Gillies Restaurant

Closed and out of business

This was a really good seafood joint/​bar for the middle of VT. Their are some great deals, creative soups, friendly staff and a creative menu. I don’t know if I’d make the drive from Boston just to go here, but it is on my list of places to stop in when I’m passing through town.
If you can, stop in before 5:30 for great specials — but even the regular prices aren’t bad.

This place is great! I’ve only been here once but it was enough to secure a spot in my heart. The salmon sandwich was really good. I’ve heard the mussels are great. They have early bird specials if you go before 5:30. Dealz.

I recently went here for dinner and it was a pretty good experience, so I’d definitely eat here again. The food was delicious: my husband and I got the sauteed calamari for an appetizer, and I got the medium order of cioppino while he got the swordfish steak. The cioppino was a large portion, and absolutely delicious. My husband loved the swordfish, though he noticed at the end of the meal that they never put on the pesto sauce that it was supposed to come with. It wasn’t too busy when my husband and I visited this restaurant, but they seemed to only have one waitress on and she wasn’t able to be very attentive because of this. The décor was nothing fancy, but it was comfortable. Overall, the food was delicious and I’d definitely come back, though the experience could have been better.

Fresh seafood, solid service — but the portions are ridiculously huge and expensive ($ 26 for a dozen massive sea scallops broiled!). The $ 7 fish and chips is great value along with fresh draft beer choices.

The service was wonderful and the seafood fresh and delicious. A definite lunch or dinner destination when visiting Brattleboro.

Family resto adjoining fish market, delicious and fresh seafood, easy access off Rt 91, exit 2 in VT, Rt 9 west about ½ mile, comfy and cozy, efficient and friendly waitstaff.

We always enjoy Gillies. They have the best Bloody Mary’s and the waitstaff is polite, efficient, courteous, but not overbearing.
However, I am not a big fan of coconut fried seafood and I find that most of their fried food (including onion rings and french fries) has a residual taste of coconut, despite not listing coconut as present in all fried foods they serve. There is a good argument here for more than one deep fat fryer, or clean oil before frying.
If you have any food allergies, or an aversion to the taste of fried coconut seafood, onion rings, and potatoes, order something broiled or raw. But don’t forget to order a Bloody Mary here!

I’ve been meaning to stop at Gillies Restaurant in West Brattleboro for quite a while. I drive past here often on my drives between NH and NY.
I got out of work early today so I could head over to NY from NH. On the way over, the sun was beginning to set and the glare on the road was very intense. It was around 4PM when I was driving though Brattleboro and Gillies Restaurant was the ideal stop for dinner since I could take a break and let the sun set while I had dinner.
Gillies Restaurant opens at 4PM daily for dinner and there’s also a fish market next door (open during the day). The food offerings include a very good selection of seafood, steaks, pasta, sandwiches, appetizers, and chowders. They offer some pretty outstanding dinner specials including meals with a deal and early bird specials (4PM to 5:30PM). A full list of mixed drinks and cocktails is in the main menu. See the menu at

The restaurant is casual and clean with the dining room, walls painted ocean blue with a colorful mural of a seaside town and string lights. The small bar area in the back is plastered with lots of pictures of folks having a great time at Gillies.
I was seated as soon as I walked in the door. The waitress gave me a regular menu and another menu with specials. I decided to go with some Early Bird Specials (EB) on this visit. I started out with an ice water and a Diet Pepsi (50 cents-​EB). Next, the crock of New England Clam Chowder ($ 3-​EB), was served piping hot, which was thick and creamy with lots of minced clams and potato chunks, very filling chowder.
For this review, I order two dinners with the intention of boxing up some of the food. The food was served in a timely manner. The fish was very fresh for both entrees I ordered. The Fish & Chips ($ 7-​EB) was served in a basket and had lightly battered fish (moist inside) with a pile golden brown fries, crispy outside. The Swordfish Picatta ($ 12-​EB) was served in a bowl and had big chunks of tender and juicy swordfish with capers, white wine & lemon butter served over soft linguini with buttered garlic bread. Both entrees were very enjoyable and the portions were generous for the price.
The service was good and timely. The waitress left me alone to enjoy my food in peace until I was ready to box the food up and cash out. The check came out to $ 24.75 with 10 percent VT meals tax and before tip. As I left Gillies pretty full, it was getting dark outside (at 4:50 PM), which meant no more sun glare for the rest of the road trip. Woo-​hoo!
This was definitely one of the better restaurants I’ve dined at in Brattleboro. I’ll have to get here early again next time for the great special prices.
(4.4 stars)
PARKING in the back and out front on the street.