‹ 25 small cities with big food › No. 12
Small city, big food · No. 12 of 25
Mystic, Connecticut
Photo: ashfay, CC BY-SA 2.0,A seaport village with a drawbridge that has moved past fried clams and pizza to ocean-to-table cooking: oysters from the river, fish from Stonington's boats.
Local oysters and Stonington fish
Where to eat in Mystic
1A photo like it
Oyster Club
Get: Oysters and whatever local fish is on, with a seat on the Treehouse deck
Chef Renee Touponce cooks from farms and boats in this corner of Connecticut. Lunch daily 11:30 to 2:30, dinner from 4. (oysterclubct.com)
2A photo like it
The Shipwright's Daughter
Get: The five-course chef's tasting menu, or the lobster benedict at breakfast
David Standridge won the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast. The kitchen leans on local fishermen, whole-animal butchery and nearby farms, and the menu changes often. (shipwrightsdaughter.com)
3A photo like it
Haring's Noank
Get: A lobster roll or the oysters, with a smash burger for the table
An 85th Day shack on the water, named to the New York Times 50 Best Restaurants in 2025. BYOB. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with Sunday brunch. (haringsnoank.com)
4A photo like it
Abbott's Lobster in the Rough
Get: The hot buttered lobster roll
The largest and best-known Connecticut seafood shack, open since 1947. Order at the window, then eat on the pier or lawn. (newengland.com)
Plan the trip
- When to go
- May to October; the oyster bars run all year.
- Getting there
- Amtrak to Mystic on the Northeast Regional, about 2.5 hours from New York. Providence (PVD) is 50 minutes.
More for Mystic
Why it's on the list
Travel + Leisure's Best Small Food Town, 2026.
- Travel + Leisure 2026: Mystic, Best Small Food Town (Secret NYC)
- Luxury Travel Magazine: T+L Best Small Towns 2026
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Places checked November 14, 2026; hours and menus change. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Nobody pays to be on our lists.
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