I identified The Hop Knot as one of the CT spots hosting a miracle pop up. I was surprised I had…read morenever heard of it because it's a Craft Pretzel and Beer Bar, and that's a unique concept for CT. They have pretzels with dips, gourmet stuffed pretzels, pretzel sandwiches, wings, tenders and fish and chips. The bar was decorated for Christmas and they were serving special holiday drinks in fun Christmas themed mugs. I had the Christmasaurus in a red ceramic dinosaur and my wife had a Butter Rum Mocktail in a winking Santa mug. My drink was tasty and the mugs were fun. We bought a couple of the fun mugs to go. A person who I believe was the owner and the chef, was wearing a Christmas sweater and obviously loves the Christmas theme. Our server who doubled as the bartender was a bit more stoic about the theme. LOL. The food was generally good. It seemed like the pretzels may have picked up another aroma from the kitchen while the pretzels were cooking, because they had a slight aftertaste. Manageable, but not ideal. The pretzels looked great and had good texture. The beer cheese dip and mustard dip were both good. My pretzel stuffed with Mac and Cheese and short rib was good. We also split some holiday snack mix and Carolina BBQ wings. They were probably my favorite part of the meal. 4 Stars. The Hop Knot is definitely a place to check out. I understand that there used to be one in Middletown, CT and one in New Hampshire, although I'm unclear on the relation to the present owners in Portland.

Boneless wings were very good. I would order again for sure. Nice people work here and the…read moreprices, parking cleanliness, noise level etc were all just fine. Beer selection is decent. I had a nice IPA. It's a bit out of my way so I won't get here often but will stop in any chance I get to return. Highly recommend!

I love blizzards! I got the Hawaiian blizzard here, a large, don't judge, and I swear it had more…read moreof everything here! More fudge, more bananas, more strawberries and more pineapple. While this is a great thing, I realized that I don't particularly want mine that chocolatey. I always thought I was missing out when my blizzard with fudge was pretty vanilla looking, but now I know I prefer it that way. This location also has a drive thru and lots of seating, I liked the location a lot. I also realized I can make a convenient stop here taking back roads between Savers in Newington and Savers in Meriden, in case you ever decide to do such a thing and need DQ along the way. Oh, I didn't love the obnoxiously loud speaker she shouted at me through, but I suppose you don't need privacy like at a pharmacy. She also forgot to give me my change until I reminded her that she owed me some, and luckily did give me the right change for my $20! That was almost one very expensive blizzard! All ended well.

Plenty of toppings and decent amounts in the blizzard . Plenty of parking in the back as well as a…read moredrive through. Service was quick. A couple of tables to sit outside next to the road so a little noisy but not too bad. Good for a quick treat l.

I've driven by this place many times but finally decided to stop in. It's connected to a…read moreconvenience store and located close to the Avon library. The parking lot had plenty of spots available when I went. There were some seating in the middle. There were quite a few patrons there around lunch. I was able to purchase half a dozen of donuts and two cookies. They were fresh and delicious. They also sell breakfast sandwiches and coffee. The employee was friendly and service was good. I've been to the one in Canton and liked it too. Overall, a nice spot for some breakfast and donuts!

The old Luke's Donuts were first introduced to me by a cohort back in 2012-2017. These donuts were…read moreBIG PUFFY, and piled high with oozing flavor. Definitely, a monumental challenge to eat more than two in the same sitting. The more recently Luke's Donuts is under new ownership and they have reshaped the donuts to a more reasonable size, not eye popping like old, but served with pride and a huge smile. With open armed service and warm greeting how could one complain. Every time I drive by my taste buds start an argument with my better judgement. Tastebuds generally win. I'm very happy that the new proprietor kept the same old school Donut / Sandwich Shop decor. Ambiance, '60's style stools around a winding countertop. The bakery machinery dated about the same '60's vintage.

When it comes to ice cream Ben & Jerry's is one of the best known American Brands, worldwide…read more Started off in the small New England state of Vermont in the mid 1970s by two good friends named, no other than Ben and Jerry, their ice cream is still making ice cream lovers scream for ice cream! Today I stopped by the long standing West Hartford location. They had some available outdoor seating, the inside was colorful and clean. There was no one waiting inside. I got the Phish Food. This is their classic. It's their ultra creamy chocolate with mini marshmallows, caramel and fish shaped fudge. This was actually created in collaboration with the band Phish. While this isn't the best chocolate ice cream of life, however the blend of the other three super sticky and sweet ingredients make it a winner in my book. Ben & Jerry's is known for flavors blended with other combinations, where adding toppings is unnecessary. It is unlikely you haven't yet tried Ben & Jerry's, but in case you haven't I encourage you to do so!

Ben & Jerry's free cone day! They absolutely crushed it, line moved fast, staff kept everything…read moreorganized and upbeat, the vibe was energetic the whole time. The team outside with flavor lists were super helpful and made ordering easy once inside. Always good ice cream, and even better knowing it's for a good cause.

We love Friendly's. Its such a nostalgic turn back in time... .... EVERY TIME !! It's such a…read moretreat to be able to go to a business and get our favorite meals from way back like a fribble or an orange sherbet cooler (now called a sherbet fribble) for food you can never go wrong with a BLT and a clam boat ! I highly recommend a scoop sundae. If you create your own Sunday instead of choosing one of their signature sundaes, you save $1.00 !! ;-) The ambiance is always nostalgic. I love the black n white photo from their humble beginnings !!

Friendly's is a classic! They serve diner style food and ice cream. Went out to dinner with the…read morefamily and had a great experience. The service was good and fast. The food came out hot and tasty. My toddler approved! I had the Honey BBQ Chicken Supermelt; it's on sourdough bread, chicken tenders, honey BBQ, cheddar, bacon, and ranch dressing. This was so good. The fries were also crispy and delicious. I also had blackberry ice cream for dessert. My toddler liked his hot dog and loved his sundae. Everyone enjoyed their meals and what's great is, this place is kid friendly. We will definitely be back!

It has been many years since I visited Shady Glen and I was delighted to find that it did not…read moredisappoint. From the homey ambiance, to the genuinely friendly and prompt service to the Bernice platter tasting just as I remembered it was all I could have hoped for.

Going to Shady Glen is a bit like stepping back in time. It's that 'old timey' ice cream parlor,…read morefrom the decor to the servers (outfits), to the food. Nostalgia. Memories. A stop on the way back to UCONN when I was a student there. The "go to" place after our kids' school events. Shortly after we moved to Manchester, over 38 years ago, the restaurant was closed for renovations. We were looking forward to seeing the revamped restaurant. Well, we were even more surprised when we stepped in the door - nothing had changed! Cleaner, perhaps new Naugahyde on the seats, but that mural on the wall was the same - those elves were timeless. When you sit down, you get a small paper cup of water. The menus are on the the wall - soups, sandwiches & ice cream. I'd always heard they had a patent on the way their cheeseburgers were made - a burger topped with crispy cheese. A must have. Prior to Covid, the condiments tray had ketchup, mustard & chopped onions. Now, there are packets of the condiments. No onions though. We shared an order of fries - crispy & good. I was too full to have ice cream after our meal, so we brought a half gallon (yes - a real half gallon) of our favorite flavor home - chocolate almond joy. Yum! Note - you need cash. No cards. There is an ATM in the restaurant.

Frozen custard is amazing at Scottie's! They have a…read moredifferent flavor of the week, so it's fun to try something new every week. They serve great food too! It's become our new go to spot when near Colchester.

I've been coming here for years and have always loved their frozen custard blasts. They're…read moredefinitely on the expensive side, but I've always felt they were worth the price because the quality was usually so good. Unfortunately, my experience Saturday night was extremely disappointing. I ordered a coffee custard with peanut butter cups (blast), and it was nothing like what I've come to expect. The coffee custard tasted very artificial, and the peanut butter cups were completely dried out and tasted old. On top of that, mine was mixed way too much and came out more like soup than a custard blast. I ended up throwing the whole thing away. For the price, I expect much better quality and consistency. It's especially disappointing as someone who has been coming here for years and has always been a fan. Hopefully this was just an off night, but Saturday's experience was definitely not worth the money.

Great little mom and pop stop to get a bite or enjoy the ice cream as I did…read moreVery friendly staff and owner service with a smile not to worry I'll be back

Classic roadside food stand. Not gourmet by a long shot but still a good foot long dog and an ice…read morecream cone is hard to beat.