Black Seal Seafood Grille — Restaurant in Essex

We’ve eaten at this restaurant for years every time we visited the cute historic town of Essex in CT. They used to have a great scallop dish on the menu and in general the food & service were very good. The quality of the food had been decreasing but tonite both food & service were horrible. We most likely will not return and it’s sad because we have such a long history and connection to this place.

Right from the start the table was soaking wet from the typical rag they wipe tables with all day long (not sure if they ever wash it in between). This probably applies to many restaurants. I had dry tissues in my purse and dried it off because I was grossed out when the waitress went to place our silverware on the wet table. The waitress was a relatively young woman and she seemed very rushed from the get go. That continued thru the entire dinner.

I tried to order a tilapia ”special” they had and she said they were out of tilapia but I can have it with fillet of sole. I said fine. My husband tried to order the wedge salad typically made with iceberg lettuce. She said they were out of iceberg lettuce but she can do it with romaine lettuce. We said fine. We ordered French onion soup and we asked for the cheese to be well done. It came out burnt and totally black. We wanted to share the salad but the server never offered an extra plate. We had to ask for it and she was nowhere to be seen for about 5 minutes. Then we noticed another table had a basket of bread. We asked the waitress if they offer bread. She said “I can get you some”. We had to wait. I guess if you don’t ask for it you won’t get it. The entrees came. My fish was burnt just like the cheese on the onion soup to the point where the top was hard and crusty. I had to flip it over to get the softer part underneath. I threw away about 40% of it because it wasn’t edible. Fish should be soft and flaky. This was nothing like that. My husband ordered a chicken dish that came with pasta. The waitress never offered grated cheese, we had to ask for it. It’s a pretty standard thing to ask a customer if they would like some grated parmesan when their dish is pasta. We had to wait for it and when she brought it in a tiny little plastic container she put it down on the table without stopping as she continued to run somewhere. Both our dishes were MEDIOCRE AT BEST. About a 4 out of 10. No taste, just there on the plate and a very rushed waitress that made us feel like we’re an imposition. We couldn’t wait to leave. THE BLACK SEAL NEEDS A NEW COOK WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND THE WAITRESS WE HAD NEEDS SOME SERIOUS TRAINING IN HOW TO TREAT AND MAKE CUSTOMERS ENJOY THEIR MEAL. I’ve gotten better food & service in a fast food place than this restaurant. NO COMPARISON TO WHAT IT USED...

I went there for Easter, the drink specials were totally awesome the bar keep was amazing, we ordered wild mushroom ravioli appetizers, very tasty, the three friends I was with ordered the specials and were good, i ordered fish and chips and totally disappointed, the fish was over cooked, the coating was soft and oily and the fish was warm, one bite and I couldn't go any farther, my friends tried it and were not happy with it, the waitress asked how everything was and I said the fish was not good and she just ignored that and asked if we'd like another drink, not sure if the food is good but I do know that our waitress was not good at her job at all, the place was not even busy, that should have been a heads up, I will give them another try my friends eat there regularly, but I will definitely ask for a different waitress if we are seated in her station, on the way out I talked with the bartender and thanked her for the great cocktails she was very pleasant...the fish is in the last picture it looks like over cooked chicken...

Came into Essex on a Saturday at 2:45pm and that’s where things went downhill. We were second in line and as we asked for a table for 2, we were left with an uncertain status if we had to wait or being seated. We stood for nearly 10 minutes without an answer as a line behind us grew and others in line asking what was going on. Meanwhile three empty tables were there for the taking.

After being seated, we waited 10 minutes, ready to make our order. Tables adjacent to us who were also seated all at once with us, were looking for waitresses or what seemed to be the owner/manager to take down an order. Once our order was taken, it took another 25 minutes for one burger and one chili. A table behind us left out of frustration. The chili came in alright but the burger was overcooked (as it would be for 25 minutes) and was greased to the rim.

Staff was pleasant but unequipped for a busy bar and lack of organization for a Saturday...