Long overdue review. This is my favorite spot to visit whenever i'm back home on the east coast. The views are absolutely beautiful. Best cocktails, amazing food, and friendliest service. This is the perfect spot for a lunch or dinner overlooking the water. They have the most beautiful patio right along the boats, but if it's too cold or the weather isn't ideal, they have plenty of space inside with floor to ceiling windows so the view's just as pretty. They're taking all of the covid precautions with tables spaced out, servers in masks, etc. The food is outstanding. Highly recommend any of the raw seafood- oysters, clams, shrimp, etc. The caesar salad and calamari are delicious and our go to appetizer items. The fish dishes are full of flavor and always cooked to perfection. And the lobster roll is not to be missed- on a buttery roll, filled to the brim with large chunks of lobster (claws and all). 10/10. From a nice casual lunch with a beer and some seafood, to a romantic dinner date with a glass of sancerre and one of their unique specials, Harbor Lights is the spot. read more

Ideal for a casual day to catch the sunset! The vibes are great, food delicious, and the view breathtaking! Highly recommend. Kristine was our host, she is amazing! read more

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Had dinner the other night it was amazing!!! We were the only ones there as it was super early but it was great. I recommend the calamari!

I've had this restaurant bookmarked for quite some time and I am so glad I chose to come here for dinner. One of the best things about this place is your water view as you dine. By the time we got there it was already getting dark so we could not experience the view on a sunny bright blue sky day but what we were able to see definitely makes us want to come for lunch or definitely during the summer. The restaurant has a small bar area with two separate dining areas. The area we were seated in was close to the water view which was excellent. We called to make reservations and as a result we were seated next to a window. Although to be quite honest the dining area was all windows on three sides so you could not miss the view from wherever your table was at in this area. As far as the service-it was top notch. Our server was Silvano (sp?). He was really helpful in discussing the items on the menu and he expertly attended to us all night; making sure our meal was perfect and getting whatever items we needed to make the meal perfect. He kept coming back to top us off with our wine,always coming back at the right time. By the way he had a great sense of humor as well. For starters we had a half dozen oysters which was perfect! The oysters were served without Tabasco or horseradish but when we asked for them our server immediately took care of it. The oysters were a perfect start of the meal. For our entrees I had the Frutti de Marre. The entree had littlenecks, mussels, shrimp, calamari, tuna and salmon in a tomato broth. The seafood was outstanding!!! The broth was amazing! So much so that I had to ask for extra bread because I could not let the broth go to waste. The seafood was cooked perfectly, not over done so it became chewy. It was a big portion but it was not overwhelming. It all went down! My girlfriend had the mussels and she loved them as well. So much flavor. Overall we loved everything about this place and will definitely go back to try other items but I think we will try lunchtime so we can enjoy the water views. read more

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It's a solid yes from me. The view is unbelievable, good service, and the food was pretty great. We had the stuffed shrimp with crab, the spaghetti Congolese, and calamari to start. Very happy and will be back ;) read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Stuffed shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Very unsanitary! I went here with my family a couple nights ago and 2/5 of us went home sick to our stomachs. One had the shrimp scampi and the other had the pastrami smoked salmon. We had a lobster bisque as well which had HAIR in it. I am extremely disappointed by this establishment. read more

On March 28th I held a family wedding shower luncheon for our granddaughter and her fiance. The room overlooking the Norwalk River is lovely even though it was raining outside. Sebastian and Nicole were very helpful, attentive and welcoming to our guests. The food was delicious and plentiful. Everyone remarked how nice everything was and what a good time they had. I didn't rent the entire room, but we had enough space to move about and quietly toast the bride and groom to be. I highly recommend Harbor Lights Restaurant for an evening out or an event. Jane Graham Norwalk read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Alyssa and Cody's wedding shower March 28, 2021 - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Someone with great culinary expertise and an innovative approach to food needs to buy this place and overhaul it. It's a great space, with wonderful water views, but the food is way below par. Won't be going back unless that happens. Way too many great places to eat great food in the area to spend any time here. UPDATE: 5/19/22 - It's been a while since my visit mentioned above, and I'm happy to say so much has changed!! First of all, the restaurant has added beautiful, much needed outdoor space along the water. Secondly, and more importantly, the food was OUTSTANDING. Service was a little slow, but it was pretty busy for a Wednesday, so perhaps they just weren't fully staffed. I dined with four other discerning older ladies (you know how picky they can be!) and they all raved about the food. Two of us had the crab cake sandwich and it was flavorful, moist and a healthy portion. I had FOMO over the fish and chips ordered by two of the other's in our party, and the greek salad ordered by the last person looked great as well. I really am very happy that this restaurant has improved because it's right in my neighborhood and in a great spot. Can't wait to go back with my husband! read more

Beautiful view. Most outdoor seating has no awning or umbrella so you're in the full sun. Cocktail prices are NYC prices. Lobster in lobster roll was half of it over cooked. Barely any fries came with it. Raw oysters okay. Salmon pastrami only had 2 small toast points and not even 1/2 a hard boiled egg. It was delicious but not enough accoutrements. read more

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What a tranquil way to spend a fall afternoon eating dockside. There were several gluten free options, including salad, 'sandwiches,' entrees and one pasta. They don't have gluten free buns, but the presentation of my chicken, roasted pepper, arugula, and tomato 'sandwich' was nicely done. They had a good prix fixe for lunch. The staff was friendly. read more

We came here at the request of my mom for their 50th anniversary dinner. We requested a table by the water but they put us inside. That's ok they found us a table outside. It went downhill from there. The service was abysmal. So slow. They say on their website that parties have 2 hours except we didn't have our food until 1.5 hours in. Then they forgot the baby's food that we requested multiple times. Then they didn't even comp it. On the reservation I made a note that it was a special occasion, my parents' 50th anniversary. They did absolutely nothing. The food was fine. Not great. Not bad. Mostly under and over seasoned depending on the dish. But the service was terrible and everything was way overpriced. Do not recommend. read more

Delicious food and great service from our waiter Niko. Beautiful view on the water in Norwalk. Enjoyed the steak sandwich and chocolate mousse for desert. Will definitely return! Temporary outdoor seating due to social distancing regulations. read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

This evening I decided to treat my boyfriend to a Fathers Day dinner at Harbor Lights. I chose this place because we had lunch here before Covid. The food and service was AMAZING. Not this time around. We arrived around 8:30pm. When the waiter came to our table, the first thing he told us was that we have to hurry up and order because the kitchen closes at 9. A Fathers Day menu was provided with little options. He also told us that we had to choose something from the menu. We looked around the dining room and seen other guests had lobsters. That was not a choice on the menu. My boyfriend ordered lamb, he hated it. He ordered lamb chops the last time we were here and they were cooked prefect. The sauce, the veggies, and the whipped mashed potatoes were superb. I ordered bass with potatoes. It wasn't seasoned well and it seemed thrown together. The presentation was a mess. Neither of us ate our food. The waiter made us feel rushed, did not check on us while we were dining, and did not let us know all our menu options. The food was not to our expectations at all. I feel like we spent $200 on drinks, which were decent. We will not be returning. read more

Harbor Lights is one of the best restaurants in Fairfield or Westchester County. The food is fresh, flavorful and expertly prepared and served by a friendly and professional waitstaff. The location and harbor views are truly exceptional and if you like outdoor dining this is the place to go. We have been dining at Harbor Lights for over 10 years and have always had great food and service and have never been disappointed. read more

We had our wedding and reception at Harbor Lights over the weekend. What can I say it was a fairytale wedding for the both of us. The weather was hot, but the views from inside the air-condition hall were a spectacular setting for a delicious brunch reception. The waitstaff didn't skip a beat and were there whenever we thought of something. Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon, Harbor lights Val and Carmela read more

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OK where to start? Let's begin with the glasses of wine that we ordered. They were served warm! We brought this to our server's attention and all he could say was " Oh yes it's very warm at the bar". Are you kidding me?! The only way to make the wine drinkable was to put an ice cube in it. Unacceptable! What he should have done was to bring us fresh glasses of wine. Next came the bread. We requested olive oil...never came. It was a very warm night and our water glasses remained empty. I ordered the salmon and it was OK but really uninspired. My husband ordered the warm lobster roll, one of his favorite dishes. The lobster was over cooked and chewy! It's beyond me how this restaurant thrives with mediocre food and poor service. We stopped dining here a few years ago for the very reasons I mention above but we were given a gift card and had to use it. Too many outstanding restaurants in our area of Fairfield County to put up this. NEVER AGAIN! The only reason this restaurant is getting a star is because you can't leave that part blank. read more

PSA I usually have a great meal at harbor lights but tonight we came for a birthday dinner and was shocked at the different sizes of the harvest bowls. When I asked if they were both the dinner portion our waiter said yes they are but when you order a protein you get a much larger salad. It's disappointing that you don't get the same amount of greens and other toppings just because you don't order a protein. I don't usually leave reviews but felt I had to share so people know going forward what the size of the harvest bowl is if you don't order a protein. I took a picture after my friend had already eaten half of here as I was waiting to ask the waiter if I had gotten the dinner portion. The rest of the meal was nice and lily our other waitress was lovely!! read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Harvest bowl - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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We loved our meals--an entree of soft crabs presented beautifully and each bite was crispy as it should be for perfectly cooked soft crab. The second main was the warm and buttery lobster roll Delicious. We ate outside on the deck on a warm and cloudy evening so it was comfortable. Our only disappointment was the rapid sweeps of the staff clearing away our appetizer plates seconds after we (almost finished eating it--I wanted another squeeze of lemon!). Seemed unnecessary since the deck had tables free even as we left after our meal. Otherwise the staff was very competent and friendly. read more

Stay away, sea bass smelled like ammonia , asked the manger, was told the chef said it was because of the oils in the fish. Please. Our server was great, too bad. Ambiance was fine Would give zero if option. read more

This place is abhorrent led by Alex their terrible manager. She threatened to call the police on my 83 year old father after we waited for an hour for food (on Father's Day no less) and needed to leave the restaurant. Even the support staff apologized for her inappropriate behavior. We've been long time customers but will never go again, and will tell others to never patronize this disgusting establishment. read more

A must try restaurant for all seafood lovers! My fiancé and I live a few blocks away and we always take friends and family here when they visit. Best lobster rolls in CT we've ever had with spectacular views! Staff is incredibly kind with great service. You can't get better than Harbor Lights! read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Hot Lobster Roll & BLT Salmon Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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Made a reservation over the phone and even received an email notification from Resy. I got there with my fiancée and was told there was a 45 minute wait. I asked what the point of a reservation was if everything was first come, first serve, and got a vague response about how they can't promise tables. Utterly ridiculous. The scenic view is not enough to make me want to give this place another try. I get the sense that management plays favorites with some patrons, which is a shame, because our money is as green as theirs. Don't waste your time like we did. Update: the policy the manager stated in the response below still does not account for the fact that the hostess at the door clearly told us there were NO TABLES available, with no reference to a specific table. That was after the person taking our reservation asked us to come at 8:00 instead of 7:30, and we agreed. This is needlessly confusing, and should be stated plainly. Additionally, when my fiancée DM'd the Harbor Lights Instagram account to express dissatisfaction, she was blocked. As someone who grew up in a Greek-American family that continues to own and manage restaurants throughout CT, NY, and FL, this is not only a poor policy, but a petty way to handle a complaint. And from the looks of other reviews here, many others have had similar experiences. read more

Pricey but great seafood. Very fresh lobster. We had the bisque (huge lobster chunks), lobster rolls (great, could've done without the crispy bacon strips, but grounded the very fresh meaty lobster chunks, and the fresh lobster in (or out of shell as shown) was very fresh and lots of meat. Limited but good wine selection and nice views of the harbor from every table. read more

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I will be honest I had heard mixed reviews on this place but my babe wanted to take me out for a date night, her treat, so we gave it a try. The atmosphere was very nice being right on the water, we sat outside and were quickly greeted by Frank the swan lol apparently Frank and his meat had babies and she decided to leave him and took the babies so now he roams the waters by harbor lights waiting for pieces of bread to snack on. Poor Frank. The food was very delicious, I had the lobster roll and my girlfriend had chicken scarpiello. My lobster roll was very good but it was a bit pricey even for a lobster roll, $27. The chicken was good but I did not think it was excellent. Overall the food in general was pretty expensive almost $30 a meal and even though it was good I don't think it was worth $30. The waiter was excellent and friendly though and over all the experience was a good one. read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Frank! - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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Amazing service from the staff! Oh the food was amazing as well, i had the lobster roll. Breath taking view. read more

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They make sure gay couples are hidden in the corner so only their white heterosexual couples are visible when you walk-in. The manager didn't care when I discussed this with her, even catching full on bad attitude. Clearly she hates gay couples. Aside from this blatant homophobia, the food is blah. We gave Dory a $100 cash tip (the bill was $160) because she's too good for this hell hole. read more

Do yourself a favor and do not dine at Harbor Lights in Norwalk, CT. Dined there on a quiet Weeknight in August, my party of two was one of the first customers for their dinner wave. The restaurant was NOT busy at all. Service was painfully slow. We waited a very long time to receive our entrees, growing frustrated that the tables sat after us all were getting food we politely asked our waiter if our food would be out soon. He responded yes, but more time went by and we still did not receive our food. We left money for our appetizers and simply left in total disappointment. Slow service, overpriced food, and pretentious staff. Stay Away. read more

Went here last night for my boyfriend's birthday I made a reservation online for 8:30pm but when we arrived it looked like they were getting ready to close and no one was inside dining. I told my boyfriend to go check and they were about to close so as we were about to pull out the waiter comes out and says to come in regardless. It was really nice of them to stay open just for us to have dinner. The food and drinks were delicious I got the lobster roll, very filling and a good portion and the French fries were a unique shape but one of the best I've had. The spicy margarita with tajin rim is a must. Everyone was very nice and welcoming . Will definitely be back read more

We had a table for 6 by the water, a fabulous waitress, oysters to-die-for, lobster rolls so big we couldn't finish them, very bubbly Champagne and a delicious home made birthday cake to celebrate my mother's 102nd birthday. It was a perfectly wonderful evening. I wouldn't have changed a thing. read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Mimi's birthday. - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

I just don't understand why this place doesn't get 5 stars. Everything ordered was over the TOP!! Oyster's Rockefeller's out of this word! And what a spectacular setting. One small complaint is, slow service, but all restaurants have that challenge these days. Go, you will not regret it!!!! read more

Beautiful views, great service and amazing food. What more do you want? We were there for a very long time, just the 2 of us, and they never tried to push us out. We watched the boats come in and the sun go down. Just a lovely lovely experience. Want to make an impression? THIS is a date night. read more

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I have to give it a D for poor service (no part of ordering was done correctly), and very poor food. "Lobster" formed from other fish and just called lobster on the menu tastes bad -- & is that even legal? (and it had been frozen & thawed on top of not being real, so adding insult to injury as the saying goes). It was no surprise to see such a pretty place & beautiful setting 90% empty - after I finally got my check, seeing 6 staff members lounging together at a big table in the dining room with only one table with customers kind of explained a lot. Neither the host, the two servers, nor the busses knew why half of their restaurant and half of the parking lot was submerged under 2 feet of harbor water - someone should tell them Google is their friend - I'd already googled hide tide & knew it was 3 minutes away - the server urged me repeatedly to move my car which was parked at water's edge so it wouldn't be flooded. I knew that in 3 minutes the water would begin to leave. It's a shame as it's a gorgeous outdoor setting in the harbor. Grab a beer there & make it last, but a meal? In addition to ersatz lobster, the bread was stale & the Gorgonzola pear salad had three one inch cubes of pear. Some restaurants "struggling" in Covid times are going to go under - especially if like here, they don't even know why water rises and falls, literally at their own feet in a harbor. read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - Flooded parking lot - They had no clue why. one of the staff said it "might be something to do with the moon." Ya think? - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

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Last night was our first time dining out since early March. Harbor Lights is a truly lovely restaurant in Norwalk on the water with killer views, an attentive and very professional staff and a menu that includes an array of dishes: entrees, appetizers, salads and small bites. There is a raw bar offering of shrimp, clams and beautiful oysters (judging by my husband's plate). He also had the Mediterranean Sea bass with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. I had a steamed and stewy bowl of shellfish that was served with an amazing buttery broth. Tucked in between this piled high shellfish were fingerling potato wedges and toasted bread. Afterward, I had the Poached Pear and Gorgonzola salad with a strip of broiled salmon, all expertly prepared and presented. It was a truly wonderful evening. Before the weather gets too cool for outdoor dining, go treat yourself. There is also the option to dine inside. Either way, the restaurant is spotless. read more

Harbor Lights Restaurant - The view from Harbor Lights. - Seafood Near Me - Norwalk, Connecticut

Went as a family of four for an early dinner. I would give it three stars though found the staff to be incredible rude and aggressive.

Where to begin...we were quickly seated, the room was lovely, the view wonderful. And then the sun made it impossible to enjoy the table, changed seats twice. There's no reason a shade isn't supplied for the very high clerestory window...it would spoil nothing and make diners comfortable. There were four of us. Two of us ordered lobster rolls and oysters Rockefeller and baked clams arregonata. The oysters were okay..not bad, not good. The baked clams were inedible...filled with bits of the shell. I gave a couple away to see if I was wrong and no one would eat them. Then the lobster came out. They offer cold and hot lobster rolls. But we think they make all the lobster at once and re-heat the hot one if you order it hot. The roll was good. The seasoning was awful, the lobsters were overcooked, there was NO butter on them, so doubly dry, and we had to flag down someone to bring a tiny piece of lemon. Who serves lobster without lemon? A total waste of money and the deciding factor in our ever coming back...we won't be. Someone who wasn't our waiter (whom we rarely saw after the food was brought out), asked if I wanted another order of baked clams but I declined knowing that whomever was shelling the clams was clueless. They did not remove it from our bill nor offer any another dish. When the appetizers came out (3 out of 4) the fourth person was told their appetizer would be right out. After ten minutes I flagged a person who was not our evaporated waiter and she brought out the appetizer immediately. Our waiter had vanished. But he was right there with the bill at the end of the meal. We didn't stiff him...left 20% but we'll never come again. The other couple ordered fried calmari, scallops and large shrimp. The shrimp were decent, the calamari good, but the sauce around the scallops was inedible, tasted of vinegar and salt. The couple buttered some bread and smothed it on to that and tried to enjoyed. No one brought anymore bread...not that it was exceptional bread but it was good (packaged) Italian bread and after not being able to eat my meal it was one of the only tasty thing on the table. So Harbor Lights if you cater to Connecticut residents we can all enjoy wonderful views of the water almost anywhere you'd better up your game, not every diner is a tourist. If I could give you a -1 star I would. I'll just say that your overpriced restaurant if not worth patronizing. read more

This place is more about aesthetics than good food. It's on the water and it beautiful but the food is just ok. The tuna tartare was just ok and the chunks of tuna were too big. I ordered the crab cakes and they were good and it was served with a boring regular tartar sauce. You can't mess up Burrata and the raw clams were good. So overall it was nothing to write home about but you can get decent food and beautiful views. I wouldn't go back though. I can find delicious food with beautiful views somewhere else‍ read more

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I enjoy coming here. It's a beautiful restaurant both inside and out. The servers are phenomenal and the staff is always kind/professional. My only complaint is that the price occasionally does not match the food. I can have a phenomenal lobster roll one night and a decent one the next. Both being about $25+. I understand that the view and venue are lovely but the prices/quality need to be consistent. Overall this is a phenomenal eatery and I will be back. read more

Recently I took four for lunch. Good view. Unfortunately we had poor service, resulting in cold food. Had to ask for utensils and napkins. I would recommend going during slow hours for better service. read more

Stay away from this unprofessional place! I had dinner here on July 24 with several friends. We finished our dinner (good food) and went to our car in their parking lot. We saw Mr. Frosty's Ice Cream Shop next door and decided to walk over for an after dinner cold treat. The waiter saw us, walked over and told us we had to move our car if we were intending to buy something over at the ice cream shop. What?! We just had dinner at and paid for a party of 3 people at their restaurant? The waiter said we needed to immediately move our car or get ticketed and/or towed if we were eating somewhere else ... specifically next door. I asked for a manager. He said there was no manager there. So, who was managing the restaurant and supervising staff for the safety and enjoyment of the customers?! He repeated there was npo manager on site. I told him I would not be returning as a customer to which he rudely answered "Good! Don't come back here. We don't care." The root of the issue here is the petty territorial dispute that is going on (in the mind of Harbor Lights) vs the more successful Mr. Frosty's next door. There were only 2 other customer cars in the Harbor Lights parking lot and they were getting ready to close within 25 minutes. Since they also own Overton's next door which also serves ice cream, they clearly hate the fact that Mr. Frosty's is pulling in so many more customers than they are. To them I say this: Fine ... get as petty as you want ... it's your property ... but don't take it out on customers who just paid for dinner at your restaurant! And, yes, I am most definitely taking the waiter's advice and NEVER returning to this restaurant. read more

We had reservations for Mother's Day lunch at Harbor Lights in Norwalk.. our seating was delayed by 25 minutes. ..The restaurant was overcrowded....the Food was mostly terrible (my appetizer was quite good) . The service was worse... we were pretty much ignored .. took us 2 hours to be Served. The bill was over $600 .. the setting is nice though .. right on the water.. I would not recommend. Harbor Lights read more