Restaurants in Windsor Locks

Though Michael Anderson has worked in the kitchen for more than three decades, he hasn't always worn the title of executive chef. Like many great chefs before him, Anderson began his career as a dishwasher, working his way up through practice and education before finally earning the prestigious role of head chef at Chandler's Tavern. With this culinary accomplishment under his belt, Anderson decided he was ready to fulfill his dream of opening his own restaurant—naming it for the chef he studied under as a dishwasher all those years ago.

Today, a panorama of white-linen tablecloths and chandeliers stretches across Tucker's dining hall, bar, and private banquet rooms. Anderson still works in the kitchen, overseeing staff as they prepare gourmet pastas, meats, and seafood from noon until nightfall. The restaurant opens its two elegant banquet halls for weddings, birthday parties, and upscale games of dodgeball.

More than 30 LCD televisions and an 8-foot high-definition projector surround Maximum Capacity, where patrons enjoy 19 beers on tap downstairs and groove to the beat of live performances by DJs and cover bands upstairs. The venue’s list of performer’s has earned acclaim from The Valley Advocate, especially for bringing in big-name stars such as Vince Neil of Motley Crue. While taking in show or a Pats game, diners munch on classic pub favorites such as one of eight specialty sandwiches, five types of burgers, and eight signature pizzas.

The chef at Nora’s Restaurant & Lounge crafts a regularly changing menu of juicy steaks, fresh seafood, and homemade pastas. The elegant dining room features exposed ceiling beams, heavy ruby-colored drapes, and French doors leading to the bar area. While taking in views of Lake Congamond, guests sample maple-glazed salmon or fresh ravioli stuffed with Maine lobster and cheeses. A slightly more casual pub menu available at the bar includes selections such as beef tenderloin sliders, pierogi, and lobster mac and cheese you can pair with draft brews and wines.

Armed with fresh seafood, authentic recipes, and a sizzling hibachi grill, the chefs at Tokyo Sushi construct fresh sushi rolls and flame-broiled meals of meat and seafood. In the hibachi dining area, chefs artfully spin utensils as they prepare sizzling filet mignon and calamari for visitors seated around the oft-flaming grill, using its intense light to improve their base tans. Diners can also situate themselves in conventional restaurant seating to enjoy uncooked cuisine such as the Kamikaze roll with avocado, spicy tuna, and spicy yellowtail, or a Rock ‘n’ Roll plate that cocoons eel, salmon skin, cucumber, and avocado in rice.

Nestled in the foothills of the Berkshires, the expansive greens and fairways of Edgewood Golf Course are bordered by lush woodlands on one side and Fox Den Restaurant on the other. Named for the foxes that sometimes dart around the course’s forested edges, the restaurant keeps its cunning guests on their toes with daily specials that draw on Pan–American inspirations. Golfers often stop in for a hearty breakfast of omelets and pancakes before their first round of the day, and nightly dinners of prime rib or fish and chips replenish energy lost while running away from rabid golf carts.

As a child in Greece, Tony Rizos would watch his father set out in a tiny boat to catch fish for the family. The image clung to Tony throughout his youth and into his adulthood, eventually inspiring him to open a restaurant in its honor. The façade of Kaptain Jimmy’s Restaurant & Distillery bears the image of Tony’s father at age 20, reimagined in pirate gear. Inside the large eatery, tables populate with fruits of the sea, such as steamed lobster and pan-seared scallops, as well as harvests from land and sky, including prime rib and "parrot" wings. Each meal comes with a splash of entertainment, as servers saunter up to tables dressed to the nines in red and black garments, bandanas, and flashy rings and earrings.

The Opa Tap Bar is fashioned to look like the side of a giant ship, with three faux masts supporting the tap handles for more than 60 brews. If beer is not a diner's choice of beverage, an onsite microdistillery—a passion project of Tony’s—cooks up more spirits than A Christmas Carol, including whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and ouzo.