Esca is a bustling spot in Middletown. I started the meal with a burrata salad and arancini. Both of these were delicious. For my main course I got the duck breast. The skin had a beautiful salt crust and perfectly whipped mashed potatoes. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for some delicious Italian food. Quite delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
T Warner
Great food and cocktails. The waiter was very attentive and patient with us. A great experience. Would go back.
Norma Lane
Jean our waitress was very friendly and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mel Mei
Absolutely love this
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad, Burger
Angela Angulo
The restaurant is beautiful and the service was wonderful. Servers were extremely attentive to our needs. The food was amazing! My friend and I ordered the grilled octopus which was delicious. Then I got the mushroom ravioli with scallops and my friend ordered the linguini with clams. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I already can’t wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Angela A.
The restaurant itself is so cute inside. We were seated in the perfect spot, in front of large windows. The server was great! Super attentive and helpful when ordering drinks and our meal. The chef did an outstanding job with our octopus and pasta orders. The scallops were perfect and worth the price!
Tiffany Brezicki
Had valentines dinner here and everything was amazing. Had the duck and it was my first time ever eating it and I have to say it was absolutely amazing. The wait staff was very attentive and not over bearing for how busy they were. Want to give a huge shout-out to Mark our waiter who also was very pleasant, informative and down to earth. Definitely will be back to try their outdoor brunch hour. Thank you for a pleasant evening.
velandy manohar
The location of our seats on the balcony, the elegant ambience, the solicitousness wait staff, the range of appetizers, and the quality of the main entrees all contributed to a wonderful Valentine's day dinner date. Our entries were very well prepared and served at the right temperature, very delicious and substantial. We ended up getting some of it packed. Our appetizer - Tuna Tartare was absolutely delicious and the presentation was excellent. The Chili sauce took us over the moon. All in all we had a great outing and felt dudr when we left finally. Stella Pilsner was also. Ery good.Parking: It was across the street in protected well lit lot .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare
Tulanh C.
The appetizers in the moment were great. I went this past Wednesday, we started off with the calamari the tuna tartare and a half dozen oysters which were delicious. A little after the meal I started feeling sick and ultimately did not feel good for the rest of the night. The entrees looked bland and the plating looked sad. Something must've been bad, spent a good amount of money just to leave sick. The server was great and on top of everything and they were very attentive, we got sat quick and enjoyed for the most part. The ambiance was very pretty and cozy I just wish it was fresh.
Ed Vazgar
This restaurant is EVERYTHING . The food have so much flavor and the drinks are amazing. The staff and owner are fabulous. Definitely a favorite. Can’t wait to be back.
I had the BEST meal in recent memory at Esca on Saturday. It started with the complimentary bread, which was served warm with a sprinkling of grated cheese on top. We knew we would want to save room for dessert, so we went straight to the entrees. I ordered the special - a grouper dish, that was delicious and beautifully presented. I hope they make it a standard menu option, because it was outstanding. My friend ordered the Shrimp Pappardelle, and she was very happy with it. She is blind and elderly, and our waitress, Vanessa, had the forethought and sensitivity to ask the chef to take the tips of the shells off the shrimp so it would be easier for her to manage. The portion was huge, and my friend took more than half home for future meals. We shared the cinnamon apple dessert, which is served warm with a caramel gelato on top. Vanessa, our server, was wonderful - knowledgeable and attentive but not obtrusive. Ask for her if you go to Esca. The rest of the staff was great as well - we were welcomed by the hostess, meals were delivered quickly, water glasses frequently refilled, dishes cleared in a timely fashion. A member of the staff even opened the door for us as we were leaving to help my friend who uses a cane. We will be back!
Joe The Pro
We had 5 couples last night at dinner. I called a week before for reservations and they got us in.Ignore the other critical foodie reviews.David, the California boy, was our waiter. Absolute best we have ever had and we go out as a crew once a week locally it seems like. He took care of us, provided guidance on menu and drinks. And he managed an incident we had with one of our guests. In fact the whole Esca team handled us with care and professionalism. David you are at the top of your game. Thank you.The drinks were spot on.The food was excellent. From shrimp pepperdale to the braised short rib to the duck.Escas has been here for years because of what they do. How they perform. And their team. And of course. Great food and drink.A must visit in the vibrant Middletown restaurant scene.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
kelbin rodriguez
Ordered the Bolognese was not happy with the meal. It tasted like jar sauce like Ragú/Prego and I had a few instances of cartilage mixed in with the meat that made it off putting. Thought that rosemary was used in everything a bit much - it felt like rosemary was used in everything to make it “trendy” Service wasn’t bad a little slow when it came to food but the drinks arrived quickly and the restaurant was rather busy. Decent atmosphere but felt rather “Uppity”. I recommend that if you work hard for your money to skip as the food left me unimpressed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
James Antill
Would be a much better experience, for half the price. The food is okay, but not great. Service and atmosphere less so.Go across the street to Luce or Sicily.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Camden McAdoo
Delicious breakfast bowl for the Sunday brunch, fair prices and amazing service/atmosphere. 10/10 recommend for your Sunday brunch, last minute plans, dates, and everything else!
Esca is a bustling spot in Middletown. I started the meal with a burrata salad and arancini. Both of these were delicious. For my main course I got the duck breast. The skin had a beautiful salt crust and perfectly whipped mashed potatoes. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for some delicious Italian food. Quite delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and cocktails. The waiter was very attentive and patient with us. A great experience. Would go back.
Jean our waitress was very friendly and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely love this
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Caesar Salad, Burger
The restaurant is beautiful and the service was wonderful. Servers were extremely attentive to our needs. The food was amazing! My friend and I ordered the grilled octopus which was delicious. Then I got the mushroom ravioli with scallops and my friend ordered the linguini with clams. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I already can’t wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The restaurant itself is so cute inside. We were seated in the perfect spot, in front of large windows. The server was great! Super attentive and helpful when ordering drinks and our meal. The chef did an outstanding job with our octopus and pasta orders. The scallops were perfect and worth the price!
Had valentines dinner here and everything was amazing. Had the duck and it was my first time ever eating it and I have to say it was absolutely amazing. The wait staff was very attentive and not over bearing for how busy they were. Want to give a huge shout-out to Mark our waiter who also was very pleasant, informative and down to earth. Definitely will be back to try their outdoor brunch hour. Thank you for a pleasant evening.
The location of our seats on the balcony, the elegant ambience, the solicitousness wait staff, the range of appetizers, and the quality of the main entrees all contributed to a wonderful Valentine's day dinner date. Our entries were very well prepared and served at the right temperature, very delicious and substantial. We ended up getting some of it packed. Our appetizer - Tuna Tartare was absolutely delicious and the presentation was excellent. The Chili sauce took us over the moon. All in all we had a great outing and felt dudr when we left finally. Stella Pilsner was also. Ery good.Parking: It was across the street in protected well lit lot .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna Tartare
The appetizers in the moment were great. I went this past Wednesday, we started off with the calamari the tuna tartare and a half dozen oysters which were delicious. A little after the meal I started feeling sick and ultimately did not feel good for the rest of the night. The entrees looked bland and the plating looked sad. Something must've been bad, spent a good amount of money just to leave sick. The server was great and on top of everything and they were very attentive, we got sat quick and enjoyed for the most part. The ambiance was very pretty and cozy I just wish it was fresh.
This restaurant is EVERYTHING . The food have so much flavor and the drinks are amazing. The staff and owner are fabulous. Definitely a favorite. Can’t wait to be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I had the BEST meal in recent memory at Esca on Saturday. It started with the complimentary bread, which was served warm with a sprinkling of grated cheese on top. We knew we would want to save room for dessert, so we went straight to the entrees. I ordered the special - a grouper dish, that was delicious and beautifully presented. I hope they make it a standard menu option, because it was outstanding. My friend ordered the Shrimp Pappardelle, and she was very happy with it. She is blind and elderly, and our waitress, Vanessa, had the forethought and sensitivity to ask the chef to take the tips of the shells off the shrimp so it would be easier for her to manage. The portion was huge, and my friend took more than half home for future meals. We shared the cinnamon apple dessert, which is served warm with a caramel gelato on top. Vanessa, our server, was wonderful - knowledgeable and attentive but not obtrusive. Ask for her if you go to Esca. The rest of the staff was great as well - we were welcomed by the hostess, meals were delivered quickly, water glasses frequently refilled, dishes cleared in a timely fashion. A member of the staff even opened the door for us as we were leaving to help my friend who uses a cane. We will be back!
We had 5 couples last night at dinner. I called a week before for reservations and they got us in.Ignore the other critical foodie reviews.David, the California boy, was our waiter. Absolute best we have ever had and we go out as a crew once a week locally it seems like. He took care of us, provided guidance on menu and drinks. And he managed an incident we had with one of our guests. In fact the whole Esca team handled us with care and professionalism. David you are at the top of your game. Thank you.The drinks were spot on.The food was excellent. From shrimp pepperdale to the braised short rib to the duck.Escas has been here for years because of what they do. How they perform. And their team. And of course. Great food and drink.A must visit in the vibrant Middletown restaurant scene.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered the Bolognese was not happy with the meal. It tasted like jar sauce like Ragú/Prego and I had a few instances of cartilage mixed in with the meat that made it off putting. Thought that rosemary was used in everything a bit much - it felt like rosemary was used in everything to make it “trendy” Service wasn’t bad a little slow when it came to food but the drinks arrived quickly and the restaurant was rather busy. Decent atmosphere but felt rather “Uppity”. I recommend that if you work hard for your money to skip as the food left me unimpressed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Would be a much better experience, for half the price. The food is okay, but not great. Service and atmosphere less so.Go across the street to Luce or Sicily.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Delicious breakfast bowl for the Sunday brunch, fair prices and amazing service/atmosphere. 10/10 recommend for your Sunday brunch, last minute plans, dates, and everything else!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5