Had never been to the Old Lyme Inn before but had heard good things about it. We arrived at 7:30 on a Saturday night which we expected would be a prime time to go. We walked into the main bar only to be greeted by a host who rudely told us the bar was closed and we couldn't sit there. Then she said she could seat us in the small dining room but could not serve spirits from the bar. She was clearly trying to persuade us to leave and so we did. We won't be back. This isn't how to treat customers. read more

$78 each for a set Mother's Day Brunch menu with a service fee of 20% added to the bill with a recommendation to add more for the service provided. We had to ask for bread, ask for one of the starters for one table member, ask for a soup spoon after soup arrived with no spoon, ask for water, ask for refills on water and ask for coffee. Food was very good but will not go back for the lack of service and the mandatory fee attached to bill that was so shockingly lacking. read more

Had a wonderful stay at the Old Lyme Inn. Room was great, bar and dinner was amazing! Highly recommend!

Nice outside image....Went we got to the desk a few people passed by, saying...someone will be with you in a minute.... The room (#4) was big....when we walked in....the smell of disinfectant cleaning products was SO Strong....I had to immediately open all window....it was too much. The carpet, even though it was vacuumed...it looked kind of worn and old..... The fireplace worked, but the flames were miniscule.... They were barely 2 inches tall..... Overall OK.... read more

Old Lyme Inn - Fire pit in front of entrance. - Hotels Near Me - Old Lyme, Connecticut

We celebrated my husband's birthday with a family dinner here and added in live jazz by the house band, the Pennies. Absolutely every step of planning and hosting this dinner was top-notch. We all loved the passed hors d'oeuvres... It was hard to choose a menu, but we opted for mini crab cakes, sweet potato blinis, Brie tartlets and pork dumplings. Dinner was family-style so that we didn't have to order ahead... The cider-glazed Statler chicken and lemon garlic scallops were delicious, as were the bacon brussel sprouts and whipped sweet potato sides. And our fall cocktails were prepared with style and care each time Our hosts, Tosh and Madison made everyone feel at home, from the guest of honor to our grandchildren. No detail was missed and Ken and his musicians were just perfect for our celebration. I cannot say enough about how easy it was to plan and enjoy the dinner gathering. We always enjoy dinner here, but this private gathering may just be the first of many more for us! read more

Old Lyme Inn - Spacious family style dinner and plenty of room for the band - Hotels Near Me - Old Lyme, Connecticut

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Restaurant review. Have been many times over the years ...every season....and the food now is the best it's ever been. Imaginative offerings served in a beautiful venue. Just made lunch reservations for a meet up with friends for the holidays and can't imagine a more festive setting to celebrate. Go in summer as they have live music weekly on the outdoor patio..relaxing atmosphere with food served and they usually have a fire in the fire pit. Makes for a beautiful night near the CT shore. read more

I've lived in old Lyme for 32 years and have never been to the old Lyme inn. I told the hostess that there was no real reason beyond saying people who live near features rarely go to them. No one who lives in Orlando goes to Disney. ‍ Well...better late than never and what a fabulous experience! Service, food, atmosphere (we sat outside) were all impeccable! We will go back. read more

We like to support local restaurants, but waiting forever for our entrees is not what we expect. The hostess told us that a waiter quit in the middle of the shift, yet everyone around us, even people who came 30 minutes after us, were served. We were still waiting without any explanation and had to ask the hostess (who tried to serve us another set of appetizers instead of our entrees) what was going on an hour after getting our true appetizers! Since it was a prix fixe meal we left what we thought was commensurate for our appetizers and wine and left. This was not a waitstaff issue but a kitchen issue, and the excuse didn't ring true. We are very aware of the current challenges with staff but leaving your diners for over an hour without an explanation while other diners are enjoying their meal is not acceptable. Sorry to say, but we will avoid this restaurant in the future. read more

While driving home this weekend from RI, we made a pit stop in Old Lyme and saw this place with live music outside. We immediately made a U-turn to check it out - because we love live music. It was Jazz Brunch. The restaurant was very busy because they were short staffed so we just decided to have a drink and sit on the bench to enjoy the music. We immediately fell in love with this place and plan to go back. We had to hit the road so we couldn't spend as much time as we wanted to but from the 45 minutes we did spend, we were sold and definitely will be back. read more

Be careful what you book! Lovely room, clean and well appointed but dishonest advertising! Booked a Saturday night bed and breakfast package on line with very clear description of breakfast included...paid $250 for the night..only to be presented with a $50 bill at breakfast. When we were shocked and asked to see the manager...a very poor attituded female snuggly told us they dont include breakfast on a sunday and that this was written at the very bottom of our check in document in fine print. Very unpleasant experience will not be returning! !! read more

What can I say? The Old Lyme Inn is absolutely wonderful. Everything from the beautiful rooms, the delicious food, the entertainment at the Side Door to the service. My husband and I just recently (2 weeks ago) had our wedding at the Inn. Everything was wonderful and this was really in thanks to the staff who made every effort ensuring everything went smoothly. The event coordinator, Julie, was phenomenal. She genuinely wanted to ensure everyone was happy and that everything was just as we wanted. The hostess, Becca, was a delight. JT the server was helpful and friendly as well as Nica, the bartender. Leah, the inn keeper, very accommodating and a sweetheart. They were all so wonderful, especially with my sister who has special needs. This always means a lot to my family. The owners of the Inn were wonderful too! Chris was extremely nice as well as Ken (and what a talent by the way!). Throughout the weekend, we were able to enjoy an incredible show at the SideDoor, great food throughout the weekend, including an amazing brunch accompanied by a fantastic quartet. We will never forget our wedding, it was a small intimate affair but nonetheless a memorable one, and truly was made possible by the Old Lyme Inn. Thank you! read more

I very much enjoyed the weekend stay here. The room was large and comfortable, the Inn is charming, and the firepit in the evening was welcoming. The folks working there were also super friendly and helpful. read more

We recently had a baby shower at the Old Lyme Inn and it exceeded our expectations and made the day absolutely wonderful. The pricing for the brunch was very reasonable in comparison to other venues close by, and the food from the menu was fantastic. I would ABSOLUTELY stop back to casually dine for brunch knowing the brunch menu we had. Other than the food being great, the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. Rebecca, the Inn's party planner, was helpful and responsive throughout the whole process and her staff were just as accommodating. The new executive chef introduced herself when she brought out the custom house-made cake they had made for us. The cake was delightful and the design and floral arrangements were exactly what I had asked for. On top of it all, they were kind enough to package up all the leftover food for us to feast on the next day. We had a wonderful experience with the new crew and HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Thank you again, Old Lyme Inn! read more

One of the better inns in the coastal historical art area of Connecticut. We've been there twice, once for a more formal dinner, and another time for something more casual in the bar area. The more formal and intimate setting in the dining room by the fire was ideal, and we enjoyed it greatly. The food was good, with some standouts like the beer corn chowder, and some mediocre dishes. Our second experience was in the bar/pub area, and was less charming by a long shot. Staff is a mix of professionals and local characters and was acceptable I would suggest requesting the dining room for a more charming atmosphere. read more

I am writing in particular for the restaurant. I had a fantastic experience here. I want to thank my waitress Shelby in particular, who was very accommodating, patient, knowledgeable about the menu, and had a great attitude and provided fantastic service. The food had me feeling like a judge on Iron Chef. I would feel comfortable recommending this place to Gordon Ramsay. 5 stars. read more

I am a native Californian, so this is much different experience for us. My husband and I stayed to hear Christopher Sands at the Side Door. Great concert venue and the Inn is wonderful. The restaurant was wonderful too. We will be returning. read more

This was our first time at the Old Lyme Inn. It surpassed all of my expectations. We stayed for the weekend and bought the All That Jazz package, which included the room, dinner, 1 drink each, and tickets to the Jazz club. WOW!!! The food was excellent!! The new chef, Nick was great. We got a few minutes to talk with him on Sunday. I ordered the special, Char and my fiancee had the seared scallops. Living in the midwest we don't get much good seafood, so we enjoy our trips back to the east coast. The food was 5 stars for sure. The place was busy, but all staff were friendly and courteous from the bartender to the waitress, to the guy checking people in to the Jazz club. The Sidedoor Jazz Club was equally impressive. It is a small venue, maybe 75-100 seats. We were on the far end near the bar. We had a perfect view of the pianist, who just blew us away as did the rest of her musical companions. The drinks were less than I've paid in other music bars (about $10 per drink). The owner, Kenny, was present and came by to make sure we were having a good time. I'm not sure anyone could enjoy jazz as much as he did, but we certainly had a great time! We stayed 2 nights in room #3, in the renovated section of the inn. The room was larger than expected, had a very nice king sized bed, lots of pillows, 3 large windows (one of which is the size of french doors). The view is of the old barn/carriage house and the large side yard. The entire room is renovated but keeps some of the old charm by having antique tables and dresser. the bathroom is completely new and well done. Nice size with all new fixtures and a heated tile floor - very nice! We will be going back to the Old Lyme Inn. We have already planned to have our wedding there. The ambiance is old New England charm with modern amenities. Being our first time there, we only know the new owners, chef and staff. I give them all an A+ for making sure we had a wonderful time. When our flight got pushed back 3 hours, they let us stay in the room well passed any late checkout I've ever been able to get at a hotel. We highly recommend the jazz club package and taking the 5 minute walk down a nature path to see the oldest oak tree in Connecticut. Sit by the fire pit at night or spend some time enjoying a glass of wine in the old library room. It was a magical weekend for us and we will be back for years to come. read more

Our daughter was married at the Old Lyme in recently. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this inn and their owners and staff. The event coordinator there, Julie, made our daughter and son-in-laws dreams for a small and intimate wedding a reality. She attended to every detail and went above and beyond to make the day a most special and memorable one. The inns other staff were also very kind and very helpful and always were there if needed and to make the wedding a most beautiful experience. Becca, Nica, JT & Leah were thoughtful and helpful to us for the entire weekend and our stay was made even more great by the delicious food and entertainment at the Side Door Jazz room. We enjoyed a night of jazz with our weekend wedding, and a sunday brunch with a jazz quartet who were fabulous. The owners of this lovely Inn, Chris and Ken, were lovely people and Ken and his quartet were just fabulous. Brunch on Sunday was phenomenal. We cannot say enough wonderful things about this warm, welcoming & charm filled inn. We look forward to going back for weekend visits. read more

Let it be known, I am going out of my way to sign up for Yelp & give the Old Lyme Inn a negative review. We live in Old Lyme & shortly after moving here were sold a gift certificate for dinner. A month later, we were told they no longer served dinner & it was essentially worthless to us. ] That didn't detour us from throwing a wedding shower there. We choose the Old Lyme Inn because it was handicapped accessible & I thought we had made that quite clear to Candy (the Owner). It didn't seem to matter because the day of the shower we found ourselves carrying my grandmother in a wheel chair up a flight of stairs to the cocktail hour, which she had moved without notifying us. Because Old Lyme is a small town, we inevitably had people stay there after the wedding. All reported being unsatisfied with their stays & being treated rudely by Candy. I would save yourself the trouble of staying there & try the Bee & Thistle across the street or one of the chain hotels in East Lyme, at least there you will know what you are getting in to. read more

When you first walk in the door you can tell this B/B will be just o.k. No really bad complaints, but from mattress to amenities to breakfast it is just adequate. The place needs updating. Cracked flooring,malfunctioning drapes, luke warm water, ultra-thin bath towels, you get the picture. Exterior trim coming loose, peeling paint. Breakfast everyday is the same... just rearranged. Portions are good, quality is good, fresh fruit and berries. The home made mini-muffins are very good as is the granola. Only met one staff person and she is very friendly and helpful. Since this is my first trip to Old Lyme / Saybrook I am at a loss to recommend another B/B but I would keep shopping a bit more next time. Old Lyme Inn is a one-time event for us. read more

I am not sure where to start. We waited 2 hours to get 5 appetizers. We had to ask for our food more than once. When it finally came it was cold , a few of the appetizers were microwaved. The food was awful. We did not eat, unprofessional wait staff. When we did put in a complaint the manager could have cared less. Too dark and dingy, we were stuck in a back room having to track down service. Finally the bartender showed up with our check, never asking how the food was etc. I am local and will not be going back there. Unfortunate , we like to promote local business. read more

Lunch was served in a small room with a fireplace . Great service . Lovely butternut squash soup with salad . Can't wait to hear Gary Bartz quintet tonight . Jazz and good food . Our room #6 has a fireplace , most welcomed on this cold night . The staff is friendly and helpful . read more

excellent stay. room was spacious, and inviting. we got tickets to the jazz club that's attached to the inn and it was great! the staff, although nice, probably requires some hotel management training. it seemed as though the "concierge" was a bit preoccupied - and didn't have the usual temperament you'd find in other reputable inn's in new england. for example, she said that she didn't have our reservation, and vaguely implied that we didn't even make one with Old Lyme Inn, but rather, the inn down the street. she had printed out all of the reservations for the night, but not ours - and rather than go back to her computer to double check first, my girlfriend had to pull up the reservation on her phone to prove it. "oh, I forgot to print it out!" she says. -- this person needs serious training. the continental breakfast was great, definitely helped for our morning out on the road. I'd definitely stay at old lyme inn again, just get some training for the Inn's concierge. read more

We went for Sunday brunch, around noon. Did not seem very busy at all. We had reservations and were seated right away. However, it took about 20 minutes for a server to come over to us to take a drink order (we noticed a few tables near us had similar problems with service). There were 6 of us, and our food took more than an hour and a half to arrive. The waitress was apologetic and nice about it, but that's a really long wait! We also didn't see our waitress very often either and had empty drinks for the majority of the 1.5 hour wait. The place didn't seem overly busy, either, so not sure what took so long. Would have at least been nice of them to offer some biscuits or bread in the meantime while we sat there hungry. When the food did finally arrive, it was lukewarm, at best. One person in our party was given the complete wrong dish, which was disappointing, and we had to wait another ten minutes for the right one to arrive. The food itself was pretty good, despite the temperature. This was our second sub par experience, so unfortunately I don't think we'll be back. read more

Where to start? We arrived for brunch. Our table was outside because it was a beautiful day. Jazz quartet played quietly providing a nice atmosphere. After 10 minutes, a waitress took our order for drinks: 4 iced teas. About 15 minutes later, they arrived. We placed our brunch order. All of us ended up getting one of the specials (should have asked what prices were on them because they ended up being more expensive than anything else on the menu). I am not exaggerating when I say it took close to an hour for our food to arrive. 3 orders of shrimp tacos and 1 eggs Benedict. Kept asking for our water to be refilled; never happened. While waiting, went inside to see if really busy...2 people...huh. Outside, about 8-10 tables total. Couple sat next to us...no one approached them for close to 15 minutes; they got up and left. The food...when it finally arrived, was good. 2 tacos with 3 small shrimps and slaw, no side,$18. Eggs Benedict, with home fries, $21. Yikes!! At least we spent our whole gift certificate, because with that service, we will never return. What a disappointment! read more

The new Old Lyme Inn is a gem of an estate-style inn and restaurant The recent change of ownership with its no-expense-spared total renovation and improvements, including a highly rated chef and 5-star guest rooms, is now a clean, crisp, updated 21st century gem with many touches of classic New England that has restored and enhanced its charming architectural character and style. read more

Worst experience in a very long time!! Party of 8 hoping to take Mom to a nice restaurant for Mother's Day, arrived at 1:30 for a 1:30 reservation. Seated at 2:30 fixed limited menu. Drinks were ordered at 3:15 waitress came to table to tour food order and said our drinks would be a bit. We were stranded and abandoned!! We thought the waitress had left for the day. We complained at 4 and a woman came over and said she had no idea why it was taking so long and offered to remove one of the meals from the bill then she too disappeared. 3 ordered filet mignon and there were no steak knives and again no waitress, no one checked to see if we needed anything, butter knives were at hand we were forced to hack at our filets. Check came nothing removed, we told the waitress and she said she would check. The bill was adjusted and we were finally freed at 4:20!! read more

Service was weak, inexperienced staff needs instruction. Food was terrible, over salted, over cooked, no quality, total disappointment. Thank God it was a gift certificate, we'll never go back... read more

What can I say? This restaurant occupies prime real estate, has a great location, yet fails to deliver on every level. I've eaten here more than a handful of times, each time expecting that it couldn't be as bad as it was. Staff are not engaged and the food is less than mediocre. In fact, I can't see how they can break even. The place is empty most of the time. The last time (may I reiterate - the 'LAST' time) I was here, there were three parties dining, including us... while other local restaurants were packed. I don't understand it, the music being played was great and the look of the bar area fabulous, art terrific, yet there is a stuffy formal feel to the place that is a major buzz kill. It seems like they need to relax the bar area... maybe some soft furnishings rather than rows of empty, formal seating. Perhaps employ a chef who cares about the food being produced. Even a manager who can organize the staff so they don't appear like they're clueless or fighting fires. I hear that the Side Door Jazz Bar is a major venue, which is very cool, however the restaurant side is a disgrace. I feel that the Old Lyme Inn is a potential gold mine that has not been tapped. The question is: when will it be? read more

My wife and I went to dinner and were thoroughly impressed. The food was exceptional, and the recommendations and service we received from our server, Shelby, were spot on. read more

Our fourth dining experience since new Chef and staff. Lovely ambience and thoroughly enjoyed every meal. Very pleased with the changes and will return soon. read more

My mom and i had dinner here the both of us were very impressed the food was amazing and the service was exceptional our waitress Samantha was very polite and accommodating she made our night and kudos to the chef cant wait to return and try something else read more

Lovely Inn. We stayed mid-week, off season and were immediately upgraded to a beautiful room with a fireplace. There were very few guests but the staff never made us feel like they were not giving us their "A game." Bar staff was friendly and the restaurant was quite good. This place is charming and worth a visit. read more

This is a lovely inn. There is a terrific jazz band that performs during Sunday brunch.

We stayed during Christmas, and the moment we walked in, the inn was lovely. Cheerful outside lighting, and live music in the lobby felt very festive. Unfortunately, our experience gradually degraded over several days. Staff and management are "okay", but there is the sense that they are too comfortable with the place, and what should be a class operation misses the mark. Everyone, including the cooks, could benefit from a re-boot in training, or they could simply follow the example of the service and food at the Bee & Thistle Inn, which achieves excellence because they choose to. P.S. Butternut Squash Bisque is an actual cream soup! not just pureed squash - read more

$18 dollar burger ordered medium came out a charred hockey puck half the size as the bun. Dinner companion had the same. Slow service and complaining wait staff. Weak drinks and a bill in excess of $200 for 4 people.......would have been better off going to Outback. read more

I recently visited the Old Lyme Inn for a job fair. The renovation/restoration has been phenomenal. The building has been completely transformed. New walls, paint, floors shine, the bar has been completely restored. The interior is beautiful. It looks like the restaurant could be opening soon and the Inn part could open this spring. It is a total jewel. I can't wait until it is open to the public. I plan to keep checking back every two weeks or so. read more