5 Delicious Stops on the Road in Coastal Connecticut

Have you ever planned a road trip just for food? I just did and it was so much fun! After reading stories about the legendary white clam pizza at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut, I knew I wanted to try it for myself. So when an opportunity to take a short road trip presented itself, I decided it was time to see what the buzz was all about! Plus I had been daydreaming about spending a summer day eating fried clams and lobster rolls at a waterfront New England clam shack. Since food was the primary focus of the trip, I convinced my adult son to join me for this last-minute mother/son adventure. We made the most of our short visit, even with torrential rains and delays due to a tropical storm that barreled through the area. In the end, we discovered 5 stops you won’t want to miss as you eat your way through coastal Connecticut. 

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For those of you not familiar with Connecticut, it's helpful to know Interstate 95 basically follows coastal Connecticut as you travel from Greenwich in southwestern Connecticut towards Mystic and into Rhode Island. I’ve traveled Interstate 95 up and down the east coast from the DC area, but in all honesty, the traffic in Connecticut was some of the heaviest I’ve recently encountered. Fortunately, most of the towns we visited on this trip like New Haven, Old Saybrook, and Mystic were not too far off the highway. Besides the traffic, it took more time than usual to  find affordable hotels during this busy summer travel season. You definitely want to book early for places like Mystic, filled with summer vacationers. In the end, we were able to find reasonably priced rooms in New Haven and Old Saybrook.  

Stowe’s Seafood, West Haven

Our first stop in Connecticut was New Haven, with one night planned at the New Haven Hotel. As expected, this normally busy college town—home to Yale University— was much quieter during the summer months. On the way into town, we made a pit stop at Stowe’s Seafood in West Haven. My trip research found this to be the ideal place to grab our first clam roll and head across the street to enjoy the water view. Unfortunately, the rain started coming down just minutes before we arrived so we couldn't make use of the outdoor tables or picnic in the nearby sand. But dining in the car could not take away from enjoying the flavors of our first Connecticut seafood shack. We couldn’t even see the bun under the huge pile of crispy fried clam strips, impossible to eat without a fork!  Although I did learn that trying to take photos while juggling food on your lap doesn't always work! Apparently I didn't press the camera button hard enough to capture my perfectly framed, overflowing clam roll shot. Thankfully my son had taken a few photos before devouring his clam roll and lobster bisque. Stowe’s menu also included other seafood roll choices like lobster, fried shrimp, fried scallops, and fried squid. Be sure to bring cash, as credit cards are not accepted.

With the steady rain, it wasn’t the best time for exploring the streets of New Haven, but we did manage to find the fun Barcade, where we spent some time playing classic arcade games and pinball machines. Since the primary goal of our road trip was food, I decided to save some of the popular New Haven attractions for another visit. These include the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History and the Yale University Art Gallery. As it turned out, the Peabody Museum was temporarily closed for renovations and the Art Gallery is open for limited hours with free, timed-entry tickets required. I was hoping to see the New Haven Lighthouse at Lighthouse Point, also home to a historic carousel, but decided it wasn’t worth the $30 out of state parking fee if we weren’t going to spend at least half a day in the park.  

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​Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven

​The next stop was Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, the primary reason for our spur-of-the-moment road trip to Connecticut! This well-known pizza place got its start in 1925 by a young Frank Pepe, who immigrated from Maiori, Italy at the age of 16. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is known for its delicious coal-fired pizza, making one of the best pizza crusts I have ever had! Even on a drizzly Thursday night, the line was rather long so we opted for carry out back to our hotel. Both the legendary White Clam Pizza and seasonal Fresh Tomato Pie were delicious. It was  well worth the drive for this amazingly simple clam pizza, with just chunks of fresh clams, garlic, grated Pecorino Romano, olive oil, and oregano! But don’t just take my word for it, you’ll have to try it for yourself the next time you are in the area. We had a chance to wander Wooster Street's Italian neighborhood while we waited for our order. I was disappointed to find that Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop had already closed for the night.  Guess I'll just have to make a return trip for dessert, and to try other local pizza favorites like Modern Apizza and Sally’s Apizza. You’ll find Frank Pepe’s listed among the best in America by places like Food Network and Gayot. 

The Lobster Shack, East Haven

The next morning our plan was to do some local exploring on foot, but the torrential rain from Tropical Storm Elsa passed through New Haven right at that time, so we decided to play it safe and stay in our hotel room. The delay in our early morning departure to the Mystic area gave us an excuse to try our first coastal Connecticut lobster roll! Our early lunch choice was the Lobster Shack in nearby East Haven. The lobster had just the right amount of lemon and butter for my son to declare it his all time favorite! The House-Made Clam Fritters were meatball-sized, and an order of 3 was plenty. Be sure to try the Foxon Park White Birch Beer, a local New England favorite. Interesting fact — New Haven’s Foxon Park Beverages, Inc. was founded almost 100 years ago, by another Italian immigrant, Matteo Naclerio. The Lobster Shack was a great place to fuel up before we headed over to try our skill  at Lara’s Labyrinth, in one of the hardest escape rooms we have ever done. We spent the next hour trying to find the stolen lock and return it to its rightful place as part of the Museum Heist escape room. If you have never experienced an escape room, read Escape Rooms - 3 Reasons to Try This Fun Family Adventure. It's a perfect, rainy day activity for a family or group of friends! 

Costello's Clam Shack, Noank

With clearing skies ahead, it was finally safe to get back on the highway. We made our way to Old Saybrook, the location of the Quality Inn Old Saybrook, our hotel for the night. I would have preferred to spend the night in Mystic, but hotel availability was limited when we booked our accommodations. From Old Saybrook, it was about 30 minutes to our next stop, Costello’s Clam Shack, a popular spot on the water in picturesque Noank. I’m not sure whether it was the time of day (late afternoon) or the lull after the tropical storm, but we pretty much had the dockside dining to ourselves. With the blue sky and marina as our backdrop, we enjoyed the classic clam strip dinner piled high with battered and fried fresh clams along with a healthy portion of french fries!  

Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, Noank

We didn’t have far to go to find Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough, literally just across the parking lot. I had read that this sister restaurant to Costello’s often has a long line of loyal customers waiting for their turn to dine at this iconic seafood shack. Lucky for us there was no line when we visited. While we could have ordered a whole lobster, we decided to try their award-winning Hot Lobster Roll. It came with a quarter pound of lobster meat piled high on a toasted bun. Watch out for the local seagulls who might want to steal your meal! Both of these restaurants definitely satisfied my quest to enjoy a New England seafood meal dockside on a beautiful, summer day.

From Abbott’s it was just a short drive to downtown Mystic, where the summer crowds filled the streets. If we hadn’t been so stuffed from all the seafood we had eaten, I would have definitely made a stop at Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. The evening was perfect for taking in the views of the Mystic River, then strolling the main street lined with shops, and past Mystic Pizza, made famous by the 1988 movie of the same name. 

Since we were in the area, we had decided to make the short drive to the massive Foxwoods Resort Casino, operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Besides the casinos, the complex includes several large hotels with family-friendly activities and attractions including summer drive-in movies, bowling, ziplining, and karting. Visitors can also explore the nearby Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center to learn more about the culture and history of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. As luck would have it, we ended our evening with a large slice of pizza from Regina Pizzeria, a classic from the North End of Boston. 

Fully stuffed with clams and pizza, we began our road trip back home, stopping for the night in Philadelphia. But first, a stop in downtown Greenwich, Connecticut for lunch with some family members we hadn’t seen in a while. My son and I both highly recommend the wood roasted Amish chicken from the top-rated Mediterraneo. 

​Travel safely and bon appétit!