Dockside Seafood & Grille

As others have mentioned, this place is hidden, literally at a marina, down a side street with a sign that doesn’t mention «great seafood, bar, plenty of outdoor seating and friendly staff» — But trust me if you are down this way, not by the green in the center of Branford make sure you stop in at the Dockside! We sat at the bar closer to the deck and took the last two seats. In fact there was one, Jen sat and I hoped someone would leave soon — within 2 minutes a staff member brought me a stool and I sat on the corner — where there was enough room — nice start! We had our usual cocktails and wine, watching plates of food pass by — the crab cakes looked good, the salads piled high with fish or chicken looked amazing, and the fish — fried or broiled or Cajun style all caught our eyes! We started with a «side» of Ipswich clam strips as an appetizer and they were excellent! Tender, not too much breading and very light on the oil. More drinks, people watching, noticing the sun dropping right out in front of us from our seats. Jen ordered the Pot of Steamers from the appetizer menu as her dinner, I went with the swordfish steak, Cajun style with rice pilaf. The pot of steamers was pretty big (we shared!) and each and every shell contained good sized, tender and flavorful clams. Even without a dunk in butter they were delish! My swordfish came out cooked perfectly with just enough seasoning for Cajun style — but not over the top — very, very tasty! We had no room for dessert but based on our dinners, and the number of people there on a Wednesday night — I’m betting on some great after dinner treats as well! So whether or not you have a boat at the marina — you will not regret finding this local, Dockside spot!

We have found that we enjoy marina restaurants though they are often a bit overpriced. We were pleased with Dockside. The atmosphere was pleasant, the view was lovely, and the food was good. The fried clam strips were better than the most recent I had at Lenny and Joes or Westbrook Lobster. My husband had the steamers which were very, very fresh and were a large portion. Food and service was good, view lovely, overall a great spot. We will go again.

One of the biggest flaws with Dockside is inconsistency. I’ve been there many times, as I am a member of the marina where it is located. Sometimes service and food are great, other times not so much. They don’t take reservations which is a huge downfall. They also do not accept call in orders, you must be physically present within the bar to order food to go. I’ve actually asked why they don’t take call in orders, and was told that it would bombard the kitchen too much. Really? Then hire more people. This place would be a gold mine and a huge convenience to boaters, but they don’t offer that service. It would be a great if they had an outside food stand just to grab food and head back to your boat. Another issue is service inconsistencies. Sometimes food and drinks come right away, sometimes it can take close to 15 minutes if you have a larger party. Again, having more staff would probably help. I’ve also been served warm (close to cool) chowder. All in all, it’s an okay place to go. I’d still visit with the understanding is a crap shoot each time.

1^st time dinning there. A little hidden jem! Great food and was surprised by the portions. The captains platter is defiantly my recommendation.

We were looking for some lobster and were disappointed that our first choice marina restaurant was not open. We scanned around nearby communities and found Dockside. We hesitated when we read some reviews, but we were out for lobster so off we went. We asked for a table outside and found a fabulous day for dining by the marina. The lobster bisque was very flavorful, and not too tomato-​ee for me. Some coleslaw was generous with the dressing but still very tasty. The lobster roll (not too large) was filled with firm, delicious meat — I savored every bite. The staff were very responsive, and we really had fun talking with the other diners on the deck. This excellent meal saved the day.

Best coleslaw ever! Service was outstanding. Softshell crab was good. Not enough full belly freight clamps to satisfy me.
Richie P

What a great place. Stopped in for a late afternoon lunch on a sunny mid-​week afternoon after kayaking around the Thimble Islands. Found a table on the deck and just relaxed with a couple of beers and the view!
Friendly and prompt service. Two of us ordered the clam platter and the fried shrimp platter. great food at reasonable price. — All in a fantastic setting overlooking the marina. Just delightful!
The place is kind of hidden in a marina, but worth searching it out.

Was here for a «nautical themed» bridal shower, and it was a great setting for it. Thought the salmon was very good.

I can not review the food because I didn’t get any. I just called to place a take out order and was not able to. I wanted to order a LOT of food for 8 people but the woman I spoke to wouldn’t let me. She said I had to come down and talk to a bartender to order. When I asked how long that would take she said she didn’t know. When I asked to speak to a bartender she said no. So then I said you don’t do take out do you, she replied «no, we don’t.» So I will place my order elsewhere, and they lose a big order. Their loss!

We go to the Dockside fairly regularly and have been going for many years. The attractiveness of the location near the water, the Marina along with the outside deck and covered porch keep us coming back more than the staff or the food. Service is typically slow, food is usually above average and comparably priced for the Shoreline. 3 stars for the location, reasonable prices and drinks; two stars off for the inconsistent food quality (cold rice pilaf under bland salmon today, but great crab cakes and twin lobster roll), the wait staff and bar staff need a class in customer service. We can see them working hard, but the attitudes are not friendly and somewhat condescending at times. Waitress today literally rolled her eyes while waiting for a minor decision from one at our table on choice of a menu item. On the way out I overheard the hostess say to another staff member that «the seniors are annoying, but they’re most of our customers».
This is the type of situation where good management can take this from a just slightly above average place to an outstanding place with just a little work on improving staff attitudes and some attention to detail. I hope they take our advice and make the suggested changes, because we will be back and we will Unilocal about it.

Went to check this place out tonight for the first time. Had a great atmosphere and drinks are well priced. Nice view of the sunset. Unfortunately, after waiting for 20 minutes for a table outside (expected and acceptable), we were seated and waiting for a server to take our order for a long time. After waiting and being ignored for close to 25 minutes we had to walk out, which is unfortunate.
In short, great atmosphere/​views, cannot comment on food, and service was, well, subpar. Will not be returning.

Great food, great service and pretty awesome location! Have been twice now and both times it has been nothing short of five stars. Gluten free shrimp penne ala vodka was delicious! Fresh shrimp in a creamy vodka sauce with perfectly cooked pasta, you can’t go wrong. The broiled seafood dinner which included shrimp, scallops and cod was cooked perfectly and was a very generous portion which left us feeling full and happy. Great hidden gem in Branford, it makes you feel like you are on vacation!

My love took me here for an early dinner. I had never been here before. We sat out on the patio where the weather and views were just perfect. The hostess was friendly and welcoming. Our waitress Danielle was awesome! Friendly, attentive and prompt.
I got the garden salad with chilled lobster which was huge and yummy. I got bleu cheese dressing which had chunks of bleu in it! Black olives, onions, shredded carrot, grape tomatoes, with mixed greens in the salad. My man got the fried shrimp platter with onion rings. Shrimp were perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. Nice and crispy, not greasy at all.
Dessert was just awesome! Plump, moist carrot cake and tart and sweet key lime pie!
A great experience from start to finish. We will def be back again. Idk why it only has two stars?

Seeing all these 2 and 3 star reviews I don’t know where you ate, but we went on a Monday, Clam chowder — Very good Lobster Bisque — Awesome.
Scallops — Delicious and perfectly seasoned. Ipswitch clams — I could have ate 3 more plates. Lunch was $ 68 for three people a little pricey but food was 9 out of 10
If you must have a complaint, I would have rather had my drinks in glassware than plastic cups. Little low end.
Waitress was very nice, fairly attentive, again no complaints.
Would surely return!

We found this place on Unilocal while driving around Branford, just wanted simple food. It’s in a marina and we drove right by it because it’s hidden among the boats. We ate on the covered patio and just had burgers and hotdogs which were both good. The French fries were good also. I would imagine the views would be better once all the boats are in the water. There was lots of seafood options on the menu as well. I would go back here again if I was in the area. Nice find.

We’ve been to Dockside many times over many years while visiting family in Branford, but this time, we were really disappointed by the food. It was so bland and tasteless.
Two of us had the fish sandwich (cod), one of us had the fish and chips (cod), and one of us had the crab cakes. The cod in the sandwiches was beyond bland (although mine was helped by asking for blackened/​cajun-​style), the batter on the fried cod was chewy and stale, and the crab cakes tasted like stale bread crumbs. If there was any crab in there it came from a can.
The reasons I didn’t give this place one star is the view and the staff. Both were lovely.

They have a rule, no seating until your complete party arrives, 4 of us of six had to stand around and wait for the other members (2) arrived
I’ll let u know about the food if we get seated
The food was ok, not the best I’ve had

Summary: fresh seafood, a view of the water, and affordable prices.
I came here around 6pm on a Saturday with a friend. The restaurant was fairly busy but there were still plenty of indoor and outdoor seating options to choose from. I had the fried calamari as my appetizer and it was perfect. The calamari was tender and the batter was light and crisp.
For dinner I ordered the Captain’s Platter with whole belly fried clams. I was feeling bold and hungry that particular day but be warned: it’s a lot of food for one person. The Captain’s Platter consists of french fries, fried clams, fried haddock, and fried scallops. Like the calamari all of the seafood was tender and the batter was light and crisp.
Overall, everything i had exceeded my expectations, satisfied my hunger, and tasted delicious. I will definitely be back to try the healthier dishes and I would recommend this place to anyone in the area.

The good — our waitress, and the crab cakes.
The bad — gnats, I get it, it’s the beach but it sucked sitting outside with those damn things. The steak was also a real disappointment. You may be saying, well duh you ordered a steak at a seafood place. I am a native to CT but I’ve never been a huge seafood person, hence the steak. It was thin, tough and had a lot of grisley, fatty parts, rendering about half of the piece of meat inedible. The man got surf and turf and had a crappy steak too. All in all we spent a lot on a dinner that we really weren’t happy with.
We were seated next to some fifty somethings that were drunk and foul mouthed, totally unaware or not caring about the fact that we had an 11 year old with us. That was just irritating — I know that it’s not the restaurant’s fault, but I’d think staff might have said something to them quietly since they were not sitting in the bar where their behavior would have made more sense.
My parents love this place and always want to come here and I’ve never really understood why, perhaps b/​c I’m not ordering scallops and the like. It’s convenient and less of a bar atmosphere than Lenny’s.

What an incredible view. Sitting in the bar area surrounded by windows and sail boats the mood is set so perfectly. It seems like Dockside has an enthusiastic loyal following from a diverse clientele. It’s great to see the experienced staff mentoring younger employees too. I wish I had a local like this near me.