18 Best Bars near Essex

“Terrific location in a small New England town bordering the Connecticut River. Excellent food, wine and comfortable rooms.“

“Come down to the only Scottish bar in CT. featuring many cold drinks. local and international bands as well.“

“There a great ambiance and great acoustics for live music also a good line of view when the bands play. Highly Recommended“

“Best penne alla vodka I’ve ever had. Gluten free option too! Great service as well. ❤️“

“Wandered in with a friend. We were looking for a quiet place to have a drink. Sat at the bar. The pinot noir was yummy so we stayed for another. Atmosphere warm and cozy. Service excellent. Stayed for dinner. Had the tagliarini with seared scallops. Amazingly good. I'm trying to figure out when I can go back. Glad to hear they are extending their hours to 7 days a week“

“Such great service but even more so, the chefs are incredible with their creativity and delivery of unique and delicious food. Liv's is an oasis away from home....they do so much to make dinner special every time. Thank you all.“

“Jamie and Maria are absolutely the best people. Im a little biased I work there“

“Excellent food , great small town feel“

“went last wednesday-super quiet compared to weekends, $5 cover and we were free to use their beach & amenities. we didn’t bring coolers but there were no issues w bringing in our beach bags and umbrella’s. friendly bartenders and the food was actually great-way better than squami.“

“Grano Arso is an absolute must-try! The food was unbelievably good, and the service was exceptional from start to finish. Lani, Chef Joel, and the entire staff truly know what they’re doing.

We started with the peaches and Nardello peppers, followed by the short rib, Toasted Rye Tagliatelle, and Rigatoni Bolognese. Everything was incredible and so well done. Easily one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time.

Hands down, you need to try this place. We will absolutely be back!“

“The food is amazing. Highly recommend the firecracker calamari and the OC Salad. My stuffed lobster was perfect and I also really enjoyed the Chocolate Mousse Cake. This is a special place with a relaxing atmosphere and outstanding service. I highly recommend.“

“great beer selection and bar food is unique and creative“

“My husband and I went to Aspen the other night for our wedding anniversary. We had our rehearsal dinner there 4 years ago and were blown away by the food.. well, once again, they nailed it! It was delicious!! Not only was the food good, but our waiter, Joe M (funny, same name as my husband 😅), was wonderful! We will definitely be back again!!“

“We were in the area last night- headed home from the casinos- and like to sing Karaoke. We stopped here and the people were so warm and welcoming. Also drinks were very reasonable. I’ll definately stop again next time I’m in the area. Only wish I lived closer. It’s a good atmosphere for any age group.,“

“We stopped in last minute before our Saturday night Goodspeed show and sat at the bar. The drinks were very well made and brought out promptly. We knew we did not have time for entrees and ordered the Eggplant Rollatini and Crab Cake special appetizers. They also were brought out promptly and were absolutely delicious and generous portions. We are looking forward to going back soon!

Follow up: We came back looking forward to another great meal. The drinks were still fantastic. We orders three appetizers and dessert. The Eggplant Rollatini which last time was fresh, delicious and generous this time felt like warmed over left overs and a smaller portion. The Brussels were good. The meatballs were good but felt like a small portion for $15. We were really bummed about the cheesecake for dessert, it was a very petite slice which we got to share and tasted like a frozen cheesecake maybe worth $6-8 but not $12. We might come back again but dialing back our expectations for the next visit.“

“Such a great experience! Food was amazing! Highly recommend the crab cakes, clam chowder and of course the Lobster Roll 🦞! We will be back for sure!“

“Hungry after a few hours at Gillette Castle, we were looking for lunch/dinner. We had a wonderful experience at Pattaconk! Our waitress was friendly and attentive to my dietary needs (Celiac’s). We had a burger, quesadilla & Nashville chicken stripes. My burger had a gf bun & was delicious, husb & daughter loved the stripes & quesadilla. Restaurant had a nice, chill atmosphere, everyone enjoying drinks & food. We will be back when out in the area.“

“The food is good, however the service and view are amazing. Today I enjoyed the lobster roll and oysters and my wife had a lobster roll with gluten free bread due to her gluten allergy. Its fantastic the restaurant had gluten free bread. However, the lobster was somewhat dry and tasted a little tough around the edges as if it had been sitting under a heat lamp for too long or was several days old and was reheated to the point of dryness/toughness. At $38/roll, you need to have fresh lobster out of the shell from that day. When you’re competing with amazing seafood shacks down the street like Johnny Ad’s or Skippers who always have fresh tasting lobster, you need to serve the same at a $38 price point. Everything else was fantastic.“