Reviews for Siren Kitchen & Bar in Essex, CT
The older, female, bartender who is tall and slim, is horrific. I have a friend that keeps their boat at the Marina on the... island and we frequent this restaurant for dinner and drinks due to convenience. I do not drink alcohol and often bring mythermos cup of water. The bartender has been so mean and rude to me on several occasions. Once when another bartender waspouring me a water she took the time to interrupt and tell me to get my thermos cup off the bar. On another day, I went to thebar with a friend and sat down, she came up and did not say hello or welcome, just told me to get my outside drink off the barand "put in on the floor ". I was shocked, and told her it was just water. Again, when getting a to go order from the bar, shemade another comment when I put the plastic cup of water into my cup, and let me know there are no outside drinks allowed at therestaurant. These incidents were weeks apart so maybe she does this to anyone that has an "outside" beverage, but this is amarina and people live on their boats so it is not a normal restaurant situation. This employee acts like a rule keeper whenshe should be focused on customer service. She is rude and inappropriate. She speaks to the young staff harshly in front ofcustomers. If I were the owner of this restaurant I would want to know this information. Put her away from guests cause she is anasty person and no one wants that quality in a bartender. Read more
What a neat place. First time there and we didn't know about this place. You take a boat over from the Essex dock for a 2... minute ride. We sat outside on a great summer day. The 3 of us lived our meals. Our New England Clam Chowder was great with alittle bit of a sherry taste to it. Very good. I had a salad with chicken which was good but they did charge $1.50 for anotherblue cheese dressing. Fun place and everyone loved their meal. The service was good. Read more
We eat out frequently and thought it would be fun to take the 30 second ferry over to the island. We ordered 2 crab cakes for... appetizers and split them between the 4 of us. These were very small and we didn't taste much crab, but they cost$18 each soperhaps I expected more. My wife had a chicken dish which looked like a chicken cutlet that was a bit over cooked. My youngestdaughter had a hotdog with home made potato chips. The chips were very crisp and lacking of a potato chip taste. Oldest hadgrilled cheese with a salad. She only ate half the sandwich. I had a brisket sandwich with chips. Loved the sandwich butagreed with how the chips tasted. Milks and 2 drinks added up to $140. I don't mind paying for great food, just didn't leavefeeling like anything was "off the hook" or memorable. The best part of that trip was the ferry ride Read more
Very nice experience eating here. We sat inside as it was full outside and starting to rain. The food was great, but the new... England clam chowder was only leuk warm. It was delicious, but would have been perfect if hot. I had the island fish tacos whichhad great flavor. I did not like the avocado purée, I think it would have been better with sliced avocado, but it paired nicelywith the mango. I liked the yuzu slaw, it was different and quite refreshing. The wait staff were all attentive and friendly. Ithink there was also a coolness factor for eating on an island that we rode a small ferry service to. Read more
We had another amazing dinner here! My son loves seeing all the boats and running around while we waited for our table. The food... was fantastic and the prices are very reasonable. Read more
Based on the recommendation of a friend who knows a good restaurant when she sees one, we paid a visit to Siren today with my... in-laws. Arriving a little before the noon opening time, we found easy parking and enjoyed the short (30 second!) ferry ride andsat in Siren?s lovely Adirondack chairs and enjoyed the view of the marina. The bartender, who also was our server, then sat usin one of the comfy outdoor tables. We ordered Blooming Wild Hibiscus cocktails, which were lovely. Then in short order, ourentrees arrived: my wife and I each ordered the CT-style lobster roll, which came on fresh brioche buns, and my in-laws orderedcrab cakes and fish and chips. I got to try a taste of the fish and chips, which were excellent: crispy on the outside and softand flaky in the middle. The house-made fries and potato chips were very good. The lobster roll was the best I?ve had: thelobster was perfectly cooked (sometimes places overcook it) and the brioche bun was a revelation. Prices were in-line withother places, but the ambiance is priceless. The service was impeccable, the facilities were spotless, and outdoors, the spacingof the tables made for easy social distancing. A nice breeze blew across the terrace throughout our meal. This will no doubt bea help as the weather heats up. All told, an elegant newcomer to the CT coastal dining scene! Read more
A cute little place. Outdoor seating with umbrella. Nice view of the Marina. A 30 second complimentary water taxi ride. Salads,... crab cakes, fish tacos, fun cocktails and mocktails (drinks are on the small side). Accommodating staff. Read more
The ferry ride, location, and some of the staff were very pleasant. Our waitress however, was not nearly as pleasant. ... Initially we had asked that our table be moved slightly, so not to disturb any guests next to us, as we were a party with youngchildren. That request was swiftly denied. Everything took a little bit longer than it should have, and the food was rather subpar. We did not receive our waters until our entrees came out, and we?re not checked on once throughout the meal. The buns onmy wife?s salmon sliders were tough/stale, the tortillas for the fish tacos were similarly rough, and the steak was veryaverage. Not a huge problem unless you are charging prices that demand great food, which they were. We eat out often and loveto give praise to the restaurants and staff who accommodate us. It is a shame we can?t extend that same gratitude toward thisexperience. Upon kindly requesting our check the waitress responded ?I love taking money! no problem!? Strange thing to say toa dinner party, we thought. We went into the meal very excited and left disappointed. Read more