Seafood Restaurants in Wallingford Center

Dino's Seafood's culinary experts have been culling sub-aquatic ingredients to build a menu of tasty seafood for 43 years. The jumbo-shrimp cocktail harmonizes with the maryland crab cakes ($6.95 each), and the rhode island and new england clam chowders play a baseline of hearty flavors ($3.25/cup; $3.80/bowl). A briny band of fried seafood dinners unites with french fries and coleslaw ($9.50–$19.95), and a cadre of baked and broiled fish dishes swagger from diner to diner, presenting a choice of two sides ($13.95–$19.00). Chefs construct the surf ‘n’ turf out of an 8-ounce steak, a surfboard covered in artificial grass, and a choice of fried scallops, shrimp, or clams ($16.95). While sailors dine on the fruit of the sea, landlubbers nosh on an assortment of sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs ($2.05–$12.20). Guests can park walking apparatuses in one of Dino's booths or chairs, which, like boxing matches held at Bed, Bath & Beyond, are cushioned.

Singled out for having the state's best clam chowder in Connecticut magazine's Best of Connecticut feature, Close Harbour hooks customers with a menu anchored in mouth-watering seafood. Start with crab-and-parmesan-stuffed mushrooms ($7) or pull out your scrimshaw spoon for New England, Manhattan, or Rhode Island clam chowder ($4/cup). Filet of sole stuffed with lump blue-crab meat ($18) reconciles the sea's two most notorious enemies, and swordfish cipolla parries a seasoned swordfish steak with a heaping helping of caramelized onions ($17). Resist flatware hegemony by getting your hands on a toasted roll topped with butter-sautéed lobster (market price), or give in to the powerful lettuce lobby with a pan-seared sea-scallop salad ($14). Any fish in the joint can also be baked, grilled, broiled, fried, or seared and plated with stir-fried veggies for $15.

Elm City Seafood & Grill Restaurant is known for fried seafood with a light, crisp coating. Diners can dig into platters of fried bone-in whiting, seasoned shrimp, and other seaside favorites, or take them in boxes to go. The eatery’s cooks also prepare lobster rolls, charbroiled burgers, and hot dogs.

Mainely Seafood sources fresh fish, shrimp, and lobster from seaside towns in Maine, Rhode Island, and elsewhere along the New England coast. Chefs turn these oceanic harvests into salmon cakes and tuna fillets along with traditional crab dishes and fried, whole-belly clams. They also grill steaks—wet-aged in house to lock in maximum flavor—along with other turfy entrees that didn't spend their childhood being bullied by a kraken.

Pumpkin-orange walls radiate cozy, autumnal vibes at Fiore’s IV Italian Restaurant as servers deliver warm bowls of mussels and comforting slices of lasagna. As crisp as a freshly ironed lettuce leaf, white linens lend tables an air of elegance, which extends to signature dishes such as lobster ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes and pink vodka sauce. Salads and house-baked rolls accompany each entree, accenting chicken, veal, and sole with verdant hues and crunchy textures.

Confetti applies the compounded knowledge and one-of-a-kind recipes of three generations of Mediterranean chefs to craft its Italian-inspired menu of fresh seafood and handmade pastas. The Zagat-rated eatery galvanizes gun-shy appetites with starters such as sauteéd Prince Edward Island mussels bathed in garlic, oil, and fra diavolo ($9). The kitchen roasts its twin Grecian lamb shanks ($22) until they house more stores of tenderness than the feelings of an artistically inclined kitten. Meanwhile, fresh scialatielli with clam sauce arrives sporting shucked clams, minced mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and aromatic basil ($15). Minimalist-minded diners can keep dinner simple with a single grain of salt or a light greek salad adorned with vine-ripened tomatoes, cured olives, imported Greek feta, and extra-virgin olive oil ($10; $5 with an entree).

When The Saybrook Fish House Restaurant first opened in 1978, its chefs would scrawl their menu on brown paper bags each day, constantly updating dishes according to the freshest catch available. Today the menu is printed, but the chefs continue to follow in their predecessors' footsteps by serving only freshly caught seafood from New England waters.

Amid the wooden panels and hanging lanterns of the restaurant’s four cozy dining rooms, baskets of fried seafood meet with iced clams and oysters from the raw bar. The staff provides full meals complete with warm bread, salad, and fresh fruit, along with a hot towel and an original poem written by the busboy.