Chicago Sam's - Berlin Road, Cromwell

We had a company after work gathering here. Since we had a big group the service was attentive. There were good selection of beers and cocktails. The place was spacious inside with lots of TVs, pool tables, darts, etc. There were outdoor seatings as well although I would not feel comfortable sitting outside as there were speakers playing music too loud. The food was okay, typical bar food, less impressive. A good place for happy hour or just for having fun.

The guy next to me had about 2 inches of foam on his beer. I ordered nachos and after about 15-20 minutes I asked the bartender about it and she said she forgot to put in the order. She didn’t seem like she cared either. Seems like they hire by cup-size instead of brain size.

We have been here many times since this bar is so close to where we live. It is huge with lots of TVs to watch the games and that’s the main reason we come. I can’t remember one good time where we had a good experience. Service is always poor. The girls talk in the corner when people are waiting to order drinks. If it’s slow, they know you’re waiting but their conversation is more important than what you need. If it’s busy, forget it you won’t even get another drink. Mondays are the slowest nights and slowest when it comes to getting a drink. We also came here for the UConn championship game which we knew would be packed. We had 9 in our party and waited close to an hour. There were no table limits so we watched tables camp out and not spend money, while the host sat there and didn’t care to find room for any guests that were waiting. Fresh money was coming in, while people used the tables to watch the game and drink water. My fiancé ordered a yuengling that came in a broken (spiderwebbed) glass, so when he told the bartender, she poured it into a new one! There could’ve been a chipped piece of glass in there so he should’ve been given a new beer. $10 cover on weekends, that doesn’t even get cut off. Friends of mine were charged a cover 10 minutes before last call. Not worth it to come here on a weekend with friends since it’ll cost us $90 just to walk through the door. And if you don’t care about the entertainment and are just here to watch the game (since it’s a sports bar) forget about it. Food is below average, frozen appetizers with overpriced wings. Lazy bartenders/servers, sad because the owner is great and the bar itself is great to watch sports.

What a beautiful night I hadn't been there in years but this place hasn't lost its touch plenty of room good music and wonderful food. The gentleman at the door was very friendly and very nice I like the way he treated the customers when they came through the door he made them feel welcome good job. I was able to perform with the band they did a wonderful job. Carla and Daryl stole the show I'll definitely be back thank you for staying true to a changing community. Bag Man approved

I did not go here to watch a game, or see a band. My review is based on my impression when I went there for lunch on a Friday afternoon. I gave it a 3 because everything about this place screamed average sports bar to me. The front entrance is a little confusing because the door is on the far right. It’s not where you would expect to walk in under the main sign. When you walk in, the room size is impressive with tables, TVs, two billiard tables, some arcade games, and the bar right in the middle. I sat at the bar and waited a few minutes before the bartender, Sam, greeted me and got me a drink. I found out Sam is also the manager who happened to be bartending during the time I was there. The service was just as fast, or slow, as I expected from a typical sports bar. Sam seemed to know everyone who came in the door while I was there which came as no surprise to me at a typical sports bar. I ordered a fried chicken cordon bleu sandwich and it was nothing to write home about. It wasn’t more than I expected and it was worse than I hoped. It was a typical bar food chicken sandwich. However, I don’t think it was worth the price I paid. I used the bathroom and it was moderately clean since it was still early in the day. The water to wash my hands was ice cold at the sink, which is always disappointing. Then when I went to cash out with Sam, I noticed an attractive female coming in to work her shift bartending. Again, this was expected from a typical sports bar. If you’re looking for your average sports bar to watch the game, hear a band, or have a few drinks, then this place should fulfill that desire. If you’re expecting to get blown away by something more, I’m not sure you’ll find it here.