Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Side Door

    4.8 (16 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Jazz & Blues
    Closed Closed

    The Side Door Photos

    THE SIDE DOOR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The Side Door

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Stage
    Suzanne A.

    Amazing jazz club. Not a bad seat in the house and excellent talent. Ambiance is upscale with many patrons being dressed up and most likely coming from the price fixed dinner at the Old Lyme Inn. Drinks were delicious- and a cheese plate is a available at the club. Full bar list includes beer, bourbon, martinis with prices ranging on average from $9-$15 a drink. Club seats about 70. Tickets are $45 and show is about 2.5 hours total. Highly recommend- we will be back!

    Entrance around the side of the inn
    Jess L.

    Having lived in CT only a handful of years, I still love finding hidden gems in the state. We first heard about the Side Door at the Hartford jazz fest, and I'm very thankful! The Side Door has a really stellar jazz line up, and we were fortunate to get tickets to a sold out Pat Martino Trio show. We arrived 40 minutes before the show, and most of the seats were taken. We ended up sitting at the bar, which gave us a decent view of all the musicians though with no seat back The space is intimate though not stuffy. If you get there early, there are lots of great seats right in the front by the stage. The sound is overall good. There was one waitress and one bartender, and they did a pretty good job with the room, though a few of us were still waiting for our checks when the show was over. I had the French 75 and Manhattan ($14/each), which were solid. I appreciate that they don't have a minimum, like many jazz bars have. Sitting by the bar had advantages, like being higher up for a view, but the lack of back plus the sound/light associated with a bar area was at times distracting. Once the parking lot is full, it would be nice if someone put up a sign. Most of the overflow ended up in the parking lot across the street.

    Etienne Charles
    Barb G.

    Great venue! You have access to many amazing musicians here, since so many famous jazz bands travel through Old Lyme on their way from NY to Boston. Last night we heard Etienne Charles and his sextet. The music was fabulous. Don't expect dinner-- if you want to eat at the Old Lyme Inn prior to the concert that's the way to go. Drinks are good and not too expensive; dessert and coffee from the Inn available and yummy. Watch the schedule for your favorite jazz virtuosos-- sooner or later they will arrive at the Side Door!

    The great Buster Williams and his band, including Lenny White on drums!!!

    See all

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tim T.
    0
    21
    0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ami C.
    265
    26
    3

    2 years ago

    A hidden gem with amazing ambiance and friendly service. We came to see the very talented Christian Sands Trio

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jess L.
    3519
    5575
    5923

    8 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Stayed for a lovely jazz performance from Jimmy Greene. Service was great. Wine was amazing. Highly recommend!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jim C.
    0
    6
    14

    11 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jp C.
    29
    61
    26

    9 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Brian R.
    2007
    2311
    9130

    11 years ago

    A great place to hear live music. They have great Jazz and one of the best places to hang in Old Lyme.

    Business owner information

    Photo of Ken K.

    Ken K.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of RJ S.
    99
    32
    1

    10 years ago

    Best jazz club between NYC and Boston. Tickets are usually $40 but you get 2 sets of music every time which is unlike a typical jazz club.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - The Side Door

    Who is playing at the side door this weekend?

    Friday 2/8 NAT REEVES WITH SPECIAL GUEST KATE RUSHIN… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - The Side Door

    The SideDoor Jazz Club is actually attached to the Old Lyme Inn where we stayed for the night.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Bars 1,038 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    New York Ceremony Music - We offer the highest level of musicianship and professionalism for all events

    New York Ceremony Music

    (8 reviews)

    Williamsburg - North Side

    Randy and Topu were absolutely phenomenal. Their music is out of this world! We had them play for…read moreour ceremony and cocktail hour in October in Hudson, New York. Our family and friends have not stopped talking about how amazing the quality of their music is. When I asked my planner about live music for our ceremony, she didn't hesitate to name NY Ceremony Music. After experiencing them in person, I could never dream of looking for another duo to make our wedding dreams come true. Their selection of songs is chock full of variety and sensational hits. Their ability to play with one another is truly magical - it was the perfect soundtrack for a fairytale experience. Both of them were beyond kind and hands down, a pleasure to work with. If you're searching for an outrageous live performance during your ceremony and cocktail hour, look no further! We are so blessed to have had such a fantastic musical score there for our big day. Thank you so much Randy and Topu!

    One of the vendors that I was looking forward to working with during my wedding planning was Topu…read moreand Randy from New York Ceremony Music. My husband and I wanted something unique for the ceremony so we decided to go with live musicians. I did my research through wedding blogs and gigmasters.com and found this duo cello and guitar players. I pretty much knew they would be the ones to play at the wedding ceremony based on the samples they have recorded on their website. My picks were "Flightless Bird", "Fools Rush In" and "I'm Yours." Since I hired them only for the ceremony portion, it was pretty easy to work with them. We never met in person until the day of but we communicated via e-mail and phone conversations, which were very prompt and concise. On the day of the wedding, they both came on time and were absolutely professional. They played the pieces beautifully and I still can't stop listening to their samples on their website.

    The Side Door - bars - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...