13 Best Restaurants in Stamford, Connecticut
There are a lot of different kinds of restaurants in Stamford, Connecticut. They range from classic diners and neighborhood favorites to restaurants with Michelin stars and famous chefs in charge. The small city by the water is only 40 miles from New York City. It serves food from around the world as well as traditional New England dishes like clam soup and lobster rolls.
1. Pacifico
When you walk into Pacifico, one of Stamford’s most elegant restaurants, you’ll notice the white tablecloths, dim lighting, and top-notch service. But the bold tastes of coastal Mexico take center stage first. The menus are delivered on heavy black clipboards that add to the upscale look.
Pacifico serves modern Mexican appetizers like hamachi aguachile (yellowtail ceviche marinated in lime, serrano chilies, cucumber, and ginger) or mushroom and huitlacoche (corn truffle) empanadas baked piping hot in blue corn crusts made by hand. Start with one of their sleek signature cocktails, the Jalisco Sunrise, which is a mix of tequila and passionfruit.
Mario Lopez, the chef and owner, gets the best products from Mexico and uses them in complex dishes like sustainable Baja striped bass with pureed local squash, shishito peppers, and corn shoots. The moles have very refined tastes, like the Mole Verde that is served over carnitas pork shoulder and has a smooth pumpkin seed sauce scented with cumin.
Plus, Pacifico is proud of its long and award-winning list of Latino wines. For example, try a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Valle de Guadalupe wine area, which is just inland from Ensenada. Don’t miss the chance to finish off your meal with melting chocolate cake and Mexican chocolate ice cream.
The atmosphere and local tastes make it a great place for both a family celebration and a romantic date. The dishes are made with such creativity and care that you’ll want to savor every bite.
2. Tigin Irish Pub
In the lively and friendly downtown atmosphere of Tigin Irish bar, you can raise a glass of Guinness and choose from traditional Irish bar fare. The modest Tigin, which is just off of Washington Boulevard, only shows off its charms when you step inside. The interior has a worn-in look thanks to the exposed brick walls that are covered in old ads for Irish brands like Jameson Whiskey and Murphy’s Irish Stout.
Mounted fiddles, pennywhistles, and bodhráns (Irish handheld drums) are played ad lib by skilled local musicians who often show up without warning.
Start with a draft beer from a brewery like Franciscan Well in Cork or YellowBelly in Wexford. Then, look at the rich Irish food menu, which is full of classic dishes. Big fish and chips dipped in beer provide a lot of food.
If you want a taste of St. Patrick’s Day any time of the year, try shepherd’s pie with minced lamb and veggies on top, or Guinness beef stew or corned beef with buttery cabbage. And what kind of visit would be complete without dessert? Warm Jameson whiskey cream sauce poured over whiskey bread pudding.
3. Colony Grill
For more than 85 years, Colony Grill has been a beloved Stamford institution that has kept alive the custom of “bar pie” style pizza made in a brick oven that is common in Stamford and the coastal towns nearby. People in Stamford have been going to Colony Grill for generations for everything from family birthday parties to late-night last calls over cold beer and hot oven-baked pies.
Enter the room through the door with the red trim on the white balcony. The room is well-lit and smells like freshly baked pizza dough. The bar has rail seating that’s great for people who are dining alone. The main dining room is filled with tables and tufted leather booths. On the menu, you can find tasty starters like fried mozzarella and gooey cheese-stuffed mushrooms, but Colony’s thin crust brick oven pizzas are still the main attraction.
Some of the toppings on the menu are tried and true, like the hot oil (anchovy fillets and fiery cherry peppers) and the Stamford special (pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, and peppers). Other toppings are more creative, like the BLT pizza with cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, shredded romaine lettuce, and mayo drizzle.
No matter what goes on top of those crispy long squares, the tangy tomato sauce that Colony is known for makes every pie taste like home for many. Colony Grill carries on a pizza tradition that is very important to people in Connecticut.
4. Akiro Sushi House
Akiro Sushi House with views of Stamford Harbor is a popular place for work lunches and harborside date nights. It serves creative sushi and Japanese small plates and has stunning views of the water. The modern gray and blue interior brings the calm of the sea inside with features like metal screens that look like waves and hanging blue glass lamps.
Tall windows let you look out while you sip a craft drink. If the weather is nice, you can also go to the patio. After that, try some treats from the sushi bar, like toro tartare mixed with yuzu and caviar or soy-cured hamachi with jalapeño. The kitchen is very good at cooking seafood, as shown by hot meals like miso black cod and lobster tempura with truffles.
For those with more classic tastes, there are a lot of fish and shellfish to choose from, and they can mix and match nigiri and maki rolls to make their own. Specials on bento boxes are a great way for first-timers to try it out.
Whether you choose traditional favorites or Akiro’s unique dish, “sex on the harbor” (crab salad over fried rice in the shape of a boat), the stylish waterfront setting and views of the busy harbor make Akiro more than just another sushi restaurant.
5. Cask Republic
There are more than 1,500 craft beers and whiskeys to choose from, and the menu is full of burgers and small plates that are perfect for snacking. The food is served in a stylish industrial space centered around a 60-foot black granite bar. This is what makes Cask Republic, one of Stamford’s most popular gastropubs, so famous.
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As the name suggests, Cask Republic is all about the drinks. The well-done American bar food menu is also very good. When you first get there, it’s hard to decide which of the many taps and bottles to choose from, but the friendly staff will help you through the many IPAs, stouts, Belgians, ciders, and even rare, one-of-a-kind choices. Flights are the best way to try a lot of different things.
When the drinks get to the tables made from recycled wood or the sleek black bar top, people order lots of snacks, like pretzel bites with beer cheese dip, fried Brussels sprouts tossed with chorizo, or big “beer muscles” filled to the brim with Prince Edward Island mussels steamed in Belgian ale. Then, if you’re really hungry, try the chargrilled Angus burgers stacked high with fried eggs and bacon, or the buttermilk fried chicken over cheddar waffles.
Cask Republic is a great place for a quick stop during happy hour, watching the big game with friends over beer and wings, or a full sit-down dinner of elevated pub classics, with hundreds of sips to wash it all down.
6. Scena Wine Bar
People in the South End area love going to Scena Wine Bar for charcuterie boards and glasses of wine in a cozy space.
There is still an element of surprise about the location itself. There is an unmarked door on the street that goes down into a cozy underground space. When you walk in, the exposed brick walls, dark wood accents, flickering candles on each table with a linen cover, and softly curving vaulted ceiling turn up the drama right away.
At Scena, biodynamic wines like little-known Italian types, big, bold Cabernets from Napa Valley, and complex Pinot Noirs from the Santa Rita Hills are served with cured meats and cheeses. You can share tasty dishes like chorizo and manchego cheese from Spain or speck and Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy while trying new wines by the glass or bottle.
Along with charcuterie, the small menu includes panini sandwiches, bruschetta spreads, and references to regional Italian meals like Bolognese meat sauce that is simmering.
Under the streets of Stamford, Scena’s dark and stylish rooms are perfect for date nights, girls’ nights, or even nights spent alone with a book and a flight of wine.
7. Brimstone Pub
The Brimstone Pub in downtown Stamford is the place to go for traditional British pub food and fun times with new friends at the bar. People who are thirsty or hungry are beckoned inside The Brimstone by a warm glow. The room is filled with rich wood tables and cozy leather snugs, which are small seats.
The inside looks a lot like a real old English pub, and the floor-to-ceiling windows along the front wall give people a view of busy Bedford Street, which reminds them that the bar is in Stamford. Still, the fish and chips always come out boiling hot and covered in a light batter. There is malt vinegar on hand to give it just the right amount of tang. People who are hungry can also fill up on shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, and Cumberland sausages.
Still, and this may be the most important thing, Brimstone’s bar is always full of locals talking and drinking one of the many classic British beers on tap or in a can, like Boddingtons Pub Ale. Classic pub drinks like the Pimm’s Cup or the Moscow Mule, as well as whiskeys neat or on the rocks, make it possible to stay and talk for hours on end at the wooden tables and bar top.
Brimstone Pub is a great place to spend an evening or afternoon because it has imported beers and a cozy pub setting.
8. Little Mexico
At Little Mexico, a popular neighborhood taqueria, you can take your taste buds to the streets of Mexico City and other places without leaving Stamford. You can place your order at the bar and then sit down on one of the stools by the window or at a table made of mosaic tiles. Then get ready for your table to be filled with hot tortillas and other Mexican staples with bright flavors in what seems like no time at all.
You could start with a bowl of freshly fried chips and a tangy salsa verde, rich mole poblano sauce, or melted queso fundido with chorizo. After that, try tacos with sweet barbacoa meat, carnitas that have been slow-cooked until they are fork-tender, or some cool shrimp ceviche that has been mixed with lime juice and spice. Different kinds of empanadas with delicious fillings, tamales wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, and big burritos should all be given the same amount of attention.
There are many Mexican drinks, beers like Pacífico and Modelo Especial, and cocktails made with tequila and mezcal to wash it all down. And don’t skip dessert, even if you’re full. Little Mexico has some of the best churros in Stamford. They are hot and crunchy on the outside and ooze rich melted chocolate or sweet dulce de leche caramel on the inside. Viva la Mexico, for sure!
9. Harlan Social
Centrally located in downtown Stamford just off lively Bedford Street, Harlan Social transforms through the course of a day from laidback cafe serving specialty coffee drinks to a buzzy dinner spot focused around sharable plates and creative cocktails as the sun sets. The lofted space features sleek yet homey decor elements like exposed brick walls covered in reclaimed wood, tufted leather seating options, and geometric light fixtures above the central bar.
Linger over a pour over coffee or vanilla-infused cortado on a bright morning before the space transitions for the evening. Cocktails become the move: try the Social Club with tequila, mezcal, passionfruit and lime or the fan favorite Poison Apple loaded with Crown Royal whiskey and cranberry.
Shared plates run the gamut from ricotta gnudi dumplings to truffle fries with Parmesan dipping sauce before segueing into entrees of cedar plank salmon or seared duck breast. Weekend brunch brings smiling groups lingering for spicy bloody marys and scratch-made cinnamon buns over hours of conversation. The versatile space morphs to suit the moment.
Whatever time of day you visit, Harlan Social entices with its dual-natured charm: a relaxing cafe perfect for solo entrepreneurs or intimate meetings that gives way to a low-lit downtown dining room buzzing with energy and filled with the scents of confit chicken wings emerging from the open kitchen.
10. Flinders Lane
Flinders Lane is named after an alleyway in Melbourne that was filled with the smell of meat pies and cafes close together. It brings a taste of Australia’s coffee and eating culture to Stamford with well-known dishes that showcase flavors from down under.
As soon as the golden, fluffy Aussie Meat Pie arrives at the table, it’s clear where the restaurant’s name came from. Under the flaky, buttery crust, rich gravy cooks over juicy ground beef, and a mountain of creamy mashed potatoes sits nearby to soak it all up. In fact, this pie has been named Connecticut’s best pie for two years in a row.
Giant burgers sizzling with beet root and pineapple chutney or topped with fried eggs and bacon raise the bar for bar food. Poke and rice power bowls, on the other hand, keep things in balance.
For a great start to the day, try smashed avocado on bread or peanut butter and jam toast. Flinders also takes coffee culture very seriously, just like its Melbourne-based inspiration. For three different layers of flavor, try a flat white or a magic, which is the house specialty espresso poured over milk poured over steamed milk.
The relaxed, Aussie-style decor matches the casual but delicious food on the menu. Think whitewashed brick walls, eucalyptus wood accents, chalkboard menus with daily deals, and friendly servers. Every little thing about it makes me think of a classic Australian café. From breakfast to late at night, Flinders has enough tastes to fill a passport without leaving Connecticut.
11. Barcelona Wine Bar
At Barcelona Wine Bar, there are paellas cooking, dried Spanish meats hanging from the ceiling, and a long list of wines that are all Spanish. The Barcelona restaurant is tucked away on a cobblestoned side street in Stamford. It serves food from coastal Spain, like patatas bravas drenched in spicy tomato sauce and aioli, seared scallops with romesco sauce made from roasted red peppers and almonds, and a chef’s choice of imported jamón ibérico de bellota sliced very thin.
The inside looks like it’s in Barcelona, with bright blue fabric hanging from the ceiling, whitewashed brick walls with guitars hung on them and painted tiles on them, and window boxes full of fresh herbs.
When the weather gets warmer, people can choose to eat inside all year or on the porch with the blue trellis. Barcelona is a great place for both a formal evening out and a casual weekend lunch because it has a wide range of gin drinks, Spanish beers on tap, and over 100 different types of wine by the bottle or glass.
Barcelona Wine Bar brings the famous small tapas from Barcelona to Stamford in a lively and friendly space. The tastes are just as bright as the decor.
12. Fortina
At the fancy and busy Fortina, homey Italian food is taken to a higher level of sophistication while still having a comforting draw. Fortina, run by TV personality and chef Christian Petroni of Food Network fame, is one of the best places in Stamford to get handmade pastas, pizzas cooked in a brick oven until they’re golden brown, and other Italian dishes made with care from the best ingredients.
Sun-dried tomato bread that is still warm from the oven and a spicy arrabbiata dipping sauce are the first parts of the meal. There are many great dishes to choose from, such as gnocchi with sweet fennel sausage stuffed in a rich tomato ragu, arugula salad with aged Parmesan pieces on top of fresh burrata cheese, and whole branzino baked under a brick.
You need to use a fork and knife with pizzas that have thin, crispy edges, like the salsiccia, which has sausage bites, chili flakes, pecorino cheese, and speck ham.
The polished wood tables, black leather chairs, and bright accent tiles in Fortina’s sleek and modern interior make it a great place for a business lunch or a special night out. And Chef Petroni can often be seen walking around the dining room greeting people and giving them advice.
The restaurant is a perfect place for both big and small groups to get together and enjoy Italian food that is made with love and good products.
Conclusion
Behind the bar, there is a great selection of Irish and domestic bottled beers, Irish whiskeys like Jameson, Bushmills, and Powers, and other well-known liquors that can be used to make Irish coffee or perfect pints of Ireland’s famous stout.
To make the night feel even more real, the drink menu even has hot Irish toddies and Irish Car Bombs. You can feel the rich comfort and lively vibes of the pubs on the Emerald Isle from the first sip of stout to the last bit of sauce sopped up with a piece of Irish brown bread at the end of the meal.
There are many great places to eat in Stamford, whether you’re looking for a fancy atmosphere or a casual neighborhood spot where regulars hang out. There are so many delicious choices, from Italian to Australian-inspired. It’s hard to choose just one.
You can get a lot of different tastes here without leaving the coast of Connecticut, from Akiro’s bay views and sex on the beach roll to Flinders Lane’s golden meat pies.
Or, you could go across the pond to enjoy the hot snacks and paellas in Barcelona or the hearty shepherd’s pie and properly poured Guinness in Tigin. There are so many places that you can find any kind of food you want. These 12 restaurants are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Stamford’s great food scene, which keeps growing as new places open and old favorites close. You can choose from fancy places for special events and casual pubs for everyday get-togethers. Either way, you’ll always be able to find world flavors.
Good luck on your own gourmet tour of one of the best places to eat in Connecticut