While we were visiting the quaint water town of Essex, we stopped by here for a mocha and a sweet…read moretreat. It's a small coffee shop with some tables inside. Excellent coffee, even better lemon square and a very very sweet person made our coffee - loved the vibes. We took our food out to the waterfront and enjoyed it on a bench overlooking the water. Overall, very nice day :)

While in Essex last weekend on an unusually warm late January afternoon, I wanted to stop for a…read morecoffee. Essex Coffee & Tea Company is conveniently located on Main Street. This coffee shop looks cute from the outside, but it's a bit worn out looking on the inside. I got an iced latte, I wouldn't dare think of anything iced this week because of the awful negative temperatures, but last week was a different story. If you're looking to get a basic coffee, those are self serve. My iced latte was really good. It had a solid, strong coffee taste to it. I didn't get any flavor shots this time. The small was a very generous size. Unfortunately, there is no restroom in the Essex Coffee & Tea Company. They have some couches where you can sit. They also have some delicious baked goods. This is a nice little coffee shop to get a great coffee if you're in town.

To start the woman who owns The Herbery is charming and is a wonderful gardener with a collection…read moreof over 100 types of teas. It's a very quirky place and has its own kind of charm. They do NOT have a restroom so you have to drive a mile either way if you have to use it. If it was an emergency she said you can go out to the bushes. Yes. This was said. This may be important if you're drinking a lot of tea. If you just want a cup of tea they will serve it in a to go paper cup. They use plastic silverware and paper plates. But if you can spent more on a pot of tea then you can get the nice china. So I ordered the pot of tea for more money because the my mother was having a different tea. So I only had 1 cup of tea and a big pot that I didn't want. I was told that they usually serve "Starbucks" style where you go to the counter and they give you a cup of tea to go ( even if the whole point is not to go to Starbucks but have lovely afternoon with my mother) The only way you get served is if you get the pot of tea. The treats ( cookies and such- no scones in this day) are individually wrapped in ziplock bags) Again if you don't mind a different type of afternoon tea experience and you are just there maybe for the atmosphere and don't need a restroom ( sorry I keep bringing that up but I still can't believe it) then you can indulge in these teas and the company of the lovely owner. It just not our cup of tea.

Great gift shop and tea house! Lots of tea, great scones, reasonably priced ornaments and gifts!read more

First time at Olive Oyl's and there's a lot going on here! Seems to be an exceptionally well run…read morebusiness. We all had egg sandwiches to go (two wraps and two traditional) and enjoyed them. Iced tea was good. Service was very good. The store has a lot of interesting items, especially if you like nostalgic candies. Decor was very charming. There's a deli case that might be great for lunch and I didn't read the menus on the walls. Sandwiches are made fresh and they appear to either have a bakery or a relationship with one as there were quite a few pastries that looked creative and fresh. It takes some time to make the food so my recommendation is to call them ahead of time so it is ready when you arrive. There are a few tables inside and a few more outside so there is seating. If you read my reviews you might know that the highest I give on a first visit is 4 stars. If I go back and the place is excellent again I raise it to 5. This is so that a place that is consistently the best of the best (vs a one time great experience) gets 5 stars over a place that just does it once. Olive Oyl's would definitely be eligible for a 5th star and I'm virtually certain to give it to them on the next visit. It was such a perfect combination of choices, quality, service and ambiance! We've been coming to Essex for so many years and always passed this place by for no reason in particular. Now I think we will visit every time we're in town!

Yup! . . . one of the best take outs we've been to since landing here in Connecticut. Cute…read moresidewalk diner in Essex with a well oiled crew inside and pretty darn good food. We joked about why is'nt there a Popeye and Wimpy's spinach-burger stand nearby? Hah! Parking was the only challange but it moves in and out fairly quickly and Judging by the patronage we saw there, they should do well. As my friend Arnold Swartznager once said . . ."I'll be back!"

I'm a little nervous to say this because they might be sold out next time I go... but their farm…read moreeggs are the most incredible pillows of egg-fluff I have ever had!!! I have been following this start-up farm since the very beginning, and have watched the care and passion for the Earth and the Animals be curated. I have been walking the farmland with my camera and painted the barns. I'm so excited for what this next season will bring! P.s., the carrots are off the charts!!!

Good stuff,fresh,tasty,healthy, let's support sustainable farmers,their livelyhood depends on…read moreit,strive to eat healthy.

I recently had a good experience at Joy Chocolate in Essex Center. I drove by on my way to lunch…read moreand stopped at Joy on my way back. Joy is a cute chocolate shop. They make their own chocolates and creations. I bought two different types of chocolate bars, a bag of mint cookie malt balls and milk chocolate potato chip bark. I thought everything was good. The standout item for me was a hybrid chocolate bar with white chocolate and a brightly flavored red confection component. The red part was pleasantly tart and contrasted well with the sweet white parts. The dark chocolate bar was good. Seemed like high quality. I am a fan of both mint balls and potato chip bark. I liked both versions. I have to admit, I have not kept up with the prices of chocolate bars of this nature. The bars were a decent, but not huge, size. I think they were around $6 each, which I didn't notice until later. I know prices of a lot of things have gone up. This may be the market price now for small batch artisan chocolate. The price is probably higher than I would spend on a regular basis, but it's fine once in while. The experience definitely felt high end in terms of atmosphere and service. 4.25 Stars

Chocolate treats were yummy and well made. It was a well put together chocolate shop with many…read moreoptions. Service was good.

Thank you helpers for recommending this gem on the way to our beachy destination. Super cute,…read morelittle, hidden and charming cafe. It was bustling with families, but we took or delicious sandwiches and Harney teas to go. We had a turkey blt wrap and grilled cheese with tomato and fig jam; sooooo good!

We had lunch with our friend Mechelle in Chester and she got several things from Savour. Pasta…read moresalad, chicken salad, corn salad and a delicious carrot cake. Everything was top notch quality and tasted very fresh. The carrot cake was just decadent without being too heavy nor too sweet. This is a place that I would easily see myself getting take out from in the future if I am in the area.

I think I can still smell the delicious chocolate aroma! Chocolate is one of my favorite things to…read moreeat, and I was told that this place has the best chocolate chip cookies. Well, they were definitely right. I ate a delicious chocolate chip cookie. It was so good. They are also offering a frozen hot chocolate which I got. It was delicious and perfect for a hot day. They also sell truffle shots and a huge variety of chocolate bars. I can't wait to go back!!

Chocolate Geeks is a great stop if you love chocolate! The treats are yummy, service was…read moreextraordinary! The shop is small and quaint.

This place is Fire. Great people, nice kitchen supplies, and coffee was good. Big fanread more

Spoke to the friendly owners on my visit and was served a delicious vanilla iced coffee.read more

Never dissatisfied at Cooked. Very friendly and helpful…read morestaff. Everything we've ordered or picked up here is fabulous! They use the freshest and finest ingredients and really know how to combined them. 4 stars because there isn't enough organic choices for such highly priced items.

Sorry, I tried. Numerous times. It's just not good. $34 a lb for hanger steak, and could only eat a…read morefew bites. Brisket for $25 a lbs, no flavor and gave me more fat than meat. GF chowder...a few bites and tossed. It's been like this with most of their foods. $65 for a bouquet of flowers? Everything is way under seasoned and over priced. I keep saying I'm done and then decide to try something else because of convenience, and end up regretting it. Sorry Cooked. I really did try.

I stopped in on a weekday to check out this shop and to try some French cheeses to go along with a…read moreselection of French wines that I recently brought home. I was welcomed and given a brief overview of their offerings. then tried several different types of cheeses. Each cheese had a distinct texture and flavor,their origins were fully explained. I selected five different cheeses to bring home and then scoped out the rest of the store before checking out with a few items to accompany my cheese tasting. This cheese shop has much more than cheese to select from. There are various food items, oils, dried meats and frozen foods available. It's a fun shop.

They are so polite and nice. Went to get cheese Melinda Mae for a friend and ended up buying French…read moreFeta and Prosecco Cheese to die for. A very quaint friendly place and immaculate.