This charming, modern coffeehouse is part of the ever-growing network of properties connected to Arethusa Farm in Litchfield. And unlike their incredibly high-priced restaurant across the street, al Tavolo, you might actually afford to eat here. The owners have done an admirable creating an environment that's comfortable and low-key without sacrificing their commitment to quality. After all, the phrase "a mano" translates to "by hand," reflecting how the vast majority of items here are made from scratch on site. I come here often for their coffee, which I love for its balance and low acidity compared to Starbucks, etc. But the real star of the show here are the pastries, such as a layered s'more bar the size of a small brick; a variety of gourmet doughnuts (my favorite is the lemon-filled); and "cruffins," a combination of croissant and muffin with a delicious cream filling. My usual go-to are their bagels: slightly crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside. There's also a full sandwich and salad menu with breakfast and lunch options including salads, sandwiches, a quiche of the day, and other specials. Their breakfast egg sandwiches -- seemingly modeled on the now-famous one at Sagaponack General Store in the Hamptons -- are especially popular. While $13 for a basic egg sandwich is a bit ridiculous even for a gourmet one, you'll have little complaint once you have a taste. While you're perusing the menu and pastries, don't forget to check out the well-stocked selection of farm-fresh cheeses and other Arethusa Farm products. And, if you've got room aftewards, don't forget to stop at the Arethusa Farm Dairy Store for some ice cream -- it's also across the street, next to Arethusa al Tavolo. (Disclaimer: I grew up in the area, though I don't know any former or current employees of Arethusa.) read more

The roast beef sandwich, oh my gosh! Best I've ever had. From the farm-fresh divine Camembert cheese, caramelized onions, delicious roast beef, horseradish sour cream, an onion roll - it was unreal. Every bite. Would drive an hour up here just for this. 5 stars!!!! read more

Arethusa A Mano - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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While Arethusa is most well known for their dairy products, their baked goods are an unexpected treat. Two standouts are the coconut donuts, which have a perfectly crisp outer layer and a soft brioche-like inside, and the pretzel, which is perfectly salted and better than many pretzels I've had, even in Germany. The service has always been prompt and friendly. Although the lot fills quickly, we've not had trouble getting some really nice items at this time of year on Sundays around midday. On a nice morning, you can sit out on the patio or across the street on the benches by the farm dairy, and there are lots of seats inside. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Pretzel with a definite brioche flair - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

A bit expensive for what you get IMO, but a fantastic breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee! I love the vibe as well!

Excellent cafe with high quality coffee and pastries! We stopped in for breakfast and picked up a few doughnuts and cruffins, along with cold brew coffee. Love that they use vahlrona chocolate. A little pricey but great flavors. read more

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ORIGIN: The cafe is one of several Bantam-based offshoots associated with Arethusa Dairy Farm in Litchfield. LOCATION: Arethusa A Mano is located on the main thoroughfare that crosses Bantam. At times the parking lot is crowded, but parking behind Arethusa Dairy across the street is a good alternative. FOOD and BEVERAGES: The cafe serves sandwiches and baked goods that are not commonly found in this area. For example, cronuts -- a flaky cross between a donut and croissant can be found in the pastry case. Likewise, beverages with unique flavors, such as gingerbread latte are prepared and served. AMBIANCE: Beside the order counter and display case are many cafe tables. The white panel walls are fitted with photos from the farm associated with the cafe. Large windows wrap across two sides, allowing a sun-filled dining area. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Apple butter filled donut, cranberry filled cronut topped with eggnog cream column, and gingerbread latte - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

Spectacular and upscale food, cafe and dairy in Batam CT. A taste of the upper west side and the world in Litchfield CT. Large portions, outstanding food and friendly staff. read more

The "worst" part of Arethusa a Mano is parking - the lot is kind of small, and even though Arethusa is slowly taking over Bantam (for the better, IMHO), parking can be a struggle. The inside is very modern and streamlined in design, accented with a lot of cow paintings. They have a display case for baked goods, a sign announcing the quiche of the day, and rolls/bagels on display behind the registers. I had the Vanderpoel panini, which tasted very fresh (turkey) and crispy from the press. It came with grapes as a side, which was a refreshing surprise. The restrooms were very clean, and the employees were very busy but friendly and answered questions about their product availability. read more

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Stopped by Arethusa A Mano bakery on the way out of town after visiting the famous Arethusa al Tavolo restaurant for a meal. I love this tri-fecta of high quality farm to table businesses in Bantam. Ordered two seasonal lattes....peppermint and pumpkin spice along with two egg nog cream filled doughnuts. Everything was delicious. Thanks! read more

The pastries at Arethusa A Mano are visually and texturally superb. The flavors are perfection. The inside is clean and sleek. There is plenty of seating and the large windows let in the sunlight which adds to the cheerful atmosphere. The parking lot is small which makes it a bit challenging to park and to leave. All in all I give this spot a ten out of ten or 5 s. P.S. if you are GF a must try is their financier. It's like biting into a pillowy almond puff. Enjoy! read more

Arethusa A Mano - Gluten free financier - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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I'm a huge fan of Arethusa's ice cream shop in New Haven so of course I had to make the trip to A Mano! The cafe was busy on a Saturday early afternoon - the attached parking lot was full and we parked in the lot behind the ice cream shop across the street. When our group of four arrived, all the tables were occupied, and we ended up huddling around the corner of a standing table for our first few bites. I ordered the egg and cheese on an everything bagel. The cashier asked how I would like the eggs (over easy, medium, or well) - I asked for medium but the eggs turned out runnier than I would've liked. I also had a matcha rose latte - the matcha was delicious and the rose flavor was not overbearing. Overall a solid cafe for brunch - the dairy products (cheese, creams, butters) are definitely the highlights. I'd love to make the trek again to try a grilled cheese and some of the baked goods. The space is also lovely but I think it would be great if there were few more tables especially at peak hours! read more

Arethusa A Mano - Egg and cheese on a bagel - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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Vacationing up this way and stopped in for a coffee and bagel! I ordered the cheese bagel with scallion cream cheese and an iced coffee. Hit the spot! Bagel was fresh, and coffee was good! Nice little place, quick and friendly service. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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Ordered an egg, cheese and bacon sandwich on a brioche roll, corn & blueberry muffin, eggnog coffee (a seasonal specialty) and Scarlet Glow hibiscus and lemongrass herbal tea. The blueberry muffin was delicious and packed with blueberries. Perhaps, the best blueberry muffin we've ever had. Egg sandwich was well prepared and very good. The coffee and tea were ok, but will not reorder. Service was excellent ... knowledgeable and friendly. The space is nice and kept clean. Overall, a very positive culinary experience. Will try other beverage options next time. Glad to have found it. read more

I've been to Arethusa a Mano (the coffee shop Arethusa) in Bantam a few times, most recently last weekend. I ordered a small black Cold Brew made with a Stumptown blend. It was above average, but not on par with the best CT coffee shops in terms of iced coffee quality. It also seemed like they had fewer specialty coffee beverages than some of the best CT spots. The food is good to great in my experience. My brioche muffin shaped pastry with a cheese Danish type filling from this visit was delicious. It was fresh and had great texture. In terms of atmosphere, you won't find a much more attractive building inside and out. Outside, you'll see new red bricks, white accents and cool signs. Inside, the high wood paneled ceiling crescendos to a point, and decorative stainless steel pipes and counters, white wood shelves, white walls and panels and other decorations are also featured. It's a cool place to hang out. The surrounding area gets top grades for cuteness as well. Since I'm weighting the coffee most heavily, I'm rating Arethusa a Mano 4 Stars, but it would be a bit higher if I could rate in .25 Star increments. Arethusa Ice cream across the street is 5 Stars all the way though. read more

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My wife and I stopped here on our way home. It's located on route 202 in Bantam. Parking lot on the side. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and positive attitude of the employees. Lots of delicious selections of sandwiches, bakery items, and drinks. You can taste the difference in the items that come from there farm. We got an almond croissant which was a nice starter while waiting for our sandwiches. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese on a brioche roll. Very delicious. The eggs were from their farm and the cheese was made across the street at their dairy. It was very filling. I had a bite of my wife's which was ham instead of bacon. It was just as tasty as mine. Just be prepared to spend a little more than at a regular deli. I know you get what you pay for with the high quality of ingredients. However, in the end it's still an egg sandwich. read more

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10000000% recommend visiting Arethusa A Mano, it is absolutely my favorite place whenever we visit CT! The food is 10/10 and will knock your socks off, mostly because the pricing is outrageously expensive! Though, quality is *chefs kiss* Can you tell the owners are NYers? Lawls. The people behind the counter are typically nice. I love the overall aesthetic, the cows hanging on the walls and the very high ceilings . Cant wait to come back to Arethusa! read more

A few years ago I would have happily given this a 5 star review but as time has gone on, things have not gotten better or stayed the same. The cleanliness is great, the staff are pretty friendly, the quality of the food is very good. We've been a few times in the past year. Each time something is not made correctly and has to be corrected. The base price for an egg and cheese sandwich on a tiny english muffin is $9, if you want bacon it's another $3, so $12 for a egg, cheese and bacon on an english muffin. We just spent $31 for a croissant, two lattes (one med, one lrg) and the egg sandwich. Which then got served on paper plates. Ok so it's breakfast, maybe the paper plates can be excused. But we've been here for lunch ordering salads and one of the paninis. Again on paper plates and quite small in comparison to the price tags. The final nail in the coffin for the experience today was the internet not working. read more

It was very clean inside. The employees were sanitizing and wiping down each table as it became vacant. The Vanderpoel panini was crispy, tart and savory. The creamy cheese in it was melting out. It made for a great IG picture if I didn't devour it right away. The croissant was so buttery! At one point I thought I bit into a piece of butter. It was really fluffy and I loved it! The caramel latte was surprisingly not too sweet and was creamy because of their amazing milk! Also, I usually don't add milk to my coffee. I did here because I heard their diary products are made from award winning cows. So I ask for milk with my coffee and it created such a nice depth of flavor. read more

Arethusa A Mano - caramel latte and drip coffee - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

Took lunch to go from Arethusa a Mano to enjoy a crisp fall afternoon. All of their menu offerings tastefully highlighted their award winning cheeses and fresh breads. Kale Caesar salad was loaded with cheese and topped with fresh radishes and tomatoes. Loved loved loved the hot white chocolate latte. We split the Cuban and vanderpoel sandwiches... the pretzel bun served with the Cuban was delicious. We loved the Camembert cheese in the vanderpoel. A little pricey, but not much compared to going out to lunch anywhere else. Can't beat being able to walk across the street for ice cream after. read more

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We were so excited to try this cafe after being huge enthusiasts for Arethusa's ice cream! Unfortunately we were underwhelmed. For typical high Arethusa prices, we got a very average panini (The Vanderpoel) and very average salad (the Bistro salad) served on paper plates with plastic cutlery. It felt and tasted cheap which was the exact opposite of what we expected given the decadence of Arethusa's dairy products. It was also disappointing that all of their cutlery is paper/plastic and not even composted. On the other hand, our vanilla latte was delicious. On our way out we got two bagels and a cookie to have at home... for $10. Yikes Overall, meh. We won't be back. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Vanderpoel panini and bistro salad. - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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good sandwiches and salads, excellent staff. great place before ice cream across the street.

So good and such a nice stop. Truly a "treat yourself" cafe that is perfect for savory AND sweet lovers. It is very seldom you see such a high end, café and bakery, and does not lean in excessively with the sweets, but they offer a full line of delicious sandwiches that are made, cured, raised, crafted in house. Most sandwiches are around the $15 range which is, totally worth it for the quality, flavor, just perfect balance and ratio of ingredients. The Vanderpoel is the best use of Camembert cheese with organic turkey bacon, and on the most perfectly toasted and airy bread. It's a good portion, but you will feel like you want to eat five of them. There's plenty of space to eat inside or I would also recommend taking for a walk at White Memorial, and having a picnic. For the sweets, I would recommend the nutty caramel bar and the praline. read more

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$9.35 for a coffee you can get for half the price anywhere in Manhattan or Litchfield County (or Paris) is a little bonkers. And the hyperactive overroasted Stumptown coffee they use made me throw the entire thing in the trash after one sip. Antiquated place. Sorry, disappointed. read more

Beautiful interior- top notch equipment- fresh dairy- staff that doesn't go out of their way to wow you- Great looking sweets that just don't taste right-- everything just seems off/ not quite the way it should taste . read more

Today I tried the tuna on a bagel....a little spicy for me as I like my tuna as plain as can be but I still pushed through to finish the job my mom couldn't 5 stars! read more

Arethusa A Mano - Tuna! - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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The most delicious ice cream! I've been coming here for years and it's a fun place to bring out of town guests.

You know me, I can never say no to a bagel especially an everything bagel sammie! Arethusa a mano in Bantam, CT is the perfect spot to get a coffee and a bagel, and that's just what I did on my day off Arethusa a mano is located in the Arethusa Triangle along with Arethusa Farm Dairy and Arethusa al tavolo, so you could spend all day in this area and stop at each one throughout your visit! The farm in Litchfield behind the storefronts started off with local dairy deliveries back in the 1800's and took off in the 90's with a change of ownership Since then, they've expanded to New Haven, West Hartford and beyond, and won tons of awards along the way. And if you've visited any of their locations, you can tell why! It's a true farm-to-table experience right from our home state read more

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I've always loved Arethusa because the quality is top notch. I will drive hours for their donuts (in the box pictured), but I had never had their breakfast sandwich. We decided to drive up for donuts, breakfast sandwiches, and coffee, and it was well worth it. We ordered ahead and they had limited indoor seating that we were able to snag. The breakfast sandwich was everything you want it to be. The bread was delicious and fluffy and slightly sweet, while the arethusa homemade cheese oozed out perfectly. The bacon was crispy and the egg was nicely cooked, though if I'm being honest I would have liked more bacon. All in all, very solid and would do it again! read more

Arethusa A Mano - Donuts! - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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I personally love the Arethusa triad of offerings in Bantam. They all offer different items and all are impeccably crafted. Not on the cheaper end, but well worth it and they never disappoint! The macarons are always fresh and flavorful. Eggnog is our personal family favorite and we come up every year at Christmas time for our eggnog macrons and beautiful Buche de Noel for Christmas Eve dinner. Today's donuts were lemon cream and Bantam cream, those little round chocolate spheres on top are light and crunchy, a delicious and unique addition to a classic donut. I may have snuck a fig macaron in my order too, couldn't resist! They also have break's sandwich and lunch. This is my go to for something sweet though. read more

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If you are driving up or down Bantam Road (Route 202) in the center of Bantam, be prepared for a whole lot of commotion, people, and vehicles at the Arethusa complex of businesses. There are three establishments under the Arethusa umbrella- a full service restaurant, a coffee bar/bakery/sandwich shop, and an ice cream shop/dairy store. We had lunch at the coffee bar/bakery/sandwich shop yesterday, known as Arethusa a Mano. They are open every day except Tuesday from 7 Am to 4 PM. Their food and drink line-up include breakfast sandwiches, bagels, croissants, muffins, bagels, yogurt parfaits, pastries, cookies, paninis, salads, sandwiches, and enough coffee choices to make your barista weep with joy. We ordered two bagel sandwiches for lunch -egg salad ($10) and curried chicken salad ($11). No sides were included except a small bunch of grapes, so they cost $2 or $3 more than what we are accustomed to. My chicken salad was pretty good. Lots of big chunks of very tender shredded chicken with raisins and all sorts of crunchies to give it texture. The Everything bagel was excellent, the serving size was generous, and the curry undertone to the chicken was very good. But was it equal to $11 worth of goodness without chips and cole slaw or a scoop of potato salad? You decide for yourself, I wasn't convinced that it was. On the other hand, if you're driving through Bantam and are in the mood for a nice breakfast or lunch, you'll enjoy your visit to a very pleasant place with a very pleasant staff and some pretty good food. read more

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Got takeout for our anniversary. Everything was delicious from the pretzel bread with fresh. Utter to the main course and beignets. Got there if you want a fancy meal. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Scallops - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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I had a matcha latte. It was good. Matcha was of good quality. Macaroons were excellent. Orange cranberry was the best. Cherry almond was good too. Muffins here was really good as well. Croissant muffin was airy and slightly crunchy. Pear hazelnut muffin was also good. read more

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Excellent ice cream-- had the rum raisin and the eggnog, both were rich, creamy, and delicious. Also picked up their Karlie's Gratitude bloomy rind cheese, which was OUTSTANDING. Lovely shop, lovely area, lovely service. Thank you, Arethusa, you know what's up read more

The food was absolutely delicious, the staff welcoming, but good heavens, somebody needs to get in there and do a proper clean. Honestly, it was so grubby we will not return. What a shame! read more

What a neat coffee/bake shop. We stopped in after having a lunch across the street and was very pleased with our dessert. The decor is pretty simple and clean but it works! The baked goods are all displayed as you wait in line. Gets the juices flowing as you wait. I had the hazelnut apple coffee cake with a shot of espresso. The coffee cake was so fresh and tasty. Unfortunately I was not to pleased with the espresso. Not sure what was wrong with it , but it just did not go down right. They also offer several types of paninis which seemed to look pretty good. Maybe next time. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Dessert after an amazing lunch - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

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Rude customers and overpriced menu. For one, I don't enjoy Karen's and Ken's. If you like them go there and spend $20 on a coffee and bagel. FTP read more

I absolutely love this little spot-great customer service, plenty of seating, always super clean & inviting with really yummy treats! They have a long list of hot & cold beverages all made to order in addition to their food & dessert menu. I was a bit taken a back by their lack of hot tea selection. The brand they use is phenomenal and I do it love as I can't find another location in CT that carries it but to only have a handful of flavors in the fall/winter months was a bit miss for me. Now the mini brioche donut-holy moly you better run as I've never had another so delicious just melt in my mouth! read more

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It was delicious! Nice ambience, great options. Fresh ingredients Abs freshly prepared food.

Really great lox bagel and paninis. Fresh ingredients and good service to match. Definitely opt for the pretzel roll for the panini. read more

Arethusa A Mano - Lox Bagel - Bakeries Near Me - Bantam, Connecticut

The cases were sparse and very very limited. Staff buzzing around but not sure as to why as there were only 4 of us. Vaulted ceiling with the reoccurring modern farm house theme. Limited retail. Purchased a cruller which was oddly eggy?? We did not enjoy that. A surprising selection of Portland's own Stumptown coffee of which we bought two pricy packages. May give it another try should we be in the area. read more