Fairfield County residents are incredibly lucky to have a variety of local food joints and family-owned eateries to satisfy any craving. The chain restaurants are few and far between – which simply is not the case for a lot of towns across America! If you try a place that does not quite sit right (which is rare), you can be sure another restaurant will be popping up in no time at all. Be it a Connecticut Restaurant week offer or a spontaneous Sunday brunch plan, there is always a new taste to try. However, there is reason that certain gems have been around for multiple decades. These Stamford six appeal to multiple palettes – and multiple generations.
Fiesta Atlantic
83 Atlantic St., 203.323.4300
Call yourself an adventurous restaurant goer? Then you need to try this delightful hole in the wall’s Peruvian food if you have not yet. This cuisine includes influence from European, Asian, African, and South American dishes – all of which stand great alone, but imagine them together! Fiesta Atlantic will turn 20 in 2015 and includes two locations in Stamford and one in Norwalk. Try the Lomo Saltado (aka pepper steak strips sautéed with tomatoes and onions, served with fries and rice), feel free to wear jeans and a tee-shirt, and prepare for generous portions!
Kotobuki
457 Summer St, 203.359.4747
Japanese cuisine rarely has an in between. When it’s bad, we avoid it like the plague. But a place like sushi chef Masanori Sato’s Kotobuki turns dining into divine obsession. Since 1985 (yeah, that’s 29 years), Kotobuki has been responsible for putting out gorgeous looking, excellent tasting dishes, making sushi lovers out of everyone who pays a visit to Summer Street, and receiving nods from The New York Times and ZAGAT along the way. Go for the Spicy Salmon Roll.
Bobby V
225 Main St., 203.348.0010
Bobby Valentine – and his quintessential Stamford sports bar – have always been fan favorites in Fairfield County. A Stamford native, Valentine both played on and managed baseball teams in the major leagues and was voted by Sports Illustrated as one of the best athletes of the 20th century from Connecticut! Bobby V’s has been the sports lover’s best spirits spot for 34 years. Be brave and bite into the World Series Tower the next time you are here watching the game. (Sliders, award-winning buffalo wings, fried mozzarella, and onion rings are part of that equation. Sharing doesn’t have to be.)
Hope Pizza
230 Hope St., 203.325.0660
Connecticut’s pizza pies rival New York City’s thin, foldable slices, and that is due to places like Hope Pizza. Since 1979, customers have been coming back for its buttery crust, piping hot garlic bread, and salads that don’t skimp. Is your mouth watering yet?
Amore Restaurant
921 Hope St., 203.357.0836
Stamford residents have been falling in love with Amore since 1976, and though owner Al Carozza has retired, the authentic Italian joint still stands on Hope Street in the capable hands of former Chopped judge Bruno DiFabio. Amore is currently closed for an extensive remodeling, so be sure to pop in around the holiday season to give DiFabio’s food a whirl.
Pellicci’s
96 Stillwater Avenue, 203.323.2542
This place is a Connecticut restaurant lover’s bucket list topper. The oldest restaurant in Stamford, Pellicci’s has been family owned and operated since 1947. The clientele is made up of customers who have been treated like family since the beginning, as well as their grandchildren and great-grandchildren! Great, old-school Italian is an understatement. Their baked chicken recipe has been watering mouths for generations.