3 Best Restaurants in New Haven, Mystic, and the Coast, Connecticut

In this tiny restaurant, chef Colt Taylor applies French techniques learned at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Le Bernardin to both modern cuisine and old favorites. You might start with Niantic Bay oysters or Essex (New England) clam chowder, followed by steamed local halibut, chicken à la Normande, or steak frites; at the 6-seat Chef's Tasting Bar, guests opt for the five-course ($85) or seven-course ($105) tasting menu. Taking its name from the ship whose tale inspired Moby Dick, The Essex is a favorite with theatergoers to The Kate, across the street. Don't miss the murals of sea life and moonlit shores painted by Taylor’s mother behind the bar.

In the Oyster Club's rustic, barnlike dining room, start your meal with a selection of oysters and clams from the raw bar or a cup of the raved-about quahog clam chowder—New England (creamy) or Rhode Island (clear) style—before moving along to either fresh-from-the-sea surf or prime turf for your entrée. In summer, the open-air Treehouse offers another lively spot to enjoy a casual meal or a drink—weather permitting. Oyster Club is a three-time winner for best restaurant, east region, at the Connecticut Restaurant Association Awards.

In a sexy, dimly lighted storefront space looking toward the New Haven Town Green, ZINC turns heads with its artfully prepared and globally inspired farm-to-table cooking. Menu items include typical American standbys (NY strip steak, grilled yellowfin tuna, pork chop) modernized by adding an Asian influence (in dishes like Saigon lettuce wraps and steamed pork dumplings).