Restaurants in Storrs

From their outpost near the academic halls of the University of Connecticut, the chefs at Sgt. Pepperoni spin hand-tossed pizzas in the style of New York’s great pizzerias. Friends split a 16-inch cheese pizza, baked on handmade dough and blanketed with mozzarella cheese and house-made sauce. Divvy up eight breadsticks splashed with savory sauce from a cup of marinara sauce, or use them as swords to duel for the last slice of pizza. Sgt. Pepperoni’s sentries stay on watch for rumbling stomachs until at least 2 a.m. every night, quenching appetites brought on by late-night study sessions or hunger strikes in protest of Daylight Savings Time.

Every Sunday, the culinary commanders at The Mansfield General Store line the shop’s wooden clapboard walls with classic brunch dishes. French toast serves as a crispy pedestal for scrambled eggs and bacon, which patrons can garnish with syrup and butter slung from dainty cut-glass dishes. Strawberry rivulets cut channels through fluffy pancake stacks and cornbread. Additionally, health-conscious diners can concoct a wholesome fruit, yogurt, and granola parfait. For dessert, forks pierce a crackly crust before sinking into the apple crisp’s gooey center.

Part diner, part living room, R House Restaurant combines classic Americana with the comfort of home. Its black-and-white checkered floors run up to the dine-in counter and butt up against the base of the working stone fireplace, whose hearth hoists a sign that reads family.

The nearby tables groan under the weight of homestyle food, including stacked sandwiches, 11 types of hot dogs, and fried platters. R House also serves breakfast all day, topping waffles with sweet fruit compote or wrapping kielbasa sausage and swiss cheese in the fluffy folds of an omelet. When it’s warm out and there’s no threat of killer butterflies, the dishes are whisked outside to a seating area that is pet friendly.

OKI Asian Bistro's menu offers a sprawling variety that includes sushi, hibachi, and Thai. Fresh rolls contain fish such as tuna, salmon, or shrimp, while hibachi grills sear steak, chicken, or lobster tails. Fried rice and noodle options include pineapple or basil, while other entrees include ginger beef, yellow curry, and shrimp tempura.

City Sports Grille is too inviting for just one bar. That's why there are two. Beneath the twinkle of charming Christmas lights and the blue glow of more than 25 high-definition TVs, the Bristol location bustles with the friendly din of diners and drinkers. Meanwhile, the golden interior of the Vernon location bathes each patron in welcoming warmth augmented by the sounds of the day’s sports highlights. Both bars feature a similar menu of pub-friendly grub, including chargrilled pizzas and flatbreads, half-pound burgers, and wraps that lovingly embrace hunger before utterly defeating it. Each location hosts special events on most nights, including karaoke on Thursdays and free pool on Wednesdays in Bristol and Wednesday trivia and live music on Saturdays in Vernon.

Each Wood-N-Tap restaurant’s kitchen serves a menu of casual American food that ranges from burgers and sandwiches to pasta, pizza, and entrees. The eatery partners with farms from New Jersey to Maine to cultivate 100% all-natural meats for their homegrown burgers, which feature tender hormone-, steroid-, and antibiotic-free meats such as Wagyu beef, bison, free-range turkey, and pork. Chefs grill entrees including swordfish and bourbon-marinated grilled sirloin, as well as signature items such as mac ‘n’ cheese pizza and Bar Bites sliders constructed with bison, Angus beef, turkey, or a baseball.

Wood-N-Tap blossomed from the fitting combination of its owners’ skills—Mike scouts the locations, Phil markets the brand, and Wil and Kenny manage the daily operations of the various locations. More than a decade ago, after forging a friendship as strong as oak and a partnership as strong as steel-reinforced oak, the crew opened the first Wood-N-Tap location in 2002—and they have expanded to seven locations and counting.