Did Your Favorite East Hampton or Portland Restaurant Make the Cut?

By BARBARA HEINS and Jaimie Cura (Patch Staff)

Each January, the editors of Connecticut Magazine release their ‘Best Restaurants’ list that includes “the best of the best” in new restaurants and perennial favorites.

The magazine writes that its experts range “from veteran restaurant critics and food writers to contemporary bloggers who track the trends as well as the hottest, newest places” and “some food-savvy Connecticut Magazine editors.”

Several Middlesex County restaurants made the “best of“ lists. Whether it’s Mexican food, barbecue, steak, craft beers or family dining, the local restaurant scene caters to quite a lot of tastes.

Here is the complete list of Middlesex County-area restaurants:

Best Mexican/Latin American

• Iguanas Ranas Taqueria, Middletown

Best Asian

• Taste of China, Clinton

Best Craft Beer Haven

• Eli Cannon’s Tap Room, Middletown - “Connecticut’s original craft beer bar is still going strong with a curated tap list of rare IPAs, sours and sought-after Connecticut brews. With a laidback, unpretentious vibe it’s also something that’s all-to-rare in the craft beer world: affordable.”—Erik Ofgang, Connecticut Magazine

Best Vegetarian/Vegan

• It’s Only Natural Restaurant, Middletown

Best Hidden Gem

• The Blue Oar, Haddam - “Part cafeteria, part treehouse, a magical setting on the Connecticut River.”—Robert Rabine, food critic.

Best Seafood

• Fresh Salt, Saybrook Point Inn, Old Saybrook

Best Hotel Dining

• Fresh Salt, Saybrook Point Inn, Old Saybrook

The complete list of Connecticut Magazine’s best restaurant list can be found here. Were the critics on the mark or are your favorites spots missing from the list? Join the conversation below.

Photos: It’s Only Natural (ION), Middletown