Best Places to Dine on Valentine's Day in Connecticut

Editor’s note: This story was previously published, but with many people dining out this weekend, take a look and see if your favorite place to eat made the list...

By ALFRED BRANCH (Patch Staff)

Love great food (and who doesn’t)? Connecticut Magazine has released its annual list of the state’s “Best Restaurants” for 2016, which is populated with a smorgasbord of delicious eateries throughout the Nutmeg State.

The list contains a host of categories from Best New Restaurant to Most Romantic, from Best American to Best Asian cuisines and from Overall Excellence to Best Pub, among others.

“Get ready to bite into the restaurants judged the best of the best in Connecticut by our ’experts,’ who range from veteran restaurant critics and food writers to contemporary bloggers who track the trends as well as the hottest, newest places,” the magazine wrote. “Joined by some food-savvy Connecticut Magazine editors, it’s a group for which dining is a passion—and dining at the best places is an art that takes constantly having a collective finger on the pulse of the Connecticut dining scene.”

Patch took the list and broke it down by some of the best restaurants in various categories in Connecticut’s eight different counties. Because we know that when it comes to a truly great meal, people are willing to travel a little out of their way to find it:

Fairfield County

• Best for Overall Experience: Bailey’s Backyard, Ridgefield

Hartford County

• Best Mexican/Latin American: Besito, West Hartford

Litchfield County

• Best American: West Street Grill, Litchfield

Middlesex County

• Best Brunch: Fresh Salt, Saybrook Point Inn, Old Saybrook

New Haven County

• Best French: Union League Café, New Haven

New London County

• Best Outdoor Dining: Morning Glory Café, Old Lyme

Tolland County

• Best Pub: Bidwell Tavern, Coventry

Windham County

• Best Vegetarian/Vegan: Heirloom Food Company, Danielson

Here’s a random sampling of some of the best restaurants from the remaining categories:

• Best New Restaurant: Frank’s Gourmet Grille, Mystic
• Best Italian: Upper Crust Trattoria, New Milford
• Best Indian: Amba Vilas Palace, Danbury
• Best Asian: Mecha Noodle Bar, Fairfield
• Best Craft Beer Haven: Local, South Norwalk
• Best Cocktails: The Cottage, Plainville
• Best Barbecue: Walrus + Carpenter, Bridgeport
• Best Steak: J. Gilbert’s, Glastonbury
• Best Tapas: Olea, New Haven
• Best for Families: East Side Restaurant, New Britain
• Most Romantic: The Schoolhouse at Cannondale, Wilton
• Best Desserts: The Pantry, Washington Depot
• Best Hidden Gem: RSVP, West Cornwall
• Best Sushi: Murasaki, West Hartford
• Best Seafood: The Whelk, Westport
• Best Hotel Dining: L’escale The Delamar, Greenwich

Click here to view the complete list on the Connecticut Magazine website.

Patch Editor Barbara Heins contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Bailey’s Backyard