Walk in at 4 on a Saturday. Immediately got seated outside on a beautiful day. Servers, bus staff, hostess were all wonderful. Food was very good. Not huge portions but what was there was excellent. PEI Mussels, swordfish and cod sandwich fresh and served hot. Don't miss out on the fried banana cheesecake. That alone was worth the trip. read more

This week, I had dinner with my boss at this restaurant. We ordered fried calamari as a starter- good but great. She had the fried clams which she loved and I had the sea bass without the crab stuffing with side of rice and julienned veggies which was wonderful. Our waiter TJ was exceptional. I explained that I had a shrimp allergy and he was more than happy to double check with the chef on my options. He was friendly without being intrusive. He double-backed to ensure I had no issues with the meal. The venue is on the water and has a great deck as well as indoor seating. Hope you check it out. read more

Why do people buy those beautiful boats and never take them out on a gorgeous Saturday? Why do restaurants not have enough servers on the same day? Outriggers has a water view location, pretty good food, but it was almost painful watching one person's attempt to serve an entire busy outdoor deck by herself. So, of course she was overwhelmed and had to rely on busboys to deliver barely-remembered drink orders and clear tables. The fried clams were decent, and the shrimp pizza was excellent (with a shrimp for every bite). They couldn't change the hot buttered lobster roll to cold, and refused American Express, so why am I otherwise complaining about the long wait? Sitting under a shady umbrella looking out at a shimmering view should make for a wonderful day - so I'll keep a civil tongue in my head. Thank you, Emily, for hustling so hard on a hot day to provide lunch to the al fresco diners; I'm probably just a control freak. read more

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It was a charming setting with good food--great views of the marina and friendly staff. Every time I have been, it's a good experience.

What the heck happened here! Just stopped by for a appetizer and a bowl of chowder. Now that summer is almost here I ordered my favorite New England steamers. Well not so here. First I asked for a cup of clam broth to clean the clams before slurping them down. Waitress came back to inform me that the chef wouldn't do it. Customer being right doesn't apply here. Steamers arrived..... bland, sandy and a slew of broken shells ....ugh! "Sure could have used a cup of broth to rinse them." Stringy and cooked to hell. Almost made me aware that a "bad" clam was lurking in the mix. Well lesson learned. So just to warn lovers of steamers, not here for Neptune's sake. read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Very, very loud inside. Long wait time for food and service. Nice waitress but in the weeds due to there being no bartender. Mediocre food for exorbitant prices. Not worth the money. Will not be returning. read more

Enjoyed a good lunch at this establishment. We ate at the outdoor deck, beautiful scenery. For starters we had the oysters which were delicious and I also had the lobster bisque. It was very hearty which I liked and nice chunks of lobster. For lunch I ordered the fried shrimp platter which was a bit underwhelming. The shrimp were tiny and so few were served with French fries. The staff was quick to seat us and attend to us. I absolutely loved the environment. They would have gotten a better rating had the shrimp platter been a bit more pleasing but overall I would visit again. read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Oysters for lunch! - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

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My friend had wanted to go somewhere to eat outside on a nice day, she had mentioned the service was slow before but wanted to give it a second try. BIG MISTAKE HUGE. The service was incredibly slow.. took 20-30 minutes to even put our order in. Our appetizer came before our drinks. The drinks FINALLY came after almost an hour and we're all wrong.. I asked for a grapefruit margarita and got a plain one.. my friend ordered a corona light and was given an IPA then they also gave us an extra mixed drink that they were confused where it came from which was appreciated but still didn't get the corona for another 20 min... and it was a corona extra not light.. how hard is it to open a bottle after an hour mind you. We wanted to pay for the drinks and apps and leave but couldn't even flag anyone down to tell them to cancel our order so our food finally came out and was not very good. The lobster roll was on a hamburger bun and was clearly frozen lobster, the pizza was basically Celeste (honestly don't even want to insult Celeste like that) and my mahi mahi was black and brown on the bottom. I would not return, all the other tables looked very discouraged as well. Great potential for the location but very upsetting. Bartender was on their phone too when we went to the bathroom so no need for the wait. read more

Food was just ok but service was horrible! Server said Chilean Bass wad a fish with chili sauce on it! Wrong side was brought and was gold. Never going near there again! read more

My aunt lives down the street from this restaurant and loves stopping in for happy hour which is offered every day from 3-6pm. We walked over from her house on a quiet Friday afternoon, and sat in the bar to take advantage of the HH specials. The restaurant is right on the water, so you have a beautiful view and I can imagine that it must be really nice to sit outside during the summer. We each ordered a beer, and I was happy to see that they offer an IPA by the local brewery Two Roads on tap. During happy hour the raw bar shrimp, clams, and oysters are $1.25 each. I ordered 2 oysters and wished I had ordered more as they came out nice and chilled and super fresh. Just a squeeze of lemon was all that they needed. My cousin really enjoyed the sliders and said they they filled him up. I also ordered the Fried Calamari Roll. The bread was too small and weak to hold up to the calamari, as well as being a bit too charred. So I just ate the calamari out of it, but I could pass on that dish next time. If I'm ever in town again, I would stop in for the HH deals. read more

Best seafood restaurant in the area. Large variety and fair prices. No problem with the service. Great location.

I had been here before and was looking forward to eating there again, but yesterday was far from my last visit. Awful experience. Service was a 1 at best and the food was not much better. Will not be going back again ever. read more

My girlfriend suggested this as a good spot for a brunch. We all agreed on seafood so Outriggers was the obvious choice. I'm SO mad that I live 7 minutes from this place and never knew it existed. Sidebar: Yelp I'm pretty pissed that in all my searches for seafood in this area your app NEVER suggested this spot, but consistently suggested that poo hole Knapp's Landing. Blech!!! Any who I am in total bliss. The decor inside is very nice albeit kitschy with the nautical theme. We were seated outside at a corner table with perfect views of the marina. The day was beautiful and miraculously there was no fishy smell or hint that we were sitting right on the water. I ordered calamari and mahi mahi black bean chili. My calamari were light, crisp and very tasty. Their marina sauce was perfect: fresh, and full of roasted tomato chunks. The chili came in a mini crock with tortilla chips, that could have been homemade, sour Cream and shredded cheese. The flavor was divine. A hint of sweet, but it seemed to fit with the overall flavor of the dish. I had two small options that cost less than $20, but filled me up. I will definitely be back for the lobster rolls! read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Calamari...yum! Not bad for an appetizer. - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Outriggers has an excellent location on the water. The customer service aims to please and they are courteous. The staff is on the youthful side, but they are well trained and try their best. The food has amazing flavor. I did not try the seafood, but everyone who did mention that it was tasty. During the summer, the place is just BUSY. You have to time it right, and make reservations. Just do yourself the favor. They aim to please, it's a solid place with an amazing waterfront location. Full bar as well. I will definitely be back. read more

This place annoys me on most visits. Don't dare go if you can't sit outside. They keep the air conditioning on at below freezing temperatures and it is beyond ridiculous and uncomfortable. Setting on the harbor is spectacular and it really could be so much more than it is. I would go there frequently if it were as well. Menu items only o.k. Not much stands out. But don't get me wrong, it's not a dive and they do try to provide a nice menu. Still, it's not anything too interesting or tasty. Well, I do like some of their creamy salad dressings. They are yummy. :-) read more

I've heard about Outrigger's for some time now and took the chance to go during Stratford Restaurant Week with some girlfriends. We arrived early so we had a drink at the bar and waited for the last of our party. We moved over to the table and perused the menu although we already knew what we wanted. For apps we had the lobster bisque and fried mozzarella, for the main course Ashley and I had the stuffed shrimp with double veg and Sabrina had the seafood cannelloni. The stuffed shrimp were HUGE and the stuffing was delicious! I'll come back just for that dish. For dessert we had two key lime pies and one tarfuto, which I now know is a type of chocolate cake. The view of the water is super nice, try getting a seat out on the patio! Throughout our meal service was a little slow and the best part, my friend was overcharged. We split the bill between the three of us and she was charged for another patrons meal as well as her own. She contacted the manager and they resolved the situation, just make sure to check your statements! read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Shrimp cannelloni - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

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Place was empty but wouldn't let me in to order a drink without food. Haven't been in this area in a while and just wanted a drink to feel semi normal again but girl was very rude. Used to always come here. Won't be back. Their loss - and I'm a big tipper too read more

We had a great night. The food was really tasty and the menu had a nice selection of everything. Sitting on the back deck there was a pleasant view of the marina and the river making atmosphere very relaxing., The band duo was fabulous and their rendition of Sweet Caroline was the best I've heard and highly requested by the owners. . read more

If you own a boat, are over the age of 60, have a lot of money and enjoy over paying for salty seafood, come here; you will really dig this place. For those of you that don't fit that group, the food is a waste of calories and incredibly expensive for what it is. The Lobster Bisque is some of the worst Lobster Bisque I have ever had. It had a floury taste and a gummy consistency, and had a weird charlie brown orange coloring. I rolled around in bed last night with tummy aches cursing myself for not sending it back when it touched the table. I will say that on a nice night it is a pleasant place to be (if you have an outdoor table). I also appreciated the live music, but when Red Lobster does seafood better, you know you are in trouble. We had a really nice waitress as well, but that can only make up for so much. read more

The night was beautiful, the band was great, the service was great and overall a wonderful experience until I got home and had to be ambulance to the hospital for food poisoning. I was the only person who ate steam lobster. I have eaten lobster several times in my life and as recently as 3 weeks ago in Block Island. Always had wonderful meals but as I was eating the lobster at Outrigger I was thinking to myself that this was the worst lobster I have ever eaten, the taste was off and the shell was extremely thick and almost impossible to crack. I called the owner a day after I was allowed to leave the ER and his response was that he had no proff that it was his food and would not take responsibility for my food poisoning. I am writing this review to warn people "beware of Outriggers lobster". I hope no one else gets food poisoning and is ambulance to the hospital. read more

The atmosphere on the deck is nice for outdoor seating. The food not so much at all. I've given them 2 chances. The lobster bisque no flavor at all. The stuffed sole overcooked. I also ordered the fried seafood combo, overcooked and greasy. Just like what other people said on the reviews smh. My service was good but food was lousy. read more

Why are all the restaurants in town so mediocre? The cuts of steak here are very strange. They have a NY Strip and a filet, both of which were ordered at my table. I ordered medium rare and got well done. The potato was undercooked. They got it right the second time but the other steak at my table was also cooked incorrectly. I don't mind paying for a good meal but their pricing should reflect the quality. Others said they liked the sea bass. read more

Worst meal ever. Slow service with bad attitude. Ordered lobster and brought it out burned to a crisp...no pride there but a hefty price for crap read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Outriggersmost horrible way of treating customers - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

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The service at the outdoor area was fine and the wait staff was friendly. I went with a friend for lunch and my grilled chicken sandwich was mediocre - chicken was tough. I was almost done with my sandwich when I noticed a hair. When I told the waitress she said she was going to speak to her manager. When the waitress came back she said because I almost finished my sandwich they were going to charge me for it. They did not charge me for my iced tea. I feel that is not the way to treat a customer. I never write reviews but was bothered how this was handled. I will not return to this restaurant. Marilyn read more

We keep coming back for the view. We also know one of the wait staff who always takes good care of us. Last night the food was good. Grouper was excellent. They could make the salad more interesting and dressings more flavorful but all in all a good night. read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

This place has below average service. Not very friendly waitstaff, also the fact that you can only get the happy hour on the patch of grass to the side is bizarre, it's all one restaurant . I can understand when the restaurant bar only honors happy hour but a step down from the deck on grass? The food was awful. Save your money in pandemic times..ps. The heat lamps only go on after 6pm and they BARELY emit warmth so wear your best winter coat for outdoor dining. read more

How do you spell rude? O-U-T-R-I-G-G-E-R-S. When we arrived, we waited to be seated as the sign asked us to do. After ten minutes we looked for the "hostess" who indicated that she did not have time as everyone was "running around". She suggested that we sit at the bar, we did. The bartender was so rude he made the "hostess" look good. He proceeded to tell us that we should not believe everything that we read on the internet (Their online advertising said that the outdoor bar was open, it was not) and we should just sit down and wait. We left. Don't go there. Go anywhere else. read more

I've eaten and come here for drinks many times. I find the food to be ok and the drinks to be good most of the time. We stopped in last night around 7:45. There weren't any seats at the bar so we decided to wait for a drink and bring it over to the ledge were there were a few dirty but open tables. We waited for some time without being acknowledged with so much as a hello and were in the way of other patrons as they moved around. After what seemed like a long time, I decided we were going somewhere else so we could get a drink in a timely manner. The setting here is beautiful and that's what draws people in, but you have to have staff on hand, especially for a beautiful June Saturday evening. read more

Food is okay, staff sucks, location is great. Was okay but doubt I'd go again. A lot of better spots in the area

Very disappointed with our recent dinner here. Certainly not the experience that we have had dining here in the past. When we arrived we were somewhat surprised that on a Thursday night there was only on other party dining. We were told the kitchen was closing in a half an hour at 8:00. So we ordered. My easy boiled lobster was plainly not good. Hard to mess up this meal but they did. My husband had macaroni with lobster, and had the same issue with the lobster tasting off. We cut our dinner short, as the three staff members were sitting at the bar waiting for us to leave. At 9:00. read more

Ate here for the first time for lunch. I had the ahi tuna tacos which were great, my husband said his brisket sandwich could have used a little less sauce, but still good. Felt the prices were fair given inflation and such. Our waitress, Karen was great! Very personable, food and drinks came out quickly. I'm sure the weekends are different, but we had a great experience! read more

Ugh Outrigger's, I want to like you so much because you have so much potential to be great... but unfortunately your incredible waterfront property does not outweigh the negatives of my now third time dining with you. So, I'm going to be another echo of fellow yelpers below. Let's break this one down: Service/2 Stars- I can't find a better way to delicately say this, but from an outsiders perspective, Outrigger's is mostly run by High school and College aged kids working a summer gig or part time job. I can't remember seeing anyone remotely resembling a manager present when I was there on Saturday evening. The service is slow, there is very little understanding of the menu or how food is prepared and my observed restaurant etiquette was just sub par. I found it very unprofessional watching the wait staff congregate around the water serving station in the main dining area right next to my table. They stood there laughing, playing on their phones and drinking water; all things that should not be visible to patrons and saved for a back room. I do have to say they was one younger gentleman who was the exception to the rest. He politely stood there with his hands behind his back scanning the room ready to clear plates and refill water went needed, so kudos to him. Food/3 Stars- The food is mostly good, but not great and at times is just OK and not good. Inconsistent. We got a a dozen of the blue point oysters ($12.95/half dz) which seems a little pricey for a locally sourced oyster that comes out of the Long Island Sound onto the table of a seafood restaurant, maybe I'm out of line on this one. We also got the Blackened Scallops (minus the Gorgonzola) off the Starters which I have to say was quite impressive and cooked perfectly. For my main dish I got the crab crusted Chilean Sea Bass which I found to be slightly over cooked. It was just OK, nothing to rave about, plating was ordinary. My last visit here I had the lobster which I did love, but due to the nature of our dinner that night and not wanting a huge mess in my hands I opted for something different. The only other piece in question for me is how fresh all of the menu items are. For me, there seemed to be too many options for some of them to not have been previously frozen. Also disappointing when dining on the water in Connecticut. Ambience/4 Stars- For me, it doesn't get much better then live music and waterfront dining on a beautiful New England summer night. Although the restaurant is no where close to updated, it has charm and amazing views. Overall, let's consider this a 3.5 star review. While your Happy Hour (Tues- Sun, 3PM- 6PM) is a great deal with a lovely view, I just can't rationalize the price point on your everyday dining menu with the quality of the food paired with the service. To echo myself again, you have so much potential but need to hire someone better equip to manage/train the waitstaff as for me this is a major make or break in my dining experience. read more

Spent over 2 hours here on a Saturday with a group of 6 for drinks and lunch to celebrate a graduation... it's apparent from other reviews but must be reiterated because clearly this restaurant does not get it: the service is absolutely abysmal. For example, it took 30 minutes to get our drinks... 100 for food (3 lobster rolls, 1 burger, and 2 fried fish sandwiches). Probably could've caught the fish and lobster in that time. It was almost comical how slow everyone was and the inefficiency of the operation, there is clearly no communication going on between servers and the kitchen, ownership must be a mess. The atmosphere is beautiful, and the food was good, but we will not be returning and do not recommend this place to others unless you have literally nothing else planned for the day. read more

I don't go here as often as I would like because I live a bit far but it's midway for me to meet my family/friends who live in Milford so we try to meet here when we can. I always enjoy the food. Today we sat outside on their beautiful outdoor deck facing the water. Usually places with great views do not have great food... BUT this place is an exception! Karen was our waitress and she was lovely and attentive and had a smile for everyone-so refreshing! We started with the fried artichoke hearts with Lemon aioli - YUM! Then I had the seared tuna tacos served with an AMAZING mango salsa, avocado, and your choice of fries or rice & beans. I got the rice and beans. The tuna was so fresh and delicious and I ate everything on my plate! My sister got the fried fish sandwich and sweet potato fries. She loved it. We also each had the Cosmo drink ..YUM! The prices were very reasonable (esp. considering the cost of food these days) and they give you nice portions. Can't wait to return as I saw many things on the menu that I want to still try. read more

Having been hearing about this place for a while and really wanted to try it. It was a little hot so we sat inside but a lot of people were around on the deck. I have seen other reviews about the service, but tonight it was ok . I had a hankering for fried clams and this place did not disappoint. The only thing I did not like was I wanted to substitute a baked potato for the french fries which came with the meal. It which was actually cheaper on the side menu but they wanted two dollars extra to substitute which is absolutely ridiculous. When paying $21.95 for fried clams you should be able to have any side you like. I could understand paying an up charge if it was more expensive, but it was less expensive. We ordered stuffed clams for an appetizer and there were only two for $8.95 Very pricey and just mostly bread stuffing nothing special at all. Thought that was very overpriced for what you got.Just a way to make a few extra bucks. My friend had the shrimp and grits. The shrimp were delicious but the grits were very very watery and way too much oil and he said they were lumpy. He really is a true grit lover but these he did not like at all. The waitress asked how everything was and I told her but she did not offer any substitution or any restitution on it. Would definitely go back again just for those clam strips and the view is one of the best I've seen from my Connecticut restaurant. Your prices are high enough don't stick in all these extra substitution charges when it is not necessary. read more

Our experience at Outriggers tonight would have Gordon Ramsay struggling to find new, more creative expletives. First, we were sat at a table with no place-settings. Easily remedied, except one set of silverware had a fork with a big lump of brown food stuck on it. We asked for another set, and that had a fork with food between the tines. At that point, we gave up. The water was poured from yellowed pitchers. The rolls we were brought were pale and soggy. We ordered appetizers. I had steamers and they were full of sand and overdone. I got to eat maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of them. My mother ordered mussels that were lukewarm on arrival. My husband ordered Sesame Seared Tuna. When it arrived, it was so overdone it was almost grey, and the salad underneath was greasy and fishy-tasting. My brother ordered the conch fritters, a special. Nowhere on the menu did it say they were spicy, but they were! All of our appetizers were brought at different times. My father, my brother, and I all had salads with our meals. The salads consisted of a few leaves of lettuce (some pieces old and slimy), a couple of grape tomatoes, a couple of olives, and one half piece of red onion. I had balsamic vinaigrette that tasted grossly sour and was the consistency of jelly. My dad had blue cheese, which he said was okay. My brother's salad never made it to the table with ours - he had to ask for his when he got his meal. His meal was the red snapper special. It was grey and also spicy, which was not noted on the menu. Secretly spicy fish specials point to an attempt to mask the flavor of fish gone off. Extremely disappointing. My husband ordered the grilled calamari appetizer as his main, and the calamari was unevenly cooked; the small pieces were crispy, and most others were raw and slimy. It was supposed to be served with lemon herb dressing, but came out with marinara. He was brought olive oil mixed with a squeeze of lemon to make up for it. He didn't get to eat anything he ordered; anything he put in his mouth, he had to spit back out. I ordered the diver scallops and risotto. I was brought a plate with burnt scallops (that looked like hockey pucks) and nothing else. They replaced it with the meal I ordered and that was just as sad. The scallops were cool and mushy inside, very underdone and clearly previously frozen. The risotto was bland, overcooked slop, and the two shrimp it came with were pathetic. The best part of the dish? The green beans. My mother ordered the fried oysters dinner with an extra side of coleslaw. It was served without the original coleslaw and without her side. They brought the original small cup of coleslaw when we mentioned it, but not the side. She had to ask again. The oysters themselves were bland and lukewarm, and the batter was soggy. She said it was "diner quality." My father ordered the stuffed lobster. That was ultimately good, but he wasn't given anything with which to crack the claws. He had to ask, and our server barely stayed at our table long enough for us to get out a sentence, so he had to wait over fifteen minutes to eat his food, by which time it was also cold. My brother and my husband were served their food first. About ten minutes later, I was served my incorrect meal. Then my mom was served her meal. Fifteen minutes later, my father and I received our meals. The staff were absurdly numerous and about as useful as bicycles for a school of fish. There were 12+ servers and bussers in our area alone. They spent a lot of time running into each other and customers, and serving the wrong things. While waiting, we got to witness some interesting sights. First, we watched a staff member crouch down and clean his shoes in the middle of the outside dining area for a solid five minutes - with a cloth that he used to wipe down tables. We watched a server kick up a fallen napkin with his foot and then catch it in his hand right above the plate of food he was about to serve - and yes, he kicked up floor dirt. A little girl behind us dropped her fork on the floor; the waiter picked it up and handed it right back to her. I don't even need to explain what this is utterly disgusting. We asked to speak to the manager - instead, we were told any dessert we wanted would be comped. We declined. If the dessert was only half as bad as the meal, it still wouldn't have been worth it. We were comped for my meal and my husband's meal. We never got to speak with a manager. Before we left, I used the restroom. It was gross, and the handrails were rusted in places. This place would be comical if it weren't so egregiously depressing. The food was disgusting, old, and probably contaminated. The service was embarrassing. The hilarious part? They charge prices that would be exorbitant at even good-quality restaurants. Whoever owns/runs this is dangerously delusional. What a disgusting waste of a beautiful space. 0 stars. Do not eat here, please - for the sake of your health. Pictures being posted now read more

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Went here for lunch with my mother on a Wednesday night. The food was OK, nothing fabulous. She got the crab cakes and said they were tasty, while i had the penne Vodka with Chicken and thought it was a tad spicy but not bad. Very large portion but it was $20+. Why this place only got 2 stars from me was the terrible service we receive. Sat down and waited at our table inside for over 10 minutes before getting someone to ask us what drinks we would like. We were told the wait to sit outside would be 40 minutes so we sat inside. Looked out the window to see over 10 empty tables out on the patio, so don't really understand that set up. Also ordered 2 house salads but because mom ordered crab cakes as a meal the waitress thought she wanted the salad as a meal also? Bottom line is the service is horrible and the staff is very under trained. Would not come back. read more

Never really had a good experience at Outriggers, despite the great water view. Since recently moving across the river, we decided to visit for dinner on Thursday. Well we were treated rude by the staff. While there were 10 open tables outside we were also told we couldn't sit there. So we headed over to Knapp's Landing where we were welcomed and told to pick any table outside. We will bring our business elsewhere as well as the 2 parties a year that my husband hosted at Outriggers. read more

Mediocre service food and wine list. It is busy because of its location but that is all.

Okay so maybe everyone else just came in on a bad day?!?? Because this is my second time here and the food and service have both been great ... yes it was a little bit of a wait but once All the food came out it was worth the wait , I've had the lobster roll with sweet potato fries on both occasions, absolutely delicious and highly recommended.. my friends had the mahi mahi tacos which were super stuffed and according to them yummy ! Great view and ambience , will return for happy hour soon read more

Outriggers Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut