I must say the service was very fast and the staff were all very friendly! I really enjoyed the complimentary chips and salsa (although I would have liked if the chips were warm). I also really enjoyed reading the extensive menu, including the specials. I got the salmon tacos from the specials menu and chose to get French fries on the side. They were amazing!!! I loved the sauce!! One thing I would change was the napkins as they were paper and kinda thin. I will be back!! read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Salmon tacos with French fries - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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We have been long time patrons of "The Nest" & have always enjoyed the bar along w/phenomenal bartenders~~today was a low~the young woman @ the bar got the order wrong & it took a VERY long time for her to reappear & correct her wrong!!! I understand we are experiencing an unprecedented time, but today left us w/a very unsatisfactory experience! And today's guacamole seemed more "scooped" from a can than in house made!! Wishing all the best in the coming days! read more

Five couples all from different Connecticut towns met at Cuckoo's Nest for dinner yesterday. A chaulk board sign at the entrance stated happy hour from 3 to 6 and the menu we were all given also stated Happy hour Monday through Friday 3 to 6. Excited about this we all ordered two Margaritas. The manager informed us that this opportunity only applies to the bar. Nowhere did it state that and he wouldn't honor it. We all spent around 80.00 a couple. You would think this establishment would honor their our advertisement and appease five paying couples. The food was just okay. The sweet waitress was the highlight of the Cuckoo's Nest. We all won't be back. read more

Jojo is the sweetest bartender! She is very helpful when picking a drink, and very knowledgeable as she can customize all of the drinks to your liking! Definitely recommend checking this place out and sitting at the out door bar - great atmosphere and service read more

(1) What does it tell you when you walk in and your shoes stick to the stairs...each step? When the hand-railing is sticky? Yuck. (2) Ordered: CAJUN GARLIC SHRIMP & SCALLOPS $28 described as: Sautéed w/spinach & tomatoes in a garlic cream sauce; served over penne pasta; w/Primavera salad. Received a plate with 3 separate skimpy plops of food: one with a couple of shrimp,second was white rice and the third a disgusting pile of something dark and which my neighbor brightly pointed out as a pile of....well you can guess. No salad; no pasta. Should have been priced at less than 8 pesos. My husband and I, afiicionados of most all things Mexiican, ate at Cuckoos years ago and never went back. Now I know why. They don't even have ceviche on the menu! I doubt if Mexicans would eat there. I won't again. Learned my lesson. read more

The bartender, Josie, was so sweet! She made excellent margaritas for me and mixed drinks for my bestie. We had a great time with her. Food was excellent however the yellow rice with black beans leaves a lot to be desired. It did not taste authentic to any country at all. Either go back to Mexican rice or make congri. It needs to be changed. read more

I ordered the prime rib tonight for the first time. No spices. Just the prime rib.. I grew up in a restaurant that had amazing prime rib so I am a tough critic! It was delicious!!! Cooked perfectly and sooo tasty. Beyond pleasantly surprised. Great job. And- our server was excellent! read more

UPDATE- In response to the owner/manger comment. There was actually no one at the door. I highly suggest you slope that step out before you get a big lawsuit on your hands. Thanks for the intention of concern - I can almost give my kids a bath without being in complete pain after 2 months. .................................................................................. I visited the cuckoo's nest twice. The first experience- my server was noticeably very new. INCREDIBLY nice. As attentive as possible. The food was pretty good! The burrito had a sauce on it which I wasn't expecting but I just learned next time to order it with the sauce in the side. My order (1 ala Carter burrito and beef street tacos) came out one after the other with a 20 minute delay. Not too bad. Decided to return for a second visit. This visit was much better in terms of speedy service and the food. I had the surf and turf street tacos. They were great but $20... way too expensive for the portion in my opini I took 2 stars off b/c I FELL OFF A STEP WALKING OUT. I didn't see anything saying to "watch your step".. no one saw us out, there was no one at the door to inform you to "watch your step" My dinner companion later recounted just a very faded yellow strip of tape or paint on the edge of the step. I twisted my ankle and landed right on my knee which has hindered my mobility for the last 3 weeks. I didn't say anything while I was there out of sheer EMBARRASSMENT but I would imagine SOMEONE heard what happened and nobody checked on us. It's still healing but for this, I'm definitely not returning. Long story short - WATCH YOUR STEP. read more

Rodrigo and Stephanie have been our servers during our many visits. They are just awesome! The food is always wonderful and the margaritas are fantastic. Margarita Monday is such a bargain. Would highly recommend!! read more

We were so disappointed. After seeing Connecticut Magazine giving this place some sort of "best of" we tried it. Chips were stale. Salsa was watery. Nothing "grande" about their Grande burritos! Chicken was dry and beef was soggy and smothered in red sauce. Maybe they make them ahead and they sit? Don't ask for a refill of the small glass of soda or they will charge you a refill fee! Same with the chips, salsa and other items...though I cannot imagine who would want more of any! Much better food at food trucks and any other restaurant we have visited. what a waste of our time and hard earned money. read more

We have been coming here for years!!! Always excellent!! Well, things have changed dramatically! I would imagine that they would be happy to be open and surviving in these times but we were greeted with poor attitudes, short pours, and kids serving and tending bar!! So disappointing! We drove 40 minutes for this??!! read more

Probably one of the better Mexican restaurants in the area. We always sit at the bar and the service is beyond great. They have a nice bar bites menu that is a great value and the margaritas are tasty. If it's not on the menu just ask. I wanted a spicy coconut margarita and the bartender made it for me, no problem. They offer free WiFi and if you sign up for their email list you will be first to know about their dining specials that change weekly. Location is convenient and the hours are great for the area. read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

One waitress, she did the best she could. Messed up the order but not a biggie, food tasted good, just a quick bite for lunch. read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Lunch is served. - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

The food was good and the waitress was nice but the wait time for food lately is unacceptable. 25 minutes to get drinks, 25 minutes for an appetizer, an hour to get food that arrived cold. It used to be a favorite restaurant but we won't be back unless they re-commit to hiring enough staff to serve customers in a reasonable amount of time read more

Cuckoo's Nest - "Serving Mexican and Cajun" cuisine since 1976! What they serve, is neither Mexican or Cajun. It's a horrible mashup of burned, scorched, under seasoned foods, combined with uniformly low quality ingredients, executed with a complete and total lack of culinary skill. Quite frankly, it's SHIT ON A SHINGLE. The food is really, really, horrible. How a place like this can stay in business is a mystery to me. It's dirty, old, and because the patrons are apparently all retarded, the menu includes a "Glossary" at the bottom of the page to explain what the vastly complicated and creative dishes include. Terms like "Burrito" and "Taco" are explained ad nauseum. According to the Cuckoo's Nest, the menu included several authentic "Mexican and Cajun" dishes like: ROCKEFELLER SOUP cream soup w/spinach, mushrooms & shrimp, topped w/croutons & cheese BUFFALO WINGS (7) hot & spicy, served w/celery sticks & bleu cheese dressing GAZPACHO cold & spicy tomato-based soup w/cucumbers HAMBURGER 1/2 lb. w/lettuce & tomato CHEESEBURGER 1/2 lb. w/lettuce & tomato w/bacon, add 1.50 HUMMEL HOT DOG GRILLED JERK CHICKEN Jamaican jerk-spiced boneless chicken breast served over white basmati rice w/a jerk black bean sauce DELMONICO STEAK the same cut as our Cajun Steak, but without the spices, served w/a baked potato & a salad MONTERREY SALAD lettuce, tomatoes, garbanzo beans & shredded cheese 8.50 How these are "Mexican or Cajun" I have no idea. The menu was starting to look like a Greek Diner along the New Jersey Turnpike. Linguine has no place on a "Mexican or Cajun" restaurant menu. Seeing that and other non-Mexican dishes on the specials board at the front door was the first sign that things were not going to be "authentic" Always hopeful, we walked in, were seated, and debated running for the door. Unfortunately, hope won out over the obvious reality we had walked into a tired disaster that would have made even the saddest Taco Bell a better choice. The serving staff had the 10,000 yard stare usually associated with PTSD combat survivors or those emerging from a Michael Bolton/Kenny G concert. Eventually a waiter named Pedro, Pablo or Rodrigo wandered over to get our drink orders. He was unable to elaborate on the daily "specials" and unable to discern a Bud Light from a Dark Ale. He promptly disappeared after taking our dinner order and was nowhere to be seen for the next hour. We sat there, on a picnic bench (yes, seating is on a picnic bench) with our empty drinks, in a deserted back room trying to get someones attention to just pay for the drinks and get the hell out of the place. Eventually Pablo/Pedro/Pancho wandered back into the room with the dinner order. Naturally, the food was cold, he forgot our requests for extras like jalapenos, glasses of water, guacamole, etc. When we mentioned this, he seemed to lose his grasp on English and wandered off in the direction of either the parking lot or the kitchen. The food? Well, you know where this is going. It was uniformly awful. I've never seen carrots, eggplant and zucchini incorporated into fajitas as sides. The chicken looked like carefully squeezed out dog poop and tasted similar. The "steak" consisted of flat, square, slabs of meat that were clearly trimmings or waste byproduct. They even managed to serve stale tortillas! Amazing. We grimly ate our way through as much of the meal as possible. It was late, and at this point we both kind of made a joke about how really and truly awful the food was. We paid up and got the heck out. The Cuckoo's Nest is almost certainly the WORST dining experience in Connecticut. Food - zero Service - zero Decor - zero Value - zero Taste - zero Ambiance - zero Cleanliness - zero The Cuckoo's nest is awarded the rarest of all awards "The SEVEN ZERO'. RUN AWAY FROM THIS DISASTER. read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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I'm way overdue to correct my review, after the situation I experience on my first visit, the owner was very professional and responded quickly. She knew how to handle the problem and I really appreciate that as a customer. I did went back to the restaurant and it was a wonderful experience, it became a regular place to go. Their margaritas are absolutely delicious and their service always on point. read more

My grandfather'a favorite place to eat. Quality food and tasty drinks. The music and decorations create a wonderful ambiance. You cannot go wrong! read more

Great food, awesome staff, would definitely come back again and again. My three year old also loved the food and accidentally left her "magic princess ring" on the table. The waiter chased us down in the parking lot to bring it back to her, and it saved us a meltdown later. Much appreciated, great staff, well trained. read more

Ok, I've only eaten one meal here and it was excellent. It was just a few weeks ago on a Saturday for lunch. We ate outside on the patio which I thought was really neat looking and cozy. I went for the mahi mahi tacos at the suggestion of a friend who recently moved to Old Saybrook. They were fantastic. Fish tacos are hard to come by in New England and these tasted almost as good as the little joints all over San Diego. I can't vouch for anything else...but those fish tacos will be seeing me again in the future. read more

Not sure why there's not more love for this place. I've been coming here for years and it's always pretty good. Not authentic Mexican necessarily but they call themselves a "Mexican / Cajun" place. Soups are a favorite of mine here. The building is probably 200 years old and pretty cool. They only recently (within the past few years) got AC. There is an outside eating area if the weather is nice. Margaritas are good and he salsa is thin as noted by others but tasty. If you're looking for a casual, fun place on shoreline then this is a good choice. read more

Had such a nice dinner here! We made reservations earlier in the afternoon and were seated immediately upon arrival . Stephanie was very sweet, polite, and attentive to our table the entire time. The food was delicious with a spicy kick!! Would definitely return! read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Went here with my parents to get dinner when I was back in Connecticut. My dad mentioned that it's been around since he was in high school, and you can definitely tell (in an endearing way - the decor is quirky and old school and not bougie at all). We got queso, which I'm pretty sure was just cheese whiz and jalepenos (which I'm not mad about, it was great), and I had the seared tuna with chimichurri. The chocolate lava cake was also really good! Will definitely have to try some of the more traditional Mexican food here if I go back. The service was quick and very friendly. read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Seared tuna with chimichurri - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

The service was friendly and prompt, the Decour is funky relaxing and fun. First time here. On the fence whether I will come again. The food quality was good but the sauces were sweet and overpowering. The rice and beans were lukewarm I think the plate was hotter than the main dish. Nevertheless I enjoyed it read more

I did it enjoy this at all. Not even the Don Julio reposado margarita. Table-side guacamole was bland. Apps were bland. Entrees were okay. Service was okay. Place looked clean. read more

After visiting different parts of Mexico every year for the last 15 years, I've had the good fortune to taste a lot of Mexican food. Let me tell you why this place is NOT the best Mexican restaurant in Connecticut. First, the guacamole is not fresh and it seems to be combination of avocado and a pre-prepared mixture. The salsa was watery and didn't have a good flavor. I ordered the special... The mahi-mahi. In addition to being frozen, it was overcooked and dry. Thank God for the tequila. They have a great selection and it was a perfect ending to a disappointing meal. I'll give it one more chance and maybe start with the tequila. read more

Saturday night. You just got off work. Your hungry for a taste that other place's don't seem to satisfy. You go to cuckoo's nest. Interesting architecture. Within, a pleasently rustic atmosphere. I'm seated and after friendly discourse about chips and salsa I order the tuna chimichurri. Delicious, almost other worldly. Afterwards? A glass of anejo tequila to wash it down. My first experience was good and now I know, like an addict, I'll come back again, and again, and again. Like the cuckoo I am. read more

Had some drinks and food today and it's was really great . The outside patio is a great addition. Claudio the bartender made amazing drinks and the food is very flavorful. Don't forget free chips and salsa! Great place to hang out ! read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Prime rib special - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

I have been a fan of Cuckoo's Nest for many years and I don't really live close. Each time I visit I would travel from East Haven to Old Saybrook and did the same today to try it once again since it's been a couple of years. Although I did not have a negative experience, I will say there is a noticeable difference and decline in the quality of the food and a disappointing change in the menu since the business was sold by the original owner Jim Fitzpatrick. My favorite soup "Cajun Gumbo" has been removed from the menu as an everyday regular menu item, and after 46 years they now charge $2.50 for a second basket of tortilla chips and a separate $2.50 for salsa. I understand with the cost of everything now there has to be changes, but $5.00 is a little steep. The only item I truly did not care for was the rice and beans mix. I prefer their old version of rice and beans much better. Overall I feel everything is slightly overpriced. I am not saying I won't come back because I still do enjoy the atmosphere and the food, but just not as much. I am sure they are doing their best and my review is solely based on my opinion, but I feel honest reviews are not only beneficial to feedback to the restaurant but also for others decide if this restaurant is somewhere they want to visit. read more

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I ordered chicken fajitas and I bit in and felt something hard, it was a bone. And the food was bad. read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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I like nachos, and tacos, and burritos, and enchiladas, and chimichangas, and tostadas, and empanadas, and tamales, and fajitas, and chili, and quesadillas, and guacamole. read more

Lousy service! Food ok. Not what it used to be. Outdoor be patio is great!! Great atmosphere!! read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Awesome place - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Very fun, old school family Mexican. Ate on patio - delicious traditional food. I had enchiladas, wife had tacos, daughter had jerk chicken! Friendly service, laid back atmosphere - will be back! read more

Besides the fact that the front end customer service is beyond attentive- the food is beyond a doubt THE BEST I've had in the longest. Myself and my party enjoyed the service so much from Stephanie and Aline. The only problem was they do not have a location in New York. Will definitely be back when we come for vacation again! read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Steak Grilled Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

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We drive about 25 minutes to come eat here and it's worth it ! To start I got a strawberry margarita, which was really good and strong! Next, had the con queso dip, delicious! And for my dinner I had a quesadilla with grilled chicken, AMAZING and super good white meat grilled chicken. The food here is worth our drive! read more

Cuckoo's Nest - Strawberry marg on the rocks w/sugar - Mexican Near Me - Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Terrible! I hate being this blunt, but there was nothing good about this place at all. My coworker and I wanted Mexican food and this place was the only one we could find and I'm actually sorry we did. First off, the ambience of the place is just weird. It's dark, the waitress was one of the most unfriendly people I have ever come across (she never actually made eye contact, and never smiled...literally never). I ordered the street tacos (beef, pork, and chicken) which were the most abhorrent concoctions of flavorless, dried out food I've ever had in my entire life. The barbecue sauce was way over used...yes, I said barbecue sauce. The rice was wet...too wet, like it had been dropped in the sink then pulled back out quickly and it had some sort of tomato sauce on it that absolutely destroyed any flavor it may have actually had. I couldn't finish the pork one (or was it beef...I couldn't tell because of all the barbecue sauce). At least the water was good and I needed a lot of it to wash down that shoe leather-type food I had been served. Terrible! I will never again go back to this place as long as I live and forbid anyone I know from ever going. read more

This restaurant was one of our favorites for years. Not anymore. I ordered a beef fajita. This was horrible. It came wrapped as a soft taco with chili inside and a few pieces of yellow and green squash. My understanding of a fajita is a sizzling plate of meat and veggies. My husband ordered jambalaya and it was served with pasta instead of rice. If you are looking for real Mexican, avoid this establishment. read more

Cuckoos nest is one of my go-to restaurants. Their service has always been great and their fried ice cream with maple syrup is to die for

I've been a customer for about 37 years. My wife, Betsy, and I went weekly even taking in our kids from the time they were 1 month old. We absolutely love their red sangria! None better. Even though it is a Mexican restaurant, they do some great Cajun cooking as well. Last night I ordered something off the menu that I never had: Jambalaya Rice. It was very flavorful and loaded with sausage, chicken, and shrimp. The portion is enough for an appetizer for 4, or n my case dinner and two lunches with what I took home. If you have never been, or haven't been in a while, treat yourself. You'll find the atmosphere fun and the food delicious. Just don't forget about the Sangria. read more

At this point I'd give this place a goose egg. I have been going to this restaurant for 15 years. I'm local. Been in the summer, winter, spring, fall. I last came in April and was slightly aggravated with the quality. Today is the final straw. I've abandoned other places on their way out such as New Deal and this is my plea to management here. Get it together, because its the locals that keep it alive. 30 minutes to get a app is insane. The food was way better a few years back. Maybe if your looking for someplace to go try something else. Like I said this used to be my go to. My wife and I had our first date here. I even proposed to her on a night we are here. It's gone the way of the extinct feathered bird read more

Great house Margaritas and any other flavor you can think of. They are willing to make you something that is not on the menu and that is a good thing because the menu has not changed in a long time. Food is good, but it is weird when a Mexican restaurant doesn't have specials on National Taco Day. Good atmosphere and a good choice for quick fix Mexican read more