Middletown, Connecticut Bars & Restaurants

A bustling college town located roughly halfway between New York and Boston, Middletown, Connecticut, offers a surprisingly wide range of fun dining options. Most of the best restaurants are located on Main Street downtown, so you won't have any trouble finding them after a long day of hiking at nearby Higby Mountain or Chauncey Peak. Home of Wesleyan University, Middletown caters to an upbeat, college crowd, so there are plenty of good taverns and bars to choose from.

It's Only Natural

This enormously popular health-conscious eatery has been serving quality vegan and vegetarian cuisine since chef Mark Shadle opened the place in 1992. Winner of "Best Vegetarian Restaurant" for the Hartford Advocate's Best of Hartford 2009 Readers Poll, It's Only Natural uses all organic ingredients and strives to buy locally whenever possible. Choose from a diverse selection of tasty dishes, including southern-fried tofu and portobello burgers. Don't miss their famous Sunday brunch.

It's Only Natural Restaurant
386 Main St.
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-9210
ionrestaurant.com

Tuscany Grill

Once an old opera house and movie theater, Tuscany Grill now offers some of Middletown's best northern Italian food. Here you'll find both classic mainstays and innovative concoctions, including rosemary and pesto painted veal and Cajun chicken alfredo. Located just off Main Street, Tuscany Grill has been a favorite of Wesleyan College students since it opened in 1995. Dine outside or pull up a stool at the lively horseshoe-style bar.

Tuscany Grill Restaurant
120 College Street
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 346-7096
tuscanygrill.com

Eli Cannon's Tap Room

This convivial New York-style pub attracts beer fans from across the state of Connecticut. That's because Eli Cannon's Tap Room offers over two dozen beers on tap plus over ninety bottled brews. Enjoy classic, heart pub food like bacon cheddar burgers and jerk chicken quesadillas as you soak up the atmosphere at this lively joint. The wacky décor features Wild West saloon chairs, Victorian parlor furniture, and more. If that's not enough, they also offer a rotating list of over fifty hot sauces with offbeat monikers like Cowboy Cheyenne and Deathwish Jalapeño.

Eli Cannon's Tap Room
695 Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 847-3547
elicannons.com

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Article Written By Charlie Higgins

Charlie Higgins is a writer, translator, editor and social-media consultant based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Originally from Connecticut, Higgins holds bachelor's degrees in media studies and music from Oberlin College. He currently works for the financial inclusion and microenterprise news website Microdinero.

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