New Restaurant Featuring Plant-Based Menu Opens In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Joylark Plant Kitchen & Bar has opened in Fairfield, offering an all-day dining menu built around modern plant-based dishes and a design-forward atmosphere.

The restaurant, at 260 Post Road, is led by Executive Chef Jenna McPartland, whose culinary style blends plant-focused cooking with what she describes as traditional hospitality. McPartland, a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, previously operated The Stand in Westport from 2019 to 2023.

Before entering the culinary field, McPartland attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and performed as a mezzo-soprano. She turned to cooking following the death of her first husband in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a shift she has said eventually led her to a career in food.

Joylark occupies the former Craft 260 space, which has undergone a redesign by Thiel Architecture + Design. The 2,500-square-foot interior includes a 50-seat dining room, bar, café area and a 30-seat outdoor patio. The décor features patterned surfaces, bold color palettes and themed seating areas such as “The Birdcage,” a plum-toned corner lit by a dandelion-shaped chandelier.

— The recent ribbon-cutting at Joylark Plant Kitchen & Bar, at 260 Post Road in Fairfield. Photo credit: Fairfield Chamber of Commerce

The menu highlights plant-based takes on familiar dishes. Starters include roasted beets and apples with sherry vinaigrette, fermented crema and pistachios. Entrées include truffle and whey bucatini, described by the restaurant as a variation on cacio e pepe. Sunday brunch options range from marzipan French toast to an omelet with mushrooms, spinach and sambal brown butter. Daytime offerings include a Banh Mi sandwich and smoothies.

Joylark’s beverage program features cocktails, nonalcoholic drinks and house-made juices. Options include the Bronson Mule, made with vodka, ginger syrup and carrot, and a selection of zero-proof beverages such as hibiscus iced tea and lemon-ginger agua fresca. The restaurant also serves “hard smoothies,” blended drinks mixed with spirits.

"Equally enjoyable for everyday dining and special occasions, Joylark wants to show you a good time," McPartland said.

Joylark is also offering a juice cleanse program with one-, three- and five-day options. The restaurant says the juices are organic and prepared in-house each morning.

Joylark Plant Kitchen & Bar
260 Post Road
Fairfield, CT

Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 7 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.