1. Match
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 852-1088
Address: 98 Washington St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Serving only dinner, Match has high-quality service and a cool industrial ambience that makes SoNo a destination for foodies as well as families. Of course, they also come for exquisite dishes like handmade ravioli and designer thin-crust pizza. Little details, like the delicious sliced potatoes that accompany the wood-fired chicken dish, make Match the classic it already has become. Save room for dessert, because there’s a selection that will have your mouth ready, if your stomach is not. In the summer, sit in the sidewalk seating area and people-watch as the sun goes down, while the elevated train rumbles by the old Switch Tower.
2. New Moon Asian Bistro
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 750-8888
Address: 164 Main St.
Description: The nondescript building with the large yellow banner on the outside does not do justice to the quality of the food on the inside. This mouthwatering dining experience is unlike any other. Although the restaurant boasts a full Asian-style menu, its popularity stems from the unique approach to all-you-can-eat sushi as well as other Asian fare. You sit at a table and fill out a checklist of each item on the menu, from sushi/sashimi to vegetarian to specialty rolls, tempura, and soups. Each item is freshly made to order, so no buffet cart here. The one caveat on the all-you-can-eat menu is not to waste the food or you will be charged full price for the sushi that is left on your plate. For $19.95, how can you go wrong?
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Address: 12 S. Main St.
4. Sono Baking Company And Cafe
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 847-7666
Address: 101 Water St.
Description: The SoNo Baking Company makes some of the most delightful pastries in the state, as well as some outstanding breads. Pick up a loaf of sourdough here for a trip out to Sheffield Island. What they really do well, and something many bakeries ignore, is their tarts, which are varied and delicious, from plum to pecan, and from coconut cream to chocolate ganache. Of course, this is also a cafe where you can get lunch and breakfast. For the latter, their stuffed brioche French toast with vanilla pastry cream and mixed berries is almost too good to eat. Their Sunday brunch is becoming famous; go for the quiches—the Baking Company knows how to do crust.
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Address: 10 Wall St.
6. Valencia Luncheria
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 846-8009
Address: 172 Main St.
Description: Often jammed before noon, this small, bright yellow luncheonette offers Venezuelan food at the north end of Norwalk. The portions here are huge, and the prices are head-scratchingly low, considering the creativity and craft that goes into the menu. Both the breakfast and lunch corn-cake arepas are excellent, and there are a couple dozen different interesting juices to try. The selection of empanadas is remarkable, with unusual ingredients available such as Nutella and chicken liver (not in the same one), as well as more traditional fillings. For dinner, the pernil, Venezuelan roasted pork, and the plantain-crusted tilapia are standouts. The success of Valencia Luncheria and the newer Taste of Brazil restaurant across the street bodes well for this little North Norwalk district.
7. Donovan’S
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 354-9451
Address: 138 Washington St.
Description: If you’re in South Norwalk (SoNo) and looking for something not so pricey, Donovan’s is a good bet. This bar, with its huge windows and mirrors, has been serving Norwalk’s public since 1889 (under different names) with its “tables for ladies.” On their menus you can see the old photo with the still-surviving moose head and long, smooth bar. Photos of old-time boxers hang on the walls above the new flat-screen televisions. Try the amazing macaroni-and-cheese balls, un-shellfish pizza, lobster sliders, or a seasonal dish like the soft-shell crabs. SoNo has regrown around Donovan’s in some ways, and stepping into it will take you back. The old-timers at the bar will be sure to tell you what the neighborhood was like only a few decades ago if you ask.
City: Norwalk, CT
Category: Restaurants
Address: 168 Main St.