Cantina Beach

Dining at The Essex is a must if you want a special experience. We chose to sit at the counter, and…read moreI must say, that watching Chef Colt (owner as well), team work with such precision and teamwork was impressive and enjoyable. He and our waiter, Ryan, made it feel personal, welcoming, and first-class from start to finish." We had the Scallop and Shrimp Bisque, Duck Confit Dumplings, Wafu Bolognese, Beef Wellington and Ribeye Steak. This is a dining experience where you don't need to review each course! Each one was excellent. We topped it off with an amazing piece of cheesecake. Visit The Essex because it will feel like a performance as much as a dining experience. We will be back....... Congratulations on your ratings and reviews.

My husband and I came here for a special occasion... The food and service were excellent - it is…read morenot just a restaurant, it is an amazing experience. Can't say enough good things about it. Looking forward to going back for our next special occasion!

Roasted carrots with squid ink hummus

See all

Counter View

Nancy's Rosemary & Sage

4.1(119 reviews)

1.2 mi

The food was delicious. The dining area small and loud! If you go during the winter, stay away…read morefrom the doors. Service was just OK. Not enough staff to service the room. Nancy wasn't her nice self the night we went. Very moody and short with conversation, but maybe some staffers called out. Added additional stress. Can be on the expensive side. I will go again when I am in the area and give it another go.

Food, service great! Friendly & welcoming folks. Onion soup…read more& clam sauce excellent. Go, go, go... asap.

Clam Chowder

Blackened Salmon with vegetables and mashed potatoes.

See all

Pear salad with chicken

Bistro Mediterranean & Tapas Bar

4.3(391 reviews)

2.6 mi

Fantastic service with an outstanding meal. Started with the Ham & cheese Croquettes, then the Surf…read more& Turf Special. Super attentive staff. Reasonably priced as well.

We arrived around 4:15 to catch the Happy Hour. When we arrived, we noticed the slight musty smell…read moreright at the entryway...not a good impression. We asked the bartender if we could enjoy the Happy Hour at one of the tables, he said, No. Only at the bar. Something that was not spelled out on the menu nor the website. We sat at the bar. The menu listed the house gin at $5. I asked which Gin did they use as House Gin. The bartender said, I can give you Tanqueray but the price is not $5 like the menu says, it's $7. He said that menu was from Milford, not Westbrook. Weird...so I get a glass of wine, which did ring at $6 like the menu said. We ordered a few "tapas". Out of the four that we tried, the best one was the turnover (empanada), then the meatballs (tiny meatballs), then the fried calamari (which tasted and looked out of a frozen wholesale fried calamari bag) and last the pork medallion (not tasty at all). When the bill came, two of the tapas had the wrong price (higher than what the menu said)....I had to ask the bartender to rectify, which he did.....Poor people the ones that do not check their bills....they can easily be overcharged here....Big time..... Not recommended....not coming back.

Dining room

Brischetto

See all

Tiramisu

Luigi's Restaurant

3.9(168 reviews)

0.5 mi

We had a farewell dinner with old friends at Luigi's last night. I can't think of a better place…read morefor our nostalgic and bittersweet parting. Our waiter Matt, played right into our intimate family vibe by calling us Aunt and Uncle. Now, to get to the food! Nothing says "love" like good Italian food. The artichoke hearts were crispy on the outside with soft centers, just like us! The pasta dishes are just like Mama made and the eggplant dishes are better than my Nonnas. Our hearts and bellies were filled but the next day was to be a long travel day for our friends. Two pizzas to go plus our leftovers were carried out by these satiated diners. Chow chow Luigi's and thanks for a touch of home.

We went here for a Father's Day dinner and it did not disappoint. The service was great and super…read morefast...we were shocked by how quickly everything came out! The calamari was good and the bread/oil and broccoli rabe...great! We all enjoyed our entrees and my husband and daughter liked the pink vodka sauce on their chicken Parmesan. Atmosphere is casual and we sat in a nicely updated dining room.

See all

Aspen Restaurant and Bar

3.9(216 reviews)

2.1 mi

Dinner at Aspen on Friday. Brought friends who had not been. The experience was very good. This…read morerestaurant 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.

I was sooo excited to have lunch at Aspen today. It's been on my to do list for so long. We were…read moreseated 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!!

Great atmosphere

See all

Some of the beat new England clam chowder - a thyme butter tops off this gem

Sayulita

4.1(68 reviews)

4.5 mi

Our first time at the Essex location of Sayulita, we were not disappointed! Just as good as the…read moreoriginal, with basically the same menu. We did have a special buffalo chicken taco, which was fabulous!! It was our first time at Sayulita since giving up alcohol, and I was definitely missing their margaritas. I had a grapefruit Mexican soda, but next time I'll ask if they can make me a yummy mocktail. The restaurant is about double the size of the Glastonbury location, so check it out if you want the best tacos without the long wait!!

"GUACAMOLE CLASSICO & SALSA avocado, cilantro, lime, tomato, garlic, onion, pepitas, cotija, fried…read moreplantains 13 ADD SAYULITA QUESO 5" Where does this say it's all tortilla chips and a macro sliver of a plantain as a garnish? They even mention a freakin lime, but can't let us know exactly what we will be using to dip into everything? I've never been to a Mexican restaurant where tortillas didn't land on the table gratuitously. Place is too loud even on a Sunday afternoon. Must say they serve yummy queso. Nothing on the food menu is authentic, and it's way overpriced. Sorry to say this location won't be open much longer and the building is essentially cursed as an eatery.

Classic Margarita - none better in the state !!

I jumped into the sweet potato taco but remembered! The other is the shrimp.

See all

Chips with salsa and guacamole and added queso 11/23/2025

Little Pub Old Saybrook

3.7(274 reviews)

0.7 mi

Family-owned & operated

Full bar

Food is always good Drinks are good depending on the…read morebartender Nice place to have a drink and appetizer after work

We visited Little Pub this past weekend and had a nice time. The atmosphere is pretty cool…read morereminiscent of an English-esque pub. The service was very friendly and on point. The beer was cold and the food was pretty good. The had lots of different options. I would have liked to have seen some more traditional English dishes though like bangers and mash, or sausage rolls, or even a shepherds pie maybe. But they did have fish and chips. I opted for the Chicken and Waffles, and it was just what I wanted. They used a siracha maple syrup which was different, yet pretty tasty. I also sampled the Mac and cheese and the French fries--All very good. The place was pretty big, in fact it seemed bigger than its parking lot size. They had both indoor and outdoor seating and lots of it. On a Sunday afternoon, they weren't too busy. It is a place I would return though.

Little Pub Old Saybrook

See all

Little Pub Old Saybrook

Seaview Bistro

2.9(17 reviews)

1.3 mi

Went to the Seaview Bistro for lunch and we were seated outside with a beautiful view of the water…read more The atmosphere was peaceful and relaxing, perfect for a midday meal. The waitress and staff were friendly and attentive throughout our visit. They even held the doors open for guests walking in and out, which was a nice touch. I started with the Thai chicken wings as an appetizer. The flavor was decent, slightly sweet with a bit of heat, but nothing that stood out. I was hoping the wings would be crispier since the skin ended up a little rubbery and soggy. For my entree, I ordered the Connecticut-style lobster roll. The presentation was impressive and I appreciated the lemon wrapped in a mesh bag to keep seeds off the food. The lobster itself tasted fresh and buttery, but for forty-two dollars, I expected a bit more meat. It felt a little light for the price. The sweet potato waffle fries on the side were the highlight for me. They were hot, crispy, and had great texture. Overall, the experience was pleasant. The view and the service were great, and parts of the meal were enjoyable. That said, I did not find the food memorable enough to rush back anytime soon.

I've been here a few times while staying at the resort. Basically you're paying for the views and…read morethe ambiance. They have live music at times. The food is pretty atrocious here and it's a shame because it's such a nice venue. Don't bother with the over $40 lobster roll because it'll come well done and dry, better off driving a few minutes down the road for a cheaper and better one. The wings are decent. The steak tips are also pretty atrocious. Small portion, overcooked, nothing different than a dinner I could've made at home. Also the last time I was there a person from a table close to me said they waited for their food for an hour and their burger came out burnt. Loll! Really wish the quality matched the price because the resort is pretty nice.

Lobster Rolls with Waffle Fries

See all

Cafe Routier, Bistro & Lounge

4.1(286 reviews)

1.6 mi

We started with a special, the tuna Crudo nachos, which were so good that I'm going to try to…read morefigure out the sauce so that I can serve them at home I chose the duck with the Thai fried rice and my wife had the hanger steak. Each was perfectly prepared, and the sides were familiar, but updated creatively. I didn't expect the Thai fried rice to so perfectly complement the duck, but the richness of the duck balanced the dish. The wine menu listed Pez 734 / 2nd Pez, a rich and powerful wine from Saint-Estephe, as a perfect match for duck and beef - the menu was exactly right and we were very happy with our choice. We had never been here before, but came as recommended by our cousin - everything was so good and the menu had a bunch of other options that we wanna come back to try, so we will definitely return when we're back in Connecticut.

On mother's day l ordered the Campfire Trout because l was told by the server it doesn't have any…read morebones. Well it was loaded with bones and when l told our server she just looked at me and said ohh really it's not supposed too and walked away. I was like you miserable old bat. Food was good. Not in a rush to go back. My wife said that's the 3rd time the servers we had were miserable.

Malibu Bay Breeze

Espresso (with sugar cubes)

See all

BLT Cheeseburger from the Lounge Menu

The Oak Room

4.1(12 reviews)

4.3 mi

Great service, a special atmosphere for special occasions. The food is always excellent in an…read moreelegant setting.

Delicious food, menu has a great selection of choices, all served beautifully. Service could not…read morebe better. Cozy, very accommodating, exquisite decorated.