Ice cream on a hot day. Ice cream on a rainy day. Ice cream for dinner or to delight a toddler. Ice cream just because. It’s summer and all of these reasons are 100% legit. Hell, any time of the year they are, right? Connecticut currently ranks #15 in the US for the most ice cream consumed (zippia.com) nationally. However, NY, NJ, VT, and RI eat more…guess this list is just what we need to show them what us Nutmeggers are made of. Or at least, what we enjoy on a hot summer afternoon. Grab a cone, enjoy the drips, and have a summer piled high with the creamy, dreamy stuff. One more thing: for your ease of finding these sweet establishments, we have broken the list down by counties in CT!
Warmer weather has finally arrived, meaning it is time to head outside and enjoy the many waterfront restaurants and bars the state of Connecticut offers. Whether you are craving a tasty seafood dinner or a refreshing cocktail, the state is filled with excellent restaurants with top-notch views of the water. Simply put, nothing says “summer” like waterfront dining, which is why we are back this year with a comprehensive guide to read through and decide where to grab lunch or dinner.
For your convenience, we have broken the guide up into counties so you can easily find exactly what you are looking for, whether you want to dine somewhere local or try someplace new! And keep in mind, we are not just talking about Long Island Sound – Connecticut has several riverfront restaurants as well with equally beautiful views and delicious food, so we have those included here as well.
To celebrate Black History Month 2023, we have updated our guide to black owned restaurants across the state of Connecticut. If you see a place that is missing, please let us know. Big ups and thanks to Molly Alexander for compiling an excellent start to this list with her Google Map posted to Eat in CT. Get out there and support these restaurants.
We did our best to compile a comprehensive list, but if you know of a spot we missed, please contact us here.
One fish, two fish, red fish…lobster. And seafood in all its forms. Oh yeah, baby! Get the bibs, the frosty beers and get crackin’, shuckin’ and lovin’. Nothing signals the start of summer quite like eating by the water while the sunshine sparkles on the waves. Picture, if you will, your teeth sinking into a lobster roll dripping with drawn butter, or wistfully dragging fresh steamers through (more) butter or popping hot-out-the-fryer clam strips and fritters into your mouth. Whether dining on land or by sea, seafood rules the roost this season. These simple summer pleasures make time stand still for a few blissful moments. Summer is here, and food is easy.
Enjoy our guide to over 40 summertime—or anytime—spots to get buttery lobster, chow down at a clambake, and sit and eat at a seafood shack!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and with it comes plenty of wonderful eats! For your Christmas celebrating on the day or the eve, restaurants and caterers in all corners of the state have lovingly assembled delicious menus, kits and take out packages for you and your family. What a gift-spending time together, enjoying a beautiful meal and not being holed up in the kitchen. Wishing you all a very merry and delicious holiday!
Here are 50+ restaurants and caterers for your Christmas festivities.
With Winter upon us, and CT residents itching for some warmth and sun, we asked our sister site MIABites.com for a little dining advice for all those heading to Florida this season. Here are some of MIAbites Contributors Best Bites for "am to pm" dining in and around Miami, Miami Beach, Wynwood and the Design District.
Obviously, all of the Miami Beach hotels have top restaurants and prices to match. Jose Andres The Bazaar and Katsuya at the SLS South Beach, Scarpetta, StripSteak and Pizza Burger by Michael Mina and Hakkasan at The Fontainebleau , Mr. Chow at The W South Beach, Pao by Paul Qui and Los Fuegos at Faena and Jean Georges, The Matador Room at the EDITION, the relocated NOBU in the Nobu Hotel Eden Roc, are all popular and top picks where chances are you will have a delicious albeit expensive meal. But if you’d like to dig deeper into the Mimi food scene, check out our guide by category…
Bring on the good food, the gratitude, and the tablecloth you use once a year-Thanksgiving is here! This holiday, thankfully, will be more about in-person celebrating than seeing how many Zoom family chats we can schedule between the appetizer course and the dessert course. Man, doesn’t it feel good to greet a holiday with thoughts of “looking forward to this!” rather than “how the heck are we going to do this?”. To that end, one of your biggest challenges this month will be which of these wonderful establishments to order your food from and you will win no matter who you choose. From turkeys and pies you can bake yourself so they are bubbly warm when you serve them, to vegan and gluten-free options and dine-in options across the state, bellies will be full and happy. You can even send a meal to a loved one or donate one to spread the love. Oh, and make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list, where you will find places to order fresh turkeys. Eat up, celebrate well. Psst-We’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you that we are grateful for our fabulous readers. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
September 29th is National Coffee Day. Coffee addicts unite. Or those who just love a good cup o’ joe, stand up. Love learning about coffee and trying new varieties? Raise your hand (or mugs). Coffee is here! Connecticut is happily strewn North to South, East to West with roasters, cafes and lots of folks who know a whole lot about these little beans that captivate our attention. There are roasters who have subscription services, cafes with drink lists a mile long and honestly, many happy and caffeinated faces to go with each. You could spend all of next year jumping around the state and trying each one of these…hey, why not start now? And psst-if we have missed any places you love, please let us know in the comments section!
If there is one thing that makes us long for summer all year long it is the ability to eat, play, explore, even sleep and just “be” outside. That carefree feeling of stepping outdoors without the boots and the hats and the puffy coats. Grab your flip-flops, maybe a bit of sunscreen and off we go! Ah, the carefreeness of it! And eating outside? How can it be that a bit of sun and air will elevate even the simplest food? A hot dog never tastes better around a campfire or at a ballgame. A bag of chips at the beach with a sandwich? Perfection. So, to that end, we have compiled a list of GREAT WATERFRONT DINING spots-some of which have indoor dining with fabulous views and many perch you outside on beautiful, expansive decks or docks to enjoy their dishes. If a simple hot dog tastes great outside, these venues will have you giddy.
It is doubtful that, when mentioning summer eats, lobster anything wouldn’t be in the Top 3 list of foods that folks love, drive miles for, yearn for during the winter months and spiritedly debate (hot? cold? with mayo? just butter?). Well, summer is here, time to strap on that bib, lick those buttery fingers and well, get crackin’. From piled-high lobster rolls and creamy bisques, to hot fried clams and fluffy fritters, seafood rules the roost when temps rise and those ocean breezes soothe the soul. Whether you are searching for a lunch by the water or hosting a party for friends (weee! finally!), these venues will add some buttery fun to your summer days. Bon appetit! Here, let me tie that bib for you….
Sitting on a bench, licking a drippy ice cream cone on a warm summer day or a balmy evening can be, well…sublime. The skies are clear, the sun or moon is hanging in the sky-all is right with the world and these are a few moments to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. And creamy rich ice cream or scoop of blissful gelato is one of those pleasures, indeed. Honestly, unless you have dropped that cone (bloop, splat! *tears*), when have you ever gone for ice cream and left unhappy? Cream, fruits, swirls of caramel, bits of chocolate chips, a nut here and there-nothing can beat it. Take a few moments this summer to enjoy those simple things, like a cone with a friend or even by yourself. Here’s a list to point the way…
Enjoy these 75+ Spots for Ice Cream, Gelato and Frozen Desserts in CT.
This corned beef related news just in from WestportNow.
Westport’s Main Street is getting a Deli back. Rye Ridge Deliwill open next year in space long occupied by Oscar’s Delicatessen, 159 Main St.
Partners Mike Ventorino and Scott Martin today in the future home of Rye Ridge Deli and Restaurant at 159 Main St.. Partners Scott Martin and Mike Ventorino will open the third Rye Ridge Deli sometime early next year, they said today. Other Rye Ridge Delis – described as a New York Kosher-Style Deli and Restaurant—are in Rye Brook, N.Y. and Stamford.
Oscar’s closed in August a week before the death of longtime owner Lee Papageorge after a 42-year presence on Main Street. “I got a lot of calls after it closed, asking me to take a look at it,” said Martin, an eight-year Wilton resident. “We signed the lease around Halloween.”
Located in the heart of historic South Norwalk,Zapata Mexican Restaurant crafts authentic Mexican cuisine in an area rich in history and vibrant in color, Zapata Mexican Restaurant proudly contributes to this energetic environment. This is our second location, the original is located in Palisades, NY where our family-owned and operated restaurant has thrived for over 20 years. Many of our customers come in and ask why SONO? The answer is simple, SONO lacked an authentic Mexican restaurant with fresh ingredients, amazing margaritas, and smiling faces. Freshness is what we believe in and what we thrive on. We personally choose all our produce, and all of our ingredients. We are in a society where fresh and healthy is key! To ensure the highest quality, we also cook all of our products with olive oil to keep it healthy and always tasting delicious.
There’s a new Latin pulse beating on West Park Place in Stamford and it goes by the name ACUARIO (Aquarium, in Spanish.) Funky, warm and charming, the new Peruvian jaunt is the latest culinary jewel from the treasure box of Saida and Nicolas Oshiro, who opened the original ACUARIO in Port Chester in the 1980s. This new ACUARIO is in the worthy hands of Oshiro offspring, Eduardo, and his wife, Beth, and they know what’s cookin’. We’ve dined at ACUARIO twice and each time the restaurant has been packed, with many patrons speaking Spanish - ALWAYS a good sign.
Join us for a spooktacular CTbites Lunch Event @ Sugar & Olives on October 26th. Chef Jennifer Balin is going all "pumpkin" on us with this exciting $20 prix fixe menu (including lobster risotto and a clever twist on the pop tart). Sugar & Olives is known for fresh flavors, locally sourced organic fare, and desserts that are worth the extra gym time...not to mention the beautiful ultra modern lounge-worthy dining space. Check out the menu below:
Seatings will be @ 12 & 1PM. Call 203.454.3663 for reservations.
Yesterday's event at The Boathouse was the perfect kick off to the 2010 CTbites & Suzysaid lunch season. The rain may have put a damper on the beautiful patio dining but it did not dilute the enthusiasm in the packed room as we eagerly awaited our first course. Chef Holzwarth surprised lucky diners by adding an unexpected starter to the already intriguing menu. "It felt like a soup day" he stated as bowls of creamy oyster soup plated with a single perfectly roasted oyster in red wine vert jus began to circulate. Crunchy breadcrumbs punctuated the silkiness of both crustacean and chowder. Who doesn't like a surprise…especially when you can eat it?
The CTbites & SuzySaid lunch events are back, and on Tuesday, September 28th we're debuting the season with a very special venue just right for savoring the summer harvest,The Boathouse @ Saugatuck. Chef John Holzwarth, of NYC's Felidia and Westport's The Dressing Room fame, will be preparing a $20 prix fixe for CTbites readers that highlights John's commitment to using locally sourced ingredients in innovative ways.
Come out and meet your CTbites community. You won't want to miss this one!
For reservations, call 203.227.3399.Check out the mouthwatering menu below:
CTbites and SuzySaid readers met up once again to enjoy a decadent prix fixe menu...this time at Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistroin Norwalk. The small size of this dining space, and Chef Troilo's presence in his open kitchen made this a particularly cozy event. Diners from various tables introduced themselves to one another, and new foodie friends were made. The sun was shining. We had bottomless homemade lemonade. All was good with the world.
Chef Troilo created a beautiful $15 prix fixe menu, and with three diners at my table I was able to taste everything...just the way I like it.
As promised, our next CTbites / Suzysaid lunchevent has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 4th @ Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro. Many of us in the CTbites community have been long time fans of Rob Troilo's sublime cuisine, and now he will serve up a meal especially for our readers. You know it's going to be good.
For anyone who has dined with Rob before, you know the space is small, so call now to make your reservations at (203) 229-0035. Check out the delicious $15 prix fixe menu below...
Choice of entree:
Seared Tuna Nicoise Style - with black olive tapenade, green beans, anchovies and a dijon vinaigrette
Caesar Salad with Organic Chicken - brioche croutons and parmesan crisp
Spring Vegetable Risotto with fresh favas, english peas, asparagus and mascarpone
