Grano Arso

Grano did not disappoint we went for the tasting menu - which as tasting menus do changed from our Monday reservation to Friday dinner. Almost called an audible and ordered off the menu but we're glad that we did not. Absolutely fantastic from start to finish with exceptional service. We did order the Eggplant al Forno off the regular menu knowing that tasting portions are usually on the smaller side. These were not, each dish was more than expected. Definitely will return, not even look at the menu and just order blind whatever the chef is making that night.

Grano is nothing short of amazing! The food was perfection & the wait staff was extremely attentive. The arancini (fried risotto) was out of this world...each dish that came out was better than the one before. Counting down the days until our next dinner date at Grano!

I have been wanting to try Grano Arso for quite sometime and my only regret was not doing it sooner. From apps to desserts everything was fantastic (including the drinks). Great atmosphere and service and on site parking was a plus.

Celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary at Grano Arso with my family and we were treated like “Royalty” !
A Special Menu, a gift of crowns from the owner plus the best food, the most fun drinks and a staff that was so attentive and made you feel like family.
I cannot rave enough about our experience.
This will be our go to place for great food, drinks and hands on owners … I highly recommend you join me 🙋‍♀💜

100/10 experience!!!! My fiance and I came here to celebrate our engagement today and had a wonderful experience! The staff were so incredibly kind to us and made us feel so special. The chef came out to congratulate us and also gave us the most delicious compliments. The food and cocktails were phenomenal, great flavor, perfect portions, and beautiful presentation.Today has been incredible and we are so grateful to everyone at Grano Arso, especially Chef Joel, Lani, and Mackenzie, for the most memorable dinner yet! We're already planning for our next meal here!

Our party of 3 were welcomed graciously and shown to our table. The space is immaculate and the staff is very attentive, knowledgeable about the menu and happy to answer questions. The bar selections are top notch and interesting. Our appetizers and main courses were delicious and very accurately described. We were surprised with an extra dish delivered by chef Joel with our delicious entrees of pasta. Dessert was tasty and we were very lucky to be offered a new dessert so decadent and delicious but not yet on the menu. We all enjoyed the entire experience and recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates fine and interesting Italian dining. A very relaxing and inviting space and experience. Reservations are suggested.

Came for a birthday dinner. Had a terrific experience, wonderful staff who never interrupted us a single time yet managed to attend to our every need. The food was delicious, we ordered the bolognese and smoked fish with fish roe, Cesar salad with fresh anchovies, soft shell crab, and shrimp with fave bean (highly recommend). The portions were just right, bread was delicious, and the pasta was cooked perfectly. The price is just as much as places in downtown Middletown for the main courses and a little more for starters but the quality is an order of magnitude better, really incomparable. Our server was knowledgeable about the menus, when asked about the green dressing he mentioned how he helped the chef pick wild garlic greens, the lettuce for the salad was brought in by a visiting chef coming in from New York. If you’re in the mood for big proportions with a lot of pasta and leaving with some left overs, this is not the place to come to but if you want to sit back and enjoy very well made food, I’d pay this place a visit often as the menu changes.

All around fantastic! Cocktails were creative and not too sweet. Excellent wine selection. We had crispy potato for app which was amazing the excellent mushroom pasta dish and squid ink pasta dish. Service was great. We’ll definitely be back!

Really outstanding restaurant with a unique farm-to-table model and seasonal menu. We went here for our anniversary and we were not disappointed. The dishes here are original and complex, with a lot of flavors going on at once. Not only are the dishes excellent, but the craft cocktails are some of the best I’ve had in a long time. Additionally, the staff are very well-informed as to the best pairings for all menu items, so you really can’t go wrong. We will definitely be coming back for the winter to see what new items they have on the menu!

A fantastic leisurely fine-dining experience. We had the chef's tasting menu with the optional wine pairing. Both the dishes and the wine paired perfectly together, and the lovely atmosphere and attentive staff helped us to just relax and enjoy the evening. If I had to choose one plate out of the five presented to have again, it would be the Duck paired with a high-tannin red wine. I wholeheartedly recommend the chef's tasting menu if you are out on a special occasion or just want to enjoy a variety of tastes for a fine-dining experience. The wine pairing elevates the plates to the next level, but the food itself is amazing on its own if you prefer not to drink.

Based on my experience at this restaurant last night, I can say with confidence that the only thing better than the food and the drinks was the service! Steve (or Stephen, maybe?) was an outstanding server. He was funny, knowledgeable about the food and drink menus, and attentive throughout the meal. My friend and I created our own tasting menu and our "courses" were brought out wonderfully. All the food tasted amazing and the drinks were terrific as well! We had one cocktail that tasted like lemon Pledge (I know, that sounds gross) but was still oddly enjoyable. Their menu changes regularly to use the freshest ingredients possible, so don't expect to find the same dishes you see in this and other reviews. But definitely patronize this place for their service.

The food, service, and ambiance is absolutely fantastic here! Nicole, our incredible server, went above and beyond when we needed some additional suggestions and modifications to accommodate a very difficult diet (vegetarian and fish allergy).

My fiancée and I got engaged earlier in the afternoon and visited Grano Arso to celebrate. This was 100% one of the best dining experiences of our lifetime. We are eager to return with our friends and family.

Chef Joel came out to provide us complimentary crispy potato fritti, which was one of the BEST single bites I’ve ever had in my 32 years on Earth. After we finished our main course, he provided us a dessert that is probably what they eat in heaven. SO GOOD.

Every staff member was so friendly and welcoming. Our server Mackenzie was incredibly knowledgeable and quick to answer questions. And the end of the night, she provided us with proseco as the icing on the cake.

Thank you to everyone at Grano Arso for topping off one of the most memorable days of our lives. When we tell our story of your engagement for years to come, we can’t wait to highlight Grano Arso. Cheers!!! -Chris & Amy

I am giving a review of Grano Arso wedding reception. My beautiful niece was married there on 2/07/22. The owner handled everything with ease and class making it so special and allowed the bride and groom to enjoy everything at this classic Italian restaurant. Now onto the food. I have attached a picture of the main courses. It was amazing. Not one complaint from me. The Chef came out to make sure everything was perfect for everyone. Now to the appetizers which were amazing and featured several Italian favorites. I highly recommend. I look forward to visiting here again for dinner.

One of the best restaurant experiences I have had in CT in terms of both service and food quality. Highly recommend splurging for the chef's 4 - 6 course menu and wine pairing ... worth every penny!

We always love Grano Arso, such a fantastic dinner every time. The eggplant and the home made pastas are hard to beat. One of the highlights is usually the drinks as well which are artfully crafted.

I absolutely loved this place. The atmosphere is so warm and cozy, the service is fabulous, they have really unique and creative drinks, and the food is absolutely amazing. You won't be disappointed!

This was such a delightful and fun experience, even during Covid-19! The service was absolutely impeccable, and on point even with certain restrictions in place. The main event, though, was the food and drinks. Absolutely delicious!

For an appetizer, we both split brussel sprouts; and boy were they good. The sprouts were not very crisp, yet they were also not mush. They were in the place where you want them, right in the middle. With them were served red onions, which tasted caramelized; they were sweet. After this dish, I knew we needed more bread to dip into the sauce of our entrees; because if the appetizer was this good, I know I'm going to want to scoop the last of my sauce with bread.

Our pasta dishes were amazing. The various pastas and the bread they serve is all made in house; and you can really taste the difference. It's not heavy like normal pasta, and it has a distinct flavor that I can't really describe here. You leave satisfied, but not overly bloated, which is nice. My spaghetti dish was made with yellow fin tuna, cherry tomatoes, chilis, and rosemary bread crumbs; wow was it good! The sauce was not your regular tomato based sauce, it was slightly creamy, yet not a vodka sauce. It was just delicious. The bread crumbs added a really nice texture; every so often you'd get a nice crunch with the spaghetti. And the spice was the perfect amount, just enough to get the overall mouth heated. And the tuna flavor melded into the sauce, but only a little, so it didn't have an overtly fish-like taste. The cherry tomatoes were cooked with the sauce, and we're very soft because of this. They were like little flavor bombs when you got one mixed in your fork with the spaghetti. It was an explosion of flavor because they also took in some of the character of the rest of the ingredients. And like I mentioned earlier, when I was done I finished off the sauce with my bread. Every bit of that plate was cleaned with that delicious bread. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this dish if you catch it in season.

My fiancee had the Orecchiette and that was also very good! Quite cheesey, and kind of was like a pesto like sauce. The greens were also really tasty! I wish I could remember the vegetable's name, but it was great. What really added a different dynamic and pop was the smoked ricotta. That was a very genius move by the chef because it pairs so nicely with the entire dish. I had only a taste of this dish, so I can't comment on it too much.

My fiancee and I both had drinks as well. They serve them in little glass bottles that were perfectly filled for your glass. they were extremely cute, and novel. It added to the drink's presentation. She had a hibiscus margherita, the hay-li dilemma, and a black manhattan. The first 2 she thoroughly enjoyed, while the last not so much; I ended up drinking that one. I also had a hay-li dilemma. The margherita and dilemma were by far the best. They were sweet, yet also had such a good strength to them. The manhattan was a little much for us.

Original Review - January 2020 -
Amazing food, amazing and VERY clean place. I travelled all the way from NYC with friends to stop by here and it was well worth the trip. The staff and owners are extremely passionate about their restaurant and it shows in the quality and cleanliness of the place. I highly recommend the pan roasted chicken.

Update 6/28/2022 - Food still as legendary as I remember it. Quality has improved over the past two years even though it feels impossible to improve perfection. This is literally my favorite restaurant I’ve ever been to and the 2 hour trip is worth every second. Please do yourself a favor and come here. Get the chicken and pasta.

One of THE best restaurants in CT. Everything they do is fantastic. They use as many local ingredients as they can. All made from scratch. The menu changes often based on what's fresh. Not your traditional Italian menu.