Connecticut Magazine // Food + Drink
August 20, 2022
Kevin Canel samples buffalo bourbon, garlic parmesan, chipotle and raspberry wings at Archie Moore’s Bar & Restaurant at 15 Factory Lane in Milford.
Catherine Avalone / Hearst Connecticut Media
The Best of Connecticut results are in for 2022. For more of the tastiest treats Connecticut has to offer, check out our Best of Connecticut Editors’ Choice and Readers’ Choice winners: food + drink (And be sure to check out the winners in Activities + Entertainment and Shopping + Services while you’re at it!)
Here are the winners of our annual Readers’ Choice poll for the best restaurants, plus additional recommendations from some of Connecticut’s best-known dining experts. Now comes the hard part: deciding which one to try first.
Take a deep dive This year’s expert picks for the 25 best new restaurants. And be sure to keep an eye on them seven gastronomic trends in 2022.
Our annual Readers’ Choice restaurant survey was conducted online during September and October 2021; voters could choose up to three restaurants in order of preference (with votes weighted accordingly) in each category. Restaurants were limited to a maximum of four Readers’ Choice wins in the categories in which they received the most votes. After that, awards in other categories went to the next qualified restaurant. Our panel of experts then recommended additional sites in each category that they believe deserve recognition.
State level winner
The White Horse Country Pub & Restaurant in New Preston.
Joe Amarante /Hearst Connecticut Media /
The White Horse
258 New Milford Turnpike, New Preston
State runner-up
Willimantic Brewing Company in Willimantic, Connecticut.
Google Maps
Willimantic Brewing Company / Main Street Cafe
967 Main Street, Willimantic
Fairfield County
The Little Pub in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Ned Gerard / Ned Gerard
The Little Pub
Fairfield, Greenwich, Stratford, Wilton
Hartford County
The Marlborough Tavern
3 E. Hampton Road, Marlborough
Litchfield County
The White Horsea country pub and restaurant in New Preston.
Frank Whitman / For Hearst Connecticut Media
The White Horse
258 New Milford Turnpike, New Preston
New Haven County
An Archie Moore clock hangs at the end of the bar during the restoration of the historic restaurant on Willow Street in New Haven on November 5, 2020.
Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media
Archie Moore’s Bar & Restaurant
New Haven, Milford, Wallingford (*The Branford location was not yet open at the time the survey was conducted).
New London County
Engine room
14 Holmes Street, Mystic
Tolland County
Wood-n-Tap
236 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon
Windham County
Willimantic Brewing Company / Main Street Cafe
967 Main Street, Willimantic
Selection of experts
Dottie’s Diner
787 Main Street, Woodbury
Selection of experts
The famous Griswold Inn on Main Street in Essex, Connecticut is one of the oldest continuously operating inns in the country.
Frank Whitman
The Griswold Inn
36 Main Street, Essex
Selection of experts
J. Timothy’s Tavern
143 New Britain Avenue, Plainville
Selection of experts
The Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut is said to be the inspiration for The Independence Inn on the TV show “Gilmore Girls.”
Becca PR /Contributed photo /
The Mayflower Inn
118 Woodbury Road, CT-47, Washington
Selection of experts
My Place, a restaurant on Queen Street in Newtown, Conn., is housed in a former post office building, Wednesday, May 7, 2014.
Carol Kaliff
my place
8 Queen Street, Newtown
Selection of experts
Oxford House Tavern
441 Oxford Road, Oxford
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Connecticut Magazine