Pantry

This place is great for picking up a quick sandwich or a nice little lunch. Everyone is super nice, the atmosphere is great and the food is awesome. Definitely recommend it if you’re in the Depot.

I ventured from NYC to buy something I found on Craigslist, so I decided to celebrate my survival of that potentially scary ordeal with this charming neighborhood restaurant. I read ‘homemade bread sandwiches’ when I skimmed Unilocal,and that’s all I needed to know.
Got a plain ol’ smoked turkey sandwich on my choice of bread: white, 7 grain or Newfoundland which is white bread with molasses. I thought he said Finland, which made it even more cool, but whatever it’s called, white bread with molasses is SO good. Get it. Eat it. Put it on your face — it’s so soft! The smoked turkey sandwich sounds plain, and it is, but sometimes the simplest things taste best — the turkey was flavorful, smokey, not too salty, and just so satisfying.
The sandwich was $ 6, but I walked out with $ 18 of desserts — three salted caramel brownies which taste like squares of gooey fudge (perfect with a icy cold glass of milk), two pecan brownies (slightly more cakey but still fudgey and every bit amazing), and a slice of chocolate bundt cake because I’m an adult and can eat as many sweets as I want now.
I ate the slice of bundt cake for breakfast this morning. I am going to eat the pecan brownie now before bed because I can, and you should too, if you live by The Pantry!

After day of hiking, we stopped in here to grab a quick bite. There’s a counter that you order from, and although the employees are rather nice they didn’t really acknowledge you until it’s your turn. I would have at least liked someone to catch my eye and let me know they saw me. Most of the places a gift shop selling everything from ceramic ware to kitchen gadgets to preserves and jams. Interspersed among this are some small tables.
We each got the veggie sandwich, on whole grain bread. Came with lettuce, tomatoes, an onion relish (which was rather tasty), cucumbers, avocado, and cheese. It had a seasoned mayonnaise on it, which was delicious, but it sort of overpowered the sandwich. It also made the sandwich fillings rather slippery so they slid out of the bread as you’re eating it.
We enjoyed the sandwiches on a nice picnic table out in front, and it was the perfect end to a great day. I would definitely go back, although I’d like to see a little bit more value.

Consistently delicious food. Cheerful, gracious service. I rely on them for take-​out and for excellent catering.

I cannot say enough about how much I love The Pantry. I have lived in Washington half my life and eaten at The Pantry more often than I should admit. My only caution is that everyone loves The Pantry so you should be prepared for lines and longer waits. Now, for the food…
Breakfast: Eat the quiche!!! This is frequently prepared by Martin who is a phenomenal chef. If you are not into eggs, try the cherry-​brandy scone. This pastry is crispy and perfectly moist.
Lunch: Either eat the oven-​roasted turkey sandwich, chicken salad sandwich or Sam sandwich. All the options are amazing, try them all on the baguette.

A CT classic. Delicious lunch menu, bread baked on the premises, and they cater, too. The dining area can feel a bit claustrophobic (they sell kitchenware), but the smoked salmon sandwich does NOT disappoint.

The Pantry is the go to market and restaurant in Washington Depot for great salads, sandwiches, baked goods, cheese… all of extremely high quality. The Pantry is a community gem, and I am thankful they are in Washington.

The best chicken soup I have ever had and the best my son has ever had (he told me apologetically). I will forever aspire to produce stock this rich in my own kitchen. A smoked salmon sandwich was also noteworthy — generous portion and excellent, interesting accompaniments. Everything here is a winner.

I live in Washington and have been here many times, so I feel like I can make a pretty good assessment of the place.
The food is fantastic — everything is fresh, everything is served and plated well, and the quality of ingredients used is wonderful. You won’t find a bad sandwich, breakfast item, or dessert here. At least, I haven’t had one so far…
The staff is also very nice — they’ll direct you anywhere in Washington or the locations nearby, give you the «real scoop» on certain things in town, and joke with you after you get to know them… they’re great.
Why the 4 instead of 5 stars? It’s just about price point & ambience if you do sit down. The space is congested, limited, and crowded with small kitchen items you can buy. Maybe some people find the items charming… so it’s personal taste.
Frankly, we use them for periodic take-​out and in my opinion, that’s what they’re best for. Have a craving for a brownie, piece of pie or a sandwich? You’ll get a great one here.

The Pantry serves very high quality food to a demanding clientele. The food is superb. You will be hard pressed to find better prepared foods, soups, salads and sandwiches anywhere. The owners are almost always present, overseeing the restaurant operation with loving pride. They are welcoming and always friendly. It is always a treat to go to the Pantry. I love it here.

Wish it was as good as I had hoped. How can you bake a tasteless coconut chocolate brownie??? Cute little space.

It was a really cute restaurant in a very small town. It’s popular amongst all the townspeople.
You can get take out (cheaper prices) or a sit down meal.
The sandwiches are really really delicious and special… I say this because:
+ It’s all made with homemade bread… really really delicious homemade bread.
+ the roasted turkey is not «deli meat,» they are big chunks of turkey
+ they give you nice thick portions of the sandwich.
I also highly recommend the chicken salad.
It was a really quaint place… the small seating area is surrounded by shelves of goods for sale, from olive oil to pasta to local chocolates to kitchen utensils, etc. Cute little aprons are around the store as well.
At the counter, you can buy all sorts of homemade desserts as well. Everything looks really cute and delicious.
It’s a must stop place for lunch if you’re in town!

If you’re looking for fine dining and nice atmosphere, go elsewhere. But if you’re looking for outstanding gourmet food that you can take with you, with incredible choices of things like cheeses from around the world, homemade breads and exquisite cheesecake– and a place to buy gifts for your snobby relatives, then the Pantry is perfect. Hint: Bring wads of cash.

Found the spot to be just OK… BTW, have they folded?

Hmmm. I’ve never experienced any difficulty with the owner of this establishment. He always seems like a nice, sensitive guy to me.
I love The Pantry for being one of the most classy, delicious, yet down-​to-​earth restaurants in NW CT. The food is delicous. Last time I got the cheese, fruit, and bread plate and the local brie-​like cheese was absolutely wonderful. The bread that came with it was very fresh indeed. The fruit was like, one cut up strawberry, but who cares? The bread and cheese were very fine, and I got them for like nine bucks.
I guess people may have a beef with the lack of atmosphere, but I like hanging out in beige and pink effete gift shops. So suck it. Anyway, The Pantry FTW.

Tasteful and mindfully prepared homemade foods. A 3 star by normal means but given the lack of options in this area it gets a bump. No Internet in this area so prepare in advance. Café and shops here are decent as well but not a lot of population to merit highest quality or Darwinian survival creating the best, despite the costs!

I was planning to be in Washington Depot and I decided to try this place because it gets a lot recommendations over on the Chowhound boards. And now I ask myself, why do I listen to those people? Food 3, Atmosphere 1, Environmental Ethics 5.
So. I got an above-​average roast beef sandwich: nice pickled onions, spicy horseradish that wasn’t too «saucy,» lovely roast beef and tomato, outstanding bread. So far so good. My lunching companion got the chicken pot-​pie. No comment — a bad sign, coming from this particular lunching companion. We also got a basic beet and apple salad. And the carrot cake, which is the kind I don’t like: a spice cake with a few flecks of carrot and a cream cheese frosting that isn’t tart and tangy enough.
You got to hand it to The Pantry, though. They are serving tarragon chicken salad and a hundred kinds of slaw and root vegetables and roasted turkey platters and, I guess, keeping a certain New England, Martha Stewart, Kate and Allie Caterers spirit alive. And I guess they’re doing a good job of it, foodwise.
What was really a problem was that the staff were totally overwhelmed during the lunch hour and you felt it. Pretty plates were headed for the dining room and the lunch line was long, but I’m sure it gets that way a lot; it’s a popular place. They prep things from scratch and heat things for you, which does take time, but everyone seemed hurried and tense, like *they* felt like it shouldn’t take so long, or like they’d had some kind of kitchen catastrophe earlier or something. The staff didn’t seem to trust one another to each do their part.
And the «gourmet store» décor is pretty annoying. Most of the stuff in there isn’t that special as far as I’m concerned. The picnic tables outside are nice enough, except, let’s face it, they are in a countrified parking lot.
I think my favorite thing about this place is their environmental choices: they compost their veggie waste, they have a second trash can out back for «chicken feed» and they pack your to-​go food in paper containers.

the quality and preparation of food are quite good at the pantry, and, unlike some other reviewers, i’ve always found the staff to be both friendly and helpful. on the downside, the prices are high, the place is closed on sundays (which is a bit bizarre in a town that is substantially populated by weekenders), and the décor is kind of estrogen-​heavy.

Remember the famous «Soup Nazi» episode of «Seinfeld»? A similar service experience is alive and well in the hamlet of Washington Depot, Connecticut. This is not to say that the Pantry’s food isn’t good; they offer a variety of freshly cooked meats, interesting side salads and above average deserts. In fact, much of it would be well worth a visit if it weren’t for the pompous and uncaring attitude of the restaurant’s proprietor. Shin E’s description of «an air of condescension» is totally accurate if not an understatement.
I’ve been a resident of the Washington area for years and have dined and purchased take out food at The Pantry many times. It’s unfortunate that the restaurant suffers from the bad attitude of its owner, who obviously doesn’t realize that a lack of competition is not an excuse for poor service. No food, no matter how good, is worth enduring rude, indifferent, arrogant or dismissive behavior on the part of a restaurant’s owner or staff. A walk around the corner to the GW Tavern or a short drive to the neighboring town of Litchfield both offer great food without the attitude. Spend the extra 2 minutes on foot or the extra $ 1 in gas… it’s worth it, and you’ll be pleased you skipped The Pantry.

Let me start with why I gave this place at least a few stars — the food is TERRIFIC! I had a ginger soup that was fabulous followed by a cheese plate that was the steal of the menu, in my opinion. I had a cookie to go that topped it all off. All else on the menu is rather overpriced, befitting the geographic location of this quaint establishment. The reason I gave it only three stars is due to the service. We were served with an air of condescension and I asked repeatedly for water, silverware, bread, dressing, etc. I felt like one of those nagging patrons, and yet I wasn’t requesting anything unusual. If you need to purchase a card or gift, drop in to judge for yourself.