Sundays are the day to be here, happy hour all day, so if you are looking to try some new things that's the day. We literally ran through the entire happy hour menu and had a few cocktails to wash it all down. Didn't seem too busy so got to chat with the bartender who was fun, engaging but not overbearing. Can't wait to get back and try some of the full menu
This was a celebration for my son's birthday, and he was highly disappointed. It look almost 15mins to see a waiter, and when they did arrive it took over 30mins for us to receive our drinks (there was only 1 bartender in the whole restaurant). When she finally came back with our drinks she forgot the “birthday boy” drink. The food was also not great. The one good thing was the music. If it was not for that we would've probably left.
JoyceL
First time at JAR & Bar! Very good food and cocktails! Our server Jonathan was excellent very attentive. He never made us feel rushed. We were celebrating 2 birthdays the restaurant sent over two complimentary slices of tiramisu candles included! The cake was excellent very fresh! We'll definitely visit again!
Date night with wife. Had her pick the restaurant and surprised me with jar and bar. Apparently stands for just another restaurant and that's exactly what it was or even worst. The service was great but when it came to the food , it was bad enough for me to never step in there again. We ordered the steak medium rare and the salmon ossoboco which didn't make any sense to me but was intrigued to say the least. How on earth can you cook a steak medium rare and it be dry , the brusslesprouts were burnt and raw at the same time. The salmon was dry and it came with scallops which I wish didn't. So easy to sear them but yet failed miserably. Don't know where ossoboco came in the dish. I originally gave it a 3.2 but after a couple days of post drama I down grade it to a 2.2. Pretty bad experience .
Claire E.
Came for the restaurant week (Taste of Greater Hartford) - prix fixe 3 course for $30.22 and also to try the "Sijang Tongdak" (directly translatable to "market/marketplace whole chicken" in Korean) as a Korean. Giving credit where credit is due: great servers/ customer service-oriented, timely food delivered to table, clearing of plates, frequent checking in/water refills by various employees, and quick check delivery. Has a private parking lot. Outdoor seating is cute and has heaters available! (Disclaimer: to no fault of the restaurant, it is, however, right on a busy street with cars/motorcycles/mopeds roaring, blasting music, and honking very close by.) I'll start with the fried chicken- first off, it's not "tongdak" because it's half a chicken- secondly, it is plated/served exactly as pictured in some reviews, which I didn't realize until I had to eat it how difficult it is to eat in an easy/civil manner. It's not cut up in anyway; in other words it's literally half a chicken hacked up, breaded, deep-fried and served as a long strand of meat. Knife and fork? Tried to be resourceful and somewhat civil by using 2 forks like a scavenger and I can't say I enjoyed scavenging for meat as most of it was bone/skin. It was seasoned fine- nothing special, drizzled with a slightly spicy, mostly sweet and tangy sauce that seemed very close to a "sweet chili sauce" which is not usually used in this dish or most Korean fried chicken iterations from my experience. The slaw was fine, light, flavorful, but again seasoned in a similar "sweet chili" flavor way that I personally did not find reflective of what this dish is named. For the prix fixe, my partner chose brussels sprouts, the "land and sea" (2 petite lamb lollipops, 2 scallops and risotto), and the "sopapilla." The texture of the brussels sprouts were great (think oven-baked "fried" kale chips) on the outside and cooked throughout. The appetizer and main courses needed to be seasoned, minimally with salt. The main course was very disappointing in that (1) the lamb was cooked over (ordered medium, got medium-well) and not well seasoned, (2) the risotto was also not seasoned/flavorful in anyway and not textured correctly and the corn, well could've been without the canned corn, (3) there was some sweet/tart raspberry sauce slathered to meet with the lamb and onto the risotto in a less than elegant way that was "off" and emphasized the dissonance in the suddenly small-portioned entree dish. The dessert of choice, sopapilla, came and it was larger in portion than the entire main dish- Think 4 dinner rolls from Bertucci's deep fried and coated in powdered sugar and cinnamon with drizzled honey/syrup on top. From my research, I believe when this dough is fried, it's supposed to puff up the skin to become somewhat crisp and the inside would become hollow; this version was the exact opposite, dense and doughy fried dinner roll that was too thick and chewy. We will not be back to this establishment for dinner/meals in general, but we did notice that a lot of other outdoor diners were thoroughly enjoying the space and weather for drinks. I'd recommend that route, and their very generous happy hour* times and Sunday (entirely). *HH prices/offers apparently only apply if you sit at the bar/outdoor bar area.
Ashlee
Thought this place would be cool to try out based on a TikTok I saw. Very underwhelming in person. Seems to be still new inside, pretty dead on a Thursday night around 6:30pm. I'm always a fan of live music but there was no area to sit where you weren't yelling across the table to your partner to conversate. Food was just okay, not a whole lot of flavor to the corn risotto at all, not worth the overpriced meal.
Was excited to check this place out. Was disappointed by the time the check came. The drinks weren't good. The food wasn't good. The waiter didn't come ask how we were doing or if we liked the food. (Maybe he already knows their food is trash). He just took away our full plates each course. The food wasn't well seasoned. Ordered the lamb. It was supposed to be medium, it was well done. I had to request for a steak knife to cut into the dry meat. The chicken tacos were extremely soggy. The Brussels sprouts were just dry and salty. I got a crème brûlée for dessert. The sugar was barely melted (unmelted sugar can be seen all over). I won't be back. And I won't be recommending this place to anyone. We ended up going to bar taco after so we could have a real dinner and drinks. Service was bad and the food was bad.
Kelly R.
I hate to leave such a bad review but this place is all style and no substance. We went on a Friday night around 7 and had a reservation. Outside tables were mostly filled, but inside was half full. We were early so had a the gauvamente and a beer at the bar. The guavemente was ok, super spicy, but it's a premixed cocktail sitting out on the bar so it just lacked freshness. Also the bar had that "college bar" smell lol. Once seated outside (which is very cute) we waited a half hour for mussels that had a decent broth, but several had not popped open and the one slice of bread was not toasted. We waited even longer for our drinks - a bottled beer and glass of wine. After that our food took an hour to come. We had ordered two bottled beers in the meantime and by the time we finished our mains had never got them. We had the 4 different tacos and the banh mi sandwich. The tacos had tender meat but no flavor and just tasted not fresh. The banh mi was nowhere near a true banh mi. No toasted bread (even though the menu said so) and no fresh herbs, minimal pickled veg, no pate, and the pork belly was not crispy, just fatty. They offered tiramisu as a peace offering lol which also lacked flavor. Seems like other people had different experiences with better food, so maybe it was not their night.
Michael P.
I only give 1 star for the service because the waiter was trying to make due with a bad situation. The food took way too long and did not taste fresh and lacked seasoning. Also it took way too long for simple drinks like bottled beer and wine.
Jose P.
Had a business dinner here. They were super accommodating to our party. We were even able to sit outside. The service was great. Manager came and checked on us a few times and the owner introduced himself to us. Definitely will be going back for future work events.
Such an adorable restaurant, both inside and with their patio area! With JAR standing for just another restaurant, I feel like the name doesn’t give them enough credit. I was really impressed with the variety on their menu - where else can you find tacos and sijang tongdak? Everything was delicious. Our one critique was that the salmon in the salmon ossobucco seemed a bit over-cooked, probably due to the fact that the scallops were in the middle. We really enjoyed our meal, and the Virgin Mariposa was the best mocktail i’ve had! I was addicted to the chicken drummies and could eat those all day, every day. The sijang tongdak was super flavorful, and I loved the How Do You Like Them Apples salad. I would love to come back and try more of their menu!
Allison C.
Such an adorable restaurant, both inside and with their patio area! With JAR standing for just another restaurant, I feel like the name doesn't give them enough credit. I was really impressed with the variety on their menu - where else can you find tacos and sijang tongdak? Everything was delicious. Our one critique was that the salmon in the salmon ossobucco seemed a bit over-cooked, probably due to the fact that the scallops were in the middle. We really enjoyed our meal, and the Virgin Mariposa was the best mocktail i've had! I was addicted to the chicken drummies and could eat those all day, every day. The sijang tongdak was super flavorful, and I loved the How Do You Like Them Apples salad. I would love to come back and try more of their menu!
Sally A.
Great find at Just Another Restaurant (see what they did there??). Probably the best and most perfectly crafted cocktails in town. Def in my top three places to go if you want a proper cocktail. Nico is the maaaan (hopefully I spelled that correctly). We did order some food to take home, Cuban sandwich -- very flavorful but not a true traditional Sammie (bread was ok and not pressed).. Look forward to going back soon!
Paul A.
Great spot, drinks are on point. Bar is always happening, with DJ several nights. This is a locals fav and worth the visit. Swing by have a fancy espresso martini or a slick craft cocktail. Cheer!
Nicholas M
The food here is pretty good, we tried 2 apps, the nachos, which were good, but nothing special, and the steamed sliders, also good, but not really different than anywhere else. The setting and service were both very good. However, 2 apps and 3 drinks brought us to $75 before tip. For that kind of money I expect be be very impressed with the food and $11ish for a rum and Coke!?!?Nope.
Sundays are the day to be here, happy hour all day, so if you are looking to try some new things that's the day. We literally ran through the entire happy hour menu and had a few cocktails to wash it all down. Didn't seem too busy so got to chat with the bartender who was fun, engaging but not overbearing. Can't wait to get back and try some of the full menu
This was a celebration for my son's birthday, and he was highly disappointed. It look almost 15mins to see a waiter, and when they did arrive it took over 30mins for us to receive our drinks (there was only 1 bartender in the whole restaurant). When she finally came back with our drinks she forgot the “birthday boy” drink. The food was also not great. The one good thing was the music. If it was not for that we would've probably left.
First time at JAR & Bar! Very good food and cocktails! Our server Jonathan was excellent very attentive. He never made us feel rushed. We were celebrating 2 birthdays the restaurant sent over two complimentary slices of tiramisu candles included! The cake was excellent very fresh! We'll definitely visit again!
Date night with wife. Had her pick the restaurant and surprised me with jar and bar. Apparently stands for just another restaurant and that's exactly what it was or even worst. The service was great but when it came to the food , it was bad enough for me to never step in there again. We ordered the steak medium rare and the salmon ossoboco which didn't make any sense to me but was intrigued to say the least. How on earth can you cook a steak medium rare and it be dry , the brusslesprouts were burnt and raw at the same time. The salmon was dry and it came with scallops which I wish didn't. So easy to sear them but yet failed miserably. Don't know where ossoboco came in the dish. I originally gave it a 3.2 but after a couple days of post drama I down grade it to a 2.2. Pretty bad experience .
Came for the restaurant week (Taste of Greater Hartford) - prix fixe 3 course for $30.22 and also to try the "Sijang Tongdak" (directly translatable to "market/marketplace whole chicken" in Korean) as a Korean. Giving credit where credit is due: great servers/ customer service-oriented, timely food delivered to table, clearing of plates, frequent checking in/water refills by various employees, and quick check delivery. Has a private parking lot. Outdoor seating is cute and has heaters available! (Disclaimer: to no fault of the restaurant, it is, however, right on a busy street with cars/motorcycles/mopeds roaring, blasting music, and honking very close by.) I'll start with the fried chicken- first off, it's not "tongdak" because it's half a chicken- secondly, it is plated/served exactly as pictured in some reviews, which I didn't realize until I had to eat it how difficult it is to eat in an easy/civil manner. It's not cut up in anyway; in other words it's literally half a chicken hacked up, breaded, deep-fried and served as a long strand of meat. Knife and fork? Tried to be resourceful and somewhat civil by using 2 forks like a scavenger and I can't say I enjoyed scavenging for meat as most of it was bone/skin. It was seasoned fine- nothing special, drizzled with a slightly spicy, mostly sweet and tangy sauce that seemed very close to a "sweet chili sauce" which is not usually used in this dish or most Korean fried chicken iterations from my experience. The slaw was fine, light, flavorful, but again seasoned in a similar "sweet chili" flavor way that I personally did not find reflective of what this dish is named. For the prix fixe, my partner chose brussels sprouts, the "land and sea" (2 petite lamb lollipops, 2 scallops and risotto), and the "sopapilla." The texture of the brussels sprouts were great (think oven-baked "fried" kale chips) on the outside and cooked throughout. The appetizer and main courses needed to be seasoned, minimally with salt. The main course was very disappointing in that (1) the lamb was cooked over (ordered medium, got medium-well) and not well seasoned, (2) the risotto was also not seasoned/flavorful in anyway and not textured correctly and the corn, well could've been without the canned corn, (3) there was some sweet/tart raspberry sauce slathered to meet with the lamb and onto the risotto in a less than elegant way that was "off" and emphasized the dissonance in the suddenly small-portioned entree dish. The dessert of choice, sopapilla, came and it was larger in portion than the entire main dish- Think 4 dinner rolls from Bertucci's deep fried and coated in powdered sugar and cinnamon with drizzled honey/syrup on top. From my research, I believe when this dough is fried, it's supposed to puff up the skin to become somewhat crisp and the inside would become hollow; this version was the exact opposite, dense and doughy fried dinner roll that was too thick and chewy. We will not be back to this establishment for dinner/meals in general, but we did notice that a lot of other outdoor diners were thoroughly enjoying the space and weather for drinks. I'd recommend that route, and their very generous happy hour* times and Sunday (entirely). *HH prices/offers apparently only apply if you sit at the bar/outdoor bar area.
Thought this place would be cool to try out based on a TikTok I saw. Very underwhelming in person. Seems to be still new inside, pretty dead on a Thursday night around 6:30pm. I'm always a fan of live music but there was no area to sit where you weren't yelling across the table to your partner to conversate. Food was just okay, not a whole lot of flavor to the corn risotto at all, not worth the overpriced meal.
Was excited to check this place out. Was disappointed by the time the check came. The drinks weren't good. The food wasn't good. The waiter didn't come ask how we were doing or if we liked the food. (Maybe he already knows their food is trash). He just took away our full plates each course. The food wasn't well seasoned. Ordered the lamb. It was supposed to be medium, it was well done. I had to request for a steak knife to cut into the dry meat. The chicken tacos were extremely soggy. The Brussels sprouts were just dry and salty. I got a crème brûlée for dessert. The sugar was barely melted (unmelted sugar can be seen all over). I won't be back. And I won't be recommending this place to anyone. We ended up going to bar taco after so we could have a real dinner and drinks. Service was bad and the food was bad.
I hate to leave such a bad review but this place is all style and no substance. We went on a Friday night around 7 and had a reservation. Outside tables were mostly filled, but inside was half full. We were early so had a the gauvamente and a beer at the bar. The guavemente was ok, super spicy, but it's a premixed cocktail sitting out on the bar so it just lacked freshness. Also the bar had that "college bar" smell lol. Once seated outside (which is very cute) we waited a half hour for mussels that had a decent broth, but several had not popped open and the one slice of bread was not toasted. We waited even longer for our drinks - a bottled beer and glass of wine. After that our food took an hour to come. We had ordered two bottled beers in the meantime and by the time we finished our mains had never got them. We had the 4 different tacos and the banh mi sandwich. The tacos had tender meat but no flavor and just tasted not fresh. The banh mi was nowhere near a true banh mi. No toasted bread (even though the menu said so) and no fresh herbs, minimal pickled veg, no pate, and the pork belly was not crispy, just fatty. They offered tiramisu as a peace offering lol which also lacked flavor. Seems like other people had different experiences with better food, so maybe it was not their night.
I only give 1 star for the service because the waiter was trying to make due with a bad situation. The food took way too long and did not taste fresh and lacked seasoning. Also it took way too long for simple drinks like bottled beer and wine.
Had a business dinner here. They were super accommodating to our party. We were even able to sit outside. The service was great. Manager came and checked on us a few times and the owner introduced himself to us. Definitely will be going back for future work events.
Restaurantji Recommends
Such an adorable restaurant, both inside and with their patio area! With JAR standing for just another restaurant, I feel like the name doesn’t give them enough credit. I was really impressed with the variety on their menu - where else can you find tacos and sijang tongdak? Everything was delicious. Our one critique was that the salmon in the salmon ossobucco seemed a bit over-cooked, probably due to the fact that the scallops were in the middle. We really enjoyed our meal, and the Virgin Mariposa was the best mocktail i’ve had! I was addicted to the chicken drummies and could eat those all day, every day. The sijang tongdak was super flavorful, and I loved the How Do You Like Them Apples salad. I would love to come back and try more of their menu!
Such an adorable restaurant, both inside and with their patio area! With JAR standing for just another restaurant, I feel like the name doesn't give them enough credit. I was really impressed with the variety on their menu - where else can you find tacos and sijang tongdak? Everything was delicious. Our one critique was that the salmon in the salmon ossobucco seemed a bit over-cooked, probably due to the fact that the scallops were in the middle. We really enjoyed our meal, and the Virgin Mariposa was the best mocktail i've had! I was addicted to the chicken drummies and could eat those all day, every day. The sijang tongdak was super flavorful, and I loved the How Do You Like Them Apples salad. I would love to come back and try more of their menu!
Great find at Just Another Restaurant (see what they did there??). Probably the best and most perfectly crafted cocktails in town. Def in my top three places to go if you want a proper cocktail. Nico is the maaaan (hopefully I spelled that correctly). We did order some food to take home, Cuban sandwich -- very flavorful but not a true traditional Sammie (bread was ok and not pressed).. Look forward to going back soon!
Great spot, drinks are on point. Bar is always happening, with DJ several nights. This is a locals fav and worth the visit. Swing by have a fancy espresso martini or a slick craft cocktail. Cheer!
The food here is pretty good, we tried 2 apps, the nachos, which were good, but nothing special, and the steamed sliders, also good, but not really different than anywhere else. The setting and service were both very good. However, 2 apps and 3 drinks brought us to $75 before tip. For that kind of money I expect be be very impressed with the food and $11ish for a rum and Coke!?!?Nope.