I still remember a time when Connecticut was a barbecue desert. Brisket could seem like an exotic item, and getting quality smoked meats usually meant a trip to New York City or further out of state. Those dark ages have, thankfully, long since passed. Today Connecticut is home to many good and several great barbecue destinations that are drawing people from out of state. In the story below, I highlight my five favorites, two of which were also featured in Texas Monthly in a feature about the best Texas barbecue outside of Texas. But before we dig into these picks, I have two caveats. First, though I love what is happening at several barbecue popups — I’m looking at you Broken Symmetry, Rise Doughnuts and Mason Sreet BBQ — this story is focused on establishments with more regular hours. Second, though I’ve tried many barbecue places in the state, I’m always on the lookout for new destinations. So if your favorite spot isn’t here and I’ve never been or you think it’s worthy of a revisit because something improved recently, I’m all ears. Now grab some napkins because we’re getting hands-on with barbecue.
Since April of 2024, a new restaurant by the name of Rye Bird, located in the longtime former home of Isla in Fairfield, teased a tasty, affordable, neighborhood restaurant concept. Operated by Post Road Hospitality, Rye Bird officially cracked open its doors on October 19 after hosting some patio preview parties prior to its grand opening. Rye Bird’s founder and president Frank Klein hopes it’ll catch on as the “next neighborhood joint” for a bunch of reasons.
Most Connecticut residents who were unfamiliar with Hugh Mangum before he and his family started making donuts in Wilton four years ago, may be oblivious to a few tidbits. Mangum, you see, isn’t only a French Culinary Institute graduate who worked under Jean-Georges Vongerichten, but he’s the founder of the popular Mighty Quinn’s BBQ. Now that his family’s donut shop, Rise Doughnuts, has gone from a pop up to its own physical location, paired with the fact that the Mangums reside in Wilton, the time to open another Mighty Quinn’s in nearby Norwalk in the former Bobby Q’s and the short lived Lechon Smokehouse space at The Waypointe.
Breaking BBQ news from Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque. We’ll bring you more on this exciting opening very soon!
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque (Mighty Quinn’s), the acclaimed NYC-born restaurant known for its all-natural slow-cooked meats, announced today the grand opening of its new location at The Waypointe in Norwalk (11 Merwin Street). The opening will kick off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Greater Norwalk Chamber and Mayor Harry Rilling on December 18 at 3 p.m., ahead of the grand opening on December 20. As part of the opening celebration, Mighty Quinn’s will donate 10% of all grand opening sales to Norwalk based charity Filling in the Blanks, which works to fight childhood hunger.
For those unfamiliar with Mighty Quinn’s, it was the first authentic barbeque experience in a fast-casual setting after co-founder, Pitmaster, and CT resident, Hugh Mangum smoked brisket and pulled pork out of a mobile smoker hitched to his pickup truck in Williamsburg (Brooklyn). The brand’s process begins with the best, all-natural meats and poultry, seasoned with perfect spice blends and then smoked with wood for many hours until the perfect harmony of smoke, flavor and time emerges.
Tucked away in a small residential neighborhood just off of Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield is a small and unassuming restaurant. Some may recognize this as the former home of Liana’s Trattoria which closed its doors during the pandemic. Just over a year ago, Joanne Monroe took over the empty space and brought life back inside the four walls. Joanne, no stranger to the hospitality industry, was with Liana for nearly 15 years. No one knew the restaurant as well as she did, except perhaps Chef James Agoglia, who worked with Liana for about 5 years and returns to the helm of the kitchen with all of his unbridled talent and creativity. These two are a talented duo. The new restaurant plays homage to the former while moving forward to create new traditions.
A new Spring menu has launched at Sally’s Apizza, but before launching into the particulars allow me to introduce you to Chef Bret Lunsford who recently joined the Sally’s team as Executive Chef and Culinary Director. An Italian American raised in Mississippi, Chef Lunsford grew up eating the approachable foods of his heritage, and his love for cooking led him to work for local restaurants through high school and college where he earned a Masters in Musical Theater. But the kitchen ended up being his true passion and he subsequently enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America for more formal training. While there he did his externship at the esteemed August restaurant in New Orleans before joining Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group in 2013. He began his 10-year career at the Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern under Chef Michael Anthony. In 2015 he joined the opening team of Untitled at the Whitney Museum. In 2016 he transitioned to Blue Smoke where he rose in rank quickly to become executive chef.
Barbecue is one of those things that people will travel for. Just over the Connecticut line, specifically in Bedford Hills, is a small, mostly takeout BBQ “shack” in a residential neighborhood, that’s actually not too far of a drive for folks in Stamford, Greenwich, Ridgefield, New Canaan, and their surrounding areas.
Connecticut’s beloved bagel brand, PopUp Bagels, kicked off four years ago when Goldberg and his cousin Jeff Lewis started making bagels for family and friends in the midst of the pandemic. Rave reviews led Goldberg to launching a backyard preorder pickup bagel biz that sold out time and time again. PopUp would then take their bagels on the road, opening…well…everywhere.
if you don’t already know what PopUp Bagels is all about—are fresh bagels, served to the customer piping hot, NOT pre sliced, and artisan schmears. The original concept required pre-orders of a dozen bagels, but when they launched their NYC location (to VERY long lines I might add), they spearheaded their new retail model. This was then replicated in Greenwich, where guests can walk up and order 3 bagels and a schmear for $12.
Popup Bagel’s NEW Newtown opens this weekend, March 22nd with pre-ordering only Friday, Saturday Sundays, but starting next week, the Newtown spot will be open every Wednesday-Sunday for for both pre-sale and walk in.
UP NEXT is their Fairfield location opening June 1st in the old Lobster Craft spot.
On certain days on or in the vicinity of Greenwich Avenue, take a whiff of the air and the woods you smell are in fact oak and hickory. Get a little closer to Mason Street and you’ll spot blue smoke coming off a Lang and that smell won’t just be logs, it’ll be…meaty.
Elicit Brewing Company’s second location will open to the public on Monday, February 12, and CTbites has the inside scoop. More accurately a brewpub, the brand-new location will encompass a microbrewery, 100-tap taproom and social space, an in-house cocktail-focused speakeasy, and a large, covered back patio with direct access from the Fairfield Metro train station.
Haven Hot Chicken, which brings Nashville Hot Chicken and “Not Chicken” to the area as one of the first fully dedicated Nashville Hot Chicken concepts in New England, today announced that it will be opening two NEW LOCATIONS in Fairfield, CT at 907 Post Road in Oxford, CT at Quarry Walk, later this year.
When I asked the Haven Hot Chicken team how long it took them to arrive at this just about perfect combination of crispy, juicy and flavorful chicken, they laughed and said they have been recipe testing for over a year. Their tagline is “CRISPY CRUNCHY JUICY SPICY DELICIOUS,” and I’m gonna say “nailed it.” You can truly taste the time and commitment to research in every item on this takeout/delivery menu.
Both locations will feature the brand’s signature menu of crispy, crunchy, juicy, spicy, delicious chicken and vegetarian options ranging from Country (not spicy) to Haven (extremely spicy), including the epic and signature “THE Sandwich,” as well as other featured mains, classic sides and seasonal limited-time offerings.
I can count on one finger how many times I’ve had a smoked cheeseburger in our general area.
The smoked burger is seemingly elusive. My first came in 2019, in Irvington, at a BBQ joint that’s no longer there. I’m not saying it’s impossible to find one, I’m just saying it’s rare—that’s an on-purpose meat pun.
In Connecticut, two spots where you absolutely can find a smoky, beefy, beast of a burger, are Hoodoo Brown BBQ and Hindsight Barbecue that were both recently named in terrific piece on Texas Monthly (link HERE) that you absolutely should read.
Gabagool Wine Bar is the newest incarnation of the former Fairfield favorite, Toto Restaurant, which shut its doors suddenly and unexpectedly about a year and a half ago. I worried that, tragically, this too had succumbed to the pandemic, but alas – and thankfully, such was not the case.
The restaurant that occupied the main level in the red building on Reef Road sat vacant and dark for over a year. This was all due to massive flood caused by a ruptured pipe. With water everywhere, the restaurant’s interior needed to be completely gutted and rebuilt. Thankfully for us restauranteur and owner Antonio Ninivaggi does as only Antonio does… He turned his lemons into limoncello, and thus Gabagool Wine Bar was born.
Whether it’s the dog days of summer or life just has you too busy to be bothered with cooking, some of the simplest, and often the most delicious meals, come in bowls. Chock full of healthy and delicious ingredients like grains, veggies, meats and fish or brimming with fresh fruits and icy smoothy-ness, bowls in all shapes and sizes make eating fun. They are convenient, interesting and delicious-what a trifecta! Here are some of our favorite bowls in Connecticut. Go build one for yourself!
Nestled in a quiet corner of a shopping plaza located right off of the hustle and bustle of Fairfield’s Black Rock Turnpike is Vespino Pizza + Restaurant. Located in the space that was formerly Stefano’s, Vespino fills a void in the area’s restaurant scene. Best described as elevated casual in a stylishly modern setting, Vespino is an ideal choice for a quick neighborhood lunch, casual dinner with friends and family, or an after work cocktail. Vespino has already established a loyal clientele and has earned praises for their pizza, pasta, appetizers and main dishes. Sister restaurant to longtime local favorite Quattro Pazzi Café, Organika and the newer kid on the block, Pizza Lyfe in Westport, we came in with high expectations, eager to try a few dishes ourselves.
There’s a new resident at The Waypointe and they’re likely the only ones allowed to smoke indoors.
But this “new neighbor” doesn’t occupy an apartment, they took over the Merwin Street space that was created for Bobby Q’s Cue & Co. that was vacant since 2021 after owner Bob LeRose sadly passed away.
We are all rolling, rolling, rolling into the summer months-Yay! Between parties, vacations, and just plain ol’ exploring, the warm and sunny months have us on the move. And what better info to have in your back pocket than plans for where to eat-trucks offering food of all kinds, whether you’re stopping mid-trip or renting for your next party! We have broken down this behemoth of a list by categories so you can high-tail it to the foods that interest you: Pizza, Tacos/Mexican, BBQ, Ethnic, Lobster & Seafood, All-American, Plant-Based/Alternative Diet, Ice Cream & Sweets, Cocktails & Beer and Coffee & Tea. Happy summer, everyone, roll on!
Chick-fil-A, the popular national chain of chicken restaurants, is slated to open a new location in Fairfield, after its application before the Town Plan and Zoning Commission was denied in 2021. The popular chicken restaurant is slated to move into 750 Post Road, the site that previously housed Joe's American Bar & Grill.
First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick announced the news on Monday, confirming that the restaurant will move into the former Joe's American Bar & Grill site at 750 Post Road. The property, which has sat vacant for more than three years, had been declared a blight in 2022.
If you work hard enough and put in the time to learn your craft, then success is sure to follow. Just ask Saul Medina of the newly opened Il Pellicano in Fairfield. Medina’s journey to this point in his culinary career proves that there are many different paths one can take, and if followed, will lead to the same desired destination of becoming a head chef. Born in Puebla, Mexico, he migrated to the U.S., and like so many before him, landed in New York City. He brought with him a deep love of food and cooking, both taught to him at a young age by his grandmother and aunts. Without any formal training, Medina started at the bottom as a dishwasher but quickly worked his way up the kitchen ranks. His strong work ethic, desire to learn, and ability to travel gave him crucial experience and the necessary exposure to many different styles of food very quickly.
