While Cinco de Mayo does fall on a Monday this year, there are still plenty of restaurants all throughout Connecticut that are offering holiday specials during the week leading up to May 5th and many that are excited to party the day of! I often try to look at the glass half full…full of margarita that is. So let’s all start the week off right by grabbing our friends, throwing on our dancing shoes for the live DJ performances, and proactively calling out of work that Tuesday, because yes, the tequila and beer will be flowing and that’s just a fact. But don’t worry, the tacos, empanadas, dips, and other incredible specials might just be so off the charts that you forget about the drinks and boom! Hangover cured!
(I love George Clooney and all, but you can do much better than Migos.)
Cimaroon-this, by far is the most value driven example of pure agave flavor.
It may be a bit too funky for some, but it is super authentic and full of spice, lime, and herbaceous notes.
Casa Noble Reposado- Aged for one day less than an Anejo, this is attainable luxury in a bottle. They check all the boxes for production, sustainability and investment in the drinking public with good information about how to truly appreciate the spirit. Vanilla, white pepper and bright orange dominate.
Gran Centenario Anejo- oak aging takes away agave flavor, and skill is required to add the notes of candied apple, chocolate and cinnamon while preserving the soul of an agave. This is great for a bourbon lover, and a spoonful on top of your margarita is instant elegance.
Cinco de Mayo is here again, baby! This year the holiday falls on a Sunday, which should be the best news you’ve heard all year because it means you get to celebrate all. weekend. long. Restaurants all across Connecticut are kicking it into high gear this time, with great food, drinks, live music, and prizes! No matter where you are in this wonderful state of ours, you’ll be able to find sick menu specials, fire DJs, and strong margaritas. Get ready to shake your booty this Cinco de Mayo weekend, because we’re all friends here so we can admit – nothing quite makes you dance like a shot (or four) of tequila. Check out what these talented chefs and mixologists have in store this holiday…you won’t be disappointed.
Lori-Ann Marchese is the Head Trainer of Body Construct and a licensed nutritionist. She has a few healthier options for local eats to try this Cinco De Mayo.
Want to celebrate Cinco while keeping your fitness goals? We have hand selected a cocktail and dish from eight amazing CT restaurants with this in mind. Happy eating everyone!
What better way to kick off May than with a Cinco de Mayo FIESTA! Fruity, frosty or frozen Margaritas in a rainbow of flavors, tacos of every shape and size, gobs of perfectly creamy guacamole and…tequila. May 5th just happens to be a Friday this year, so let ‘er rip and party until the piñata hits the ground!
Punch “J.B. Percival” into Google Maps and you’ll be well on your way to enjoying an expertly mixed drink in Fairfield County’s only straight up cocktail lounge. All that’s left is actually finding the entrance.
Your GPS will tell you “you’ve arrived,” and you’ll likely be close, whether you’re parked at Fairfield Metro or parallel on Unquowa Street. There’s still a bit of legwork left. Head down Donnelly Walk, spot a handful of outdoor seats, and you’ll ultimately see their logo and “Permittee Amy O’Shea” decaled on the glass door.
If you’re just now hearing about J.B. Percival, it might be because O’Shea and her husband, Billy, opened their doors at the start of 2020. Nine weeks after they began mixing drinks and pouring pints, they were shut down for on-premise everything like every bar and restaurant was. Like most, they pivoted to a takeout model selling to-go cocktails, cocktail kits, wine, eggs, honey, masks, hand sanitizer, and even vegetables. As restrictions eased, J.B. Percival started slinging drinks for outdoor patio consumption, and then, finally, it was back to welcoming customers back indoors.
When you hear that a legendary hometown restaurant is ending its run after almost 40 years, a flood of memories tend to hit you. Suddenly, I was a kid again, sitting on a barstool next to my father. He’d chug away at a Heineken while I sipped on bubbly cola straight from the soda gun. Thin-ish, crispy crust bar pizzas—likely extra cheese, pepperoni, or both—were involved, too.
Even as an adult, I’d occasionally grab a couple pies from Partner’s Cafe & Pizzeria to-go. Every time I drove by, I’d think about pizza, soda, my dad, and feeling pretty damn cool sitting at the bar.
Thankfully, for me, and I’m sure for a hell of a lot of Norwalkers, Partner’s gets to live on thanks to B.J. Lawless and Keith Torpey, under a new name, but with intentions to preserve the bar’s neighborhood “where everybody knows your name” charm.
We may be stuck inside, but Connecticut restaurants and caterers are helping us travel south of the border with their Cinco de Mayo packages! Some places like Bartaco and Wakeman Town Farm are bringing the fiesta into your home with virtual events while others are offering delicious cuisine and all the fixings to make your own margaritas! Are you ready to party? If the answer is “si!” check out our guide below.
On Saturday, May 4, 2019, Carson + Spencer is hosting the SONO Cinco de Mayo Bar Crawl! You'll have the chance to hop from bar to bar in South Norwalk in one fun-filled evening. Tickets start at $20.
Mezon in Danbury is throwing the biggest party of the year in honor of Cinco! Cocktail competition. Live DJ. Drink specials + delicious food featuring the @eatjustice food truck. Sunday May 5th. Doors open at 7.
Ordinary New Haven will be offering an $8 Margarita Special in honor of Cinco de Mayo on Friday May 3 and Saturday May 4 (the bar is closed on Sundays). The drink special includes Hacienda Blanco Tequila, Blood Orange Shrub, Citrus and Dehydrated Grapefruit Salt.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Bartaco Portchester! From 3:30-6pm, listen to live music by Rick Reyes & The Pasofino Social Club. From 6:30-9pm Tangled Vine will take the set. The night concludes with DJ Teofilis.
The Acoustic Café welcomes the Cosmic Jibaros for their Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Evarito's is celebrating Cinco de Mayo all weekend long! Visit them for happy hour on Friday and then enjoy $7 Margaritas and food specials on Saturday & Sunday. Their Saturday Night party will feature DJ Mercado and Sunday they’ll have Latin Band Quimbombó from NYC.
Sick of the same old greasy bar food consumed with flavorless big beer brands while out with colleagues or friends on Friday night? Me too. Skip the ho-hum bar and head directly to The Social, a relatively new spot on Bank Street in New London. Providing a new and much needed hang-out spot, the Social gives diners great food, a family-friendly atmosphere, and an extensive beer list; it definitely knocks it out of the park as a new place to spend Fridays after work or Saturday evenings with family or friends.
Largest Selection of Craft Beers on Draft in Southeast CT
The Social has selected hyper-local, local, regional, and U.S. beers, serving a whopping 50 on draft.
Geronimo Tequila Bar & Southwest Grill, Fairfield and New Haven: Geronimo Tequila Bar and Southwest Grill will be offering “Five Days of Cinco” at its New Haven and Fairfield locations.
Mezon, Danbury: Mezon in Danbury will host its annual Cinco de Mayo block party with $7 plates and drinks, a live DJ, a cocktail competition and more. Doors open at 7pm.
Dos Amigos, Torrington: Karaoke meets Cinco de Mayo at Dos Amigos in Torrington.
CINCO Norwalk Block Party, Norwalk: CTBites, Ken Tuccio, and Don Carmelo's Mexican Grill & Tequila Bar in Norwalk are teaming up for CINCO, a massive Cinco De Mayo Block Party event. The event kicks off at 12pm and it is an all day party four live bands, two culinary competitions and the debut of Evenflow Mexican Lager from No Worries.
Bartaco, Stamford, Westport, West Hartford: Bartaco Westport is kicking off the summer with their Cinco de Mayo fiesta! Visit them for live music, a summer bucket list contest, and surprise giveaways.
Cinco Five Festival, Stamford: The first annual CINCO FIVE FESTIVAL will take place in Stamford on Saturday, May 5 from 3-9pm at Stamford's Mill River Park! There will be food trucks, DJs, and plenty of beer and sangria. 21+.
Meet Alex Levere—his roots may be French and German, but the luck of the Irish is clearly smiling upon him. He grew up in the restaurant industry on the shoreline, spent some time in Europe—specifically, you guessed it, in Ireland—in his early 20s, then Boston during his college years and beyond.
“Long story short, the economy crashed, I graduated, and there was nothing really going on, so I was bartending at a place, and they offered me an assistant management job. So, I took that, then I went to manager. Then I went to general manager and, right before the place was sinking, the head chef quit, so I took over the kitchen. I was like, I know I can do this, and I did it, but it was too little, too late. And that’s when we came across this place!” Now he’s turning out some truly inventive flavors at the Inishmor Pub in Colchester.
The day started with snow flurries in Denver, pre-dawn, long week, long flight, two hours from Kennedy to CT. When my wife asked where we should eat, the temptation for a culinary transport to the Caribbean was too much to resist. After a quick drive to SONO, we were seated at one of my favorite restaurants, Harlan Publick, where Chef Kamal Rose is still creating magical combinations, balancing the spiciness of the Islands, with a delicate focus on subtleness.
Taking a page from history, from what is now referred to as the “British Raj”, the British rule over the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947, Viceroy Publik House pays homage to this now proud British and Indian cultural connect, offering a high energy English pub setting featuring London curry, pakoras and pints, and an edgy live music venue which is just as diverse as its menu. Located in Downtown Stamford, CT, Viceroy Publik House brings together these two cultures, rich in history and with a strong food and drink identity found in pubs throughout London. Viceroy will be opening in April of 2017.
The latest incarnation of Mama’s Boy and Peaches, debuts this week as Greer Fredericks opens Peaches Pub and Juke Joint in Norwalk. Located at 7 Wall Street, this newest venture combines Peach’s, a first floor restaurant, with an upstairs “juke joint.” Overseeing the kitchen is Paul Failla, who previously worked at Bar Sugo, The Whelk and Saltwater Grill. The vision is laid back, kick off your shoes environment that serves some good old fashioned southern cooking at reasonable prices.
The space is open and allows for both seating in couches, easy chairs, at tables or at the long bar. The upstairs offers more seating plus access to the water view terrace. The walls will be adorned with artwork from New Orleans’ artist Dr. Bob and features many of his works from the “be nice or leave” series.
The opening menu include appetizers such as Chicken Liver Spread on Ritz crackers, Country Fair Bacon, Fried Green Tomatoes, Uncle Leon’s Mussels with Jambalaya broth and Andouille sausage, Chicken-Fried Chicken livers and Dark and Stormy Ribs. Save room for Supper, which includes Panhandle Shrimp and Grits, a Bucket o’ Chicken for two, Sunburst Trout, a Big By Burger and “The Thigh High” buttermilk fried chicken.
The Little Pubyou know from Ridgefield, Wilton and Cos Cob is opening its fourth location in Fairfieldat the intersection of Stillson Avenue and Black Rock Turnpike. This spot has some history as it housed the Angus restaurant for over 70 years. Owner, Doug Grabe says "It's a cute and cozy building in a perfect neighborhood for Little Pub and we’re really looking forward to serving the Fairfield community."
"Little Pub Fairfield will share the traditional old world charm of our other little pubs with thick plaster walls, hand hewn beams, and antique iron light fixtures," says Grabe. In fact, the team re-purposed over 80 vintage beams from their Cos Cob renovation. A massive stone fireplace serves as the focal point for the main dining room, alongside some wonderful pub decor, including a vintage telephone booth.
What is unique to Fairfield is its size. The dining room is over 50% bigger than Wilton, with 130 seats. Grabe says "The bar alone is bigger than our entire Ridgefield footprint."
We are VERY excited about this week's Bethel food news covered by our friends Hearst Connecticut:
Several local entrepreneurs hope to open a brew pub in the former train station, which they believe will bring a new demographic to downtown [Bethel].
Lisa Tassone, owner of La Zingara on P.T. Barnum Square, and several partners have been discussing a brew pub when space at the station became available. Bethel Cycle closed last fall after operating in the building for about five years. “As soon as we walked into the space we knew it was a perfect fit,” said Tassone, who opened La Zingara about 13 years ago. Chris Sanzeni, an experienced brewer, said the historic building and the artistic nature of making beer is a perfect fit — adding Smirnoff vodka was produced for the first time in the building next door.
If the "EXPECT BIG THINGS" train station platform signs or the Little Pub "adopt a highway" sign by exit 23 weren't enough of a hint, Owner, Doug Grabe, is happy to confirm that Little Pub is in fact coming to Fairfield's Dolan's Corner this summer.
Located at the intersection of Stillson Avenue and Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, "Dolan's Corner" was the original hub of Black Rock Turnpike's thriving business district and home to various incarnations of the Angus restaurant for almost 70 years. Grabe told CTbites,
"It's a cute and cozy building in a perfect neighborhood for Little Pub and we’re really looking forward to serving the community. And besides, how could an iconic Fairfield address known as "Dolan's Corner" not have a neighborhood pub?"
Little Pub Fairfield will share the traditional old world charm of our other little pubs with thick plaster walls, hand hewn beams, and antique iron light fixtures. "We have some really great stuff planned and of course, fun is mandatory," Says Grabe.
Stay tuned for interior photos and opening news as the renovation gets underway.
Chef Nick Martschenko’s (South End) newest venture, SE Uncorked, is already creating an incredible buzz throughout New Canaan for its great food and great vibe. Inspired by the speakeasies of the Prohibition era and taverns in the UK and Australia, Chef Nick told CTbites that his vision is for “guests to be comfortable and relaxed in a heavily beverage, comfortable environment with foods designed for a pub versus restaurant theme.”
Located at 15 Elm Street, both the exterior and interior have been completely redesigned. The brick-faced exterior features a drop-down wood shelf, windows at eye-level and a wood carved sign announcing “Uncorked” with the familiar South End circle-logo with the additional prelude... “Snacks & Taps.”
As my search for great burgers in CT continues, I always appreciate the opportunity to combine this pursuit with other culinary options. When I found myself in Fairfield, I decided to stop into Archie Moore’s Bar and Restaurant and sample its Bar Burger and while I was there, why not begin the meal with an order of wings, which are consistently voted some of the best in the state.