The Russell

Pretty good. The cocktails were yummy. Food could be a bit spicier, but very nice place. Very friendly. Few homeless people hanging out outside but they're friendly and chatty too. Hartford is just a nice place. I don't really know that, we literally only spent about 5 hours there, but we had fun.

Great little Jamaican restaurant in Hartford! Have you visited Jamaica and miss it?! Eat here! Hands down the best dish was the brown stew chicken! The ackee and saltfish appetizer was great! The jerk chicken and pork are also good although the skin is soft and a bit soggy but the sauce served on the side makes up for it. The cocktails are Americanized versions of Jamaican cocktails but still very good. Warning: an 18% gratuity is added to parties of 4 or more which makes the service slow. We were a party of 5 and were warned there was a 2 hour limit at the table to which we replied no big deal we don't plan to sit at the table long (note the restaurant was maybe 50% full). It took us 1 hour 50 minutes to get food and get out of there!!!

The place is beautiful, food was good. This is where the Russell needs help, first let’s start with the very unpleasant hostess. The first face you see when you see when you walk into an establishment should be a welcoming one. But unfortunately this was not the case! I still wanted to support a black own business and give it a try. It took forever for the food to come out! The server was slow, and NEVER came back to check on the table until it was time to pay the bill! This place has so much potential. But they must first learn how to treat patrons. They are winning by default because of the location and the type of food they serve. But I didn’t feel welcome here at all will not go back.. I can’t go back to a place where as a paying customer, I witness staff members talk about guests!! So unprofessional!! By the way, in case you didn’t know- Your guests keep you employed! This could have been such a great experience..but it pains me to say.. it wasn’t!! My advice to the Russell- train you’re staff on how to treat and appreciate your customers. Make your customers feel valued! Advise your bartender Quasi to actually put ALCOHOL in your cocktails that just taste like juice.. Be consistent and show that you care!! Maybe some folks are okay with this type of service.. and have nothing else to compare it too! But I do and this by far is the worst restaurant experience Ive ever had..

The ambiance of the restaurant is beautiful. The vibe is definitely the kind of place where you would want to eat. Our drinks were great but our food was just OK. Small portions of oxtails were definitely not worth the price even with inflation. Waiter was was nice but he seemed to occupied with doing other things instead of checking on his tables even tho the place was slow. I would go back just to see if this was jus an off night but probably wouldn't be my first choice.

Food was delicious, service was great atmosphere was amazing. The only criticism I have is the music is so loud you can’t carry a conversation. Still going back again! Best oxtail ever and jerk chicken wings were so scrumptious. I recommend it for anyone who likes Jamaican cuisine or wants to try it.