28 Best Cocktail Bars near Branford

“Excellent for a night out with friends!“

“Jonathan and his team did an amazing job for my wife’s surprise birthday party. Signature cocktail for the event. Great selection of food and desserts. Everyone raved about the experience. My wife was absolutely impressed.“

“Great service and good. Definitely worth the visit. Staff is wonderful and the chefs are phenomenal.“

“Love it !! Unique experience“

“The food is exceptional…creative and delicious. Great drinks as well. Awesome place.“

“We stopped in at about 2pm to check this place out. We ordered the pretzel, wings and 4 drafts. The pretzel was good, the wings were great, nice and crispy. The grinder was overstuffed, the beers wete cold. Our only mistake was not knowing about happy hour. We will be back.“

“This is such a cute spot! Really great atmosphere, they always have events going on too. I know it’s a coffee shop but they also sell beer! I think the one that they have right now is unfortunately seasonal, but if you get the chance, try the apple pie cider!“

“The staff was incredible! The food was amazing and the drinks were very tasty. Most definitely recommend and will be back.“

“I’ve been a regular here since Day 1 and I can’t believe I didn’t post a review until NOW!! What can I say, it’s the best seafood in West Haven HANDS DOWN! The oysters are fresh, the lobster rolls are the best, and the mussels for 2 is so flavorful. The staff are like family and welcome you with open arms. For drinks, I recommend the manhattans, old fashioned, espresso martinis and dirty martini with the blue cheese stuffed olives (YUM!). Their Moby’s lager is delicious and there’s a great selection of tequila. The bartenders are the best around! My favorite dishes are the lobster Mac, Lobster Rolls, Tuna Sushimi Oysters, Oysters Rockefeller, and tuna tartare. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with your dining experience! Nick and the crew will take good care of you. I’m a customer for life ❤️“

“Excellent cocktails. One of very few places I can get excellent vegetal cocktails.“

“Very intimate setting. The wait staff were very friendly. My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary and the manager came over to congratulate us as well as give us a complimentary toast.“

“Great night at Abate Apizza at the Lodge last night with the cousins.“

“cool vibes and good food !“

“Hands down absolutely fanatic meal! Authentic Southern Flare at its BEST!! Kudos to Chef Joe!!We will be back again!“

“Catering Party @ Sally’s Apizza Fairfield On Saturday September 13, 2025, we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary. The food, service and staff were phenomenal. We all know how great the pizza is, but the appetizers and salads were equally great. I can’t say enough about the wonderful servers, Dan and Brandon. There were efficient, kind, friendly and polite. They went out of their way to insure everyone was having a great time. The bartenders and other staff went a long way to help make everyone enjoy the party. I also want to thank the General Manager, James Layfield and the Catering Manager, Helen Blanchard for their exceptional service and hospitality. Sally’s Apizza @ Fairfield deserves a 5 star rating for making our event the success it was. Thanks so much“

“Very quiet restaurant in hotel lobby. Service was very friendly and attentive. Slightly overpriced for quality of food. Menu was very limited, with really the option for dinner being a burger, taco, or turkey sandwich. Food was very good and not greasy. However, it was expensive for the quality.“

“I stopped in on a Wednesday night (during Yale commencement) and it was packed. The bartender, Michael, was alone. On a normal night handling a bar alone is already impressive, but with how packed it was, he was straight up masterful. I was incredibly impressed with how calmly and professionally he handled himself. Even with it being as hectic as it was, he was still very kind, patient and charismatic. Truly extraordinary.“

“Great bar, attentive service, pub grub menus with excellent wings. Make your own pasta dishes, pizza and entrees to round it out. Just open three months but a welcome addition to the area.“

“Love the atmosphere and location on the River. 2nd weekend went for brunch. Still no Lobster Benedict, last week got the breakfast pizza, it was outstanding. Got breakfast sliders today, a little disappointing. Karaoke Wednesdays are fun, they tolerated my awful singing.(Maybe that's why the sliders weren't good lol). Going back next Saturday for one more try.“

“It's Sunday and every once in a while... more often than not, we brunch! Lol. We heard about the bottomless mimosa brunch here at Cast Iron Chef Chop House & Oyster Bar so we pulled up to check it out! Here's how it went... Atmosphere/Appearance: Set right on the busy State Street is this gem. There's no private parking, but plenty of comfortable, spacious street parking right out front. Once inside you're immersed in a very fine-dining, elegant, laid-back atmosphere. Lots of woods, intimate-low lighting and upbeat music. I loved the vibes in here. The first room is your bar room where the rail is off to the left, but with plenty of seating to the right. If you continue through the room you enter the main dining room where it's all booths and other tables. Service: Stacey was our server. Things got off to a bit of a rocky start, but they smoothed out throughout the brunch. Food/Drinks: The mimosa was okay... It was REALLY strong because there's orange vodka and orange liqueur in it. It kinda killed the flavor for me because I'd prefer a traditional mimosa with minimal juice, but... no matter. They're bottomless... or supposed to be... Just be mindful of who your server is. Brunch can consist of a prix-fixed menu, which is what we did so we'll be going through that. First up were the Homemade Sausage Gravy and biscuits. These were super smothered and fantastic. Hot, savory, meaty, salty and even had a bit of a subtle sweetness. The biscuit was soft, butter and had crispy edges. Next up were the Cinnamon Rolls. These were HUGE. Lol. Like, how are we supposed to eat AND drink all of this stuff?! The exterior of the roll was crispy and the inside very soft. Not over-the-top sweetness or anything. These were very balanced. Next up were the Bananas Foster Pancakes. But this thing was enormous. It was so thick, like literally an inch thick. Lol. Fresh bananas sliced right on top, it cut like butter, was soft with the perfect crispy edges and these were AMAZING. Punch of sweetness up front, fluffy texture and just a great pancake. For dinner, this restaurant usually serves Cast Iron Popcorn instead of bread, so Stacey let us try it! It was smokey, a little-little sweet with a little bit of salt and maybe a hickory barbecue flavor. I liked it. Lastly, I chose the Steak & Eggs over Salmon & Eggs, but got to try both since my wife was with me. Each comes with gigantic fried potatoes, 3 eggs, a piece of toast, caramelized onions and your protein of choice. My steak was cooked perfectly (medium-rare). The flavors were excellent. It was a little fatty and just was done very well. Value: $64.96 for bottomless mimosas and the prix-fixe menu. Probably the best value brunch in the state. SO MUCH FOOD and strong drinks. I don't know what else you'd want! In conclusion, I really enjoyed myself here and have revisited since my first time! Everything was just as awesome as the first. Check this place out if you're in the area!“

“Drinks were good. Food was delicious. Great atmosphere.“

“Fantastic experience .The staff were friendly and attentive, and the owners were so welcoming. Great atmosphere , great food and service , I will definitely be coming back“

“Simply put, the food, staff and restaurant are nothing short of amazing. My husband and I hosted an event this past weekend (~100 guests) and it was a literal dream! THE FOOD! I was a little nervous when we settled on a buffet-style for the main entree but that worry was immediately thrown out the window when the first person up said, wait when can I get seconds?! EVERYONE has commented on how much they loved the food. Many of our guest list is from out of town, but are petitioning that a open a location opens in Northern New Jersey The staff was just amazing during the event; almost every single person I have spoken to since Saturday has brought up an interaction where 'the staff clearly cares' ::insert story of staff member just actually giving a heck about a situation:: from a question answered, to a compliment given, and everything in between, the people who worked the event were rockstars. Brittney, their catering & event manager, is worth a million dollars; she cares, she's passionate, she is kind, attentive (she definitely works 24/7 as she emailed/ texted back no matter the day or time), & is just all around an amazing person. I will never not include her and working with her in my memory of our Reception. She and Deon will not steer you wrong in making selections that will work and will be memorable. All-in-all, if you are looking to host your event in a place where people take pride in their work, are dedicated to the customer and the food is real, feel it in your soul food, then Olives and Oil is your place!!“

“Frozen margarita and street corn were awesome! Service was also fantastic!“

“food excellent service excellent“

“Excellent food. Highly recommend“

“Top notch food and cocktails in a relaxed environment with reasonable prices.“

“The food is always on point. The service at the bar, where we prefer to eat, is always top notch. Lani is an awesome server and we love to see her when she is behind the bar. The others are also very good. All of their Mexican dishes are great. My favorites is the Puerco Adovado and the Camarones de Ajon. Their Idaho Potatoes are also awesome for a shareable app or for a meal. We really love spending meal time at Torito. Muchas Gracias!“