Gelston House — Restaurant in East Haddam

Pretty sure I ate at Gelston House more times (FIVE!) prior to writing this review than any other place. I am giving 3 stars and one of those stars is for the location. Specifically they’re getting a star for the fact that you can dine outside on a patio with a full, lovely bar overlooking The Connecticut River and across to The Goodspeed Opera House. Which is the only reason to dine at Gelston House. The restaurant is directly next to/adjacent to the Goodspeed. So if you are seeing a show at Goodspeed you can just walk across the sidewalk and dine at Gelston House before or after.

And that is why I found myself at Gelston House 5 times between September and October this year. I had a friend performing in “The 12” at Goodspeed and I attended the Wednesday matinee every week of the two month run. He and I had lunch together at Gelston House after the matinee. One week my parents attended the matinee and we all had lunch out on that LOVELY patio. Which was the only time we sat at a table. Every other time we sat at that outdoor bar. When the weather “turned” the outdoor bar was closed for the season and we had to decamp to the indoor bar.

I DO NOT recommend that indoor bar. Really terrible, tiny, outdated, sad furnishings/design/vibe.

I did not eat in the dining room.

Food is okay. Solidly mediocre. Twice I was served dishes that contained visibly “not fresh” greens. Which, you know, is easy to avoid: just pick the yellow and brown out before you send it out.

Running a restaurant is neither easy nor cheap. I know, I do it. Charge what you need to charge, but your prices should also reflect quality of food and dining experience. Mainly they do not at Gelston House. God Help Me that I should say anything about a restaurant’s pricing. You should just know that if I am saying something about it that means I actually noticed it. Bad Sign. Because I dine out every chance I get and will pay whatever I need to pay to eat where and what I want…

The “underlying problem” at Gelston House is the place is being operated on the completely outdated, hierarchical, “top down,” restaurant management system: There is a visible lack of leadership on the floor. They are not even remotely understaffed. There were people everywhere working every time we ate. But it was a STRUGGLE to be served. Even sitting at the bar. Which is usually a “hack:” If you sit at the bar the bartender is right there so you can always get what you need. Not here. This comes down solely to training and management. In a restaurant every, single thing that is wrong with your experience comes from The Top.

Believe me.

I do not want to have to struggle to get more water or another drink or a napkin. Every. Visit.

Banging Shrimp: zero “bang.” LOL Weird, battered, fried little shrimps with zero seasoning.

Lobster Tacos: not bad. Also not great.

Fish Tacos: IMO the best thing on the menu. Full of fresh, tasty ingredients and 3 to the order.

Salad Nicoise: Very good, if you get fresh greens.

Ceviche: skip it. A dish like this is beyond the capabilities of this restaurant.

Tina’s Garden Salad: GREAT SALAD. Again, someone needs to pay attention to the greens.

Overall Dining Experience: semi...

Went for dinner prior to a show next door, We made reservations but then asked to sit outside and had no idea it was a different Pub type menu, but when we asked about sitting outside the waitress sat down, pointed to the door and said, out and round to the back. "Great Service" NOT !! I fully understood why only three tables had customers in the entire restaurant. Once we got to the back we were seated, and only about half the tables had customers "Strange for a Saturday Night" we finally ordered and were very disappointed. I ordered shrimp 4 came for $13.00 a bit pricey but none-the-less a bit tough. We waited a while for apps to show up. We ordered the Pub Dinners, which was 2 - Fish and Chips and 1 - Fish Tacos, a round of drinks for 3 people, and it took close to 45 minutes. Tables next to us said they've been waiting even longer. Once dinner was served, I asked for a set of sliver ware and another round of drinks. 25 - 30 minutes later they were clearing the dinner plates and the drinks finally showed up. So did my silverware. By then dinner was cold and I preferred to have dinner with my friends not to sit there after everyone's done and shovel dinner down my throat. The waitress took my dinner off when she realized I wasn't eating, but with 3 apps, 2 pub style and french fry dinners, and 2 rounds of drinks, then coffee and 1 desert for one of my companions, dinner was $154.00 without tip. I left the cost of my dinner and a full tip. We went back for drinks after the show, and waited 25 minutes (believe me I bartended for years and there was not 20 minutes worth of orders a head of us. Finally we got the drinks, and NOT ONE of them was right ! Come on the place is beautiful, and it had a reputation of being the standard for all others to follow, now it has slipped well below standard. The Food was just ok. In speaking with friends who have been many time, they have all said the same thing, THEY AVOID it now at all costs, it's not worth the price paid, and the service just isn't good anymore. I can see I should have listened...

We had come a distance with a friend to see a Friday evening show at the Goodspeed Opera House. Since the show ended at 10:30 p.m., we decided to stay overnight, and what could be more convenient than the Gelston House located right next door? Convenient? Yes. But what a disaster of a hotel!||||We rented two of their four rooms, 201 and 303. Each had serious issues. ||||First of all, to reach the rooms, one has to be able to climb numerous steep steps, 19 to the second floor, and about 14 even narrower and steeper steps to the third. Our older friend opted for 201 after struggling up the stairs, only to find that the heat in the room was not functioning well. The room was lukewarm at best with the vent blowing cool air, and after several requests for help with it, someone came but was unable to fix it, so we gave up.||||Up to Room 303, where the door lock was extremely difficult to open (we needed assistance to even get in the room). Once in, we were confronted with a dark, dingy room (only two small bedside lamps), with dirty socks on the closet floor, and pathetic assorted thin-wire hangers. The dresser in the room had three or four drawers - with knobs on only one side and empty holes where the other side's knobs should have been. ||||The bathroom was populated with 15, count them, 15 little bottles of shampoo - but no other amenities other than a little bar of soap. The water in the sink barely dribbled out, and we didn't even dare try the shower.||||But the piece de resistance was when we tried to go to sleep. I could not find a top bed sheet, so all we had to cover ourselves was the harshest, scratchiest bedspread we have ever had. But that wasn't the worst. Outside the window was an exhaust/heating fan that droned on loudly all night, disrupting our sleep. If you have any plans to sleep in this hotel, do NOT choose Room 303!||||As another traveler mentioned, there was no one in sight when we left in the morning, so we just dropped the keys and made a hasty exit. Believe me, we have crossed this place...