Danbury CT Restaurants: Main Street and the Hat City

Danbury CT restaurants span a revived downtown on Main Street and the commercial roads that radiate from it, in a city that was once the hat-making capital of the country. Today Danbury is a mix of old brick, new apartments and many communities, and its food reflects all of them.

Danbury is a major city in western Connecticut, so it feeds a whole region.

People drive in from the hills and the lake towns for specialty groceries, bakeries and big family dinners. That draws a crowd to the dining rooms on Friday and Saturday, and a lively crowd shapes the menus. Expect bigger portions and louder rooms than in a quiet village.

Which Danbury CT restaurants suit a first visit?

Start downtown, around Main Street and the blocks beside it, where cafes, bakeries and dinner rooms have collected in restored buildings. The roads farther out, such as the strips beside the highway, hold family restaurants, grills and specialty kitchens. Decide whether you want a walkable evening or a destination meal.

A first loop of downtown takes half an hour, and parking is on the street or in a municipal garage.

If you arrive by train, the line from the south ends here, and the station is a short ride from the center. A rail museum in the old yard tells the story of the line, and a lunch before or after a visit is a sensible plan.

What is Danbury Main Street dining like?

Varied and lively. Expect Brazilian, Portuguese, Italian, Latin American, American and Asian kitchens, in rooms that range from counter stools to table service. On a Friday evening the street has life, and on a Sunday afternoon it is calm. The mix of communities shows on the menus and in the languages you hear.

Old hat factories and mill buildings line the streets, and some now hold shops and apartments.

The hat trade made the town rich and gave it a nickname that survives on signs and on a fair that once drew crowds. Ask a longtime resident about it, and you will hear a story with a counter and a stool in it.

Where do you go for a Hat City downtown lunch?

To a counter or a cafe within a few minutes of Main Street. Lunch is quick and local, with sandwiches, soups, plates of rice and beans, grilled meats and daily specials. Offices, courts and the hospital send people out at noon, so a table is easiest at eleven thirty or after one.

Ask what the special is. Many Danbury kitchens put their best work on the daily board.

A kitchen that cooks from a community's own recipes often has dishes that never appear on the printed menu. Ask the person behind the counter what they eat, and you will often be pointed to a plate you would have missed.

Where is a Danbury dinner out?

A downtown room or a roadside grill, depending on the mood. Weeknights are easy, and Friday and Saturday fill by seven. A group of six or more should phone ahead. Families often choose the larger rooms along the main roads, which have parking and space for strollers.

For a birthday or a reunion, phone a few days ahead and ask about a long table. Many kitchens are glad to oblige if they know the number and the time, and a table of fifteen gets better service than a table of five that appears without warning.

The Brazilian and Portuguese page explains one strand of the city's food in detail.

What is Western Connecticut State University food like?

Fast and cheap near the campuses. Students take advantage of pizza, subs, burritos and cafe breakfasts, and the university's calendar sets the rhythm of the nearby streets. Parents weekend and commencement fill the restaurants.

For a good value lunch, look for the daily plate and the weekday special.

Which tags help you choose in a big small city?

A city this mixed rewards a few tags: Family Friendly for the big rooms, Group Dining for birthdays, Great Value and Good Portions for the plates that feed two, Quick Service for the lunch hour and Late Night for after a shift. Raters add them in the Mosey app, and the Find sheet lets a diner search on them. Each is one person's note, so phone before you drive over.

Your tags help the next diner choose.

How do you rate a Danbury meal?

Give the place its stars, name the dish and add one line on the room, such as "Friday dinner, grilled meat, rice and beans, huge portion, loud and warm". Tag the friends who shared the table so they can add their own view. In a hurry, rate as you eat: the app asks what you are having and then how it was.

A list called Danbury regulars holds the favorites.

Where next from Danbury?

The US food guides hold the rest of the country, and the Litchfield Hills guide covers the country to the north.

Eating your way across Connecticut? The Food in Connecticut page links every town we cover.

Once the plates are cleared, rate the meal by the dish in the Mosey app and save the spot to a Danbury list for next time.