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    Black Duck Cafe

    3.2 (334 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Burgers, American
    Closed 3:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Order Black Duck Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Black Duck Cafe Photos

    BLACK DUCK CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Loud
    Good for kids

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    Clam chowder
    John M.

    Nationally recognized Dive Bar serving good pub food and great music. A comfortable spot if you can get over the slight tilt of the structure over the Saugatuck River. A survivor of many storms it caused a local furor when it threatened to close after one of the last ones. Good service, eclectic and lively crowd, and always a good time!

    Nice outside seating
    Nelia F.

    I went here for my birthday this year and first the location was great and the service was superb. The food was also really good and the ambience was chill vibes. I wish I would have taken more pictures of the food.

    Shrimp PoBoy without tomatoes and a nice cold draft.

    FYI- don't lets the look and lopsided building fool you. Been here many times from burgers to there heavy meals. Always above average fresh food. Prices are perfect for what they offer. Service has always been a 10/10.

    Louise F.

    Let me start by saying I visited the Black Duck for lunch on President's day. The restaurant was crowded but there was an empty table or two and you could tell people at a couple of other tables were getting ready to leave. Having said that ..... given the lack of attention which seemed to drag on far too long had we not drove 45 minutes we would have left. We clearly saw waiters/waitresses, bus boy and a not very busy bartender during our arrival who ignored us. I got tired of waiting and flagged the bus boy to ask if we could be seated? He quickly cleaned up a table to sit us. From the time we sat the pace was significantly picked up. A waiter took our drink order and delivered them quickly while we waited again to order food. From that point our appetizer came in a timely matter and then our main entrees. Our table was by the door where we had a full view of people entering the restaurant and getting the same treatment we did before someone acknowledged them. Our main meals were very good, hearty portions and reasonably priced. While the Quahogs had diced up clam, the breading was tasteless. Would not order those again. The warm CT lobster roll was delicious, drenched in butter and lots of lobster meat for $22. Can't beat that. I added a salad for I think another $4 instead of fries and it was a nice size salad. My husband had the fish & chips cooked perfectly (2 pieces) with a nice tartar sauce and fries. The fries weren't good, a bit limp and greasy so they went uneaten. Given the food was delivered quickly it seems the issues where with the front of the house and not the back. Guy Fieri from the Food Network visited a long time ago and highlighted this restaurant on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It certainly is a dive which I'm guessing is part of its charm. The have onsite parking which was packed when we arrived. We parked in an adjacent lot which said it was permit parking but not on weekends. While it wasn't a weekend, it was a holiday, so we hoped it applied and threw caution to the wind and park. Happily, no ticket when we returned to our car. Not sure where you park when their lot is full as I didn't see any street parking in the immediately area?

    New England Clam Chowder
    Rick F.

    I brought my 95 year old mom who had a walker. I didn't see any handicap entrance but Mom made it up the steps just fine. The food was great. The calamari was the best I've ever had. Service was very friendly. We sat outside on their deck. Would have liked it better if it wasn't enclosed, but it works well in all seasons.

    Clam chowder

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    2 months ago

    Dirty place, unprofessional service. Unimpressed by the food. Not too sure what else to say.

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    3 years ago

    Love this place! Wonderful and friendly staff, great food, great drinks, and live music!

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    The Boathouse at Saugatuck - Black bean soup

    The Boathouse at Saugatuck

    4.0(150 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$$

    We had a scheduled post graduation dinner after my daughter's graduation from SHU (Sacred Heart…read moreUniversity), and we really had a great experience. My ex-wife, friend, and daughter's mother had pre-arranged the event, but they held up their end of the deal. The location really has the a wonderful ambiance (at least for our purposes). The chef, kitchen, wait and bar staff were great-highly accommodating., If we had anything negative to say, it would be that they ran out of many of the most popular desserts by the time we were read, but what they were able to offer was excellent. Highly recommend-especially for a large party event.

    I ordered a whole roasted chicken, which is not on the menu. Instead, I ordered some other food,…read moreincluding eggs, bacon, sausage, and the fish of the day. Oh, and a glass of soda pop. The service was excellent. They explained that the menu I was ordering from was from another restaurant. Admittedly, it was. We all had a good laugh and the wait staff apologized profusely, saying they had no idea how that other restaurant's menu was handed to me. We had an even heartier laugh when I told them I brought it. Let me say this about the ambiance. It's just a fun place to be. The sights and the sounds are marvelous. The wonderfully potent and ever present odor of fish reminds me of the Fulton fish market on a humid, blazing hot summer day in New York City. To the people of the Boathouse, god bless. Your establishment is truly a place to Live, Laugh, Love!!!'

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    The Boathouse at Saugatuck
    The Boathouse at Saugatuck - Black bean soup

    Black bean soup

    The Boathouse at Saugatuck

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    The Bridge at Saugatuck - Ahi tune tartare with avocado mousse, persian cucumbers, crispy garlic, yuzu ponzu

    The Bridge at Saugatuck

    3.6(21 reviews)
    0.2 mi

    My friend recommended The Bridge at Saugatuck because I wanted to take my other friend out for her…read morebirthday. It was easy to make a reservation for Saturday night at 8:45pm. There was street parking when we got there but they also have valet and some self parking in the back. As we walked in, the ladies at the host stand were so warm and inviting. They were also the cutest ever. They encouraged us to sit out on the patio versus the bar so we headed upstairs. Our waitress came over with menus and it went downhill from there. She was so inattentive that we had to ask the other waiter for things we needed. He was engaging, checked on us and we even chatted about his Jordanian heritage and my trip there back in December. Our actual waitress, however, checked on the table next to us 6 times (yes I counted) in between her checking on us. Even when I ordered a mocktail, I guess they didn't have the one I wanted so she brought me an entirely different drink without asking me. Then got upset when I didn't want it. The absolute audacity. As far as the food, we got the crab cake, lamb, whipped mashed potatoes and the bread. The food was good but the bread took it to another level. It should have been complimentary though but that's neither here nor there. Overall, loved the experience but wish we had another waitress. She didn't even acknowledge my friend's birthday. Sigh.

    The food at The Bridge was delicious…read more The Tuna Tartare was fresh and tasty, the avocado was very well made as well. My steak was cooked perfectly. Melt in your mouth and so flavorful. The ambiance is very nice, elevated feel to the restaurant. We sat in the upstairs portion of the restaurant. This area they packed with tables very close to each other and was very loud. Other than that, I'd definitely dine here again!

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    The Bridge at Saugatuck
    The Bridge at Saugatuck - La Bella Farm Duck Breast stir fry asian vegetables, ruby red plum sauce

    La Bella Farm Duck Breast stir fry asian vegetables, ruby red plum sauce

    The Bridge at Saugatuck - Heirloom badger flame beets salad with whipped goat cheese, charred almonds, sherry vinaigrette

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    Heirloom badger flame beets salad with whipped goat cheese, charred almonds, sherry vinaigrette

    Kawa Ni - MATCHA TIRAMISU

    Kawa Ni

    4.4(378 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$$

    Hands down one of my fav. Kawa Ni in Westport. I recently went there for late lunch. Its the kind…read moreof atmosphere that feels trendy without trying too hard. Ive been there for dinner time as well, it's lively, loud in a good way, and immediately feels like somewhere you could stay for hours. I ordered the miso ramen, and it was honestly one of the most satisfying bowls of ramen I've had in Connecticut. The broth was the star of the dish its deep, rich, savory, and layered with that perfect balance of umami and subtle sweetness from the miso and a bit nitty form the sesame seeds. The noodles had the perfect texture: chewy, springy, and able to hold onto the broth beautifully. Nothing was overcooked or mushy . What impressed me most was how balanced the ramen was. Some ramen spots go overboard with salt or spice, but this bowl felt refined. Rich but not greasy. Flavorful but not overpowering. You could tell there was actual technique behind it. The portion size was also generous enough to leave completely full without feeling uncomfortable afterward. The service matched the food perfectly and so freaking sweet. I have trying to rec this all my coworkers

    The rooftop dining! So good! Loved being able to sit atop and have a view of the water. A serene…read moreescape from the loud downstairs. Only drawback is everything is takeout, so it's a pretty wasteful experience with all the paper plates (the stairs leading up are probably too narrow for carrying dishes). The food was just so-so. Def one of those sceney places where prices are high and people dress up more to dine. The best dish was the soothing yuzu salmon over rice entree, while the chicken wings, crab fried rice, snd tofu pockets were all a little junky and overly dressed. Wouldn't come back but so loved that rooftop.

    Photos
    Kawa Ni - Inside of pub

    Inside of pub

    Kawa Ni - Miso salmon donburi

    Miso salmon donburi

    Kawa Ni - KIMCHI CARBONARA is excellent

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    KIMCHI CARBONARA is excellent

    Walrus Alley - Delicious sides and meals - yum!

    Walrus Alley

    3.6(467 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    So I've actually debated whether or not to include this UberEats delivery review. The first time I…read moretried to go through with it, I just couldn't really figure out what to write. I only ordered it on UberEats this past Friday night, so it's not like I actually went there. However, the more I ate and thought about it, the more I realized something. This is the 4th year in 6 I've done a pre-birthday send-off UberEats order, and this is my 3rd year in a row doing so. In 2021, I had Edo on the last week before I turned 30. 2024, it was Boatyard at Smokey Joe's in Stamford, ordered on April 18. Last year, I did the Norwalk location of Elm Street Diner on April 24. If we want to take that into consideration, then that would be reason enough to sum my thoughts up together and get something down. So to send off age 34, say hello to Walrus Alley! If I'm being honest, I always wanted to have a barbecue right before my birthday of this year of all years. It only felt appropriate for 2026. Originally, I was going to have Wire Mill Saloon from Redding delivered using Yelp, but one of the items I'd ordered was out of stock, so that got canceled and I turned my sights here and ordered what I would have gotten from Redding. This was a half-rack of ribs, an order of Mac & Cheese, side of cornbread (this one came with coleslaw and pickles), and an a la mode chocolate bourbon pecan pie. The pecan pie was the only change since if I had gotten the Redding order, I would have had a key lime pie a la mode. I also put in some Alabama sauce because it does ribs a new flavor to play along with. I had everything over the next three days, hence why I am writing this review now. I will start by saying the ice cream did not make it without melting, but that's okay. I wasn't expecting it to since my driver did have to make a bunch of stops along the way, making my order take over an hour to deliver. No fault on the driver or restaurant there, and I ended up drinking the ice cream anyway, and it was still refreshing, so c'est la vie. The pecan pie it came with was actually really good. I found that it's better if you let that chill off a bit. Don't use plastic silverware for this one for the pie will break them, but delicious and sweet all the same. I'd love to have this in an in-person visit. In contrast, the cornbread should be warm when you eat that. It's buttered and soft, but it might be too dry if you try to eat it cold. The pickles are more of the spicy kind. I prefer sweet pickles, but I don't mind them being spicy either. The coleslaw I will say suffers the same fate that befell the one from Boatyard: it doesn't taste like true coleslaw. They should take a bit of inspiration from the Smokies (think Eastern Tennessee or Western NC) to learn how it should be done. It's lacking that mayonnaise component that truly makes it coleslaw. If they added that, then we might be talking! I decided to leave the ribs and Mac & cheese for last in the review because they do provide reheating instructions for those who order take-out such as myself. The Mac & cheese was actually eaten very late on the first night. The instructions given for Mac & cheese were spot-on, baking at 375 for 10 minutes before I dug in. It was some damn good Mac & cheese. Cheesy, love the breadcrumbs, and very satisfying overall. The ribs were the last to be finished. I will say I did also follow the instructions for the ribs as they were written; however, unlike the Mac & cheese, the ribs were still cold in the middle after 20 minutes in 375. You need the microwave to finish the job here. The ribs themselves were good. They weren't the best ribs I've ever eaten, but they were tender, the BBQ sauce was tasty, and the meat fell right off the bone. I will say that for this meal it needs a healthy amount of Alabama sauce all on it to really elevate it, but other than my experience reheating them this was my only criticism. Overall, a worthy BBQ meal. I'd still pick Hindsight BBQ over this if faced with deciding which CT BBQ to go with, but this will get the job done and then some if you need good BBQ. I'd love to come in-person one night and experience this place firsthand.

    Delicious food! Cozy restaurant with good food options and nice cocktails…read more If you enjoy mezcal, get their murder on the rocks dish - strong and good! For dinner i had their smash burger with fries. Burger was good and filling but ive had better elsewhere. My brother had their chicken sandwich and it was huuuge!! And he said super good. For dessert, we had their apple crumble dessert. This dessert is big enough for 2-3 to share. Warm apple pie crumble with vanilla ice cream on top. Mmhm!

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    Walrus Alley
    Walrus Alley
    Walrus Alley

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    Black Duck Cafe - bars - Updated September 2026

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