Bidwell Tavern

What happened to the Bidwell? Picked up my favorite southern fried wings to go yesterday, as soon as I opened the box, a funny smell came out! One wing was hard as a rock, as if it had been fried multiple times, one was a «chunk» with bone shards and feathers sticking out, second time this has happened in the past month and I will not be going back after 20 plus years! Horrible! And sad!

Oh, Bidwell, how I love thee. Wings are amazing. I’ve also had their steak, which was also very good. My husband loves their nachos. Also, they have patio seating, which is lovely on a nice day.

Wings wings wings! Come hungry. Get all the flavors. They’re all good. Old timey historical tavern feeling. Nice outdoor seating. Holds a dear place in my heart.

Anyone who went to UCONN, or who partied there, knows about Bidwell. This almost 200 year old building has gone through a few expansions over the years. The once tiny bar and restaurant would often have long lines that went out the door. If dining in the restaurant, you now have your pick of; the original dining room, the addition, or the outdoor (when in season) seating. If you’re planning your first visit, and your party is small, I would suggest sitting in the bar. With its dark wood benches, exposed beams and wood stove, this bar is loaded with so much charm.
Bidwell is known for its wings. This was the first place that I had ever seen a dry rubbed wing. They have a standard Buffalo Wing and some other «wet» varieties, for those who like a traditional wing. You can order from three different sizes; small, large & Tavern. Go with the Tavern, you’ll thank me later. I have tried every flavor on the menu. They’re all great.
If you’re feeling guilty about all the wings that you’re eating, order a garden salad. They make a decent one. The rest of the food is your standard pub fare. If you’re a fan of Cherry Wheat Beer, you’re in for a treat (at least I think so). Your beer is served in a glass with a maraschino cherry at the bottom.

For starters I’ll say that this seems like a very popular restaurant judging by having to wait for parking for over 20 minutes, secondly trying to just place a to go order with the bartender was impossible as she rudely said «I’m too busy you’ll have to find one of the servers «which we did and she was very nice and 43 minutes later we received our food. The common denominator here is you guys need to better staff yourselves for anticipated high volume nights, won’t be going back there.

Always fun. Wings are awesome. Live music is usually pretty good. The family room or patio are a great choice if you want a quieter atmosphere.

This place has some of the best chicken wings in all of CT. They are fried and seasoned (dry rubs) to perfection. On the contrary the layout for the entrance and hostess both has to be one of the worst I have ever seen. You walk in on a busy night and expect to be breathing down someone’s neck the whole time while trying to wait its that clustered. Rocks N Wings are a great summer treat on the available outdoor patio seating.

Updating my review based on my latest trip. So last time I wasn’t thrilled and I was wrong. I must’ve ordered an item that I didn’t care for to begin with or perhaps I was cranky because of the hot weather while sitting on the back patio. Well anyway very pleased with tonight’s visit. Always had a cold beer. Wings were great. Service was exceptional. Very pleased this time.

I’ve been here twice now and I have to say it’s probably going to become a regular place for my husband and I. The food is good and the waitstaff is very friendly! The main downside is the wait time– I wish they took reservations! But the meal will be worth waiting for.

One of my favorite local establishments. Friendly service and easily the best wings in the area. Casual atmosphere is perfect for any occasion.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the food. Nice little place but not for me. I will go elsewhere if I have a choice. Great for just a beer though.

Food is consistent and priced reasonably. The wings are outstanding. Live music most nights. The staff is attentive and the atmosphere is interesting being located in a building built in the late 1800’s. Crowded often especially on Wednesday’s when it’s «Rocks and Wings» night — bucket of Rolling Rock and Wings for $ 23 bucks. Can’t beat that!

Still great! Used to go as a UConn student nearly ten years ago and still return as often as I can! Always a good crowd no matter what time of day. Started with the Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat on tap. It continues to be the only place I know that puts an actual maraschino cherry in each glass! Placed a large order of wings, with the two flavor choices being honey bbq and oriental sesame. The wings are still in my top 3 ever list. Breaded, crunchy, flavorful, and incredible! They offer roughly 20 options for suave favors. You’ll be sure to find one that suits you. Always enjoy the old school rustic tavern environment. Can’t wait to go back again!

Always good food!!! We usually sit in the bar area and are taken care of right away! Would definitely recommend!

When I first arrived, it was a bit of a hassle being seated. We were not spoken to by any employee and a hostess was nowhere in sight. Eventually, we were sat. My group of three ordered the buffalo wings as an appetizer. Those alone made up for the wait to be seated! Best wings I’ve had in a long time. For my main course, I had the special at the time which was a buffalo chicken wrap. I received breaded buffalo chicken in my wrap, which was a bit of a letdown, but not bad on the tastebuds. It’s right near UCONN, so it’s a great spot to eat after taking in a game.

Worst run restaurant I’ve ever been to. Went there following a UConn game, they were not sitting people and using open tables because they only had «two waitresses working». The kid working the door essentially just stood there and never sat 1 table in 25 minutes and the dining room was half empty. Only 1 bartender working, she never even looked up because she too was overwhelmed. We left after 30 minutes of waiting, couldn’t even get one drink. This is not the first time we had such an experience at this establishment. How can you not be prepared to handle a large crowd following a scheduled live event which you know is going to bring a crowd. The wings are good, but we’re not giving such a poorly run establishment a 3^rd or 4^th chance. They don’t want our business, we won’t try to give it to them.

Classic dark pine wall with post and beam interior. The vegetarian meal selection was nice and the two v-​burgers with fries were excellent. My one suggestion is for the manager to update the beer menu’s on an as needed basis and include both a description and price. Although our server was extremely familiar with your selections and described them well, she failed to note the high price of the ipa. At $ 8 it was well worth the 10 ounces but the patron should be made aware of the price. This restaurant has at least 4 microbreweries to the west and others that surround it. Please expand your offerings to include more CT brews.

Best wings in CT… hands down!!!
Plus Jacko travelers beer… soooo good!!!
I drive 45 min 2 get there and would gladly do it every day for there oriental sesame wings

Not my fav place. Has an old greasy smell when you walk in. Vernon Pizza has better wings than Bidwell. Bidwell needs a remodel that represents current times.

Their chicken wings used to be very good. But now they are becoming more and more greasy. Last time they made me sick.
They are also famous for their beer selection. Unfortunately I don’t like beer.

Solid wings and a staple of every UConn reunion trip

Regular visitors of the Bidwell! Good tap beer selection and many of the bartenders are awesome at letting you try new taps. There are some older people who seem like they have worked there forever that are a bit crabby but other than that no complaints.
Try the chicken wings with the pepper garlic sesame so delicious!

We dated at UConn in the 1970s and this was a favorite hangout on Saturday nights. So, 38 years later we decided to see how it was. It still had its classic charm with wood stove and guitar player’s corner. The bar seemed bigger than I remember but was well constructed. There seemed to way more tables than in the past so the bar area is pretty tight when its full of people The wait staff seemed nice and we enjoyed the wings for an appetizer and a couple of drinks. The main dining area seems more roomy and if we were eating dinner only, I would probably sit there. So its still crazy after all these years. Good selection of food and beer (although more local beers would be welcomed).
So for drinks and fun pub food its still a good place to hangout, maybe we’ll make it back before another 38 years goes by!

I like the warmth of this place in the winter. The heat source is a big old wood stove. Good beer selection. It’s not extensive but 20 something drafts and a dozen bottles. Good bar selection. Wines aren’t much. Serviceable at best.
Last couple of trips I have been disappointed by the wings for which they are known. In past they have been a little fatty, gristly. On today’s visit they were back to there old self. Meaty, moist and super tasty. Had the hot Mexican spice version tonight.
Better than average bar food, sandwhichs and salads. Huge variety of wings and when they are on they are good.

Thought this place was good. Fun rustic atmosphere and really friendly service. The wings were just OK for me. I thought they were cooked just right, which matters a lot. But the sauces just didn’t do it for me. We tried quite a few flavors. They were good, but they didn’t rival the flavor of some of the other wing locations in CT, including Slider’s.

LOVE all of their draught beers and wide selection of wings.
Most recently we had Amber as a waitress and she was extremely pleasant and was so helpful with my mom’s long list of allergies.
I had their french onion soup on our last visit and although it tasted good, the onions were a little too hard and I could tell they had not been caramelized completely. Their salads are refreshing and dressings are good.
Love coming here for a beer and a casual meal. Excellent legit old world pub charm.

I’ve been here several times always on a weekday I have seen the parking lot filled to capacity and I have seen it nearly empty. I’ve had great experiences here and experiences that were not so great and I guess that’s my issue the inconsistency across the board, this particular visit it was apparent that I was visiting on a down day the place was empty at 6 PM so I expected the service to be at its peak but that was not the case it appeared they had plenty of help but most of the help was gathered around the server’s station hanging out and talking with each other verse waiting on customers or wiping and cleaning off tables.
I ordered the cajun dry rub wings and the hickory wings again the cajun wings were okay but the hickory wings just had a slight coating of some type of hickory sauce that was hickory flavored and cold not a good choice in my opinion. The beer was not ice cold it wasn’t warm but unless you were here to slam them they were warm by the time you reached the bottom if you were enjoying the beer with your meal.
The service was painful our server gave us the impression we were keeping her from something more important. Like I said earlier the next visit could be completely different but after looking at the 2014 reviews it’s apparent the customer reviews are trending down from prior years at the peak of their popularity. The average of the 2014 reviews is 3.5 stars I didn’t do the math but there seem to be a lot more lower ratings than in the past. Yes I probably will return it just won’t be a place I put very high on the list when traveling to the area.

Lunch after a tour of UConn. I’ve been around the State and have never found a restaurant that beats Bidwell for wings. I had a Southern Fried flavor that were exceptional! The Cajan burger was another adventure on its own. Nothing compares to Bidwell’s. Waitstaff were wonderful.