Restaurants near Lunenburg

“Smokestack does everything right.. I have visited many coffee shops in my years .. Very few have great coffee and great tea.. And even fewer have tasty baked treats to pair with your beverage of choice . Smokestack does all 3 right .. Not to mention the great staff that has a smile and a warm welcome for you when you enter .. Always worth the ride .. I wish you guys the best”

“Omg the cake batter & purple cow. If they were to ever stop making them I would die.”

“Great Food! Great Staff! Great Value! Great Experience Overall!”

“Hands down the best place ever!!!! Our waiter was the sweetest man in the whole world and made our birthday dinner so special!!! He went above and beyond for us with hot tea and mango sticky rice! The food here is phenomenal and atmosphere is amazing! 100/10 would always come back!!!”

“We really enjoy our visits here. Great drink and food options. Cozy relaxed casual atmosphere and friendly people. They have pool and darts that see a lot of love. Try the steamers and the best ever fish and chips when they are offered. Or grab a very tasty burger and fries! Will return often!”

“TLDR: Good food, reasonable prices, and a cozy atmosphere make Il Forno in Lunenburg a worthy place to try instead of a generic, big chain restaurant.

Details:
I have driven past Il Forno more times I can count but have never tried the place. So, when family recently said they'd be in the area and wanted a quick visit, I proposed going to Il Forno for lunch.

The parking lot has ample parking and is easily accessible. Upon walking through the main entrance, the vibe is calming with dark wall colors, high-backed booths (the seats are very comfortable), and low lighting. The windows for booths along the wall near the recently built addition have light filtering blinds and window dressings to keep distractions to a minimum.

We were seated promptly by the hostess and given menus. Our server, Carrie, approached the table to introduce herself, go over the lunch specials, and get us drinks.

There weren't many other customers so we had the building basically to ourselves. The atmosphere is very cozy, but a tad too dark. I think lighting could be better.

The lunch specials had a variety of offerings and very reasonably priced. We were offered some garlic bread which was hot, crisp, and very garlicky which was great.

I settled on the Crispy Spicy Chicken Scampi: Crispy fried chicken cutlet over angel hair pasta in a lemon, garlic butter wine sauce with diced hot cherry peppers, scallions, and tomatoes.

While I usually take pictures of my food when writing reviews, I don't when with company.

The food came in about 15-20 minutes or so. Presented on a simple, recessed white plate in perfect portions was my crispy spicy chicken scampi. The smell of garlic, butter, and tomato was very much prevalent.

The cutlet was a little smaller than I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't a show stopper. Actually, the ratio of chicken to pasta was perfect for a lunch portion. The cutlet was lightly breaded, juicy, and fried to give a nice crunch without being overdone. The pasta was al dente and there wasn't a mountain of it.

The lemon garlic sauce was the star. Packed with garlic (which I loved) yet had a nice balance of the lemon and wine keeping it light-tasting and not heavy. There were smatterings of chopped scallions and chunks of cherry peppers and tomatoes to round it out.

As for the spicy aspect, the garlic not withstanding, it's a mildly spicy dish. There is a pleasant "heat" to it which most people will enjoy. It certainly won't cause you to breathe fire or have unpleasant side effects post-meal.

I saved some of the garlic bread and used it to lap up the remaining sauce. A testament to how good it was.

Carrie checked in on us twice to make sure we were set so that was appreciated. Most often servers are MIA or show up too often.

Overall, Il Forno was a simple, no-frills experience of good food and atmosphere. I will be going again, for sure, maybe for dinner to have that experience.

If you are in the area looking for a decent place to have lunch, definitely check out Il Forno.

Parking: Lots of parking in front and on the side of the main building.”

“The food here is not the most amazing Mexican I've ever had, but probably some of the best in this area. But the tortilla chips! I always judge a Mexican restaurant's chips based on how they compare to Ixtapa's. And of course, one of the best parts of this place is the fun decor, which always puts me in a good mood when I go. The staff is great, and the service was great. The bathroom situation was weird last time I went in, and it seemed the door to the women's room was having trouble closing all the way, but I think this may be an anomaly. Last time I came in we had a party of 12 that decided to stop for lunch here on a whim, without prior reservation on a Saturday afternoon. We fully expected it might be an issue, or we might have to wait, but they were great about accommodating us and getting us seated almost right away, which I really appreciated. They also were very helpful to the members of our party who had dietary restrictions or were vegetarian.”

“Great food,service and drinks.”

“The pepperoni pizza is absolutely delicious!!! Best Pizza I've ever had from pizza shop!!!! All the pizzas are Delicious!! My son has had several different ones... Thank you for staying open during this Covid-19 crap!!!”

“Super fun Place for golf practice or just to have a good time swinging at some golf balls...”

“I’m giving 4 stars because 1) the coffee and food I get every time is great. Always tastes the same and is very good! But…. 2)Every time I go I order the same thing, a medium cold brew and a sausage and cheese on an English muffin, nothing else, and it’s a different price every single time. Yesterday I paid $7, today I paid $9.23. The first time I went I paid $4.52. I’ve also paid $8.73, for the exact same order.”

“Great lake side bar, it's cozy inside great atmosphere but can be a bit loud when busy. Good bar tenders. Food is typical bar food boring special. It's a fun spot to go to with an outdoor area to smoke and drink. You don't come here to eat you come here to hang out have a good time and a couple drinks.

Wheelchair accessibility: Is wheelchair accessible.”

“Love frozen, crafted cocktails with fresh, seasonal ingredients? Then get down to Bad Larry’s now for Jaclyn’s incredible menu of the best drinks in town! Obsessed with her frozen banana mudslides, frozen strawberry mudslides and espresso martinis!! Look at these things - YUM. She’s the best bartender I’ve seen and every cocktail I’ve tried is so different and delicious, plus she’s a doll!! Awesome food and vibe, too. Love this place.”

“They have the best sushi around. I’ve been going here for years and have only ordered sushi because I can’t seem to stray from it ? I’ve been ordering on a weekly basis”

“Had the orange mango frozen drink for the first time and it hit just right! Loved it! Went real nice with my croissant sandwich and hash browns side. Just hate the way their eggs taste. Been asking for the sandwiches without it lately.”

“Friendly Dunkin Donuts. Had a good selection of donuts and it was later in the afternoon.

Parking: When there is a line at the drive thru; going in is the way to go. Always plenty of parking.”

“The crew are always friendly and knowledgeable. I've never had that long of a wait, both drive thru or inside. Manager and crew make you feel welcomed. My order is always correct. Even on the rare occasion they don't have the donut I'd like, they have a great variety to choose from.”

“Place is open and food is great! Check out this nice spot!”

“Cravable food, awesome beer selection, super cool staff, great vibe.”

“Amazing atmosphere from the second you walk in the door. Absolutely friendly and knowledgeable staff. Very accommodating and the food is 5 star quality. Four of were there for dinner for the first time and we were treated like daily regulars. Our waitress was in point and welcoming. Definitely will be a return destination for all of us.”

“This has to be my favorite dining experience I can remember in New England. I had never had Korean food in a real dedicated Korean restaurant like this before this so I had no idea how many extras you get! So many delicious free sides with your entre. This is definitely a hidden gem and authentic. The wonderful woman who waited on me made me feel like family and was just delightful. The pricing is beyond reasonable. The food was fresh, portions were hearty, and every last dish was absolute heaven and the best POSSIBLE representation. Nothing let me down and it all FAR exceeded expectations. I don't really write reviews very often but honestly, this place deserves to thrive.”

“Great tacos and service at reasonable prices . As authentic as you can get. Had adobado (pork) and shrimp tacos. They were both very good but my preference is for the adobados.”

“Growing up in Europe and being spoiled with different cafes I always look for new coffee shops and I'm so glad that this one is just so close to where I work. I just brought two of my friends visiting from Hungary this morning and they loved their coffee and tea. Keep up the good work guys.”

“So so good, we were so impressed. My 4yo who never sits still, devoured her whole meal. The atmosphere is so cute, so I was a little worried about bringing my kiddos in, but they were so friendly and genuinely seemed to embrace the silliness of littles. An experience that we are grateful for!”

“Birthday celebration at Brady’s. Chef brought out a 4 week aged Tomahawk steak for the birthday boy. Brian took excellent care of us and made most of our meal/wine decisions, which I appreciated. The best dessert - toffee top pudding. We will be planning our next event here”

“We are an entertainment service company that specializes in small ensemble/DJ combos. We performed at our first wedding at The Herb Lyceum in early October and were blown away. First of all, the garden and grounds are LOVELY, the food is OUTSTANDING and the staff were all WONDERFUL. Everyone there was friendly and professional, and truly allowed us to do what we do best, and we felt fully supported to do our jobs. Often with outdoor venues, we have issues with power, but not here! We had ample power for the ceremony, dinner reception and the dance party under the tent, running some heavy wattage sound and lights. We very much look forward to coming back to do more events in the future!”

“My wife and I just left Logan’s table and I have to tell you it was one of the best dinners we’ve had in a long time. I had the Ahi tuna meal and it was one of the best Ahi’s I’ve ever had my wife had the shrimp and scallop genovese and she loved it We will definitely be back great job by all and the service was also great”

“Shout out to wonderful workers there! The “pick up” team member saw me walk in sweaty and tired ( mid run on a 90 degree day) grabbing a Gatorade and water and immediately made eye contact and said she could help me so I didn’t have to stand in lane with the lunch goers. She was pleasant, efficient and I was so happy for the understanding and fast service!”

“Tried their #1 plate tonight! Excellent! I will most definitely be back again!”