Gelston House

My early bird dinner experience at Gelston House in East Haddam, CT was an absolute favorite! Chilling next to the picturesque Connecticut River with my husband TJ on a lovely afternoon made it even more special. We indulged in drinks, fresh salads, and the most delicious lobster rolls – ohh my indeed! The ambiance was charming, the service impeccable, and the food... simply divine. Gelston House has definitely earned a top spot on my list of go-to dining destinations.

Marisa Balletti-Lavoie

It was our first time at Gelston House Restaurant & I was super impressed! Our waitress "Nikki" was very friendly, attentive & kind. The Menu has lots of great options! I got the Philly Steak Spring Rolls which were to die for! The hubby got the Lobster Rolls, fries & a salad. Everything was amazing! Also, the presentation was great as well! The prices are reasonable & worth every penny!

Loved the dinner before the play The 12. Food was spectacular. Had seared scallops in Lobster bisque with risotto. It was really delicious. My husband had lobster stuffed cod that had huge pieces of lobster! The food has really improved. Service was also good! Totally recommend dinner before the show!

Best PEI mussel appetizer dish I've had since Cape Cod. Scallops were cooked to perfection. I'm not saying that lightly. Shrimp done properly in a garlic butter sauce along with lobster stuffed sole. Nuff said, oh the Terrimisu light, fluffy, delish. Our server Eve, very attentive as were all the folks there. Added to my favorites.

We had lunch before the matinee. Food was great!, calamari tasty and large portion; steak spring rolls were good and also large portion, lobster tacos delicious and all filling for appetizers. Chicken tenders and fries were good. Overall great food, service friendly but a little forgetful. My cocktail was delicious!!!!
Overall great experience! Would dine again.

David was a wonderful waiter! He was attentive and accommodating as I am pregnant and didn't want to be stuck to water! He was very helpful in the selection of mocktails I could have! The food was amazing and it helped make our anniversary very special.

We just had our wedding here. As a long time town resident this was an easy decision. As usual these guys did not disappoint. A wonderful evening for my wife and I plus 80 of our friends. The food was amazing the staff was prompt and professional and the drinks were tall. We spent the night and really felt like part of the family.

We were on a bus trip and had lunch prior to Wednesday matinee showtime. The staff were friendly and smiling. The food was served hot and tasted fresh. The salad was surprisingly a huge portion. The service was prompt but not rushed, and we were finished in plenty of time to stroll around the property before heading into the Opry House for the show.

Dinner and show combo with Goodspeed Opera house. Dinner had a limited menu with combo pricing, but the choices were very delicious. The blue lagoon drink was very sweet and watery, but not sour like lemonade is expected. The salads were HUGE, a nice filler before dinner. The pot roast was so savory and delicious with a nice balsamic glaze, the Tiramisu was creamy and decadent, and the view was spectacular

Got a great meal and a theater ticket for the good speed with a group of friends The food choices were good and the meal was delicious I had the card and the risotto also a delicious pumpkin cheesecake friendly servers and wonderful atmosphere.

What a great location to come and have dinner and watch the sunset. The service was great and our server ensured we were well taken care of. I'll also note that management stopped by to check on how things were going which was appreciated. The atmosphere is casual and inviting. One of the photos here shows a band they had just outside on the green for Music on the River. This is put on by the town and you can get a great seat up at the restaurant and watch the show.

Ed

Beautiful location, great food and service. Short rib was well done. Good Calamari.

We made reservations at the Gelston House due to the convenience of its proximity to Goodspeed Opera House. Our plan was 6pm dinner and then a 7:30pm show. We were pleasantly surprised and had a great experience. Food was excellent, it’s location with water view of the Connecticut River was delightful, and service was exceptional. We were seated in the restaurant, but it also had an outdoor patio. We will try that next time. We started with the white wine sangria and enjoyed an appetizer, the calamari which had a light tampora coating on rings complemented with tampora peppers with a slight amount of heat. For entrees I had a tina salad and lobster roll and my dinner companion had the fish tacos. Both were exceptional and are standard fare there. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

I recently dined at the Gelston House and had a fantastic experience. The food was incredible I had the gelston chicken and thoroughly enjoyed it. My server Sage was such a delight as well tending to all my needs. I will be back soon!!!!!

Went for a dinner and show at the Goodspeed. Food was great but the service was a bit off. We had a table of 9 and the restaurant was busy but that should be expected on a Friday show night.

We hadn’t been to the Gelston House for some time and were delighted with our recent dinner. Food was delicious (Shrimp Scampi and Short Rib Sandwich) and service was attentive and accommodating.

Pretty spot as well and a great place to enjoy sunset over the CT River.

Awesome food. Super friendly service. The bartender Alison was super friendly and her drinks were perfect. I order a burger medium (shut up that’s how I like it) with a side of steak sauce. The steak sauce was house made and amazing. The burger was cooked perfectly and the brioche bun was fresh and light. Very. The views are amazing as well. Love it!

Had an amazing experience here and we thought the meals were very good including an amazing presentation. Dinner before the show at the Terris Theater, the other part of Goodspeed !!

We enjoy the restaurant very much. The food and service are very good and the setting is beautiful. We look forward to going each time!

THIS WAS THE BEST!!! After s boat trip on the river, we spotted the Gelston House with a nice crowd of diners on an outdoors veranda. It took only a few short minutes to get a table with a view of the sunshine in the river.

I ordered the lobster rolls and they were the best I've ever had. They were buttery and tender...I could have eaten them all day long! I had a rum punch with them as well and they were very good too. My partner had a BURGER 🤷. He did enjoy it too. I wish we could have stayed longer, as it was a very pleasant experience.

Next time we are in the area we will be sure to visit there again.