11.11.25
*WRITTEN REVIEW
Big Al’s Reel Reviews - Ep.179 🇺🇸 (Veteran’s Day Edition)
🍽️ Breakwater - Stonington Borough, CT
Big Al’s 💎 Gem Spot
It was one of those raw, windy Veteran’s Days down by the shoreline.
My pops and I stopped first at Stonington Point, the American flag waving strong over the water. He looked at it and said, “I did my 20.”
That line hit deep.
From there, we made our way to Breakwater, a beautiful spot right on the harbor. The second we stepped inside, we were greeted by that warm coastal glow thru bright windows, with beautiful waterfront views, and a calm, classy energy. 💣
And then came one of those full-circle moments life throws at you sometimes…
Our server was Trina, someone I worked with almost 30 years ago at Mohegan Sun Casino. Seeing her again made the day even more special. She was absolutely wonderful, kind, quick, and professional. It was everything you could expect. Service was top-notch. 💣
Now let’s talk about that food 👇🏾
1️⃣ Crispy Fried Calamari- $17.50 💣
Light, crispy, and perfectly fried. The cherry peppers gave it just the right kick, and that Thai Chili sauce was straight fire. Pops and I tore it down in minutes 🤷🏾♂️😀 both calling it a bomb.
2️⃣ Fish & Chips- $24.50 💣
Fried Atlantic Cod - Done golden and perfect. My fries were crispy and seasoned just right; My Pops went with sweet potato fries. Delicious Coleslaw, and with cocktail sauce every bite of fish hit. Comfort food at its best. We both said bomb
3️⃣ Seafood Pasta- $34.50 💣
This one was loaded: four big scallops, three shrimp, crab meat and two thick lobster pieces all swimming in a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce with a little sweetness from the julienne veggies. Every bite was rich, buttery, and flavorful. This s**t was incredible - bomb all the way.
Everything we ordered hit. No misses, no maybes.
Breakwater delivered from start to finish Son! Great atmosphere, phenomenal service, and food that was cooked with care and flavor.
This Veteran’s Day review turned into something special.
Breakwater is officially a Big Al’s 💎 Gem Spot.
You need to get your a** down there right away and check them out and make sure you tell ’em, Big Al sent you!
See you on the Rebound, Peace✌🏾out
☝🏾❤️ - Big Al Mayo
“Always Keeping it Real to Reel”
Nick Mancuso
This is a really solid waterfront seafood place. Our bartender was very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about the menu. We tried a bunch of dishes, standouts were the raw oysters and the clam chowder (which is pescatarian!). We would definitely return here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Jon
Breakwater is hands down our favorite restaurant. The food is always incredible and we've never had a bad waitress or experience. Drive from 1.5 hrs away to come here.
Collin Bennett
Went here a couple nights ago as it was in our annual dining passport ( basically buy one get one free entree once per restaurant per year). Decor was beautiful and our waiter was really on top of it. The food was nothing more than ordinary, sub par at best. The calamari was 80 percent peppers 20 percent calimari. I honestly would have gotten over it and not posted a review until I found a hair in my entree. I immediately pushed the dish away and notified our waiter who was very apologetic. I did not want them to bring me anything else as it kind of ruined my appetite. Everyone makes mistakes and not every dish can be perfect. The part that really bugged us is that instead of taking it off our bill, mind you I hardly ate that much of it before finding the hair. They counted that as our free entree for the dining pass out of the 3 of us. It got really busy so we did not get a chance to talk to a supervisor about it. To make us use our passport on a dish that was sent back, I mean come on that is kind of absurd. Sadly because of this I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon. But I will reinstate that the decor was top tier as well as the service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Liz
It's always been one of my favorite restaurants. I took my friends from out of town there for dinner last night. They are wanting to go back tonight for dinner so that's where we're headed in a few minutes. Thanks for offering such a special place.
William Higgins
Beautiful location. On the water good food, great atmosphere . Blue skies & beautiful weather always help
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley
Amazing location. Amazing food. Amazing services. Amazing portions. Perfect spot on a harbor where every seat has a view. Def a hidden gem. Make the trek. So good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cheryl
We sat on the deck it was beautiful. The waiter was friendly and nice. We both had the baked scallop special, which was delicious. For desserts I had the mini cannolis and he had the nre york cheesecake. Both were excellent. I would definitely come here again
Mark DeBisschop
A wonderful location but food is mediocre
Jason Mickus
This place is awesome tragic missed opportunity. Such a great location to be wastea with poor service and only OK seafood. Calamari below average, Chili's fish tacos are better. No water brought to the table until 15 minutes after seating. Our server greet us by saying, 'i was told to bring you this' server forgot our beer and no water was ever refilled. 10 minutes to find the server to get our check. Go for beautiful sunset over the water and have a drink don't expect really good seafood or service you won't find it here.
The food was OK, a little over priced for what you got. The swordfish special was not hot, and the accompanying mashed peas had no flavor. I guess you are paying for the water view, which was great with the sunset. The key lime pie had no flavor, and wasn't sure why it was served with raspberry sauce? Being a Sunday night, maybe the usual kitchen staff wasn't present. In the past, the food and service were great. Not so much tonight...
Janet Mansulla
Had their hot lobster roll!Sooooo delicious! Pricey, but worth it for a special occasion. Wasn't fond of the coleslaw but the sweet potato fries were also good. Sat on the deck on the water on a beautiful day! Gorgeous!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily Stevenson
Very nice and cozy atmosphere, but the quality of the food left us quite disappointed. There was very little seafood in the chowder and bisque, and the lobster roll and scallops were average at best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Jennifer Martinez
Food was phenomenal! From service to view, everything was perfect. I know reviews talk about a long wait but it was nice waiting with a drink by the water. I definitely recommended these drinks: Aperol Sprits frozen and the bloody Mary. For for food: the hot lobster roll, blackened chicken tacos, fried fish tacos, the burrito, and the shrimp and fries.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lori
The swordfish and the clam chowder were outstanding. The service was excellent, we showed up early for our reservation and they were able to accommodate us right away.
11.11.25 *WRITTEN REVIEW Big Al’s Reel Reviews - Ep.179 🇺🇸 (Veteran’s Day Edition) 🍽️ Breakwater - Stonington Borough, CT Big Al’s 💎 Gem Spot It was one of those raw, windy Veteran’s Days down by the shoreline. My pops and I stopped first at Stonington Point, the American flag waving strong over the water. He looked at it and said, “I did my 20.” That line hit deep. From there, we made our way to Breakwater, a beautiful spot right on the harbor. The second we stepped inside, we were greeted by that warm coastal glow thru bright windows, with beautiful waterfront views, and a calm, classy energy. 💣 And then came one of those full-circle moments life throws at you sometimes… Our server was Trina, someone I worked with almost 30 years ago at Mohegan Sun Casino. Seeing her again made the day even more special. She was absolutely wonderful, kind, quick, and professional. It was everything you could expect. Service was top-notch. 💣 Now let’s talk about that food 👇🏾 1️⃣ Crispy Fried Calamari- $17.50 💣 Light, crispy, and perfectly fried. The cherry peppers gave it just the right kick, and that Thai Chili sauce was straight fire. Pops and I tore it down in minutes 🤷🏾♂️😀 both calling it a bomb. 2️⃣ Fish & Chips- $24.50 💣 Fried Atlantic Cod - Done golden and perfect. My fries were crispy and seasoned just right; My Pops went with sweet potato fries. Delicious Coleslaw, and with cocktail sauce every bite of fish hit. Comfort food at its best. We both said bomb 3️⃣ Seafood Pasta- $34.50 💣 This one was loaded: four big scallops, three shrimp, crab meat and two thick lobster pieces all swimming in a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce with a little sweetness from the julienne veggies. Every bite was rich, buttery, and flavorful. This s**t was incredible - bomb all the way. Everything we ordered hit. No misses, no maybes. Breakwater delivered from start to finish Son! Great atmosphere, phenomenal service, and food that was cooked with care and flavor. This Veteran’s Day review turned into something special. Breakwater is officially a Big Al’s 💎 Gem Spot. You need to get your a** down there right away and check them out and make sure you tell ’em, Big Al sent you! See you on the Rebound, Peace✌🏾out ☝🏾❤️ - Big Al Mayo “Always Keeping it Real to Reel”
This is a really solid waterfront seafood place. Our bartender was very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about the menu. We tried a bunch of dishes, standouts were the raw oysters and the clam chowder (which is pescatarian!). We would definitely return here.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Breakwater is hands down our favorite restaurant. The food is always incredible and we've never had a bad waitress or experience. Drive from 1.5 hrs away to come here.
Went here a couple nights ago as it was in our annual dining passport ( basically buy one get one free entree once per restaurant per year). Decor was beautiful and our waiter was really on top of it. The food was nothing more than ordinary, sub par at best. The calamari was 80 percent peppers 20 percent calimari. I honestly would have gotten over it and not posted a review until I found a hair in my entree. I immediately pushed the dish away and notified our waiter who was very apologetic. I did not want them to bring me anything else as it kind of ruined my appetite. Everyone makes mistakes and not every dish can be perfect. The part that really bugged us is that instead of taking it off our bill, mind you I hardly ate that much of it before finding the hair. They counted that as our free entree for the dining pass out of the 3 of us. It got really busy so we did not get a chance to talk to a supervisor about it. To make us use our passport on a dish that was sent back, I mean come on that is kind of absurd. Sadly because of this I don’t think I will be returning anytime soon. But I will reinstate that the decor was top tier as well as the service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
It's always been one of my favorite restaurants. I took my friends from out of town there for dinner last night. They are wanting to go back tonight for dinner so that's where we're headed in a few minutes. Thanks for offering such a special place.
Beautiful location. On the water good food, great atmosphere . Blue skies & beautiful weather always help
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing location. Amazing food. Amazing services. Amazing portions. Perfect spot on a harbor where every seat has a view. Def a hidden gem. Make the trek. So good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We sat on the deck it was beautiful. The waiter was friendly and nice. We both had the baked scallop special, which was delicious. For desserts I had the mini cannolis and he had the nre york cheesecake. Both were excellent. I would definitely come here again
A wonderful location but food is mediocre
This place is awesome tragic missed opportunity. Such a great location to be wastea with poor service and only OK seafood. Calamari below average, Chili's fish tacos are better. No water brought to the table until 15 minutes after seating. Our server greet us by saying, 'i was told to bring you this' server forgot our beer and no water was ever refilled. 10 minutes to find the server to get our check. Go for beautiful sunset over the water and have a drink don't expect really good seafood or service you won't find it here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
The food was OK, a little over priced for what you got. The swordfish special was not hot, and the accompanying mashed peas had no flavor. I guess you are paying for the water view, which was great with the sunset. The key lime pie had no flavor, and wasn't sure why it was served with raspberry sauce? Being a Sunday night, maybe the usual kitchen staff wasn't present. In the past, the food and service were great. Not so much tonight...
Had their hot lobster roll!Sooooo delicious! Pricey, but worth it for a special occasion. Wasn't fond of the coleslaw but the sweet potato fries were also good.
Sat on the deck on the water on a beautiful day! Gorgeous!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very nice and cozy atmosphere, but the quality of the food left us quite disappointed. There was very little seafood in the chowder and bisque, and the lobster roll and scallops were average at best.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Food was phenomenal! From service to view, everything was perfect. I know reviews talk about a long wait but it was nice waiting with a drink by the water. I definitely recommended these drinks: Aperol Sprits frozen and the bloody Mary. For for food: the hot lobster roll, blackened chicken tacos, fried fish tacos, the burrito, and the shrimp and fries.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The swordfish and the clam chowder were outstanding. The service was excellent, we showed up early for our reservation and they were able to accommodate us right away.
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