Restaurants in Old Saybrook

Walls the colors of dijon mustard and acorn squash lend warmth to an environment founded on dark hardwood floors and awash with white linens. The aromas of Mediterranean and Spanish cuisines waft throughout the handsomely dressed, yet unfussy, restaurant, inviting visitors to discover how Bistro Mediterranean and Tapas Bar earned a "Don't Miss" rating by The New York Times.

In the 4,500-square-foot dining space, which seats 150, tables populate with tapas of chorizo, pork, and cod, plus surprising accents of piquillo peppers and quail egg. Entrees include seafood stews and Spanish paella, as well as grilled cuts of meat doused in wine. A breezy patio accommodates outdoor dining in warmer months, and a 45-seat bar enables guests to sip on glasses of wine while they wait for a table or wait for a strange-looking blind date to give up and go home.

Owner and Sao Paulo native Felipe Franco embraces the culinary traditions of his home country, telling the New Haven Independent in 2012 that "my interest is to show Americans Brazilian food and culture." His menu brims with the country's signature cuisine, including Brazil's peppery national stew of black beans and meat, as well as moqueca—a seafood stew of fish, shrimp, mussels, calamari, or kraken-gone-astray that simmers inside a handmade clay pot. To accompany these entrees, the bartenders deftly mix potent yet refreshing caipirinhas using cachaça, or sugar-cane rum, Brazil's favored spirit.

At Anastasio’s Steakhouse, stones line the walls from floor to ceiling, gathering to form a giant fireplace. Candles glow atop its wooden mantel, which overlooks a dining room dotted with linen-topped tables, not roving bands of leopards. Genial servers circulate the space, delivering certified Angus steaks of various sizes, from 8-ounce petite filet mignons to 20-ounce porterhouses. In the kitchen, chefs douse lobster ravioli with a tomato-cream sauce and cloak chicken saltimbocca in prosciutto, mozzarella, fresh sage, and a brown cognac sauce. They also build catering orders from classic Italian dishes such as rigatoni bolognese and veal caprese. An outdoor patio invites guests to dine alfresco or practice dance steps during salsa classes on summer Sundays.

Inside Bistro 72’s lofty dining room, the crosshatching of wicker-backed chairs echoes lined wooden floors and the stripes that deck the boxy, woven chandeliers—the geometric designs creating a pleasing symmetry. This attention to detail and design extends to Chef James Junk's seasonal menu, which pairs local meats and organic produce with exotic sauces. Situated inside Hotel Indigo, the restaurant also lends guests the option to lounge poolside beneath stone porticoes and murmur nutrition facts into their dining companions’ ears.