Market Place Tavern | Litchfield

Last summer we drove all around Litchfield county and stayed at a local inn near Litchfield. We found this place by accident and ended up eating her twice. Everything was good including the history- this is an old jail. Great fun.

Very cute spot. The food was good however if you’re ordering the steak frites, I suggest anything lower than medium. The mussels dish was good! The drinks were great as well!

It was hot but this event was hotter! 1st of the interior and exterior was beautiful! We spent most of event outside following our them Sun's Out Buns Out! Chef Roy was on the grill bringing us that heat and good eats! A full cookout vibe! The food and drinks were stupendous and so on point for the theme! From start to finish. Our start off drink was a bomb pop in some bubbly. Amazing! There were also dispensers filled with red, white and blue themed drinks! The customer service was out of this world. Stephanie was the hostess with the mostest you hear me!? We wanted and nothing for nothing, she was on it. The food started out buffet style and when I say it was good, it was good. I did not have to ask who made the potato salad, it was the bomb! While we were eating and drinking good. Out came the biggest burger I've ever seen in my life! They prepared it in front of us, talk about a show! The food and drinks kept coming and the event ended with a bomb dessert, Coconut Pecan Layer Cake w/Almond Cream Frosting Whipped Cream! I was like a cake pop. Very decadent, the flavors melted in my mouth. What an event. Definitely my fav thus far. Highly recommend and definitely would come again.

Today we had an absolutely wonderful experience at the Marketplace Tavern in Litchfield. Having a guest in from out of state, we decided to find a place that would be interesting, historical and also have a good food. This is pretty tough combo to come up with but we nailed it when we picked this restaurant. I would have to say the most pleasant part of the meal was meeting our lovely server, Jen. She was colorful, polite, gracious, quick and so genuine in her desire to make our dining experience pleasurable. I cannot really say enough about her. So often you can find a place with good food, but the service or the ambience is lacking. I would have to say that while the ambience was so different, dining in an old jailhouse was great, the highlight of the day was meeting this lovely woman. The art of service is one that is underappreciated, underestimated and overlooked. So I wanted to post this today so that Jen and all the other great people who serve our meals to us every day, will know how much their professionalism affects the experience of a diner. Thank you for making what was a wonderful meal, even better with your personality and charm. Our guest had a lovely time which was made even nicer by your sincere concern and attention to our experience.

First time at this tavern for dinner on a Friday night and didn’t have to wait for a table. Great food and service and absolutely loved the atmosphere. The restaurant is beautiful! We got the farm to table board for an appetizer which was unique and delicious - and the seafood risotto special and fish tacos for dinner. For dessert, we got the cinnamon crumble cheesecake to go, WOW!!! Everything was wonderful and well definitely return in the future.

One of the coolest restaurants I’ve ever been to! I’ve already loved Marketplace at their other locations, but the Litchfield one is exceptional. I’ve never dined in an old jail before, and I couldn’t believe the cells were still in tact! We were actually seated right next to one, which was super cool. Always love the variety on their menu, and I tried the mac & cheese here, which isn’t available at every location. The short rib was perfectly cooked - so tender! Loved the onions in there too. My friends and I shared the corn dip for an appetizer, which was super addicting. They loved their entrees of the burger and ahi tuna. I’ll definitely be back when I’m in the Litchfield area!

We ate outside and it was wonderful. A few too many motorcycles driving by but that's not under their control. Food was very good. Portions were perfect. All of the staff were great. I'll go back.

Enjoyed eating at this cool restaurant! Definitely worth the trip! Food was amazing and so fresh! I fried calamari for an appetizer and then ordered the jail house burger with a Caesar side salad for lunch ! The old jail cells are so cool to see!

Absolutely love this restaurant. Great menu both drink and food. The bartender was incredibly sweet and came out to the patio to ask my Mom if a substitute was okay because they didn’t have an ingredient for the original recipe, but the substitutes were hardly a compromise, as the drink came out great. Our waitress was super sweet and the service was great. We got the jailhouse burger, it was cooked perfect, with great sweet potato fries. One of my favorite places in Litchfield!

I’ve been to this establishment many times since opening & always forget to take pictures! My favorite gals & I went here during Litchfield Restaurant week. The menu is always great, much to choose from, never disappoints. Portions are a great size. Love sitting outside in the warm weather & having some cocktails. Pricing is typical for Litchfield & for a Market Place.

I’d been wanting to try Marketplace for a while, and I finally did for a girl’s night out. I absolutely loved the food (ordered fisherman's stew-incredble!), service, and overall experience! As someone who appreciates old buildings, I was thrilled to see such a beautiful piece of history re-purposed so thoughtfully.

What a great place. Wait staff was friendly and attentive. Was very busy when we were there around 3:30 on a Friday afternoon. Sat at the bar for a pint until they called us. Glad they had other beer offered, verses every place we go lately serves mistly IPA's... hoppy, hoppy...Blah! Anyhow, husband had the fillet mignon steak sandwich with chips...which was so delicious. Chips were done perfectly(another hard to find). I had the Ahi tuna over Ramen. Sooo delicious! 😋 Not much for parking though. But it was a nice day for a short walk across the green.

The food was delicious. I have to be gluten free and there were many options. Service was fantastic. I can't wait to come back.

Ordered a lot of food from here last night because we had gift cards. Everything was DELICIOUS!! Some of the best food I’ve ever had. We will definitely be ordering from here again!

We had a rehearsal dinner there last weekend and man did they kill it for us. Great atmosphere, great food and great drinks. KATIE the manager there really did a great job under some pressure packed circumstances. About 50 people, no problem they handled it all with ease and made our experience that much more enjoyable. The old school jail atmosphere is a bonus, very very cool. Thank you!

Macie was our server for the night, and she treated us exceptionally. We were well taken care of, got food whenever we ordered it, and she was beyond friendly. Me and my friends will be coming back, and we hope to have Macie (and Emma!) as our servers in the future!!!

Macie was our server and the service was absolutely amazing! Food was exceptional she was so kind and welcoming along with Emma! They both made the experience a 10/10 me and my friends will be back!!

We were a group of 12 that just stopped in. Just so heppen the entire bar top was empty, we all sat. Our bartender, as well as the rest of the staff, was amazing! So friendly and fun. The food... absolutely amazing. Im a picky steak person but their steak sandwich alone, is worth the trip from anywhere. Also tried their crispy chicken sandwich, another great sandwich. Everyone was so happy with their choices. We had sandwiches, poke bowls, pasta dishes and salads and all were great. Will absolutely be back! Also the environment is great

Had a Tavern Burger with Shrimp/Bacon Appetizer. Was great..my server was Tiffany...great gal,great service,awesome atmosphere!!!

Stopped in for early dinner on a Sunday around 4:00, was greated with a warm welcome and seated right away without a reservation for 2 people. Enjoyed the muscles app, highly recommend this dish if you enjoy muscles. It was done in a cream sauce which was a nice touch and was delicious. The salmon was perfection, and my husband had the little bird entree and he raved about it Whoever was cooking in the kitchen Sunday - 👌 excellent!

Stopped in on a random Wednesday at around one o’clock with four in our party. Waited up to 45 minutes for our meals to arrive. Everyone loved their food and the service from our waitress was great. I had to ding MPT 1 Star on service due to the long wait times and the two different size portions of French fries for the exact same meal (didn’t noticed until the end of the meal).

Market Place Tavern has a great vibe and unique setting inside an old jailhouse. Food and drinks pretty good. Salmon was good and would order it again. Crispy Korean Chicken Sandwich was also good. Service was a bit slow and aloof, hard to get someone to get back to the bar area table. Worth a visit for the setting and good date night spot in the jailhouse section.

We had a delicious late afternoon early dinner at this historic location in Litchfield Connecticut. Prompt attentive service a cool atmosphere and vibe and wonderful food/generous persons made for an enjoyable afternoon dining experience. We share the calamari which was crispy and delicious as an appetizer, then we had the fish tacos and a burger. The jailhouse burger was cooked perfectly and was chock full of lots of flavor and a smoked bacon which made for a delicious combination. It's definitely worth stopping in grabbing a drink and appetizer or a decent meal at this historic spot in Litchfield center.

We came here for drinks and appetizers since we already ate nearby. We wanted to see this historic building that used to be the 1812 Litchfield County Jail and the oldest building in town. We sat outside on the deck area. The service was good and attentive. They had a decent beer selection and we had calamari for an appetizer. The Point Judith calamari was tasty ;loved the white dipping sauce it came with but not so much the marinara. My only criticism is, the marinara tasted like it came from a jar and it's not fresh tasting. When you go inside, you can see old remnants of the jail cells. We parked in front of the bank next door. There were other businesses in this building also. Next time, we will definitely check out their entrees. Parking is plentiful on street.

Wonderful place in the center of town. Across from the town green. Historic building. Good food nice atmosphere. Reasonably priced.

What a funky atmosphere. The ambiance is pretty obvious seeing as how it's in an old jail. Lots of yummy beers. I had a flight and was pleased with all of my choices. My husband and I decided to share a few appetizers as our meal. We tried the everything pretzel sticks with beer cheese, calamari and short rib poutine. All were tasty but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away by any of them. I would certainly go back for the ambiance and beer but would venture to try something different off the menu.

Waitress was able to give all the historical data with regards to the building. I had the salmon with butternut squash risotto. The salmon was a large portion. Risotto was delish. Husband asked for plain chicken breast and fries, cheese on the chicken, no veg, no salad, no sauce. It came out with scallions on the melted cheese. It was sent back. It next came out with the chicken/cheese looking good but scallions on the fries. It was sent back again. Third time lucky it was good for eating. After all of that we would give it another try to see if it works out. We went on a Wednesday lunchtime. Bar area was quiet. Pre-tip it cost $58.79 which also included 2 bud light and 1 Chardonnay.

Excellent food! Brussels sprouts and mussels were awesome! As were the fish tacos and affogato. PB dessert was delish.

Had drinks at the bar and dinner here on 02/18. The atmosphere was quite warm and cozy and suprsingly the bar wasnt too busy. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and even itemized our bill to split. For dinner I ordered off of the specials and had chicken piccata, it was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. Highly recommend the expresso martini as they use real expresso and its so smooth.

Overall the food was very bland. The butternut squash soup just tasted like puréed vegetables. My wife’s chicken veggie rice bowl again seemed like they forgot to season the food. I had the Korean Fried a chicken which was legit. Seems like a place where you need to order the right dish or it may not be the best food. Can’t win them all. Good place to sit outside with a dog and have a drink though.

Mmmff Market tav where to begin... This place is such a mix bag of confusion...the vibe, approach, n execution is so different from location to location. Here the overall location is dope but the interior n exterior seating areas feel disjointed...me n company pulled up for lunch on a nice day n sat outside. We got a menu and immediately were left to ourselves...once a server finally came over to us it seemed as though she wasn't even aware we were there even commenting how odd it was we didn't even have place settings. We oredered drinks and as we waited for the settings and the beverages to arrive another person was sat outside near us... that person got their table set up well before ours. We ordered food and decided on two apps and to share a main, by the time we were done ordering the person next to us had already gotten their food... It took them a while to.bring our ordered and we never really saw our waitress at all the whole meal... The Cauliflower bites were ok but needed more sauce, we both thought the lime was a weird touch there.... The crispy chicken bowl was odd too...the chicken was good but there was conflicting flavors going on there but not in the worst way Salad was OK too, we liked the vinaigrette. All n all for the price and the service its bot really worth coming back to the outpost

I came here for lunch while in the area on a Friday afternoon. They had a nice patio but unfortunately it was drizzling a bit so we sat inside. The history of the building is cool, it used to be a prison and the bars and doorways are all still in tact. Our waitress was friendly and checked on us frequently as well. The food menu was a good size and a large variety. However the prices were pretty high and I felt not worth what you got. I ordered chicken nachos and I felt it was mostly chips. The Korean chicken sandwich was a good size, but for the price I expected more. Overall it was an alright visit. Cool building and friendly people.

The staff was fairly nice and the food was really good. There are definitely some operational and management problems at this place though. 5 of us went there to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary and 4 of us got burgers. I ordered the truffle fries and regular fries so I could try both. 2 of our burgers came out first, one of which was mine with only 1 orders of fries. About 5 minutes later, another burger and pasta came out. Then, about another 5 minutes later someone comes over and says the wrong burger will come right out... We corrected them and about 3 minutes later, we all had our food. We didn't go to Applebee's, so we expect our food at the same time.. that's restaurant 101. To top it all off, I ended up with two orders of truffle fries because they messed that up too. Very disappointing.

The location itself is cool. As another review stated, the music is too loud. I thought they were being a Karen, but no it really is obnoxious when you have to yell to have a conversation, with everyone else yelling as well. Ordered the duck fat poutine as an appetizer, which sucks because the waitress never put it in so we let it go once our mains came out. Got the steak sandwich with truffle fries and my husband got the fried chicken special. The best part of the meal was the truffle fries. They were hot, crispy and the perfect amount of truffle. The steak sandwich was really disappointing. The steak had little flavor, the baguette was supposed to be “garlic bread” twas not garlic bread at all. The mushrooms were too thick and a few minutes shy of being properly sautéed. And the worst offense; there was no sauce, nothing to bind it. In all honesty the Steak and Cheddar from Panera bread is FAR superior, which is disappointing when you’re paying triple the price. The fried chicken special again was underwhelming. Definitely a few minutes over and the “mac and cheese” was dry and the “sauce” was broken and flavorless and not at all what is pictured in their marketing. Should have known when the drink menu was an entire page that the food is not the backbone of this spot. On a positive note, they made THE best Shirley temple.

Never had a $21 sandwich was so little meat on it in my life my wife ordered a hamburger medium. It came with raw meat. We waited over 45 minutes to get lousy food and the waitress is very snooty

I’ve had good experiences here in the past, but unfortunately, this visit missed the mark. The meatloaf I ordered was cold and undercooked in the middle, the veggie bowl was mostly cabbage and rice with no dressing at all, and a burger that was supposed to be medium-rare came out completely overcooked—more like a hockey puck. To their credit, the manager did take half off the bill, which I appreciated, but the food quality this time just wasn’t there. Hoping it was just an off night, but it was a disappointing visit overall.

The atmosphere and overall vibe of this place was really cool as it was made in an old jail. In addition our waiter was very nice and helpful. Thats when the positivity ended. I ordered a medium well burger and they gave it to me rare. It got even worse. The outside was burnt. It got to a point where I couldn't finish the burger at all because it tasted like coal straight from a fire pit. The fries were either over or under-fried. That's all I have to say. Overall, it was very disappointing because most reviews were positive.

During a recent visit to Torrington, I decided to look up the old prison converted into a halfway house where I had stayed from 2002 to 2003. I was surprised to discover that it had been shut down and was now operating as a restaurant and bakery, with the old prison cells being used as a display. Patrons seem to find it nostalgic to dine near these cells, (even hanging a skeleton from one of the cell doors…) I find this trend deeply disturbing and upsetting. It appears that the restaurant owner is capitalizing on the novelty of its former use, without regard for the struggles and hardships faced by those who were once incarcerated there. The fact that people can now enjoy a meal in a space where others once suffered is, in my opinion, a travesty. The experiences of those who were formerly incarcerated are being trivialized, and their struggles and hardships are being exploited for the sake of entertainment. I find it deeply troubling that people can engage in convivial conversation and revelry in a space that holds such somber memories. The staff however was pleasant and respectful allowing me to look around and explained some of the changes that were made and helped to recall memories I had lost over time of the place that is now a landmark for a transition in My Life. I shed a few tears as I left the building but I think that could be equated to a final cleansing on that chapter of my life. I know they don’t need my money, but I could not give any of it to this establishment

Okay. So I don’t normally do this but when I tell you… I was completely disrespected. Even that’s an understatement. My date and I showed up around 6:00 for dinner and I ordered the NY strip medium rare. The meals took about 45 min which is normal and as my steak came out, I cut it down the middle and it was well done. At this point I’m hungry but I remind myself that it’s a $40 steak and if I asked for medium rare, I deserve medium rare. I didn’t want to make a scene on my date but he agreed with me to comment. I apologized and kindly asked the waitress if there is anything we can do and she said she’d go ask her manager and takes my plate. 20 min later she comes back and says they’re making me a new one. Also note that the restaurant is DEAD, barely anyone is there. My date has his meal at this point and I told him to eat and not wait for me. 15 min later the manager comes over and says “I’m so sorry we undercooked your steak, we will be out soon with a new one” me “undercooked?” Him “is that not what you wanted?” Me “I’m sorry I asked for medium rare and there was no red in my steak, my steak was roughly medium well” and he goes “it looked medium rare to me.” 👀 my eyes go wide and I go “oh I’m sorry then I ordered incorrectly and would like a rare steak because I like some blood in my steak” and he says “okay” and leaves. 40 MINUTES LATER. I’m so hungry and it’s almost 8 and my meal comes out. I cut into my steak and it’s cold. Blue. And raw. Good thing I took a picture of this steak and I wish I took a picture of the first one. But here is my new steak. Honestly it was so rude but instead of freaking out in front of my date, I ate the whole thing and the manager asks me “how was it?” And I was just so fed up and just hungry at this point, I said “great.” I can’t believe that just happened. I normally see the marketplace as a high establishment and let me tell you, no one I know will be going there again. Learn how to cook a steak and learn how to be respectful to your customers.

Ordered med rare, served a RAW burger in my pick-up order. Literally cold. With a side of stale fries - despite me being there the second the bag was ready for pick-up. The mac&cheese was also disgusting — more like oil & no cheese. And that was after I waited an additional 30 min past when it should have been ready.