West Street Grill in Litchfield, Connecticut is a delectable, intimate bistro that has created high-caliber Modern American cuisine for almost 35 years; they will celebrate their anniversary on May 28, 2025. Owned by James O’Shea, West Street Grill, located in the charming historic section of Litchfield, is a gorgeous restaurant that is warm and inviting with a menu that will appeal to meat and seafood lovers, as well as to vegans, vegetarians, and there are also gluten-free options. The restaurant has a well-curated bar and also has a wide selection of no-alcohol options making it a perfect choice for lunch or dinner.
We had a fabulous lunch at West Street Grill on Friday, March 21, 2025. This was our second time dining at the attractive and charming restaurant. The first time was in March 2021, and we “rediscovered” it during a weekend stay in nearby Kent, Connecticut. It was wonderful to return to the restaurant and experience the same elevated level of cuisine, hospitality, and impeccable service.
James O’Shea
The hallmark of an excellent restaurant is its consistency in the level and quality of the food and drink, as well as its ambience and its service, and West Street Grill hits the mark on all counts. Since its opening in 1990, West Street Grill is a restaurant that continues to get noticed. Its latest recognition was from Connecticut Magazine who “honored West Street Grill among the best of the best in Connecticut in the New American and best lunch categories on its top restaurants for 2024.”
Seating options at West Street Grill include booths in the intimate bar area or in the attractive larger main dining room where booths line the middle of the room and tables flank the walls. Large-scale black and white photographs accent the brick walls to add interest and tell interesting stories.
No Alcohol Negroni cocktail
While the restaurant has an excellent curated and well-stocked bar offering domestic, imported, and local spirits, wines, and beers, with the growing trend towards no-alcohol cocktails, West Street Grill also offers creative no-alcohol cocktails in addition to the regular cocktail menu. As it was lunchtime, we opted for one of their no-alcohol cocktails, a no-alcohol Negroni made with no-alcohol gin, no-alcohol sweet vermouth, no-alcohol Amaro, and was garnished with an orange slice. The no-alcohol Negroni was delicious, well-balanced, and flavorful.
The Lunch menu is divided into Starters, Salads, Sandwiches, and Main Courses, and the restaurant also offers a Kids menu. The menus were designed to appeal to meat and seafood lovers as well as to diverse palates and dietary needs including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free.
Peasant Bread
We paired our cocktails with one of the restaurant’s Starters, their signature Peasant Bread that has been on their menu since they opened. Served warm, with bubbly and golden parmesan aioli, the bread was absolutely irresistible and was a lovely way to begin our lunch.
Burrata with Roasted Peppers & Garlic Confit
We continued by sharing the Burrata with Roasted Peppers with Garlic Confit, drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and accompanied by Crostini, and Fresh Basil Oil. The burrata was delicate and creamy and a perfect foil for the sweet roasted red peppers, and the crostini had texture as well as acted to soak up the rich juices.
When we dined at the restaurant in 2021, we saw the Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Irish Style, “On the Boards” being delivered to another guest’s table and wanted to try it the next time that we visited the restaurant. The Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Irish Style, “On the Boards” was definitely worth a trip to Litchfield to enjoy this beautiful presentation and incomparable taste.
Smoked Atlantic Salmon Irish Style
West Street Grill serves their Cold Smoked Salmon on a large wooden board covered with a glass dome which arrives at the table in a dramatic cloud of smoke that wafts in the air when the dome is removed enticing all your senses, visually, to its aromas, and finally when you take your first bite of the delicious salmon. This was not only a visual showstopper, but the salmon was also pure magic on the palate accompanied by a perfectly cooked Mullet Egg, Shallot Caper Crème Fraiche, and Crostini.
Vegan Mousse au Chocolat
The restaurant has a delectable Dessert menu that is also worth trying, and we ended our lovely lunch on a sweet note by sharing a vegan Mousse au Chocolat, which was rich and decadent, made with dark chocolate nestled under a lovely cloud of vegan whipped cream that was very flavorful.
Once again, we had a very memorable dining experience at West Street Grill. Next time, we will not wait so long to return! Until next time, Bon Appetit!
West Street Grill Hours: Lunch is served Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am until 3:30 pm. Dinner is served from 5:30 pm until 9:00 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome, especially at lunch. Reservations may be made by calling +1-860-567-3885. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Location: West Street Grill is located in the historic section of Litchfield, 16 miles northwest of Waterbury, 21 miles from Kent, 34 miles west of Hartford, 40 miles from New Haven, 52 miles from Springfield, Massachusetts, 78 miles from Greenwich, and 96 miles from Manhattan, making it perfect for a daytrip.
For more information, please visit their website: www.WestStreetGrill.com or call to make a reservation: +1-860-567-3885.
West Street Grill
43 West Street
Litchfield, Connecticut 06759
United States
Telephone: +1-860-567-3885
Website: www.WestStreetGrill.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestStreetGrill/?fref=nf
Instagram: www.instagram.com/westgrill @westgrill @townoflitchfield
Read other features on Kent, Connecticut and the surrounding area in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Liquor Cabinet, Wine Cellar, Gastronomy, and Adventures sections.
For more information on Kent, Connecticut, and its many offerings, please visit the website: https://www.kentct.com/
Follow Luxury Experience on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LuxuryExperience to see photos and videos.
Follow Luxury Experience on YouTube: @edwardnesta9910 @luxurypair
Follow Luxury Experience on Instagram: www.Instagram.com/luxurypair @luxurypair
© April 2025. Luxury Experience www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.
