Latitude 41, A Nice Place for Lunch in Mystic

Latitude 41 Mystic, Connecticut

For reasons some of you already know our little vacation to New Orleans was  postponed. We hope to get there sometime in the Fall. We were given the all clear to do a little traveling and decided to go for lunch somewhere in Mystic, about a 40 minute drive from our palatial estate.

Upon arrival in Mystic we chose Latitude 41. My wife had been there before and said it was good.  The restaurant is located next to the pedestrian entrance for Mystic Seaport and is situated on the Mystic River.  The restaurant is bright, spacious and clean. There is a dining  area, a tavern and an outside seating area. The tavern menu is different from the menus in the other area. We had to ask about this, the information is not shared.

We had to wait several minutes at the entrance before we were acknowledged. The place seemed to be deserted.  We were asked where would like to sit and chose the outdoor area. There are two options outside; a dining area covered with a tent or individual tables with umbrellas, on the lawn overlooking the river. We chose the latter. The view is spectacular.  There were several small sailboats on the river. A sailing lesson was taking place, most entertaining.

Let's get to the food and the service. Except for the delay waiting to be seated the service we had was wonderful. Our server was attentive, knowledgeable and pleasant, however the server waiting the table next to us did not appear to be as attentive. The food was good, but nothing to write home about. My wife had clam chowder that was a bit too thick, devoid of clams and looked like it had sat in the bowl for a while. She had a Caesar salad with chicken. As salads go it was fine, but the chicken was very dry. I believe they are prepping many of their foods in advance and letting them sit. I had a special offering, it was scallops with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. The food was all very good, but the scallops, although tasty were swimming in  too much lemon butter sauce.

Lunch prices range from $7.00 for some appetizers to $22.00 for specials. Most prices seem reasonable. You can check out the lunch menu here. There is a full bar and a good wine selection. The have many beers on tap from the Shipyard Brewery and appear to be affiliated with them.

I believe this restaurant is a good choice for anyone visiting Mystic, if you consider the whole package: atmosphere, service and food. Our service was excellent, and dining outdoors with a view of the river should not be missed,but the food needs some work. I believe they a working with a "catering" mentality and preparing to many meal components in advance.

This review is based on one visit. We will try to return soon. I give Latitude 41 an overall 2.5 out of 5.