Food was surprisingly very good. Service was great and the ambiance overlooking the marina was charming. We had mussels, Brussels sprouts, tuna over quinoa and fish and chips. Portions were generous and everything was cooked perfectly. Mussels were large and beautiful, fish was flaky and moist. There's definitely 5 star potential here. Reservation system was easy and worked well. Prices a bit aggressive but not shocking. A bottle of wine here is 3x actual retail cost for example. Wine and beer selections are limited. No IPAs is a questionable call in 2025. They had an APA that worked though. We will absolutely be back. read more

See all

The food is great, the service staff seasonal of which I like. Reasonably priced. Good food and beverage choices. What gives this place kiddos is the ambience. In the actual Marina. Enjoy! read more

We went to watch our fav musical duo (Bonfire Acoustic) and although the day was freezing on the porch the staff lit the lanterns and made us feel so warm and welcome. The food was stellar- I had oysters/clams/shrimp from the raw bar, all fresh and tasty with a delicious mignonette. I also had the Tile Fish special (had a lovely beurre blanc sauce) which was served over a sweet potato puree with squash, and it was so delicious. Everyone loved the food and drinks! We will def be back on July 20th for Bonfire Acoustic and your gorgeous patio and delicious food! read more

Excellent spot for a bite to eat. Whether it's a sandwich or an entree. Scenic seasonal restaurant at the marina with plenty of covered outdoor space and nicely decorated indoor space. We shared an appetizer special with fresh made hummus and delicious falafel balls, diver scallops with lobster risotto and mud pie. Service was great. Enjoy it before it closes for the season. Only reason why it's not 5 stars is my mojito lacked muddled mint read more

See all

We've not been at peek hours yet but have so far enjoyed our experiences. Drinks are fine-nothing seems to intimidate the bartender-and servers are seasoned. We're slip owners and have enjoyed popping over to the onsite restaurant for a drink and snack after a day out. The views are lovely and the staff is attentive. I find there's a nice variety to the current menu (fish, non-fish, snacks, and full meals) and something for everyone. My only complaint is the barstools outside are not comfy. So just don't sit there. Easy easy! read more

Beautiful restaurant with nice hostess and waitress however, the food is not great. The caprese salad was 16$ and it's barely a half of a tomato. It's lacking cheese and incredibly sloppy. My husband had a salmon sandwich which was very fishy and just so-so. We've given this place a try a few times now but unfortunately, it doesn't get better. Hoping they can take the off season to re group and figure out how to make positive changes. They should be doing much better than what they are. read more

Bacari Social - Caprese salad - Italian Near Me - Westbrook, Connecticut

Ambiance is beautiful set in a marina... Food is less than mediocre... I ordered tuna nachos and the tuna was well done... waitress mentioned I was the 5th person who complained that day! Um Hello??? Took about 25 minutes for drinks to arrive. read more

Cute place on the marina in a scenic coastal town. The place has a great vibe. I arrived on a Thursday evening after meeting the manager at another place the day before. She told me they made their pasta in-house everyday. How could I pass that up? I ordered the "Cowabunga, Dude" margarita (pictured below) at the manager's recommendation. Jalapeño infused margarita with a Szechuan pepper and salt rim. It was good but I immediately took out the half slice of jalapeño because it was spicy enough for me when served. When the server came over to me to take my order, I asked about the fresh bread smell I encountered when I walked in. She told me that they made homemade foccacia. So I, of course, ordered some of that. She told me it might take a minute since the kitchen was cutting up a fresh batch. In addition I ordered a half-dozen oysters, a cup of their clam chowder and an appetizer size portion of their homemade fettuccine a la Carbonara. 30 minutes later.....the focaccia finally came on a cold plate which matched the temperature of the bread. Very disappointing. The Cape Cod oysters were good, although their mignonette could have used more shallots. It was also served with no fork which I found odd. Then my chowder and pasta showed up at the exact same time which was disappointing given that you don't want to leave that freshly made pasta sitting there while you're eating your soup. The chowder was good but nothing like the chowder I ate at Donahue's the day before (check out that place in Madison). The pasta left a lot to be desired. The texture of the pasta was good, but the sauce was dry and gummy. There was loads of pancetta and a good amount of cheese spread throughout which I believe attributed to the gumminess of the sauce. The dish was heavy and needed a fresh element. It was not what I had hoped for at all. The food service was subpar as well, with long wait times to receive your orders, ill-timed food, and long gaps between server visits after a shift change. I really wanted to love this place. They are a newer family-owned and operated venue just starting to get their legs under them in COVID times - so I give them a lot of credit for that. I overheard one of the waiters tell another table that it could get tough when employees called out because they were running lean as it was. If the shucker called out, then he would have to shuck. If the dishwasher called out, they'd have to call his mom in to help. I truly hope they can fix their issues and become one of the great local spots on the map. If I could I would have given them 3.5 stars instead of 3. But with the faults in service I just couldn't round up to 4. read more

Bacari Social - Jalapeño infused margarita with Szechuan pepper salt rim. - Italian Near Me - Westbrook, Connecticut

Best thing about our visit to Bacari was our waitress, we waited forever for our dinner which our waitress apologized about every time she walked by our table When it finally showed up my wife's shrimp tacos were salmon tacos which were raw My steak was mediocre First and last time there! read more

Slow service, but these days we all should give some slack with short staff. Also, Great view. However Bad overall experience. Rude manager, boring menu. Used to be better. Just my opinion. read more

Beautiful sunset dinner!! Wonderful staff and amazing appetizers. Wings were yummy and meaty. Definitely will be back! read more

Bacari Social - Teriyaki wings with homemade blue cheese - Italian Near Me - Westbrook, Connecticut

See all

Swung by here on a Saturday afternoon, and they were open. Apparently they close for the winter, because I've tried a couple other times. We sat outside to enjoy the view. Our waitress was lovely. We ordered cocktails, which were pretty good, and the bang bang shrimp- yum!!! As well as the fried calamari (pretty good). We followed up with a second round of drinks- another cocktail for my husband, which was unique and tasty , and a glass of wine for me. Honestly...my rating may have been a 5 if the pour on the glass of wine wasn't so stingy. My husband said "it looks like that was what was left in the bottle and they didn't feel like opening another." As we were there midday, we opted for sandwiches: lobster roll (a little pricier than most places, but I get todays market), and a BLT, which was very much enjoyed. The fries were delicious. Our waitress, Abby, was delightful, and the food was good. Again... it wasn't cheap, so a bigger pour on the wine would have been appreciated, but service and ambience go a long way. Summer is just beginning, so we'll probably be back. read more

Service was extremely slow we waited an hour for our food, and when we got it, it was not that good. I got the white sauce seafood pasta and there was virtually nothing on it besides maybe a splash of butter. read more

I just had a surprise 60th birthday party for my husband at Bacari Social, off season we rented the entire facility. If I could give them 10 stars I would! I worked with Angela thru the whole process and she was extremely helpful. The food, location, service was amazing! Our guests are still raving about how great the food was! Thank you Angela & Bacari Social (Chow) for helping my party be such a great success! read more

Beautiful location! So glad another restaurant opened here. Not sure what the other reviewers were talking about, but the service here is very quick. The waitress was very attentive. The drinks were good and the food was excellent. I had the chicken parm. I give it four stars because it would be nice if they served salad and/or bread with the meal. Great restaurant, great marina view. read more

The food was just okay.It must be the waterfront experience that keeps them going , but the worst part was When we left to go to our car there was a horrible raw sewage smell. Hope they can fix that because it's really disgusting to leave a food establishment to be overwhelmed by poop smell. Yuck. read more

We recently stayed at Safe Harbor Marina and were happy to see a restaurant on site. When we arrived it was very busy which was great to see. The hostess was great she was able to sit us right away. After a bit of a wait our waitress came over and promptly took our order. She apologized up front for the wait as they were experiencing some staffing issues. We ordered the artichokes, burrata salad & whipped ricotta crostini. My favorite was the whipped ricotta. Entree we had the 1/2 chicken with polenta, asparagus & mushrooms. The polenta was awful it tasted like paste. However the mushroom, chicken and asparagus made up for it. Overall it was good but I expected better. The staff was amazing. read more

Would score higher but for two days in a row we wanted to go for lunch and have a pasta dish. Told no pasta til 5pm. Really? You're a Italian restaurant? You have a beautiful spot but you need to step up your game. read more

The place was nice and staff very friendly. The food wasn't great. Pasta overcooked and lettuce in salad had seen better days. Outside seating is best. read more

Ambiance at the marina. The place is so quaint and new. The food is similar to chips pub since same owner but on an elevated scale with decor, ambiance and service. read more

This place is great and has gorgeous views! The drinks and food were delicious. The first time we came we shared the fried calamari and mussels to start and then had entree dishes that we all loved. It's a nice relaxing vibe and you can really take your time to enjoy your meal, drinks, and company. Have been back several times! read more

Bacari Social - Clams with black ink pasta - Italian Near Me - Westbrook, Connecticut

See all

Came for first time for lunch on Sunday no pasta won't be back. Apps were ok. Caesar salad and mussels flavorless. Empty deck not permitted to sit waterfront. read more

What a fun location - great to be overlooking the Marina! Service was just fine, drinks were very watered down and the food was nothing special but it was a great spot to spend a summer evening. read more

There's a nice view of the water and a marina from the patio. But if you are looking for delicious food - go somewhere else to eat.

Not sure what all the hype was over the summer ,booking weeks out for a reservation...but I have to say it wasn't what it was built up to be! Went on a Sunday evening and it was pretty busy. And of course as everything these days...short staffed. Waiter greeted us immediately and took our drink order. Took 15 minutes to get those and 1 was missing and had to ask for it again. Next we ordered appetizers and 1 in our party had a food allergy they were very accommodating. 2 hot appetizers come out the other 2 were soups (so no prepping involved) those came out 5 mins later! Bisque was tasteless and consistency of a pudding! Awful!!! Meals finally come and I had shrimp scampi,the taste was good but the homemade pasta was horrible! Hard not al dente and stuck together like it was thrown in the pot and not even stirred. To say the least was very disappointed with this restaurant read more

I would never recommend this place!! It is very open and REALLY LOUD!! For the prices they charge it it NOT a "fancy" place. First, I made a reservation on Wed for Saturday and I expressly said it was for a anniversary celebration. We got there, they were unprepared and they seated us in the bar! SUPER loud and obnoxious girls yelling their drunk conversation at each other so it was difficult to have a conversation. A couple of times we had to stop talking to wait for a break in the noise. The drinks were weird!! Long Island Ice Tea had a jalapeño flavor and the rum punch had grapefruit juice in it making it bitter. So either the bartender needs to go back to mixology school or they are trying too hard to be different. Either way, they weren't good drinks. There is no AC, so it was stuffy and hot. The silverware was flimsy and the seating was plywood benches. NO table linens. The server was under dressed in cut-off short shorts and a t-shirt. The service was PAINFULLY slow!! The food was fine but VERY small portions and not outstanding enough to merit their prices. One of our party ordered a steak. After 2 attempts from 2 different servers to get a steak knife he finally resorted to wrestled with a butter knife through most of his meal before he finally got a knife. And the tiramisu was dry and had way too much cocoa powder on top which made it even dryer. All in all if you are looking for a nice place to dine DO NOT go here!!! If you want a loud bar with overpriced food, then this is for you. read more

Had a reservation for 530pm Friday night. We were seated at our table promptly outside. Ordered a beer and appetizer. It took over an hour for us to get it - and it was Chicken Tenders. It should never take that long. And there were No apologies. Once in passing while we were waiting the waitress said food would be out soon. We finished the app and then asked to cancel our dinner. We couldn't wait another hour. When our waitress (who was great and I felt bad for her) came by there was a guy with her and he just stood there like a bodyguard. She told us they were short staffed and that was why we waited so long for our food. There was no comped drink or anything. For a new restaurant trying to stand out in a crowded environment this was a major fail. read more

Great service, great food. By the ocean on a beautiful evening. Appetizer was a bowl of mussels, followed by lobster fra diavolo . Everything was perfect. Will return, highly recommend ! read more

Bacari Social - Dinner - Italian Near Me - Westbrook, Connecticut

Went there tonight with my bf...was disappointed. The whipped ricotta app was delicious. The mussels were flavorless and tasted like alcohol. The pasta wasn't very good either. I went last summer and it was so much better...not sure what happened because apparently it is the same owners and chef. We won't be back which is unfortunate because they have such a cute spot! Maybe the drinks are good? read more

This place does cocktails right. I only saw two other reviews and one of them was a one star about the food but it's good?? You'd have to be on drugs to not like this place. The atmosphere is also really chill and the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. I can't wait to come back here! read more

The deck and atmosphere are great! The food is disappointing. Last year I had the worst bolognese. This year mahi-mahi was good though killer spicey which we weren't told about. The husbands had burgers that they said were horrible, overcooked and fries were limp and cold. Sad because this is such a nice location! I want them to do well but for an over 100.00 meal that's just mediocre it's hard to keep going back. Plus the menu is so limited. Glad they changed but not much better. read more

Super cute place on the marina with nice, attentive wait staff. Cocktails were great. The food was ok- not amazing but not terrible, either. We had the lobster grilled cheese, burger, olives crostini, and burrata salad. If we could give half stars, I would say a 3.5, but since we can't, rounded up to a 4. Solid 3 for the food and cocktails (mainly the cocktails). Bonus star for the staff and view. read more

The views are lovely but I asked to dine outside and since I was by myself they sat me at the bar alone. The seats were very uncomfortable. I ordered clams and linguini and it was not that good. The claims were fine and the pasta was cooked well but they put bits of something in the pasta that was reminiscent of chicken fat. I think it was clam remnants. I would try again with a different main course- only to be on the water again. read more

Great atmosphere and small plates. Service was top notch. We recommend sitting on the deck.

I've been here three times and have had nothing but a great experience. I've done lots of apps and the raw bar items have been great. I live that I can get appetizer size dishes to try more things. Get a reservation! read more

terrible service and a horrible menu. View is good but the vibes are terrible. Go somewhere else. We did. We got up and left after no one bothered to come over and acknowledge us after sitting there for 10 mins. read more

This place is such an awesome experience. It's an oasis away from the madness in the world today. Old world Italian food with a beautiful twist. Staff is very welcoming and attentive. We will be coming back here most definitely. read more

went tonight with the wife, read all the reviews good and bad. was told by hostess they didn't have a table for two outside and it would be an hour wait .. ..OK got a high table inside the bar area and yes it was noisy and very crowded . ambient temp ok inside even after a hot day... waited on right away very friendly server. we didn't order apps or small plates or soup ... food came quick and no complaints. I cant say it was outstanding or excellent BUT we had a very good experience with no gaffs. a very nice evening .noise leveled off inside as well towards closing. love the marina and walked around a bit after dinner on a nice night looking at the boats and enjoying the water . will return and perhaps get bolder with our menu choices and see if it goes well ..for now I hope they can maintain the service and food consistency for the summer and look forward to returning. read more

Food and service were horrible. I've never had worse eggplant Parmesan and the green I got for my salad were lettuce and unripe tomatoes. There is a great view but not a good experience. read more

I had heard from friends that this restaurant was "disappointing" but, sadly, that doesn't even begin to describe it. I was hopeful when we walked in. It was busy, even on a Sunday night. We sat at a high top in the bar. The vibe is very cool and the restaurant looks great. The hosts and the servers were very nice. I had set my expectations very low, given what I had heard, but was unpleasantly surprised at how terrible the food was. It was inedible. Literally, we spit it out. We ordered 5 or 6 different small plates and the only one that was edible was the fried artichokes. The octopus was rock hard, almost impossible to cut into, yet mealy. When we told the server it was terrible she said "yes, someone else said that, too." The tuna and tacos smelled very fishy and had a very suspect texture. Everything was overly sauced and literally nothing was good. We did get oysters from the raw bar and they were ok, but not good. There is a dirth of shoreline restaurants with outdoor seating and a fun vibe. This one has it, but it doesn't help if you can't actually eat any of the food. As much as I wanted to like this restaurant, I will never go back. read more