This CT Italian Restaurant Just Earned Major National Praise

According to MSN, every state in America has that one Italian restaurant people swear by, and when it came time to choose the best in Connecticut, they landed on a familiar Hartford favorite: Salute.

That’s a pick a lot of Connecticut food lovers will probably nod their heads at.

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Salute has built a serious reputation in downtown Hartford since opening in 2010. It’s one of those places that manages to feel upscale without being stuffy, lively without being chaotic, and dependable without ever getting boring. That’s a tough balance to strike, but they seem to have figured it out.

Located near Bushnell Park, the restaurant also gets points for atmosphere alone. If you’ve ever eaten outside in that area on a nice night, you already know it has a great city vibe. It’s the kind of place that works for date night, a celebration dinner, business lunch, or just a random Wednesday when you decide you deserve carbs.

MSN highlighted some of the dishes regulars rave about, including the sweet potato ravioli, which has become a signature favorite. They also mentioned the rose pasta, a rich combo of four-cheese tortellini with sausage, mushrooms, and spinach in a tomato cream sauce. In other words, not exactly diet food—but nobody goes to a top Italian restaurant looking for kale.

Another popular move is the garlic cheese bread, because if you’re going to commit to the experience, you may as well go all in.

One underrated detail they mentioned is Salute’s takeout package for four people. That sounds like a strong play for family dinner, hosting friends, or pretending you cooked something impressive yourself.

Connecticut has no shortage of excellent Italian food. We’ve got red sauce institutions, neighborhood gems, pizza legends, and places where grandma still seems to run the kitchen from the back room. So being named best in the state is no small thing.

If you haven’t been to Salute yet, this might be your sign to fix that immediately. Bring your appetite and maybe some stretchy pants.

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