Headline: Believe the reviews. It was overpriced, mediocre food with defensive service. I should have heeded the warnings. Despite being attached to the Marriott, this restaurant currently feels completely disconnected from any standard of hospitality. The service was the primary issue. While our initial server was adequate, the older server who brought our food was unprofessional. She delivered the wrong meal a wilted Caesar salad and a "goopy" flounder instead of the salmon that had been ordered. She implied it was either our mistake or her colleague's fault. Worse, she took the incorrect dish back but left my short rib on the table. No one offered to keep my meal warm, and by the time my companion's food finally arrived, my dinner was cold. The food itself was "wannabe" high-end, but instead,overpriced Sysco-grade quality. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There is potential in the ambiance, but the kitchen and staff are clearly just going through the motions.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Save your money and walk to a restaurant with better reviews read more

We were staying at the hotel next door and had breakfast at the Helmsman. We were thrilled with the breakfast menu. Besides the breakfast buffet, there are several wonderful breakfast items to select on the menu. I opted for the avocado toast. It was served on grilled sourdough and with thinly sliced radishes. It was perfection. I loved that it arrived with a side salad and dressing. The cucumbers and radishes really made the breakfast pop. Lovely presentation! We also ordered the smoked salmon on a bagel as another b breakfast entree. It was loaded with smoked salmon! If you have breakfast here and have never tried a grilled muffin, order it! We had never heard of a grilled blueberry muffin and had to try it! To say it is delicious is an understatement. The muffin is overflowing with blueberries! They cut it in half and put it onto the grill. The butter and sugars seem to crystallize into one of the best muffins I have ever tasted. Tim was our server was able to help us navigate our options and the items to try during our stay. He was friendly and so very helpful!! read more

The Helmsman - Avocado Toast - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

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Was visiting during a busy conference. Hotel sold out so we made a reservation. Got right in with no waiting. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The resigns a medium sized bar and the restaurant area is very small so definitely make a reservation.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Our waitress was at our table immediately asking for beverages. We ordered app and drinks and things came out very quickly. The seafood tower was an absolute shocker. The seafood was so fresh and chilled perfectly and the price...highly recommend! The clam chowder was hot and creamy. It had a good amount of potato's and clams. The lobster roll was up next. The lobster was plentiful in a nice toasty roll. What I wasn't thrilled about was the old bay seasoning on the lobster. Overall it was tasty and cooked well. Our waitress was very attentive to drinks and any questions we had. Would definitely recommend. read more

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We had a great time in the Helmsman for the Fourth of July. Great energy and the staff was very efficient as the place was JAMMED!! Excellent service, a great time all around. Thank you Jeff and all staff!! read more

This is a tricky review. [[HIGHLIGHT]]While the food was non-memorable, and the service was lackluster, the ambiance was decent.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Located in the lobby of the Mystic Marriott. There's no valet parking. Three steak options: a NY strip that had too much fat on it. A ribeye, that had too much fat, and a $62 Filet - which we didn't try specifically because of the high price. I may have paid that at Morton's or Peter Lugers but not this place. The chef should be told to be more creative with the side dishes. So the food was edible but tired & boring. Dessert was the same boring stuff; carrot cake and a flourless Cake. For spending $150+, you could find something better. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Amazing service, the ambiance is higher end without a dress requirement.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Ordered the eggs Benedict and a cranberry juice. The eggs Benedict was good but the chef overcooked the poached eggs slightly ruining the runny egg. Still tasted good but can't give 5 stars with a mistake like that. If you're staying at the hotel or live nearby it's a solid spot for food and drinks. read more

Service was terrible. My husband ordered a NA Old Fashion and it was not NA. My glass for wine was dirty My medium filet mignon was rare I was suppose to get winter veggies and mashed potatoes with my steak and they served me mashed potatoes AND diced potatoes. They gave me TWO potatoes calling one my winter veggie! My side of wild mushroom sauté had NO flavor! They messed up on 2 other people's orders at the bar next to me. read more

The Helmsman - This was my "medium" steak, mashed potatoes and "winter veggies" with no flavor mushrooms - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

Food and cocktails fabulous. So so so wanted to give you guys a 5 star rating but service left much to be desired. It was so slow the bartender actually came over to take our order, because "he noticed we were looking around"... He was spectacular. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The Ambiance was very nice there was a convention and a decent amount of people for a Monday... (not packed)[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] overall very happy with the food and the cocktails. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Wonderful place for an anniversary dinner.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] 10000% get the scallops they were spectacular and the oysters were perfect and nicely sized!! read more

The Helmsman - Faroe Island Salmon - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

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The staff here is very friendly and welcoming. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's a clean and comfortable atmosphere, somewhat intimate and classy.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The dinner service was quite good. I had the braised short rib with carrots and mushroom gravy. I also added a side of sautéed mushrooms, as well as pairing a Pinot Noir with the short rib. The short rib itself was fantastic, fork tender, and serve piping hot. The mushroom gravy was very tasteful, perfectly salted , and the only problem I had with it was I wanted more. The carrots offered a nice flavor and texture change from the main dish. The sautéed mushroom side was fairly bland, I added pepper and salt but ended up not eating past the second bite after adding. Also discovered something floating in my wine, probably a piece of cork, but nonetheless a bit gross. I'd definitely come back to try more of the menu. read more

Best Burger i have had in a while. These chefs do not miss. Takeout or ordered fresh, it never fails. Restaurant service is phenomenal. I love coming for a beer and burger!! read more

Food was mediocre and overpriced due to it being in a hotel lobby. Being so close to other areas of town you can always DoorDash or go somewhere for meal service was good. Food was just OK. read more

I got the lobster roll with fries. Lobster very good and buttery. It was served on Texas toast (which was also buttery). Fries were your typical fries. Staff was nice. This was located within the mystic Marriott hotel, so restaurants was very clean. Food costed ~$35. Overall 7.0/10 read more

The Helmsman - CT Lobster Roll - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

I went here with my friend when we stayed at the Marriott for a night after attending another friend's family event nearby. While the waitress was very nice, we had a horrible experience with the chef. I ordered a relatively expensive steak that was supposed to be a prime NY Strip that came out extremely fatty. I sent it back apologetically, but it was inedible when I tried to chew through a bite and could not. The hostess then came out not once, but twice on behalf of the chef to essentially tell me I was an idiot and did not understand steak. The first time she came out she said that it was not fat, it was marbleization. I explained that I cut into it in three different places and there were strings and chunks of fat everywhere, to the point it was hard to cut and not possible to chew through. Then, she went in and came back a second time, with no new steak, but rather to tell me that the chef refused to make me a second steak because I did not understand how prime steaks work and he basically did not want to waste a second one on me. Pushed to that point, I responded that I was very familiar with fine steaks and prime steaks and that this was no confusion on my part, but a bad steak. Finally, when the chef kept refusing to make a different one (or even give back the first one, not that I wanted it), my waitress got the manager involved to go into the kitchen and make the chef make a second steak. When the manager himself brought the second steak out, it was not fatty at all - beyond being correctly marbleized. The whole experience was extremely insulting and took an extra 45 minutes. By the time I finally ate my poor friend was long done with her meal. I have never in my life had someone tell me that I did not understand the food that I had ordered, or refuse to try to just get me another one (although I have almost never returned food, to be fair). I was obviously vindicated when it turned out that the second steak was so much better. I will never eat at this restaurant again. The only reason that I gave it two stars instead of one is because the food was reasonably good. The chef was insulting, nasty and too afraid to do his own dirty work and instead kept making the poor hostess come out for him. There are plenty of other better restaurants right nearby. Just go spend your money where no one will essentially call you an idiot after serving you something subpar at fine restaurant prices. read more

This was my second time at the Mystic Marriott, and I was pleased to see that they've added The Helmsman Restaurant since my last visit. The space was beautiful, and the menu had some great choices. My friend and I enjoyed our girls night out here - she had a pumpkin martini to get into the fall spirit, and I had a caramel apple mocktail that was quite possibly the best mocktail I've ever had. Our dishes were good, but the one dish we were a little disappointed in was the roasted artichoke dip, as it was almost entirely breadcrumbs. There was also too much pita and not enough dip. We also expected the salmon to come with a honey butter sauce as was mentioned in the menu, but didn't really see evidence of that once it arrived. Overall though, we did have a great time and were happy with our experience. Our server was attentive and friendly as well! read more

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I ordered the lobster salad and the lobster pasta, and both were a huge disappointment. The lobster tasted like rubber--chewy, overcooked, and completely flavorless. The service was also terrible; it took forever to get anyone's attention even though we were the only people dining in the restaurant on a Saturday night. For the prices they charge, the quality and experience were completely unacceptable. I won't be coming back. read more

Waiter couldn't take the order right, no notepad, 2 strips, 1 medium,1 medium rare... Both came medium well... Then there's the whole thing with the 21yo old scotch I ordered....had bugs in it. Then they had the audacity to drop a full price check.... Ended up only paying for Calebs. The date was April 5th 2025 read more

Always skeptical of hotel restaurants but this one shouldn't be skipped. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We sat at the bar which also doubles as the lobby bar in the hotel.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Our bartender was friendly and efficient despite the bar area being packed.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We split the club sandwich. Thick portions of turkey, ham and bacon served with fries. Great flavors and a large sandwich that I would not have finished on my own.They also serve food late night. Which is helpful because there are no other options surrounding the hotel. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We had other plans for breakfast but the smell in the lobby was amazing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Disappointing. I'll start positive. Service was good. But this ain't no Octagon, the previous name. My sea bass in bouliabaise was not. It was in a mild fra diablo sauce Didn't taste fresh and was a tiny portion. The brick chicken was also tiny portion served on a small plate to make it look large. Extremely overpriced for what claims to be high end elegant dining, but is no better than low end cafeteria hotel dining. I normally don't review like this but I have to tell the truth. One other note our busboy was more professional and well dressed than the sloppy looking waiter In a nutshell. We won't return. And that reflects badly on Marriott as well when considering a return visit. We looked forward to an elegant Octagon level dining experience and we got no where near that. Also, Shout Out to our bus person Caesar for the exceptional polite and professional bus service. Water glasses always refilled and plates cleared quickly. But overall, Like I said. Disappointed. read more

We had the steak house wedge salad with chicken, And the fish and chips. Both were amazing. My wife got a bottle of wine and I had the helmsman whiskey sour. We recommend all. Everything we had was amazing. The service was superb . Our servers name was Tia, also bartender and she was knowledgeable and extremely pleasant. read more

The Helmsman - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

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Food is absolutely wonderful, delicious, artistic and the chef is very accommodating to a dairy- free options. The staff is very attentive and helpful , for most part. The only complaint I have is that they had no oysters, which is very strange - they had them in near by restaurants. read more

The Helmsman - Amazing mussels in a most delicious sauce!! - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

The Valentine's Day dinner experience here was a little odd. We arrived about 10 minutes before an 8:15 reservation. We were actually asked by the hostess to wait to check in because we were "early" and "the kitchen was so busy". She didn't even take our name. Ok, so we figure we'll come back in 10 minutes and we went to the bar to order drinks first. The bartender made me a flavored martini as I requested, but I watched her make it with flavored liqueur only but with no vodka? Tasted ok, but not a martini. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The vibe in the bar area and dining area in the bar is actually really great! Nice energy, low lighting, pretty lamps on the tables. Very romantic[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Then when the hostess seated us, she took us out of that beautiful room and there is an extra dining area that looks as if it is part of a completely different restaurant. Bright overhead lighting, no lamps on the tables. It's sterile and almost harsh lighting[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. The hostess was nice and asked if my table was ok? So I asked if we could actually sit in the other room because it's so much nicer. And she said no we couldn't they were too busy. Not her fault at all, just a bummer. Our waitress was very nice. When we ordered a bottle of wine, I pointed to it and her response was kind of dry and she joked, "yes, I hope we have it" as if to say they probably wouldn't. So I just told her if they didn't have it I'd be happy to pick something else. They did have it, and it was good. We sat with our wine for quite awhile then our entrees showed up before the appetizer. We had ordered a charcuterie plate to share which never came. It was kindly removed from the bill. Our entrees were both delicious and hot. Dessert was also good. Overall just a wildly inconsistent dinner experience. read more

Everything was amazing. The Newly renovated space is minimalistic without lacking a thing. Music was great. Our favorite thing was the Caesar salad. Nathan was our server. Nathan was very friendly, knowledgeable of the menu and attentive. Definitely stop in and at least try a Punch and a Kick it is a delightful rum based drink with pineapple & orange juice, mango nectar and grenadine. read more

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Food is decent, but Helmsman's service is lacking, big time. I'm not sure if they hire wait staff that have ever waited. Doesn't seem like it! If you want to get a quick bite, it doesn't exist at Helmsman!! Have plenty of time!! read more

Good for hotel food and drinks. The bar is great. Well stocked and bartenders are knowledgeable and nice. Never had a "light" pour here. Due to fact they have a captive audience they could get away with charging more. Food in restaurant is good. Staff are nice and seems well managed. Maybe not enough waitresses. Buffett has enough choices but they have some challenges keeping everything warm. Bagels fire out the toaster at you. At $25 it is a bit expensive for what it is. I'd say for $15 would be worth it. Crab cake Benny is great but not hot. Just warm. Avocado toast was not very warm and had to use a steak knife to cut the toast. It's a hotel restaurant that is as good if not a little better than most. read more

Breakfast buffet is good. Custom cooked eggs are an option. Fruit, waffles, breads and pastries are the standard with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes to complete. Yogurt and oatmeal are also avaiable read more

This place is amazing! The seafood tower is worth the money!!! The lobster roll is the best I have ever had. The waiter Nathan was great, he had good menu advice and paired drinks well. The sous chef Luis was magnificent. I usually don't love hotel food, but this place exceeded all expectations! Highly recommend! read more

The Helmsman - a three tiered display of seafood - New American Near Me - Groton, Connecticut

We went to dinner here last night. A great experience. Calamari with a slightly spicy marina and the salmon dinner was excellent. The prime rib delicious. Cesar salad was large and very good. I would come back just to have the clam chowder again, (it was that good!) Good sized portions. All the waitstaff was friendly, knowledgeable and prompt. We would come back and try some different things on the menu too. 5 stars for this restaurant read more

We stayed at the Mystic Marriott hotel later last week for a mini vacation and had breakfast at the Helmsman both mornings. The buffet is fantastic along with their omelettes. I had the western both days and it was delicious. My wife had their oatmeal with fresh fruit and really enjoyed it. The servers were great and we look forward to our next trip so we can enjoy it again. I highly recommend the Helmsman! read more

Great option for brunch on a Sunday. Conveniently located in the Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa. Restaurant is currently under renovation and chaotic. Seating is out in the lounge area which is not ideal. Service in the other hand was stellar with Sandra as our server and Chris at the omelet station. read more

We went to the Helmsman at the Mystic Marriott because we had a $100 gift card to the Octagon Restaurant that was previously at the location. We called ahead and were told that the Helmsman would honor the gift card. When we arrived I asked our server again if they would honor the gift card, he said he would have to check. We were going to dine there regardless and ordered drinks. After we received our drinks the restaurant manager came to our table to apologize and let us know that they would not accept the gift card. He was very polite and said that he would comp our drinks. They did and they also sent our table two desserts after our entrees. We appreciated both. Service was very quick and friendly. The food was average at best, especially at the prices charged. The best dish of the evening was their steakhouse wedge salad. The flavor of their Brick Pressed Organic Chicken ($36) was bland, the roasted vegetables on the side were very salty. Mix the bland pureed potato with the veg and it was passable. The fried fish of the Pub Style Fish & Chips ($24) was very greasy. The menu said that the dish came with dill pickle and English peas, they did not. They substituted a salty cole slaw instead without notifying us. Their Linguine & Littleneck Clams ($36) was also so-so. Limited amount of clams and the pasta wasn't home made. Something I'd expect for the price charged. We expected better quality since the Helmsman replaced the Octagon which was a very good restaurant. We were very disappointed. Though we appreciated the comps that we received, we will not be returning to the Helmsman. There are so many more better dining options in the Mystic/Stonington area for the price. read more