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Exciting News: The Essex is Expanding! The Essex Brasserie will showcase Chef Taylor’s innovative approach to French cuisine with a focus on local ingredients and bold flavors. The menu will feature classic French dishes, including many of the favorites at The Essex. Among the highlights: Beef Wellington served with pomme purée, haricot verts, and bordelaise Fluke Meunière: A zesty and flavorful dish with peanut chile crisp, lemon, and frisée. Moules Frites: Fresh mussels offered in three unique styles served with crispy frites. The famous Essex Lobster & Beet Fusilli Complementing the brasserie menu is a selection of craft cocktails, exceptional wines and local beers.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 120 N Main St, Branford, CT 06405
Phone: (860) 237-4266
Website: https://theessexbrasserie.com/
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The Essex
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The Essex Brasserie (formerly Los Charros Cantina), Branford.
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Reviews
Vicki Lynn
Came here for valentines day dinner on Saturday around 7:30, we were seated near the window and it was a beautiful snowy evening. The service was top notch and Nathan was so kind! We ordered the pre fixe menu and there was so much food! I got the beef Wellington because I wanted something special and it was. Perfectly cooked medium rare, I was in heaven. The desert was delicious as well and I had the best Valentines Day ever!
… moreFood of CT
It’s not often we get to have French food, so we were excited when we heard The Essex Brasserie was new to Branford! So many unique dishes on the menu, and though I’ve never been to their sister restaurant, The Essex in Old Saybrook, I can see why many of these dishes were favorites there. The amuse bouche was a nice touch, and the dish that stood out most to us was the unique lobster and beet fusilli. We also really loved the flavor of the duck confit cassoulet. The maple pavlova was excellent for dessert, and we enjoyed our drinks too! Such a good spot to know about for French comfort food.
… moreA Stew
Had a wonderful dining experience here this past Saturday, I highly recommend making reservations. The cocktails were superb, the server, Jenna, was bubbly, knowledgeable and answered all of our questions about the food. The coconut curry mussels are a must try and so was the Wagyu burger. Only grievance I have is with the beer list, there is so much good craft beer in this state that it would have been nice to see compliment the food, otherwise we cannot wait to go back!
… moreRachel Eaton
My husband and I headed to The Essex on a whim of a date night and had the best meal we’ve had in years. To be noted: we eat out often and love to try new places. We had been to Los Charros twice and couldn’t wait to try the new restaurant. It was busy so we sat at the bar – best seats in the house, in my opinion! The bartenders were fabulous and we enjoyed watching and listening to the kitchen do their thing. We ordered appetizers and entrees then sat back to take in the atmosphere – beautiful ambiance and happy diners. We had the oysters, clam chowder and beef tartare first. We were very pleased with our choices and everything was delicious. We had a bit of a wait for our entrees due to a system glitch, so the chef presented us with Milk Bread, beet fusilli and lobster bisque – we were in heaven! The bread is light and flavorful, the fusilli was a perfect plate I never would have imagined on my own, and the bisque was so good I thought my husband was going to lick the bowl. We were worried we couldn’t eat our entrees, but when they arrived, the aromas reinvigorated our taste buds and we dug in with gusto. The risotto was THE BEST I HAVE EVER HAD, including one I sampled at an exclusive restaurant in Miami. My husband had the beef Wellington and while I thought it was something I would never order myself, ooph, was it amazing – I think I’ll get it next time! We ended the night with the pot de creme, because what is an experience at a French restaurant without it?!? We are looking forward to going back soon and making it a regular spot of ours!
… moretom spaeth
My wife and I went there for our 19th anniversary instead of Union League where we would normally go and we loved the food ! I had the beef wellington which was magnificent, my wife a N.Y strip with fries and she loved it. The oysters were awesome, not too big or small and nice and sweet. The bartenders Amanda & Payton are very friendly and attentive. The only reason I gave the food 4 stars was the creme Brule was a little runny but tasted good. As there is some room for improvement I feel the Essex is worth the money and can’t wait to go back and dive further into the menu
… moreDana Loubriel Rivera
Impressive in all areas. Every plate we had was so delicious and had so much flavor. I have never experienced dishes that were this good. If I had one day left to live, I would definitely eat here. My favorite plate that blew my mind was the beef wellington! OMG, I was in heaven!
… moreMatt McCullough
We enjoyed NYE dinner here – we went early and rang in Paris and London new year. Pictured: Steak frites, Beet salad, a tequila drink, beef Wellington (in the background). All delicious. The menu has enough choices without being overwhelming.
… moreJoe Limitone
Dinner was to die for I had beef wellington it was cooked perfectly and delicious. The Mrs had three appetizers she had shrimp cocktail also clam chowder and then for dinner she had the lobster beef fuselli. 5 out of 5. Excellent service as well.
… moreNicole Bartner
Best Meal I Have Had in Branford. Ever. Hands Down.
Like by a wide margin my friends. I’d put this meal up against a lot of other places in larger cities too. It was that good. And we went on like Day 4 of their “soft opening” during which it was reservation dining only (smart).
Not gonna lie. I had my doubts because this is the same chef/owner who most recently had a Mexican spot in this same location. It was billed as, basically, a riff on street tacos. It was not good. It did not survive. It DID make me doubt his abilities. HOWEVER! He did what he probably should have done to begin with(?): Switched over the concept to what I’m going to call “French fusion.” And it’s good. REALLY REALLY GOOD.
This spot is calling itself a “brasserie.” It’s a nice name, but also a misnomer. Essex Brasserie is serving some classic French dishes (Steak Frites, Moules Frites – and the frites are GOOD), but what they’re really doing is updated, creative takes on dishes that begin with French “inspiration.” Which takes the menu up several notches from staid, meat centric French cuisine.
I do not eat meat. I do eat seafood. I perused the menu online before we went to both make sure I had options for dining and to create a plan. My goal is always to try as many things as possible/eat as much as I can. The menu for this opening week wasn’t ginormous (I had no idea if that will change), but it had plenty of options and there are daily specials. The menu is broken out into hors d’oeuvres, soup and salad, entrees. I ordered Lobster and Beet Fusilli as a starter, Moules Frites with Coconut Curry (you can choose your “mussel flavor”) and Risotto aux Champignons (I asked what the Risotto was cooked in and it was actually mushroom stock FTW!!).
(If you would like bread for your table you must order it and it is baked fresh, Milk Bread accompanied by butter with black salt. The bread is tender and delicious and fresh. I tasted it despite the fact that I try to avoid bread when out to eat because it is just going to take up space I need for actual FOOD.)
The Lobster and Beet Fusilli was, legit, entree sized portion with maybe the meat of 4 lobster claws on top? Also big chunks of beet in amongst the perfectly cooked fusilli. DELICIOUS. Like crazy good. I’d eat that every day. And I do not say that lightly my friends. I kind of can’t want until the next time I can have this dish.
Your frites come separate from your moules, in a paper cone and are perfect. LOTS of places serve fries. MOST probably should stop. These are what fries should be.
My sister ordered the scallop special. I hadn’t ordered it because I often find the scallops restaurants serve to be too large and overwhelming. These scallops were perfectly bite sized and deliciously seasoned. Really nice.
By the time I got to my Risotto I was very close to full up. Which is an actual, crying shame. Because that Risotto was WONDERFUL. I actually could not finish it. (The Shame.) It is really beyond rare to find an honestly vegetarian Risotto. No, really. You must always ask what stock was used and like 99% of the time the answer is “chicken.”
The interior is lovely. All the giant octopus art is fabulous. Beautiful bar with view into the kitchen.
Oh wait! I ordered a cocktail! The Oaxacan Old Fashioned. I almost never do that because they are so often disappointing. This was not. It was so good I had a second…
… moreLike by a wide margin my friends. I’d put this meal up against a lot of other places in larger cities too. It was that good. And we went on like Day 4 of their “soft opening” during which it was reservation dining only (smart).
Not gonna lie. I had my doubts because this is the same chef/owner who most recently had a Mexican spot in this same location. It was billed as, basically, a riff on street tacos. It was not good. It did not survive. It DID make me doubt his abilities. HOWEVER! He did what he probably should have done to begin with(?): Switched over the concept to what I’m going to call “French fusion.” And it’s good. REALLY REALLY GOOD.
This spot is calling itself a “brasserie.” It’s a nice name, but also a misnomer. Essex Brasserie is serving some classic French dishes (Steak Frites, Moules Frites – and the frites are GOOD), but what they’re really doing is updated, creative takes on dishes that begin with French “inspiration.” Which takes the menu up several notches from staid, meat centric French cuisine.
I do not eat meat. I do eat seafood. I perused the menu online before we went to both make sure I had options for dining and to create a plan. My goal is always to try as many things as possible/eat as much as I can. The menu for this opening week wasn’t ginormous (I had no idea if that will change), but it had plenty of options and there are daily specials. The menu is broken out into hors d’oeuvres, soup and salad, entrees. I ordered Lobster and Beet Fusilli as a starter, Moules Frites with Coconut Curry (you can choose your “mussel flavor”) and Risotto aux Champignons (I asked what the Risotto was cooked in and it was actually mushroom stock FTW!!).
(If you would like bread for your table you must order it and it is baked fresh, Milk Bread accompanied by butter with black salt. The bread is tender and delicious and fresh. I tasted it despite the fact that I try to avoid bread when out to eat because it is just going to take up space I need for actual FOOD.)
The Lobster and Beet Fusilli was, legit, entree sized portion with maybe the meat of 4 lobster claws on top? Also big chunks of beet in amongst the perfectly cooked fusilli. DELICIOUS. Like crazy good. I’d eat that every day. And I do not say that lightly my friends. I kind of can’t want until the next time I can have this dish.
Your frites come separate from your moules, in a paper cone and are perfect. LOTS of places serve fries. MOST probably should stop. These are what fries should be.
My sister ordered the scallop special. I hadn’t ordered it because I often find the scallops restaurants serve to be too large and overwhelming. These scallops were perfectly bite sized and deliciously seasoned. Really nice.
By the time I got to my Risotto I was very close to full up. Which is an actual, crying shame. Because that Risotto was WONDERFUL. I actually could not finish it. (The Shame.) It is really beyond rare to find an honestly vegetarian Risotto. No, really. You must always ask what stock was used and like 99% of the time the answer is “chicken.”
The interior is lovely. All the giant octopus art is fabulous. Beautiful bar with view into the kitchen.
Oh wait! I ordered a cocktail! The Oaxacan Old Fashioned. I almost never do that because they are so often disappointing. This was not. It was so good I had a second…
Caitlyn Lac
Staff is aware of food allergies, gf options available. Phenomenal food and drink, in a beautiful setting. We were blown away and will definitely be back.
Pictured: duck confit appetizer, braised short rib entree, white bean stew special
… morePictured: duck confit appetizer, braised short rib entree, white bean stew special