Horizons

Fahkin sucks. Dimly lit, like I’m sitting in in my own coffin, was my first impression. The food was subpar, and the sounds of the owner screaming at his employees in the kitchen was a lovely addition to the ambiance. Will not eat again.

I’ve been living in this area almost 27 years and I had never eaten here until last night. I would rather have my entire extended family over my house, cook for them, do the dishes, the individually bring each one home then ever eat here again. Rod Stuart’s greatest hits was rocking the dining room and gently lulling the hostess to sleep. We were seated along the windows so we could soak in the horizon of Boston Rd. The waitress was nice until she brought out the bread. 2 rolls that were so hard they made the table tip when she set them on there. She then proceeded to inform us that those were the last 2 and she would go to the basement to get more. I don’t want no sketchy basement rolls and neither do you. We both ordered the filet which was slightly higher quality than a ground beef burger. In total 118.00 later and not being allowed to tip the waitress the remaining 32.00 on the gift card really put a damper on this place for me. Sucks

I have honestly never had a bad experience here. All of the staff is excellent and the food is solid. Their salad dressing is amazing and they do a great job with any protein or pasta. The shrimp cocktail is amazing. I wish they were still open for lunches because they were my favorite place, but dinner time is great too. I always feel welcome and appreciated and they are very accommodating if you want something a little different. Wine list is good and we love to sit at the bar and chat with the very friendly bartenders.

Used to be excellent. THE place to go. Not sure what happened, competition or what but it’s not the same.

Great neighborhood bar/​restaurant. Standouts on the menu for me are the Wedge Salad, the mozzarella appetizer, and their prime rib. Until very recently there were two different cuts available, normal and obscene. Not sure why the change, but whatever the reason it’s still a great choice. Great barstaff that knows how to make the classic cocktails. Live music on the weekends. Great local spot.

Ah Horizons, I remember when this was the place to go. I was too young to know why exactly but remember hearing it was a nice spot for adults and «formal» dinners. Now that I have experienced it myself after being out beyond Wilbraham it’s not quite what I would call a «go to» place for nice or formal dinners. Every entrée comes with a salad or soup, yeah, you know the kind of place. I’m guessing they are catering to a very specific demographic who is looking for bang for their buck with a small amount of flair, meaning tuna steak (cooked well done) on the menu. If that’s what your on the hunt for than this could very well be the spot for you.

The food and service is always good. Simple flavors done well. The price is average for fine dine although cocktails are on the high side. The décor is out dated and the room is loud. WARNING they have a unique cocktail policy of a maximum of 2 drinks per hour. Have a beer when you sit and another with your appetizer and you are shut off for an hour. Waiter tried to tell me it was a state law. Please understand this was a Mothers day dinner that we took our 82 year old parents and I had to wait until 20 min after my dinner arrived before I could order my 3^rd, $ 4.50 12 ounce lite beer. Great for the soft drink 1 martini crowd but avoid if you like to have a few beers with your dinner experience.

Had a fabulous meal with some friends. The swordfish was amazing, everyone enjoyed the evening. Can’t wait to go back

Went here for my wife’s birthday last night. A little on the expensive side for what you get. My main complaint was the cook got a little carried away with the salt. The mashed potatoes were way way over salted. The prime rib was good But dam man take it easy with the salt!

Food was delicious

Had a terrific sirloin steak this evening! Just what I was hoping for. Been coming here since they opened about 20 years ago. Consistently great food and friendly service.

A culinary oasis in the desert of nearby Boston Road chains. Top shelf ingredients, a creative menu that prepares standards to near perfection and sometimes with a new twist. Try the Oysters Rockefeller. They are as good or better than any I have had from my years being raised in Boston and Cape Cod. A couple of other places have opened since I started this review but Horizons is still the standard bearer for chef owned places on this strip. The dining room is dated and has and «old’ feel to it but the bar has booths, high top tables… is more upbeat and modern and serves their full menu.

This place probably deserves just two stars but our waitress lauren elevated things to a 3*! went on a very quiet Tuesday night… maybe 8 folks total having dinner… a few more at the bar. I just sense Horizons needs a makeover and soon… actually we enjoyed how quiet it was… had a nice dining experience but the food is just fair. my manhattan cocktail was very good… decent sized pinot grigio for my wife. I had a French onion soup. plenty of cheese but just didn’t taste great. wife had the lobster bisque and said it was awful… no lobster chunks… just a stale taste she said. my salad was barely OK. for the entrees… I had the small prime rib… it was a decent slab of beef… pretty tasty. had a huge mound of mashed potatoes that were totally tasteless. wife had a salmon salad… a special of the evening. salmon was delicious. avocado’s were very hard and inedible and had to be replaced. we used a Groupon so maybe we got what we paid for! place seems like it has a lot of potential. needs Chef Ramsey to come in and straighten things out.

Ok, so here’s the deal with Horizons. It used to be where you went for «nice» dinners out when dining with people who have fairly standard, main-​stream palates. You know the ones I mean — elderly relatives visiting from out of town, maybe a fancy grown-​up date when you’re finally ready to upgrade from fast food and family chains, etc.
The quality of the food is consistent, and the menu is… well, I guess I would call it «elevated familiar.» For instance, I recently ordered the salmon and it was «elevated» by its horseradish crust and frizzled sweet potato topping, and came on a bed of lobster mashed potatoes. All perfectly familiar, accessible flavors. And, as I’ve come to expect from Horizons, all well-​prepared with a nice balance of textures and flavors, and generous amounts of the «good stuff» (salmon, lobster). Service is excellent, prices are reasonable.
The problem is that these days, people expect more. If you’re going to go to the trouble to frizzle your sweet potatoes, fry camembert instead of mozzarella, and put candles and fresh linens on the tables, would it be too much of a stretch to ditch the diagonal wood paneling and plethora of plastic plants? We were seated against an entire wall of them, and it became comical. We actually had to hold leaves to the side in order to see each other or have a conversation that included eye contact.
Sure, there are quirky fine-​dining establishments that disdainfully ignore décor with that «if you care about DECOR go elsewhere; we’re all about the food» vibe… and other places that have great food but are charmingly clueless when it comes to ambiance. The thing that I find jarring about Horizons is that they know better; what you’re seeing is their «try»…and it just doesn’t measure up anymore.
So rather than being my spot for special dinners, this is where I come for familiar, unchallenging comfort food when I’m in the Springfield area.

Two of three in our party got quite ill on the way home. Coincidence? Probably not.

My husband and I had a gift certificate to Horizons and figured that we would just use it. We both grew up in Wilbraham so we are aware the reputation of horizons was upscale, expensive, good food.
Times change. The atmosphere was so out dated, fake dusty plants all around the dining area and curtains that looked like they came from a funeral home. My husband and I said aloud that Robert Irvine from restaurant impossible would have a field day with this place.
Food was mediocre and certainly overpriced. Unimpressed.
Waiter awkwardly tried to make small talk and said «so are you guys just friends?» um, really? So unprofessional and awkward.
We wouldn’t go back again until they get a makeover.

No one part of our experience was bad, but on a whole we kept seeming to strike sour notes.
Firstly, we pulled into a congested little parking lot where there was barely space to pass among the rows of cars.
We go inside. The atmosphere is nice– very dark, very pleasant, great smells. We were intrigued. We get drinks and an appetizer– the risotto got a few mentions on here, so we tried it. It was very bland, very tasteless. At least the tomato sauce it’d been lying in was good. Our soup and salad arrived. The salad was «pretty boring» according to my friend, and while my broccoli soup was good, if I weren’t at a restaurant I’d have assumed it was from a can. The dinner rolls — 2 of them — were hot but very stale. The crusts were rubbery to the point of having to gnaw them down over a long minute.
Entrees arrive. I got the tenderloin tips, my friend got the lobster macaroni and cheese. The tips would have been excellent for a 99, but they felt out of place here– very fatty, rather tough, and one side of one piece seemed to be made out of maroon jelly. On further inspection I saw that that side just hadn’t touched the grill at all– it was completely raw. I ordered them medium and they were pretty bloody.
My friend’s lobster macaroni and cheese was good. The lobster tasted fresh and really added to the flavor. The cheese sauce seemed thin, but then I’m a total macaroni and cheese layman. Thin may be the way to do it, I don’t know.
Afterward, we didn’t feel fulfilled and we heard a nearby waitress mention bread pudding, a favorite of ours. «Ooh, did she say bread pudding? I could go for that.» When our waitress returns we ask to see the desserts. She brings around a tray of the available desserts. Cheesecake, crème brûlée, brownies, cake, etc. but no bread pudding. We shrug, disappointed. We must not have heard that other waitress correctly. We get the cheesecake. It comes with raspberry sauce over it, which neither of us recalls being warned about (we both hate raspberry) and we picked at it. As we did, we hear the other waitress say to another table, clear as a bell, that they have bread pudding. My friend and I look at each other, mouthing «what the hell?»
It wasn’t a bad place at all and I see why others would rate their visits highly but like I said, so many little things piled up into a dissatisfying experience.

The sun has set at this Horizon.
Haven’t been to Horizons in years and decided to stop by for a drink and some appetizers. My first impression as I entered… the place is in need of an update. Went to the bar side and sat at the high tables.
There was a 2 man band playing guitar, piano & singing. Much to loud for that room and the proximity of where the seats were. Not to mention they were very mediocre. It was hard to hear each other talk or make out what the waiter was saying.
Ordered a bottle of wine, 12 oysters and risotto balls. Unfortunately, our experience from here only got worse. Risotto balls were minimal, but was of most concern was the oysters. We order oysters a lot, so when the plate came by and we saw how sloppy they were placed on the platter, we knew the person who shucked the oysters had little to no experience with how oysters are served. All liquid was spilled out over the platter, with the oysters hanging off of the shell. AND they were warm! Yuck! I only had 1 and had to ask that the platter be returned. Serving raw oysters at room temperature is very concerning.
With a full bottle of wine sitting at our table, we thought that perhaps corking it and leaving was the best option. Unfortunately, the waiter took the cork. Minimal. Any experienced wait staff who serves a bottle of wine should know to leave the cork at the table.

Escape the drudgery of Boston Road chain restaurants! I went to this place for the first time last night and it was a great experience.
Great food, nice atmosphere and a great staff. Our server was Christina. Ask for her, she will make your evening fantastic! She was very friendly, attentive and accurate.
Good bar area that had some nice, non-​intrusive live music.
Older crowd. Felt a little weird ordering shots, but did so anyways.
Of note:
–lobster mac and cheese is excellent and so are the apps. Share a couple apps and get the half-​portion lobster mac.
–wedge salad was above average

I’m actually very surprised by the negative review. I’m from Wilbraham originally and this is one of the few innovative and delicious restaurants in the entire town.
I went back recently for my parents’ birthdays and the food was spectacular. I got a horseradish crusted salmon with lobster mashed potatoes. Everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I also had a couple bites of my boyfriend’s chicken risotto and it was DELICIOUS.
The desserts are pretty standard. Maybe not totally worth it.
I love this restaurant and will be back every chance I get.
Pro: Bread, salad, and veggies all come with the meal.