Smash Wine Bar & Bistro

Great wine. Great Food. Service was great. It nice to be treated well, great atmoshere. I live in the nieghborhood, I will be back again and again. Pros: Great Service, Food more

I live close by and really miss the wine bars from back home. So, I go here as an easy option. I will say their wines are usually quite good (though if you complain about one, they'll bring you a new wine but make you feel like an idiot for doing so). And I guess that brings me to my other point - customer service - both speed and manners are truly lacking. For example, the last time I was there it took over 25 minutes to get a bread plate and when a glass was broken at a nearby table it was never cleaned up, but the wine flight was very good. Pros: Good wine selection Cons: Very poor service more

My hopes were high, but I'll never recommend it. Too bad, as the place is classy w/ candles and wine and cute tables (and big floor to ceiling windows). However, despite an initial friendly greeting, we were seated in the direct sunlit table w/o being offered a choice of tables (empty restaurant). I've never seen a waitress move as slowly as this blonde with smeared mascara waitress did. When she *finally* came to drink orders, she asked a vague question and instead of explaining the menu, she just waited to answer my questions. Minimal amount of "thank-you's". After at least 20 min, I had to walk up to her and tell her, "We've been ready to order.. can I just tell you our order?". "Sure", she said. No "thank you", again. Geesh. I try to give people screw-up room, but really... she just seemed 'checked-out' and spacy. She came to check on us once, and never mentioned anything. It felt like we were in her way, or speaking a foreign language. She would also whisper something to the bartender every time she'd walk away... rude and weird. He was nice enough, but she (is she the owner?) really needs some training. I'd never pay such overpriced $$ for such an unpleasant meal again.... I'm glad to hear others had this experience, b/c the 9.5 rating average sure didn't speak to our experience. Ugh! Pros: Candles and wine Cons: Awful hostess/waitress.... ugh.... more

I guess I'll start with the good...they comped our meals and wine. This is why: We had been wanting to try Smash since it opened in Wallingford and were finally able to make it out for a girl's night. As we were walking in the door another woman shoved her way in and the waitress seated her at the only table available even though her party wasn't there and she went outside and waited for them while her purse sat at the table we could have sat down at. The hostess then reassured us that it would only be a few minutes. Over twenty minutes later we were finally seated at a two seat table for all three of us with the extra seat right in the way of the wait staff. The waitress then took another fifteen minutes to come and get our wine order even though we were ready to order food and wine by the time we were seated. She finally came back and got our wine order and when she brought the wine we had to request to order our food. Our food took over 45 minutes and we were so hungry by that time that we asked for some bread. The waitress did not inform us that our food was actually on its way and so we got our bread at the same time as our food. Not one of the plates was satisfactory. Both of the flank stakes were rare (when ordered medium) and the lasagna was burnt and crisp throughout the middle. The waitress then took our meals back and we waited another twenty minutes to get well done steaks that tasted as though they had been microwaved and lasagna that looked like the burnt pieces had been cut off. When asked if we were okay with the food we replied that it was better but not great. The waitress then said she would pay for our food and then under her breath said "because that is apparently what you want". I would NEVER go back to this restaurant. Worst service, crowded, noisy atmosphere, awful food, and way overpriced. I will say that the riesling we had was good...but it isn't too hard to screw that up. Pros: Wine Cons: Staff, Crowded, Bad Food, Tiny portions, "The laugh", Overpriced, Cold more

Okay, first since it's a wine bar, I feel I should mention the wines. They have lots of them and all the flavors I have tasted were excellent. The owners obviously love what they do and they are very knowledgeable and helpful. Now to the reason for my review: the most amazing carbs ever. The truffle mac and cheese is a miracle in a bowl, never overdone like m&c can be, and flavored to high heaven. ALSO, the "tater tots." OMG, Unspeakably satisfying. Whenever the need to do some carboloading -not in my bathrobe at home- is going to be done there! Pros: Tots and Mac & Cheese Cons: A little strip mall feeling more

My goodness - the flight was superb, first class service, friendly staff and a warm atmosphere (ok not overly fancy, the place definately has a done on a budget feel) But still, one of those places that the minute you walk in you know the experince is going to be like putting on your favorite sweater - it fits, it feels great, it looks good and its comfortable. I had a flight of chardonnays that was generous, delicious and enlightening ( I had some wines I had never had before and they were all yummy) But oh my those yukon gold tater tots were the BOMB - go go go! to Smash... Pros: Good location, great staff, wide selection - delicious tater tots Cons: Parking can be a challenge more

I don't know a whole lot about wine and wine bars usually intimidate me for that reason... but the folks here are always super nice and actually explain things, not act like I'm a freak for not knowing the specifics of different varieties. Their flights are also very generous and I love their cheese plates. Definitely will come here again and again. more

All the best wines. The BEST food and great service. Will go again, and again, and so on...Have been introduced to new wines (with great cheeses, I might add). Pros: Food and all the "right" wines Cons: none yet more

My three girlfriends and I came in the other night for a little wine and food. It was two of our brithdays and we had a little baby with us. The staff was very cool about accomodating the baby and the two birthdays. We had a suprisingly great cocktails, a bottle of incredible red wine from australia, and some food and cheese. The truffled macaroni and cheese was killer, as well as the scallops and dessert. We lingered for hours chatting, and never felt rushed or in the way. We had a grea time there and really loved everything about it. I'll be returning alot after tonight! Pros: food and wine was great!!!! Cons: a little warm, we were right under a vent more

my hubby and i have been to smash several times now this summer. I have fallen in love with the bacon braised greens, i even got the chef to give me the recipe! Everytime we are there we get great service, a booth in the corner, and fabulos food and wine. We love it and look forward to cozying up in the fall there with a great glass of wine! Pros: wine and ambience Cons: parking more

My husband and i attend the Cadence Wine Dinnner held last week. It was one of the best wine dinners i have ever been to. They put on a great little reception, and the dinner was paired perfectly. The sturgeon with carmalized fennel and its wine pairing was outrageously good. It was wonderful talking to the wine makers and the owners were so gracious. I love the fact the staff really cared about making this special and really took the time to research the wines and foods to pair. we are looking forward to coming back for a snack and the next wine dinner!! Pros: great food and wine! Cons: parking can be difficult more

I live in the neighborhood, and I am constantly going for this heavenly truffled dish. Actually I have never had a bad meal, service is attentive and friendly. Last week I had a great French wine flight, the wine menu changes alot which is always fun. I also tried the brulee, really great texture. They serve honey with all of thir cheeses as well, at first I thought that was weird but I have been conformed, all in all just a really fun place. Pros: Good Food, Service, Overall Cons: Limited Parking, Limited hours of operation more

I agree that this place is perhaps not the best for their food, although I am enticed to try new things the next time that I go. Coming from someone who can't get their hands on enough wine and cheese, there are obviously many other reasons to come here besides the entrees. Cheese plates accompanied by pear slices and drizzled with honey are all I really need when I am being served generous pours of a variety of different wines. The flights here really are a great deal--I will be coming back again soon. Pros: Wine flights, friendly service, large selection of cheeses Cons: Overpriced and disappointing food more

The wine was excellent, the service was friendly and reasonably prompt considering how busy they were but the value for the food was very bad. The food is expensive and you get very little for your money. We had a group of 8 and we shared numerous dishes - it got to the point where we were joking about how little food was on each plate. For me, the real kicker was when we paid $4 for "artisan" bread - we got a plate with about 4-5 super thinly sliced pieces of bread with some oil and an herb butter. How can they serve that with a straight face? Most of the food was delicious but if I'm paying $14 for gnocci, I'd like to get more than 5 or 6 on the plate...If you are going for wine and a small snack, this is a good place. The owners are very nice but I felt like I was ripped off and that's not a good feeling. In the future I'll spend my money at one of the many wine bars where I can pay around $25 for food and not leave hungry. Pros: Wine, service Cons: Food more

What an incredible wine selection, over 60 wines by the glass. A personal wine director to give you the in's and outs of wine. My brother from San Fran and I went this weekend, we had an incredible time. We will definitly keep going back. Pros: Service, wine, food more

What a great place. Really good food, a very attentive staff. I had some Syncline Syrah that was to die for. The staff really made sure that we enjoyed our time there, it was a refreshing change of pace. Pros: Good Food, Service, Overall more

I have dinned at Smash on 4 occasions. The wine flights are great and the food is good most of the time (gnocchi was mushy and over cooked). Smash can improve the prices and the ambiance. The biggest disappointment about Smash is the owners poor customer service skills and inability to handle feedback from customers who want to see her succeed. Very disappointing overall. Pros: Wine Bar Cons: Owner's lack of customer service skills, ambiance more

So many things I love about this place. Great wine flights and cheese flights. Tater tots that are to die for. Service is amazing and you feel no pressure camping out at a table for hours. The owners are passionate about wine and it shows. Highly recommend! Pros: Great flights, great tater tots Cons: Wallingford parking can be tricky. Check the side streets. more

My husband and I live around the corner. We discovered this little joint a couple weeks ago. We just love the place, it is always changing and is alot of fun. There is so much great wine to choose from, I love the flights-my current favorite is the pink one! The food was great, I absolutly love the mac and cheese. We had the flat iron steak (cornbread!!) and the gnocchi in pink sauce (yummy). The motlen cake was awsome. The owner brought us out dessert, and she was great to talk to and was very funny! can't wait to go back. Pros: food, wine, people Cons: noisy (on the patio) more

I've been twice and the wines have been outstanding and a good value. First time, the food was 100% delicious. Second time, only 50% of the dishes were good. Macaroni was runny and steak was way undercooked. This place really needs white table cloths, candles, and a new sign out front. They need to hire an interior decorator stat! Constructive criticism was blown off and one server knew nothing about wine! There are the makings of a great restaurant, but it needs a little kick in the pants. Beware 'The Laugh.' Pros: Lots of wines to try at reasonable prices Cons: The Laugh, the ambience, inconsistent food more