Good News, bad news, Good News....this place is easily the best restaurant in CT, bar none. Food is imaginative, local, amazing, astonishing, everything its cracked up to be and more... much, much more... Bad news.... Saturday night, this place is the loudest restaurant I have EVER experienced in my life and that includes KPaul in New Orleans at the peak of Mardi Gras. Its like eating in the Manchester United stadium during the last secnds of a drive on a tie match. ROARING. All glass, no soft surfaces, conversation about how good the food is... is NOT even possible.... So, just a recommendation, DONT go on the weekend, no matter how desperately you feel the need to be seen in a cool, stylish place and if you MUST, try to sit outside. Service was great, have no idea what all those other complaints are about, our server was sensational and patient, the Sommellier is witty, well versed and really, really astute. Great suggestions, ABSOLUTE familiarity with the dishes and the pairings. Bravo Bill Taibe, extraordinary work, but take your designers and force them to eat at the chain Italian place across the street in perpetuity for their thoughtless acoustic treatment. They will be tantalizingly in sight of paradise, but probably NOT out of earshot! read more

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I've eaten a lot of octopus in a lot of corners of the planet, but I honestly can't remember seeing a presentation of a whole grilled octopus before. Super interesting, and a great dish to share. Also shared a squid ink pasta thing with chorizo...never seen squid ink and chorizo go together, but they pair very well. Everything I've had here has been exceptional. This is my favorite place in Westport so far. I've been here a couple times. I'm from Seattle and have spent a ton of time in Japan so I'm pretty jaded when it comes to seafood, but the Whelk still impresses my incredibly spoiled palette. I really like this place's understated atmosphere and relaxed but extremely high quality service. Just a very well done and well managed place...I'll keep coming back. read more

I really enjoyed dinner at the Whelk. I arrived around 7pm on a Thursday, and was able to get a table for two immediately. However, when we left, people were waiting outside enjoying a pretty river view in the background. I sat at the "chef's table" in the back, a communal table for maybe 10 people. The decor was simple, thoughtful, New England, beachy, but also with a sophisticated city edge to it. It reminded me a little of the Mermaid Inn in the East Village. A strong bar flanked the eastern side of the restaurant, and you can catch a street view of Riverside Avenue, but not the river. On to the food! The menu features a wide selection of seasonal shellfish, a raw oyster/clam bar, snacks, small plates, and larger plates. So many things on the menu looked appealing, and I had a hard time deciding what to get. We finally settled on the peekytoe crab fondue as our appetizer, and I independently ordered the softshell crab on brioche. Dinner rolls are available upon request, a concept that I like, since some people don't want to snack on the bread, but can't resist if it's in front of them. I, however, had no qualms about gobbling down bread and destroying my appetite. The peekytoe crab fondue was very rich, almost to a fault, and surprisingly was not served with bread. We had to request additional dinner rolls to soak it up. Fondue is not a soup, and after more than 2 decadent bites, it became very heavy. This could easily be remedied by adding a side of veggies/bread for dipping. The softshell crab sandwich was everything I hoped it would be. Cornmeal crispy, accented with salty flecks of ham, and cool crunchy slaw. Our waitress was friendly, the Chardonnay was soothing, and I hope some day I can stop by the Whelk for dinner again. read more

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I've heard great things about this place and been wanting to go for a while. Our 6:30 table was booked almost a month in advance. Otherwise you can get a communal table which can also be fun. Around sunset the place is bright and casual with a nice outdoors area which is first come first serve. The menu is diverse enough and I was happy to see some good veg options. We ordered all of them and they were really quite good. A must do is the squid ink pasta, which I think is the best on the menu. One issue we had was the slow service and some of our dishes were cleared while we were still eating, so watch your plates closely. The manager was kind enough to take it off the bill so no loss here other than all of us not getting a taste. I don't know if I would drive an hour just to eat here unless you're going to be in the area. Westport however is a fine town worth spending a long evening at. read more

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Finally I got to try out the Whelk! We were there for lunch on a Saturday (as soon as the restaurant opens). The place was still empty with only one couple next to us. So I got to enjoy a serene moment for a bit before other patrons starting to arrive. Interior vibe on a nice, cool sunny day gave me a feeling like I was down in Florida by the beach. Decor was clean and simple with relaxing atmosphere. Thumbs up. FOOD .. I wanted to try many dishes, but since it was just the two of us, we narrowed the menu down to 2 small plates and 1 entree to share. GREEN GODDESS DEVILED EGGS W FRIED OYSTERS - topped with onion pickles. Delicious! I could eat that all day long! Fried oysters were crunchy, went perfectly with creamy eggs. NORMAL'S CLAM DIP - First few bites were so good. Then the saltiness started hitting me, but I couldn't stop eating it because it was delicious. The dip was warm, creamy, and filled with all the goodness of clams, leeks, and ham hock. Try if you love dips. SQUID INK CAVATELLI - My very first time trying squid ink pasta. It might look odd to some, but you can't really taste the ink so .. don't be scared to try. The plate was filled with red shrimp, mexican chorizo, and tomato. Highly recommend this dish. However, I think the kitchen might have salt problem that day. My pasta was also a tad salty. We couldn't stop drinking water during our lunch. I will definitely return to The Whelk despite the salt issue. read more

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Great, interesting seafood place (with other options). One of Westport's best places. Food, drinks and people are exceptional!

Food was good. Atmosphere was even better. Great date night spot in Westport. Even though it's a seafood spot, don't be afraid to try the burger, it was devoured. read more

Imagine, landed JFK @9pm drive through construction zones miss our high end Rez in Norwalk for 10pm. Find this place, and 5/5. Legend!! read more

The Whelk - Seafood Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

Ordered takeout from here the other night and thought overall the food was great! I had the shrimp and grits which were DELICIOUS and my husband had the roast chicken which he loved! We shared the clam chowder to start which I didn't love since it wasn't the traditional cream clam chowder. Would love to try them again and order something else! read more

The food was OK. We enjoyed the oysters, the octopus was OK, my husband thought it was all too mushy but interesting flavors. We wouldn't order it again. Lobster brioche was very good, lots of lobster meat. Husband enjoyed the squid ink cavatelli and I enjoyed the scallops, however 2 out of 3 were tender, 1 was overcooked. Corn succotash was delicious. I think for the price we expected a little more, and we aren't sure we'll be back. read more

Great seafood restaurant in Westport (though they look like they have a good burger as well). It was easy to make a reservation a week or so in advance, via their website (FYI if you cancel within 24 hours you get charged $25 so don't do that). My hubby and I enjoyed a lovely NYE dinner here around 7pm and was glad to see their regular menu not some weird pre fixe for NYE. The restaurant was pretty packed. It is also a pretty small one so take note. Our server was prompt, helpful, a bit no nonsense. She helped make recommendations. Unlike a lot of seafood places in NYC, the portions sizes are pretty big here for the mains. To start, we had grilled oysters- which were some local CT oyster probably with arugula, breadcrumbs, etc. They were a bit pricey for I think $12 or $16 for 4 pieces. We also had some grilled squid (on the plancha) which was done well - great flavor, texture and portion. For my main, I had some yummy monkfish which was pan seared, and in a pink vodka like sauce? I know it sounds weird but it was good. It came with some hearty mushrooms. My husband had the seafood stew with house toast - a good portion of different types of seafood (octopus, shellfish, shrimp). Can't recall if they had fish in there. Some mains like the stews are cheaper like $18 ish but some like my fresh fish was in the $30s- standard for seafood. We shared a plate of fries and for $9 we got like $20 worth of fries - the portion was HUGE. Have to remind myself this isn't NYC. We were too full for dessert but I saw yummy things like chocolate pot du creme and olive oil cake. Yum. I would recommend & come back. It's definitely a nice date place. read more

By far the best restaurant I've been to in all of CT. I am so disappointed that I only discovered it now when I am the proud mother to a 5 month old - and therefore have a lot less opportunities to go out to dinner. Although I guess my wallet is happy as I'd end up here at least once a week if I could. We made reservations around 3 weeks ago and by then the only openings for 2 people was either before 6:30 PM or after 8:00 PM. We went with the latter, and it was still packed with people being seated much later than us. We were however shown right to our table as soon as we got there. Now for the down and dirty: The food: 2/2 Stars There were so many interesting things on the menu that we decided to order tapas styles and stuck to the large and small appetizer plates instead of a single entree. We had the deviled eggs, razor clams and trout dip for appetizers. The deviled eggs were amazing with a hot fried oyster and pickled onions on top of it. I've never had razor clams before but these sure were magical, covered in a vinaigrette sauce. For our large appetizers we had the crab fondue, hamachi collar and shrimp and grits. Even the order in which the plates were served added to the meal as we started off with the extra creamy and heavy crab fondue before moving onto the lighter hamachi collar (which was topped with miso sauce and roasted carrots) and lastly going back to our heavier place of shrimp and grits, which were served with sour green tomatoes and proscuitto. We ended our meal with cookies and milk and banana bavarian. The Cookies and Milk looked exactly as it reads, a frothy cup of milk with a cookie dipped into it at the sides. However it also included cookie dough and ice cream as well. Service: 1/1 Star It took a little while to get our order placed simply because they were so busy.... completely understandable. Our waiter walked us through the portion sizes and then once we placed our order it was a never ending parade of plates that were quickly removed as soon as we were finished. Ambiance: 1/1 Star Very casual looking tables line the wall of the restaurant while communal tables line the middle giving it a very relaxed feeling. Price to Portion: 1/1 Star For the 3 small appetizers, 3 large appetizers (or small entrees), 2 desserts, and 4 non-alcoholic drinks the price was $147 before tip. We were stuffed. For fresh food near NY... that seemed pretty reasonable to me. I will be going back here any time I find a babysitter for the night! read more

The Whelk is one of my favorite spots in Westport. The Deviled Eggs and Oysters are always a must have!

5 star food no doubt but 3/4 star service. It's always awkward. Kinda like hopping into the sack with a stranger and then feeling "naked" while you are getting dressed. I've been about a dozen times and the awkwardness is a consistent theme. Bartender dude didn't even thank me when giving me my $50 check. There seems to be no congeniality there. Wish it were more warm and welcoming and then I'd go even more frequently as the food is definitely worth it. read more

This place is amazing. I work near the Whelk and occasionally go there for Happy Hour. $1 oysters, $3 cans of beer. perfect. Dinner is even better! I will post some photos from our dinner. This is one of the best restaurants in the area. Le Farm / The Whelk, and Kawa Ni, all owned by the same guy. All A+. read more

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This was a really great restaurant! Highly recommend. Deviled eggs were excellent along with the cod entree for dinner. Just make sure you call in advance to make a reservation. read more

Sooooo good During Covid we learned that their take out was just as good as we remembered ! One of the best restaurants in the area for sure read more

Food and service are terrific, but ... I have an issue with them adding a 20% tip and then taxing the total, which amounts to a management markup of 7.35% on the tips. read more

The food here is just incredible. I love coming to this place BUT it is very hard to leave full unless you want to spend a TON of money, It is right on the water so the view is gorgeous. They don't take reservations (when I called) so the wait can get long. They also have community tables which I don't love because the meal gets kind of awkward when you have to constantly overhear what the people right next to you are talking about. They are closed on Sundays which doesn't make sense to me because this seems like the perfect Sunday afternoon snack place - sit on the water enjoying the last hours of your weekend...yes please! The drinks are good - they have a nice selection of craft beers which I love. As far as food goes, I enjoy the charred broccoli. They also have a really good smoked fish dip that I would recommend. Parking here is NOT easy. There is minimal street parking or you can opt for a lot a few yards down the street. It is close to the Westport train station so it gets crowded around rush hour. read more

This place was great. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a table though. It was a Saturday night around 8pm. We ordered a few cocktails from the bar and enjoyed them outside the restaurant which had areas to sit down near the water. Quite comfortable and the drinks were tasty served with paper straws. The restaurant was loud with conversation and crowded. We were seated at a relatively long high top table with at least two other parties. It was nice though, because we were at the end of the table which allowed for good conversation and we still had enough space. We ordered the fries to start which were served with a very good dipping sauce. I ordered the best white sangria I've ever had!!! I opted for the scallops, which were cooked well, but the sauce was underwhelming. My friend ordered the squid ink cavatelli which was recommended by the couple sitting next to us, it was amazing!!! It had an interesting, unique, and wonderful sauce! Definitely order this dish! My other companion ordered the cod, which she said was super moist and super delicious! We had hoped to get ice cream afterwards at the very busy ice cream shop across the way, but it closed before we were done. The wait staff were good, attentive, yet gave us our space and didn't make us feel rushed. Bathrooms were pretty nice too. Nice touch was the free postcard. read more

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There's a certain class of people in and around Westport who have money, need to be seen by the right crowd, crave a precious and unique menu, yet have little actual taste for food. Point of clarification - many of these people are really nice and pleasant and fun to talk with and have been my neighbors and friends; the problem is that they've never experienced anyone who didn't graduate from Staples High and never developed an appreciation of great food. If you love tasty seafood, Westfair out on Post Road is the place to go. Far better than The Whelk. If you want to be seen by the entitled elite and pay phenomenal prices for weird recipes with mediocre gastronomic value, The Whelk is for you. read more

I have been coming to the Whelk (and all 5 of the other associated restaurants) for over 8 years with friends and have always had a good meal and a good experience. However, on Saturday night things were very different. I brought my girlfriend for an 8:15 dinner reservation but when we arrived they did not have it in the book. The hostess suggested we have a drink at the bar while we waiting for one of the tables to clear. This is when our experience went south very quickly. We ordered cocktails and sat in the two empty seats at the bar and the bartender (gray hair with hair bun and tats on his arms) asked us in a very rude way to leave our seats and have our drinks outside while we waited for the table. He then came back and shoved the bill in front of us and asked us to pay. He came back a third time and rudely interrupted my conversation with my girlfriend and said we needed to move from our seats because the bar is for "dining" and not drinking. So we decided to order some oysters while we waiting for our table. He then said no you can't sit here you need to move so the people with reservations can eat here. Now I was annoyed and my girlfriend got involved because there were several other empty seats at the bar and 2 other empty tables in the dining area and several empty tables outside. So rather than cause a seen we paid the tab and went outside and stood for 10-15 minutes. I expressed my frustration to the manager who was extremely nice and recognized that our evening had been disrupted by the bartenders rude behavior. She offered to fix it by having dinner on the house. At this point we were so disturbed by his attitude and rude behavior we decided we were going to eat down the street at our favorite Italian spot. The manager was very nice and understood and then offered for us dinner at the Kawa Ni the sister restaurant down the street. We took her up on the offer and ended up having a great evening. The service was great and so was the food - they even delivered us oysters! My point in writing all of this is that we should NOT have to put up with RUDE behavior especially when we are paying for service! I have owned 2 successful restaurants in NYC and keeping your customers happy and coming back is the most important piece of the business because without them you have no business. It will be a while before I return to the Whelk if at all...... Bill read more

This place is ridiculous. They state they don't take reservations yet when I showed up with my party of five they were multiple tables still open and the hostess stated that those were "" reserved. I asked how they could be reserved when they don't take reservations and she said the boss has friends that get reservations. This completely contradicts that idea good service AVOID read more

Delicious, fresh seafood in a great atmosphere. The restaurant decor is warm and inviting. The place was packed! Not one open table-- or seat at the bar. From the moment we sat down, the service was attentive, and the waiter was extremely knowledgable about the menu, as well as the wine and spirits. There are a lot of great options on the menu for sharing if you are there with a group. We started our meal with some oysters from Chatham, MA. They were delicious. The presentation was nice as well. We also enjoyed the clam dip, and mussels. The broth the mussels were in was good enough to drink, although we kept it classy and dipped our bread in. The burrata was delicious as well, although the broccoli rabe it was served with wasn't my favorite. For entrees (which we were almost too full to eat), we had the lobster butter and the short ribs. Both were incredible. Finally, when we were almost ready to explode, we decided we had to try a dessert. We had the chocolate suburbia. It was just the right size to split, and finish off a very decadent meal. read more

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Not sure if it was an off night or if something has changed here. Between my wife and I we had seven different dishes off the menu. The good-the deviled eggs with fried oysters were pretty awesome and the desserts (pot de creme and ricotta pound cake) were solid The bad-everything else. Land belly Ribs were really fatty and kind of gross Scallop Crudo had so much pepper on them they were not edible. Skate wing was swimming in a pool of oil and the whole bronzino was covered in quinoa that was so hard and crunchy you thought you might break a tooth. I've had great meals here but after last night, I'm not sure I'll go through the hassle of going back read more

Favorite Westport chef. His food is NYC caliber. Waitstaff is extremely knowledgeable. The deviled eggs are a must. And of course the fries. read more

The Whelk - Seafood Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

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Amazing little gem in Westport. The waitstaff is highly attentive and provides stellar recommendations. There wasn't a thing our group of 4 didn't love, not to mention the fairly priced wines which were equally amazing. read more

Just went for the late breakfast It's looking as total disappointment Size of all portions like joke. 6 piece of potatoes 4 piece of burning bread with smoked trout dip and fish soup around 8 ounces Are you ready for final sentence - $60 Very cheap furniture, waitress with attitude... all together it's a liability to restaurant business of Westport I will say as a prisoner of camp NEVER again! read more

Such a weird restaurant. The menu is very strange and everything is too expensive. It looks very New England and is in a good location, but it's odd all the way around. read more

The happy hour is a must ! Oysters for $1 a piece and wine for 6$ a glass. The staff is very friendly and informative. The restaurant is chic and clean. The lobster dish is a bit expensive but has the most amazing sauce I've ever had. Will continue to come back ! read more

One of our favorite restaurants if you can get in. It's hard to plan a week or two in advance to make a reservation. Food is different and fantastic. Great vibe inside and out. read more

I've been here a couple of times now and it's overrated. Food is average and they can't seem to be able to cook a burger to the correct temp (one time was raw and the other over). The service is terrible too. We had to flag down the waitress to order drinks, order food, and ask for plates to be cleared. All that and she was rude. read more

Wow, this place is solid. The menu is pretty simple but not being from the coast I had a few questions. Our server was super patient and attentive. The food was incredible. The raw oysters were some of the best I have had, I could have just kept eating those. But no, we had smoked trout dip, shrimp and grits, crab toast and octopus. The octopus was amazing, so tender and a great grill flavor. I was contemplating the Whole Griddled Octopus for an entree but couldn't get anyone at he table to share it with me and was concerned a whole octopus would be too much. Next time, I am getting the whole octopus with or without someone willing to share. I ended up with the Norman;s Lobster Butter. Don't read this wrong the lobster was great. Cooked well in a great sauce, outstanding. It is just the octopus was exceptional. Next time. read more

My wife and I came here for our anniversary after hearing good things about The Whelk. We recently had a baby boy and were excited to have a night out. I told them ahead of time that, due to an allergy our child has, my wife can't eat dairy while she's breast feeding. They said it wouldn't be a problem. However, when we arrived and asked our waiter, Casey, about non-dairy options, she rolled her eyes and said we can get the french fries. I asked her to check with the chef (who I've heard is supposed to be very good) to see if they can possibly make any of their menu options without dairy ingredients. She came back and said they could boil some shrimp and put it on a bed of lettuce. All along, she was rude, dismissive, and condescending toward us, and seemed bothered that she had to put in the slightest effort to provide a decent meal. When it the food came, there were no spices or anything -- it was literally 3 boiled shrimp on lettuce without any dressing or flavor. On the bill, this paltry excuse for a dinner was billed at $35. With a couple glasses of wine and an appetizer (which only I could eat, much to my wife's disappointment), the whole dinner was $180 -- a total waste of money in my opinion. Needless to say, we were incredibly disappointed with the rude waitress, the horrible service, and the restaurant as a whole. If you can't accommodate food allergies, that's fine. But don't say you can, then offer overpriced french fries and boiled shrimp and pass it off as a dinner. I definitely would not suggest this restaurant. read more

Deserves 5 stars and will most likely get the 5th star for consistency because I'm going back! I'm one of those that thinks that a restaurant should be distinguished for consistently hitting it out of the park, as opposed to getting full credit for one exceptional experience. I'm sure Whelk will pass the consistent excellence test. It seems completely ingrained in the way they go about business. Chris (bartender/server) was amazing. Excellent in every aspect of the job. The food was likewise both interesting and perfectly prepared. It was a flawless experience. One of the best ever. I'm going back and expect that a second visit will produce the highest possible rating. read more

If I have one piece of advice for people lucky enough to enjoy a meal at the Whelk it's this: look for the weirdest-sounding thing on the menu, the thing containing unfamiliar ingredients, and order it with confidence, because your taste buds are about to be blown away. Trust me. It's there for a reason, and that reason is that it was crafted thoughtfully to be a perfect balance of things that you'd never expect to go together, but do, and wonderfully. Example: salad of persimmon, endive and tapping reeve? What? Oh, I'll just devour the entire plate and wish there were more. "Hot and sour squid soup" that my boyfriend still dreams about for the flavor-packed broth. That said, can't really go wrong with anything else. I've never had a bad bite here. The service is impeccable, the cocktails and wine delicious. I've never had an issue with them accommodating my annoying glutardation. The vibe is great, never too loud, good music accompanying the dishes. Basically just go and enjoy. My only regret is that I don't live closer!! read more

Awesome happy hour with very affordable prices and really good selection. It's a great location and the menu is amazing. The deviled egg appetizer is one of those dishes that you must have on your bucket list. read more

I stopped in for dinner at 4:30 on Saturday to find two tables occupied outside. Despite the scarcity of patrons, we were told they were going to be packed so we couldn't be accommodated. Too bad, we ended up in sono and spent over $200 for two people and were still done by 6:30. I'd have like loved to have dined at whelk, but maybe next time they be able to accommodate us. Oh well. read more

I came here on a first date (no, I don't want to talk about it). We sat at the bar and ordered apps and drinks. Everything was delicious, especially the Brussels sprouts and fries. The drinks were GREAT. I forget what I ordered, some bourbon concoction, but I could die happy with that drink in hand. Would definitely go back for dinner. read more

Love, love love this place! Environment is upbeat, fun bar scene. Wish they had more seating and can accommodate large parties. It would be great to have company parties here. Community tables are great, but the counter height can be uncomfortable after a little while. Still, the environment is great. 5/5 Service is great. Servers are friendly and knowledgeable. They really make an effort to help you get the most out of your experience. 5/5 Food is great! Delicious! Mouthwatering, taste bud tantalizing, mind blowing-ly good! With their entrees are as good as their small plates. 5/5 Not a good spot for the kids. read more