Location: Norwalk
Top Restaurants in Norwalk
Top Things to do in Norwalk
Norwalk Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Norwalk
Norwalk (/ˈnɔːrwɔːk/ NOR-wawk) is a U.S city located in southwestern Connecticut, in southern Fairfield County, on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. Norwalk is included statistically within both the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area as well as the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Things to do in Norwalk
1. Pontos Taverna
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 177 reviews
Reviewed By yecats59 - Redding, Connecticut, USA
Really enjoyed our meal here. Felt very comfortable and welcomed. Nice family atmosphere. Loved seeing many guests arrive who knew the staff by name and were welcomed like family. Nice menu, very good food, and attentive service. Excellent lamp chops, great octopus, gyros and tzasiki (can’t spell it). And it was very reasonable in cost. They only have wine, no spirits, so be prepared.
2. Osteria Romana
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 200 reviews
Reviewed By Morganna - Norwalk, Connecticut
It was our Anniversary I picked another restaurant but my husband wanted to go here...we had been there before May times... I ordered my favorite bucantinni pasta which is in red sauce who,e tomato with onion and pancetta ...this came over with a very heavy smoke taste maybe added but was very notable...not good taste just stay rest of the evening ...husband had the veal dish with mushrooms and artichokes sadly it was very chewy ...I tried it M so we ate very little and went right home..ruined evening.
I guess it can happy to the best places but why that night ....oh well
3. Valencia Luncheria
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 511 reviews
Reviewed By Crawford99975 - Wilton, CT
We've been told for some time to give Valencia a try but it seemed every time we were in the area we decided to eat at our old. local favorites instead of trying something new. This was our mistake and as of last Sunday we now have a new favorite place to go in the Norwalk/Wilton area for drinks, lunch, brunch and/or dinner. What a nice surprise to find a casual, fun, reasonably priced restaurant in our area with a great vibe frequented by local couples, kids and families!
Excellent menu with everything from vegetarian items to Mexican entrees, sandwiches, salads and creative brunch items mixed in between. Even the tropical ice tea was delicious! Service was friendly, timely and efficient.
Next time we go back we are taking a group of friends and can't wait!
4. Mediterraneo Norwalk
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 283 reviews
Transport yourself to the South of France where the sights and sounds are transposed within Mediterraneo. Located within the ultra-chic Hotel Zero Degrees, views of the Norwalk River impose soothing sensations of surf and sun. You will feel as though you are dining aboard a yacht of the highest caliber with cuisine that encompasses the region. Offering contemporary interpretations of Italian favor
Reviewed By James F
The food was delicious. The service was excellent. The ambiance is modern and clean with excellent views of a stream. Five people for lunch, no reservation, arrived at 11:45. Seated immediately even though our party was not complete. I made a wine choice and told the waiter I wanted it when the other guests arrived; right on cue, when the others arrived and ordered drinks, my wine arrived with theirs. Staff were ever-available and prompt in all their actions, but managed to not hover. The lunch menu includes an $18 appetizer plus main dish option with about 8 options for each, which is about the same price as any one of the main dishes alone. Portion size is the same whether you order a la carte or from the express lunch menu. The pastas were perfectly cooked (slightly al dente - neither mushy nor too stiff) and the sauces were rich and delicious. The wine list looked ok, but we ordered by the glass and were quite happy with what was available as well as staff knowledge of the options. The interior has modern accents and looks out along one long wall of glass on a green area, which would be beautiful in a snowfall.
5. brasitas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 198 reviews
Reviewed By yecats59 - Redding, Connecticut, USA
Bra Sita she catered a meal at my office and I loved the food. Had to go try it out first hand, and glad I did. Really comfortable atmosphere, a fun bar, and friendly attentive service. There was live music on a Friday night which was fun, but really loud. Difficult to have a conversation. The appetizers are great, and they are gigantic. Also love the plantain chips. I am a ceviche nut, eating it in pretty much every Latin country out there. Brasitas ceviche was a disappointment. My only disappointment. It was a huge portion, but very tasteless and just bland as could be. Needed spicing, needed salt, needed a kick, and it was so mild you couldn’t even taste any lime juice.
6. Rowayton Seafood Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 240 reviews
Reviewed By Amy W - Norwalk, Connecticut
My husband and I recently moved to the area and this was our first stop for eating out due to views and reviews. When we arrived, there was only one other couple in the restaurant, but it was early so I didn't think much of it. From the start, our service was poor. I don't know if she was having a bad day, but it was brisk, bordering on rude throughout the meal. Since she wasn't exactly busy (I could see her sitting down and chatting with other servers throughout the meal) it was inexcusable. We got the lobster arancini special for our appetizer- $17 for three golf ball size that still were semi cold in the middle. For our entrees we both got the grouper special. Fish was good, but my husband found bones and our vegetable side was forgotten until I mentioned it. Not a great way to start our Norwalk restaurant experience, especially for $100 bill. Won't be back.
7. Rincon Taqueria
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 84 reviews
Reviewed By WestonHockeyMom - Weston, Connecticut
This is one of the best Mexican meals I have had in a long time. I get the Chilaquiles every time, but plan to broaden my horizons at some point. They layer it with so much flavor and interesting textures. I can't wait to go back.
8. Stew Leonard's
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 166 reviews
Reviewed By ComstockHill2 - Norwalk, Connecticut
Stews is an institutoin. Have been shopping here for 30 years and they just can't be beat for quality of fresh food. They were "organix" before organic was cool!! The ice cream is great and the lobster bake deal is one of the best
9. Match
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 164 reviews
Reviewed By DarienJim - DarienJim
Five of us showed up for a 830pm reservation. Bald headed hostess told us the table was still eating desert but wouldn’t be long.
At 845pm when I asked again, we were told that they were paying the bill.
At 9pm, after we ordered and finished expensive drinks, I asked again. I was told: “although they paid their bill, they decided to order desert.”
Bald head guy: if you are going to lie, at least keep your stories straight.
This place is a rip-off and clearly they misrepresent the time to dinner so you will sit at bar and order expensive drinks with high margin.
Skip at all costs!!!!
@management: we live in Norwalk and eat out 3-5xs a week. Don’t ever expect to see our family there again. Figure out what you’re lying costs you....
10. Barcelona Wine Bar Waypointe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 169 reviews
Opened in 1996, the original Barcelona, South Norwalk, has grown from a tiny tapas bar seating 30 to a 140-seat restaurant with two sophisticated, beautiful dining rooms and an outdoor patio. The original 40-foot-long, hand-carved walnut bar is still there, as are the young and young-at-heart who populate South Norwalk in the evenings. SoNo Barcelona showcases the old brick and raw steel of the former factory building it inhabits. It's a touch of SoHo in SoNo, with the food and flavors of the Ramblas.
Reviewed By BrissleGirl66 - CT
Been dining at these restaurants 20 years. The new location is fantastic. There is plenty of parking and much more space inside. The hangar steak, the ham and cheese croquetas, the salads- you name it they are delicious. My only complaint the last few times is that service starts off at a great clip and then you seem to be forgotten as your meal progresses. It seems to be as the restaurant gets busier. Make a reservation to be safe, but know that whatever you order you will be happy. If it is your birthday- get the crepes!
