BYOB is an acronym for Bring Your Own Bottle (or in some instances, beer). Connecticut diners that patronize BYOB restaurants can enjoy great quality food with the wine of their choice, while controlling how much they spend. Whether you desire Italian, seafood or any other type of cuisine, you can find a breadth of restaurants in Connecticut that welcome patrons with their own alcoholic beverages in tow.
Just outside of Hartford, the Pond House Café serves fresh and organic eclectic cuisine in a hip and cozy atmosphere. With additional outdoor dining, the restaurant welcomes guests that wish to bring their own beer, wine or champagne. Throughout the week, café patrons can enjoy lunch and dinner menu items, and a select from a special brunch menu on Sundays. For dinner, begin with small plates like the vegetarian chili cup, Thai calamari strings or a three-cheese quesadilla, in addition to salads as starters. Entrees include fish dishes like the Florida Keys snapper and the Creole salmon, as well as meat dishes like the Pond House burger and braised boneless short ribs. Compliment any meal with sides like sweet potato fries of the vegetable of the day.
Pond House Cafe
1555 Asylum Ave.
West Hartford, CT 06117
860-231-8823
pondhousecafe.com
The Basso Café Restaurant serves Mediterranean fusion cuisine in Connecticut's oyster farming city of Norwalk. Having garnered favorable reviews in publications like The New York Times as well as local Connecticut paper The Advocate, Basso Café allows dinners to bring their own bottles for a nominal fee in addition to a corking fee. Choose from appetizers like homemade gnocchi, lobster saffron risotto or smoke andouille sausage, among other appetizers as well as soup and salads as starters. Entrees include fish and shellfish, meat, poultry, vegetarian and pasta plates. Mixed paella for two, Tuscan grilled chicken and seafood linguini are just a few of the dishes offered as main courses at Basso Café. Complete dinner by choosing from the restaurant's dessert selections, which include tiramisu, coconut flan and berry Napoleon, as well as a range of gelato and sorbet flavors. Basso additionally features a lunch menu.
Basso Cafe Restaurant
124 New Canaan Ave.
Norwalk, CT 06850
203-354-6566
bassobistrocafe.com
Featured in Connecticut Magazine's list of places to visit, Abbot's Lobster In the Rough is open several months out of each year and has limited hours. Abbot's invites patrons to bring their own bottles of wine or other alcoholic beverages. Found in the small coastal Connecticut village of Noank, Abbott's specializes in seafood cuisine. The restaurant's weekend raw bar features locally harvested little neck clams, shrimp, crab claws and whale rock oysters, as well as tasty dipping sauce varieties to compliment any selection. Patrons can arrive by car or boat to enjoy menu selections like the New England clam chowder or Abbott's lobster roll.
Abbott's Lobster In the Rough
117 Pearl St.
Noank, CT 06340
860-536-7719
abbotts-lobster.com
