I was sooo excited to have lunch at Aspen today. It's been on my to do list for so long. We were seated promptly on arrival. They seemed understaffed and it was at least 10 minutes before anyone came over. Our server never introduced herself. (Later looking at the receipt, her name was Cate) She simply walked up with no greeting and just said "what are we drinking?" My wine pour was significantly less than my husband's, which was not a good start especially after having waited. We ordered small plates to start and I wish we stopped there. The seared tuna was great and had both an aioli and a spicy soy based sauce. My husband had the Kobe beef pot stickers and they were tasty, with a nice warm veggie medley in the middle of the plate. The pot stickers could have used a bit more sauce though. When it came time to order entrees, I was fully set on the lobster panini. The server advised me not to order that, and raved about the carbonara, so I ordered that instead. Big mistake. Huge! I wish she just let me order my panini. The carbonara was full of dark meat chicken (gross!!) that tasted gamey, and the sauce was broken. It clearly had too much butter and was not an authentic carbonara. I told our server multiple times that I did not like it. I had separated all the chicken in a pile and ate maybe 1/3 of the pasta. She strangely kept offering to make me the short rib pappardelle instead, which I declined, as I had no interest in that dish. I found it so odd that she picked out a specific dish to offer as a substitute. At least if she offered the lobster panini, it would have made sense since that's what I originally wanted to order, if not for her meddling in my order. My husband ordered a burger cooked medium. It was fully well done. The fries were limp and not crispy. Not a good showing. He wrapped his up to take home, but I did not. Clearly not eating 3/4 of the meal and also not taking it home was a sign of my discontent. I wish I took photo of my plate as I left it. I was pretty offended when she did not remove it from the bill. It's fine, we paid it, but that will be the first and last time we dine at Aspen. We paid our bill as charged, took the cost of my meal out of her tip, and called it a day. This is something I do not often do, but I felt warranted on this occasion, due to the poor food quality and her absolute indifference. We will not be back. Two stars only for the yummy small plates and the very very sweet hostess!! read more

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An underwhelming return to Aspen After staying away from Aspen for a while due to a past decline in quality, we decided to give it another try on a Tuesday evening to take advantage of their 15% discount. Unfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations. The Food The meals were a bit disappointing, especially considering the standard menu pricing. My wife requested that her scallops not be undercooked. The server politely noted that overcooking them makes them tough, reassuring us they are always "cooked to perfection" here. However, when the plate arrived, they were quite undercooked and needed to go back to the kitchen. Even after being reheated, they unfortunately remained undercooked. My beef tenderloin tips meal was acceptable but fairly ordinary and didn't quite live up to a premium price. Both entrees featured puréed potatoes and what were listed as "asparagus tips". We had to chuckle when the plates arrived, as the asparagus servings were mostly the stalks and very sparse on the actual tips. The service itself was perfectly fine, though there was a minor hiccup at the end. When the check arrived, the 15% discount hadn't been applied. The server was apologetic, mentioning it was the first night of the promotion, and quickly corrected it for us. Overall Impression Even with the discount, the dinner felt fairly marginal for the cost. The overall atmosphere was a bit uninspiring, and given the disappointment with the food, we likely won't be rushing back anytime soon. read more

After a break of two years, we had dinner at Aspen this week. The space is open, nicely lighted, and comfortable. The waitstaff is outstanding. Attentive without hovering. The Aspen Market Salad is delicious. The addition of dried cranberries and spiced pecans is over the top. I opted for the Chef Special Flounder Francaise. It was perfect. Fresh fish finished beautifully. The mashed potato side was wonderful although the portion size was excessive. The crème brûlée was magnificent. The profiteroles would have been better filled with ice cream. Overall, a dependable choice for a lovely meal. We'll return soon. read more

Our visit over the weekend was delightful, but it was quite brief, so we'll keep our comments on the brief side as we look forward to a longer return visit. Our server Gregory was excellent; friendly and quickly able to do a substitution we requested. The onion soup was as good as we've ever tasted with a marvelous hot blend of Vidalia onions (the best!) and gruyere (with a whiff of brandy!). Their grilled cheese also had gruyere with smoky bacon served with fries; and the Korean fried chicken was crunchy and moist. We were very happy at our first trip here and will be pleased to return. And next time we'll add some photos. read more

Dinner at Aspen on Friday. Brought friends who had not been. The experience was very good. This restaurant delivers high quality food and service. Two of us had the Stonington scallops and two of us had the mahi mahi special. We split two deserts- the chocolate mouse and the pistachio ricotta pie. Everything was done well and the service was the perfect pace. read more

Gave Aspen another try after a year or so. Good luck if you sit at the bar and Felecia is the bartender. She's miserable, foul and unfriendly and barely pays any attention to her bar dinner customers. The food is rather bland and lacks restaurant quality seasoning. Not sure what's going on here but there are many much better options in the area. Whomever is in charge at Aspen better take a hard look at their bartender. read more

Delicious bread and butter at the table, sweet potato fries, and a sweet spot to have lunch, but something was off with my salmon wrap. Sure, it tasted a little fishy but not terrible, but my husband and I ended up on the toilet the next day. Skip that and play it safe with the clam chowder, which I hear is great. read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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Great dinner on a busy Saturday night! Service and food were excellent! Highly recommend a reservation.

3 stars is all for the below average service, the food was good. We sat at the bar on a Saturday, it was half full. The bartender Amy was terrible. She never left the little service corner. We waited 10mins until she asked for our drink order... then once we finished those drinks we wait 15-20 minutes with empty glasses in front of us. I finally asked the host who was drying glasses near us if we could order another and he points at the bartender. We had the grilled romaine, caulini, crispy fingerling potatoes, asparagus and edamame risotto and hanger steak with potato puree. Again, food was good but when sitting at the bar we hope to get faster service and more engagement but this was not the case tonight. read more

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Truly delicious dinner here. I would come back just for the Gouda potatoes but everything was delicious. Service was attentive, setting was a little on the loud side but there's a good reason for this place being busy. The food is really well presented and delicious. read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - Skirt skate with asparagus and Gouda potatoes. So yummy! - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

A very classy establishment. Everyone was dressed alittle bit more up scale and it had more of a fancier date night vibe with dimmer lighting and a renovated interior. They apparently change the menu depending on season. Service was fast. We didn't wait more than 10 minutes in between check ins. Both dishes - the sword fish and the steak were fantastic. read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - Red Wine Marinated Hanger Steak - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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We had reservations for 6:15 and were seated promptly. All the servers were pleasant. The menu is interesting in that proteins can be ordered separately and combined with any other sides. Bread was offered after our order taken and was warm and tasty. The food was delivered promptly. Unfortunately none of us really enjoyed our dishes. My scallops were not very large and the sauce overpowered them. The mushroom risotto was so cheesy I needed a knife to cut a bite. Not very tasty. The veal dish had lots of ingredients that hubby didn't feel went well together. Not many tables were taken at first but as the restaurant filled the room became very noisy. Very difficult to have a conversation with the couple across from us. read more

Very nice restaurant. Good was excellent, service was great and staff very friendly. I had the steak it was awesome

The mushroom crepes were very good. The kobe burger wontons, were tasty and crispy but they were two stiff. The pesto, preparation on the scallops didn't really gel. The scallops were small clearly previously frozen. Salmon was okay, the sauce was quite delicious. The chocolate mousse had way too much sugar in it. Milk chocolate not very chocolatey chocolateservice was good but not personable. read more

Food is a solid four stars. service a five. stopped on the way to mohegan sun and was so glad i did. although not on the menu online, they have a nice kids menu - chicken fingers and fries were delicious. i had the salad with goat cheese, pecans, and dried cranberries, and really enjoyed it. also had the chicken fettuccine - pasta was fresh and very good but sauce was a bit bland and i didn't love the chicken. i'd definitely come back if i were in the area! read more

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My friend and I stopped for dinner on a Friday night on our way from NYC to Mystic. We were really hungry and happy to find a place where we could get a late-ish dinner despite a fairly early closing time of 9:00. I ordered the clam chowder, which it turned out was made with pork (not listed on the menu). So I had to send it back, unfortunately. Our waitress was great, and brought out a taste of another soup instead. I couldn't eat that either but my friend enjoyed it. The strawberry and spinach salad was very flavourful. We both had the Faroe Island Salmon, which was cooked just right and also really good. We ate too much bread so we didn't have room for dessert unfortunately. read more

We were having a spa day and was STARVING. We were so glad to be able to get a reservation at Aspen at such late notice. We are so happy we did as it was an impeccable meal! We were seated in the Amber area which was clean and spacious. Our server, I believe is named Eric, was one of the best servers we've ever had. He knew we were on a time crunch and ensured our food came out right away. He was a huge positive to our experience! We ordered the octopus small plate, short rib, and lobster bolognese. These plates were HUGE and full of food. Everything was delicious! My personal favorite was the lobster bolognese. I cannot wait to come back. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

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My most recent visit (June 2023) was not my first but will most certainly be my last. If I could give Aspen more than 5 stars, I would. Everything was impeccable from the wonderful service and the delicious food. After parking in a stone lot you'll enter the restaurant through one of the doors at Saybrook Home. Our server was a 10 out of 10, sadly I'm not sure we learned her name. We were frequently attended to between water refills, and the pacing of an appetizer and our main meal and she even refolded someone's napkin when they stepped away from the table. Clam chowder was on deck for an appetizer- this one included bacon but I didn't find it overpowering. What I did take away was although it's more of a New England Clam Chowder, it wasn't super creamy Just a nice smooth broth. Definitely recommend! Crab cakes and fish & chips were on deck for the main course. All three of us devoured our lunches. I loved elevated classic tartar sauce with a hint of horseradish served on the side of my fish & chips! Definitely a top of the line meal than you'll get at many of the typical seafood shacks & establishments along the shore. Seafood not your thing? The menu is offers a number of other options to select from too! I consider the dining room upscale casual. Plenty of dining tables providing space from other parties. While the view isn't anything to rave about - you are looking mostly at main roads running through Old Saybrook. However what's inside far outweighs anything. read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - Crab Cakes - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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Just ate a nice meal here. Great service and great ambiance. We ordered many apps and various meals and desserts but I'm missing photos for what friends all had. Everyone liked their meal. Steaks were all cooked properly and the fettuccine was a table favorite. It was supposed to come with vodka sauce but as you can see in the photo it's a very very light barely pink sauce. Flavor was good but description is off in my opinion. Overall nice meal. 4 star worthy. read more

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Just an awful experience here today. The two stars are because the servers were friendly enough and the ambience was pleasant. Took well over an hour for our parties food to be served after we ordered, and the only explanation was the kitchen fired things in the wrong order. When the food finally did arrive the portions, quality, and presentation left much to be desired. Nobody seemed thrilled with their dish, but the waitstaff were very quick to present a check and pick up the plates seconds after we finished eating. Very disappointed, everything seemed very promising for the first 45 minutes. read more

Middle Eastern Chicken Stew was awesome!! 5 stars, so tasty! Who decided that this week they'd do a tiramisu instead of bread pudding? Yuck!! read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - New England clam chowder - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Margaritas were amazing!! Bread was great. Bar service was superior. I'll be back for sure!!!

One of my favorite places to go for lunch is @aspenct and today I got a dish that was so flavorful and delicious that it just warmed me up on this cold day! I got the: KIMCHI RAMEN BOWL shrimp, fish, mussels, ramen noodles, kimchi dashi The noodles made for the perfect meal and the best way to end a busy work week! read more

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Over the years I have been to restaurants where the staff is just great, but the food was "ok", and I have also been to the opposite, Great food horrible service - But don't you just love when both come together, Great Staff and Fantastic Food... well welcome to the ASPEN Restaurant in Old Saybrook. Without a doubt one of the finest dining experiences - food and staff - I have had in 40 years of travel, of course the best part is I only travel 7 minutes to get there. I have had Lunch and Dinner; I have sat inside and out, and each time the results are amazingly the same - consistent, creative, seasonal flavors, subtle ingredients, fresh, and delicious. Let me start by saying every drink, app, soup, salad, sandwich, main and dessert was perfect so know I will spend more time on my "go-to-meal" but please know everything is great. So, my go to meal? The New England Clam Chowder is so good it is the only chowder I have had that I couldn't care less if there were clams in it - it's that good. Next - just read this combination and dream with me - the ROASTED BUTTERNUT SALAD arugula, roasted butternut squash, dried blueberries, gorgonzola, caramelized onions, apple cider vinaigrette, forgetaboutit! The main, no hesitation VEAL OSSO BUCCO, my goodness it is fall off the bone melt in your mouth yumminess that is on a whole 'nother level! Desert is tougher - to choose between the Chocolate Raspberry Bomb and Sticky Toffee Pudding with cinnamon gelato is impossible so you will just have to come back again and again. A pleasant surprise and perfect when you want something lighter is the STONINGTON SCALLOPS with lobster and bacon fried rice - the flavor profile changes ever so slightly with each bite - especially with savory sweet soy sauce; now listen this is not a lobster dish as in loaded with lobster - like every dish at Aspen the fresh and inventive ingredients are perfectly balanced. So lastly, with all the great food I must ask every restaurant that serves iced "tea from a gun" or bottle STOP - Aspen is always busy but they enough time to offer real brewed iced tea. And yes - Joe is the man ask for him and tell him John said hi! read more

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Trying to be a little bit more upscale of a place for a beach community but there were still people in shorts and baseball hats. Service was good and food was fine. Good menu and drink options to choose from. Something for everyone. read more

A buddy and I fished the mouth of the Connecticut River in the morning and had lunch at Aspen Restaurant and Bar. We were dressed for fishing, so I requested a table under the tent that's set up in the parking lot. However, the staff couldn't have been kinder and insisted that we would have also been welcome at a table indoors. For those concerned about COVID prevention measures, some but not all of the staff wore masks. We both ordered the Half Pound Burger. I requested that my burger be cooked medium and au cheval (i.e., with a fried egg on top). Not only did the chef accommodate me with the fried egg, they also nailed the doneness of the burger. The skin-on French fries were terrific, too. I cleaned my plate. I also indulged in the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. It was as good as two different servers enthusiastically told me it would be. We couldn't have found a better spot or better food to end our fishing trip. read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - Half Pound Burger au cheval with skin-on French fries. - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Adored the ambiance as soon as I saw walked in. Great for 1st date or a couple's nice quiet dinner. Service was favorable and food was provided pretty quick. Enjoyed there take on the bang bang shrimp, with the proper amount of kick . My wife had half of a chicken and mashed which was seasoned ideal and to her liken (my wife is picky about her favor) and she'd enjoyed it. I had the sea food crepes which I never had nowhere ( trying things for the 1st time). There were splendid, a little spicy but exceptional appetizing. Did not have any alcohol but will next time I'm around the area. I will return read more

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As always was good, great food and staff very friendly and professional. Liked calamari.

What a pleasant surprise. This restaurant exceeded our expectations. The food was amazing, presentation awesome, our server Kate, could have come out of any 5 star restaurant. The diversity of the food offerings and the freshness and quality of the food left us wondering... should we go back tomorrow? read more

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Wife & I came here for our anniversary. It's a large but cozy place. Hospitable server. My wife's scallops dish was outstanding & my beef short rib was fork-tender & flavorful, though it could have had a little more sauce. The pear dessert was just okay, a little dry. But overall, definitely a go-to destination for special occasions. read more

Wow . What an amazing restaurant. It is beautiful inside and the menu is delicious, great service as well . You pay a bit more than other places , but you are getting quality. I highly recommend the calamari . I love the roast salmon . Not a fan of the way the asparagus was cooked. It was a little burnt but the waitress promptly replaced it . We will definitely be back. read more

Aspen Restaurant and Bar - New American Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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Food is very good and service also . Ambiance in nice , not noisy . I got the red wine from the happy hour and was very good !

Food is always excellent as is the service. If going at prime time (7-8pm) expect the dining room to be a bit noisy.

I can't believe that it's taken us so long to try Aspen. It's tucked away behind a furniture shop in the middle of Old Saybrook - and is amazing! The culinary team "knocked it out of the park" last night! Lobster and bacon fried rice, crispy shrimp lettuce wraps, chowder, tomato and squash soup, crab cakes, soy braised short rib, lobster bolognese - all topped off with perfect bread pudding. This was without a doubt - the best dinner that we've had in recent memory. It would be difficult to pick a favorite of all of the dishes that we ordered - I'd strongly recommend ordering them all and sharing! Our server, Christine, was friendly, engaging, attentive, and professional. The food - perfectly seasoned, cooked, and beautifully plated and served on time and piping hot. It's obvious that the culinary team puts love in their food - perfectly executed knife cuts - all dishes sauced and seasoned to perfection. We will return to this wonderful find! I string endorse Aspen to any folks looking for a wi servile alternative to the clam shacks, fried food, and usual local haunts with pretense and lack luster food and service. read more

Aspen is a solid choice if you are in Old Saybrook. I met a friend here for dinner and we spent hours catching up over good food and drinks. Be sure to make a reservation if you are going on a Friday night and specify if you want indoor or outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is a sectioned off piece of parking lot but has a tent covering most of the tables so it feels more like a patio area than sitting in the middle of a parking lot. I started the evening with the Plumbiscus Martini which was fruity and tart, the hibiscus flower inside the drink was a fun addition to the presentation. For our next round we ordered the Sangria, less impressive presentation wise but still tasty and refreshing. If you're only going for one drink my vote is for the martini. Moving on to the food, I ordered the Aspen Burger which came with a side of fries. This definitely isn't a frozen burger patty, it tasted fresh and flavorful. The aioli and caramelized onion elevated the burger and gave it the level of sophistication that one would expect from the restaurant ambiance and menu prices. My friend ordered the salmon which she enjoyed as well. The real star of the show is the Sticky Toffee Pudding with house-made cinnamon ice cream. It's unctuous, sweet and buttery and the ice cream helps cut through the richness. Definitely save room for dessert! Docking one star because of the service. Our waitress was very friendly but it was clear that she had way too many tables to be truly attentive to guests. It took a long time to order, long time to get our food and drinks and a long time to get the check. Had I not been catching up with a friend this would have been a bigger inconvenience. Regardless of the service I had a great night and will be back in the future. Check it out! read more

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Fantastic service, the food was really good too . Will definitely return soon . Great private room downstairs for events read more

Had the mushroom crepe which was outstanding! Service with a smile ALWAYS! Ambiance? Very relaxing and welcoming restaurant. Great spot for after shopping ! read more

Food was amazing. The service was top notch! Whoever is in the kitchen is on point!! Salads perfect, grilled octopus awesome, steak cooked perfectly and the short rip fell apart. All our plates were clean. My new favorite place! read more

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This was our second time coming here. Service was great. Ambiance is nice. My husband's steak was wonderful. My lobster Bolognese was disappointing. There were big chucks of lobster which was great, but the taste just wasn't there. The al dente carrots chunks in it, as well as what I believe were celery pieces, was weird to me. Sauce wasn't very good. Very bummed about my meal. Still giving 4 stars, as I don't think this is typical of most of their dishes. read more

Aspen is the night out you're looking for. If you're looking for a good conversation with your friend/s or significant other a good meal with some amazing drinks this is the place to be. The staff is phenomenal and super tentative. The food is the best in the area. The portions are just enough to have a full and amazing night. read more