Restaurants in Bridgeport

Kansas City isn’t in Kansas, and it certainly doesn’t reside on the East Coast. But its cuisine does. Diners only need to step inside the wood-covered confines of Bobby Q’s, a family-friendly barbecue joint known for tender, pit-smoked meats smothered in award-winning sauces and celebrating their 8th year in the business. The eatery’s imported culinary stylings have earned it a spot on the Food Network, as well as the title “Best of the Gold Coast” from readers of Westport Magazine, who were undoubtedly delighted by favored items such as the slow-smoked pulled pork and the grilled Gulf Shrimp. Roasted atop an open beer can for proper moisture, their beer can chicken is far more delicious than proving you are not too chicken to eat a beer can. Their half-pound burger patties, meanwhile, come with zesty toppings such as Smokehouse chili, blue cheese, and frizzled onions. On weekends, the barn-esque dining room and outdoor patio transform into a bustling bar, with live music from local bands and house specialty drinks, such as lemonade infused with huckleberry vodka, or down-home punch, a mix of Jack Daniels, apricot brandy, orange juice and Sierra Mist.

Open seven days a week and located right on the beach, the ocean dances along the sandy edges of the earth outside the windows of Marnick's Restaurant, hinting at the provenance of the seafood there. Inside, three generations of owners draw on that bounty, toasting buns to hold lobster sautéed in drawn butter. They hand-form fish cakes with a special blend of seasonings, and a butter glaze lets the soft texture of broiled swordfish shine. Burgers and pancakes sizzle on a grill as hot as a knight in shining armor who has been waiting in his car for an hour, and fryers froth with loads of fish 'n' chips and monte cristo sandwiches.

The New York Times praised Tengda's Milford location—one of eight in a small regional chain—as "perfect for young-at-heart couples and groups," with a high-energy atmosphere bubbling around cuisine it called "very good." The chefs draw gustatory inspiration from China, Japan, and Thailand as they create their expansive menus of Pan-Asian fare, which include fiery stir-fries, grilled meats, and sushi and provide reading material for shy diners throughout a full meal. Moody red and yellow lights dapple sleek black tables and booths, and might occasionally catch knife-flipping and drink-slinging theatrics behind the sushi and cocktail bars.

MacDaddy’s Macaroni & Cheese Bar elevates elbow noodles to haute cuisine with its 25 varieties of gourmet mac and cheese, which have garnered positive attention from the foodies at The Washington Post. Available in three sizes—the snack, the mac, and the macdaddy—elbow noodles emulate monte cristos with ham and gouda, mimic gumbo with andouille sausage, and impersonate Popeye with spinach, goat cheese, and a keen knowledge of nautical terms. MacDaddy’s also serves dessert in the form of cookies, brownies, and “mac zeppole”—deep-fried noodles tossed with powdered sugar.

Chefs slather linguine noodles with house-made pesto sauce, toss salmon filets atop the grill, and simmer veal scaloppini in a white wine and lemon sauce in the kitchen at Da Giuseppe Ristorante Trattoria. Out in the dining room, exposed red rafters and tangerine walls surround linen-topped tables populated with towering plates of pasta and traditional Italian desserts built from scratch.

At The Original Primo Pizza & Grill, chefs whirl handmade dough and whole, peeled tomatoes into a variety of thin-crust pizzas. While the menu includes classic standbys such as the hawaiian pizza, customers can also create their own perfect pies from toppings such as garlic, mushrooms, pepperoni, and sausage. What really shines through, however, is the restaurant’s large selection of specialty pies: buffalo-chicken pizza is topped with chicken and zesty buffalo sauce; Nutella pizza with brown and powdered sugar; and the American-style pizza gets topped with steak, peppers, onions, american cheese, and a pervasive dislike of the metric system.

While pizza dominates the menu, diners can also explore traditional Italian entrees, including dinner specialties such as chicken scampi, veal milanese, and spaghetti with clam sauce.