I've been dying to try this restaurant after seeing reviews and finding out it's chef owned (yes!)…read more We had reservations on a recent Saturday afternoon at 3pm. The restaurant is small (only seats 48) so reservations are recommended. The restaurant is cozy and comfortable, there wasn't very many people while we were there so I'm not sure how loud it gets when busy. They have a full bar so I ordered a drink and my husband loves his craft beers and they had a few (but he always prefers if they have a beer menu so he can read the beer description). For appetizers we ordered shrimp cocktail and the meatball. The shrimp and sauce were delicious, and the meatball was HUGE (we almost could have a meal with that!!! The meatball came with lots of sauce and ricotta with 2 toasted bread slices (we devoured every bit!). For dinner we shared 2 entrees, we got the seafood casserole which came with choice of side (we picked baked potato) and a vegetable medley, and the southern fried pork chops that came with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. The food was so delicious we ate what we could and had to bring food home. Our server was excellent and very knowledgeable of the menu. This was one of the best places we've tried in a while. We eat out at least weekly and most places we don't go back for a second visit, but Lucky Dog Tavern will definitely stay on our rotation of places we love.

The food- mediocre at best…read more The ambiance- Dirty old corner pub with thrown together tables and makeshift dividers. Service- Extremely inadequate, if not outright rude. The owner's wife must be paying people in free drinks for the reviews. There's absolutely no way they are organic.

Stopped in there for lunch around 3pm on a Friday , place was almost empty , between lunch and…read moredinner I guess ? I got the brisket plate with two sides, I got the Cole slaw and the Mac and cheese . It was close to $23 . They also have chicken , pulled pork and smoke sausage plates . For $15 to $18 with 2 sides. The brisket was amazing , 5 good size slices . Very tasty, the Cole slaw was good , above average , and a good amount . And the Mac and cheese was very good , and no "up charge" one of the last places I went there was a $3 up charge . So I passed . Everything was great , great service , food came out in 10 minutes . I'll be back again .

Good food, Classic Americana Bar-style vibe with friendly fast service, even with large parties…read morelike us. For a "BBQ" place, Theodore's covers all of the usual bases - pulled pork, beef brisket, Baby Back Ribs, Short Ribs, St Louiis style ribs, chicken and sausage too. For those in the mood for something else, they also offer a couple of salads, and a tasty sounding Blackened Chicken Penne, burgers and incongruously, a smoked meatloaf dinner too! I'm a fan of meatloaf, but for this evening, I chose to stick with their staples and thus, the Baby Back Ribs plus my sides of chili and mac n cheese arrived soon upon our table. The Ribs were quite nearly fall-off-the-bone, moist and flavorful - I enjoyed slathering the ribs in the default BBQ sauces in squeeze bottles on our long dining table. PRO TIP: My compatriots who ordered the beef brisket found it dry and not to their liking. Maybe it was just that night.. who knows.. Either way, I wouldn't mind coming back.. Nothing too outstanding, but the ribs were certainly on point for me!

Bear's is always great. I got their 3 meat combo with pulled pork, moink balls, and brisket topped…read morewith Texas Pepper sauce. Their mac n cheese is also very creamy and delicious. The beans have a goot amount of meat with a tangy bbq sauce flavor. Service is friendly and helpful. This is my favorite Bear's location because the ambiance is a fun southern style cafeteria style with a nice bar to the right as you walk in.

I was really looking to trying this spot out for the first time, but it was pretty underwhelming…read more The style of the venue was fitting, but I didn't realize it was cafeteria style. I felt like it took away from what the experience should have been for $50 dollars worth of food. I got the ribs, brisket, mac and cheese, broccoli salad and the smoked wings. Ribs were top tier and I wish I just got a half rack of them as the brisket was dry and flavorless. Had to have it smothered in the BBQ sauce to have it taste like anything. The sauce was amazing but good meat shouldn't need a ton of sauce. Mac and Cheese was so bland we needed to add salt to it. Smoked chicken wings were above average but nothing I would be running back for and didn't have a strong smoky flavor. There are better options out there for a kick as wing. For the price, I was expecting to have my socks blown off and that did not happen. Better smokehouse places in CT that knock it out of the park with flavorful sides and meats.

Sat outside on the patio since we had our dogs with us. Patio sits under large overhangs (protected…read morefrom rain) plus many tables around the perimeter have Sun umbrellas. It seemed as if most people on the patio were there for the trains. We were able to watch an engineer switch tracks so he could pick up a load of cars stored nearby. We also were able to watch a long freight train go by. Lots of people were photographing, videoing, many with professional cameras and tripods. They gave a dog friendly menu. And bring water bowls for the dogs. We ordered burgers. Choice was "pink or no pink". I think they were understaffed. It took 90 minutes from arrival to departure.

Great looking room, and a very good selection of beer. Kind of a weird upscale novelty restaurant…read more The servers are called engineers, and they wear overalls and some wear train engineer's caps. Our server was a bit terse, but very very efficient. I'm not asking for the server to be our friend, I am very happy with efficient, but uneffusive service. Pretty extensive menu. Unfortunately, the kitchen does not live up to the menu. I ordered the rib-eye medium rare, as did a friend (medium), and my other friend ordered the veal osso buco. Unfortunately my steak came out med-well, as did my friends. They were basically done exactly alike. Not a touch of red to the steak, not really any pink either. To make matters worse, when I mentioned it to the server, she said, "It looks medium rare to me". The correct answer is, "Oh, I'm sorry, would you like to send that back?" I had no intention of sending it back, I had had a long day, and was very hungry, so I just dealt. I just wanted her to know the steak was overcooked. I suspect they overcook a lot of steaks. And it was not an inexpensive steak. But like I said I was hungry. It just made the dining experience not ideal. The vegetables were also overcooked and gray, and seemed to have been sitting in a steam table for a good long while. Mashed potatoes were fine. My friend said his osso buco was excellent. We ordered some cornbread which was also excellent, which came with some blueberry butter, and honey butter. They did comp us a single dessert to split 3-way, which was excellent. All in all, it was OK, it would have been 5-stars if the grill station knew how to properly cook a medium-rare steak, and the server did not try to argue the point.

Food was fine. Service was excellent However I ordered a…read morecranberry crush drink off of the drink special menu - no prices listed. Should have been my first clue. The drink consisted of a shot(if that) of vodka cranberry juice soda water and a splash of pomegranate juice , not really all that special, served in a SHORT glass of ice $14.00. This is not a down town city fancy restaurant It's what I thought was a town family friendly type of place. As a bartender I was certainly taken back by the price and size of the beverage. At least be upfront & forthcoming and list the prices.

Very pleasant old time vibe. They give you a basket of popcorn when you arrive. The meatloaf was…read morevery good. The waitresses are very friendly and kept refilling my Diet Coke which I appreciated until I got stuck in traffic on the way to Logan

Our annual trek to DPI (as we celebrated our anniversary), was once again enjoyable. It never…read morefails, the dwelling built in 1756 is truly enchanting. The shrimp presented in the cocktail were cold, crisp and fresh and the sauce had a great taste and consistency. We also enjoyed the DPI skewers that included a bit of steak tip, a sea scallop and a fresh shrimp that was that was grilled to perfection and drizzled with a bit of horseradish cream sauce. The staff members are always welcoming and the aura of the visitors -since we became a nation seem ever-present. Bravo DPI... See you soon. On a visit to Mystic, I could not wait to find a restaurant that served more seafood than I could easily settle on. Sitting in the Mystic Marriott lobby, yelp pointed us to the Captain Daniel Packer Inne. What a find. Although the building was restored in 1979, it's origin dates to 1756. Everything seems to have been preserved -including the aura. As you would expect with a building older than the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it is small in size but large in hospitality. Without reservations, we did not stand much of a chance in the upstairs dinning area, but a flight of stairs down to the pub in the cellar... and we were seated in 20 minutes. For appetizers, we had the phyllo dough lobster lollipops and an order of artichoke hearts that were resting in a light lobster sauce (the artichoke that is) that invited us to soak up what was left with the delicious homemade bread we were served. For our main course we had the halibut steak that was sitting on top of freshly mashed potatoes with a smattering of fresh corn kernels. The customer service attendants were mindful of their tables and visited at opportune times. -Not when you start to take a bite and never did we wonder where they might have gone off to. Parking was a bit of a challenge but by far worth the hunt. If you are looking for a very friendly restaurant with a historical beginning and great food... Look no further. DPI is a definite re-visit for us.

I must first start by saying that I've been going to CDPI for 30 years. Honestly, on a cold winters…read moreday there's no better place than the cellar bar to sit in front of a fire, have a pint, and soup. The best. The building itself is gorgeous with thick beams and great finishes. It's a beautiful place even if it is a little tight. With that said, we had a party of 10 and had reservations in advance. Parking is always tricky, but we got a good spot in the lot and were very happy. The wait for the table was maybe 10 minutes which was not too bad. The waitress was very good and she took care of our water, drinks, and bread right away. The place was busy but we really were pleased with the service! I ordered the fish and chips. Most of the table ordered a steak, veggie, and mashed potatoes. Truffle fries was the appetizer that landed on my end of the table. They were not my favorite. Those who had the steak seemed happy with the meal. Both of us who had the fish and chips were not happy with the meal. We had fish and chips at Steak Loft the night before- and they did not compare. They were perfect. The order I had at Daniel Packard were heavy and filling but I was missing the light tempura batter, the crunch and soft fresh fish, and the great tartar sauce that is the standard for fish and chips! I didn't take my leftovers which is not the norm for me. I'll swing by in the winter for a pint in front of the fire no doubt, but I think another dinner is not in my future.

I recently had a Mushroom Steakhaus burger at GoldBurger. It's one of my favorite burgers in the…read morestate. Two meaty burgers. Delicious mushrooms and fried onions. I always say you need a strategy to eat it. And I think the fries are the best 8mve had in CT. Natural cut and consistently crispy. 5 Stars

I don't even go out for burgers often, but this is a spot that I have loved every single time I've…read moregone! Whether I've ordered a burger or chicken sandwich or a Philly cheesesteak or corned beef special (around Saint Paddy's Day), they have all been moist, juicy and phenomenal! The place is small and whenever we are there during nice weather, we sit out on the patio, service is always good and the owner is friendly. I keep an eye on their Instagram to see what the specials are because sometimes there's just one that I see that I have to try. They've won awards and I love supporting this Newington staple! I am also a sweet potato fry lover, so it makes me happy that they have them! But if onion rings are regular fries are your jam, then they've got those for you, too!

I honestly only got pizza from here because I really needed to use the restroom after being at the…read moresoccer fields, and I am so glad I did. This was a 10/10 great pizza experience. We are not often in Middletown, but we will definitely be back. This is a great place to stop, and I 10000% recommend it. Of course, I had the gluten-free veggie pizza, and I added pineapple because I am a pineapple-on-pizza person. Sue me, I am an islander. My partner had the shrimp pizza, not gluten-free, and ordered a medium. The size was honestly obscene for a medium. He kept asking to drive back down there every day after because he wanted it again. Definitely returning.

Our neighbor raves about Mondo, so we thought it was high time we paid a visit…read more Mondo is fairly easy to find; our only error was accidentally pulling into the wrong parking lot. They do offer a free lot in the back, but judging by all the cars, Mondo is very popular on a Friday evening. Sure enough, there was a big line of people picking up orders, but we walked right in and were seated immediately. We started off with a beet salad, which was surprisingly delicious, combining candied walnuts and sweet orange and green apple slices with salty feta and tangy balsamic over a mountain of mixed greens. We then moved on to paninis, generous portions of meat and toppings on freshly baked, crispy bread. One of us chose more mixed greens tossed with dressing while the other chose crunchy French fries. We also ordered a third panini to go, the Mondo combo. We asked for fries; the kitchen accidentally gave us a salad. Our server, Heather N., saved the day by noticing the error and giving us both side orders. Mondo is family friendly, and there were plenty of children during our visit. As such, the volume was a tad loud and boisterous, but nothing obnoxious that would prevent us from returning.

Great food! Waitstaff very attentive and friendly Poured a…read moregreat drink! One of our favorite places!

First timers. We will definitely be back. The calamari was to die for but and our bartender Betty…read morewas our favorite She was fun and sassy and made a martini with hand stuffed blue cheese olives that I am sure was the best I have ever tasted!

The restaurant has a wonderful vibe and extensive menu. Lilly was our server and right from the…read morestart she was amazing. She was friendly and very communicative. When the bottle of wine we ordered wasn't in stock, she apologized and gave us options. We had no issue at all. The manager came to our table as well and apologized. The food was so delicious! We had the coconut lime salmon, veggie burgers and pulled pork. We ordered coffees and a dessert and were comped the dessert for being so patient. Totally not needed. We were happy with everything! Thank you for a nice evening!!

We had an incredible experience at Blackie's. The food was absolutely phenomenal from start to…read morefinish. We started with the Chicken Marsala Stuffed Mushrooms, which were packed with rich, savory flavor. I ordered the 'Shroomy Grilled Cheese, and it was next-level comfort food; gooey, earthy, and perfectly balanced. My husband and aunt both had the New School Smash Burger, and they couldn't stop raving about it. Every dish was bursting with flavor and truly "to die for." Our server, David, made the night even better. He was attentive, upbeat, and genuinely kind; an overall great spirit with a fantastic attitude who elevated the entire dining experience. David even brought us some of their popcorn, which was so delicious and such a fun extra touch. We loved the food, we loved the service, and we will definitely be back; highly recommend.