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The Essex Brasserie, Branford, CT

The Essex Brasserie

4.3
4.3
49 Reviews
$30 and under
French
A photo of The Essex Brasserie restaurant

The Essex Brasserie

4.3
$30 and under
French
Branford

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 7 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Innovative
Chef Colt Taylor, celebrated for his culinary gem, The Essex in Old Saybrook, is proud to announce the opening of The Essex Brasserie in Branford, Connecticut, This is comfort food at its finest.

The Essex Brasserie showcases Chef Taylor’s innovative approach to French cuisine with a focus on local ingredients and bold flavors. The menu features classic French dishes, including many of the favorites at The Essex. Among the highlights:

Lobster Bisque, Clam Chowders & French Onion Soup

The Wagyu Burger

Beef Wellington served with pomme purée, haricot verts, and bordelaise

Fluke Meunière: A zesty and flavorful dish with peanut chile crisp

Moules Frites: Fresh mussels offered in three unique styles

The famous Essex Lobster & Beet Fusilli

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    French, American, Contemporary French
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (860) 237-4266
  • Website
    https://theessexbrasserie.com/
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    Colt Taylor
  • Location
    120 N Main St, Branford, CT 06405
  • Area
    Branford
  • Cross Street
    Cedar Street
  • Parking details
    Park in the Rear and enter through the back door!
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan

Experiences

  • A Very French Christmas: Reveillon

    US$89.00 per person

    Prepaid

    18 Dec 2024 only
    The Essex Brasserie proudly presents our take on a traditional French Christmas! Join us for a family style French Christmas dinner, featuring pork cassoulet, chateaubriand, cheese, oysters and dessert. $89 dollars per person includes all family style food and wine. Regular menu will be available in the bar area only during this special evening. Reserve your spots now!
    A Very French Christmas: Reveillon photo

  • A Very French Christmas Eve: Reveillon

    US$89.00 per person

    Prepaid

    24 Dec 2024 only
    The Essex Brasserie proudly presents our take on a traditional French Christmas! Join us for a family style French Christmas dinner, featuring pork cassoulet, chateaubriand, cheese, oysters and dessert. $89 dollars per person includes all family style food and wine. Regular menu will be available in the bar area only during this special evening. Reserve your spots now!
    A Very French Christmas Eve: Reveillon photo

Menu

At present, we do not have menu information for this restaurant. Please see their website or wait to visit the restaurant to learn more.

What 49 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.2Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Diners' Choice Awards

  • New Haven

    Innovative

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Essex Brasserie in Branford offers a delightful French-inspired dining experience. Guests rave about its "outstanding dinner" and "fantastic dining experience." The menu features diverse options, including the "best chowder ever" and "delicious" steak tartare. With attentive service and a cozy ambiance, it's a top choice for locals.

49 Reviews

  1. Joe

    Greater Boston

    6 reviews

    2.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    The food at the Essex Brassiere was excellent, just like The Essex.

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  2. George

    New York City

    21 reviews

    5.0

    21 reviews

    Dined on 7 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Loved our dinner! We’d been to The Essex previously (outstanding!) and were very happy to hear that the Brasserie was opening in Branford. Delicious food (roasted beet salad, black bass and braised short rib, pavlova - all excellent), excellent service, and a relaxed and quiet dining room add together to make a perfect dining experience.

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  3. Darlene

    New York City

    75 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    75 reviews

    Dined on 7 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We are so fortunate here in Branford, Connecticut to have this level of cuisine available so close to home! The salads are not your average salad served at most restaurants around here. The frisée and beet salad was astonishingly delicious as was the main course, beef Wellington. The owner chef, Colt Taylor, has won numerous awards and worked at famous restaurants across the US. If you haven’t tried this restaurant and are a foodie, you are missing out.

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  4. david

    New York City

    27 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on 7 December 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    you charged my credit card three times for the same bill

    Is this helpful?

  5. matthew

    New York City

    5 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 7 December 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Happy to have this new restaurant on the CT shoreline. Excellent, professional and engaging service. Food was very good and inventive, veering a bit from traditional French brasserie, with some added flavors/heat. Large portions. A very nice time. Hard to choose between dishes, a good thing since I will definitely be going back!

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  6. barbara

    Cleveland

    8 reviews

    2.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 6 December 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Not a good night. Onion soup was so rich it was inedible. Beet salad for $21 was average. Two of four main courses were served and two were forgotten in spite of the fact that we stated we had to leave by a designated-time for theater. One main course burger was so over done it also was inedible and the fries so salty they were not enjoyable. Other main course was the salmon and that was fine. Had to leave before they were able to bring us the two other main courses which they had forgotten. Wines were very expensive. Not returning.

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  7. Eva

    New York City

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on 30 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Drinks, food, service, and ambiance were all very good. This was our second visit and we'll most certainly be back.

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  8. michele

    New York City

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 23 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    The food was excellent; great flavors and cooked perfectly. I had the fluke and highly recommend it. The service was very good; the waiter was very knowledgeable.

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  9. Suzanne

    New York City

    250 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    250 reviews

    Dined on 23 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Our waiter was very good, pleasant and attentive. Our cocktails were excellent as was our wine selection for dinner. The fluke was a bit spicy but good, definitively not traditional meunière style. One person like their butternut risotto but the other thought there was too much sage yo overwhelm the dish. The last person like his short rib. The pot au feu was good as was the crème brulee. I was disappointed that there were no ports or sweet wines available to accompany or compliment dessert.

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  10. C

    New York City

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 21 November 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful service. Welcoming atmosphere and fun and delicious food! This will become a frequent rotation restaurant!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Essex Brasserie is rated 4.3 stars by 49 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

A photo of The Essex Brasserie restaurant

The Essex Brasserie

4.3
$30 and under
French
Branford

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 7 times today
Experiences are available.
Google Map for The Essex Brasserie

120 N Main St, Branford, CT 06405

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Cedar Street
  • Area
    Branford
  • Hours of Operation
    Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    French, American, Contemporary French
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Park in the Rear and enter through the back door!
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive Chef
    Colt Taylor
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan
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