📅 12.07.25
✍🏾 BIG AL's WRITTEN REVIEW
Big Al’s Reel Reviews - EP.187
Jealous Monk 👎🏾
Old Mystic Village - Mystic, CT
Tonight, I pulled up to Old Mystic Village for Episode 187 and stepped inside Jealous Monk, a spot that stays busy and buzzing, especially during the holidays. And the moment I walked in, the energy hit me: music thumping, conversations echoing, and that big open space letting every sound bounce around. This place is LOUD, and I mean loud.
But visually? The atmosphere delivers and the vibe is cool.
Now it’s all going to come down to the service and the food of this spot.
My server Mikey, who's worked there for 4yrs held it down, and I lined up four dishes for this visit.
1️⃣ Traditional Wings- $16
Thumbs: 👍🏾(Taste) /👎🏾(Value)
Flavor-wise, these wings were on point, perfectly cooked inside, with that Zenga Thai chili sauce bringing real flavor. No issues with the taste at all.
But for seven wings at sixteen dollars?
That’s $2.29 per wing, and that’s not value, that's an insult. If you’re gonna charge that price, it should be a 10 wing order, period. Or drop the price.
Good wings... bad value.
2️⃣ Pulled Pork Sandwich- $16
Thumbs 👎🏾🤢
This one went left quick. The pulled pork wasn’t pulled 🙄 it was swimming in sauce, with barely any actual meat and no coleslaw mixed in like the menu promised. I tried pairing my first bite with the mac & cheese on the plate, and I spit it out immediately. Absolutely terrible.
The mac & cheese had no flavor at all. It was bland and forgettable.
The sandwich itself was messy, unbalanced, and just not enjoyable.
Overall: Horrible. Big thumbs-down.
3️⃣ The Alps Burger- $20
Thumbs 👎🏾😖
The bun was flimsy, and the bottom was already soggy the moment I picked it up. There was barely any Monk sauce and the little bit that was there didn’t taste good. Texture was off, flavor wasn’t there, and the burger simply didn’t hit.
The fries were actually really good… but the burger still fails.
4️⃣ Fish & Chip- $23
Thumbs 👎🏾
This plate almost had something going for it because the fries were delicious. But the fish? The thick, oily breading completely overpowered any real flavor the cod had.
And to add insult to injury…
they served me two tiny pieces of fish (straight up fish nuggets) for $23. Then the coleslaw showed up with zero flavor to back anything up.
A funny thing stuck out to me, why was there a heaping serving size of tarter sauce compared to the small portion of fish? 🤷🏾♂️ That's wild 😄
So instead of landing, this plate crashed and burned.
Earned a thumbs down.
💎 My Final Thoughts:
Jealous Monk came with the vibe so I’ll give them that. I walked in ready for a good night. But once the plates started dropping?
Yeah… things went downhill fast.
And here’s the part that makes this even more unfortunate:
I’ve reviewed four different restaurants in Olde Mistick Village so far -
Steak Loft 👍🏾, Mango’s Wood-Fired Pizza 💎, Pink Basil 💎, and Amalfi’s 👍🏾
and all four of them delivered.
So to walk into Jealous Monk in the same village and get lower quality food, tiny portions, bland sides, soggy buns, and dishes that felt rushed… it sticks out even more. This wasn’t just a miss.
This one failed miserably in a village full of winners.
The verdict is simple: 👎🏾
👉🏾 Jealous Monk failed to raise the B.A.R.R. tonight, so it's a No-Go for me.
“See you on the Rebound, Peace✌🏾out”
☝🏾❤️ - Big Al Mayo
"Always Keeping it Real to Reel"
Melissa Hall
One of my favorite local spots! Fun atmosphere and great food with indoor and outdoor dining and a great beer selection. . My family loves the charcuterie pretzel and their burgers. The corn bread is a must try.
Anthony Merced
Our waiter was on point the food was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Donna Sperlunto
I love this please! Everything from the food, the service, the atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica Stowe
Super friendly, very lively! Pretzel charcuterie was a delight!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
frank whiteley
Food is ok but not every meal is actually what I think of as a whole meal. Example I ordered an sausage crout in a bun. That's all you get no fries or anything with it
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Craig Maser
Tried this place during an overnight trip to Mystic CT. Excellent food choice and quality. Great selection of German beers which I hope to get a chance to sample.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joshua Waterworth
This place is an absolute tourist trap. Middle-age woman with glasses who is the hostess was extremely rude. Staff ignored us. They were just sitting talking at the bar. We walked out after about 20 minutes right in front of them and they just glared at us the entire time on the way out. Don’t waste your time coming here you’ll be extremely disappointed with the rudeness and lack of hospitality.
Atmosphere: 1
Stefanie Lysz-Britton
Reasonably priced, good flavors, good service, great atmosphere, and they keep the drinks coming. Great experience all around.
Awesome experience especially during Octoberfest. 30 plus beers on tab with a great selection of food. The vegetarian wrap is fantastic. Huge bar, tons of tables, and if it's nice out, check out the patio. There ar TVs all over inside and outside. Excellent service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrea Cooper
We had lunch here. Food was good, a nice selection on the menu. I had a cocktail that was delicious. Would def eat here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Siobhain Delya
We have been here a few times. The restaurant is in the sweetest spot for people who want to shop around old mystic village after a good meal. There are lots of beers to choose on tap and a nice outdoor space to eat. The inside is open, clean and has an overall good ambiance. My daughter loved the clam chowder and my husband and I shared the corn bread with whipped honey butter which was delicious. We also split a pastrami Ruben with their own monk sauce instead of the same old thousand island. It was really really good and plenty of good for the two of us to share for lunch. The staff is always friendly. I would definitely suggest giving it a try. Currently they are celebrating Octoberfest and the menu for that looked very good as well. It’s just not what we were feeling that day for lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryan White (BDub)
Classic bier garden. I ate the Jager Schnitzel off of the Oktoberfest menu. Also had a couple Oktoberfest marzen beers. Brings me back to when I was stationed in Germany in the 1990s. Would go back, highly recommend.
📅 12.07.25 ✍🏾 BIG AL's WRITTEN REVIEW Big Al’s Reel Reviews - EP.187 Jealous Monk 👎🏾 Old Mystic Village - Mystic, CT Tonight, I pulled up to Old Mystic Village for Episode 187 and stepped inside Jealous Monk, a spot that stays busy and buzzing, especially during the holidays. And the moment I walked in, the energy hit me: music thumping, conversations echoing, and that big open space letting every sound bounce around. This place is LOUD, and I mean loud. But visually? The atmosphere delivers and the vibe is cool. Now it’s all going to come down to the service and the food of this spot. My server Mikey, who's worked there for 4yrs held it down, and I lined up four dishes for this visit. 1️⃣ Traditional Wings- $16 Thumbs: 👍🏾(Taste) /👎🏾(Value) Flavor-wise, these wings were on point, perfectly cooked inside, with that Zenga Thai chili sauce bringing real flavor. No issues with the taste at all. But for seven wings at sixteen dollars? That’s $2.29 per wing, and that’s not value, that's an insult. If you’re gonna charge that price, it should be a 10 wing order, period. Or drop the price. Good wings... bad value. 2️⃣ Pulled Pork Sandwich- $16 Thumbs 👎🏾🤢 This one went left quick. The pulled pork wasn’t pulled 🙄 it was swimming in sauce, with barely any actual meat and no coleslaw mixed in like the menu promised. I tried pairing my first bite with the mac & cheese on the plate, and I spit it out immediately. Absolutely terrible. The mac & cheese had no flavor at all. It was bland and forgettable. The sandwich itself was messy, unbalanced, and just not enjoyable. Overall: Horrible. Big thumbs-down. 3️⃣ The Alps Burger- $20 Thumbs 👎🏾😖 The bun was flimsy, and the bottom was already soggy the moment I picked it up. There was barely any Monk sauce and the little bit that was there didn’t taste good. Texture was off, flavor wasn’t there, and the burger simply didn’t hit. The fries were actually really good… but the burger still fails. 4️⃣ Fish & Chip- $23 Thumbs 👎🏾 This plate almost had something going for it because the fries were delicious. But the fish? The thick, oily breading completely overpowered any real flavor the cod had. And to add insult to injury… they served me two tiny pieces of fish (straight up fish nuggets) for $23. Then the coleslaw showed up with zero flavor to back anything up. A funny thing stuck out to me, why was there a heaping serving size of tarter sauce compared to the small portion of fish? 🤷🏾♂️ That's wild 😄 So instead of landing, this plate crashed and burned. Earned a thumbs down. 💎 My Final Thoughts: Jealous Monk came with the vibe so I’ll give them that. I walked in ready for a good night. But once the plates started dropping? Yeah… things went downhill fast. And here’s the part that makes this even more unfortunate: I’ve reviewed four different restaurants in Olde Mistick Village so far - Steak Loft 👍🏾, Mango’s Wood-Fired Pizza 💎, Pink Basil 💎, and Amalfi’s 👍🏾 and all four of them delivered. So to walk into Jealous Monk in the same village and get lower quality food, tiny portions, bland sides, soggy buns, and dishes that felt rushed… it sticks out even more. This wasn’t just a miss. This one failed miserably in a village full of winners. The verdict is simple: 👎🏾 👉🏾 Jealous Monk failed to raise the B.A.R.R. tonight, so it's a No-Go for me. “See you on the Rebound, Peace✌🏾out” ☝🏾❤️ - Big Al Mayo "Always Keeping it Real to Reel"
One of my favorite local spots! Fun atmosphere and great food with indoor and outdoor dining and a great beer selection. . My family loves the charcuterie pretzel and their burgers. The corn bread is a must try.
Our waiter was on point the food was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I love this please! Everything from the food, the service, the atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super friendly, very lively! Pretzel charcuterie was a delight!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food is ok but not every meal is actually what I think of as a whole meal. Example I ordered an sausage crout in a bun. That's all you get no fries or anything with it
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Tried this place during an overnight trip to Mystic CT. Excellent food choice and quality. Great selection of German beers which I hope to get a chance to sample.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is an absolute tourist trap. Middle-age woman with glasses who is the hostess was extremely rude. Staff ignored us. They were just sitting talking at the bar. We walked out after about 20 minutes right in front of them and they just glared at us the entire time on the way out. Don’t waste your time coming here you’ll be extremely disappointed with the rudeness and lack of hospitality.
Atmosphere: 1
Reasonably priced, good flavors, good service, great atmosphere, and they keep the drinks coming. Great experience all around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burgers, Beer Cheese, Chicken Sandwich
Good food, good drink, great service!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Bad food nice place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Awesome experience especially during Octoberfest. 30 plus beers on tab with a great selection of food. The vegetarian wrap is fantastic. Huge bar, tons of tables, and if it's nice out, check out the patio. There ar TVs all over inside and outside. Excellent service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had lunch here. Food was good, a nice selection on the menu. I had a cocktail that was delicious. Would def eat here again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
We have been here a few times. The restaurant is in the sweetest spot for people who want to shop around old mystic village after a good meal. There are lots of beers to choose on tap and a nice outdoor space to eat. The inside is open, clean and has an overall good ambiance. My daughter loved the clam chowder and my husband and I shared the corn bread with whipped honey butter which was delicious. We also split a pastrami Ruben with their own monk sauce instead of the same old thousand island. It was really really good and plenty of good for the two of us to share for lunch. The staff is always friendly. I would definitely suggest giving it a try. Currently they are celebrating Octoberfest and the menu for that looked very good as well. It’s just not what we were feeling that day for lunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Classic bier garden. I ate the Jager Schnitzel off of the Oktoberfest menu. Also had a couple Oktoberfest marzen beers. Brings me back to when I was stationed in Germany in the 1990s. Would go back, highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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