JULES on the Green — Restaurant in Essex

The staff is friendly and helpful, the patio outside is nice but loud with the passing traffic, the decor inside is clean, modern and contemporary.

My wife and I have been there twice now- I ordered the same thing each time, to see if there was any consistency- I got the Bendedict both times, the first time both eggs were over cooked, the eggs when cut into were completely gelled - but they tasted just fine. The potatoes were under seasoned for my liking- and I do like an aggressive seasoning to be fair. My wife who doesn't have the same flair for seasoning even said that they were bland. Asked for some ketchup and that worked for me. Overall taste on a scale of 1-5 = 3.5, If the eggs were cooked about 15-20 seconds less and the potatoes seasoned a little more, it would of been a great dish. My wife got the Shrimp Fra Diavolo, she enjoyed it, visually though we both agreed it was lacking, it didnt look that appetizing to me to want to try it, but my wife insisted it was good.

Our 2nd trip back- I got the Benedict- this time I was asked how I liked my eggs ( nice touch ) and I informed the waitress I liked them a little runny in the middle. When I got the dish, I noticed one perfectly cooked egg, and the 2nd egg was nearly half the size of the first- because the egg was taken out of the water too quickly and most of the egg white was broken off... they smothered it in Hollandaise sauce - which I didnt mind, just wish they quality control of the food going out was better. The potatoes again were under seasoned, I confirmed with my wife. My wife got the Pasta Primavera, which again didnt look visually appealing to me, but my wife again enjoyed it.

We got the Wings appetizers with the chef's sauce- we asked for extra crispy wings, and they came out ok, would be been better if the skin was crispier like we asked, but the flavor was great.

My wife and I both got drinks while we were there. One of their specials was a Strawberry lemonade (with Alcohol) was refreshing, but not worth $12, maybe $9-$10.

Overall the food is not bad- if the cooking gets more consistent we may go back a 3rd time for one last shot... or if someone that runs this place reads this review and comments that would be a great start too... the place has great potential, just needs some refinement in the cooking and visual appearance of the food (specifically the Benedict and Pasta dishes, which is all I can comment on) for the money you spend on the food, the appearance and taste should match, from the two times we have visited, I would say they are not at the...

When this restaurant first opened, we frequented the place on a fairly regular basis as we really enjoyed that they took food alelergies so seriously - not that we have any, but we defintely know peole who do. We wanted to support and although not convenient location for us, we'd still drive 25 minutes.

Initally it was friendly and although there were a few hiccups along the way, nothing that was so unexceptable that we wounld't do back.

However, in 2023 we came in for breakfast and was told that they didn't have any tables - there were multple tables open. I can understand not wanting to overwhelm staff or the kitchen, however Silvio was not friendly about it and was passive agressive when we said that we wouldn't mind waiting - (oh and by the way, Silvio is the owner!!!)

We decided at that point that we woul not bother to return - and we didn't until this past summer (2025) because we had friends who were staying in Essex. We made a reservation and the 5 of us went in...

the biggest issue, which drove me to write this review - one of my friends is a vegatarian. On their Summertime Specials there is a Grilled Cheese Flight - 4 different types of grilled cheeses to try what happened? Well the vegatrian wanted to order it, but one of the grilled cheeses had bacon in it- the request - can we order this without the bacon?

Waitress, "sorry but we aren't allowed to make any substitutions" Friend, "I understand, but I'm not asking to substitute anything, just omit an ingredient because I'm a vegatarian." W "I'm so sorry. I understand but we can't do that. Is there something else on themenue that may interest you?"

Now my friend isn't one to push back so quickly chose something else - which was medicore at best.

How can a restauarant who prides itself on taking care of allergies ignore this kind of request?

I didn't bother to ask, but the more we talked and thought about it amongst ourselves, the more we started toassume that many of the foods were probably pre-made and that would making subsituations nearly impossible. This thought is the only reasonable explaination as to why they refused to remove bacon from a grilled cheese for someone who is a vegetarian.

The rest of the food was ok - defintely put a damper on our visit with friends but we moved past it and had a great visit regardless. Aside from the food experience, with a bill over $225 with tip, with no alcohol just coffees - this will undoubtably be the last time we bother with this place. There is a need for a good, friendly and affordable place- this place is none of...

Pros: The Host was lovely, food tasted OK at best, and the atmosphere was nice but basic.

Cons: where to begin?

Food: while the food tasted alright (a bit basic, but something for everyone), the portions were TINY. I ordered the Florentine Pasta. Even though the pasta was a cream based sauce, I was starving after the meal. The portion was MAYBE 10-bites worth of food, and that’s if you ate one noodle at a time. For a +$20 pasta dish, this was disappointing. The food tasted okay, but the portion was paling in comparison. This was the same for all of the pasta dishes ordered at the table. The fish & chips were bland but crispy. The fries were decent though. The beer that someone ordered was maybe 8oz at best. 2/10.

Service: the host who I spoke to when placing the reservation was kind and welcoming. The same person was also kind when greeting us at the door. However the waitress was odd. She approached someone at the table, behind them, with their drink. To prevent the drink from being spilled on him, he tried to take the glass from her. She then, almost sternly, said to not touch the glass and that she was “capable” of doing it herself. It was a strange interaction. The food also came out in stages, two entrees at a time. Because of the timing, the people who received their food first had cold meals whereas the people who received it last had piping hot meals (6 of us were seated). The wait for the food lasted longer than the meal itself, likely due to the lack of it. 4/10

Atmosphere: very basic dining room in a half decent location. Lots of natural light. Music choices were odd. They describe themselves as “where casual meets sophisticated”, they take the “casual” too seriously. There is nothing about this place I would consider “sophisticated”. For a casual dinner it does it well. 5/10

When placing the reservation, I put down a $30 deposit since it was a busy weekend. However, many tables were empty. Why even put this money up front if there simply was no need? This deposit contributed towards our bill, which came out to around $200 total. While the host was nice and food tasted fine, the $200 price tag for comically small portions, mediocre food, and rude waitstaff simply does not make this place worth it. I’m surprised at the reviews this place received and will be surprised if it stays open. It...