Where to eat Essex

We magically got tickets today for the Essex north pole train ride. Any recs on where to eat with kids before the ride and also hotels to stay at? Thanks!

Where to eat Essex

We ate at the Black Seal one year which is a pub in town with bar food. It was good but service was a little slow. The next year we grabbed food at the Essex train cafe. It's an inside area where you can hangout before your train ride. We had delicious turkey sandwiches and big pretzels. It was actually easier then going to a restaurant before hand. We never bothered to stay over, jst drove back after and the kids slept. It's about 2.5 hrs I think. If you want a hotel I think alot of pple stay in Mystic. I don't remember much being in Essex.

Where to eat Essex

Thanks for the info!