conch salad caymus cabernet filet mignon turks caicos
homefamilyct restaurantssportsvacationsSwick Enterprises Portfolio
ALL THINGS ABOUT US
  Connecticut restaurant guide "Laughter is brightest where food is best."  ~Irish Proverb 
Google

Swick's CT Restaurant Picks

A list of CT restaurants that we've dined in and recommend.
Restaurant Location Comments/
Review/Menu
Archie Moore's

Main Street, Wallingford Website

Great wings, pub food.
Asaggio 168 Montowese St., Branford, (203) 483-5426
Another wonderful Italian restaurant.
Bellini's

2 Broadway, North Haven, CT
203-234-2221
Wonderful Italian food. Try the garlicky-buttery -bread knots that come with the meal. Simple affordable wine list. A local favorite. Always special service. The bar area has been renovated and it's a great place to eat at the bar too.
Bistro Mediterranean Tapas Bar 383 Main St, East Haven, CT 06512
203-467-2500
Mediterranean food at it's best. This is truly a hidden gem in East Haven. Start off with a little bowl of olives, a slice of warm, tasty bread. Lots of tapas to choose from. The food is devine here. Everything is so fresh. My favorite tapas is the Tartare of Filet Migñon with Truffle Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Shallots, and Black Truffles; Served with Quail Egg, and Parmesan Cheese Crostini.
Consiglio's 165 Wooster St., New Haven, CT
203-865-4489
Out of this world pasta. The filet gorgonzola is mouth watering as well. Try the homemade chocolate lava cake for dessert The hot, melting chocolate just oozes all over the plate!
Cottage Restaurant 427 Farmington Ave, Plainville, CT 860-793-8888 Ancho shrimp with stuffed poblano - delicious. Panko crusted Salmon dish very tasty. Presentation is beautiful, service is right up there with the best restaurants. Chocolate mousse crepe for desert - wow. Nice quiet relaxing atmosphere. A plus was an affordable, yet still good, wine list.
Dalton's 2429 Foxon Rd
North Branford, CT
203-481-4711

You can watch the chefs cook through the glass window in the back. Start out with the olive oil/cilantro/garlic mix to dip the bread in.
Diorio's 231 Bank Street, Waterbury, CT
203-754-5111
Broccoli rabe w/pasta and sausage... wonderful flavor. The martinis are great too!
East-West Grille 526 New Park Ave. West Hartford, CT 06110
236-3287
Zagat rated. Excellent Thai and Laos food. BYOB. Try the awesome Sai Ghock for some of the best tasting, spicy sausage!

Eli's on Whitney 2392 Whitney Ave. Hamden, CT
203-287-1101

n/a
Fratelli's 950 Yale Avenue, Wallingford 697-9365 The best tasting Italian bread around! From wonderful pastas to nightly steak and fish specials, this is Wallingford's hidden gem of a restaurant. Warm and inviting Tuscan decor. Reservations for tables of six or more.
Gaetano's Tavern on Main 40 N Main St
Wallingford, CT 06492
(203) 294-1114
A mix of sports bar/nice restaurant side. Back room for about 30-40 people. Good place to hold small baby/wedding showers etc. They have everything from appetizers and sandwiches to a nice steak dinner.
Gianni Restaurant East Main St., Meriden, CT
203-235-0230
Service is very good and the food is delicious. Try the Shrimp or Chicken Ala Gianni (has tomato/cognac cream sauce with artichokes and red peppers). The scungilli salad is so fresh and light - just wonderful! The best Italian food in Meriden CT. A recent salmon dish was a nice sized piece of fish, with a lemon wine sauce and artichokes. It was simple and light and fresh tasting. The homemade tiramisu is perfect. Love the pistachio gelato for dessert as well.

Griswold Inn 36 Main St Essex, CT
860-767-1776
Old World ambience. Great Sunday Brunch. Their mimosas are served in large goblets. Yum.
Hometown Pizza and Restaurant

314 Main St.

Yalesville, CT 06492

203-294-9004

Hidden gem in Yalesville, CT for Italian food. Nice small bar area, flat screen tv in the bar and dining areas. A wall full of booths which is nice and comfortable seating for us. Love how they start off the meal with olives with a spice mixture in olive oil.
Half Moon Coffee and Grille Cafe 50 N Main St
Wallingford, CT 06492
(203) 265-4571
Wonderful Italian/Jamaican/Mediterranean food in a unique setting. BYOB. THE gathering place in Wallingford. The dinners are so fresh and tasteful and sinfully delicious. Not your average restaurant, you order at the counter and then seat yourself and the wait staff will bring your food over. Some favorite meals: Jerk Chicken, ALL the pasta dishes, but especially the Fettuccine Campagnola with grilled chicken, asparagus, black olives in an olive oil sauce with garlic. OMG is all I can say. A recent special was a spinach fettucine with crumbled sausage, cauliflower, zuchinni, olive oil - another great one. The bread basket has pieces of simple pizza-like breads. Get the blackened tuna over Cesare salad. Lots of parmesan cheese and that tangy, salty flavor of a traditional Caesar salad. My other favorite salad is the Half Moon Antipasto with mixed greens, imported meats, goat cheese, olives and marinated veggies. The pannini's are huge. And don't forget the pizza. Once you have this pizza you'll be back for more. Try the three cheese and mushroom, or the grilled shrimp, artichokes, leeks, and sliced tomatoes for that fresh shrimp flavor, or the Pancetta Pesto. It's just incredibly delicious.
J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks 185 Glastonbury Blvd., Glastonbury, CT
(860) 659-0409
More info
Excellent, mouth-watering marinated steak. The service is impeccable and all waitstaff very friendly and very helpful. A cheerful group of employees and excellent food makes this a top star restaurant. Warm and inviting ambience too.
Jake's Martini Bar (Tapas, Martinis, Beer & Wine Bar) Center Street, Wallingford, CT Cozy bar in the front and a large room with another bar and restaurant area in the back. Great place for an event type happy hour where everyone has room to hang out and talk. The tapas food is great and they've expanded their menu to include a large selection of appetizers and a few sandwiches and more. Get the cheese/antipasto board and order a bottle of wine. The perfect happy hour for four.
John Davenport's at the Omni Hotel New Haven 900 Chapel St., New Haven, 772-6664 On the top floor at the Omni Hotel in New Haven. Great views of New Haven - and wonderful food!
Laan Xang Cafe

19 Main Street
Belfast, ME

For all those Green Papaya Restaurant in Canton, CT lovers, you'll find your favorite Thai and Laotian food now in Belfast, Maine. The previous owners of the Green Papaya Restaurat now have a take out restaurant in Belfast, ME. Stop in on your next visit up the coast of Maine off of Rt 1. in Belfast, Maine and enjoy!
Laskara 295 Parker Farm Rd., Wallingford, CT
203-679-0844
Locals favorite. Many wonderful enjoyable dishes on the menu, affordable prices, happy hour specials.
Lido's Pizza and Restaurant 75 Pomeroy Ave Meriden, CT Phone: (203) 634-3959 Walking distance to Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Meriden, CT and next to the Theatres. Love the pizza. Simply good food, not upscale, but decent good Italian food. Family friendly.

Los Mariachis

105 N Colony St
Wallingford, CT 06492

Phone: 203-265-1838

Family run and freshly made food and margaritas. Read our review here.
L'Orcio 806 State St. New Haven, CT 203-777-6670 Finally, a place that serves whole, stuffed fish simply prepared with herbs. The gnocchi was as good as it gets, home made. Small, cozy restaurant, upscale dining. Service good, yet indifferent. We were there the week between Christmas and New Year and it felt like it was just a down time for them. We'll have to go back to see if it changes. The food was definitely worth another taste!
Ristorante Luce 2987 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT
203-407-8000
Service consistently top notch. Favorite dishes: appetizer: pane cotto. Perfect consistency of bread/beans/escarole with just a bite of spiciness. For dinner - polla gismonda, sauteed chicken with portobella mushrooms, roasted red peppers and asparagus. From appetizers and drinks at the bar to formal business dinners, this restaurant is outstanding.
Ludal 28/30 Broadway, North Haven, CT
203-234-1814
Upscale Italian restaurant. Start with the olive oil/cilantro/garlic mix for a bread dipper and work you way through some great italian food. Love the zen look with the waterfall behind the bar. Another plus is happy hour and appetizers. Excellent place to either eat at the bar or enjoy an excellent meal in the restaurant areas. Great place for business lunches and dinners as well. Nice back room that holds twenty. New Haven Italian style without the extra price. . We go here when a lot when we want some excellent Italian food, appetizer size, and a nice glass of wine. And the service has always been consistently very good with seasoned wait staff.
Max's Oyster Bar 964 Farmington Avenue
West Hartford, CT
860-236-6299
Excellent. Fresh seafood with a pub-like ambience.
Michael's Trattoria 344 Center St, Wallingford, CT
203-269-5303
A Wallingford gem. Italian food. Check out the Wednesday night Pamensan special - $15 and $5 house wine of the night. Also don't forget the awesome pizza! The pizza tastes like it's right out of New Haven. YUM!
Pasta Cosi

1018 Main St 

Branford, CT 06405

Branford

Paleo Friendly! The lasagna is Paleo Yay!
Quattro's 14 Water Street , Guilford, CT 06437
203-453-6575 ,
Fax: 203-458-0626

Italian Cuisine. This is where you take a candidate for dinner, or have a special night out with your significant other, or just because it's so good here.
Ruth's Chris Steak House 2513 Berlin Tpke, Newington, CT
203-666-2202
Prime beef. 'Nuff said.
Shell & Bones 100 S Water Street New Haven, CT 06519 (203) 787-3466
Overlooking New Haven Sound. Pictures. The way the restaurant opens to the water in the Summer is wonderful. You feel like you could be anywhere in the world looking out over the water. A favorite here that has been on the specials menu is the Lobster salad. It's picked lobster meat over a salad with avocado, orange slices,

Sans Souci 2003 No. Broad St.
Meriden, CT 06450
I would consider Sans Souci a hidden gem. It's always packed and the locals know that it's a place you can go to again and again and not get tired of it or bust your wallet. A special one night was a 10 oz. filet stuffed with lobster and crab, horseradish mashed potatoes and sauted zuchinni. The fish special was talapia with artichoke hearts and red peppers. Yum. The dessert portions were enormous. Grapenut custard was three times the dessert size we normally get. Good homestyle cooking at decent prices!
Serafino's Ristorante Italiano 72 South Turnpike Road
Wallingford, CT 06492
203-265-1244
Decor is a colorful, warm tuscan style. Love the garlic knots as the pre-dinner bread. A lobster ravioli with shrimp in a very rich creamy, red pepper sauce with artichokes was wonderful, and a lovely, simple, glistening, and tasty calamari over linguini were our dinners. A casual ambience, excellent waiter, and a very tasty dinner made for a wonderful mid week dinner out. We'll be back.
Tata's Restaurant and Lechonera


Wallingford, CT 06492
203-294-4303
203-284-3544

Authentic Puerto Rican food. Some menu items, chicken, pork, beef, seafood. Try the Seafood Mariscada -- Shrimp, white fish, octopus, jumbo crabmeat and lobster meat sautéed in a light Spanish sauce with onions and peppers. Love their rotisserie chicken with Spanish rice. My luncheon favorite. So tender and garlicky. Finger licking delicious.
Treva 980 Farmington Avenue  West Hartford, CT 06107
(860) 232-0407
Tagliatelle with veal, mushrooms and asparagus is a delight with perfectly silky home-made pasta in a sauce that inspired moans of joy. The Salmone dish was in an enhanced sauce as well, so tasty that I mopped up every bit of it with the entire piece of perfectly cooked fish.
Union League Cafe 1032 Chapel St., New Haven, CT
203-562-4299
The tenderloin we had here one night was truly the kind you could cut with your fork. If you love cheese as much as I do, they have a separate cheese menu. Wow. A place to go to be spoiled.
Water's Edge Resort & Spa 1525 Boston Post Road
Westbrook, Connecticut 06498
Resort: (860) 399-5901
Reservations: (800) 222-5901
Fax: (860) 399-8644
The best Sunday Brunch in Connecticut. Read our review on All Things Foodie.
Westbrook Lobster 300 Church St. (Rt. 68 & 150)
Wallingford, CT 06492
203-265-5071
 
Zinc 964 Chapel St., New Haven, 06510
(203) 624-0507
Eclectic.

Links to other Connecticut Restaurant Guides:

Back to Top