Reviews of Abby's Place Restaurant (Restaurant)

John Dolza

Gorgeous view of the boats, amazing lunch and breakfast food, and Abbey is in the kitchen running the show. This is as authentic as it gets, and the food is really, really good.

Robert Butts Jr

Awesome breakfast

marty mart

Had hair in my frys never go back again slow service

Helen Henriksen-Schuler

Fresh n fast. Good service

TheOno

Setting is beautiful ❣

Elleen Williams

Nice cozy place,great views,good food ,great waitstaff. Just a little tight for space.

Nick Chapman

We stopped here before a whisky and cigar tour and it was wonderful. The cranberry and good cheese salad was perfect. Everything else seemed good. Service was a smidge slow... But it fit the atmosphere.

David Sokol

Excellent burgers friendly staff two thumbs up!

Mamacita 2317

I don’t know where to begin! If I could give this place 5 stars AND a Michelin rating I would! Look...is the the decor a bit kitschy and can anyone make French toast, an omelette, and home fries?! Sure. Of course. But where else are you going to go for waterside dining nestled smack in the middle of a marina to dine on orange infused French toast, and an omelette FILLED with Asiago cheese and crimini mushrooms?! Oh! And served in portion sizes that are PERFECTLY PAIRED with the menu prices! ‘Can’t say that every day, right? Not to mention the fact that REAL Vermont maple syrup is served as the standard (vs. having to pay extra for a puny bottle with the restaurant’s label slapped on the side and the feeling that you’ve been ‘nickeled and dimed’ just to eat ‘whole’ food.) As for the decor, it’s cute, it’s whimsical, it’s actually even sort of funny if you ask me. Frankly though, it’s a reminder to me that just because you’re in Essex CT and/or you may have just stepped off your overpriced and high falootin’ boat, you’re still just a person-no better, no worse. Your money (or perhaps lack thereof) coupled with whatever interior design skills you might like to exercise In this place won’t make the food better-it’s already FABULOUS! Furthermore, if you’ve decided to pick apart the way the place looks, you’re overthinking it, taking yourself WAY too seriously and COMPLETELY missing the point of the true treasure of going to Abby’s in the first place: the food, service, and ABBY (the chef/owner)! So when you tell your young, attentive server to compliment the chef and Abby herself comes tableside to share her values about the food and express her appreciation for yours, I hope it warms your heart and confirms that you’ve chosen EXACTLY THE RIGHT SPOT to eat that day. The food is fresh, prepared to order, thoughtfully plated/presented, and just DAMN GOOD! Plus, you’re supporting a woman run business and the woman (Abby) OBVIOUSLY cares about what she does! I told her then and will say again: I didn’t want my food to be finished because it was SO GOOD! I can’t wait to return not only for the food, the decor, and the restaurant’s locale but also for the feeling that I’ve just stopped at my best friend’s house because I was promised my favorite breakfast served with a warm smile-LUCKY ME! Keep up the great work Abby and Crew! I’m feelin’ the (food) love! YUM!

Tototwice

Very nice.. And to the guy that said he waited 2 hrs. For A burger and fries... Either A.. You're ordering from when you left your home in Boston B. You're an IDIOT or C. You're full of shi..

Judy Ortiz

Great food and location

Gad Yair

Cute and tasty

Steve Powell

The place was packed. No bar here to kill time at. Great location though and the volume speaks volumes. The staff basically said wait outside or go away. Bye-bye.

Jack Woods

Was there on 10/22/17, had fantastic french toast with cinnamon and a hint of orange. Charming staff and fantastic view over the Connecticut River and Marina.

Bret Swalberg

This is a frustrating review to write. You'll see in my review history that I don't give many bad reviews. I consider myself easy to please and don't have very high expectations in a restaurant. Plus I really wanted to like this place. It's a cute diner in an out-of-the-way neat location. The servers all appeared to be high school aged young women, and came across as friendly. We arrived at 11:45 am, in plenty of time to get to the Essex train station for our 1:30 boarding time (so i thought). The menu had a number of good options that I debated between. I chose the reuben, as I love pastrami and rye, but subbed the sauerkraut for lettuce. The first red flag was how long it took for our order to be taken. I watched as 2, 3, 4, 5, then 6 other patrons came in and were seated. Finally our order was taken, about 25 minutes after sitting down. I observed how slowly the other orders were taken from the subsequent patrons. Then the wait began... 35 more minuted passed (1 hour since we arrived) when i noticed a couple that came in AFTER us asked the server where their food was. She checked the kitchen and told them their order was up next. Okay, I thought, that must mean they are doing ours right now. But when their food came out and we were still waiting, i was frustrated. I watched a a second table that ordered after us get their food. At this point my wife called over another girl (our waitress had disappeared) about the situation, to which she said she'd check. She came out from the kitchen a few minutes later and went straight to the counter to check customers out. She never did come talk to us with an answer. At this point I was pretty upset as 2 more tables got food that came in AFTER us. We had not been talked to by our waitress, let alone apologized to or given an explanation for the horrendous wait. Time was getting short to catch our train at this point. I went to the restroom (it was clean) and came back, and the food was finally there. BUT my sandwich had sauerkraut!! I had to send it back to get it fixed. No apologies for anything up to this point. About 7 minutes later, after my family was about done eating, and all the people that came in after us were gone, my reuben with lettuce arrived. Our original waitress did finally come and say thanks for your patience and sorry it took so long. I asked if she forgot to put my order in or if the kitchen messed this up, but she didn't really give me an answer. Didn't offer a discount or anything, just a quick apology for making us wait 1 hour 15 minutes for a reuben sandwich. I ate my sandwich and chips in about 5 minutes and we took off to catch the train at 1:18 pm. I will point out that the sandwich was actually really good. My advice to the owner is two-fold. 1) Please train your servers to communicate with customers about problems in a timely manner. No news is the worst news! I would rather know about problems early on, rather than sit in silence. Communication is key. 2) Whoever was in the kitchen that day has got to speed it up! You've got a good menu, decor, and location. But the service and the slow chef are going to sink you.

Bart Connors Szczarba

Nice spot overlooking the river. Open for breakfast and lunch only. Full bar. Good food.

Sheila Wilmer

Friendly staff good portion size.

River Rose

We decided to try this spot as we were in the area and we're looking for something relatively light. When we walked in, I was a bit put off by the decor. BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU. We were immediately greeted and we picked a spot by the window. It was late afternoon, so we were given the Light Fare menu. I picked the mozzarella buratta (I think that's what it's called), and my significant other got the oven roasted turkey sandwich. It was pretty slow at this time, so we didn't have a long wait. His sandwich had real turkey. Like, right off the bird. None of that sliced or pattie nonsense. My plate looked like it came out of a five star restaurant. I was really impressed with the presentation. It came with an artichoke heart, which I never had before, but I like to try new things. I wasn't a fan, not really for me, but I devoured everything else on that plate. The mozzarella....sweet weeping baby Jesus riding a lawnmower...it doesn't get any fresher than that. The tomatoes we're perfection, and the bread! Oh the bread. Three adorable wedges with herbs baked in. Buttery and crispy on one side, a bit of oil on the other. It was a neat little surprise. I would also like to add that the owner, Abby, is also the chef. I gave her my compliments while fighting the urge to just plant one on her for not only pleasantly surprising us with her amazing dishes, but also making me do my happy food dance the entire time I stuffed my face.

David Singer

nice place

J Christy Wareham

Abby thought about what a little restaurant with a lovely view in a quaint New England town should be like. Then she made one. The food is just right and the service performed with warmth and charm. I've never been disappointed.

Eugene Kim

Super thick pancakes!

CAtoCT CAtoCT

Amazing service from Micah!!!

Jennifer D'Angelo

great location and beautiful views!

Adriana Allen

Beautiful place!

Corina Iorgoveanu

The waiting time is just ridiculous

Joseph Labelle

Outstanding place, I've been in the area for 30 + years and is by far the best place for a fresh and delicious meal, try an Omelet with a Mimosa, the waitstaff is outstanding adding a personal touch, Love this place

Jan Sinatra

Freshly made food, helpful and cheerful staff, and an amazing view of the marina and North Cove, Essex... homemade by Abby... love it!

Meaghan J

Amazing food, best Reuben I've ever tasted, and I come from a very Irish family. Corned beef is in my blood. Great view, amazing service, absolutely a must try place

Anna A

Good fresh food

Byron Galvez

Loved the french toast

Bill Kenney

Abby is awesome

Elizabeth Seveney

First time there, & can't wait to return! Great menu, service & view. Friendly, plenty of parking and everything I wanted

Gary Caisse

Love, love, love Abby place for breakfast. We eat outside in the sun and enjoy the view of the Marina.

Phillip Trautman

Great!

Colleen Quilty

Someone played a prank on us when they said this place is fast. We've been here for an hour and the scrambled eggs we ordered are "just about ready"

Jason Dickey

The best chowder that I ever had.

Mark Sanchioni

Turkey wrap was a surprising delight. Side order of cole slaw was more of a garnishment size than something you should pay for. Views of water from the deck are nice, not fabulous, but nice.

Dan Kruszewski

Great food and relaxing atmosphere. Loved sitting outside. Took a little while for the food to get there but overall it was great.

Kimberly Hogarth

The food was good but the wait for a simple salad and fries was more than half an hour.

Harriette Clark

What a view to go with the wonderful food and drinks!

Rich Drake

Not good. We just wanted a quick bite. Two side salads and a cup of chowder. It took at least 20 min to get the food. Hardly any ceasar salad dressing that had very little flavor. Chowder was barely cooked. Like milk with almost raw potatoes and little bits of clams. We ate the salads and didn't touch the Chowder. We told them our dissatisfaction and asked for the check. No offer to comp anything. What a waste of 25 dollars. If you're in Essex, skip this one.

Ruthven Wodell

Best clam chowder on the planet, bar none!

Donna Brown

We arrived at Abby's Place this past Saturday, July 21, at around 2:30 in the afternoon. Being from RI and over an hour away from home, we were happy to find a casual seafood setting. We had just come from the ESSEX Steam train and thought this would be a great close by place for lunch. We walked in with many tables inside and outside available. The hostess came over, turned to someone in the kitchen for information and then told us that the Chef was very behind and not accepting any more patrons!!!! Mind you, that the business hours run to 8:30 in the evening and that it is prime season for visitors in the peak summer months of this small town... One would think we would have been a welcomed guest. I have NEVER been turned away at a restaurant!! You should not be in business if you cannot handle it. We should have been told a wait time like any other restaurant, and then allowed to make our own choice- BUT- that would have been the professional way to handle it. My suggestion is to come to RI, stay a while to visit our wonderful assortment of privately owned restaurants, and learn from the pro's. We will never try your restaurant again, or suggest it, rather, I would suggest the short drive over to Mystic instead. *****Edited to respond to owner's comment****** To the Owner of Abby's. I am sorry that you are not willing to accept the truth of what happened the day that my husband, and my two kids came to your restaurant. I have no reason to lie. I came to you, I wanted to eat there! At 2:30 without having lunch yet, we were hungry. It appears, however, that you assume it to be in your best interest to lie rather than apologize. You are completely wrong about the weather. And to respond to my comment with a lie, again shows poor business management. Google the day of July 21, 2018. It was a beautiful day. Very breezy and sunny. Not at all an oppressive day- in fact a perfect dry sunny day- almost a bit cool with the breeze. If it was an oppressive day, I would not have decided to venture into your restaurant to sit outside to eat. Instead, I enjoyed sitting outside eating seafood in nearby Mystic. Reviews are an important tool for newcomers to an area, for learning about places to stay and to eat. I did feel compelled to give your restaurant the review that I had, because it was wrong what you did, and would not want another customer to have the same treatment. Perhaps you should feel the same sentiment, and figure out what happened so that you can now start receiving new customers with better manners.

Doug Chatlos

I really don’t know how this place is still open considering everything from eating here. We felt as if the staff was trying to do everything wrong on purpose. Where to begin. -We were never offered a refill on our drinks. We had to ask. Even after I asked for a water refill, he neglected to refill my wife’s water glass which was empty and next to mine. -Staff was talking rudely about customers in front of guests. -I asked for a ketchup bottle, and I was brought a clear bottle with ketchup in it wrapped in duct tape. -The place is filthy. I mean really filthy. Everything from the dirty bathroom, the dirty white walls, the floor that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in days, it was gross. -The “peach sangria” was prebottled and poured into drinking glasses with lemon and limes added to it. That’s not how to make a sangria, and certainly not worth $10. The staff was openly talking about how they didn’t know where the proper sangria drinking glasses were. -The burgers were plain. It was as if there was no seasoning on them. I will say they were cooked well, but with no flavor. -the kids menu included both a cookie and Wiki Sticks. We were given no cookie, and had to ask for the Wiki Sticks. Don’t offer something if you’re not going to provide it. -We were charged the wrong amount for an upgrade from regular fries to onion rings. The employee said the manager had changed the price without telling any employees. -We had to ask for both a check and to go container, since the multiple employees inside were talking and doing other tasks. I would blame it on our server, but we were never even introduced to a server, it was different people seating us, getting our order, and bringing our food. Overall, the experience was awful. This place definitely needs to improve on their management to improve on their service and food quality. I am sure there are better places in the area to eat. Was not worth the $80 for food I could much more easily make at home.

Sinco Steendam

High quality. Made to order. I don't mind waiting a bit since the food is fresh.

Anny Amado

Nice place with tables outside. Nice service and their “almost famous lobster roll” is a good one. We spent a very good time over there and they also have a good beer selection (in bottle)

Angelo Walton

Top 3 French toast I've ever had. Very friendly staff. Great view. Couldn't ask for more

Kimberly Heilman

Cute little place on the water. Decorated so cute. Food was good and waitress pleasant

Marie Walsh

Food is great. The staff is so nice and friendly.

Wendy Bird

It was a bit of a struggle to find the location- it’s tucked away a behind some yachts and wholesale looking buildings- I ordered a crab melt with Brie- some homemade “Abby special” clam chowder and the entire meal was served quickly and hot and ready to devour- and it was delicious!! So worth the “now where is this place?!?” Hunt!

Danielle Sicard

Absolutely never will go again. Took forever to get waited on and took forever to receive our food and drinks.

Cindi Fallstrom

The food was excellent, service VERY slow but friendly. Very long wait to get our check, we had to go to the counter and ask for it since our waitress was nowhere to be found. Evidently she was called into the kitchen to help. Great place if you have a lot of time to spare.

Nicholas Maio

Place was empty and was told 1/2 hour wait and then waited another 1/2 to get our food !

Brett Glosson

Nice view food was a little pricey I ordered over light eggs and they cooked them well done.

Jonathan Simon

Best place in Connecticut

Red Spdr

We were in the are and we stumble upon this place, we were lucky we got there just before they closed, a very nice little cozy place with very nice views. The food was great good size portions and great value. I was very happy ans in my list if I'm in the area again.

Randall Wayne Parker

Some other reviewers complain about the wait time, I had to catch a train and had only about a half hour to order and eat, they were very accommodating and I was able to eat at a comfortable pace. I made the train!

Dani Settle

Warm and friendly environment Good food

Marcelo Navarrete

Excelente comida en un ambiente distendido además una gran vista hacia la marina....recomendamos...

Virginia Urbina

Beautiful place and excellent food

Insidae 7

Food was mediocre and overpriced. Staff was friendly though.

Joan Strom

As always great lobster rolls

Steven Redfield

Great food and an overlook of a marina.

Ruth Garbett

Nice view of the river from the deck. Good food.

Kathryn Atkins

Delicious food - excellent chowder! And super nice service to boot!

tom oconnor

I had a great Bloody Mary here on Saturday morning and it was just what the Doctor ordered. Will definitely have to try their breakfast next time as the plates coming out looked quite nice.

sistina Karrmann

The food was just ok and I waited over 2 hrs just for a hamburger and fries. The hamburger was not good.it wasn't cooked all the way that I like it. The fries were good. The service was so slow and I heard through the kitchen door that they didn't know what they were doing. I wouldn't go back there. The waitstaff looked like they didn't know what they were doing.

Colin Ross

Food was ok, but small portions and took almost an hour for a soup and sandwich combo. Don’t think I’d return but food was ok when it arrived

carlos martin-guzman

Restaurante agradable.Camareras simpáticas.Sandwitch de cangrejo delicioso.

Nicole B

Good service and food. Highly recommend the orange cinnamon French toast !

Maciek amer

Good food

Diane Baumer

Food okay but the place was not clean

Maryann N Karcher

Excellent food. Fresh and simple. Beautiful view. Staff was excellent

Anonymous3

Enjoyed lunch here. Hard to find but the atmosphere and view from the balcony seating is worth it. Service was very friendly, perhaps a little slower than others might be used to in CT, but that's probably just par for the course in Essex. We had BLT's. They did have gluten free bread for an extra couple bucks. They also have free refills on beverages. Only complaint was that they give you half the bacon you would expect from a $10 sandwich. Very good though.

Joe LaRosa

There's a great view of the river and the marina from the deck. The staff is very friendly, and the food is very good.

P. Greenhalgh

I cringe a little as I write this, but I think people need to know what they are going to experience at a restaurant. I realize now that I should have read more than just the star ratings before deciding to go to Abby's. I can see that others experienced the same slow service and kitchen mix ups that we did. We arrived for lunch at 12:40 and did not get our food until 2PM, and one of the orders was wrong. Although the waitresses were all nice, they did not refill our drinks (including water) until we asked and it was at least 40 minutes after we placed our order before we even got an update on food. Two other couples that came in just before us had eaten and left before we were even served. I have to eat gluten free and not only was my sandwich wrong, the bread was falling apart and mushy. It was a mess. Only after she served it did she ask if I wanted the bread toasted, but I wasn't going to send something back to the kitchen again - and I was so hungry I needed to eat something. They initially said they would comp my sandwich, but then changed to say they would comp the whole bill, which was nice of them, but unfortunately the meal had already been ruined by then. Who wants to go out for a meal and end up annoyed when it should be fun and relaxing! The truth is the food was good, but everything else was disappointing. The waitress swore that our order did not get lost in the kitchen... if so, we came at a really bad time.... and people who came after us hit it right! Two other tables of 3 and 4 people who came at least 1/2 hour after us got served within 5 minutes of us. The waitress said "that's Abbey's - lunch takes a long time!" I guess so, but I don't know a lot of people who want to wait over an hour for a sandwich.

James Vai

Great service, great food. Big thumbs up for Abby's.

Ward Feirer

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the Mystic River. The food was excellent. Service was great. We did wait for our food but it was worth the wait.

Erin King

Delicious and great service!

Val Dicaprio

Everything here is prepared perfectly and the result of meticulous care and attention to detail. Friendly service and great food!

Peg Getchell

Not many people there this morning and it took 50 minutes to get scrambled eggs for breakfast. Slow, very slow service. Bathroom was a mess. Wont return there

Carol Ann Keough

Enjoyable lunch with the family.

Christine DeMauro

Great food and excellent service

Martha Desrosiers

Good food, good service!

Brian Main

Terrible service. Had to wait 2 hours for a darn hamburger and Caesar salad. Waited 15 minutes to take our order. Went with my girlfriend. The waitstaff had no clue what they were doing and saw a dysfunctional kitchen. Never go there again. Very disappointed.

Diane Tomecko

Do toto reviewer It's rude to critics reviewers and call them names. If u look at all the reviews you will see that there were a lot of other customers who said they had extremely long wait times. And that in general...the wait time was regularly long. May be your the owner and don't like the negative reviews which from all the different reviews..is most likely true. As a paying customer I prefer not to wait extremely long for my order. So i will not be going to this restaurant because of the numerous different reviews from many different customers exposing this one very bad flaw.

Chiara Peretti

Went there with a group of people with disabilities. It was very late after lunch but they found us a place to eat and the staff was lovely. Awesome food and good prices.

Thelma Raney

One of the few places in Essex where you can eat with a river view. Nice menu; service slows down when they get full.

Ron G

Excellent light fare menu, as well as full menu well worth the atmosphere on the open deck will most definitely return again

Jeanne Wagner

Friendly, efficient & delicious food

Josh Caruso

Great service, great food!

George Maxwell

I am a regular at Abby"s for breakfast for good reason. Its simply the best around with a great view of all the boats in three shipyards. Abby is a fantastic chef.

Mary Cormin

Usually I do not go out of my way to review restaurants but this one was a must. Went to Abby’s Place last weekend with the family for lunch. Due to the heat we decided to sit inside. We arrived around 12:00 and were not served until after 1:00! There was a woman running in and out of the kitchen to talk and criticize the staff, who we were later told by the waitress was the owner and chef. If she had spent more time in the kitchen than the dining room I believe our food would have come out at a reasonable time. Once my Reuben arrived there was a black hair melted into the cheese, I was appalled. In fear it would take even longer to make another, I decided against eating it or ordering anything else. Instead, I just continued with a cocktail. After finishing the first, I was unable to get another because our waitress was nowhere to be found and did not offer a refill on anyone’s drinks the whole time we were there. Before our trip back to Branford I took the children to use the restroom and it was absolutely filthy. Floors were black much like the floor inside the restaurant as well. We will not be back. Definitely not worth the trip all the way from Branford.

Patricia Davis

Ong waits....

Wick G

Always a splendid breakfast.

Jon Dubois

Nice breakfast friendly staff cute decor

Alexandra Frank

Cute spot by the water with great sandwiches and friendly service

Lorna Joseph

Excellent food. Lovely view of the river.

Bryce Hammen

Amazing food and great service! Reviews regarding wait time need to remember that all the food is homemade with fresh ingredients cooked by Abby herself!

John Ruffino

Great view of the river and excellent sandwiches

Cynthia McCarthy

Nice place, great atmosphere. Food was pretty good!

george mcphillips jr

Wonderful breakfast great views of the marina