Hartford Guide

BLSA HARTFORD GUIDE by Fallon DePina

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS MY EXTREMELY BIASED OPINION OF THE BEST PLACES IN TOWN. THIS LIST IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE. FURTHER, NONE OF THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THESE REVIEWS ARE ENDORSED BY UCONN OR UCONN SCHOOL OF LAW.
 

  1. Hair Salons & Barber Shops
    Grecia's Beauty Salon
        Review: $15 roller sets, $20 roller sets w/ Blow dry. $5 trims. No appt. necessary. Good, quick service.
  2. Grocery Stores
    24 Hour Super Stop & Shop
        Review: Great when you need a candy binge after an all night study session and everywhere else is closed. Watch out, the one in West Hartford is small and has a pitiful selection.
    Shaws
    Trader Joe's
        Review: Simply the best, most affordable organic food around. The service is friendly, the meat is free range, and all the products are all free trade. Whoopie!
    Whole Foods
        Review: Expensive organic products, most of which you can get at Trader's for much cheaper. The produce department is impeccable.
    Wild Oats
        Review: Expensive organic. This location shut down a local organic market on Farmington and placed a restrictive covenant on the location so that no other grocery stores can open up there. This has placed an undue and unjust burden on the local community. 10% off if you show your student I.D. Great gelato bar.
  3. Shopping Malls
    Westfarms
    Buckland Hills
    Evergreen Walk
  4. Health Club Facilities
    Work Out World
    Bally Total Fitness
    YMCA
  5. Night Spots
    Russell
        Review: Cozy, mezzanine-style cafe serving a creative array of salads, sandwiches, desserts and vegetarian dishes in an ambient and soulful atmosphere. Black owned business. Great for a quick bite or an evening of cocktails. The service is on the slow side. The drinks are small and a tad over priced for the size. No Cover.
        Monday-Spoken Word-It is a lot of fun
        Thursday-Jazz
        Sunday - International Breakfast
    Authentic First Fridays
        Review: First Friday of the month. Dressy, professional crowd 25-38 years old. $10 cover in advance, $20 at the door.
    New Haven First Fridays
        Review: Hosted by Fridays Magazine. 21+ crowd.
    Albert's Lake Side
        Review: Saturday night hip hop. $10 cover.
    Room 960
        Review: Sexy, modern lounge. Good drinks. Cosmopolitan atmosphere. Wednesday hip hop. Free for ladies before 11pm, $10 after.
    Hippodrome
        Review: The club is in Springfield. They often have concerts.
    Hot Club
        Review: Fridays. Reggae and hip hop. $10 cover. The club is VERY smokey.
  6. Where to study when the Library is closed
    Trinity-24 Hours
        Review: Closed during exam period to non-Trinity students
    Tisane
        Review: Before Five-Then the internet gets cut off
    Border's Café
        Review: It is open until Eleven. A little noisy, but it has a lot of tables and internet.
    Gold Roc 24 Hour Diner
RESTAURANTS


$ Cheap
$$ Moderate
$$$ Use Mom's Visa

  1. Date Night
    Vito's by the Park $$$
    Pastis $$$
        Review: Both spots are great places to impress a date.
    Carbone's $-$$$
        Review: Delicious Italian food, large menu, and daily chef specialties.
  2. Seafood
    No Fish Today $$-$$$
        Review: Don't be fooled by the name. Flavorful, fresh seafood is all this menu serves up.
  3. Casual
    Black Eyed Sally's $-$$
        Review: Blues, Beer, and BBQ. Cheap eats, decent service, and a tasty yet simple menu.
    Arch Street Tavern $
        Review: Great place to watch the game or grab a beer after a long week of studying.
    Braza $-$$
        Review: Try the yucca fries, they are amazing. The entire bar menu is half off on Sundays so you can eat an entire meal and sip a Mojito for under $8! The regular dinner menu is underwhelming, you're better off sticking to the deals at the bar.
    Wood-n-Tap $
        Review: Best burgers in town.
    Friendly's $
        Review: Traditional eats and delicious sundaes. It's comfort food at its simplest and most satisfying.
    West Indian
    Sports Bars
    Pizza Parlors $
        Review: Sgt. Pepperoni is the best cheap pick and as an added bonus the slices are the size of your head.
    Ice Cream Parlors
        Review: Maggie Moo's in West Hartford makes the best cones (it is sort of like Cold Stone) and Friendly's makes the best sundaes.
    West Hartford Restaurant Guide $-$$$
        Just a quick drive down Farmington Ave. puts you smack dab in the middle of West Hartford Centre where a plethora of dining options await you.
  4. UCONN Law's Official Bars
    Spigot $
        Review: With 165 different bottled beers in the fridge and over 20 on tap, the Spigot may be the best place in the city to just sit back and have a cold one.
    Half Door $
        Review: Traditional Irish pub. The place to go where "everybody knows your name."
  5. Coffee Shops
    La Paloma Sabanera Coffeehouse $
        Review: Hands down the friendliest service in town. It is the only Latino bookstore/coffee shop in Connecticut. It has great music, the best Cuban sandwiches in town, and many evening jazz performances…so check their website frequently. Plus, they only serve free trade coffee and tea.
    Tisane $
        Review: Fabulous tea and coffee, decent menu, and an after hours bar.