The pub is a fast and reliable place for a quick meal. Very convenient to the Kate and has a few…read moreunusual item on the menu. Servers are helpful and the downstairs is much better than upstairs.

We had a lovely meal here on a Thursday evening. We were able to get a parking spot a couple…read morebuildings down. We had to wait a little for a table. The inside is a little small but it is cute. The menu has a variety of sandwiches, salads, and different entrees. They had specials for the day which was fun. We ordered the crispy brussel sprouts to split and they were delicious. A great crisp! I then ordered the Ahi Tuna Noodle Bowl and loved it. Tuna tasted fresh with great veggies and sauce. We then finished off with a special coconut cake that was so moist and great flavor. Overall a really lovely meal and would come back!

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.

We were looking forward to this place and sadly it was an excessively overpriced poorly cooked and…read moredownright awful meal. And please let me state again the bill was beyond excessively expensive. I do not in any way recommend eating here unless you want to waste your valuable money or have dirty stares from the unshaven, what appear to be drug addicts working in the kitchen one of them I assume was the owner. The guy if you read the comments from other diners is a supreme condescending scumbag when responding. Guess what guy, people don't like to be talked to that way especially when they have a legitimate grievance. Things didn't do well in the town of Essex so he thought he'd move to old saybrook and use the name Essex which is a true insult to the town having their name associated with this place in any way. Also that's not how you make pavlova, it was down right vile and we couldn't eat it. It literally is made with egg whites and sugar, one got the simplest things to make. For weeks now when I make something at home that's delicious and I wonder why they can't do the same on any level as a running joke now if something's really good I ask my girlfriend how much do you think the Essex would charge for this if they could even make it? Bones in the fish, salt in everything like it was cooked by the Roman army in 100bc. Truly terrible chowder. The only saving grace was the bartender making decent crazy priced drinks, but honestly how hard is it to mix odd syrups and liquor together. I'll answer that it's not. I have photos of anyone would be interested but don't have the patience to upload them, honestly what's the point. I eat at restaurants multiple days a week throughout CT and this was the biggest disappointment in my 46 year of life here and that says a lot considering the plethora of choices a dinner has around the state, but good bad or ugly not one of them will be as memorable as this place. Good lord Shameless the responses by the owner of this hole to customers airing real complaints about unacceptable food and near felony theft level pricing and shameful to feed people garbage, David Bouley this guy is not. I mean it was near $500 I've never wanted an apology or a full refund more in my entire life from any business. Lastly I was also a chef for many years and while I understand the vast majority of line cooks in CT are addicts, alcoholics or both bring them and having them making food in an open air kitchen for the world to see was a major fail on his part as well. I know people often like to say if I could give less than one star i would, I say it's time for this place to shut their doors, for old saybrook to send in the health dept knocking for a thorough inspection because I have a distinct feeling they would fail miserably and the town of Essex might consider filling a defamation suit as they would definitely have some standing. Just god awful, shameful

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

My husband and I visited one recent Saturday late afternoon and we usually enjoy sitting at the bar…read moreand interacting with people. So we made ourselves comfortable at the bar and ordered some drinks and wings. The vibe coming from the young lady bartender was very dark. I usually enjoy friendly banter with bartenders (I used to bartend) but this particular woman was extremely unfriendly to us. I'm wondering if she was reacting to the crosses both my husband and I wear...no excuse for the rudeness. And yeah, we tipped her anyway.

Who doesn't serve breakfast all day? I thought breakfast was by far the most profitable meal of…read morethe day and hence restaurants would never NOT serve breakfast. No matter, we were there before 11AM so we were served breakfast. The server we had was excellent she was a former employee of the Coffee Break which was the old restaurant in this location. The place is LOUD. The decor is new and refreshed. There is NO WHEEL CHAIR ACCESS (which surprised me as they just renovated the place. One would think the Town of Clinton would have required it.) I had the Breakfast Wrap with sausage and american cheese. It was good and filling. $7.00 (in May 2026) My companion had the Quinoa Omelette pictured 1/2 eaten ($14.75 in May 2026) which was good. The home fries had a little too much salt but were otherwise excellent. Personally when there is salt actually on the table, I always wonder why the cook just lightly dusts with salt as I can add more. We also ordered a fresh fruit cup which had grapes purple and green, strawberries, and a few hard pieces of honey dew melon. $6.50 (May 2026) In May 2026 the hours are 0700-1430 MON - SAT 0700-1200 SUN ****WARNING**** They stop servicing breakfast items at 11AM They do take credit cards BUT... They used to take it right at the table now, they don't which means you wait to pay. Bad move on the owner's part. There is plenty of free parking. I imagine there will be waits once the summer season gets going so plan to wait (maybe on the weekends)?

Superior food, amazing atmosphere!! Absolutely loved this find. Everything was excellent and…read moreservice was fab!

After our Connecticut River Museum sea shanty sailboat ride last night (8:30pm on a Tuesday), we…read morewent to dinner here. Quirky, CASH-ONLY, VERY popular, no-frills place. People kept arriving the entire time we were there. We sat in the quiet, outer enclosed porch area, away from the busy, noisy bar. Fresh seafood "delivered every day except Wednesday." Huge portions of decent food at a great value--my fresh, delicious, lightly battered, FLOUNDER Fish & Chips with TWO WHOLE FILLETS was only $18 cash!!! The guys were less impressed with (but still enjoyed) their huge 12oz cheeseburgers and Philly cheesesteak. We started with (rather humdrum) potato skins, which we never do. The bill came to $81 before tax and tip. For a family of 4. I think that's crazy low for all the food (no drinks) we got. Maybe this is what a restaurant that doesn't deal with credit card fees can be like? I'd go back if I were in the neighborhood. Heck, McDonald's would have cost nearly this much nowadays.

Monkey Farm has always been my go to. A familiar face to them and drop some decent $$...food is…read moreoverall good and they take pride in their products I dont feel feedback is well received so I will leave it here The chicken over the last sic months has declined in quality...fatty on sides (ewww) and large line of "grizzle" down the middle, and that is every time. I now expect it and cut the center out. That goes back to kitchen staff and food prep. I keep supporting but maybe think through some little things it goes a long way Pricing has increased like other places but isn't on menu its on the check

Nori is a Sushi bar/restaurant in the heart of Old Saybrook. Offering an excellent interior decor,…read morewonderfully friendly staff and of course high quality fresh Sushi. Coming in for lunch I was kindly greeted and sat by a server immediately. Inside is a wonderful design blending modern and traditional feeling within an extremely cleanly atmosphere. The menu features some unique fusion dishes along with M/P Sushi specials such as Shima Aji, Kinmedai, Ōtoro, CA Uni, A5 Wagu and more. I ordered a Hot Green Tea, 16pcs Sashimi Dinner, Kinmedai, Shima Aji, Uni and Ōtoro Nigiri. As well as a Sashimi of the Ōtoro and a Uni Handroll. The Sashimi was excellently fresh, cut into proper thick slices and all displaying wonderful colors and texture. Large Santa Monica Uni, melt in your mouth Ōtoro, perfect moist Sushi rice, crisp Nori paper and sweet pickled ginger left little to none to complain about. Some of the friendliest staff and Sushi chef I've met it was a wonderful experience. The only negative I could possibly draw would be the prices are a bit higher than most "Sushi restaurants" but the quality of the food and the experience was far superior. Overall 8.9/10 excellent food and service, on my list to come back during dinner hours to try the Omakase.

We went here on Mother's Day and it was an amazing experience. I got a complementary glass of…read moreProsecco to start. The wait staff was most attentive. The food arrived quickly and was ample and really fresh. We had sashimi and duck. The way the restaurant was set up felt curated and every table had plenty of space. Some were private booths and it felt like a cocoon. The drinks were also yummy. You won't regret a visit here.

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.

Service and food was top notch. We had the Aspen Calamari cooked to perfection for our appetizer…read more We had the prime sirloin that was on special. Its was cooked to perfection. Hats off to the Chef.

Service was great. Drinks were great. Food was fantastic. Place is clean. The chicken and apples…read morewas delicious. Friend loved her rustic burger. Wasn't overly loud. You could carry on a conversation and hear what was being said. It was very busy and only one waiter. He had it all under control. Had a great time so if your in the area and looking for food. Stop in.

My wife and I had dinner at The Hideaway tonight, and unfortunately it was not a good experience. I…read moreordered a burger that was extremely sloppy, with juice running everywhere and soaking some of my fries until they were soggy. My wife ordered the beer-battered chicken fingers, which looked more like oversized sweet-and-sour chicken from a Chinese takeout place. They were overly oily, and not at all what we expected. The food also took quite a while to arrive, even though the restaurant didn't seem particularly busy. To top it off, soda was $3.50 with no free refills, which feels excessive given the overall quality of the meal. Service wasn't bad, but we left very disappointed and won't be returning.