Restaurants in Danbury

Owners Aura Showah and Douglas Waterbury attribute the success of Widow Brown's Cafe, which has been in business for more than 35 years, to culinary consistency, a family-friendly ambiance, and an eclectic menu that has earned the eatery a feature in the News-Times. While two-handing a burger or steaming sandwich, patrons can peruse the chalkboard around the fully stocked bar for a list of weekly events, such as trivia, karaoke, and raucous tax-preparation luaus. Wooden wall panels glow in the light of wall-mounted TVs as forks venture south for American comfort fare or globetrot with Asian-, Irish-, and Italian-inspired dishes. As frozen drinks or draft beers chill boothside, diners can bust billiards at one of the café's pool tables or surf the café's free WiFi for instructional videos on how to correctly execute robot dance moves.

Like high-school students at a science demonstration, patrons at Koo gather around a table, oohing and ahhing as flames dance high in the air. But instead of test tubes and beakers, the person behind the table wields knives and spatulas, slicing and flipping meats and veggies over a hibachi grill. Once each morsel has sizzled to a crisp golden brown, chefs divvy them up onto plates, and the guests devour the food that was just cooked right before their eyes.

Hibachi meals—which include filet mignon, scallop, and lobster-tail options—are not the only Japanese fare served within Koo's bold red and gray walls. Regular tables host plates of wok-fried noodles, teriyaki shrimp, sesame-crusted ahi tuna, and sushi rolls. Chefs also whip up smaller, tapas-style plates, so groups can bond by sharing steamed shrimp dumplings or stacking thai spring rolls into a rickety Jenga tower.

Mike Rocco’s love for pizza started in the Bronx, where he worked at his father’s pizzerias from a young age. Now, with the help of his brothers, Joe and Frank, he continues his family's tradition at 10 locations of his own invention—all flaunting the Planet Pizza name tag.

A man can't build such a pizza universe without some serious pies. But inspiration isn't a problem for Mike and his chefs, who've molded more than 30 toppings into about 25 specialty circles, all available on gluten-free and whole-wheat crusts. In addition to specialty pizzas, the cooks concoct other Italian-American fare such as shrimp parmigiana and mini pizza rolls that are more convincing than Pluto as a mature planet.

House-made sauces top each classic Italian dish on the menu at Biscotti's Ristorante, sending up ribbons of steam as waiters bear loaded plates across glossy hardwood floors. Specialty pizzas borrow toppings from meat- and seafood-rich entrees such as chicken parmigiana and clams casino, and a to-go family meal arms patrons with enough pasta, soup, salad, and bread to stun four bellies into a satisfied silence. Happy-hour drink specials at the attached full bar help patrons to escape workday stress without slipping out early down office ice luges.

Stone River Grille's rustic décor and all-American fare honors the building's historic roots as a 19th century general store. In keeping with its past, the establishment delivers goods that locals crave, including fire-grilled filet mignon, lobster scampi, and word-of-mouth news about the latest blacksmithing techniques. Of the avocado chicken bruschetta, M.B. Tuccio of the Connecticut Post said, "The plate was so colorful…. its flavor matched its looks; the avocado didn't overpower the rest of the dish, but kept the tongue interested."

During warm months, guests sit on a deck overlooking the Pootatuck River enjoying Sunday brunch or fresh fruit margaritas. The restaurant occasionally hosts dinner-theater events to enliven Newton's cultural scene and develop actors' abilities to project their voices louder than their growling stomachs.

Beneath the glow of 12 high-definition plasma televisions, riotous sports fans toast to their teams by clinking glasses and smushing burgers together at First Place Sports Bar & Grill. Between sips of cold beer and bites of handheld eats including sandwiches, nachos, and ribs, bar-goers throw wild shots at three dart boards and play 52-ball pickup around the pool table. Numerous video games, such as 2010 Golden Tee Live, Silver Strike, and Big Buck Hunter, jingle in anticipation of a feeding of quarters, while a jukebox offers a custom soundtrack to sporting revelry.