Sayulita — Restaurant in Essex

Sayulita puts more emphasis on how the menu looks on paper than the quality of what they actually serve. On a recent visit to try them out we ordered their salsa, guacamole and chips to start. The dips were fine, not exceptional. But they ended up being the best part of the meal.

I don't know why a Mexican styled restaurant would not make their own tortilla chips. It's disappointing to get way too many of the same chips you can buy at Stop and Shop. But then the wheels really came off the cart.

My wife and I ordered 5 tacos between us so there was some variety to choose from. It's not like they gave us some good and some not so good food. It was all prepared with a kind of obvious indifference that made the 100 dollar bill for the lunch seem unfair.

They served each taco on 1 regular small soft taco shell which also seemed manufactured as opposed to hand-made. The toppings were at least 2 times too large for the shells so you could not eat them by hand. But the toppings themselves were truly just not very good.

The battered fish of baja taco was the size of half a banana and, rather than crispy, was just gummy like the battered fish you get frozen and reheat. To make matters worse, they topped it with what seemed like at least 1/4 cup of pickled red onions which, apart from being a massive flavor overkill, also seeped more juices over the already pathetic fish blob. Then they added a massively indiscriminate amount of an aoili that sounded good on the menu but just turned the whole taco-ish experience into an awful pile of slippery meh-fish (which should be a genre).

The taco that sounded interesting but completely flamed out on re-entry was the octopus. It sounded adventuresome and probably could have been in the hands of anyone paying a bit of attention to what was landing on the plate. It ended being an oversized pile of octopus medallions drenched beyond recognition in a green pesto-like sauce (cilantro?) that so completely overtook the whole experience that I found myself looking for pieceds of octopus to clean off just to try to taste them.

The other dishes were equally oversized, unbalanced, careless preparations slapped together with all the thought of a last-minute hallmark card birthday gift. And then you pay for that. Yeah for them.

The decor is nice and I'm sure people like the Magaritas but there are some really special places in this state to get Mexican style food and this definitely not...

I visited Sayulita in Centerbrook for the first time with my sister. The interior of the restaurant is very new, clean, and aesthetic. The staff is friendly, patient and attentive.

We started with the chips, guac and salsa which didn’t disappoint. My sister ordered a daily special margarita (the hibiscus margarita) and said it was very good and fresh. I believe the margarita was priced around $12 which was reasonable.

We each ordered 2 a la carte tacos which tasted decent, however, the little street tacos are $8 each which is overpriced. You’re definitely paying for the restaurant atmosphere rather than the actual taco. The Al pastor taco was pretty good and the carne asada taco would have been better if the caramelized onions weren’t so overwhelming. I love caramelized onions so I do not have an aversion to them; the onion to meat ratio was just simply off. I also bit into some chunks of sugar - not sure if they topped the onions with sugar because I could see it right on the onions or if it didn’t dissolve completely when they cooked/reheated the onions for serving. We also tried a side of the borracha beans which weren’t bad, they had flavor and were pretty spicy. Not my fave but that’s probably just taste preference.

We finished with the churros which were absolutely delicious. I wouldn’t even mind if the churros came plain, or half plain half cinnamon/sugar because there’s plenty of added sweetness to be had from the chocolate sauce and dolce de leche.

I would return so that I could try other menu items that are not tacos. If I could spend $16 on two dinky street tacos I rather order a “larger” plate so that there’s more bang for the buck. I’d also like to try...

Sayulita’s second location in CT!

I'm excited about this opening! Chef Ethan Neski is running things and has started adding his unique flair to the menu. I visited with a group of 20 on a weeknight. They sat us all outside on the patio. We ordered a variety of tacos, margaritas, and other cocktails. The group was all pleased with the service and food. I wanted to thank Chef Neski and the entire staff for accommodating us on short notice and delivering your great product.

For those in the reviews who made comments about the food and price of cocktails, know that Sayulita uses a lot of local and fresh ingredients in both its food and cocktails. This level of quality, delivered consistently, comes with a cost. Quality over quantity!!

And on the food comments , I reccomend you give it time they listen to feedback and aim to be bar none the best at what they do. New restaurant , new staff , so much happening at once. My entire crew and team will continue to support your ventures ! Thanks Team...