Dog Watch Cafe

IntotheDangerZone

2024-04

I’ve always heard good things about Dog Watch Cafe, and I’m so glad I finally went.This is a charming, waterfront restaurant that is staunchly New England. They have an impressive amount of outdoor seating. Inside they’ve maximized the space so there’s plenty of seating.The staff is all 5 star plus from the hostesses to the server. Ours was a great, young lady named Riann (spelling). She was perfect in every way- attentive, had great suggestions, always smiling.The lavender lemonade is an amazing drink. I appreciate a restaurant like this where the cocktail is a good size. Nachos for an app, burger and scallops were all delicious and again, generous portions.The star of the day was the Limoncello dessert. Wow! It comes in flute glass and it’s the perfect way to end a meal.Definitely look forward to coming back!

Dan Pinton

2024-04

Parking across street large lot. Chairs tables front of restaurant before you walk in. Bathroom to right as you walk in. Hostess to left. Get a seat closer to the bar area. Views are magical. Outside another dozen or more tables and a bar. So no need to worry about space. But as the season kicks in make a reservation. Prices are inexpensive for the shore. Food is excellent. Drinks prices reasonable. Good beer choices and mixed drinks.

Amy Nesbitt

2023-11

We came in on a bustling Saturday afternoon around 1pm and were sat promptly. Our waitress was very attentive and water was provided immediately by another team member. We were celebrating so we decided to start with a cocktail. I had the Apple cider Proseco with Aperol topped with an orange slice and a cinnamon sugar rim and it was delicious! I ordered the codfish sandwich and it was light and flaky. My father in law had the same and he loved the French fries which were incredible. We had a beautiful view of the harbor and the light in the restaurant made it feel open and comfortable and the staff were very welcoming. I can’t wait to come back and bring my mom. I highly recommend lunch at the Dog Watch Cafe. What a cool place!Parking: Just across the street and it’s a gravel lot.

Michael S

2023-06

…More

Jos M

2023-10

Dog Watch Cafe in Stonington, CT, was recommended to us by friends. We ordered bang bang shrimp starter to share. It was delicious. For mains we had the seared tuna steak with noodles and seaweed salad. The other main dish was blackened swordfish with green vegetables. Both excellent dishes. Very full by the end of the night. The waitress was very friendly. We sat indoors and had a window view of the sea, boats, marina. There’s outdoor seatings and car parking across the road. We pre-booked our table through an app called OpenTable. Definitely looking forward to coming back.

W M

2023-06

…More

Amber Hickson

2024-04

One of our two top favorite restaurants in CT. Right on the water. Delicious, fresh seafood. Fantastic drinks. Good variety. Fast, efficient staff. Easy to make reservations. Friendly locals. Go there now!Dietary restrictions: Very accommodating to food allergies.

Ari Alf (arialfie759)

2024-04

My husband and I recently just got married and chose the Dog Watch as our place to dine with our family after the ceremony. The whole staff treated us so kindly and were intent on making sure we had an excellent dining experience on our special day! The food was incredible, and the view of the ocean was spectacular. Having our wedding party here made our wedding day perfect, I'm so glad we chose them!

Debbie J

2023-12

We loved this place; it is one of the coziest, most comfortable places we’ve eaten. We just relaxed immediately upon walking in the door. Awe are vegan, and Al though there are no vegan options offered, the friendly and helpful staff person “veganized” a pizza for us (left off the cheese and checked to make sure no dairy in the sauce), and we were very glad we ate here.Vegetarian options: No vegan options on menu but they veganized a pizza for us and it was delicious.

Dave Centak

2023-05

…More

Gwynne M.

2023-05

…More

Reaching The Soul

2023-05

Such a cute cafe and very popular!The Stonington scallops mushroom risotto was delicious and the fish and chips received rave reviews as well!I love the dog rescue fundraising campaign as well!So nice to watch the sunset out the window along with the boats on the water.Definitely would go back when in town!

James Fox

2023-05

Celebrated Father's Day a day early at the Dog Watch in Stonington, CT. First things first make sure you make reservations, that will save you a lot of time waiting for a open table. Beautiful sunny day sky filled with puffy white clouds seated outside by dock with great view of the water. Started off with dozen clams on the half shell locally sourced clams sweet and delicious, next some PEI mussels, again delicious in a white garlic sauce. Entrees were Stonington scallops grilled with mixed veggies and mashed potatoes, lobster salad roll and a brisket and cheese sandwich. ALL the food was great. So my Father's Day treat was as good as it gets, perfect weather, perfect view, delicious food an most importantly time spent with my Daughter and Son in law.

Kristin Brown

2023-05

Nice restaurant with many good food options. The location is beautiful and our waitress was friendly. My reason for the 4 stat review is that the tables are close together inside the restaurant.Kid-friendliness: The Dog Watch has an excellent kids menu.

Mark K

2023-05

We had the best lunch at this charming cafe! Our server was great! While it wasn’t on the menu we asked if we could get Stonington Scallop tacos. Without hesitation she said sure! Oh, were they delicious! The best!

Kevin Downer

2023-05

Location is the one thing the Dog Watch Cafe has going for it. If you want a nice view, book ahead, however go for the views - not so much for the food.On a recent day trip to the Connecticut Coast we decided to drop in to the Dog Watch Cafe for a late lunch. It was a beautiful day and the views from the deck seemed nice, however the outdoor seating was full so we opted for a table inside rather than wait the 90 minutes or so estimated by the host. Sadly, inside we found that the food did not compare with the views.Local seafood options were limited, and the fish and chips special was not very special - a heavy batter obscured the delicate though well cooked fish and the "chips" were processed, frozen, starch sprayed fries.Despite their short comings, they were a cut above the fish tacos on the regular menu. Nothing about this dish worked. Flavorless "Salad Cream" sat on top short sticks of processed cheese. A tiny amount of soft cabbage lay up a strip of grilled Mahi Mahi whose flavor mostly came from the grilled marks and oil. And all this was place in a flavorless cold flour taco. If you are looking for bland food - this is the ticket. And oh yeah, I almost forgot, half way through the dish I discovered five leaves of lettuce had been placed under the metal taco holder. It is unclear if these were supposed to be eaten, or decoration, which really didn't matter because lying flat on the plate the only practical purpose they served was as a buffer to prevent the taco holder from scratching the plate.The one thing that made the experience a tiny bit better was that they did feature a small number of beers from a local craft brewery.In the end I was highly disappointed.

Melissa Newsome-Gowdy

2022-05

Wonderful locations and nice view of the boatyard. Dog friendly so Molly watched people and birds. The oysters were decent for the area. Tuns tartar was delicious. Fish&chips good. Scallops very nice.

Alex Cable

2023-06

Food and wine were great. I had the Truffle Scallop Risotto. Rissoto was very well made, good amount of mushrooms but more spinach would've been enjoyable. The 5 scallops were well cooked and tasted great, but for the price I would've hoped for bigger. The sauvignon blanc was delicious enough for two glasses, very good selection. Atmosphere was nice, not too loud with other guests and no music, at least out on the covered patio. We lacked a waterfront view but still a very nice place for a group dinner but had nice seats for a relatively casual couple's dinner. Service for our group of 7 was nice with Beth as our waitress, orders were taken easily and food came out pretty quickly for our group. Definitely a great place for a delicious meal. Prices were two glasses of wine at $10 each and a $26 Scallop entree.Parking: Gravel lot across the street, on a Tuesday night parking was more than enough. I could see spots being tough on Fridays or Saturdays.

Amber Challis

2024-02

…More

Ash Ley

2022-05

…More

Phúc Võ

2023-05

Recommendation: LOBSTER BLT ON CIABATTA, STONINGTON SCALLOPS, outdoor table at sunset..Detailed review: the restaurant is about 70 miles away from my house, it took me an hour to get there. It’s a hot afternoon, the temperature was 87F and humidity is 90%. My wife and I got to the restaurant at 7:10pm. We got a table at 7:30 and we were on time for a beautiful sunset. Sitting outside is highly recommended.Our orders were:🍽 BANG BANG SHRIMP: I wish the Shrimp could be fresher, but the disc was good. (4 ⭐️)🍽 WATCH HILL OYSTERS: very fresh, delicious, quite small. (4 ⭐️)🍽 LOBSTER BLT ON CIABATTA: very good, delicious. I also ordered French Fries as a side, very crispy! (5 ⭐️)🍽 STONINGTON SCALLOPS: my wife really love this disc. I tried 3 pieces and I have to agree with her, it tastes awesome! (5 ⭐️)🥂SKINNY COLADA: this drink is not strong, sweet, refreshing. (5 ⭐️)🥂PAINKILLER: really good even though it’s quite strong for me. (5 ⭐️)=> So I have 4.5⭐️ for the food..The view from my table is beautiful and our waitress was very helpful. Her recommendations were very good.

Vellentie fam Vellentie

2020-05

Great place wait staff and bartenders are really nice and the views are perfect. Good place to watch the sunset. We brought the puppy and she loved it as well. We had drinks out back and ate in the front open patio. Really had a nice time. There's also a little shop on the property with merchandise you can purchase and the proceeds go to animals in need. Plus icecream there!

Mukul Chakravarthy

2021-05

Place is cozy and nice, you can sit outdoors with a warm fire by your table. Drinks are nice ,I had a spring Ahead refresher I feel like it’s worth a try Food is real magic here , Grilled oysters -> don’t leave without tasting these. They have the best creamy Grilled chicken penne pasta. Nachos could be better. Nice getaway place on a Saturday night

Camelia Rodriguez

2019-05

FANTASTIC!!! The place is Fab! With a view that resembles you are ON a sailboat without the rocking. My meals, yes! More than one were phenomenal ... the service OUTSTANDING. Everyone was friendly!! Loved it!! BTW, as side note, I was the only 'tanned skin' person there. Multiculture safe!! Loved It!!!

Stacey

2022-05

This is such a great little spot! I went for the second time yesterday, and introduced it to another friend. We ate out on the patio, right on the water. It was a little cool out, but there were blankets and a heater at every table. We ordered Dog Watch Nachos which were excellent. My friend ordered Salmon and I had the Stonington Scallops. It was absolutely delicious. For dessert we both got the Salted Caramel Warm Brownie... again, yum! It was such an enjoyable evening with a great sunset. If you're ever in Stonington you definitely need to try this place!

Cheryl Miller

2023-05

Was there last night.Arrived early for our 7:30 reservations and they seated us right away.....at our special date anniversary table❤We ordered calamari for appetizer and they came out hot and delicious.I had the pan fried Halibut with rice. It was so delicious...no leftovers.Joe had the fried whole belly clams. They were nice and small, not chewy and cooked to perfection.Service was point on....Thank you Dog Watch for another wonderful night.

Elizabeth Masalin

2023-11

…More

Leah Good

2022-05

Stopped in here thanks to "Food Lovers' Guide to Connecticut" and the recommendation was well deserved. The calamari with chorizo and banana peppers was a fantastic twist on a classic. We also enjoyed the codwich and brisket grilled cheese. Be forwarned, you might be so full and content that you'll want to take a nap instead of make the drive home!

Lisa-Marie Bellmore

2023-11

…More

Kimberly Beers

2023-11

We had a great time and food and service were very good! We stopped here by chance while traveling. We were looking for a park but the park across the street is very tiny. So we walked over to the cafe. It was fun for our kids because they got to look at the boats. The staff was accommodating when we asked for outdoor seating even though it was a cool October evening. They had outdoor heaters for each table which was really nice. In front of the restaurant was seating with fire pits which my son loved. Also, the food was very good. We got the chopped pasta salad and French onion soup.Kid-friendliness: The staff was very accommodating even though our kids were a bit chaotic which we appreciated. They moved us along quickly and didn’t mind when we got up from the table frequently.