Harry’s Place

I made a special trip having heard so much about the place. I had a cheeseburger and fries. The cheeseburger was delicious but SMALL-​the size of a slider. With fries 7 bucks. Glad I tries it but doubt I’ll make a special trip again.

Good hamburgers and hot dogs. First time I’ve seen the onion added to the bottom of the hot dog bun though. At first, thought they forgot the onion but there it was under the cheese, hot dog, and chili on top. This is one of those things that order matters, onion belongs on top of the chili! Unlike other reviews from chili purists, I actually like the Hormel type of chili, in fact prefer it. The hamburger was juicy and tasty.
Plenty of parking with a dozen or more tables scattered around the rather large lot. As such, many shady spots to choose from.

Always a fan of this place. It can be a little pricey, but in my opinion it’s worth it. I love the chili they use, I don’t even care if it is Hormel out of the can. It’s just what I need when I’m hankering for a chili cheese dog. They’re fries really aren’t anything special by themselves, but again if you put some chili on them totally worth it. Burgers are also very good, get a nice char from the griddle that locks in the juicey goodness. It’s also a beautiful ride from home, which adds something. I’ll always come back to Harry’s, and from the hoards of people always there as soon as they open, I think that speaks volumes itself.

Joint # 79: HARRY’S PLACE, Colchester, CT. Harry’s Place may just be CT’s oldest, continually-​operating hot dog stand! Since 1920, Harry’s has pleased generation after generation with it’s burgers, dogs, lobster rolls and much more! This place has history written all over it! It was recently featured on The Travel Channel as well as in the The New York Times. I hear the burgers are the thing here, but we are dog lovers people and dogs are what we came to Harry’s for. RATING (S):… J. Diggity Dog: 7.5÷10, Dog Man Sac: 7.5÷10. J. Diggity said, «So, mustard, onion, sauce… obviously. Kayem dog, skinless, flat griddle. I don’t know what kind of bun it was, but the bun was good. The chili itself was garbage (makes face). The chili itself was not made here, but I guess there was stuff added to it, here, to make it sort-​of Harry’s. It was okay. I didn’t get a lot of flavor out of the Kayem, on the flat grille… I don’t know if it was just the skin on part of it was just overdone, but it wasn’t bad. Overall with Harry’s, I’m going to go with a J. Diggity 7.5 — you gotta stop by. This place has been here since 1920 — you got to check it out and apparently the burgers are good too. I haven’t had one yet, but will be back for one.» Dog Man said, «Harry’s folks, it’s an institution — it’s a Colchester institution. If you are in the area, come down. J. Diggity told you everything you need to know. We had the Kayem dog with the chili. The chili is canned, but they ‘doctor it up.’ They doctor it up… they do that (laughing going on). We got the mustard and the onion. The dog is a beef and pork, it’s a skinless, on the griddle. Not a ton of flavor. It looked nice though, it did look nice. Could have used something, I don’t know what it could have used. Dog Man Sac 7.5 — I’m a 7.5 for Harry’s Place.»
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I’m a first-​timer, and I can see why people like Harry’s. It’s easy, decent food, outdoor eating, down-​home American drive-​in feel. I had the lobster roll and a small shake for $ 22 even. The lobster roll is one of those where the lobster is poached in the butter, so the lobster looses flavor, but the butter gains it and is awesome. It was good not great, but packed with lobster, dripping with butter. The shakes come in any flavor of ice cream, which is a service lost on most burger joints. The small was plenty with my large lobster roll. It’s spun with whole milk, so it’s creamy and not too sweet. Pretty good, fun location, a bit pricy.

Well I can say I’ve finally been to Harry’s…
I have heard alot of hype about this place through the years. I tried the fried whole belly clams and an order of onion rings. The clams were decent but not as good as some other places I have gone to. They didn’t have that slight brinyness that I like. The Onion Rings were a little on the oily side.
I guess next time I come here I’ll stick with burgers or soups since that is what pretty much everyone else was ordering… So next time a Lemming I will be and follow the masses.

I love this place! My first time and I want to go back again! Very happy and friendly staff. Our 6 teens 2 adults group and everybody enjoy it.
Best lobster roll in town! I’m telling you! Homemade ice cream best creative flavors!!!

This long time, almost historic, burger stand has a fun factor that is very high, and the burgers are super moist and tender… avoid the crinkle cut fries – pretty sure they are Sysco or taste like them. I didn’t read the reviews before I ate here, and if I had, I probably would have tried a hot dog and lobster roll.
Sitting in the sun can get a little hot, but it’s worth the stopping by!

First time here. Heard about this place from a few biker friends. Decided to check it out. Good place. Chill spot, family friendly, delicious food …

Doesn’t get better than this for a burger! Outdoor seating. Large lot with plenty of picnic tables.

Underwhelmed with portion sizes and flavor, overwhelmed with the prices v. value ratio and lack of hygiene stations. I prefer Scotties frozen custard down the road.

I don’t know of a better burger east of New Haven. These are all-​American stand-​style burgers… not too big, smashed on a flat top grill, good meat, served up just pink on a soft sort of dinner roll… I usually get two. The price is reasonable. The line is very orderly and always moves quickly… even on a busy summer night I rarely wait more than a minute or two to order, and 8 or 10 minutes to get our food. The people working there are super friendly. I’m a fan.

Two of my co-​workers live in Colchester, and invariably when our conversations turn to Unilocal,they always ask me «Have you been to Harry’s yet?»
Well today, we had some errands to run in East Hartford and Glastonbury, and with lunchtime calling, we drove a few miles down Route 2 and made our first ever visit to Harry’s.
I just loved it! It’s an old-​time burger stand/​clam shack. Old –time is a good description, because it goes back to 1920.
You order at a long counter with multiple stations, and your name is announced and your food is picked up on the far left.
We both ordered a lobster roll, they were $ 13.95 each, and they were one of the very best values I have run into in a long time. It was absolutely PACKED with lobster meat, not shreds, but big meaty claws everywhere. It was piled high and filled the grilled buttered roll from side to side. No low spots anywhere –it was incredible,
We get lobster rolls down on the shore and they usually run $ 16 to $ 18 dollars. Sometimes you a get bag of chips or a thimble full of slaw included, but seriously, who cares about slaw or chips? It’s the lobster we care about. And no lobster roll I have ever had gave me more lobster meat per dollar than Harry’s.
We did split a small order of rings ($ 3.25) and they were primo as well. Real onions, not the minced up deep fried gelatinous mucilage that sometimes pass as an onion ring. They were great.
A few things to bear in mind, if you’ll be visiting. 1) Cash only (they have an ATM on site). 2) No indoor seating, but they have dozens of tables all over the place. 3) They are open from March through October with extended hours from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Seriously, you have to see it and experience it for yourself.

Great food!
Line is always too long, people are often spilling out in to the road, the parking situation is awful, and there aren’t enough places to sit and eat. Three stars because I can go during non-​busy times and be okay but four stars if they can improve the parking and seating but let’s be straight, every time you drive by they’re always busy.

Harry’s is THE BEST!!! I have been coming here since I was a little kid and it is still one of my favorite places to go in the warmer months in CT. I LOVE the ride down to Colchester, love the town of Colchester, and love this awesome stand. It’s old fashioned and perfect and I hope it never changes. It really celebrates times gone by and they are cash only too :)
Great hot dogs, and great food all around. They have ice cream and shakes too! The perfect CT summer spot.

I love Harry’s Place I’ve been gone there for years that steal the way to the beach we went that way to miss Quannacut in Rhode Island cents 1960 and we always make sure we stopped at Harry’s Place it’s fantastic great cheeseburgers hamburgers french fries onion rings you will enjoy it believe me always had a Great time there on the way to the beach.

Good food cooked fast and perfectly!
The onion rings were excellent as well as the fried mozz. I didn’t get a burger but they smelled and looked good.
Harry’s Place has been around forever and everyone in the state seems to have eaten here, even my parents went there in the 50s!
Definitly a recomended summertime/​seasonal stop!

This place is an institution. I used to love coming here on the way to the beach. They have delicious signature juicy slider like burgers, excellent crispy fired and onion rings and clan strips. It is truly a signs of summer when you roll into Harry’s. Nothing has changed in all the years I have been going there. It is worth going out of your way to experience this joint. Service, food, and experience make it a truly enjoyable experience. Love.

Talk about a slice of Americana! Every town has a wendys or a mcdonalds… but this is locally owned fast food. Colchester style! located right on the main drag. looks like it should be situated right at the beach! Nothing fancy. no frills… just tasty summertime fun. I recently had the stacker bacon cheeseburger. Ok its $ 7.99…but it was very big, very juicy and very good. my wife had a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomatoes. we both enjoyed our meals. Split a small onion ring. Swore we smelled long island sound while eating! Help seems friendly enough… they have picnic tables/​benches on which to dine… plenty of parking… perfect spot to grab some grub… unless its raining.

Harry’s place is an institution in CT. I came here as a kid with my family as a lunch place while we were on our way to the beach. I used to think that Harry’s had the best burgers ever. While I’ve had some «gourmet» burgers elsewhere that are better, Harry’s still makes world class burgers, by the side of the road. They’re very old school and the food is awesome. It’s the kind of place you can find families eating alongside bikers and the guys who bring their classic cars. Their meat is farm fresh as are their rolls. If you don’t want a burger, they have hot dogs, fried calamari and even grilled cheeses for the kids. Want more? Get ice cream for dessert or a milkshake to wash down your meal. Skip their fries and get the onion rings. They’re the best rings I’ve ever had. Harry’s is a truly awesome place that everyone should eat at at least once or twice or a bunch of times.