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We've compiled the best of the best in The Litchfield Hills - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Since Carole Peck—a well-known name throughout New England (and beyond)—opened her spot here in 1992, foodies have been flocking to Woodbury to sample her superb cuisine. Michael Hayek bought the place in 2024 giving it a brighter, more open space, and a new mural by Mackenzie Steiner, but the emphasis is still on healthy, innovative, and surprisingly well-priced fare like wok-seared Gulf shrimp with new potatoes, grilled green beans, and a garlic aioli.
Swyft and Ore Hill are two restaurants in one, both located in the historic Swyft-Bull house, at Kent's center crossroads. Downstairs, Swyft takes on the character of an old New England tavern, with elevated comfort classics like a BLT, burgers, and Neapolitan pizza from a wood-burning oven, while upstairs, Ore Hill features a locally produced chef-driven prix-fixe menu partially sourced from their own Rock Cobble Farm. Each dish and drink is an experience, with five or seven courses, with or without drink pairings. Reservations are required at Ore Hill, but walk-ins are welcome at Swyft. The house is named for the families (one who built nearby Bull's Bridge) who occupied the home for more than 175 years.
This 19th-century country inn overlooking Lake Waramaug is a lovely place for breakfast, alfresco lunch, midafternoon tea, or a European-inspired dinner. The menu features French escargot, Austrian Wiener schnitzel, Swiss rösti potatoes, and Italian veal piccata—as well as American favorites like broiled Atlantic salmon.
Stops at the Culinary Institute of America, Le Bernardin in New York, and Sepia in Sydney, Australia, and Italy eventually led executive chef David DiStasi home to Connecticut, where he won Newcomer of the Year '22, and Connecticut Chef of the Year '23 for Materia in nearby Bantam. Technique, ingredients, and sauce are the keys to the award-winning Italian fare at this granite block restaurant and inn (with three rooms). DiStasi's food is not regional, drawing inspiration from all areas of Italy, right here in the Connecticut countryside.
This sophisticated dining room on the town green is the place to see and be seen. Dinner selections might include free-range chicken with potato purée, braised short ribs with Cabernet demi-glace, or Scottish grilled salmon with ratatouille.
