Must-see restaurants in Connecticut

  • Top Choice
    ON20

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Hoodoo Brown BBQ

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

  • Top Choice
    Trumbull Kitchen

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

  • Top Choice
    Captain Scott's Lobster Dock

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Captain Daniel Packer Inne

    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…

  • Top Choice
    ZINC

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

  • Top Choice
    Oyster Club

    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…

  • Top Choice
    On the Waterfront

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Pantry

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Whelk

    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 …

  • Top Choice
    River Tavern

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Community Table

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Peaches 'N Cream

    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

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

  • Frank Pepe

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

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