Wesleyan University
- Off-Campus Dining

RT
Currently attending or alumni?
Review this school!
Are you interested
in this school?
Saving your decision
Yes
Maybe
No

We will attempt to notify this
school of your interest.

This school has been saved to your schools list.

This school has been removed from your recommended schools list.

For your next recommendation, check out .

Wesleyan University - Off-Campus Dining - Off-Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.85

Off-Campus Dining

Quick Stats

Student Favorites
  • Eli Cannon's
  • Giuseppe's
  • Klekolo World
  • The Neon Deli
  • Typhoon
24-Hour Dining Athenian Diner
Best Asian
  • Fortune Wok
  • Thai Gardens
Best Breakfast O'Rourke's Diner
Best Coffee
  • Javapalooza Café
  • Klekolo World Coffee
Best Dessert Praline's Ice Cream
Best Healthy It's Only Natural Vegetarian Restaurant
Best Late-Night Athenian Diner
Best Mexican La Boca Mexican Restaurant
Best Pizza
  • Illiano's Italian Ristorante & Pizzeria
  • Sammy's Pizza
Best Wings
  • First & Last Tavern
  • Wes Wings
Best Place to Take a Date
  • Amici Italian Grill
  • Thai Gardens
Best Place to Take Your Parents
  • Amici Italian Grill
  • Luce Restaurant
Other Places to Check Out
  • Brew Bakers
  • Cold Stone Creamery
  • Coppertop Grill
  • Courtside Café
  • Denny's
  • Domino's Pizza
  • Empire Pizza
  • English Tea Garden
  • Esca Restaurant & Wine Bar
  • Fiore II Restaurant
  • Forbidden City Bistro
  • Fortune Garden
  • Friendly's Ice Cream Shop
  • Iguana Ranas Taqueria
  • McDonald's
  • Middlesex Fruitery
  • Mondo
  • The Nest
  • The New England Emporium Eatery & Marketplace
  • Osaka
  • Pattie Palace
  • Pho Mai
  • Puerto Vallarta
  • Red & Black Café
  • Subway
  • Taco Bell
  • Tandoor Indian Restaurant
  • Tavern on the Green

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

The off-campus dining around Wesleyan is fantastic. People come from miles around to taste the diverse cuisines of Middletown—seriously. It is the town's main allure. From Thai to Asian fusion to Italian to Mexican (surprisingly good Mexican, given how far away Middletown is from Mexico), Main Street has it all.

If you want to venture beyond walking distance, there are even more options. The Athenian (a 24-hour diner that doubles as a late-night Wesleyan hangout) has huge portions and low prices, and you can get ingredients to cook at the nearby Price Chopper or Stop & Shop. There are chains (Taco Bell, Domino's, McDonald's) a five-minute drive away, and even a mall with a nice food court 15 minutes away.

See how you stack up against students who were accepted to this school . . .And calculate your chances!Register to get started

Wesleyan Student ReviewsWhat's This?

Sort by:

Loading...

Off-Campus Dining at Wesleyan University

arudess

Foreign Languages and Literatures '15

4.6
A

many choices for small town

For a smallish town, Middletown has a lot of good dining options. There are a lot of good Italian restaurants. For a casual, family style Italian-American experience, try "Amici's". If you're looking for a real, Italian home-style experience that really takes you back to Italy, go to "La Cantina". You may fel like you're in a scene from the Soprano's, but it's a really delicious, fantastic experience! The Forbidden Bistro offers a great, upscale, Chinese setting, with a little bit of asian fusion, and Mikado and Osaka are both really good for Japanese cuisine, although Osaka has hibachi and Mikado does not. For lunch affairs, I highly recommend the New England Emporium if you're with your family or want to take a trip off campus. They have great sandwiches, salads, soups, crepes, specials, desserts, and beverages, and it's really cute. If you're looking for a cheaper option, that's just as delicious, but not quite as gourmet, go to Neon Deli. It's a huge hit at Wesleyan because it's pretty much on campus, and they have fantastic sandwiches, soups, and salads, as well as some grocery items. The people there are really nice, and it's fairly inexpensive. As far as diners are concerned, O'Rourke's is pretty much a Connecticut monument. It's delicious, and the ambiance is quaint and charming. It's also right in town. Be warned, however, that it's only a breakfast/lunch place and usually the lines are long. If you have access to a car, try the Athenian Diner, it's about a 3 minute drive from Campus, and it's opened 24 hours. They have great breakfast options, and it's a fun place to go at 3:00 AM when you've been studying all night. For vegans and vegetarians, It's Only Natural has great vegetarian options. And if you're interested in dessert, there is a Cold Stone, but for people who want a more authentic experience, try Praline's. It's right on main street, and they have homemade ice cream and pies. Also Vecchio's italian ice is cheap and delicious!

Dec 05, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Off-Campus Dining at Wesleyan University

wesstudent2015

Political Science and Government '15

N/A

No Need

there are plenty of restaurants in Middletown; but ...Middletown.... Neon Deli is great but its a deli

Sep 08, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate

Off-Campus Dining at Wesleyan University

rlinder

Physics '13

5.0
A+

Its Great!

I love Middletown. I go there often for thai food, japanese food, indian food, mexican food etc. It is all there, all good, and reasonably priced!

Jan 25, 2011

Comment actions: Rate
Report as inappropriate/inaccurate
User rating for Wesleyan University - Off-Campus Dining is 4.6 out of 5 based on 15 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus restaurants on the following topics

How would you rate the diversity of off-campus dining options?

Facts

Did You Know? Middletown is home to a fascinating cross-section of people and some of the most interesting work at restaurants. Chat up your waiter or waitress, and you're sure to get a few good stories. Though the service at Middletown restaurants tends to vary, sometimes the most endearing dining experiences occur at places where the service is terrible. The Neon Deli is famous for its cranky employees, but with the right sense of humor, this trait can be a plus.

Grocery StoresWhat's This?

Price Chopper
855 Washington St.
(860) 740-7700
www.pricechopper.com
Daily 24 hours

Stop & Shop
416 E. Main St.
(860) 346-0380
www.stopandshop.com
Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Restaurant ListingsWhat's This?

Amici Italian Grill
Food: Italian
280 Main St.
(860) 346-0075
www.amiciitaliangrill.com
Price: $15–$20

Athenian Diner
Food: Greek
864 Washington St.
(860) 346-2272
www.atheniandiner.com
Price: $8–$15
Cool Features: The only option for 24-hour dining in town

Cypress Restaurant & Grill
Food: American
1265 S. Main St.
(860) 346-3367
www.cypressgrill.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Middletown's oldest restaurant

Eli Cannon's Tap Room
Food: Classic bar food
695 Main St.
(860) 347-3547
www.elicannons.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Warm and crowded in a cozy sort of way, complimented by an eclectic assortment of decorations that range from road signs to vintage TV posters

First & Last Tavern
Food: Italian
220 Main St.
(860) 347-2220
www.firstandlasttavern.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Located in the same building as the Middletown Police Department

Fortune Wok
Food: Chinese
844 Washington St.
(860) 347-0885
www.myfortunewok.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: You can order online.

Haveli India
Food: Indian
1300 S. Main St.
(860) 347-7773
www.haveliindia.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Spicy to a fault—bring antacids.

Illiano's Italian Ristorante & Pizzeria
Food: Italian
404 S. Main St.
(860) 346-5656
www.illianosct.com
Price: $10–$20

It's Only Natural Vegetarian Restaurant
Food: Organic, vegetarian
386 Main St.
(860) 346-9210
www.ionrestaurant.com
Price: $8–$15
Cool Features: Fantastic healthy food from vegan to seafood

Javapalooza Café
Food: Café
330 Main St.
(860) 346-5282
javapaloozacafe.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: Live music and free Wi-Fi

Klekolo World Coffee
Food: Gourmet coffee shop
181 Court St.
(860) 343-9444
www.klekolo.com
Price: $3–$8
Cool Features: Live music Tuesday and Thursday nights

La Boca Mexican Restaurant
Food: Mexican
520 Main St.
(860) 347-4777
www.labocaonline.com
Price: $10–$15
Cool Features: Latin night dance parties every Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Luce Restaurant
Food: Italian-American
98 Washington St.
(860) 344-0222
www.lucect.com
Price: $10–$25

Neon Deli
Food: Deli
130 Cross St.
(860) 347-1800
www.neondeli.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: Best soup variety in the area

O'Rourke's Diner
Food: American
728 Main St.
(860) 346-6101
www.orourkesmiddletown.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: Featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives"

Praline's Ice Cream
Food: Ice cream
1179 Farmington Ave., Berlin
(860) 828-3626
www.pralinesct.com
Price: $3–$8

Sammy's Pizza
Food: Pizza
83 Broad St.
(860) 346-4477
www.sammys.pizza-ct.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Coupons available online

Thai Gardens
Food: Thai
300 Plaza Middlesex
(860) 346-3322
Price: $15–$25
Cool Features: Great specialties like Thai iced tea and crispy duck dishes

Tuscany Grill
Food: Italian
120 College St.
(860) 346-7096
www.tuscany-grill.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Italian-American food with a Californian twist!

Typhoon
Food: Thai
360 Main St.
(830) 344-9667
www.thaityphoon.com
Price: $10–$20
Cool Features: Authentic Thai dishes, can adjust spice level, homestyle cooking

Udupi Bhavan
Food: Indian, vegetarian
749 Saybrook Rd.
(860) 346-3355
www.ctudupi.com
Price: $5–$10
Cool Features: All-vegetarian Indian cuisine

Wes Wings
Food: American, wings
156 High St.
(860) 685-3510
www.weswings.com
Price: $5–$10

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Anya Morgan
Hometown
Los Angeles
Major
English and French
Grad Year
2014

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

Buy the eBook "Wesleyan University 2012: Off The Record"
Download a FREE Printable Summary (PDF)