This is a quick & easy place to grab something to eat, but nothing to rave about. The bad service is enough to make you want to go somewhere else. The waitresses are particularly unpleasant and make you feel like they're doing you a favor by waiting on you. If the service was better, I'd give more stars. But, frankly, it's unacceptable - even for a dive bar.
Review Source:Took a drive up I-95 from Jersey to come here after seeing a re-run of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Â Yes, I guess it's a dive, but its a really great atmosphere with exceptionally friendly service. Â I won't take any points off for the weak air conditioning (it was prob the hottest day of the year) and the somewhat frantic service or the 1.5 hr wait (coincidentilly we came on the same day as an entire yacht club reunion/party).
All of the appetizers we had (escargot, clams casino, fried calamari, NE clam chowder, crab cakes) were delicious. Â Beware the crab cakes are a little "well done" on the outside, but stil tasted good. Â I'm sorry they ran out of steamers - I really wanted to try those :(
The stuffed burger (stuffed with either bleu cheese, pepperjack, brie, or one other cheese I can't remember) was very good, BUT I deduct one star because there's no way that burger was 1/2 pound (you have a choice between 1/2 lb and 3/4 lb). Â It was more of 1/4 lb. Â I think the burger was too hyped up by Guy Fieri.
Also, they didn't do a good job of promoting their specials. Â They were written on a board that was resting on the floor near the entrance. Â So make sure to ask.
I would definitely come here again, but would prob get here no later than 11:30 to try and beat the traffic and the crowds.
We live in Westport and were driving around that day and decided to give it a shot. Â We had seen the DDD episode featuring the Black Duck and said what the heck. Â the service was friendly but a little slow and it was not crowded. Â I ordered the Po boy and it was very good with fries, which were also pretty good (you can buy frozen fries and it will taste the same. Â My wife ordered a burger and amazingly it did not come with any topping (lettuce, etc). Â It was very good.. Â We paid $33 bucks for this "dive" restaurant, which was overpriced.
Review Source:Visited The Black Duck on a trip to CT from California. My husband grew up in Westport and even worked at the Duck many years ago. He had always wanted to take me to his "dive" hangout. I was eager to go on my first trip to Westport. First impression of the Duck was worried that the building would fall over. Being located on the waters edge, the entire building has a slant to it. Not good for those with balance issues or those not steady on their feet. You need your sea legs to walk. Haha. Â It appeared a causal local watering hole. Upon entering the building the staff was great! Greeted warmly and the place was packed with locals. The bar has a nice view of the water and the food was really good. Simple burger and fries type food. It had a decent share of seafood too. For an appetizer I ate the popcorn shrimp and they were spicy and very good. I also had calamari. It too was very good. We were at the Duck for nearly 3 hours as more and more friends and family came in to visit with us. We then sat at a table to eat. I will say this. They should get new tables. They were so wobbly I thought it was going to collapse. The BLT I had was awesome and the sweet potato fries were so yummy. My overall expectations were met. It is a divey little local place but the food is really good. They should do some minor upgrades to the tables and chairs but other than that it is a fun place that I hope stays around for a long time.
Review Source:The cafe is kind of hard to find as it is tucked behind a lot of run down stores near the river and it looks like its about to fall apart from the outside. Yet, the ambiance inside is quite beautiful and the setup of the tables is unique.
I got the veggie burger with fries and the food was ok to say the least. The burger patty was like a typical patty without any uniqueness but it didnt come with any lettuce or any other condiments on it. The bun was cold and slightly soggy. The fries also were fried a little too much and they could have been prepared much better.
All together with the ambiance, it was a good experience; just not the greatest one.
The Black Duck is the quintessential dive bar, and with expectations so set, read on.
Cutting to the chase - my family loves this place. Â It delivers consistent tavern fare in a cozy, family-friendly setting. Â It is our go-to spot. Â
Housed in a Civil War-era ice barge, which is, in turn, sitting atop another submerged ice barge, the Black Duck lists slightly towards the Saugatuck River. Â It is in a somewhat industrial strech of the river, next to a marina and nearly under the I-95 overpass. Â So although the windows behind the bar do face the water, don't expect a soothing water view. Â The interior reminds me of my favorite upstate Wisconsin taverns, with broad board wood paneling, local artwork on the walls, plenty of TVs set to the game, captain's chairs, and thick wood tables. Â There is a long bar on the water side, and the tables are on the shore side. Â The door is a single-opener, so if you go in the winter, and you tend to catch a chill, you won't want to sit near it. Â
The service is friendly, if a little stressed at peak hours. Â The waitstaff has been there for years, and is very good with the kids. Â The bar staff is gruff but disarmingly friendly. Â
Over a decade in Westport, we've been to the Duck easily 100 times. Â What initially grabbed me was the stuffed burgers. Â Similar to the "Juicy Lucy" of Matt's and 5-8 in Minneapolis, these are massive burgers stuffed with Cheddar (Wisconsin Burger), Bleu Cheese (Dr Proctor) and Brie (Pete's). Â All are excellent. Â I've wandered the menu, from the entree salads (Cajun Chicken is a favorite, also a very generous Shrimp Caesar). Â I adore the Triple-Ducker Club. Â The Fish and Chips is fantastic, well-breaded and not greasy. Â They've lately added po' boys (shrimp or crawfish) which are a nice change of pace. Â Kids meals are excellent and a value. Â Nobody goes home hungry.
All bar food - Nachos, wings, poppers, etc, are uniformly excellent and suitably artery-clogging.
Where the Duck really surprises is on the specials. Â Escargot? Â Classic, and really, really good. Â Lobster Roll? Â Best I've had outside Maine - CT style, buttery and tasty. Â Fried Fish sandwiches? Â Perfectly cooked. Â And the best steamers I've ever had - meaty, fresh, and a massive portion. Â
Over the years we've had a few undercooked burgers and service mis-steps, but that's, again, over 100 visits, and the staff was quick to remedy the problems.
After dinner service, the Duck turns into a full-on bar ("spoil your liver down by the river"). Â Live music, karaoke, or the game, in rotating order. Â With the kids so young, we don't get to see the nightlife so often anymore, but we know it's there if we need it!
What I love about the Duck is that it is so out of place in Westport. Â It's not one of the red-sauce joints that sprung up in Saugatuck for the Italian immigrants, it's not a diner derivative like Swanky Franks, not a pizza joint, and not a nouveau bistro. Â It feels like a working class tavern in a hunting town in upstate NY, or the midwest. Â A place where the family can go for a few beers, a great burger, and a few glances at the game. Â
There is good competition in town (yes, even in Westport) for good tavern fare, but the Duck is still our favorite.
Like everyone else, I have heard about this place for years and perhaps the hype made is somewhat of a let down.
First of all its a dump, if you want a nice ambiance and something fancy, this is not for you. Â There is one waitress that seems to take forever because she handles every table. Â When I finally ordered I decided on the Rhode Island Chowder per her recommendation and also the black duck burger with an egg on it.
Chowder was overly salty and not that hot for some reason, nothing special.
Burger was 10 bucks without fries or any sides and was pretty good, not great.
Overall, I would give this 2.5 stars but I rounded up because they cooked the burger perfectly to my liking.
The best dive bar in Westport. Period. Love the bleu cheese stuffed cheeseburgers and the sweet potato fries. Pair that with a draft IPA and I'm in Heaven! Plus I feel so much better about myself when I'm staggering since the floor is kinda uneven. It's tucked away under the highway on the Saugatuck River - and you feel like you've discovered a hidden gem - because you have. Karaoke Night isn't lame like in most other places - and the staff is way underrated. Not overly in your face friendly - cause they don't have to be - but solid and efficient. Just like you want when you've had a few and just want to eat some amazing pub food. Oh - lobster rolls when you can get em are the CT kind - like they're supposed to be - buttery on a NE roll and pretty amazing.
Review Source:Sunday's $5 cheesy eggs rock!
There actually are good veggie options at the Black Duck - veggie burgers, nice salads, good soups and the onion rings totally rock.
Not a place to get fab wine or anything, but when I'm in mood for low key day drinking in a funky setting, the Black Duck is the way to go. Â
Karaoke nights are fun too.
As I sat down at the bar (place was packed, no other seating available, which is a good sign!) the couple next to me is complaining to the bartender about how packed the place is ever since it was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Oops! Thats exactly what brought me here.
The bartender was rude and abrasive but in a playful manner, kind of like what you would get at a Ed Debevic's or Dick's Last Resort. He wasn't too excited about my Texas ID when I ordered a beer, and really not impressed when my back up ID was from Illinois, LOL. The beer wasn't necessary I really came for the Clams Casino.
Fun experience as I learned the Clams Casino is a popular clam dish, I walked in thinking this was just a Black Duck thing. Thank you to everyone at the bar for sharing your seafood expertise w/ me!! :) First time ordering Clams, so I felt like I didn't know what I was doing but once I got them, so yummy! I had to get over the chewy texture at first. Thankfully the clams were covered in Bacon and Parm Cheese!
I loved that this place was on the water and located underneath a viaduct. You might drive past this place trying to locate it, but once you find it the odd location just seems to add character.
BTW - He ended up giving me a beer on the house. Thanks ;)
Pretty good. I started this juice fast (brilliant!) in the midst of moving to a new place. Was driving down I-95 with pops, headed to my new digs in Ridgewood and it was a rainy ass night.
I was clenching my teeth from hunger trying to remember what all those wacko health gurus on YouTube were saying about 'detoxification symptoms' or...whatever.... Fruitarians! Wtf?
Yeah so.
Dad was like, "I wanna try this place called the Black Duck."
It sounded so delicious. Right there.
We way too classy for Mc'Ds.
Except to pee.
I started to read the Yelp reviews to tease my palette anymore. I signed up for a month long "Banana Girl Diet Challenge" and was on day 2 of my preliminary juice fasting. I figured I'd cheat straightaway with a beer... Then started reading the reviews of Clams Casino!!! Wow!!!!
"I saw it on that show 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives'" - K, cool.
Google maps definitely told us to go in the opposite direction. It's tucked under the bridge, and behind other buildings with a parking lot behind a row of these other establishments so already it seems more delicious than somewhere easy to find.
Atmosphere is straight cozy. Crooked floors, blue rug, nautical vibe and flat screen TVs for your sport watching needs. The music was some shitty radio playing dance type stuff, I dunno, it threw me off.
I got a Blue Moon on tap and it was the best Blue Moon I have ever had... Something about it. Made me realize all those other Blue Moon's I've had were not good, not compared to this.
Got the clams casino and they were delightful. The crunchy house salad was a disappointing mound of iceberg lettuce - which is entirely my fault, not theirs. They made it look pretty the way the onions, cherry tomatoes and sliced black olives were strewn about artfully. I could tell that there was love there... Oh, and, I also ordered it sans dressing - like a total freakshow idiot - with "lemon wedges please." Hate myself. The lemon wedges were aplenty and also evenly space around the salad, making the presentation super thoughtful. Obviously it wasn't delicious but again - my fault entirely. It was good enough.
But the clams casino... With nice little bacon slices on top... Breadcrumbs and steamed in lemon juice. Delightful.
Dad's steak was pretty rare. I know he prefers it like that. It was like, blood red all the way to the edges.
Can't wait to revisit and intelligently order more actual bar food next time.
I came on Labor Day and they had one waitress for the entire dining room so the service was really poor. It took 30 minutes for her to get our check and charge the card. It also took us a long time to sit down. I had the wings and they were really spicy but they were on the dry side. Â Overall I wasn't impressed and I doubt I'll come back.
Review Source:Want a good burger, or beer, or amazing wings? Look no further.
Set on an old river barge, you'll be hard pressed to find a 90 degree angle in the place. No, that's not the effect of the Guiness draught. Check out the wings which are slightly broiled - YUM! Great place to catch an important sporting match - loud and rowdy.
Good stuff.
Ahhh...the Black Duck. Â Growing up in Westport, this is where I came of age as a drinking man in the summer of 1980 when I turned 18.
30 + years later, it hasn't changed much. Â Seafood, burgers, beer, working class crowd and rock n roll. Â I try to visit here at least once a year when I'm in town. Â
Sure, the carpet needs to be cleaned and I am sure there are rats living beneath it, but some things are better left unchanged.
A must  visit watering hole under the I-95 highway bridge.
I love a good dive bar, and the Black Duck is a great dive bar. Stiff drinks, cold beer, fresh local clams, excellent wings and burgers, complete with a river view. What's not to like?
For the best experience, grab a seat at the bar, and settle in with a few adult beverages. Have no place to be other than where you are. Enjoy the view, catch up with dear friends, and maybe meet new ones. Order some wings, a few more drinks, and soak up the classic New England ambiance. There's not another spot like it in all of Westport.
Two in a row as having great atmosphere, friendly crowd, and good eats. A cold night on the water is warmed up by Escargots, Brie stuff Burger, and fresh onion rings. Hidden from the road makes it even better because to be a favorite you need to have a little secret. You know it's good cause the parking lot is always full even on a Sunday night at 27 degrees in February. It's not for everyone, but it is for me.
Review Source:1995-ish and we descend on the Black Duck after an office softball game. Â There are free pitchers of beer for softball teams, if I remember correctly. Â I become a regular at the bar and the bar becomes a regular work happy hour destination. Â
These years are a blur, filled with inappropriate leg touches under tables, dating co-workers, and loading the jukebox with Oasis songs. Â I looked around and knew that it wouldn't last. Â She left. Â He left. Â I got laid off and moved away. Â The company folded. Â
The joke has always been that the Black Duck - a shack that's leaning pretty dramatically at the river's edge - would eventually fall into the water. Â If you go there now, you'll find a place that's been featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Â I agree with the dive recognition, but there's nothing spectacular about the food, and it's pricey. Â I guess it's impressive that you can get seafood dishes at a dive bar? Â I dunno.
This is Westport, so even the dirtiest dive bar will have a mix of Porsche drivers and Harley riders.  Perhaps television brought more tourists here?  I hope they aren't expecting much, because I fear what was real can only be found in the faded memories of those who left  . . . or in the eyes of the regulars who are still hanging on.
I don't think I liked anything about this place.
Rude bartenders, rude clientele. I mean, you've got two guys sipping their beers in silence when a tourist girl comes up to them and tries to strike up a conversation. All they can do is be snarky. Maybe thats just a cultural difference thing, or maybe they're scared of women. But hello, in a bar you talk to people on a Friday night. Â
The doorman was the only nice guy. Karaoke was a good perk, only thing keeping it from one star.
They get the clams on location and serve then to you fresh. Had the clams casino, delicious. Perfectly cooked and FRESH. Also had the chedder stuffed burger which was amazing - how could you go wrong with a meat patty stuffed with cheese. I just don't know why more places don't do this. Only problem I had was that it took forever for them to make one burger. But it was my first time there and am not sure if that is normally a problem. Soley based on food, I give this place a 5. Especially since I want to go back and try more things on the menu. Crawfish looked good and so did the nachos!
Review Source:Great food, way better that most places in Westport, fun Karaoke Mon and Tue nights.
My favorites are Escargots in the shell with cilantro basil sauce, then Steak au poivre vert, and of course, the burgers. Delicious!
Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: Black Duck Cafe
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtEsG3mrcTAg&s=83b635ce01692db68a72d77227743cf806be89772465f0b85fb3b93078918ade" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
The bathrooms need some urgent improvement, that's why it looses a star.
5 f*cking stars. Â Yes.
You want to know why? Â
KARAOKE on Monday & Tuesday nights. Â
The crowd that comes here has been coming here since before I was born. Â Situated on a floating barge (yes, this bar is floating on the Saugatuk river) this place is the best kept secret of Westport. Â Booze, music, food, weird people... Can't go wrong.
The food is pretty awesome, though it will take a minute to get your burger and fries. Â The bartenders have been working here since before time and it shows, but they will get you your Long Island, so sit tight Mr. Beefcake.
If there was any proof that there is still a blue-collar class in Westport, the Black Duck is it. Â And if there is ever a repeat of the revolutionary war...I have a feeling this bar(ge) is armed to the teeth and will be the last stand of Westport to fight to the death.
OMG! This place is still floating?
If you have not been & you are open minded & "get it" that a hole in the wall can be a good thing- then check it out.
It smells & Â the floors are uneven & it's dated inside & in dire need of repair BUT hey it's..... The Duck!
Food has always been fair, solid pub style but w an emphasis on seafood- Â it's on a river @ the mouth of the LI Sound! Beer is cold, staff is friendly, patrons are cool & pretty much anything goes.
Private parking.
Karaoke Monday and Tuesday nights. Nuff said.
The food/drink is ok, the staff is amazing, and the consistency of karaoke is enough to confirm my presence for a long while. Plus, it's a fun way to check out what the working stiffs do to blow off steam. It's a very low-key place to sing and mess around.
When I'm not belting out Journey, it's also a nice place to veg out on onion rings and fried chicken. This place defines comfort in Westport.
We hear mediocre things about this spot on Yelp -- but usually bad reviews or so-so reviews don't stop us from eating fresh seafood.
For starters, the atmosphere during the afternoon was just fine -- but I can see how this place might be obnoxious during the night when the regulars, cover band, and drunks start to pop-up.
I had a bowl of the New England Clam Chowder for $6 which was just fine -- perhaps a little too creamy. And my husband ordered some supposedly fresh Belly Clams for $18.
First of all, a side salad, a few more clams, and a hard cornbread is not worth $6 more dollars. Stick with the $12 order -- comes with a side only.
But wait, you might not even want those clams. By the time we got to Boston, he started to feel extremely ill... we drove up North outside of the city to stay the night, and he spent most of it feeling really poorly. He finally got rid of some of it on the toilet, but honestly, it's still not stable yet.
Bad clams. Bottom line.
Thanks for ruining our vacation time in Boston, Black Duck.
This dive was recommended by Guy Fieri of Food Network's "Diner's Dive-ins and Dives." Usually, the dives on his show are gastro inventive little out-of-the-way holes-in-the-wall. Well, they got the hole-in-the wall part right! Sorry to say, the food wasn't particularly inventive or good.
We started by forgoing the menu items they featured on the TV program and dove into some chips and salsa. The salsa was OK (medium to hot), but had the consistency of tomato paste. I wasn't sure if there was anything fresh in it. Since it was Good Friday, I tried the New England Clam Chowder. It was average at best.
For dinner, I ordered the Clam (with bellies) Basket and my loved one ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich. His sandwich was good, but it won't rival Daisy Mae's. My clam's tasted like they had been dredged in cinnamon. There was a sort of sweet taste to them which was off-putting. They weren't crisp either. The clams were poured over the fries, so you had to look under them to get the fries out. Not that I would expect plating skills at a place like this, but it sure wasn't appetizing.
The place would have been easy to find if Google Maps said to go straight at the exit off of I95, but they say to bear left and take a right. Well, I went out of my way for ten minutes before backtracking and finding the Black Duck. That should have been an omen.
Guy, you owe me one!
This place was meh, although I didn't have too much of the seafood and apparently I should have ordered chicken wings. My dad wanted to go here today since he saw the place on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri. Well, it's a dive, all right. I shared some clams casino with my dad (quite good) and had a turkey burger. The turkey burger sucked, in my opinion, but I choked it down because I was hungry. I don't think I've ever had a problem with someone's turkey burgers before, but this just had zero flavoring to it. The steak fries were also just kind of greasy and meh. Nothing special. I tried a bite of my dad's brie burger, which, as someone else mentioned, does not include the same amount of brie that it did on the show. He liked it and it was very filling. I tried a bite. It was pretty decent.
Overall, I wasn't bowled over, but if I'm up here again on a visit and my dad wants to go, I'll go.
P.S. Our server had no idea what longneck beers were. Seriously?
Walking into the Duck for the first time, I thought to myself, "How drunk am I that these floors seem crooked?". Â I subsequently realized that I hadn't had anything to drink yet and wondered what kind of a hole I had been dragged into. Â
Well, I was pleasantly surprised and have been back to the Duck several times since my initial scare. Â The floors are a result of the fact that it's essentially a sinking barge planted in the river under I-95. Â It's been there since '78 apparently and has been popular with the locals for years. Â The nachos were fantastic, fries plenty and they make a pretty darn good burger, although I would stay away from the turkey burger, as that didn't sit quite so well with me on one visit.
It's small and hosts local softball teams for post game beers and families as well. Â They even manage squeeze a band in on the weekends. It's a fun space to people watch. Definitely divey and different anyway.
My wife and i ate at the Black Duck Cafe after Diners Drive in and Dives.
It was very busy, yet we had no problems with our order. We we served timely, and well.
The food was good. My wife got the famous Brie Burger and I saw no issues. The taste of Brie oozed from the burger and added a unique flavor. Â
The place seemed great for families. It was brunch time on a Sunday and the place was filled with parents and kids enjoying a black duck breakfast/lunch.
Overall - the food is good, and I would go back if I hungered for beer/fries/burger.
Ok, I hate to do this....but after my visit last night I am writing the Duck off. Â Here is why:
$70 for 6 beers and 3 burgers and not even a 5 star burger joint! (ouch! 3 strikes right there!)
   When I asked for the famous Brie burger as seen on TV the bartender said it wasn't the same.  I looked at him curiously and he said that they aren't stuffed as much.  Strike 1.  The burgers came, my buddy ordered well done, it was rare in the middle.  The bartender said that was because of the cheese....come on, we are not idiots....burn the damn thing!  Mine was greasy and hardly filled with cheese!  I want the burger that Guy Fieri got!  Strike 2.  We each received around 6 onion rings and they were cold and soggy with oil.  Strike 3.  The coleslaw came in a little paper cup that is usually reserved for cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.  The slaw must have been sitting in it for sometime as the paper was wet and soggy and virtually fell apart when I touched it.  Strike 4?
So, OUCH Black Duck, OUCH! Â You get on TV and things seem to go downhill like the slope of your floor! Â While it may be packed now, I wonder when people will get the hint.....then again this is the richest part of CT and maybe prices don't matter as much as they do to me.
The Duck is a landmark for sure, I count it as a great place to grab a burger and a beer.. Â The food is really good for bar food, the view at the bar is excellent, the seats on the side for dining are nothing fancy, but good if you want to talk to your companions and focus on your food. The wait staff gets it done, but remember this is a bar and not a restaurant...and it is a small place
and the barge...ha..well my wife wont set foot in the Duck, says it is gross - and perhaps it is, but it's the kind of gross that builds up antibodies, I said...she didnt buy it..
So, I go there with the boys
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