Dives in Northern/Central CT

[Tinkerbelldee]

As I spent the day in the house yesterday, I was sucked in to Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network.

What are you favorite Dives in CT? Looking for interesting, varied menus in surprising locations.

[riffjamer]

these are close to dives with good food;
Farmington Ave. Rest.
Farmington Ave, Berlin,CT.
good lunches & early dinners
whole belly clam specials on Fridays.

West Side Pub
West Main St.
New Britain, CT
great prime rib & burgers
kitchen stays open late.
the barmaid is your waitress
as close to a dive as you can get.

[BiscuitBoy]

Surprising location? Oh yeah....Southern Que in Meriden:

http://www.southernqbbq.com/wb2/

[mels]

BiscuitBoy, is that the place where the guy operates out of the trailer in his driveway? If so, it is good stuff and he gets quite the crowd weekdays for lunch.

[BiscuitBoy]

That's the guy!

[tboom29]

How about this place. Qualifies as a dive in my book, which is a good thing to me. Great beer list and decent food as far as I remember. Also kung fu movies with no volume playing in the background, which you can't beat.

http://www.elicannons.com/

[mels]

I agree, I love Eli's and it does fit the "dive" category. Also, a giant blackboard is passed around listing their excellent daily beer tap menu. They also have bar food that is so good yet soooo bad, mainly pickles and peppers (deep fried pickles and jalapenos) and Porky's (pulled pork and melted cheese on top of fries).

[kattyeyes]

Killer beer list and I'm very fond of their cheddar 'n ale soup--a.k.a. beer cheese soup. Definitely not fancy and a hometown bar kinda vibe (well, it IS my hometown, after all). Oh, and they have (had?) a pachinko machine...not sure if it works. I should go get a beer and find out. :)

[DonShirer]

While I would in no way characterize it as a "dive", the Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret has interesting electic offerings both for lunch and dinner in a NW location you might not look to for good food. See http://www.thevanillabeancafe.com/ for the menu but note that they have many daily specials as well. As I recall, they had good sandwiches and desserts, too.

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Vanilla Bean Cafe
RR 97, Pomfret, CT 06258

[trufflehound]

The Bach Dor when they roast a pig. The dogs are OK. The $1.99 roast beef is like HS cafeteria food.

[ratbuddy]

I don't think I've ever seen an actual dive on that show. Is that what you're really looking for?

[Tinkerbelldee]

I think the true meaning of the word Dive is individual, but as my original post noted, I am looking for an interesting, varied menu in a surprising location.