Great food, great drinks! Was just a little weirded out that the bartender was very pregnant and serving. She had to get in the middle of an almost fight between a guy and a girl... super awkward to watch. Her pour is perfect Def will be back! read more

This place is so amazing! Such reasonable prices and great service. Loved the wings. Such a hidden gem

A great local place with a welcoming staff. Food was really good (except for some of the desserts which were only ok). But the various specials like the Mexican food and the burgers were more than good. They were really great. This is a "Cheers-like" place where you get a warm welcome from the first time you come in. Great history. Great service. Really good food and drinks. read more

Don't let it's size fool you! Good bar food, good drinks and friendly staff. Karoake is fun on Saturdays. It's nice that it's not far from home. read more

Great spot after a day at Rocky Neck beach. Standard clam strips and fish & chips. Don't judge a book by its cover!

The Rustic is always the place where I meet up with friends. It is always friendly and inviting and the staff is welcoming. The food never disappoints. Homemade and delicious. It is my go to place no matter what. It never disappoints. read more

This is a small place, but has really good food. I had Duck taco, it was delicious, little pricey but worth it. My friends were very satisfied with their meal also! Sometimes it's hard to get a table.... read more

Excellent food, good drink and reasonably priced. Why only 3 stars then? Because they have a tall blonde girl who works there who may be the nastiest person I've ever encountered in a food establishment. Rude and nasty both times I've had the displeasure of crossing paths with her. I need to find out if she's the owner so that I can stop patronizing if in fact, it is her place, but I don't think it is. Eliminate her from the equation and it's a great little place to get a drink and meal. read more

My husband and I have been coming here for years (obviously from my last review) and in terms of who I am as a person, I'm not fussy. For instance, the last time I sent food back was in 1993 when a restaurant gave me a cup of coffee with lipstick on it! Anyway, I took one bite of a scallop tonight and it tasted really off. Not fussy, but not up for a potential GI problem with stuff that tasted like it had been out for days. The waitress was great at first, took it back to the kitchen, but then brought it back saying nothing was wrong with it per the owner/manager and was fresh. Offered something else but honestly lost my appetite after that. Why would I want something back I found inedible that I couldn't eat? The icing on the cake was not taking it off the bill. Seriously? Really? Good luck with that business model long term. read more

greasy food. tasted like oil needed to be changed both times i ordered from there this past year.

I went here for the first time this past weekend. The older waitress/bartender waited 20 minutes before taking our order (we had to scan the QR code for our menu). The food was okay. When the food was delivered we finished our drinks and the waitress never came back after waiting another 15 minutes for drink refills. She made eye contact and still didn't ask. I had to walk the drinks to the bar and hand her the cups to get a refill. After waiting another 20 minutes after finishing the meal, I finally get the check so I hand her my card. Moments later I hear my card number being read out loud by some random person at the bar. The waitress claims she couldn't read the number so she handed my card to a random customer to read my card number, expiration number and cvd number for the entire place to hear. When she got back I called her out on it and she said it's only because she couldn't read the card number. Never in my life have I dealt with and seen such stupidity. I will never ever step foot in this place again solely based on how horrible my service was. read more

Great little dive. Great pub grub at reasonable prices. Service was friendly, but slower than chilled molasses; probably because our waitress kept doing shots behind the bar, but who's to say. Be prepared to wait...for everything. Would still recommend, just get there earlier rather than later for dinner. read more

Delicious lobster bisque, crab cake and lobster roll. Very small but charming with friendly service. I prefer thinner, more seasoned fries but that's a minor nit to pick. I would definitely visit again. read more

Honestly, the food has USUALLY been good, but the venue is so poor that I would knock and entire star off for it. The room the restaurant is in gives the costumers a cramped feeling and the other clientele are concerning to say the least. Not remotely classy, but ok if that's the kind of thing you're looking for. Conveniently located, but if you're willing to drive a little further, do so and go somewhere else. read more

Love the Rustic! Perfect place for eats and drinks.. always lively with patrons of all backgrounds and interests.. you have to have a pickle back. Truly amazing. The bartender and staff are always happy to see and serve you. Food is really good, particularly if you are looking for pub food read more

We went to the Rustic Café while in the area for a wedding. We ended up there because it was one of the only places in the area that serve food late at night. We went back the second night because the food was delicious (the lobster roll is awesome), The drinks were strong and large, the karaoke was loud and so much fun, and the atmosphere was perfect local flavor. I recommend this place highly if you are in the area. read more

Wait staff are great! They made room for our large party. Food was decent. Solid pub food and the Mexican was ok. I had the chili Relleno and the peppers were a little under cooked. We had several youth who got burgers and such. A burger order of medium rare was closer to rare. It was all just fine. We're just passing through and are not likely to return. read more

Excellent food Friendly staff Good drinks Too many flies need to address this and I will give it five stars read more

If you see my profile this is my first bad review, I was not going to leave one but a reminder to review kept appearing. The food looked and smelt amazing, could not get past the attitude of the waitress, we left unserved. read more

Truly fantastic food and service at this local spot. The outdoor patio and bonfire are a huge plus for summer.

Ok food. Cramped tables. The waitstaff could use some training. I hope there are better places in the area.

This little pub is a hidden gem away from town. It was super crowded when I have gone on Friday nights, so I guess word is getting out. The crowd did provide a nice atmosphere in this tiny building. Parking was no problem. The outdoor patio is great, and the bartenders, waitstaff, and the owner are all people you would want to know. read more

I live right around the corner and see the parking lot filled to overflowing and wondered what the draw was until my husband and I decided to walk over one cold midweek evening. The place looks like it could not house all the people from the cars in the parking lot. Had a pan seared sesame tuna dinner that came with a seaweed salad and hubs had a scallop dinner. We each had a cup of NE clam chowder and it was great. Both of our meals were delicious and fresh. The beer menu is decent and the crowd was a mix of singles, couples and a family with two small kids. There are about 35 seats in the whole place. I can see them outgrowing the building in no time. I will DEFINITELY be back. read more

Rustic Cafe was a gem when I found it and as of recently all things have gone down hill, beginning with the service and ending with the atmosphere. I rarely/hate to write a bad review as I am from the restaurant industry but after more than two attempts at trying to bring back what I once loved about Rustic, I'm afraid it's gone. The woman who appears to be the owner was far from friendly. The food is decent, but hard to enjoy with such terrible service. read more

Very dissapointed from the moment I walked in and the owner Stephanie greeted us with "you can grab a drink at the bar and sit anywhere but inside .." the place was crowded but still open tables inside. Not until a "local" friend walked in behind me did she say "Oh... you're with her... ok u can sit inside." Completely abrasive approach and selective on who she wants as consumers. read more

I had not been to the Rustic for a while but used to really enjoy it. My wife and I were craving nachos so we ordered the pulled pork off of their specials menu. We are still craving nachos currently. They came out in a small basket with about 25 stale tortillas. About 1 min and 30 seconds later we were through the top layer. The remaining 10 stale chips underneath were sad and naked. We asked our waitress, who wasn't friendly, if they could tune them up considering there was $1.75 worth of food on a $12 dish and she said no. Ok, fine. I'll have another beer (which she acknowledged) and we will split the fish and chips. 15 mins later she came back to ask if I wanted another beer. Yes that would be great. Typically, we split fish & chips because there is an over abundance of fish and chips. Not at the Rustic last night. The dish was good but there are about 5-7 other spots in town that are better. Won't be going back anytime soon. read more

Absolutely delicious! Very intimate setting. Only about 6 tables and a bar that seats about 7 or so. We went during their Mardi Gras menu and had fried gator and bacon maple beignets that were out of this world. The seafood was fresh and local (from Stonington). Very friendly atmosphere with many locals. Highly recommend it! Our waitress was such a sweetheart. Worth the drive. read more

Rustic Cafe - Fried gator from the Mardi Gras menu - Music Venues Near Me - East Lyme, Connecticut

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This place totally lives upto it's name. Super rustic and everyone is super nice the chili aioli sauce is spicy and to die for. They have good beers on tap and the lobster rolls are fresh and generously plentiful read more

Awesome burger and beer selection! My only issue is that they do not split checks, but they told us this before ordering. With today's technology, you can figure out an alternative to split bills. read more

Terrible service. Waitress refused to give us separate checks (2) because she didn't want to hand write them! So we left before we even ordered. So can't comment on the food. read more

With the beautiful weather we decided on a road trip toward the coast and wanted to try the Rustic after the Yelp reviews. We split the lobster roll, tons of meat and butter for under $8.00. Excellent. Tom had the fried clam strip basket and I had the fried sea scallop basket. Some of the best we have had and one was $8.99 and the other $9.00. Kinda far for us, but really good and highly recommend. I heard the girl behind the bar saying they are the new owners and going to make changes. By all means add things but don't mess with the above; perfect. read more

We were two weary travelers traversing Connecticut to visit myriad friends and relatives during our recent East Coast trip. We were hungry (one of us gets really cranky when he doesn't eat, don't you, Jason?) and looking for something New England-y. There was a good crowd of cars outside this place and we liked it's "Rustic" feel so in we went. It is small, for sure, but that contributes to its rusticity, I think. It turned into a great find! We got a lobster roll that is one of the biggest lobster rolls I've ever seen. There were other road weary travelers in there that night too and we joked with them about the portion size. The meat wouldn't stay in the bun there was so much of it and it was ridiculously inexpensive. Like less than $8. We noted that they have a whole lobster dinner for less than $12! I'm surprised my mom doesn't drive down the two hours from Boston for a bargain like that. When we were there on a Friday early evening there were several patrons there but I'm sure they must queue up from miles around for this kind of deal. We also got some yummy onion rings (with just enough onion and not too much ring), and some other assorted fried goodies. It turned out the guitar playing dude with the quick wit and big smile was the owner who happened to be from out here on the West Coast. How cool is it that he was hanging out chatting with customers? The only deficiency, which the bartender said they were working on, is that they didn't have any local micro-brews. That was only worth noticing for us because we don't spend a lot of time in the Northeast and it would've been fun to sample something from nearby (assuming there is something nearby). But that lobster roll....oh man, that lobster roll! read more

Delicious food! Don't miss the cornbread and honey butter! The pretzels and bier cheese was so tasty. Local atmosphere was friendly and inviting. Wish we lived closer! read more

Rustic Cafe - Music Venues Near Me - East Lyme, Connecticut

Service was horrible and my meal was horrible. I had the Vinci de Mayo special, a shrimp chile Relleno that had one tiny piece of shrimp. The appetizer was equally bad. If I could give it 0 stars I would. read more

What a great place to have a drink and some food! Went in on a Saturday late afternoon and it got packed. The bartender was busy but very friendly and on top of it. We ordered beers and some appetizers, everything was delicious. Highly recommend the sweet potato wedges. The sauce that comes with them is to die for. Great food, drinks and atmosphere! read more

Love this place! Awesome food @ reasonable prices! Friendly, fun-loving staff that makes you feel like you are with family! Drinks are always delish, as well as the weekly specials. Love it! read more

After a trip to Rocky Neck, we checked Yelp for a good local restaurant. This one had good reviews and was only 7 minutes away: a win. the place is pretty small inside, but we squeezed in between two couples (sharing a table with one) and had a good time. We started out with clam chowder, one NE and one RI. Both were delicious with big clam chunks. the NE was light, not thick and goopy loaded with cream. I found I prefer it this way. The corn bread and honey butter is amazing for $2.50. my husband tried to say he didnt want any, but once he tasted it, he devoured more than half. For our dinners, he had the petite sirloin with mashed potatoes and cole slaw. the steak was cooked perfectly, sides were delicious. and only $11??? I had the hot lobster roll ($9) which was loaded with giant claw and leg pieces. It didnt seem to have any butter on it, but our server quickly brought a container of melted butter when asked. all in all, this was a fantastic, inexpensive meal with great service and a pleasant atmosphere. we'll be back! read more

Our server Jen was the bees knees. Great service and wonderful atmosphere. My fiance had the 7oz steak with broccoli and potato salad, cooked perfectly and rich with flavor. I had the Rustic burger and I feel that I have discovered my new official favorite burger. The caramelized onions and tenderness of the burger was so good I immediately told my lady that she had to try it, it was so good. Jen also hooked us up with some awesome drinks. We started with acai and blueberry/lavender flavored margaritas that were awesome and new to us. We then ended the lunch with an incredible slice of chocolate fudge pie paired with a shot of espresso. Overall I have to say this place is amazing and we will definitely be returning customers. read more

Yummy found this on yelp on the way home from the casino scallop app was delicious bit pricey but the 9 dollars lobster roll made up for it my husband had a 16oz prime rib for 19 bucks the food was something I would make at home which I loved real comforting and home made taste , bartender was super sweet can't wait to go back and try more read more

This is s tiny little place. Food was excellent. Had the fish sandwich which was one of the best I've ever had. Crisp outside and moist inside. Service was so-so. Was that the owner who sits at the bar drinking at 1 in the afternoon? One bartender/waitress for the whole place. We'll try it again for sure. read more