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If you know us, you know that we don’t eat to live, we live to eat. There are plenty of delicious places to check out while you’re in Hartford. Here’s a sampling of a few of our favorites.

Alchemy Juice Bar: Looking for juice, smoothies, or vegetarian and vegan cuisine while you’re in Hartford? Alchemy is your place. Alchemy has a good assortment of vegetarian / vegan foods (we like their Mexican platter) and all of their desserts are animal-product-free. Check it out.

Black-Eyed Sally’s: Black-Eyed Sally’s is an awesome bbq and cajun food restaurant located right in downtown Hartford. Dana recommends their catfish! They also regularly have live blues and jazz – check out their website for upcoming shows.

City Steam Brewery: The fact that we selected this as the location for our Rehearsal Dinner should say enough. City Steam is one of our favorite spots, and it became an almost weekly stop in our senior year at Trinity. City Steam is a casual dining spot that has excellent beer (we like the Naughty Nurse and the White Rabbit) and makes fantastic burgers and pizzas. We also love their root beer, which they brew themselves. City Steam is an easy walk from the Downtown Marriott, or parking is available on the side streets.

Hot Tomato’s: Hot Tomato’s is an excellent pasta restaurant located in Hartford’s train station. Seriously. If you go there, we recommend the garlic bread which is outstanding (and can be habit forming…luckily, they offer frozen versions which you can take home with you).

Max’s Downtown: Looking for something fancy right in Hartford? Then this is your place. Great food and an excellent wine list. You can also check out Max’s Oyster Bar (a sister restaurant) located a short drive away in West Harford if you’ve gotta have more seafood (and cowbell).

Lena’s First and Last Tavern: An excellent, casual pizza place located a short drive outside downtown Hartford. We’re particularly fans of their stuffed pizzas and calzones. Lena’s is usually a mandatory stop for us whenever we’re back in Hartford.

Tapas: A delicious Mediterranean restaurant located a short drive from downtown Hartford. Their kebabs are excellent, and so are their sangrias. Make sure you get one of their famous salads — their salad dressing is amazing.