The Neighborhood Refuge

Diana Bessire

year ago

Loved the vibe of this cool whiskey bar with yummy food and music on the weekends. It is a church that is converted. I had a salted caramel old fashioned and my husband had a classic old fashioned. We shared a tri tip sandwich which was yummy. Our only complaint was that the rosemary fries only had a seasoning not rosemary in them. We had the cheese curds also. The server and owner were so nice. We can't wait to go back for the live music.

Michael Key

11 months ago

Every desert has an oasis. Neighborhood Refuge is the oasis of Ridgefield. The venue began life as a traditional church, complete with stained-glass windows, vaulted ceilings, and dark woods. Although much of the vibe has been retained, it carries a different spirit now. Instead of pews, guests lounge in plush leather chairs and sip elixirs summoned from an ornate, vintage wood bar. Neighborhood Refuge isn’t just a watering hole—they serve food as well. Shareable finger foods, called “Bites,” range from savory to healthy. Larger plates include sandwiches, sliders, and the obligatory burger. There are also four salads available, if that’s how you roll. I tried the Speakeasy Strips (chicken tenders), which came with French fries. It felt a bit like fish and chips, and I enjoyed them. The joint aspires to be a craft cocktail speakeasy, but it’s not quite there yet. While the base spirits are well represented, several key elevated mixers and liqueurs are missing. That said, they haven’t been open long, so I’ll need to revisit down the road. One note: the food is fairly priced, but cocktails are expensive unless you stick to the menu. If you provide a recipe for your favorite cocktail, it will probably cost more than your meal. Street parking is available.

Tabitha Rodgers

2 months ago

Such good humans here! The entire staff helped me make my husband’s 40th birthday a night to remember. They gave us a private space, the most delightful waitress, and ran with any wild ideas I had to make the evening special. I cannot recommend them enough whether you need somewhere to try for date night, an important event, or somewhere to hang and listen to great live music with friends. I also appreciated the mocktail menu for our sober guests. Last thing…I could eat those deviled eggs all day! Thank you Neighborhood Refuge!

Karyn Grambusch

year ago

A definite "Must Go". This renovated (church?) has such historic charms and great vibes! The server was happy and prompt. We were able to order food from the Greek food truck next door but still enjoy our food on their patio. I'd love to go back for live music!

Julie WA

year ago

What an amazing find! First time visiting the neighborhood refuge today and it won’t be the last. Nestled near the river in downtown historical Ridgefield, find an old church that has been carefully crafted into a bar, a place to unwind, a place to connect with the community and even nature. A neighborhood refuge indeed! Just wow! To enter you walk through the original entrance of the old church and discover a beautiful bar with deep leather couches, variety of cozy chairs and so much eye candy. Loved the extensive cocktail menu but even better they have mocktails for us non boozy friends. After having a few drinks and enjoying the burger and fries (which seemed like fresh potato style fries) we meandered outside to discover an oasis. AND the outdoor area as well as the secondary covered dining area outside are all dog friendly too. Oh we will be back with our Great Dane in no time. Check out their incredible events (ranging from song bingo, ceramics, jewelry making to concerts overlooking the river). Service was attentive and we lucked out meeting the owner which put a cherry on top of our experience and made this place love at first sight.

S Porter

7 months ago

First time here. Sat in the pavilion. Very pleasant, fast & attentive waitress. Nice and warm with the heaters and fireplace. Great creative drink choices. Limited parking. If you want to sit in main building you need a reservation on busy time. Unfortunately they are closed on Mon-Wednesday. Food was good. Mostly typical bar food options out in the pavilion. We haven't experienced the main building yet. Looking forward to visiting again.

Jenah Winkler

9 months ago

Update We came here 6 months ago and I gave her a wonderful review You can see it below and how management replied. But ever since then I've been sincerely disappointed. The staff is still wonderful. Environment is still fantastic and beautiful. But I would probably give the food a two star now. They got rid of all the pasta dishes. And they got rid of the cheese for the pretzels. Now you only get Honey mustard and I hate that. I love the new deviled eggs and the chicken on top. But that's the only thing I like here now. I kept the same five stars on top because I didn't want to get rid of all the pictures. But this is the stuff that I used to love down below It's is sixth month old review the one management responded to below. This place has only been open for 43 days and they have never repeated a pasta dish once. Let me tell you their pasta is amazing probably the best pasta I've had in my life 💕. The refuge burger was good too. I absolutely adored the pretzels with the cheese dip and that delicious honey mustard. I put it on my refuge burger and it was a really good. My husband and I split the creme brulee cheesecake and boy that is wonderful too 😍. It has a lot of delicious complex flavors. This place is 21 and older so unfortunately I can't come here with a family, but it makes it perfect for a date night or anniversary. They have really gorgeous outside seating too. Austin was our waiter today and we really appreciated him. He was very sweet and and attentive. A fabulous experience here tonight. If you haven't tried this place yourself you definitely should. I dare to say it's even better than the Melting Pot and a heack of a lot cheaper. This place feels like a high-end restaurant with affordable prices.

[ Pipp Patton ]

month ago

Just a quick stop one afternoon to check it out. Unique place in an old church. Atmosphere looked good, but there weren't very many people around, as they just opened, so we definitely will go back. highly recommend you check it out.

Katy Satterfield

5 months ago

I came in for the first time today, they had some live music that was wonderful, and I found the atmosphere to be very cozy and inviting. I was honestly blown away by the service, the staff was incredibly attentive and pleasant. I ordered a flourless chocolate cake and some artichoke dip, both were delicious. It arrived very quickly and they were pretty busy. I will definitely be back with my girlfriends!

John Womack

4 months ago

We stopped by after meeting friends for dinner. We saw a sign by one of the roundabouts on the way into old Ridgefield and found it was close to our dinner spot. The old church is beautiful both inside and out. They had live music when we arrived; no cover charge. Our server, Crystal, was very nice and checked in on us often. My wife and I each had a cocktail. Hers was a Leprechaun Kiss which tasted a lot like a Peppermint Patty. I had the best Negroni I can remember. There is a second room towards the back with another bar. We both loved the whole vibe of the place so we highly recommend it.