Before your mind begins to wonder, no, this ain’t no “snack bar”. In fact, such a misnomer is dangerous. What the Sea View Snack Bar actually is, is a 40-year-old roadside seafood joint that sits about 50 feet from Mystic River. As we approached it, I knew this would be a place we would like. A true hole-in-the-wall. There are hot dogs and burgers, sure, but there are also fried clams, crab cakes, fish sandwiches, and lobster platters. We settled somewhere in the middle, with each of us getting a fried flounder sandwich. We split a side of fries. As my friend and I awaited our food, I took time to marvel at the view. A fog was rolling in over the river. In the distance, you could see Historic Mystic Seaport, with the Charles W. Morgan at the dock. I then do what I always do when out of state: think about how much higher the prices would be in Jersey.

$8.50 for a decent-sized flounder sandwich, served on a toasted roll with lettuce. Totally fine with that. I helped myself to some tartar sauce and was happy with this simple yet tasty meal. The flounder was no doubt locally caught. Burning-hot right out of the fryer, this was not frozen or sitting around. There was barely a fish taste at all.

There aren’t many places where you can experience waterfront dining so cheaply. Everything is outdoors. The kitchen is a little larger than a shack, and there are picnic tables. Next to it is a courtyard where a sister business, Twister’s Ice Cream, occupies the other side. They’ve probably been there forever as well, and the set-up is similar. Grab your food and admire the view. We stopped there too. A large ice cream in a homemade waffle cone was $3. We ended up with two sandwiches, a milkshake, soft drink, side of fries, and two ice creams for around $30. Even so, the view is what makes it. The weather was perfect. There was a peace and tranquility present. I could only imagine this place in the height of the summer when school is out. There must be a line around the block. Sea View Snack Bar gets a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I’ll include Twister’s in that as well. Good, quality products and an unbeatable view. There should be more places like this.

The Sea View Snack Bar is located at 145 Greenmanville Avenue in Mystic, Connecticut. Twister’s occupies the same property.