When you walk in, you are immediately met with a dessert-making station. Cakes and ice cream are sourced from local bakeries and dairy producers. As you wait, you stare at the display case. We grabbed a menu to browse. We knew very shortly after that we were skipping over an appetizer to save room for something called “The Titanic”. But more on that later. Maggie McFly’s is actually all about being unique. Ingredients are local and natural. They even have a special deal with Mount Gay Rum and Jefferson’s Bourbon to create their own blend of spirits for their cocktails. You don’t see that every day. 

The menu is gigantic. Page after page of cocktails, beer, and wine. Then appetizers and snacks. Then entrees. Then dessert. It will take you a while to read through everything. Luckily, what I wanted was on the first page. For Lobsterfest, they offered a whole Main lobster for $18.99 (which is a phenomenal price anywhere) and a lobster roll for $16.99. I never had one of those, though I have seen my share on TV. So I went with that. My friend had the bacon and eggs burger but swapped in a homemade veggie burger instead. The waitress remarked that they are very good. Before the meals, she brought out complimentary breadsticks.

When my lobster roll arrived, I thought it was on the small side. But after I took a bite, I was satisfied. This was exactly what I was looking for. Lobster. On a buttered roll. Melted butter on the side. Done. No mayo, no accouterments. Why mess with a good thing? The more I thought about it, the more I realized I would rather pay what I did for a small one than the usual $30 or so it costs for the ones we see on television. The lobster meat was succulent and sweet, and the roll was packed to the point where the lobster was falling out. Perfectly cooked and left me wanting more. I drizzled some butter over it and left the rest for dipping. Such a luxurious sandwich.

On the side, the fries were thin and crisp, and the cole slaw had a nice tang. He could not be happier with his burger. I took a bite and thought it was great, but only because it was a veggie burger substitute. Had it been real meat, combined with the bacon and eggs, it would have been packed with protein and grease. But the veggie patty was light, and seasoned to the point where you forget what you are eating. The pretzel roll it was served on was delightfully soft and salty. An A+ experience all around.

As for drinks, I started with an Eagle Rare Bourbon neat. It was adequately priced at $7.50 and served in a snifter. After seeing his French 75 martini (Foggy Harbor Gin, Wild Moon Lavender, Prosecco, lemon juice, and ginger) I decided to switch over. He thought it was a good, strong drink. Deceptively sweet. My next was a Hendricks Gin martini straight up, while he went with another house concoction called the “Bees Knees” (Litchfield Gin, lemon juice, Hannan Honey Syrup, and Wild Moon Lavender). Both of his were $10, which is the going rate in New Jersey, while mine was $13. I could not really complain, because we enjoyed all that we had.

I shall cap it off with dessert. Ah, The Titanic: two chocolate lava cakes, four scoops each of chocolate and vanilla ice cream from SoCo Creamery, chocolate chips, M & M’s, walnuts, peanut butter cups, chocolate syrup, caramel, and whipped cream. Oh, and don’t forget the gummy worms. Really, what can I even say about this? Just look at the picture.

I have not even mentioned the service yet, which was friendly and highly attentive. We were not rushed and everything was spaced out nicely. Great food, tantalizing cocktails, and a mammoth dessert that could sink a ship. I was getting set to give them a 4.5 star rating. Had it saved in drafts. But then we went back for a second time the next night. We started off with a bowl of she-crab soup and the soft-baked pretzels (it came with cheese and dijon sauces; pictured at top of review). While the latter was great, let me tell you, that soup was out of this world. For entrees, we both had the lobster grilled cheese (above). Simply outstanding (I’m running out of adjectives). I also substituted garlic mashed potatoes for the fries. It was homemade and skin-in—very rustic.

Dessert the second night was the fried cheesecake. At that point, why not? It was recommended to us by the manager while we were waiting. He recognized us from the night before. We got to talking and I had mentioned the Titanic. He said we had to try the cheesecake next. I responded, “What a gut buster that must be.” He rubbed his stomach and said, “Look at me, I know my dessert”. He was actually the one to bring it over when the time came. He set it on the table while humming Ave Maria and said, “Thank you for trusting the fat guy with the cheesecake!” It was essentially cheesecake filling inside an egg roll, covered in whipped cream and caramel, and over vanilla ice cream and sliced bananas. A rich dish that deserves its own magnitude on the Richter Scale.

Hard to go wrong with a visit to Maggie McFly’s—though you would probably need 20 visits to eat your way  through the menu. I don’t think there’s another place like it. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Great job!

Maggie Mcfly’s is located at 40 Glastonbury Boulevard in Glastonbury, Connecticut. They have five locations in the state, each with slightly different menus.