Location: Willimantic
Top Restaurants in Willimantic
Where to Eat in Willimantic: The Best Restaurants and Bars
Willimantic is a census-designated place, former city and borough, and special-services district. It is located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut. The population was 17,737 at the 2010 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University and the Windham Textile and History Museum. Willimantic was incorporated as a city in 1893; the city was superseded in 1983 by the Willimantic Special Services District/Willimantic CDP. It is also the birthplace of former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut.
Things to do in Willimantic
1. Willimantic Brewing Co
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 282 reviews
The Willimantic Brewing Company/Main Street Café is a living landmark restaurant and pub brewery located in Willimantic, in the heart of rural northeastern Connecticut.Our original Main Street Café was founded in 1991, and began operations as a small deli in the old Capitol Theatre building on Main Street in Willimantic, CT. Occupying both the lobby and concession area of the theatre, seating was limited to 50 people. After 3 years we were bursting at the seams and made the move to 877 Main Street, another historic building. There we expanded to a full service restaurant and featured American craft-brewed beers and an extensive menu. One more move was in the cards for us, and we made yet another trek down Main Street to our home in the current granite and limestone 1909 U.S. Post Office Building.
Reviewed By bittenby - Manchester, New Hampshire
I was staying locally overnight on a business trip and stopped in for dinner. Micro breweries sometimes offer a mixed bag on beer, but ours were good. My only note is my cask ale (which should be served warm) originally came in a frosted class which chilled the beer. Once it heat back up, it was lovely.
I had the steak and cheese with cajun fries; my husband had the poutine. Both pub fare, but pub fare done well. Our waiter was great and answered all our questions, including our curiosity at the frog motif about town.
Although we didn't order them, we saw the colossal nachos at another table and were stunned. Next time, we'll have to try them.
2. That Breakfast Place
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By Jodi F
In the middle of no where, although close to UCONN and Eastern CT, this diner serves up really good home made grub and friendly service.
Kelsey, our waitress, provided great recommendations and kept our coffee mugs full.
The special raspberry, almond, cheesecake waffle was AMAZING. Dave's burger and the crispy chicken club were very good too.
Definitely will be making a return visit
3. A Cupcake for Later
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 30 reviews
Reviewed By jguifarro
I ordered 2 cupcakes, the key lime and salted caramel. The key lime wasn't really a cupcake, more like a cheesecake tart as the "cake" portion was made of crumbled graham crackers and the filling was a sparsely seasoned cream cheese type mixture. This one lacked the tart/tangy flavor you expect with key lime. My personal choice would be to pass on this one. The salted caramel was a bit better with a moist, traditional chocolate cake as the foundation, a light pool of caramel and sea salt. The frosting and chocolate fudge drizzle was tasty and not too sweet with the caramel accent and a few nuggets of salt. I would definitely go back for more on this one.
4. Farmer's Cow Calfe & Creamery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 36 reviews
Reviewed By cjyap - Griswold, Connecticut
My Husband and I went here recently when driving around exploring. This restaurant has a varied menu with a lot of great choices. They serve Breakfast, Lunch and Ice Cream. I don't think they serve dinner. We went for lunch. They serve Wraps/Sandwiches, Panini's and Salads. What I really liked about this place was that everything could be ordered in a half size, in case you weren't too hungry or wanted to save room for Ice Cream! My husband got the Chicken Caesar Wrap and I got a half size Farmer's Veggie wrap. Both were very good. The sandwiches came with a choice of Chips, fruit or coleslaw. You order at the counter and when ready, your meal is brought to you. I'm not a milk drinker, but they also had a self serve Milk bar, with several varieties of fresh milk, something my kids would have liked a lot. There is also a kids menu. I looked at the breakfast menu and it looks good also, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, waffles, yogurt parfait, bagels, oatmeal. Their ice cream prices seemed reasonable, and there was at least one non dairy option. No frozen yogurt. I loved the sizes, there was the itty bitty cone, 95 cents which was tiny, in a cute mini cone for when you just want a taste, Calf (kid), Cow, (Medium), Heifer, (small), Bull (large). They also offered Hosmer soda, which is a local soda. The only surprise/disappointment was where it's located, it's in a strip mall on a busy street, ideal for getting to it easily, but I was expecting it to be in a more rural setting. Very good.
5. Cafemantic
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 135 reviews
Chef-driven, seasonal, delicious dishes showcasing the bounty of eastern Connecticut farmers, food makers, and fisherman. Lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. "Unfussy, terrifically fresh food in a comfortable, quirky setting..." Rand Cooper, The New York Times
Reviewed By MarLa54 - EAST WOODSTOCK
We just had our second experience with lunch at Cafemantic.
Pros: It has a menu of quality, imaginative selections, including soups, salads, sandwiches and some appetizer plates. We enjoyed the cheese plate to start, then pork belly and roast beef sandwiches, served with half-sour pickles and fresh salad greens (marinated chickpeas were an alternative we did not choose). The sandwich ingredients were high quality and the ciabatta they were made with was excellent. The ambiance is comfortable, with a fun retro quality from the belt-driven ceiling fan. The sandwiches were generous in size - none of us could finish ours. The dessert menu looked good, but we did not have room for dessert,
Cons: limited menu, with few selections to appeal to people who are less adventurous. My husband had to ask for several ingredients to be left off his roast beef sandwich, and my daughter had to request the kimchee to be left off her crispy pork belly sandwich. (Not a problem for me). The cheese plate included good quality artisanal cheeses, but like cheese plates we have had elsewhere, the portions of cheese,crackers and condiments are fairly small. The three crackers served with the cheese plate were strong with caraway, and detracted somewhat from enjoying the flavor of the cheeses. We would have preferred slices of crusty baguette with the cheese.
6. The Farmer's Cow Creamery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By travellinlight21 - Hartford, Connecticut
We've been here several times and I'm just not a big fan of the ice cream. Not a lot of flavor, sometimes icy - not smooth & creamy like I would expect. The sandwiches are pretty good and the milk bar is fun, especially for kids.
7. The Harp on Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Reviewed By Exptrav99
Excellent pub, atmosphere, cozy, friendly. Great food, fresh Guinness. Perfect for friends, couples. A nice addition to Eastern CT resto offerings.
8. Not Only Juice
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By Marie L
I went here for lunch today and to be honest, was skeptical since I love meat!
I had the smoky sweet potato burger (without a roll) and it was fabulous! The chef came out to ask if I wanted it over salad since I didn't have the roll - that was really nice of her. And the salad was a fabulous, fresh kale salad with a delicious lemony dressing.
My daughter had a smoothie and the "better than toast" with chevre, roasted shiitake mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes. She loved both.
The restaurant itself has a cool atmosphere-love the exposed brick and it was spotless.
I would definitely recommend it and will go again.
9. Tony's Pizza
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 59 reviews
Reviewed By Bobbi J - Livingston, Texas
A trip to the Windham area just isn't complete without going to Tony's at least once; usually multiple times. The best pizza and grinders around!!!
10. Dairy Queen
Overall Ratings
4 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By jennyrose0853 - Windham, Connecticut
Please note that this dairy queen has absolutely no place to sit other than one bench. I am not sure if other's do. This place gets packed during the summer and is right on main st in Willimantic. We love to surprise my son with a night out to dairy queen after dinner. They are pretty fast in ensuring that your order comes out quickly, and we just put the bed of my husband's truck down to eat. Cannot comment on their food as I have never had any. But for a quick, cheap ice cream this is your place.
