Half Keg Tavern is a historic neighborhood tavern that opened in New London, Connecticut in 1946…read more The tavern is housed inside a converted Quonset hut, which was likely picked up cheaply at the conclusion of World War II. The Half Keg stands out from other Connecticut drinking establishments in that it is technically a tavern as opposed to a bar. What's the difference? Bars can serve just about anything (including hard liquor), whereas taverns (once known as "public houses" back when residents were still British subjects) are places that can serve only beer, wine, cider, and food if they choose. At the time the Half Keg opened, there were maybe 700 taverns in Connecticut. Today, less than 10 Connecticut drinking establishments operate under a tavern license. A number of different owners have come and gone at the Half Keg, including longtime owners Ron & Maryann DiNoto. Since October 2016, the Half Keg has been owned and operated by Teresa Stomberg and her son David Donatello. The tavern serves a variety of domestic and foreign beer as well as a food menu of fresh handcrafted burgers, grinders, and a variety of bar bites. I recently visited the Half Keg for lunch while I was in the New London area. I arrived not long after they opened for the day. I pulled up a seat at the bar and began to peruse the menu. I first ordered a plate of "Fried Pickles", which were on the specials menu that day. Served with a dipping sauce, they were hot, crispy and very flavorful. I washed them down with a draught pour of Samuel Adams' "Summer Ale". Afterwards, I ordered a "Garlic & Onion Burger" (garlic & onion seasoned burger on a a garlic-buttered roll, slice of raw onion, lettuce, tomato) with a side of "Hand Cut Seasoned Fries". Don't expect anything particularly fancy here. It's just good, old-fashioned home cooking. No frills, no fuss; just fresh ingredients and good flavor! I washed my burger and fries down with a draught pour of Two Roads Brewing's "Two Juicy" (Double New England IPA). That lunch really hit the spot. I'd be interested in trying out one of their grinders on a return trip. If you're in the mood for a good sports game paired with a cold beer, good food, and the company of friendly locals, then head to the Half Keg!

What a great little bar , it's a must stop for a dive bar feel ! People very friendly , prices are…read morereasonable . Cant wait to stop back in .

Amazing space! We went last night to see Neva Dinova and were thrilled to see them in this intimate…read morespace. (Max capacity i74 people). The sound was great and the stage area though tiny, was big enough! They has a huge selection of beers, cocktails , canned bevs and even some great NA options. 10/10 lived this place.

Great bar, greater staff. Excellent selection of delicious beer including locally brewed. Beautiful…read moreinterior and they often put on shows ranging from Rock to metal to Indie and just about everything in between. On nights when it's a bit quieter a lot of times that I've been there bartenders on staff will start conversations and come up with random trivia or things to do that will include everyone at the bar and generally begin a group conversation which always leads to people meeting one another and having a lot of fun. I've never had a bad time when I've chosen to go in there. And while you're there do yourself a favor and get a shot of the in-house apple pie moonshine. It is a must-have.

Sounds like the time to go and have a reservation is for Brunch. Went for dinner on Monday before…read morea show at the Garde. Made a reservation, just in case but it was not needed. The place is very big, so if you are going with a group or family they have the space. There is a small awkward parking lot in the back, so mostly street parking. Arrived (party of 4) just after 5pm, took a few minutes to be sat, even though the place was empty. One bartender and one waitress. Received two menus and were told to scan the QR code on the table, seemed odd. It took a while to give our order, so we ordered everything at once. Wings, truffle fries to start. Scallop Risotto, Fish& chips, fried shrimp basket and caesar salad with chicken. Drinks arrived minus one because they were out of the whiskey, provided a replacement, but the drink never came to the table. Food was ok. The fried things were very tasty and well made. The wings were nice, tender and good sauce/flavor. Truffle fires were good, little heavy on the truffle oil, but tasty Scallops were prepared well but the "risotto" was more like rice pilaf. The caesar salad was nicely dressed, the added chicken was grill to as close to raw and still be "cooked". It was very soft and chewy - that was pushed to the side. If you go, stick to the bar, brunch, apps, or something fired. I think this place is good if you go when they are fully staffed or something. I would happy choose someplace else if I were in town for a show.

Sooooo many crafts beers and ciders on draft. The bartender is happy to let you sample prior to…read moremaking yoir selection. Can't decide? Get a flight. Extremely reasonable prices and free parking. The area is a little sketchy. I was mean mugged by some lady while walking by her for zero reason. Lock your car and perhaps carry some pepper spray but try it out. Food is good for bar food. Yummy wraps and hand cut fries.

Gatehouse Tavern [GT]. (2 stars)…read more "Stuffed clams (or stuffies) are popular in New England and consist of a breadcrumb and minced clam mixture that is baked on the half shell of a quahog hard shell clam.[1][2][3][4] Other ingredients typically found in the basic breadcrumb mixture are: meat such as sausage, bacon or chouriço (Portuguese sausage), chili pepper, lemon juice, bell peppers, celery, onion, garlic, spices and herbs. There are many different recipes for stuffed clams; many restaurants in New England have their own variety, as do many home cooks." - Wikipedia "Stuffies - $2.50" The sign caught my eye. I asked myself, "Self, what the heck are stuffies?!" I walked up to the cashier and asked her. She said it's a stuffed clam. Ahhh... In all the years I have been up to New England I never heard of "stuffies" before. Perhaps it could be in part to the fact that I usually frequent seafood restaurants vice watering holes when I am here... As I perused the menu I also saw a pastrami sandwich so I decided to eat here. I ordered the following: -Stuffies -Pastrami Sandwich Stuffies. (1.5 stars). Somehow I imagined this stuffed clam to have some texture & seasoning but not an overkill of salt & onions??!! The stuffing was extremely mushy & unpleasant to eat. I took one bite & didn't finish the rest of it. There were a few minuscule pieces of clam meat chopped up in the stuffing mixture but it was tough to even discern any real clam flavor. I'm sure the locals probably go crazy over GT's stuffies but I just am not a fan... Pastrami (Reuben) Sandwich. (2.5 stars). GT's pastrami sandwich is different from most places I have eaten at because they cook their pastrami slices on a flat top grill. The pastrami had a nice seasoning but some of the sides were a little too burnt for my liking. Instead of the usual 1000 island (yuck) I requested spicy brown mustard & while it was a bit messy to eat, definitely hit the spot on a cold day. The sauerkraut was nice & crunchy which I appreciated. The "rye" bread was quite soft & fell apart before I could take a bite into the sandwich. The rye bread tasted like sourdough bread... --- All in all, GT is a quaint little water hole that is located right across the street from EB (Electric Boat). In its heyday, GT & Elfie's used to be THE places to go for EB employees during lunch. Most of the other establishments in this area (including Elfie's) is now closed due to the fact that EB now has a "cafeteria" on their premise. The owner/bartender is extremely friendly & social which made me feel at ease. Parking is wherever u find it. Street parking is about 1 block away in the residential area. But the good thing is, if u find a stall, it's free!

Family owned forever. This place is a throwback. Like time standing still. Old timey and dumpy. Try…read moreit you will like it.

Great Dive Bar - Delicious Food…read more Ryans is old dive bar pub with dated decor (which is a good thing) and plenty of food and drink deals. The food at this pub is spot on. I love their kickin chickin. its a great value and you can choose the sauce and trust me, i've tried all of them and they are all fantastic. also, the lobster roles and fried seafood are of the quality you would see at a seafood restaurant but without the high cost. Definitely check this place out if you are in Groton area. Thanks

In town visiting Of course I looked on yelp for a local…read moreplace to relax. I liked what I read so I decided to stop in. It's not easy being a woman and being by yourself but Erin the bartender made me feel welcome right away. My battery almost died and she went above and beyond by lending me her personal charger. I was grateful due to the fact that my phone was dying. She handled the bar with ease. Most people seemed to know each other and were very pleasant. I saw a couple pool tables to the side. Keno was playing but I'm not sure what else they offered. TV's were on playing sports and the enthusiast were really enjoying the game. I had already eaten so I can't tell you about the food but from what I saw it looked delicious If I'm ever in the area again I will definitely stop in and hopefully it's Erin's shift.

I was in Connecticut for a work related event. My original plan was to go straight to the venue for…read morea couple hours before checking into my hotel. Traffic delayed my arrival by over two hours so instead of going to the venue went straight to the hotel and found that Outer Light was only 2 minutes away. So I stopped and had two terrific beers. The bartender was great and assisted me in deciding on what I wanted to try. It was one of the nicest coincidences ever and more than made up for the way the rest of the day had gone. One of them was the Lonesome Boatman and the other was the Hoppy Beerday-11th anniversary

No domestic beer! No soda! I don't drink IPA. Nice place and good service. Just wish they had other…read morechoices.

Great local brewpub. Beautiful murals on wall from local artist, excellent selection of beers and a…read morefriendly staff.

The Niantic Public House is tucked away behind the Black Sheep restaurant off the main road in…read moreNiantic. The interior is very spacious, with plenty of high top tables. It's a bit loud and when we were there there were young children running around inside. There is a limited amount of non-Beer drink selections if you do not like beer. Obviously this place is for beer drinkers, but I was hoping for a few more non-beer options so that my beer loving husband could enjoy the beer. The bartender was very kind and understanding and offered me samples of the 1 hard seltzer and a blueberry cider that were available on tap (they also had sangria). I did have the cider that was decent, I'm not usually a cider fan but this one didn't have that tang most hard ciders have that I don't care for. My husband said the IPA beer that he had was very good. They have an outdoor seating area as well.

This is one of our local faves. The pub was for many years a family owned pharmacy honored by the…read morequote for the back room. The owner brought over the wood and decor from an Irish Pub so when you walk through the door you have magically been transported to Dublin. Creative cocktails and many beers on tap along with traditional Irish food complete the scene. The food is a awesome mix of Irish and American dishes. Guinness Beef Stew, Bangers and Mash, PEI Mussels, Steak Frites, and seafood dishes are sure to make this a pub favorite. They also have live music on the weekends and trivia nights. Hats off to the staff who make this place a local Cheers favorite.

The Black Sheep is an Irish pub in Niantic serving things like Shepherds Pie and Bangers and Mash…read more It's one of the few restaurants in Niantic, so if you've visited more than once, you've probably been to the Black Sheep. I prefer visiting during the warmer months, because it gives you the option of eating outside. I find the interior to be too dark and the tables are often found sticky. The food is decent and the portion sizes are good. The sides are basic. Definitely pick the sweet potato fries if you have any doubts. My son insists that the regular fries need more salt to even taste ok. The service has always been a little slow but when the food comes out, they always have plenty of help getting it to the table. Because it's a fixture to a town I love, I'm sure I'll be back.