Must-see restaurants in Connecticut

  • ON20

    Connecticut

    On the 20th floor of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co, contemporary ON20 serves an elegant fusion menu with peerless views of the…

  • Hoodoo Brown BBQ

    Connecticut

    A Texas road trip inspired this unlikely Connecticut cult classic, where brisket falls off your fork and leaves you speechless (because maybe your mouth…

  • Trumbull Kitchen

    Connecticut

    TK's smart-yet-casual fine-dining atmosphere awaits, with excellent service and a wonderfully executed, diverse menu, making it a great alternative to…

  • Captain Scott's Lobster Dock

    Southeastern Connecticut

    The Coast Guard knows a bit about the sea, and you'd be remiss if you didn't follow its cadets to the place for summer seafood. The setting's just picnic…

  • Captain Daniel Packer Inne

    Southeastern Connecticut

    This 1754 historic house has a low-beam ceiling and creaky floorboards. On the lower pub level, you'll find bar denizens, live music, a good selection of…

  • ZINC

    New Haven

    Whenever possible, this trendy bistro's ingredients hail from local organic sources, but the chef draws inspiration from all over, notably Asia and the…

  • Oyster Club

    Southeastern Connecticut

    Offering casual fine dining at its best, this is the place locals come to knock down oysters on the deck out back. Grilled lobster and pan-roasted…

  • On the Waterfront

    Southeastern Connecticut

    A spectacular lobster bisque and other delights from the deep, such as pistachio-crusted salmon and Montauk-jumbo-stuffed shrimp, are served up with water…

  • Pantry

    New Haven

    The secret is already out about New Haven's ah-mazing little breakfast-lunch joint. You'll most likely have to line up then rub shoulders with a bunch of…

  • Whelk

    Connecticut

    The flagship seafood restaurant from talented chef Bill Taibe continues to turn heads with its fresh presentation of oceanic delights. There's a raw bar …

  • River Tavern

    Connecticut

    This popular wood-accented bistro with a bar and dining-room menu dishes up impeccable food with a variety of inflections. The menu changes, but if it’s…

  • Community Table

    Connecticut

    The name of this Scandinavian-inspired restaurant comes from the 300-year-old black-walnut table, where you can sit down to Sunday brunch. The modern…

  • Peaches 'N Cream

    Connecticut

    This old-fashioned ice-cream parlor with peppermint trim on the road to Torrington has been serving up homemade ice cream for decades. Seasonal flavors…

  • Modern Apizza

    New Haven

    This local favorite, although usually heaving with diners, has smaller queues than its better-known counterparts. Servers have perfected the efficient…

  • Frank Pepe

    New Haven

    Pepe's lays claim to baking the 'best pizza in America,' a title it's won three times running. We'll let you be the judge, but can confirm this joint…

  • Max Downtown

    Connecticut

    With its swinging tunes, 'pre-Prohibition' cocktails and retro-luxe look (a piano lounge with a long, curved wooden bar, massive wrought-iron chandeliers…

  • Union League Café

    New Haven

    An upscale French bistro in the historic Union League building. Expect a menu featuring continental classics like cocotte de joues de veau (organic veal…

  • Bear's Smokehouse

    Connecticut

    Locals love this wood-smoked Kansas-style barbecue famed for brisket, baby back ribs and pulled pork. Vegetarians might want to head elsewhere, although…

  • Good News Cafe

    Connecticut

    Carole Peck, considered the Alice Waters of the East Coast, celebrates 25 years at this magnet for celebrities and lovers of fine food, who come for the…

  • Soul de Cuba

    New Haven

    With its peach-colored walls, Afro-Caribbean soundtrack and spirit-rousing cocktails, Soul de Cuba is warm and inviting. Aside from the enormous and…

  • Miya's Sushi

    New Haven

    Two-time winner of the Taste of the Nation Award, Chef Bun Lai presents sustainable sushi and sashimi concoctions with fantastic names. Even more…

  • Arethusa al Tavolo

    Connecticut

    Belonging to a celebrated local dairy, this upscale restaurant uses the farm’s dairy products and sources other ingredients locally to produce its…

  • Sift Bake Shop

    Southeastern Connecticut

    When pastry chef Adam Young won the Food Network's Best Baker award in 2018, things blew up at this Water St location. Baguettes, ciabattas, chocolate…

  • Cheese Truck

    New Haven

    While the flagship Caseus bistro has shuttered its doors (its former staff have opened Olmo in its place, at 95 Whitney St), its cheese truck rolls on,…

  • Salute

    Connecticut

    Charming service is the hallmark of this urban gem, which offers a contemporary take on Italian flavors. Regulars rave about the cheesy garlic bread, but…

  • Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant

    New Haven

    This hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern joint serves fresh, cheap, delicious food in a simple restaurant with loads of character (and characters). It must be…

  • Atticus Bookstore Café

    New Haven

    On the fringe of the Yale campus, come here to get your bearings and mingle with the alumni over great coffee, artisanal sandwiches, stellar breads, soup…

  • Avery's Beverages

    Connecticut

    It doesn’t get much more authentic than Avery’s. Its 30-plus flavors of sodas and seltzers (including the hysterical 'Totally Gross' soda range) are still…

  • Kitchen at Billings Forge

    Connecticut

    Providing training and employment opportunities for the Billings Forge/Hartford community, this bright, forward-thinking cafe works with local farmers to…

  • M/Bar

    Southeastern Connecticut

    The same team who converted an old airport hangar into Saltwater Farm Vineyard have performed an equally stunning transformation of an ex-gas station into…

  • Bohemian Pizza

    Connecticut

    Sure, the vintage album covers, psychedelic sharks and massive wooden canoes adorning the walls are entertaining, as are the terrariums, but folks wouldn…

  • Noah's

    Southeastern Connecticut

    Noah's is a popular, informal place, with two small rooms topped with original stamped-tin ceilings. It's famous for its seafood (especially chowder and…

  • Water St Cafe

    Southeastern Connecticut

    North of Grand St, this crimson-walled cafe set in a post-and-beam house offers a creative, modern menu. The restaurant's seafood dishes, often with Asian…

  • Valencia Luncheria

    Connecticut

    Brightly colored, this local favorite looks like a bar and serves margaritas and home-style Venezuelan and Mexican food for lunch and dinner, and Western…

  • Village

    Connecticut

    This restaurant-cum-taproom on Litchfield's town green is both a casual, welcoming hometown pub and – if eating in the dining room – a place to go for a…

  • Costello's

    Southeastern Connecticut

    So as not to muddle up the lobster-rich menu at Abbott's, the owners opened up down-home Costello's, an old-school clam shack, just down the dock. Here,…

  • Tisane Euro Asian Cafe

    Connecticut

    This odd – and locally loved – coffeehouse-cum-restaurant-cum-bar somehow manages to morph from one beast to another throughout its long business day. For…

  • Quaker Diner

    Connecticut

    Get in early and squeeze into a slightly uncomfortable cyan-colored booth for a taste of real old-school Americana at this ancient cafe that has hardly…

  • Muddy Waters Cafe

    Southeastern Connecticut

    This coffee bar is the heart of the downtown lunchtime scene, serving a full coffee menu alongside generous sandwiches and pastries. The outdoor deck…

  • Fife 'n' Drum

    Connecticut

    If you're a fan of 1950s Americana, you'll love this dark woodsy restaurant-cum-diner-cum-bar attached to an inn of the same name. It's delightfully olde…

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