above: (left) You might want to make it a double, like we did with Bosco’s Triple D house-smoked pastrami with melted Swiss, homemade coleslaw and Russian dressing on rye bread. (right) Mr. Falafel’s Classic Hummus and Tabbouleh Salad with pita bread.
Photography by Venera Alexandrova
We’re settling into our fall routines, rejoicing in the cooler weather and planning casual get-togethers with family and friends. What are we looking to eat these days? Healthful, easy and quite frankly, affordable. Here are some of the newest places in Greenwich and Stamford that offer it all―at a neighborhood bar and grill, a Mediterranean take-out or sit-down, a neighborhood café, a bustling dim sum and dumplings place and at Greenwich’s newest boutique cinema. And as an added bonus, we’ve got a fun stop for pre-theatre dining in NYC. The only question left: WHERE WILL YOU START?
FALAFEL FORWARD
MR. FALAFEL AND GELATO
1239 East Putnam Ave., Riverside
mrfalafelct.com
The secret to the quick success of Mr. Falafel and Gelato is no secret, and owner Majd Junaidi, who goes by “MJ,” is happy to share it.
“Everything is fresh,” he says of the Mediterranean fare at his mostly take-out storefronts. “Nothing is frozen.” That is, except the Lavezzi Gelato shipped from Italy.
MJ and his business partner opened Mr. Falafel and Gelato in the Riverside Shopping Center in November 2024. A second opened in Stamford earlier this year, a third recently in Cliffside, N.J., and a fourth is slated for Darien at Old Kings Shopping Plaza in 2026. MJ also owns Coco Café in Stamford.
Mr. Falafel’s narrow storefront is bright and clean, with friendly servers behind the counter and trays offering an abundance of choices. They’ll fill a pita, wrap, plate or bowl with your choice of schwarma, falafel or kebab, fresh and pickled vegetables and salads along with nine sauces, including garlic, hot and pomegranate glaze. Mr. Falafel’s hummus is smooth and lemony. The falafels are large and fried golden brown. You can also pick up beet salad, babaghanoush and Turkish pies filled with spinach or cheese.
There are a few tables and a high top counter, but most people come in on-the-go, stopping to grab lunch or bring home dinner. Mr. Falafel caters as well, offering trays serving six to eight or 13 to 15 people. At $20 to $25 per person, it’s an easy, economical and healthful way to host a fall gathering of family or friends.
For dessert, Lavezzi gelato and sorbetto, shipped from Italy, offers traditional and American-influenced flavors—hazelnut, chocolate, pistachio, mascarpone and fig, salted caramel and Oreos. Sorbets, which are vegan, come in refreshing strawberry, lemon and mango.
Gelato is made with a lower milk-fat ratio than ice cream, and churned slowly, introducing less air. That and the lower temperature at which it is kept creates a rich texture that hits the palette with enhanced flavor. Of course, Mr. Falafel makes homemade baklava with walnuts or pistachio. And there is the famous Dubai chocolate—house-made Italian pistachio crème and crunchy phyllo enclosed by Belgian chocolate.
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BAR NONE
BOSCO’S BAR & GRILL HITS OLD GREENWICH WITH WINGS, BURGERS, BRUNCH, LIVE MUSIC AND PLENTY OF SCREENS FOR GAME DAY
BOSCO’S BAR AND GRILL
148 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich
boscosgrill.com
Everybody knows their names—John Bosco and Dave Corbo. Childhood friends, business partners and longtime members of the Stamford and Greenwich communities, the duo opened Bosco’s Bar and Grill in Old Greenwich in May 2025 in a full-circle moment. They had worked together in the building 28 years ago, back when it was MacKenzie’s Bar and Grill and remember when it was Tracks. Bosco’s Bar and Grill’s train logo makes reference to that and the location next to the Old Greenwich train station.
Bosco and Corbo kept the contemporary design of the former Old Greenwich Social and brought the total number of large-screen TVs to nine. Sports fans, take note: TVs are in every section of the restaurant.The menu highlights favorites familiar to customers of Corbo’s Deli Southside (90 Washington Blvd.) and Corbo’s Corner Deli West (470 West Putnam in Riverside). The partners also run the Clubhouse at the Griff.
Bosco’s Bar and Grill has a relaxed, friendly vibe that makes everyone from solitary diners to families feel comfortable. The menu covers all the bar food classics―wings, burgers and an organic turkey and vegetable chili. The BAANG calamari salad reminds old-timers of the Greenwich restaurant that closed back in 2014 as they relive the taste of crisp, sweet rings of fried calamari over greens tossed in miso dressing.
Hungry appetites are filled by a plate of Johnny Boy’s Chicken Parmigianino with the mozzarella melting into the chef’s lauded marina sauce. The most upscale dish on the menu is the Max au Povire, a ten-ounce filet in green peppercorn sauce with mashed potatoes.
Weekend brunch offers bottomless mimosas and bloodies made with Crop Organic Vodka. Among the egg, pancakes and waffles dishes, breakfast tacos are our choice for those who love pico de gallo and guacamole with their eggs. But the breakfast burrito, with black beans, bacon, hash browns, cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla, is a serious contender. Bosco’s is also fun, with dancing and live music on certain nights from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday nights are more mellow, with acoustic sets from 4 to 7 p.m. Check the website for band schedules and monthly open-mic and karaoke nights.
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SOUP’S ON!
NAN XIANG LANDS IN STAMFORD, BRINGING MICHELIN-APPROVED SOUP DUMPLINGS AND SLURP-WORTHY NOODLES TO HUNGRY CROWDS
NAN XIANG SOUP DUMPLINGS
230 Tresser Blvd., Stamford
nanxiangxiaolongbao.com
The “best soup dumpings in NYC” have arrived in Stamford! The anticipated new restaurant is part of an expansion for a brand that became a destination in Flushing, Queens, for hand-rolled dumplings filled with rich broth and flavorful meatballs. For seven years, it garnered a Michelin recommendation. Since the opening of the Stamford location, crowds have filled the 186-seat restaurant.
The menu is vast, but the soup dumplings are the stars. These juicy, soft creations are bursting with flavor. The skins are silky, and the meatballs are deftly seasoned. The crab and pork soup dumplings are blissful. The Lucky Six is a colorful sampler of orange (scallop and pork), green (gourd luffa, shrimp and pork), yellow (chicken), black (pork and truffle), white (pork) and white crowned with golden crab roe (pork and shrimp).
The most perilous moment is using the metal tongs or chopsticks to lift a dumpling onto your spoon. Lift from the peak, careful not to tear the skin. If you pierce it and the broth starts to run out, just get that dumpling on your spoon fast. Cards on the tables show newbies how to eat the dumpling. First, nibble a small hole to let out the steam, then drink the rich broth. Top the dumpling with shredded ginger, add a drop of black vinegar, and slurp your way to dumpling heaven.
You can start your meal with a cold dish or two, such as crunchy cucumbers tossed with pungent garlic, or pressed tofu and celery. Order up several steamers of dumplings and a noodle dish to round out the meal. The pan-fried crispy noodles grow soft beneath the heat of the glossy sauce filled with mushrooms, tofu, scallions, carrots and bok choy.
If you’ve wondered how they get the soup in there, the secret is revealed as you watch the cooks make the dumplings. A large window gives a view of white-aproned chefs rolling knobs of dough into paper-thin wrappers. The seasoned meat and vegetables are mixed with a deeply reduced, cold, gelatinized stock that has been finely chopped. With practiced fingers, the cooks enclose the filling by pinching the edges of the wrapper together, quickly turning the dumpling to form the distinctive twisted top. When the dumpling is steamed, the broth melts and separates from the meatball.
It’s safe to say that Nan Xiang’s soup dumplings are the best in Fairfield County. And now we don’t need to trek out to Flushing for dim sum and dumplings.
images courtesy of restaurant
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MEZZE MAGIC
TOP CHEF CHARBEL HAYAK SPICES THINGS UP AT BARVERA WITH PUFFY PITA, SIZZLING SHISH TAWOUK AND COCKTAILS WITH A LEBANESE TWIST
BARVERA MODERN MEDITERRANEAN
148 Bedford St., Stamford
barverarestaurantgroup.com
The best way to settle into this cozy restaurant with a menu by Top Chef Charbel Hayak is with the mezze trio platter. The chef bakes the piping hot, puffy pitas in the kitchen’s brick oven, and they’re the best we’ve ever torn into. The shareable, colorful array of spreads and fresh veggies features a smooth hummus rich with tahini, bright with lemon and garnished with whole garbanzos. Pomegranate seeds sparkle atop the smoky, meltingly soft Babaganouj. Muhammara is a pretty purée of red bell pepper, walnut and pomegranate. Rainbow carrots, cucumbers and glistening olives are ready for dipping.
Chef Charbel, winner of Top Chef, Middle East and North Africa, was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, home of one of the world’s great cuisines. Fairfield County restaurateur Myrna LaHood and her husband own BarVera and Greenwich Flavors by Myrna. They are friendly hosts, greeting guests and old friends.
BarVera opened in the spring.
Shish tawook is a guest favorite—grilled, marinated chicken thighs served with rice, pickles, garlic sauce and pita. Grilled branzino filets come with a sprightly salad of frisée, parsley, shiso leaves and an herby green harissa sauce. Pasta choices include linguini tossed in pistachio pesto. Myrna also recommends the burger, with brown butter onions and sumac-pickled onions.
The house-baked lemon olive oil cake is showered with lemon zest and topped with a ring of whipped ricotta filled with limoncello syrup. Chef Charbel’s take on affogato is special, too—a martini glass of vanilla gelato, sprinkled with pistachio brittle and topped off with a shot of espresso.
Four cocktails feature Middle Eastern ingredients, including a Lebanese espresso martini with cardamom, and the Pom-Grenade, a smoky rum, coconut and pomegranate blast. The wine list covers the bases with old- and new-world reds, whites and rosés. Arak, the anise-flavored liqueur served over ice, is an acquired taste for the uninitiated.
images courtesy of restaurant
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BREWING UP SOMETHING NEW IN COS COB
SLATE’S FIRST CONNECTICUT CAFÉ SERVES UP BROOKLYN-ROASTED BEANS AND INVENTIVE DISHES IN A BRIGHT SPACE DESIGNED FOR LOCALS TO LINGER
SLATE CAFÉ
Strickland Rd., Cos Cob
slatecafe.com
The newest café in Cos Cob will be familiar to folks who spend time in Manhattan. That’s because it’s Slate’s fifth café and first in Connecticut. Founders Ashley and Israel Jaffe opened their first Slate ten years ago with the goal of pairing good coffee and tea drinks with fan-favorite baked goods and breakfast and lunch dishes with a creative spin.
“We’re proud to say that we were among the first to marry the concepts of quality coffee and amazing food,” says Ashley Jaffee. “We got a foothold in the industry and have loyal customers who have continued to come to us as we’ve expanded throughout the city and now into Connecticut.”
Ashley has a background in food and beverage public relations, and Israel in managing sports bars and nightclubs. Cafés that open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. offered them hours more compatible with family life. Over the last five years, they have opened Slate Cafés in Midtown, Nomad, Tribeca and the Upper West Side. The couple moved to Cos Cob a year ago with their two young sons and opened the Cos Cob shop in August in a storefront with two large windows that let in lots of light, making it an inviting space.
They brew coffee drinks from a customized blend of beans freshly roasted in Brooklyn. The menu encompasses drip and espresso drinks in all permutations, even Vietnamese iced coffee sweetened with condensed milk. The tea selection includes black, green, herbal, chai and matcha. Specialty drinks feature Rose Matcha Latte, flavored with a dash of rosewater.
Slate gets much of its baked goods—scones, biscuits and banana bread—from New York-based Hungry Gnome. The creative take on classics includes hot honey avocado toast with purple radish, which has been on the menu from Day 1, and best-selling rose water raspberry waffles. But Slate isn’t snobby; the cooks are happy to hold the honey on the avo toast and to serve the waffles with maple syrup instead of the roasted rose water raspberries. Other popular dishes are the flank steak sandwich and the green goddess chicken salad wrap.
The idea behind Slate is that the café can be whatever the customer wants—a place to grab a coffee to go, sit for a full meal or order catering for a gathering. On a recent Sunday, it was busy with people lining up to order, others sitting at tables tucking into rose raspberry waffles, and one very happy coffee lover giving a thumbs-up to her first sip of an iced latte.
images courtesy of restaurant
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REEL MEALS
A BOUTIQUE CINEMA PAIRS BLOCKBUSTERS WITH WAGYU SLIDERS, TRUFFLE FRIES AND EVEN SOME BUBBLES
TOWNSEND BAR & CINEMA
1800 E. Putnam Ave., Old Greenwich
townsendbarandcinema.com
The recently renovated Hyatt Regency is drawing local residents as well as hotel guests to an intimate boutique cinema playing the latest blockbusters. The seats (40 of them) are super comfortable, large and wide, with a soft, velvety texture and a plush pillow for back support. They are well-spaced, too, and have trays for holding food and drinks. Surround sound, depending on your hearing, can seem forceful, but it blocks out any distracting sounds of snacking.
Guests can order from the Bar and Cinema Menu at the Townsend Bar, steps away in the tree- and tropical-plant-filled atrium. The menu covers snacks (Belgian chocolate toffee popcorn and Chef Justin’s chocolate peanut butter cups) and finger foods (tavern or truffle fries, Buffalo cauliflower, and Wagyu pastrami or turkey sliders). The drinks menu offers glasses of Moёt & Chandon, canned Archer Roose wines, beers and cocktails. Or try the Barker Martini Espresso in a can. Ice tea and sodas are also on the menu. Cinema-goers can buy snacks from Glenna’s Café and Market, which offers specialty treats like HipPeas white cheddar chickpea puffs, Deep River chips or a box of Knipschildt Chocolatier’s Bonbons.
Before or after the movie, sitting down to dine at the Townsend Bar in the atrium is another option. The casual New American menu covers all the bases with familiar appetizers, sandwiches, salads, pasta, chicken, pork, beef, fish and sides. Executive Chef Joe D’Agostino adds some New American touches like bacon jam on the Townsend Burger, pickled mustard seeds in the aoli on the roast turkey sandwich and homemade “dijonnaisse” on the Wagyu pastrami on rye. The Walk in the Garden Salad presents a basket of vegetables—carrots, radishes, cucumbers and grape tomatoes—for dipping into white bean hummus. The plate is garnished with confit garlic and sweet balsamic glaze. Grilled cheese and tomato bisque gets an upgrade with three kinds of cheese—Cry Baby swiss, Europa gouda and New York State cheddar—and the bread is grilled with rich Irish butter.
Townsend Bar and Cinema holds special events tied to movies, with specialty cocktails. Check the website for event details.
images courtesy of restaurant
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BROADWAY BITES
GRAND BRASSERIE’S PRE-THEATRE MENU IN GRAND CENTRAL DESERVES ITS OWN STANDING OVATION
GRAND BRASSERIE
Grand Central Terminal, New York City
grandbrasserie.com
Going into the City to hit the Great White Way raises the perennial question: Where to eat before the play? Grand Brasserie, which opened a year ago in Grand Central Terminal, offers a prix-fixe, pre-theatre dinner every evening from 4 to 6 p.m. It’s a dramatic setting with warm lighting washing against the walls of the soaring Beaux-Arts space. It seats 400 at red banquettes and white-topped bistro tables. (Warning: It can get loud.) The pre-theatre meal offers a starter, entrée and dessert, with five classic and contemporary choices in each category. French onion soup or beet salad with quinoa, feta and walnuts; steak frites, an eight-ounce prime skirt steak or Faroe Islands salmon with basil verjus are a few of the options. The most difficult decision: crème brûlée, tarte tatin or dark chocolate mousse?
TRY THIS
INSTEAD OF OUR USUAL GO-TO’S, WE’RE BROADENING OUR HORIZONS AND TRYING NEW DISHES. HERE’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN TASTING
KIBBEH
Mr. Falafel
We love babaganoush, hummus, tabouleh and grilled kebabs, but kibbeh, a Turkish dumpling of sorts, adds a little something new to the mezze table. The dough forms a shell around the filling of seasoned ground beef and sautéed onions. Baked or fried, it’s served with tahini or tzatziki. The veggie kibbeh is made of bulgur, potatoes, spinach and onions seasoned with pomegranate.
MANOUCHE
Bar Vera
The chefs fire up pizzas in the brick oven, offering an always-welcome pizza Margherita and a trendy hot honey with four cheeses. But for a change of pace, try manouche, the Lebanese flatbread. To make manouche, the chefs ferment the dough for 48 hours. Before baking, the disk of dough is topped with za’atar, a spice blend of thyme, oregano, sumac and sesame seeds and akkawi, a brined white cheese similar to feta.
SHREDDED PIGS EAR
Nan Xiang
Shredded pig’s ear is a cold, spicy appetizer with a texture that combines a certain gelatinousness with a cartilage crunch against a red, spicy numbing sauce with a hint of star anise. Too out there for you? How about ending a meal at Nan Xiang by sharing an Eight-Treasure sweet—sticky rice studded with fruit and nuts?
THE TRIPLE D SANDWICH
Bosco’s Bar and Grill
Burgers are an obvious choice at a bar and grill, but Dave Corbo is renowned for his house-smoked pastrami and house-made coleslaw. These come together in the Triple D, named after its appearance on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The pastrami, sliced a quarter inch thick, is tender and peppery; the red cabbage coleslaw is tangy; the Russian dressing provides the essential creaminess, and melted Swiss cheese keeps it all together on griddled rye bread.