New to you
Mystic has its share of long-standing attractions, but there are some new restaurants and bars that are becoming major draws on their own. Here are a few.
The Port of Call and the Dive Bar, which opened earlier this year, is a cocktail lounge and small-plates venue, and it’s cleverly decorated in a way that is in sync with the town’s maritime history. Port of Call is a “cocktail driven experience” with small plate offerings. Dive is a pub with beer and bar food, like its popular “Saugy Dog” hot dog with house-made kimchi and steamed bao bun. It’s all a collaboration between Meiser’s 85th Day Food Community and The Real McCoy Rum. The site has great character, yes, but also tasty drinks and dishes. Examples of the cuisine: Port of Call includes squid ink empanadas and a Singapore-style grilled mushroom salad.
Oh, and starting Sunday, Port of Call will feature Sea Queens, a biweekly dinner and drag show that will run through Labor Day.
Bank & Bridge Brewing opened in the summer of 2021 in the former Bank of America location on West Main Street. It serves up a wonderful selection of beer, and the menu offers an array of burgers, along with wings, chicken fingers and fried banana peppers to provide tasty accompaniment to whatever brew you choose.
And The Shipwright’s Daughter, added to the Mystic scene in mid-2020, features wonderful food for every meal, but I’m a fan of its weekend brunch and can vouch for its SWD Benedict, with charred lemon Hollandaise, buttermilk biscuit and Black Forest ham.
The Port of Call, 15 Water St., Mystic; opens at 5 p.m. Wed.Sun., kitchen closes at 9 p.m., bar “open until close”; Dive opens at 5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., with kitchen and bar open until late, and opens at 2:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun., with kitchen and bar open until late; hello@theportofcall.com.
Bank & Bridge Brewing, 54 West Main St., Mystic; noon9 p.m. daily (until 11 p.m. Fri. and Sat.); info@bankandbridge.com.
The Shipwright’s Daughter, 20 East Main St., Mystic; breakfast 7-10:30 a.m. daily; brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. and Sun.; happy hour 4-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 3-5 p.m. Sat. and Sun.; dinner 5-9 p.m. Sun.-Thurs. and 5-10 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; (860) 536-7605.