Top notch restaurant! We went for the prime rib on a Friday night and it was the best prime rib I…read morehave had in recent memory. Food quality was great and the bill was super reasonable. This place is hidden away and I didn't even know it existed, and I've lived here since the mid 80s!

From the owner: We pride ourselves on making quality food from scratch and providing exceptional service to our…read morecustomers. PRIME NIGHT, Every Friday Prime Rib, green beans & baked potato $20 first come, first serve until sold out! Let us cater your next event.

I do love a diner. I think it goes back to being a kid and spinning around on one of those counter…read moreseats while the cook chatted up my mom. :D Whatever the reason, I am always on the look out for a true diner experience and Norm's has it. The parking lot is 'smallish' on the right side of the building and flows right to left in one direction, so be sure to look for the 'enter' sign. There are three steps up into the diner so be aware of that if you have difficulty using steps. Also, the restroom is tiny: like so small the sink is about a foot long by half as much wide, small. We stop in here on our trips out to Groton. Last visit we stopped for a late breakfast/early lunch. I ordered a coffee and it came in a nice big mug and is a mellow blend with a smooth finish. There are photo descriptions on the table of what your eggs will look like based on how you order it, so no surprises. What a great idea. The table holds napkins, hot sauces, salt & pepper, jellies, creamer and sugars. The staff are pleasant. Some are more chatty than others. There are definitely some regulars here each time we visit. The menu has lots of breakfast options but there are no substitutions so you may need to order al a carte or get a different 'meal' option and add-on an item. Just a heads up. They have plenty of toast options including English muffins. The lunch menu is a variety of sandwiches and burgers. Fries are tasty. Lettuce and tomato on your sandwiches are fresh. I can't think of a single disappointment we've had here. If you are in the area and enjoy a nice diner experience, stop in to Norm's.

Staff was very friendly and welcoming. It was crowded and our family of four sat at the counter…read more The staff chatted with us and made recommendations of local things to do. The food - fantastic!! Spouse got med cooked eggs and they were perfect. I had a blueberry and banana pancake. So good! Their coffee was hot and just toed the line of being strong served in tall mugs. Highly recommend and will be back.

We were honestly hesitant about trying this place out, as pubs/bar & grill places aren't really our…read morejam. But it had great reviews, so we thought we'd give it a chance. We're very glad we did! The food is solid, no matter what we order. My husband likes the burrito, and I've liked everything else I've tried also (I like to switch it up). It comes out pretty quickly, and it's reasonably priced. Anyplace can serve good food, but you don't necessary want to hang out there long. This place is a great one for just enjoying the hubbub of murmured conversations among friends, servers, and other patrons. It's just a nice, cozy place to be whether you've been here a hundred times or it's the first time you've stepped foot in the place. The first time we were there the owner(?) (she's in the pictures on Yelp) was helping her servers get food out to the tables, with a smile on her face. That says a lot about how this place is run.

Sneakers Cafe is a great place to go for a nice lunch. The great prices, friendly staff and…read morewonderful atmosphere make it well worth a visit. I recommend it highly.

I happened upon The Shack Restaurant while looking for a good local breakfast spot, and it…read moredefinitely has that classic small-town diner feel that a lot of people love. The inside is really interesting, everything from old farm and country décor to hubcaps on the walls and you can immediately tell it's a local favorite with a lot of regulars coming in and out. The setup is pretty cozy with counter seating facing the kitchen, several booths, and a few tables. I actually enjoyed sitting at the counter because it gave me a full view of the open kitchen and the pace of the restaurant. While I was there, they had several cooks working along with a few servers/runners, so it was busy but still manageable. The menu is mostly breakfast classics; eggs, home fries, Belgian waffles, French toast, pancakes, etc. along with some larger specialty plates like the "Kitchen Sink" that looked huge. I ordered the traditional breakfast with eggs, fries, toast, and coffee for around $15, which honestly felt pretty reasonable these days. The food came out quickly and the prices overall seemed fair. Where things fell a little short for me was the service. My plate sat on the line for close to 10 minutes before my waitress remembered it was there after answering phones, checking people out, refilling coffee, and helping other tables. When she finally dropped it off, she didn't really acknowledge me or ask if I needed anything. It then took another several minutes to get butter and Tabasco for my toast and breakfast. I also couldn't help but notice a couple of food handling things since the kitchen is fully visible from the counter. The cooks appeared to wear gloves consistently, but I never saw gloves being changed, and some of the servers were preparing toast and fruit bowls while actively touching food without washing their hands in between tasks. That was probably the biggest downside for me personally. Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience by any means. The atmosphere is unique, the prices are fair, and you can see why locals enjoy it. For me, though, I'd probably try a few other breakfast places in the area before making this one a regular stop.

I came here for brunch on a Saturday and there was a small 5 min wait to be seated. I got a clam…read morechowder ($4) and the Thanksgiving turkey ($17). Chowder was very meh (wasn't expecting much given the vibe). The thanksgiving turkey came absolutely loaded with food, easily 2-3 portion of food which was great. Unfortunately there was not much flavor, turkey was dry and flavorless. There was a bunch of gravy which helped give flavor to everything. Overall fantastic portion for the price, but nothing special taste wise. Food(50%): 5.7 Staff/service(25%): 7.0 Value(25%): 8.5 Overall: 6.7/10

A unique restaurant experience! They serve breakfast and lunch and the pancakes were the best I…read morehave ever had. Sausage was what you would expect, and the coffee flows endlessly. I would love to come back for a burger, even some takeout. They also sell sweet treats! Oh yes, and the view is incredible! To see New London as a whole and imagining when it was a major port city and whaling hub, the history! The service was superb!

Great service, I love that seabird enterprise employes people with disabilities in order to help…read morethem. The food was good and had a great view as well as offering military's discounts I would love to come back. The only thing I would change is with the menu, it looks old and doesn't describe things vary well I had the combo meal I was asked what type of bread I would like I didn't see anywhere on the menu that the kinda bread meant what do I want my French toast to be made of. Besides that it was amazing.

Astin J's is absolutely my go to for takeout or delivery in this area. They have a variety of items…read moreincluding burgers, wings and birria tacos. The portions are great and everyone who works there is warm and welcoming. I have been searching for years for good wings in this area. Astin J's wings are light years ahead of anyone else. They are absolutely monster sized wings unlike some of the places that serve teeny tiny wings. They offer tons of different flavors and I believe the sauces are made in house. I typically order either the garlic buffalo sauce or the garlic parm and both are equally awesome. The garlic parm fries are wonderful as well and they are loaded with garlic. The birria tacos are delicious as well. I just absolutely love this spot and will continue to support this wonderful local business indefinitely.

Outstanding Smashburgers, hands-down, probably in my top 10 . They were seasoned perfectly and…read moreserved piping hot. Service was good. This is a simple burger joint, combo comes with fries and a can of soda. Not overly fancy inside, solid burger joint. Would definitely go back.

Still the best Italian food in the area with a nice atmosphere (especially in the very small bar…read morearea) and a really nice variety of happy hour selections. With new places popping up, I still think the quality of food and service, far outweighs other places around it...ESPECIALLY for the service!

This was the best meal I had the entire trip. I ordered their seafood linguine, that is simpler to…read moresay than to list out each ingredient like how it reads in the menu. The extra cheese and fresh ground pepper was delightful. 10/10 would do it again.

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.