The Captain Daniel Packer Inne

I have spent many fun nights in the bar on the bottom floor. I love the ambience, staff, and food, plus they have live entertainment seven nights a week with no cover charge ever! On Tuesdays local musicians Dan Watson and Izzy Malek alternate for a solo acoustic show, and every Wednesday is James Harris with his guitar and rubber chickens! Thursday brings the Ian Kelly Jazz Trio. These are the most frequent nights I have gone but they do have entertainment the other nights too; the schedule is available online. (Note: Entertainment schedule can change due to illness, vacation, or other reasons, and sometimes differs in the summertime. If you have your heart set on a specific artist check the schedule or call ahead to confirm.)
Tuesday night is also koozi night: buy a DPI koozi for $ 10 and receive a discount on many bottled and canned beers on Tuesday after 9:00pm. They have been doing this promotion for many years and there’s no sign they’ll be retiring it anytime soon. (Important: you must bring your koozi to receive the promotion. If you lost it or left it at home they cannot apply it for you that evening.)
The staff are friendly and add to the enjoyment immensely. The ambience is cozy and intimate: it feels like a colonial inn with an aged wooden feel, and the candlelight of real oil lamps romantically illuminates each table. There is a prime rib special on Tuesdays, with other food specials other days. (But call ahead, as they do run out sometimes.) The garlic bread is awesome: they give you a garlic clove, butter, and bread. In wintertime there is a fireplace that will keep you warm.
Despite that the name includes the word «inne,» there is no lodging (though there apparently was at one time during this building’s long and colorful history), so, as always, make sure to drink responsibly. It is easy to make new friends at the Captain Daniel Packer Inne. You will have a lot of fun, meet interesting people, and enjoy delicious food, as I have many many times!
My experience has primarily been with the bar downstairs and my review focuses on this. But there is also plenty of elegant dining room space on two floors above. My designation as «good for groups» applies to this upstairs dining room. Capacity in the bar is limited to around twenty table seats total for seven tables, with an additional fifteen bar stools, and standing area. However, the upstairs restaurant space can accommodate large groups.

I truly recomand DPI It’s a great place to grab lunch their crab cakes were delicious compare with other places, they have wonderful variety of beers my husband love them and fresh cocktails it’s like stepping out in old times, a very rustic NE style small and cozy. For sure will be back soon!

Stopped in for dinner last night. Sat down at a table, saw two ants on a napkin on the table, got up and left. Nice looking place otherwise.

I was really disappointed in this place. Not so much for the food but for the service. Me and a group of 5 friends came to dinner. Our waitress seemed to be very friendly and accommodating. We got the bill which came to $ 340. I treated everyone, so I paid and tipped the waitress what I thought I was a appropriate. I gave her $ 45. Not realizing it was below the recommended 15−18%. I handed her the bill and she brought the bill folder back demanding to know what was wrong with her service. I was truly insulted at being confronted like that over tipping a waitress $ 45. I realize now I was about $ 6 or so dollars short, but I didnt think it warranted that type of response. Like I said I was insulted and will not return.
I had a scallop and risotto dish with some sort of cole slaw on top. The cole slaw was very bland but the rest of the dish was tasty. I also enjoy a pretty good espresso martini.

An older house with a rich historical background is the setting for solid, consistent food and attentive service.
I liked that my water glass was kept full without having to ask. The salad I ordered contained wonderful plump roasted tomatoes and jalapeños which I don’t remember being listed in the description (beware) but its crowning glory was the creamy, delicious portion of buffalo mozzarella! So good! My steak had a wonderful wood fire flavor and, while cooked to perfection, had an unfortunate swath of gristle running through it.
My dining companions seemed contented enough with their meals, consisting of duck, salmon and wonderful servings of fresh assorted oysters for appetizers.
I will go here again and try something else off the menu. I am confident it will be a most pleasant experience.

This review is for the downstairs tavern area.
The first thing that struck me about this place was the extremely cramped seating area. The interior décor is great, very old New England colonial feel to it, but there is very little room down there. It’s a «seat yourself wherever you can» kind of place. We must have walked in and out four times hoping for seating, because there is no space to wait and watch inside.
After a short wait, our party of five jammed into a corner booth. The drink selection was definitely the best part. They have an extensive selection of beers, cocktails, cider, and wine, in a multi-​page list. They carry a hard root beer which is very good, and a hibiscus martini which was also well liked. The dinner menu had a reasonable variety of items, and looked promising, but ended up being a bit overpriced for what you get. I had the crab mac n cheese, which was on the disappointing side. The crab tasted more like ham, the pasta was cooked just a bit shy of done, and the sauce had an overabundance of onions. The meat dishes had by the rest of the table seemed good, but the salads were lacking anything special. The dessert, the Xango, went down well to finish a meh kind of meal.
Overall it was basically decent. I liked the atmosphere better than the food, and it seems like a great place to hang out for drinks. I don’t know if I’d come again for dinner.

The women in my family are horrible at making Mother’s Day reservations, and wait till last minute. We had heard about the Mother’s Day brunch at Captain Daniels and thought to try and make last minute reservations. They were able to get us in at a great time! The menu for the Mother’s Day brunch looked absolutely DELICIOUS. I order the portobello stuffed mushroom as a starter, and it was probably the best stuffed mushroom I’ve ever had in my life. The cheese that they stuffed it with melted in your mouth and the mushroom was cooked perfectly. For the entrée I ordered the New England seafood dinner. My mother also ordered that and has a huge aversion to butter and garlic. When asked if it could be cooked with out it, expecting a no, the waiter said absolutely! We both were soooo happy with the way our meals came out. Mine was nice and buttery while hers was not. But the seafood was cooked to perfection. The corn was delicious as was the potatoes. For dessert we ordered the apple pie and crème brûlée. Both of those were rich and full of flavor. Not only was our food and experience wonderful, our waiter Sean (sorry if misspelled) was GREAT. He was quick to answer any of our questions and pretty entertaining! Made us laugh and provided excellent customer service. After looking at other reviews and pictures of this place, I would absolutely love to come back and try the other items they have on their regular menu.

A mystic favorite and we could see why. We all had the lobster special of the evening. And topped it off with the flourless chocolate torte. And I was able to have another alcoholic root beer. (I want to try that sometime with vanilla ice cream aka a root beer float with alcohol!!) Roll us out of here because we all were stuffed with great food.

What a terrific lunch! We started with the calamari, which was some of the best we’ve ever had. Gently crisped with a cream sauce that had just the right amount of heat.
Hubs had the fish and chips — handbreaded fish and handcut fries and made from scratch slaw. I had the Burratta salad but had to sub Manchego cheese because I can’t do soft dairy. I added salmon to my salad as a protein.
Truly an excellent lunch and if I lived in the area, I’d be here all the time.
Everything made by hand with great care and skill. My compliments to the new chef!
The ambiance was also cool — like a snapshot into Colonial times.

I have been here many times. I’ve been here on dates, been here for girls night out, been here for the Mystic Irish Parade. I’m a regular. When I moved to Noank/​Mystic I didn’t know many people and came here with a friend after Art After Dark one night. We made friends with the staff and had one of their specialty seasonal fall drinks which was delicious. We kept going back and it then became our «cheers» haha. They have live music almost every night after 10. The food is amazing. The staff is friendly. The atmosphere makes you feel as if you are about to see a salty old sea captain or a pirate walk in at anytime! I’ve always met interesting people when I’ve been there and the majority of patrons are friendly. It can be romantic and cozy for a date. The downstairs pub is small so it can get tight, but that’s part of the charm. The upstairs dinning room is also nice and cozy and has lots of New England charm. Love this place!

We wanted to try this place out based on previous Unilocal reviews and glad we did. We sat in the pub and really like the atmosphere with the fire going. The menu was big and apparently there is another menu for the upstairs part of the restaurant. As a table, we had Mediterranean pasta, steak tip sandwich with sweet potatoes fries, po boy and a burger with regular fries. Everyone really seemed to enjoy their meals! I had the Mediterranean pasta and it had feta, kalamata olives, tomatoes, spinach, artichokes and a basil pasta sauce. It was so good and I didn’t even add any meat or anything. I snuck some sweet potatoes fries as well and those were pretty good. On the sweeter side for sure. The service was good and the prices were nice. If we lived locally, we would definitely return to try more on the menu!

DPI is a must stop on the Mystic Resturant List, would recommend the upstairs restaurant over the downstairs bars, but either is works for a great meal.

March 13 2016
I got the fruit of the sea. Amazing service and excellent food. Half off wine on Sunday

My husband and I stopped here for a late lunch on the recommendation of a local — and we are so glad we did! We ate in the basement space/​bar, which we found cozy, rustic and full of character. The seating at both bar and table were limited, so we had to wait to be seated, but during that time my husband was delighted with the draft beer selection. As a bonus — on Sundays all local beers are half-​off! — so that was a nice surprise.
Once seated, we had terrific service from a super-​friendly and warm waiter who was both attentive and had great recommendations based on his knowledge of the menu. My husband ordered the French onion soup and the stuffed portabella mushroom appetizer, and I had the warm lobster roll. The soup rich and hearty with onions, generously covered in cheese that was baked to bubbly and golden brown. The portabella mushroom was stuffed with a warm cheese spread and bread stuffing, drizzled with a balsamic, and my husband raved after every bite. My lobster roll sandwich was superb! The big toasted roll was overflowing with warm chunks of lobster meat — knuckle and claw! — and served with drawn sherry butter that might be the tastiest thing I have ever had. There was so much sandwich, I didn’t even really touch my fries — but the few bites I had were great.
Terrific service! Great beer list (and specials)! Outstanding service! Delicious food!
We can’t wait to go back.

«Captain Daniel Packer Inne «est probablement l’un des endroits les plus connus de Mystic car un pub bâti il y a environ 250 ans par le capitaine lui-​même, le long de la rivière, un endroit qui n’a que peu changé dans sa structure quoique restauré en 1980. Un bâtiment de style colonial hollandais qui se trouve dans la partie du «Fort Rachel «de ce village. Au premier une table plutôt réputée avec une décoration traditionnelle de la Nouvelle Angleterre avec rideaux et antiquités; au rez-​de-​chaussée le pub où nous sommes allés prendre un apéritif.
Un pub ou taverne qui nous rappellera immédiatement le Royaume-​Uni car la décoration est plutôt semblable à certains établissements des campagnes avec des murs de briques. Un lieu où l’on peut également manger mais qui probablement sert une cuisine différente de la table du dessus.
C’est donc au bar que nous nous sommes installés apprenant que nous sommes encore dans une période «happy hour «, jusque 17 :00 seulement… car ici on commence à diner à cette heure-​là… En dehors des grandes villes et encore, il est coutume aux Etats-​Unis de diner plutôt tôt. Un bar avec une efficace serveuse qui propose une belle sélection de bières à la pression mais qui nous signale que les vins à la carte sont à 50%.
La carte des vins est plutôt intéressante et nous profiterons de découvrir un vin blanc du Connecticut, un chardonnay en 2014 du domaine Jonathan Edwards. Un vin fort plaisant avec une certaine complexité minérale, une légère note boisée.
On vient ici pour prendre un verre dans une superbe ambiance, peut manger dans la taverne ou alors monter au premier étage pour une cuisine plus sophistiquée. t

This review is for the pub section of DPI.
Nice selection of beers on tap. Lots of seats crammed into a basement space so it felt more crowded than cozy. Wait staff seemed familiar with the local crowd, sometimes so familiar I felt like an outsider intruding on a family get together.
My friend and I tried two beers each. Both were good and the bartender had a good enough grasp of what he was selling to explain what each would taste like. We sat there long enough for me to see a woman sitting next to me finish off a soggy looking burger and another woman sit down and order tiger shrimp that just seemed like regular large, shrimp served with a slice of buttered bread.
After being served the bartender hardly noticed us again. He seemed very concerned with chatting up his buddies and other wait staff that stopped by for a quick drink between tables.
I’d go there again for a beer but I don’t think I’d want to eat there. The ambiance has a crowded pub feel but there’s only warmth for the regulars.

My wife and I came here for dinner on our trip to Mystic, CT and it didn’t disappoint! The restaurant looks like it was created from an old house, turned into a two-​story dining establishment. There’s a bar on the first floor (very small, but quaint. Very «cozy» feel, if you will) with a bunch of tables on the second floor. We made reservations for 6pm, and arrived about 5:40 and were seated right away. Oh, they have one person walking around making sure your ice water was always filled to the rim too…
Our server was extremely polite and took our drink order right away. We ordered a bottle of Artesa Carneros Chardonnay and it was yummy! We were then served warm bread with butter and roasted garlic to spread it on. YUMMY!!! My wife absolutely loved that!
I ordered the Seafood Fruit de Mer… Shrimp, scallops, littleneck clams and mussels sautéed with artichoke hearts, capers, sweet red peppers and sliced olives in a roasted garlic, fresh basil and lemon broth tossed with linguine. Very nice portion of seafood and the linguine was cooked to perfection! My wife ordered the Truffle Scallops… Fresh Bomster’s Stonington sea scallops dredged in seasoned flour, pan seared with asparagus tips and roasted tomatoes in a black truffle citrus butter. Served over DPI mashed potatoes and that didn’t disappoint her either! Food was simply delish!!!
No matter what time of year, you should make reservations… Especially in the nice months of the year. We did get seated prior to our reservation time, but I assume that had to do with the time of the year. This place is very busy, even in November, so I recommend a reservation. They also have convenient parking real close (and if you’ve ever been to Mystic, you know the parking is tight and can be a nightmare…).
Bottom line. Perfect dining experience on all levels. Priced just right for the location. Food took a tad bit longer then you’d expect (but I think that was due to a bunch of tables being sat at the same time…), but it’s SO worth the wait. I saw other dishes being served, and they all looked really yummy and hearty! You don’t come to a place like this to eat and run. Enjoy the ambiance and a few glasses of wine with your best friend :-). Highly recommend this restaurant! We’ll most definitely be back!!! Thanks to my fellow Unilocal!ers on their reviews of this place, which my wife saw and brought us here :-)

Thank you Unilocal!This place was so unique. Atmosphere was old and cozy. Candlelit tables in small rooms. Service was great. Our waitress was so friendly. Dinner comes with warm bread and roasted garlic with butter. Delicious! We could have made a meal out of just that. I had the scallops with truffle sauce. Omg! So yummy! Only thing is I think for the price of dinner, $ 32, they should include a salad. Overall very nice dinner in a very unique setting.

A picture paints a thousands words. Shrimp on top lobster ravioli. Hubby & dad had fish chip & plate the same. People next had lobster roll and scallops in truffle oil plate ended up empty as well.
Where do we go for dinner. Clear winner and had to post the before plate. Again everyone plates emptied.

This review is only for downstairs in the tavern section of the restaurant. I can’t speak for upstairs, I just peaked in for a second and didn’t even really look at the menu.
This is obviously a place loved by the locals, and a bit off the beaten path, which is the precise reason we chose it. The place was filled to the brim and we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, not bad at all given it was a Saturday night. The wife grabbed a seat at the bar and I stood behind her. It’s a really tight space, but we’re kind of used to that where we’re from. The bartender was super friendly even though she was obviously very busy. We had one beer at the bar and then sat at a table. The menu is really pretty extensive for a bar menu and definitely more than I thought.
We started with the tenderloin bruschetta, it was HUGE and also delicious! We were almost full after this thing. So good though. I asked the waitress to help me between the burger and Truffle Chicken sandwich. She said the chicken sandwich because you can get a burger anytime anywhere, and she was spot on. It was fantastic, fair warning, if you don’t like truffle or mushrooms don’t get this, it had a distinct mushroom taste (which I happen to love). The wife got the crab and cheese and she said it was very good with lots of crab meat (she’s from Maryland, she knows her some crab). The server was so friendly and sweet. Drinks were really reasonably priced as well as the food. The place has a ton of character downstairs. I loved it.
Be warned, if you aren’t eating, they will boot you from a table. Which makes sense because there are so few, it happened to some people who came in and sat down next to us.
Overall we will definitely be back next time we are in Mystic!

The DPI as the locals call it, was recommended to us by a friend who has docked his boats in Mystic for years. In the late fall, we attempted to grab a drink and some apps in the pub but it was packed with a 45 minute wait which we opted to pass on. Today we stopped for lunch, a belated Valentines celebration, since the snow kept us from our original plans.
There are two dining areas to the Daniel Packer Inn and this will be a review of the down stairs Tavern or Pub. There is a large bar where you can dine or enjoy a cocktail or beer but somewhat limited seating in the pub itself. I’d say there were 4 large corner booths that can accommodate up to 6 each then 4 – 6 smaller tables which seated 2 guests, maybe 3 squeezed in.
This would not deter me in the future but it is probably a wait for a table often.
We were seated immediately and greeted by a friendly very efficient waitress. We ordered cocktails (why not, it was a belated celebration!) I had a delicious citrus based martini and my husband ordered a grapefruit martini, both very generous and tasty, served in metal not glass martini «glass». A little pricey for a pub but I guess Mystic is considered a tourist stop.
We each ordered soup; my husband had the daily special, a butternut soup with cranberry crème fraîche, while I had the New England clam chowder. Both were piping hot and delicious. The chowder was very thick, almost a purée of potato, not chunks of potato but seasoned well.
For our main courses I ordered the Seafood Risotto while my husband had the maple glazed Salmon. Both were excellent. The risotto had shrimp, a good portion of lobster meat and lightly sautéed scallops, along with sundried tomatoes. This dish for the price, contained a good amount of shellfish and was very filling for a luncheon portion. The salmon was perfectly prepared, served with a bacon chutney and wild rice side. My husband really enjoyed it!
We were stuffed but I spied a delicious looking Crème Brûlée at a neighboring table and talked my hub into splitting it. It was superb!
This was an excellent meal. especially for a «pub or tavern». They have a very large menu for lunch, offering many options for apps, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Several diners around us had burgers which looked great or fish and chips which they seemed to enjoy! We will definitely be back to try some of their other offerings,