One of my favorite places to go and eat. Food is always great, service is always top notch. They always take care of me with my food allergies. Sushi chef is wonderful and has his own following of customers that I've meet on my visits here. They also have a great outdoor area to eat at & an extensive bar menu. read more

Wow, do I love this place! Great food, great drinks, great service. Especially good sushi and plenty of other choices, including gluten free, on the menu. read more

Always try to go on Wednesday for their happy hour :) drinks are great and Justin the bartender is awesome!

I have eaten here many times and while the food is always good (though a bit pricey for some of their specials) the service is always hit or miss. Sometimes it takes too long to get drinks or appetizers and the pacing isn't always on par with a restaurant of this caliber - especially during peak dinner hours. I always enjoy the food here but wish that the service was more consistent. read more

Food is disappointing. Have tried several times never worth the price. $14 margarita nothing but salt, for the area the prices are very high. Ordered tortellini special which was a pesto cream sauce was so watery and over cooked. One other table on a Tuesday night. Will not be back. read more

Great service, good food and a chill environment. Worth a stop or a trip. There's something for everyone!

Good, but too expensive sushi. Great entrees overall and sometimes inconsistent, but generally great service. Eat at the bar and ask for Steph or Justin. An excellent pick-up bar for the decidedly non-intellectual. And after 2 martinis, who isn't? read more

we were here on Black Friday...second time for us. Service was fantastic and the food, as usual, did not disappoint. I would highly recommend this restaurant....location and 'window seat' view of the street made for a very nice setting and ambiance was great. read more

We go to 85 Main frequently. We love their food. My only complaint would be that they don't change their offerings enough. The items on their menu are almost the same ones they had on their menu two years ago. Even their specials just seem to be the same specials rotating over and over. If you don't go as often as we do, then it shouldn't be a problem. They have fresh sushi. Great burgers. The Orange Coriander Chicken is phenomenal (although I'm not a fan of the dark meat). read more

I eat at this resteraunt on many occasions and find it to always be a pleasant and enjoyable Dining experience. The maple glazed scallops and sweet potato hash are a thing of beauty. The cheese plate and amaretto shrimp are delightful. And the service cannot be beat. The decor is fresh and modern and the outside seating is great. A must visit! read more

I was so disappointed with this restaurant after all that I have heard. It is way overpriced for the food that you get. Mostly everything that my party ordered was either cold or undercooked. Big disappointment. read more

We have been here a few times and every time it gets better! If you like oysters they have a great selection of the coldest and impeccably clean oysters in town!!! I had a suggestion from there amazing chef seared salmon it was incredible! To finish off the meal I had a international coffee chocolate raspberry with a delicious homemade caramel pecan cheesecake I ate every bite! I would recommend this restaurant to anybody who's a foodie like myself! read more

Enjoyed the meal that I had there today. Would love to have sat outside, but the heat was just to much. For the first time in my life, today I had Sushi, Jammin' Salmon, and Roast Corn Soup. was very good. As fare as price goes, as long as the food is good I could care less about it. read more

High end, well prepared cuisine and SUSHI in the Quiet Corner! yay! Due to the prices this is a "special occasion" spot for me, but I do love it when I go. read more

Absolutely love the food and service here. Such a quaint beautiful location and restaurant with outdoor seating and fantastic sushi. Drinks are generous and spectacular. This and Bella's next door are our two favorite go-to restaurants. Thank you!!! read more

Stopped here for lunch and sat outside on a beautiful day. Service was fantastic! My wife and I split a sushi appetizer which was fantastic. I had a grass fed "Main Street " burger and she a steak salad. Ingredients were fresh and locally grown. Prices were reasonable and a great value for what we had. Will be going back! read more

My GF and I drove from Lebanon to have a late lunch in Putnam. It was a very hot day and we had just finished a 25 bicycle ride. When we arrived we chose 85 Main because they posted their menu outside for us to see and all looked good. We sat outside. After a few minutes a young man came and gave us menus. I couldn't help but notice there was no beer, wine, spirits on the menu. It was hot, we were thirsty, they had not yet offered us water. About 5 minutes later our wait staff, a young woman, arrived and asked if we wanted to order drinks. I said "yes" and asked for a beer/wine list. A few minutes later she returned with one. I saw that they had a Blue Point Shore Thing. I had never heard of it but it was listed as an "Indian Pale Lager." They also had Stella, a go to for me. When she returned I asked what the Blue Point was. She said it was an IPA. I said, "but it says Indian Pale." She said, "Well that's what IPA stands for." At which point I said, "Actually it doesn't. It stands for India Pale Ale and I was wondering if the 'Indian' part means it has something to do with American Indians or a brewing process." And, I pointed out that it said "lager" not ale. She then said, "It's their Toasted Lager." And, I said, "No it's not. Toasted Lager is Toasted Lager. It's not Shore Thing. At which point she said, "Oh, it's a mossaic." I gave up. It was Stella for me. However I did ask for a sample of the Blue Point. I was really curious. She said she didn't know if they gave samples but she would ask. Never heard from her again about that request. I let it go. I ordered a pulled pork wrap with sweet potato fries. My GF ordered a chicken & veggies wrap. Both wraps were really good. And, the sweet potato fries were excellent. One caveat...the pulled pork was listed as having barbecue sauce on it. If there was any, I couldn't detect it. This didn't particularly bother me. But, it might bother someone who wanted barbecue sauce on their pulled pork. Service in general was leisurely. I was not impressed. However, the food was excellent. FWIW, when I got home I did a little research and Blue Point Shore Thing is not a mossaic. Left me asking "Why do people make stuff up when they just don't know?" read more

Had a late lunch on 6/24/18 enjoyed a great selection from the raw bar and a burger. My companion had a house salad. We enjoyed some wine and a pleasant afternoon on the sidewalk patio. If you want to spend a little time enjoying the day I would recommend it. A great way to unwind. read more

Wow! You call this a restaurant? Very disappointed in the food and service. I thought this was an upscale establishment. Unfortunately, this is a very poor excuse of one. Sorry, but won't be going back! read more

The owner came out to meet us and shook our hands as we had a great fresh salad and very good drinks. I would recommend this restaurant for any one visiting Putnam and looking for good food! read more

The food was meh, portions were small, overpriced and service was mediocre. For your money there are better places in the area. I do not recommend this place. read more

Love the service!!! Food is nothing great and very expensive. 14.00 salad really????? We ordered the lava cake for dessert (10.50) and it was cold at the bottom. Again the staff is wonderful. Maybe just go for drinks. read more

Sitting at the bar for 15 minutes and didn't get served or even acknowledged. Wouldn't recommend to anyone.

85 Main's Wednesday happy hour is one of the best in the region, and that's the only time it's worth going. The ingredients the restaurant uses are top notch. Fish is local and in season, and the raw bar is as good as any along the shoreline. There's usually more than five oyster options. Most seafood is served fresh, but I'm fairly certain that the lobster in my roll had been frozen. Five stars for ingredients, and the kitchen staff routinely does an equally superb job preparing the dishes. The menu is perhaps not as trimmed down as it could be, but the vast majority of it is innovative and unique for the area. Again, this is a great place to eat seafood year round. The sushi is undoubtedly the star of the restaurant; it's a pleasure to watch "Chef O" ply his craft directly behind the bar. I heard that he's retiring soon and sincerely hope that whomever takes over as sushi chef can maintain the superb reputation that Chef O has painstakingly built over the past few years. Those are enormous 'kutsu' to fill. 85 Main should be worth the menu prices. BUT.... The reason for my three star review is the service. I'll admit that I essentially never sit outside of the bar area. Perhaps the servers outside on the patio and and tables are better, but the small roster of those who work in the bar area are completely indifferent to their job. I'm somewhat of a regular (consistently there 1-3 times a month), so this isn't a single bad experience. If your drink is empty, it takes an act of congress to get another because the servers are too caught up in benign conversation with each other at the middle of the bar while their customers get thirsty. There is no effort to interact with customers other than to take their order. More often than not, the only time I'm approached after my entree is served is when I'm obviously finished eating and asked whether I'd like dessert. This past Friday, my party and I waited more than an hour after ordering a very simple dinner. Granted, it was "First Friday" in Putnam, which made the dinner hours busier than normal. However, this should be an opportunity for the restaurant to push turnover and have a big night - there was no such emphasis. We were served rations of bread with olive oil after we had been waiting 45 minutes, but by that time I was already considering walking out - the air conditioning vent aimed directly at our table which was running at full bore didn't exactly enhance the atmosphere (in fact, it blew out the candle on the table). It should be noted that the bread wasn't even offered to my table by our assigned server - one of the younger servers who was working the dining section realized we had been waiting for so long and brought it over. There are plenty of capable and attentive servers in the area who would love to get a chance to work at a highbrow place like 85 Main; I'm not sure why management is so tied to the mediocre staff who seem to get all of the prime hours. Their laissez-faire attitude has certainly damaged the 85 Main brand in my eyes. James: You can easily do better. Please do so. read more

Walked in looking for some lunch. Stood by the "Please wait to be seated" sign for a long time without anyone acknowledging us. Finally a hostess came out and seated us and gave us menus. After a long wait, she returned to fill our water glasses and said that someone would take order soon. Waited some more without seeing a server, so we just walked out. The place wasn't even very busy, so that wouldn't account for our being ignored. read more

had a good lunch here today. experience wasn't amazing, but good enough that we'll be back to try again. the boyfriend and i stopped in early afternoon. today was gorgeous, but a little warm for my liking. there is outdoor seating, and we were going to choose to sit indoor, but windows, doors, etc. were all open, basically making the temperature inside, the same as outside. considering one of the other main st. restaurants had hired a guitarist who was singing outside, we decided to endure the sweat and sit outside in the sun. the menu is widely varied, and there were many appealing choices. we each had difficulty choosing. boyfriend went with the bootlegger burger and fries, while i got a daily special chicken wrap. the bootlegger is a burger topped with pulled pork, braeburn apple slices, carmelized onions, and smoked cheddar. it was served with hand cut fries accompanied by spicy ketchup and an extra side of bbq sauce. bbq sauce was thick, delicious, and definitely had notes of fruit amongst the tomato and vinegar. he loved the taste of the burger, and i did steal a a bite- it was good. very smokey. he thought it was the pulled pork, but i thought it was the burger. i suspect it's either a wood-fired grill, or that they use a touch of liquid smoke. he ate the whole thing, and it was rather big. my only real gripe is that the menu specifies burgers are to be ordered as some pink or no pink. he ordered some pink, and i assure you- there was none. kinda disappointing. also- caramelized onions were absent (seems to be a theme- keep reading...) my wrap was comprised of grilled chicken, "lemon apricot dressed greens," matchstick carrots, hummus, caramelized onions, and havarti dill cheese. while many other menu options were attractive, i decided to order a special considering the other items will be there the next time we go back. it was- eh. almost not even. i didn't taste any lemon or apricot, and the caramelized onions were- again- absent. the actual construction of the wrap wasn't great either: all of the carrots were on one side of the wrap, instead of integrated as a part of the sandwich. i substituted sweet potato fries for the hand cut, and they were a real winner. clearly fresh out of the fryer, they were piping hot and well-seasoned. i enjoyed the spicy ketchup with which they were served (though the boyfriend did not). i usually like to dip my fries in ranch dressing, which 85 main does not make/carry. i asked for a side of caesar dressing instead, and it was a close second. overall, service was friendly, but slow. food was largely good, but didn't hit it out of the park. we liked it enough that we've pledged to try it again for dinner. the cheese plate reads to be rather enticing. hopefully a dinner service will impress us more than lunch did. read more

Many trips to this local gem turned ugly on this night... service was truly a disaster. Checked in with the hostess, who told us there was 15 to 20 minute wait (no biggie) ... mind you there were 6 open tables when we got there, however a long list of people waiting. After waiting over an hour while I sat in disbelief as other people were seated one after another... still 4 of the 6 tables that were empty when I got there were still empty... and the seating list continued to grow. I checked back in with the hostess to check on my time to be seated and saw there were many checked off after me... unreal, I told her to take my name off the list... she rudely said " ok, whatever"... very rude, won't be going there anytime soon. There were still 5 open tables when I left. Made my way over to their sister establishment "vanilla bean" and had an amazing lamb sirloin on couscous... 85 Main needs to take some lessons on customer service quick before they end up like the "Harvest" (closed...) read more

I would like to give more stars but time after time this place let's me down. The menu is hugely overpriced with no justification for it. The food is just okay and the service is friendly enough but slow. On our latest visit we ordered two of the specials; Chicken and Brie wrap, that was served without the Brie? It took so long for our server to check back in with us that we weren't interested in the offer to attempt to melt Brie on top. The other special; Shaved sirloin sandwich $15 was more like 4 oz of shaved steak formed into a burger patty, totally disappointing. I hate to give bad reviews but if you're heading into Putnam there are many other tasty places to try, look elsewhere. read more

We've heard great things about this restaurant over the years since the day it opened, however none of the experience was pleasant! My husband took me there to celebrate my 21st birthday. I was so excited! Needless to say the excitement was shortly lived. We were seated quickly, next to a bucket! The restaurant was empty, and of all seats, the host seated us next to a bucket collecting rain water! But, due to the comments we've heard about the place, we put the bucket aside and focused on what we wanted to order. My husband ordered their Chicken Caesar Salad and I ordered their Fish and Chips (with sweet potato as the breading). As our dinner arrived, we dug in, and we were overly disappointed! My husbands salad was overly seasoned, and the the fish I had was cold, the oil they used to fried the fish tasted like it had expired 2 weeks ago! We didn't get what the rave was about at all! Giving the restaurant one star is generous on my part! If they had us give them a grade, I would have given them an F! We will never go to that restaurant again! read more

We were on our way home from the Woodstock Fair and decided to try this restaurant. Big mistake, service was slow and he place was not overly busy. My wife had a rib eye steak, the steak was tough, mashed potatoes cold and the asparagus very crunchy, very disappointing. I had the ravioli special which was OK nothing special. We will cross this restaurant off our list. read more

Ate there today (01/20/2011). Service was very slow (20 min wait before asking what my beverage choice would be) even though the restaurant was only about 30% full at 1:30 pm. I had a "Warm Chevre Salad" that was cold and served on a dessert plate for $13.00 (total ripoff). About 1/3 of my Spring Mix salad was "dead brown" and there was hardly any dressing on it. This was my second visit in about 2 years and it was as bad as the first. When this restaurant was "The Vine" it was excellent. I think the owner of this place (The Vanilla Bean in Pomfret) is way over their head and maybe too uppity to think that they can do no wrong. My wife and I will not be back...and this was a lunch for her 63rd birthday. Boo to the 85. read more

My girlfriend and I went here for dinner, which is about a 45 minute drive from where we live. I had heard great things about the place and even driven by a few times when in town on business. It was a nice day so we wanted to eat outside, we were seated by a very young girl who seemed a bit out of sorts. She also happened to be the one who brought out the bread but didn't know what table to bring it to (even though we were clearly breadless) so she decided to bring it back inside? Strange. We eventually got her to bring it back out to us. So from the start the service wasn't the best. As for the food, my girlfriend ordered the scallop special which came with asparagus and risotto. I myself ordered the pan seared stripe bass special with some type of vegetable and champagne sauce. Both specials were on the expensive side. My girlfriends meal was served on a giant plate which looked and tasted fantastic, as for mine, not so much. The bass was well overcooked and the vegetable (which was I believe a white asparagus) was so chewy I wasn't able to eat it at all. The whole meal was covered in three different heavy cream sauces that didn't compliment each other at all. If I had wanted soup I would've ordered it for my appetizer not my meal. The strangest part of it all was that there were a bunch of small table grapes served on top? Not at all what I expected from the description and a absolutely awful meal. To their defense the waitress obviously noticed my distress and even asked me if the fish was too well done (almost like she knew before I said anything). She offered me a new meal or dessert on the house but at that point I had lost my appetite and didn't want to wait for a new meal while my girlfriend had already finished. They did credit the meal at the end without my asking, though I would've much rather preferred to pay for a well cooked/tasting meal and left full rather than still hungry. read more

I had a really bad meal here. My friend was embarrassed for suggesting we go there. The fish tasted old, the fries were overcooked and dry, and the tiny bit of coleslaw was unremarkable. When charging gourmet prices in a small town in Eastern CT, one should do much better. To make matters worse, the place was freezing cold and it was just November. I can't imagine going there in winter. But the bathroom was really well-decorated. read more

I wanted to like this place. It's set in the cutest part of Putnam, and boasts an adorable outdoor seating area. However, the experience pretty much stops there. They are overpriced for the quality of the food. I ordered sushi and a side of sweet potato fries. Eclectic I know, but that seems to be the vibe of their menu. Anyways, the first fry I had was hard and undercooked, and the rest didn't get any better. The sushi was...ok. I've had better from the grocery store. The bread had huge chunks of cheese, what we described as rubber bands that had been melted together. The waitress was polite but careless. She spilled water all over and acted like it didn't happen, then spilled soy sauce in my husbands water and had the same reaction. Such potential wasted...try again,85 main. read more

Very friendly staff, most of the food is locally sourced. Excellent quality. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Ask for some fresh baked bread while you wait for meal. read more

We wandered around the antique marketplace and then decided to eat a late lunch in Putnam. We really enjoyed 85 Main- great vibe, very good service, a big, diverse menu. And msot importantly, the food was delicious and fresh. My pulled pork sandwich was high quality. My husband's burger with corn and cheese was tasty. The fries were excellent. read more

We went here for our anniversary. It was yummy. Sushi was really good. So was the steak! Get the cheese plate for the starter plate, its really good. read more

Very friendly staff, nice atmosphere however the food and service was very subpar. We came for a birthday, around 7pm on a Friday. We were a party of 7. We waited at least 45 minutes for our food. When it came it was nothing special to be honest. I ordered a rib eye steak, medium rare, it was cooked to my liking(thank god). However, the bad thing was that the steak was covered in fat.Not the best quality of meat. What made it the worst was the sweet, over powering mushroom sauce that was soaked over the whole steak. Will not be coming back here again. read more

I went yesterday with my wife to enjoy the beautiful weather and finally spend a gift certificate that we have had for some time now. We chose to dine outside and I will admit that the atmosphere was wonderful. I wish that I could say the same about the food and the service. My wife had the chicken caesar salad and I chose to try the burger. We decided to split the corn and clam chowder as an appetizer. The chowder was delicious however it would have been nice if it was more then luke warm. When the entrees came my wife's salad was not bad. My burger, however, was over cooked by quite a bit. This situation could easily been rectified but our waitress chose to disappear. She never checked back so I was stuck with a very subpar burger. When she finally did come ready to give us the check, she noticed the non-eaten burger. She asked what was wrong and did take it off the bill when I told her. I must say that for these prices it was an all round awful experience. read more

No place better to spend the a few hours enjoying the amazing weather and having a couple glasses of wine while sharing great food. My husband loves the shrimp cocktail and finds it hard to pass up. I am never disappointed when I try something new. However some time I just get the cheese plate (The tampanad is delicious!) Or sushi (always fresh and well worth the wait when they are busy) read more