Opening Date Announced For The Granola Bar In Darien

DARIEN, CT — The Granola Bar, the popular Fairfield County chain that bills itself as a modern diner "at the intersection of healthy and indulgent," will open in Darien at 1020 Post Road on April 27.

This will be the seventh restaurant for TGB Hospitality, which was started by co-founders and co-CEOs Dana Noorily and Julie Mountain, and the second to offer dinner, wine, beer and cocktails, in addition to breakfast and brunch.

Mountain and Noorily first announced the Darien location in December 2022.

"We have long hoped to be part of the Darien community and are thrilled to be opening a restaurant in town," Mountain said in a recent news release. "This is the first time we are intentionally designing a restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we have put a lot of thought into the design, the menu and the experience to make it a place guests will want to return to regularly."

To mark their 10th anniversary in business, The Granola Bar brand is expanding from a daytime destination to a day-to-night concept.

"As we grow, the feel of The Granola Bar has become reflective of our team and our guests - many have been with us for years and their input has helped shape this location and the future of our brand," Noorily said in a news release. "I’m especially excited about the design of this particular location. Our goal is to create a space which makes you feel like you have been transported to a major city. This is a spot you can come for any meal of the day and to escape the mundane."

Like its sister location in Rye, N.Y., the Darien menu offers elevated share plates as well as bar bites and TGB’s signature breakfast and lunch offerings.

TGB has partnered with several local and national brands to create a carefully curated selection for guests. The Darien location will offer bread from local bakery Flour Water Salt Bread, and bagels from Darien’s Upper Crust Bagel Company.

Guests can also enjoy coffee from Coffee of Grace, a premium coffee company that emphasizes environmental stewardship and seeks to support farmers by sourcing directly from co-ops in Rwanda, Peru, Guatemala and Brazil.

The Granola Bar Darien will be open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, and will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Happy hour will be offered from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and the restaurant will also serve brunch on weekends.

The indoor/outdoor space is also available for a variety of private events including cocktail parties and seated dinners.

Noorily and Mountain met in Westport in 2010 at a birthday party with their daughters, their website says. The two immediately struck up a conversation about how to get their kids to eat healthier, and a friendship began.

Mountain had the idea of starting a granola company, and Noorily jumped on board. O.A.T.S Granola began, which was sold at Whole Foods and other stores, according to their website.

The company eventually evolved into a cafe concept, so Noorily and Mountain developed a menu together.

The flagship location opened up in Westport in 2013, and later expanded to Greenwich in 2016. In 2017, The Granola Bar came to Stamford and Rye, and to Fairfield in 2018.

In 2022, Noorily and Mountain opened Old Mill Grocery & Deli in Westport.

Offerings at other locations include smoothies; breakfast items like egg sandwiches, wraps and avocado toasts; parfaits, sandwiches, salads, and pasta dishes; and many other options.

For more information, visit the TGB Hospitality website.