My husband grew up in the lovely town of Putnam, and when 85 Main opened its doors, everyone we are friends with there started raving about it...how great the food is, the hip relaxed yet upscale atmosphere...the great wine and cocktails...and I have to say that upon finally trying it a couple weeks ago, I agree! This place is great, and just what a small town like Putnam needs to spice up their dining choices. We started with a glass of local wine from Pomfret, the next town over (Ballet du Angels, so yum!) and the olive and cheese plate which was really delicious and generous. It easily satisfied 4 of us as an appetizer with an assortment of yummy olives, cracker bread with bean spreads and cheeses, and bonus sopressata. I then moved onto a tuscan chicken dish with lots of spinach, balsamic, tomatoes and garlic over angel hair...very yummy with bolder flavors than I expected. The rest of my party enjoyed their entrees too...but we were too stuffed for dessert. The service was friendly and efficient, and the chef even came out and chatted with us about our meal...you can tell how proud he is of 85 Main and he should be! All in all we had an excellent meal and will definitely be back when we visit the Putnam area. read more

When we moved to Woodstock, I made it my mission to find restaurants on par with what I had access to near Boston. As it turns out, there are two really strong options for (more upscale) dining out in Putnam and 85 Main is one of them. My husband and I have been to this restaurant many times and the food is consistently good. We particularly enjoy sitting at the bar and attempting to eat our weight in oysters (I jest - this would be impossible at our age and physical state, but we give it a good go). The oysters and sushi are always fresh and delicious and there's a great variety of both. We also like the Asian beef skewers and crème brulee a lot. They are standard orders for us and their warm chevre salad makes my heart flutter. From fish to beef to pasta, everything here is very tasty. Drink selection, including specials is good; I've enjoyed some of the fruity concoctions they mix up as well as wine. The service ranges from decent to good, depending on how busy the place is and who is attending to you. All in all, a great choice for a nice dinner out in the area. read more

I wish I could give 85 Main a better review, I really do. Over the years I feel that they've gone downhill. Service is rarely excellent and sometimes subpar. We've had too many meals with crummy service, and as a result we spend our dinner dollars somewhere else in town. The food is normally good, but again, we've had some real duds for meals. It seems they don't have great quality control when they get busy. I would recommend going for lunch, as the food is normally good and service is decent. The other plus - and the one thing that'll keep me going back - is that they have a great kid's menu. Gyoza or steak? Yes, please! read more

EXCELLENT food and drink. Nice atmosphere. Attentive waitstaff. AND open late. We have always enjoyed a delicious and well-prepared meal at 85 Main. Their Six and Six plate of oysters and shrimp is a favorite. And their sushi and rolls are about the standard we use to compare to other Asian restaurants. In short, you can't go wrong with a visit to 85 Main. My only concern, and the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars, is the pricing. I don't mind paying for quality - and believe me - this place has Quality with a capital Q - it's just that for a Putnam restaurant, the cost is above the norm. If you want to be sure to impress a client or that Special Someone, by all means go to 85 Main. Just understand it should have $$$$ instead of $$. read more

We took a trip up to our favorite sushi and oyster place and was disappointed. I had asked if there would be a discount from the $3 an oyster if we bought 4 dozen oysters. They stated that we would need to come back during happy hour. I would have given a discount for such a large order but it is what it is. Next we ordered sushi. When we tried to eat it the sushi fell apart. Was not wrapped very well. Was informed that they have a new sushi chef from Florida. We even received the wrong sushi. Informed the waitress but No one came over to see. Time to find a new sushi and oyster bar. read more

Putnam is such a cool little area in Connecticut. We have been trying lots of the restaurants in the area with some other couples we know. This one is very nice looking inside. The bar area is beautiful, and there were lots of people there. Always a good sign. The menu is pretty diverse. They have a raw bar, sushi, as well as a menu with more American-type fare. We did not try the sushi unfortunately. We ordered entrees from the 'American' menu. They had some really interesting dishes on the menu, however, the ones we ordered were not that special. They were not as flavorful as I expected. Perhaps, we did not order their strongest dishes. It was not bad, but for the price I was not impressed. I would list more specifics if I could, but it was a while ago I was there! Anyway...it is definitely a place worth trying if you are in the area. read more

I know 5 stars is really exceptional. But I could not find one thing wrong with this place. I liked it so much I came three times in the course of the two weeks I was working in Putnam. I would have gone more often if more coworkers didn't want to be so adventurous and try every restaurant in town. Go figure. I had the steak tip salad twice and one of the burgers. The salad was AMAZE. Good sized portions. Blue cheese crumble perfection and corn dusted spicy peppers. It was heaven in my mouth. It's very filling. A little high for a salad but so worth every penny of not more. I had a burger as well with sweet potato fries and spicy ketchup goodness. I would get it again for sure but I enjoyed the salad so much why bother with anything else ? :) read more

I love sushi, my family not so much. On the menu there are sushi options on one page and regular food on another. I ordered the Godzilla roll and I am already itching to get back there for another one! It was delicious. My husband got the open face steak sandwich and said it was really good too. French fries were nice and crisp. The whole experience was great, nothing bad to say. We also had a great waitress. We can't wait to go back. read more

Get any of the local beef burgers, the beef is fresh and from a nearby farm. They are all very good. Oysters have allways been good here too, I just wish they had a happy hour oyster special or something. 1 buck shuck, get on it 85 main! read more

85 Main is a staple of the area, and its clear why: there are a lot of unique menu options and ingredients that I've not seen before in local restaurants. The food is great, however the menu is a little limited for those who are picky eaters or who have dietary restrictions. For people who don't like sushi, the menu isn't very wide, but I do have to say the food that I've ordered is delicious. I can only give this place 4 stars, though, because for the expense, there isn't a great deal of options for those who are looking to spend less than $20. read more

Went to 85 main with two friends for lunch ordered a coffee which was too cold, notified my server and he brought me a fresh cup hot and very good. I ordered one of the lunch specials, ravioli with vodka sauce and olive tapenade. This also was cold. My server took it back and returned with a warmer serving. The ravioli was really fantastic, pasta done Aldente and olive tapenade perfect. Would have been five stars if everything were hot. I will go back even if they have to reheat because the food is so good. read more

Had a great lunch experience here today. One member of our party started with oysters on the half shell, followed by a sushi platter. Another had the steak burger. I started with the corn and clam chowder, which was very good. I also had a swordfish caesar salad with tapenade. It was very flavorful and delicious, The swordfish was perfectly cooked. Everyone in our party thoroughly enjoyed their meals. We will definitely be back again. read more

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We enjoyed a late supper at 85 Main after a meeting next door at Victoria Station Cafe. My dinner companion got a plate from the raw bar and was very happy with his meal. For me, I was impressed that they offered gluten free rolls, so I got to eat a burger with, instead of the typical without, a bun. Our bartender/waitress was awesome, checking in on us often but never making us feel uncomfortable for chatting after we finished our meal. I would definitely go back when in town. read more

My family and I have been here many times; the food is always amazing but the service is absolutely terrible. Bartenders, busboys, and waiters/waitresses all have the same smug attitude. The staff does not at all match the quality of food served which is truly sad. After the past few experiences at this restaurant, I know we will not be back to have to go through dinner with no water refills, fake personalities, and fast food quality service. Bye 85 read more

Place and staff are amazing I got a raw bar appetizer which was as fresh as can be was very pleased with everything as I was writing this up another customer asked for the chef so he could compliment him and give a tip so if you want to treat yourself to an awesome meal I suggest you go here read more

We were in Putnam for the day and choose 85 Main because it looked welcoming and had a large menu. The patio and the indoor tables near the big windows made it a good choice for the warm sunny weather. After so much rain, being near the sun is key. I had the fish wrap, which was not fried like most fish sandwiches. I thought it was a bit bland - it would have been better with something to make it more interesting. The fries, however, were amazing - hand cut, piping hot, and with just the right amount of sea salt. My bf had oysters from the raw bar, which he said were good, and a salad with arugula and goat cheese. He also got a Ginger Beer, which you don't see much these days. It was a relaxed and pleasant dining experience, something that wouldn't have been remarkable in Boston but which I'm guessing is a bit more unusual in a small town. read more

A perfect spot for lunch. Good prices for high-quality, sophisticated, well-presented food. I ordered the pesto chicken salad over field greens with a nice pinot grigio and my friend ordered a burger. We were both very satisfied. The atmosphere was pleasant and the service was great. I'm definitely coming here again the next time I'm in the area. read more

This place is pretty classy and it offers a lot of options in an area with not a lot to pick from. If you're into sushi/sashimi they have a pretty good selection here. The fish is pretty fresh compared to local alternatives. The gyoza is always a good choice for the appetizer. The orange and coriander chicken is usually what I get and I found it to be quite enjoyable. All the ingredients here are really fresh and it shows in the quality of the food. It can be a little pricey, but it has a nice atmosphere and it's classy. Service can vary. More often than not, it's a little slower than what I like. read more

Roasted pumpkin bruschetta, toasted pumpkin tinis= sooo tasty. Service is a bit lacking however here during busy day during local Pumpkin Festival. 85 Main should not be missed as part of overall splendor of this historic New England town. read more

85 Main - Roasted Pumpkin Tinis and Toasted Pumpkin Bruschetta - New American Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

My wife and I recently came here for one of the luncheon specials we saw on the restaurant's web site. Lunch is served until 5 pm and we arrived just at 4 pm. Initially we were disappointed because when we asked for the luncheon specials menu the server informed us that specials were only available until 3 and only the regular lunch menu was available between 3 and 5. When we told the server that we had specifically come for the venison stew on the specials menu (it isn't on the regular menu) she checked with the kitchen staff and they agreed to serve us the special we requested. The meal and the recommended wine were both excellent as was the service. The server could have just taken the official line, but took the extra effort to please us. I would have only given 4 stars because I thought the prices here are just a bit high for the area, but the extra service made the difference. read more

Fantastic spot in downtown Putnam. Spacious, well decorated dining room, great bar and awesome outdoor patio. Food is fantastic but very expensive for the area and the portion sizes. I recommend the raw bar, sushi and appetizers for a more economical meal. All are fantastic. Specials are always very interesting. Wait staff is very courteous but they seem to have issues being properly staffed in "off hours". All in all a great place to have a great meal but make sure your wallet is full when you get there. read more

2017 has hit this place hard. Used to be our go to for years, but now we avoid it. Boring, predictable specials - I can predict 80% of the menu, they're just the same dishes with minor variations almost every time I look. Slow, slow, slow inattentive service (there are occasional exceptions [Hillary for one if she's still there] and some in the past that are now gone). Uninspired, small, sloppy sushi rolls. Weak spicy ketchup. Hard fries. Flavorless burgers on tasteless rolls - it's both a good and a bad thing that the GF bun is better than the regular. We really want to like this place again but as is now we only end up there as a matter of convenience and dire hunger. They really need to take a good look at themselves and make some changes because everyone we know feels the same way. read more

Awesome sushi and service. Love this place. I order to go all the time when i come to Putnam.

Oh why!! I don't understand why the management doesn't take the time to train their staff properly, clusters of staff dillydallying around each other while the patrons are eyeing them doesn't make for a good restaurant experience. 40 minutes is an extremely long wait for a meal in a place that was not even at 30 percent capacity. Strolled in on a Sunday afternoon after some morning of Antiquing in Putnam. There was an ample amount of staff present, just not trained well. The couple a few tables in front of us looked frustrated. I overheard them mention the super slow service was hoping for a better outcome because we had a different waitress, nope not the case.85 Main is a raw bar and restaurant. I cant imagine how much sushi goes bad waiting for the waitresses to deliver the food to the tables, that's how long of a wait it felt. The food was good, but the staff made it unpleasant. Location is key, but surrounded by a few other decent places, hopefully with a better staff. If you NEED SUSHI I guess come here, if you like a well managed establishment don't bother!!! read more

85 Main - Took forever to get a second beer and 40 minutes for the meal to be served. - New American Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

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Their sushi is amazing! And their burgers are excellent!! They use local English muffins for the bread and it comes with delicious fries.

I love the whole atmosphere of the restaurant. All the dishes are delicious. I like getting sushi (when I go there). I share dishes with my family sometimes. The Molten Lava Cake is out of this world wonderful. I usually go to 85 Main with my family. The downstairs part of 85 Main is great too. read more

I love this spot!!! Such a nice atmosphere and the food is to die for!! Totally recommend if you're looking for a nice restaurant.

I came here with my mom, as she is a fan of the restaurant. My brother used to go to Pomfret School so we know the place well. I like the restaurant, the inside is nice. Our server was fantastic, she really couldn't have been better. The food was also great. I was feeling indecisive, so I had a cup of miso soup, a house salad, and a sushi roll. The sushi was really good, the soup was also really good (a lot of times when I order miso soup it's bland other places), and the house salad was also great. I wouldn't say this about a lot of house salads in the world, but this one was really good and fresh. All of the veggies were kind of on the periphery which was nice, so I could customize each bite. We had a great lunch! read more

This is my go to place for SUSHI LOVERS. I get the Zebra sushi and if you're new to sushi and a fan of seafood you would love this. It's kinda pricey but it's so so good. read more

Had a wonderful first date dinner here. What really made this place stad out though was we left and walked over to the parking lot. I had left my sweater at the table and our server came looking for me to return it. I thought that was really thoughtful read more

BIG fan! We were just there and have to say it - SHOCKING, awesome, urban in the country, wonderful - wonderful. This is a Zagat treasure. Not one wrong note. Polite, friendly and just unusually unique. Priced well. The food was so very fresh. We had the oyster, and we tried them all! We also had some sharings and appetizers and each was done to perfection. Seriously not one complaint. We are BIG Legal Seafood fans but this was on par and might I say just as good if not BETTER! The signature drinks were to die for and well priced. It is also my understanding that the local celebrities eat there and now I know why. Truly urban refinement in an arty and deliciously odd and special place. An unfound - waiting to be disovered - gem treasured by locals. We sat for a couple of hours and ate, snacked, sampled, drank, and shared a good time with our friends. See the pics. Loving 85 Main. read more

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Had a wonderful lunch here. Food was delicious. Nice ambiance. Server very friendly. A lovely birthday dessert. I highly recommend this restaurant. I will be back. read more

Great meal, beautiful area. Downside the local bar side clientele, I don't think I have ever heard such disgusting, racist conversation. When we aired our disgust, we were met with whispers and an extremely lame apology by the owner. We left, they stayed. So disappointing in this day and age. read more

6 months ago it was great..ever since the service has been terrible. The burgers were so good that we went back a few times in hopes that things would get better but that didn't happen. The staff couldn't care less whether you are there or not... Tasty burger but the service is so poor that it makes you feel stupid for spending your money. read more

After a fantastic lunch the other day i was very excited to go back for dinner. We arrived at 6:05. We were sat immediately and our waitress took our drink order at 6:09. She came back and took our food order at 6:11. At 6:20 the waitress said my drink should be out in a minute. Our app of "85 main wings" came at 6:31. These were over cooked and the taste was just ok. They had some nice heat that took a few seconds to kick in, but the base flavor was lacking. At 6:34 my drink finally came (25 minutes for those who don't want to do the math). There was no apology or explanation for how long it took, it was just delivered and she walked away. Now we sat and waited for our main course. At 7:01 we were told it should be out in a couple minutes. At 7:11 we requested the bill. The waitress apologized up and down and pleaded with us to stay for a minute so she could go get us an exact time. She said "i will go get you an honest number. If its over 5 minutes then I will get you the check. I am really sorry". She came back and told us that we were the next to be plated and she would be standing there waiting for it to run it right out to us and she was very sorry because they got stuck behind a party of 20 and they were short handed in the kitchen. So we sat and waited only because we trusted our waitress and felt bad for her. She wasn't the best, but we knew she was getting the short end of the stick with the kitchen messing up so bad. Then it looked like the kitchen lied to her. 17 more plates came out of the kitchen, we were waiting for her to come back out so we could get the check and leave. Then at 7:23 we finally got food. We wished we hadn't. I had the center cut sword with a succotash and broccoli rabe. The fish was cooked good, not perfect but good. The succotash was COVERED in oregano. I dont know if the cook grabbed a handful of the wrong thing, but it was totally inedible. The broccoli rabe was so bitter that it was also inedible. My wife got steak medallions with mashed and asparagus. The mashed were barely warm in the middle and gritty, the asparagus was very over cooked and tasted bad and lastly the steak was ordered medium rare and it was raw. We have eaten at a lot of placed that cost ~$30 for entrees and this was by far the worst I have ever be served. The manager took the two entrees off the bill and apologized, but going here for dinner was planned for 3 days. All the build up and expectations and it completely ruined our night and set the tone for the next day. Waking up, still disappointed. read more

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Terrible service. Rude all around. Owner kept coming up to us to apologize. Said they had a really busy night the night before. I'll never go back. Worst restaurant experience I've ever had. read more

Very nice atmosphere and the bar is gorgeous....but looks can be deceiving. The food was extremely average...My boyfriend and I both got cheeseburgers and both of them were completly burned on one side. The sweet potato fries were horrible too they were burned...I can't believe the chef was ok with serving the fries looking that way. Portion sizes are pretty small considering the price. We got the bruschetta for an appetizer for 9 dollars and it came with only two slices of bread. read more

We have been to 85 Main several times and have spent a lot of money there. We have never been treated well by waitstaff. They never are never friendly and they are inattentive. We always hope that it will get better, but it never does. Second, the service is at a snail's pace. Most recently, we sat down at 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday and we did not get our drinks until 7 p.m. Every table around us received bread before we even got our appetizers. I had to ask for bread twice because we were all very hungry. Once our food finally came, my father-in-law's steak, which was ordered well done, was rare at best. He was afraid to send it back because it was already almost 8 p.m. My mother-in-law's ravioli looked like it came out of a frozen package. It was a very small portion and had an overcooked slice of asparagus on top. It is evident that there is no trained chef on staff and for the prices, there should be a gourmet chef on staff. Everyone loves the sushi because we can't get it anywhere else in town, but it's mediocre at best. On a previous occasion, we ordered sushi and the rice was raw and crunchy. When we alerted waitstaff, the manager/owner came out angry, checked the rice and admitted it was raw, but they didn't comp us, apologize, and/or offer us a different meal. They also continued to serve it. On another occasion, I asked the server to package my remaining sushi to take home. He said, "I wouldn't do that. Last time I did that I got sick." That did not make me feel very good about what I just ate. We try to like the place because we want to support local business, but at those prices, it is hard to like. Every aspect of the business is poor and they are not even grateful that people come in and support their business. read more

Lunch for 7 on Memorial Day. Didn't appear to be crowded. We were seated outside. It took 20 minutes to get our wine order and the lunch took 1 1/2 hours. The waitress was pleasant and I don't know if the service problem was due to her or the cook and bartender. The chicken Caesar salad had very dry chicken. Two people had fish tacos, but one of the orders was cold. The mussels I had were good, but overall most of the group was disappointed. Four of us wanted wine with the meal, but due to the delay our first wine was either warm or gone, so we reordered to have some with lunch and that did not show up until we were half way through the late arriving lunch. Won't be back. read more

Me, my wife, my mother-in-law and my son had our first, and last experience, at Main 85 today. Upon sitting at our table, we had to wait nearly ten minutes for a server to approach us to put in an order for drinks. I observed a number of servers working in the establishment, and there were many open tables, so I could not understand the delay in service. Little did I know, this would be the first in many lengthy delays/lapses in service. Our server came to the table and I asked her if she could tell me if the establishment served tequila. She informed me that the establishment did serve tequila, so I asked her what top shelf tequilas were in stock and she told me, "I don't know. There are a lot." I asked the server if she could find out what was in stock and she informed me that she could not. I then informed the server that I would go to the bar area and view the tequila selection for myself. I then entered the bar area where I observed three people working behind the bar. Despite three people working behind the bar, i had to wait for more than five minutes for someone to approach me so I could make my order. While I was waiting, the other patrons in the bar area were joking about me waiting for so long and stated, "You should just take your shoes off and take a load off." I observed the tequila selection, which was good, but by no means was it exhaustive. As I am writing this review I can still recall the entire selection, which implies that my server, who works regularly in the establishment, should have some working knowledge of the liquor selection and/or could have easily learned what was on the shelf. I obtained my drink, paid at the bar, then I returned to the restaurant area. After ten minutes, the server returns and asks if I paid for my drink at the bar, and I tell her that I did. She was visually upset by my decision to pay at the bar but I had no other choice. The server did not know the alcohol selection, was not willing to obtain a list of the selection, and I had to leave the restaurant area and my family to purchase a drink. -This was just the beginning. The server returns after ignoring us for another ten minutes, despite my wife and mother-in-law trying to gain her attention. When she finally returns to the table, we make our order. My wife orders a caprese burger and the server proceeds to tell her that she pronounced "caprese," wrong. The server then corrects her and pronounces "caprese," wrong herself. We spent two weeks in Italy just a couple of years ago. We ordered and ate "caprese," regularly in the old country. We know how to pronounce "caprese." If a server is going to talk down to her customers, and/or carry herself pretentiously, she needs to at least do it right. My wife then asks what the difference between a steak burger and the locally grown beef. The server responds, "You know, it is just burger." My wife again asks, "Is it steak, or burger, or something else?" The server again says, "You know, it is a hamburger." My wife and I looked at each other with our mouths open. As I am writing this review, I am not entirely certain what constitutes a "steak burger," at 85 Main...and neither did our server. I ordered a fish taco special, my son ordered chicken nuggets and fries, and my mother-in-law ordered a steak. My son's chicken nuggets were so dry that he refused to eat them. My mother-in-laws steak came out medium, as she requested, and she reported that it tasted good. I will also mention now that the bread that took nearly thirty minutes to get to our table tasted good as well. These two things were the silver lining to our Main 85 experience. My wife's Santa Fe burger came out....wait, she did not order a Santa Fe, she ordered a caprese burger, which the server had made it a point to tell her she had mispronounced. My wife sent the burger back and we all waited for her correct order to return to the table. When my wife's caprese burger returned to the table she cut it in half and we observed that the inside was completely raw. My wife's burger had been seared on the outside but the inside was red and purple. The meat was mushy, sticky, and turned into a small blob when squeezed together. My wife informed the server that her burger was raw, showed the server the burger, then asked that the burger be removed from the bill. We finished our meal and again had to wait a lengthy period of time to get our bill. The server returned to our table and asked, "Do you want take the burger home?" My wife replies, "The raw hamburger? No." The server asks, "Do you have a dog or something?" and my wife replied, "We do not have a dog, and even if we did, I would not feed it raw hamburger." The server did not respond. We paid our bill and left. I have never, ever, wrote a Yelp review but today's experience was so egregious that I felt I had no choice. I would have wrote more but the character max for a review is 5001. Customer beware. read more