once or twice but it was on the slow side for sure. There seemed to be another person helping with bussing, etc., but she was handling the lion's share of responsibility, which included being the only bartender and the primary waitstaff. I imagine it's a tough call to decide on the appropriate amount of employees on a rainy Saturday afternoon versus the evening shift, but it was pretty apparent they needed one more staffer on the premises. It took a while to grab the check and have same processed.I'm not writing this place off but if I happened to be in the area at a similar time of day and/or weather situation, I'd probably look elsewhere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
This is NOT the same place it used to be! Drinks were not good. Bartender simply would not look at us as we tried to order, was too busy watching a movie (granted, an awesome move, best movie ever according to my husband; not the point). Will never return!
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Food was good. Atmosphere was cool . They were very accommodating our larger group.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Way overpriced for the mediocre food quality and to not include sides. Way too dark inside. Visited both the basement bar and the upstairs restaurant. Bar staff were very friendly. May be back just for drinks downstairs. Terrible parking options.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Very friendly!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pickles, Southern blt, Burger Fries and Onion Strings, Spicy Salmon Sandwich
Had dinner there tonight with 2 friends and it was delicious! The staff was amazing and such a cool atmosphere. I had the "spicy salmon sandwich" and it wasn't even a tad bit spicy. Wish it was actually spicy because I crave that but overall was amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thank goodness for Yelp!! We never would have found this place! As a matter of fact we passed it and had to circle back because it's in the middle of a neighborhood. Also, if you are reading this and you like a great experience with food then don't go anywhere else! What an amazing environment. It's cozy and has a Victorian flare to it. There is a main level and downstairs bar. It's December so it is decorated for Christmas holiday. We decided to eat on the main level. I'm sure the bar is pretty cool. We decided to try the Devil Poppers (crispy deviled egg served spicy with bacon & jalapenos) first because the Yelp reviewers gave it high ratings. The first bite elicited a "Wow" and the rest was history! We also ordered the Wedge salad. Absolutely amazing. It has some great additions that will excite your palette for sure. We followed the above with the Big Butch Burger. It included two patties, Harries "sauce" , lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions on a brioche bun. Talk about flavor........All in all this is a great find and needs to be explored by you!!! We will return!
Cool place. Great vibes and a fun, yet, laid back atmosphere. Both the food and drink menu was fairly creative as well as tasty. Prompt, friendly, and very attentive service. Would definitely recommend parking on the street rather than trying your luck parking in the lot behind the building. The driveway that runs from the street to the parking lot is very narrow and will only fit one car at a time, so if someone is trying to pull out/in as you’re trying to pull in/out someone is going to have to reverse it so the other can get by.Parking: Would definitely recommend parking on the street rather than trying your luck parking in the lot behind the building. The driveway that runs from the street to the parking lot is very narrow and will only fit one car at a time, so if someone is trying to pull out/in as you’re trying to pull in/out someone is going to have to reverse it so the other can get by.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sliders
Restaurantji Recommends
Great ambience in the downstairs bar. To start we ordered the southern dippers. It is fried green tomatoes and fried pickles. I had the special, chicken cutlet with house made peppers relish and arugula. My husband had the jailhouse grinder. Both were of size. You have to pay extra for fries, onion rings, salad or chips. The only thing I'd suggest is to have more than one brand of vodka! Only Tito's here. I know it's a popular name but I'm allergic. I love a good vodka martini but it must be with grain based vodka and not potato vodka . Absolute, Stoli or grey goose. Otherwise we'd definitely be frequent customers.
Came by this cute little place this weekend with a friend. The ambiance was very nice and we both enjoyed our drinks which were made perfectly. The food just didn't hit for me, unfortunately.. I had the sanguiche and the fig jam that comes with it was just too overpowering and took away from the tasty Italian meats that I love. I got no flavor of mortadella which is my favorite meat of all time. There was maybe one slice of each meat on a HUGE sandwich. There should have been a bit more meat and a bit less bread. All in all, I think I just made the wrong choice of sandwich and would be willing to try them again if another one of my friends wanted to try.
Harrie's Hailhouse is a gourmet pub that opened in Middletown, Connecticut in March 2021. It was founded by business partners Carrie Carella and Heather Kelly. The historical structure that houses the new restaurant is the former Pameacha Jail. The vintage 1850s Victorian structure used to serve as a jailer's residence. Twelve cells of heavy brownstone used to extend beyond the back of the house, but were carted away when the jail closed around the start of the 20th century. Two brownstone walls of the original cell block remain intact. Bread and Water Restaurant called the location home for several years until it closed due to a devastating fire.Carella was general manager at Eli Cannon's Taproom for 15 years before opening NoRA Cupcake Company in 2011. Kelly began working for Carella in 2015 and soon became the operations manager. Once the Pameacha Jail location became available, the partners decided to open a completely different concept. The new venture features hearty sandwiches, housemade bar snacks, and classic cocktails -- all with a twist! My family and I recently visited Harrie's for October brunch. Brunch is served the first Sunday of every month, and an Autumn-themed brunch sounded delicious to us. We were seated in the basement bar. For cocktails, my wife had the "Harvest Spritz" and I had the "Basic & Boozy" (SoG cold brew, Jameson, rumchata pumpkin spice, cinnamon whip cream). Both tasted like 'Fall in a Glass'! We all shared a delicious plate of "Devil Poppers" (crispy & spicy deviled eggs with bacon & jalapeños) which disappeared very quickly. For entrees, our son had the "Pumpkin Pancakes" (cinnamon maple syrup, side of berries), my wife had the "Chicken or the Egg" (chicken cutlet, scrambled egg, provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, green goddess dressing, 10" roll), and I had the "Benedict Bake" (egg soufflé baked with Black Forest ham & English muffins, topped with hollandaise & scallions, served with a side of balsamic dressed arugula). My wife and I also ordered sides of "home fries". Everything was delicious!! This wasn't my first time at Harrie's and it certainly won't be my last!
Great little spot, we sat outside because it was beautiful and it doesn’t even feel like you’re in Middletown. There was some construction going on behind the place which was not ideal but the service and food were both awesome. The bar looks dark and cozy as well… so obviously have to go back to check that part out.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our family of 4 found this place on a whim as we were driving home on a Friday night. In a seemingly residential area of Middletown, at first we were uncertain of what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised with the cozy-but-chic atmosphere. We loved the atmosphere so much we assumed the food would be unable to live up, but were again proven wrong when it did. My daughter had the "best burger of her life" with the Big Butch, my son LOVED the Jailhouse (he subbed the green goddess dressing for the Harrie's Sauce) and my husband's Huntsville Beef was voted best on the table. The fries were crispy and well seasoned and I'd punch many of the people I love square in the face to eat more of their amazing Brussel sprouts. 100% put this place on your list of places to try. We will definately be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Jailbird