Pilot House

this is a great little roadside place to get a bite to eat. the menu is simple (burgers, shakes, fries, cones), but all the food tastes very fresh and utterly delicious. I don’t typiclly eat this kind of food but bend my rules for The Pilot House. They only accept cash but there is an ATM right down the road. It’s open from April to September.

Joint # 77: THE PILOT HOUSE, Haddam, CT. The Pilot House has been owned by the same woman since opening it’s doors in 1945. Folks, that’s 70 years of pure, unaltered hot dog and hamburger goodness, captured in a quaint little roadside stand that still boasts the homemade relish that keeps people coming back year after year. This is the type of place your grandparents, parents, you and your children remember as never-​changing and completely nostalgic without ever trying to be. On our stop, the cook (s) didn’t seem too excited to sell/​prepare the dogs we ordered, but we were very excited to try them nonetheless. RATING (S):. J. Diggity Dog: 8/​10, Dog Man Sac: ⁸⁄₁₀. J. Diggity said, «Again we had our mustard, onion, sauce. This is a Hummel Bros dog, skinless, flat-​top griddle, pressed down, and then I believe after the fact, he split it. Bun was grille, buttered and grilled, held everything in nicely. Chili was okay, but it was purchased from Restaurant Depot (confirmed by cook). Homemade relish here — check that out. Spicy (relish) was good. Green was good and they also have a sweet, which is a celery… which I guess they’re really known for. It is a little different… it is crunchy because it had celery. It is really good too. Overall I liked the flavor of the dog; the way it was cooked. We had to dress up our own, so I added my own mustard, my own onion. I may have actually drowned out some of the chili flavor itself. I’m giving The Pilot House a J. Diggity 8.0 .» Dog Man said, «Cool establishment! — let’s get that out of the way (1933… oops, *correction* since 1945). This place has been here a long, long time. The original woman who started it, is still living next door. She still makes the homemade relish — so, that’s what they’re known for, let’s get that out of the way. We do give them props for that. It’s unique, very good, and it’s made with celery, which you don’t usually see in a relish. It has a crunchy texture. Definitely special. That aside, Hummel dog, skinless, on the griddle, sliced down the middle. Very, very good — great temperature on the dog. Cooked right. Bun was perfect. The chili was not up to our specs. with both taste and spice. It was kind of a thick, saucy type of a thing. We put on the mustard and onion. All things aside, I’m a Dog Man Sac 8, that’s a strict 8 and I recommend you come down here.»
***For more Hot Dog Reviews like this one, please LIKE us at

Great hamburger and hot dog shack on 154. I’ve been coming here for years and when it’s open it’s just another sign that summer is on the way!