The Elbow Room
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
18 Reviews for The Elbow Room
No way, no how, could I ever move to West Hartford if this is the best of the best. Gah. Every one around these parts loves this place.
So forgettable I forgot what I ordered.
I do remember that the drink I ordered was weak, and described inaccurately. It wreaked of coconut (which I kinda hate) though there was no mention of coconut in the drinks' description.
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WHAT PART OF "HASH BROWNS" DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!
I ordered a dish that was described as eggs on top of hash browns, covered with melted cheese. Sounded perfect.
What I got:
Eggs on top of HOME FRIES (not even very good home fries) with a touch of burnt cheese at THE BOTTOM OF THE DISH.
This is an outrage.
This, combined with the slow service, weak bloody mary and hideous decor equals a 2-star review, which I think is being generous. I'm not sure why this place is as popular as it is. Perhaps they put something in the West Hartford water supply that kills the resident's tastebuds and lowers their expectations.
Sad. Very sad.
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Huh. I guess a lot of people hate this place. Admittedly, if I went there to drink at night, or if I was going there for dinner looking for a gourmet meal, I'd probably feel similarly disappointed. However, this review is for my experiences that I've had solely at lunch time.
I had a really enjoyable penne pasta dish with duck meat and a sun-dried tomato cream sauce. I was really expecting it to kind of suck, but it was delicious. The pasta was NOT overcooked, much to my surprise, and the flavors worked really well. Also, for $9 it wasn't badly priced, and the portion was a good size.
The same problem with service that everyone else has had also showed it's head while I was eating at the bar. It took forever to get me water, a refill on my water, and to get my bill paid so I could leave.
Other than that, though, I'll happily go back there for lunch again and see if they continue to make me happy or not...
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Why so much hate?
Our waitress was awesome and cute, she picked an even more awesome and hot dessert for us and the food was quality.
Upon walking through the door I asked the bf if it was going to be DB central there. He replied affirmatively, YES.
Yeah so there were lots of guys in Ed Hardy t-shirts and slick hair, lots of girls who shouldn't have been wearing hot pants but it was fun.
Way more casual than I had anticipated and then menu was cool. Most of the appetizers were fried so I didn't get any, (apparently now I care about fried foods).
For dinner I ordered the goat cheese stuffed zucchini, and the zucchini was charred and delicious, the greens on the side were blah, and it came with a heap of hummus. I asked the waitress what I was suppose to do with it and her response matched my bewilderment.
My boyfriend's stuffed peppers could have been seasoned more but we loved the biscuits and the toll house cookie pie was a spiritual experience. I drank Ravenswood, its an old standby.
4 solid stars because I look forward to going back and we will wear the appropriate DB attire.
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Why eat here? Drink here. Among Hartford's lonely list of outdoor seating areas, and a good one at that. Tiled waterfall, heatlamps, cougars and WeHa yuppies and youngters. Some fake tans, some fake boobs, some douchebags. It's Hartford, afterall. It is a tad snooty, but when in Hartford during the summer months, the Elbow room is a go to. Top shelf, bottom shelf, they pour 'em quite well. Just make sure you get a seat, otherwise, happy standing for hours!
The Elbow Room is a great place to relax for any meal. Lots of variety and good, solid meals with perfect portions. Prices have gone up a bit, but are quite reasonable. Fun place for a date or for friends/family. Pot roast and mac & cheese are popular.
Cotton candy is a unique dessert offered.
Eat outside on the streetside tables at lunch and eat/drink on the roof for dinner.
I'm not entirely sure what it takes for this restaurant to be successful as the famous mac and cheese, funky decor, and reasonable pricing don't seem to save it from being banished by all of Hartford. The parking seems somewhat limited, the service is crummy, and the items on the menu are truly limited for comfort food and the portions are mediocre as well.
It can get very trendy as the a lot of youngsters hit the place for the roof bar and social scene that tends to accumulate in big numbers in this area. I'm not sure if this place ranks among Hartford's best, or among its worst.
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Service was okay, but the food was mediocre at best. First, despite coming across as a promising dish on the menu, the arugula salad with goat cheese and strawberry vinaigrette was terrible. The portion was very small and no hint of strawberry flavor in the dressing. Moreover, the leaves appeared as though they were sauteed rather than tossed in the lackluster dressing. Second, we ordered the fried calamari--a usual I order in places like this. The calamari itself was okay (although, I would opt for the frozen box from TJ's), but the accompanying cocktail sauce was much too bland without any depth of flavors and the tartar sauce did not make up for this. We were therefore left with blandness and plainness.
Overall, I would have to say that you shouldn't come here for the food. However, I must also note that I did not try the mac 'n cheese dish as other Yelpers suggested.
Casual and comfortable, with good food.
Not the most adventurous place in town, but a good old standby. The Mac and Cheese is great, as are the burgers (mmmm, bison!). The "everything" coated tuna is also a favorite. But most everything on the menu is a decent choice.
They have a really good wine list and lots of unusual choices by the glass.
The roof bar is a bit of a scene and more than I'm interested in at night, but it's a good lunch spot during the week. I prefer the sidewalk dining, where you can people-and-pet watch.
Contrary to other reviews here, I have found most of the staff pleasant. They can sometimes get over-extended, but I've never had a major problem.
Mediocrity personified. I had a salad and chili when I went last week, and the service was pleasant but the food tasted bland. Slightly too crowded and too loud on the roof deck, but it was a cool atmosphere. I think I'll enjoy the bar more than I enjoyed the restaurant.
This place wins WAY too many awards in the "Best of Hartford" and I'm not sure exactly why. The rooftop bar is actually quite nice with the waterfall and everything, but there are no specialty drinks. The food is fine, but nothing to write home about. Overall, good, but not excellent.
I've only eaten at the bar, which is very small, and the food was ok. With so many choices so close by, I would opt for somewhere else
I used to have a great time at this place (or great by West Hartford standards anyway). However, the last time I went there something got dropped into the drinks of my friend and I and we spent the entire night puking. Gross........
Food is good, though drinks could use some work. Summers on the roof are a West Hartford tradition. Crowd varies from college students to middle-aged.
I only have had drinks there, but the chips-fries looked great and the outdoor ambiance is a gem in the snooty West Hartford wanna be hip area. And I have been told the mac and cheese is out of this world. But that has yet to be witnessed, so I will update later. And if you are lucky on the weekends, you might just get some elbow room to rip that rug you have been wanting to bust out. Clear out, here comes the hot stepper.
I go there for the mac and cheese. That's it, I swear!
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I hate this place more than any other restaurant in the world. The menu is tiny and unimaginative, and the waitstaff are total amatuers: once this waitress tried strong-arming me into buying the expensive swordfish, and was visibly annoyed when we all went for the cheapest thing on the menu: the burger. Its crowded in a desperate way. The rooftop summer scene is full of posers. Again, a desperate, weird vibe. During one visit, a friend of mine laughed in this guy's face who she did not know because he was short. At the Elbow Room, this seemed oddly appropriate.
greasy. gross. but fun environment.
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