Eli Cannon’s

I’ve been here a few times and I’m a fan. Really good beer list with reasonable prices, friendly bartenders and a lot of weird stuff to look at– definitely has the feel of a weird dive bar. There aren’t a ton of other good bars in the area so it definitely gets jam packed. I haven’t eaten here yet though– but looking forward to coming back soon!

Always good beer on tap and always great bartenders working. Has a dive look but I definitely try to come here as much as possible. Reasonable prices and the food is good.

Very very loud, but sometimes loud is fun, and after a night out with friends great for some beers.
Problem is the food is mostly terrible, (bee soup is the only thing I’ve ever liked here) and in order to have a table you must order food.
I wish there was an option like the coperti in Italy… (I’d gladly just pay a fee for the table rather than waste a plate of inedible food just to sit down)

Been here a few times & every visit us a new experience, good experience, if not excellent. The bar & wait staff a great, full of energy, spirit & vitality.
Tonight, a brief stop for a couple of Tulips, Wings with dry Caribbean Rub & Pretzels with 3 dips. Great Pub Grub, but it doesn’t just stop there. Fantastic tap list and many more delicacies on the menu.
Atmosphere — not from this planet and way cooler! Great, great locale anytime of the year.

I’m not one to normally criticize a place.(look at my past reviews! This is the lowest I ever gave a place) I’m typically glass half full — especially when it comes to restaurants. However, even though the atmosphere was really cool here, the food was good and service was good, we left with a REAL bad feeling.
Now, yes I know this place is known for their beers. However, my hubby and I are not big beer drinkers. So, we usually opt for soft drinks. This place doesn’t offer free refills. Normally, not a big deal if we were told. However, we were never aware until we got our bill. When I saw that it was $ 42 — I knew something had to me off! We told our server, and hoped that they would be comped off. Most places would want to keep their guests happy and take it off.
Our server went to talk to the manager, and they would only take off one round (We each had 2 refills) and SHE would have to pay for it. Now, as a former server this REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. Also, if we had any issues — we had to go up to him at the bar. He would not come to us.
Even though we enjoyed our time here — I am not sure I will be back. I can’t patronize a place that would offer to make their servers pay for something like this. This costs the restaurant SO little, and to make their server who mostly relies on tips to pay for it out of their pocket REALLY rubbed me the wrong way.

DIRTY!!! The service sucks, they’re rude and extremely impatient. The food isn’t that great either, especially after waiting as long as you always do. Last time we got the buffalo nachos and had our tongues burned off by how spicy it was. The table behind us had the same and agreed that it was inedible. Don’t waste your time for an overpriced craft beer and creepy, dirty décor.

Awesome, that is all I can really say. Really cool spot in downtown Middletown. I have been to Eli’s many of a times and never had a bad experience. Their beer menu is always incredible, offering a variety is specialty beers and beer collaborations with great breweries. The beers are always served cold and fresh. There is no doubt ever about the freshness of a beer they have on their menu.
The food is your traditional pub-​grub, with a twist. Their wings along with their mac & cheese are must order items if you are a first time visitor. Their fried goat cheese balls and brussels appetizer is a meal in itself. Their food menu will not let you down.
I love the feel and the atmosphere of Eli’s. During the summer, the outdoor seating area is clutch. Its a laid back environment, whether you sit indoors or out. I sometimes opt to sit outside because it tends to get very crowded in the bar area and waiting for a table can be somewhat of a process. The only downside to the bar is the small size and the limited seating.
If you are looking for a place with an exceptional beer variety and good food, this place is for you!

One of the best craft beer lists around. Always rotating and a great selection. Food is pretty decent though overpriced (welcome to CT).
The terrible staff here give an otherwise 5 star place get only 3. Servers seem somewhat better than the bartenders, but not by much. When the bartender finally makes his way over to you, you’ll probably just get a nod. No «Hello» or «How da ya do?». If you don’t know exactly what you want or have any questions you’ll probably get a frustrated sigh and a condescending response. I always know what I want but I’ve witnessed some people being treated poorly.
I’ve been booted a half hour before scheduled close by a manager who just started shutting off the lights halfway through a beer. No advanced notice, 3 or 4 other patrons, I guess the bartender wasn’t even aware they were closing. His reasoning was that there was some special event the next day.
Go here for the great craft selection if you don’t mind waiting or being treated like a douchebag. Go here if you value coolness over kindness.

They’re ok… pub food, good beer but nothing really special. Always a safe bet, though they can come across very arrogant over the phone.
Service is good too but again nothing special.

Eli’s is a perfect place to meet up with a few friends, try a handful of fun/​craft/​local beers, and share some bites. Casual, affordable, and conveniently of main street in Middletown, within walking distance of NoRA Cupcakes for dessert! Jalepeno poppers are a must, and don’t be shy to try the Gator bites! Would love to go back again soon.

A fun game to play at this bar is «What kind of instrument and in what kind of band, does our server play and when do they roll out of bed and finally come take our order?»
The menu is such that when the waiter comes and asks what your order is, the average response is «Eh?» And what’s up with return policies from the 90s? I get that during the day you get a lot of moms with the children exploring craft beers, but when your beer tastes like cheese and stale pine maybe a «Really, fuck it, we’ll get you a different one.» is in order, instead of «LOLZ, you pay for what you get!» (paraphrasing)
This place blurs the line between dive bar and family friendly establishment and we aren’t sure it’s succeeding.

As a local bonafide beer snob, I have been here many, many times. It can be quite intimidating to an outsider because the draft list is huge and the place is almost always packed. However, in the summer there is some relief from the crowd when they open the outdoor patio and «beach» (complete with sand, mind you)!
Since I have a gluten intolerance, I am unable to enjoy a lot of menu items, but they do offer gluten free buns for their delicious burgers and corn tortillas for their blackened fish tacos, which I order almost every time that I eat here. My husband absolutely loves their jalapeño poppers and wings, so those seem to be great options too.
I love the free popcorn and often eat what feels like buckets of it every time I go. Between the draft list and popcorn, I never want to leave. However, I could (and often do) complain that it’s a little pricey and that keeps me from visiting more often. There is no happy hour, but because of their popularity there is obviously no need. The service is usually pretty good when sitting at a table or at the bar. But if you’re just hanging out near the bar, it can be difficult to get the bartender’s attention, especially when trying to close out your tab at the end of the night. This can admittedly be a little frustrating.
So I can quietly grumble to my heart’s content about the crowds or the price of the food and beer but in the end, I will continue to stalk their amazing draft list and jump at every opportunity to hang out there.

The food and drink selection is great here! Had a great time at dinner and then went out back for drinks!
While it can be a little hectic inside on a busy night you can definitely find a more «chill» atmosphere outside.

I have to say, this place defines «don’t judge a book by it’s cover.» The place is a little eccentric, but it works. My boyfriend and I had a great time looking at all the «artifacts» spread out through the inside dining area. One to note, the white xbox is now considered and antique! Feel old yet?
The beer list is extensive, almost too extensive, I nearly went crosseyed trying to make a selection. However, our waiter was very helpful and offered up some great suggestions for beer to try.
After reading a bunch of the reviews, I really wanted to try this HUGE bake mac n cheese. Unfortunately, the current state of the mac n’ cheese i s not huge, but standard in size. However, i will note that is is very delicious, this is not your kraft mac! We got the nachos, but failed to get them with pulled pork. The size of the portion is great, and the chips stay crispy throughout the meal. I usually make it goal to eat nachos first because i hate soggy chips, but that isnt a worry here. My favorite food choice had to be the wings, they were saucy, but still crispy, meaty, and awesome. Much prefer these wings over BWW and Sliders.
We came mid afternoon on a saturday, would really like to see what this place is like at night. I’ll be back.

The tap list was, as expected, excellent, and the overall ambience was interesting and unique. The food and service, however, left much to be desired.
I ordered a McKenna Big Blue, was asked how I wanted it done, and stated medium-​rare. It arrived well-​done, quite dry, and definitely not worth $ 12.50. The fries were decent, but nothing too special; I requested ranch and honey mustard to accompany them, and this, too, was forgotten.
I expect I would have had a better experience by coming with a group, and perhaps sticking to the appetizer menu (the roulette poppers were recommended to me). As it was, $ 30 for one subpar burger and two good beers did not make me want to repeat my visit. I could have had a better burger at Ted’s for far less.

The back patio area is literally a beach. It’s filled with sand, there are beach chairs, and drinking in a beach legally is pretty awesome. It’s relaxing, there’s no street to bother you, you’re secluded from the rest of the world and it’s a whole lot of fun. Brilliant Idea.
The inside of the bar is always incredibly busy and they have all sorts of crazy decorations, fun staff members and whatnot. For me, it’s a little too busy to be honest. They also always have a really cool movie on one of the TV’s, which is a nice touch. One time I saw it was Lost Boys, another time Jaws.
Also they have a great system where you can put your name on a list to have your own beer stein, kept behind the bar for you to use and drink from, excellent idea.
This bar would literally be one of the greatest ever for me, I’m an oddball, I dig their style, I like beaches and movies in bars… but everything for me came to screeching halt with the drink selection. Lots of hipster beers and IPAs, nothing really beachy and nothing European really at all. Which sucks… a lot.
Nothing can be perfect though, this place is pretty awesome overall.

In planning my wife’s 40^th birthday, the original restaurant which held my reservation cancelled on me last minute. In a last minute frantic search, I remembered Eli’s back deck/​patio area and how perfect it would be. Fortunately they were able to squeeze me and my large party in and coordinated everything perfectly!
I ordered several large appetizers for my guests and the fried pickles and jalapenos and their wings were definite hits. Actually the wings were down right fantastic. Then there is the drink selections. Lots of excellent brews on tap, I stuck with the Allagash White which is their Belgian wheat beer. But the highlight of the night was the service Allie provided. She was a pleasure and made the evening absolutely perfect. We had a downright blast and made many memories. Thanks to Eli’s and Allie!

It’s changed over the years and some of my favorite staff no longer work there but it will remain one of my favorite gathering places with a great tap selection, bar food and outdoor patio oasis.
It will always seem to need a good dusting/​cleaning, & one single bath for the ladies is crazy… lol.
But they know this and don’t care. That’s part of the charm I suppose, have another beer and forget about anything negative in this review. Try the black bean fritter wrap (thumbs up)& their nachos are the ones everyone attempts to recreate but are unable to. Cheers!

This is seriously one of the quirkiest bars I’ve ever seen. They take «décor» to a whole extra level. You could probably find every type of street sign or piece of an automobile. And then some.
Definitely packed on a Friday night. The crowd is a mix of locals, students, and creepers. (Ok, exaggerating on the last type.) Minimal seatings near the bar, though there is a larger space in the back.
I wouldn’t say this spot is great for groups, but if it’s just you and one or two other friends, you could play «I spy» for hours and drink tons of beers from their solid selection.

This place is a craft beer drinkers dream. Check out the blackboards which list whats on tap and the date when it was tapped.
The food is great but watch out for anything labeled as spicy because, good lord! They aren’t kidding.
They serve their entrees on small metal trays which are functional and simple. I’ve been to Eli’s probably more than twenty times and I’ve never gotten any food that I didn’t like. Even though it’s a craft beer place they have decent house white wine. (I forgot the brand name)
They have a stein club for long time patrons. If you put your name on the list plan on waiting 15 years to get one. The list is on paper and it’s checked easily.
The back out door eating area is unique for a Connecticut dinning because it’s set up as a beach complete with sand and patio furniture. It reminds me a place straight from California.
I also love to see what classic movies they have playing on TVs stashed in amongst the wall accoutrement. Die Hard, Sixteen Candles, Jaws etc.