Ancient Mariner

Love this place. Laid back atmosphere and the food was awesome. My wife had the stuffed lobster, which was huge, and I had the fried clams, which were fantastic. Our service was spot on and the bartender pours a nice drink. I’ll stop here everytime I’m in town.

Cozy, loved that they were within walking distance from the B&B we stayed at (Steamboat Inn). Really good selection of food & drinks. Loved my dinner special Lobster Pot Pie! Big chunks of Lobster in a bisque-​like base with bite size veggies with an almost cracker like crust over. Delicious!

We had a nice double date here. The four of us are relatively local but had never been so here is what we think: the service was ok. The server told us about twelve times she’d be right with us before she actually stopped to take our drink order. Which I guess was ok considering we were not in a rush, but would have liked a cocktail to sip on either way. The dark and stormy was super gingery I like it but was almost too much for my friend. The stuffed oyster app was good, full of bay scallops and little shrimp, the oyster kind of disappears in the mix, you only get three. I wish it was 4, it’s an even number, that way you don’t have to try to split one to share and make it fair. Their calamari was plentiful and delicious they cleaned the plate. I think I’ll get that if there is a next time. I had the Stonington scallops they were perfectly cooked, heavy on the butter light on the breadcrumb. My man had the ½ stuffed lobster it was a special that day, it was only ok. The other two ordered a steak rare and it sure was rare and tender no complaints there. The lobster pot pie was huge! Had a nice crust on top, big chunks of lobster in almost a bisque like gravy/​sauce. The mashed potatoes that came with ¾ of the plates were thick and dry. At least they were real mashed not from a box.
It’s pretty standard New England food. Very nautical décor. Nothing I would hurry back in for but nothing I would avoid either.

disappointing food. off season but seemed to be a bit stressed out at the bar. would like to try again but will wait until it is warmer I guess

Really enjoyed this place! Very sweet décor, friendly wait staff and big menu with lots of choices. Happy hour between 3 – 6 with great craft beer half price. Clam chowder was excellent, Prince Edward Mussels were great and the Cajun burger was also excellent.
We were very happy to come across this delightful restaurant!

Came here for lunch during a weekend trip to Mystic. As we entered, the hostess was looking down and ignored us for a few minutes, then after a cold greeting we were seated. Our food came out fast and was ok — not bad, but not spectacular. I had a lobster roll. The meat was very chewy and brioche too dense — not a great combination. Burgers were OK, a bit on an overcooked side even though we ordered medium. For my daughter I ordered crustless PB&J sandwich. What came out was a tiny triangle. I guess someone thought crustless meant sideless and only left the middle. I pointed the size to the waiter, but he said it was normal. We ordered another portion as the trimmed version was not enough for her. The best part was the ambiance, everything else left much to be desired.

There are four restaurants the wife and I frequent in Mystic area the boathouse the Harbor House Anthony Jay’s and the ancient mariner. The ancient mariner is one of our favorites great variety great atmosphere good prices that’s what keeps us going back. Dan and Dot

This joint is one of my standbys in Mystic. There is no pretense in the restaurant. It has an oldtime feel, though it is a newer restaurant. I have had great service each time I’ve gone. I’ve ordered entrees and burgers. Both have been amazing.
The burger I ordered recently was amazing. It was extremely juicy and flavorful. I’ve also ordered paella, and it was terrific. Nothing was overcooked, which is hard to do with shellfish.
I will go again. I really love this place.

Stopped in for dinner and tried the fried mozzarella and calamari from the app menu which is ½ priced everyday from 3−6pm. Pretty good deal. Then for the main course had the crab cake sandwich and my wife had the scallops which were local from Stonington. Huge portions and the food was tasty. Had live music on the Sunday night we were there as well with people interacting with the music duo from the bar. Fun time and would definitely would recommend.

One night in Mystic and on our walk through the town found this place and as they had ½ price items before 6pm decided to give it a go. We weren’t disappointed either only that we had TOO much food. We ordered the pork sliders and calamari from the pub snack menu thinking they’d be smaller options but they definitely weren’t. Together with a plate of fish ‘n chips we were more than satisfied when we left. Highly recommend this place.

Solid bar experience thanks to the incredible bartender. She was not only taking orders at the bar and all of the tables in the bar area, but also making all the drinks. And she made a joke about my Oregon license — bonus! Many strong and delicious dark-​and-​stormies were enjoyed during our visit to the Ancient Mariner… I hope to make it back there sometime soon!

Food was painfully average and expensive. I had a burger that was pretty good but they charged us $ 8 for a small plate of broccoli for my three year old daughter. My husband ordered a steak and when it arrived it was covered in a thick layer of «aioli» which was just mayonnaise. Gross. He wiped it off and said the steak was average. The waitress and staff were very nice and friendly but you could tell there weren’t enough of them because they were running around all night but we had to wait for everything!

My boyfriend and I have been sick all night after eating here. We should have sent back the cold-​in-​the-​center beef and cheese croquettes but I didn’t want to make a fuss. Lesson learned.

This was our fourth time here in the past few years. Tonight was the best visit yet! The bread that was served before dinner had a great flavor and a nice toast. My daughter ordered the kids Mac and cheese it was freshly made there it wasn’t from a box, it was so cheesy she loved it. My husband ordered the grilled prime rib. It’s the left over prime rib from the night before but they grill it so it gets a nice crust similar to an end cut. I ordered the shrimp scampi over linguini which was amazing. A lot of places it’s so oily it’s hard to eat but this sauce was creamy. Our server Jami was spot on the entire time!!! She was really helpful with our menu selection because we were so undecided!!! I’m a server as well so I’m a hard one to impress but she was really great!!! We will definitely be back our next trip to mystic.

We came in as a family in the later afternoon for late lunch/​early dinner. Waitstaff was good, the food was very good. We had some raw oysters, ahi tuna, burger, the kids had mac & cheese and a burger. The mac & cheese was baked, which my wife and I enjoyed, but our kids only liked the baked part and not the creamy part. I wouldn’t say this is a «kids/​family» restaurant, as I am sure it gets packed during prime dinner and happy hour, but we saw other families there and at the time we were there, it worked out great. They were very helpful and we did not feel embarrassed when our 17 month old started yelling loudly.
Right smack in the middle of Main St. makes it accessible also. I had a Painkiller rum drink which was perfect and went with the surroundings.

Delicious food and great service. My new favorite place to eat in Mystic. The salmon burger was fantastic!
Pleasant ambience. Not stuffy or pretentious. Excellent wait staff and manager.
Kudos!

Went there for dinner, walked in off Main Street. The restaurant looks very nice and is inviting, décor and atmosphere is very nice.
We enjoyed it there, the food was ok, seemed a little over priced for what you got, also drinks were very odd compared to what is normal to me. I ordered a Cadillac Margarita and the server asked me what is was… We told her the bartender should know… The margarita came back made with orange juice, which is not correct.
The food was decent, the best thing they have going is the atmosphere. Our server seemed a little odd and we had to keep asking for items we needed and the place was empty… You decide.

If you’re looking for savory and delicious, keep looking. Only thing good about this place was customer service. It is over priced and over rated. I got paella-​tasteless. It was rice with butter with seafood… No seasoning, no salt… Nothing. My friend’s lobster roll was tough to the point where she could hear it crunch… Too much bread not enough lobster. Other food like Lobster Bake and Fruite De Mare was passible: very bland. Toi expensive for such bland food.
But they did take Paella off the check when I told them I dont like it so that was nice of them.

We arrived here from another popular restaurant that had along wait. They promised us a table on15 minutes but 30 minutes later they still hadn’t delivered. I called here and got our party of 5 in immediately!
The food was very good. I enjoyed the hot lobster roll will melted butter. It was stuffed to overflowing with perfectly cooked lobster meat. It came with tasty real French fries and slaw. I barely touched them in favor of the lobster. One must focus on priorities!
I also enjoyed the clam chowder and clams on the half shell for apps.
The lobster Mac and cheese was well received but hubby said it wasn’t as full of lobster as the one he had at The Port Restaurant in Newport! He still longs for a repeat if that!
The service was not attentive but because the food was good I will return.

We frequent a lot of Mystic Restaurants as out boat is at a local marina. We hit this location on a Monday night. The décor is lovely with a nautical theme that someone put a lot of effort into (onion lamps, oars, wainscoting). They have a mix of wooden seats and tables and comfy booths adjacent to the bar area-​sports 2 TVs also.
My complaint was that the restaurant is very DARK. You just cannot see the décor and the menus! Guess I am getting older –but compared to other locations it is dark. Too much so for my taste.
Chowder, fries, lobster rolls, burgers, drinks and nachos were very acceptable. Our server was attentive and informative. The meal arrived quickly and the lemonade and ice tea drink free refills were appreciated by the older teens in tow.
Turn the lights up!