Business & Tech

Saybrook Fish House Gets Go-Ahead for Modified Outdoor Seating Plan

Canton restaurant hopes to offer amenity some time this summer.

Wednesday night the Canton Zoning Commission approved Saybrook Fish House’s plan to add outdoor dining.

Some time this summer the Canton restaurant hopes to add roughly 1,600 square feet of outdoor dining space with its own entrance, plantings, sea-themed decorations and fencing to provide screening from nearby roadways. French doors would allow another access point inside for restroom use.

Joe Addonizio, general manager and partner for the restaurant, told Patch earlier this month that its been an idea the restaurant has considered for several years — and one requested by customers.

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Initially, the restaurant will likely add just 8 to 12 tables outside, even though there may be room for more.

“We want to do it right and take it slow,” he said.

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The plan also involves adding some green space to the front of the building.

The plan is more involved than the restaurant’s original proposal, which involved approximately 1,200 square feet of outdoor space.

Earlier this month the restaurant and a representative from Landscape Architectural Design Associates appeared before the town’s Design Review Team, which made some suggestions for alteration, including the front green space.

Landscape architect Phil Doyle said the suggestions weren’t “necessarily bad” but that he and Addonizio struggled over them due to the financial implications. 
“You can get good suggestions but those suggestions sometimes cost you,” Doyle said.

The DRT was also the subject of some comments from the commission and members of the public during the meeting, which included a public hearing on the application. Some contend the DRT goes beyond its scope while others offered some praise, an issue Patch will look more at in a future article.

The zoning commission did offer the business the option of going with the original proposal but Addonizio said a lot of time was spent on the decision to enhance the project.

“I think we’re happy and it will be a good customer experience,” he said. 

Addonizio later said he did not have a cost estimate for the work but does hope to do it this year. 

One of those who commented publicly on the DRT was Julius Fialkiewicz, who also made positive comments about the business.

“Joe and the fish house have been a cornerstone in the town for over 30 years,” Fialkiewicz said.

Saybrook Fish House is in a building at the spot where numerous sections of Routes 44, 202 and 179 come together. The building was built in the late 1970s, according to town records and was once home to Crossroads Raw Bar. In 1979, that restaurant received permission to expand from 432 square feet to 2,144 square feet.

Saybrook Fish House in Canton was established in 1984, according to the restaurant’s web site


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