"I wanted a small business with less employees. I don't need a big place anymore. We're not trying to be too expensive. Real prices, but good ingredients."
Jacques Talbot said that to CTBites this summer, shortly after opening Chez Jack at 666 Main Avenue, near where Norwalk meets Wilton. Talbot spent 40 years in Canada's restaurant business and built the Cosmos restaurants in Quebec City. Before COVID he ran four restaurants and a catering branch. He sold his share of Cosmos about four months before that interview so he could run one small place.
His reasoning fits most of Norwalk's new breakfast, coffee and lunch spots this year. Bagels, smash burgers, roasted coffee, sandwiches: each one is built around what its owner wants to handle. That choice explains the short hours, the takeout counters and the weekday-only schedules. The opposite trend is happening a few blocks south in SoNo, where the evening openings keep adding floors, bars and rooftops.
A Rotisserie, a Breakfast Room and a Father-and-Son Kitchen
Chez Jack took over the space that The Dilly Duck Shop held for nine years. Talbot said Phyllis and Russ Zappala wanted to sell the property and equipment, and that he was interested once he heard 666 Main Avenue was available. He now uses the space's rotisserie for the ham, chicken, pork and roast beef in his lunch sandwiches. The ham and cheese is made "à la Française," with rotisserie ham, melted Emmentaler and pickles on baguette.
Breakfast includes a BEC, a breakfast burrito, omelets, strawberry crêpes and a loaded French toast. The poutine is the dish that marks the menu as Québécois. It comes with hand-cut fries that are never frozen, Wisconsin mozzarella curds and a gravy made from beef and chicken stock. Talbot's son, Chris Samatar, works with him.
The hours have already been trimmed. In August, CTBites reported an 8 a.m. weekday opening with lunch until 3 p.m. The café's own website now lists Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with no Monday hours. That is the schedule of a small operation still finding the hours it can staff well. The café's Instagram is the best place to check before you go.
A Baker Who Opened a Burger Counter on His Own Block
Tim Topi already runs two Wave Hill Breads locations in Norwalk: a wholesale operation on High Street and a bakery-café on Westport Avenue that opened in 2024. When the old Francesca's Authentic Italian Deli space, a couple of storefronts from his café, came open, he started TAC Burger. The name stands for his family: Tim, his son Timothy, his wife Angela, and his daughters Claire, Charlotte and Catelyn.
The setup is built for a small crew. Customers order at the counter, at one of two kiosks, online, through TAC's own app or through delivery apps. Seating is three booths and a high top. The ingredients come from people Topi already knows. The beef is a brisket, chuck and short rib blend from Plymouth Beef Co., which he settled on during a consultation with Jared Sippel of L'Ostal. The bacon is from Nodine's Smokehouse in Goshen, and the mushrooms are from Seacoast Mushrooms in Mystic. The brioche buns are baked a few steps up the sidewalk at his own bakery.
TAC is at 249 Westport Avenue. Its website lists hours into the evening, until 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. That makes it the one place in this group that also covers dinner. The same page lists Monday and Tuesday hours and also says "Closed Mondays," so check before a Monday visit.
A Roaster That Planned for No Café at All
Thomas Morsanutto started roasting coffee because he was unhappy with the coffee at his financial technology job in Wilton. His explanation of Silvermine Coffee Roasters is the clearest description of a business sized on purpose:
"I decided to take a chance and build a real business that focused on takeout coffee, coffee beans, and online sales. We wanted a concept that could succeed even if people weren't gathering into a cafe."
The roastery at 29 Harbor Avenue carries nearly 30 coffees, including beans from Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Morsanutto asks customers about their brewing methods and the equipment they use at home before recommending a roast. The two best sellers are the Maritime Blend, made from two Colombian coffees, and the Hangover Blend, a darker roast that combines a Brazilian coffee with the shop's Dark Excelso.
In August he said he was "looking for locations to open a full cafe" and hoped to have news soon. For now, Silvermine's contact page lists "Winter Hours" of noon to 4 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, with no weekend hours.
Weekday Sandwiches and a 7 a.m. Bagel
Two more openings complete the daytime list, and both keep the same tight scope.
Between Friends Sandwich Co. at 314 Wilson Avenue does takeout and catering only, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is closed on weekends. Every sandwich is named for a real person's usual order. The Late Night Romeo is a chicken cutlet with bacon, cheddar and house Russian dressing. Cyn City is a cutlet with vodka sauce, burrata and pesto. That's-a-Maury is the vegetarian option, with crispy eggplant, burrata and sun-dried red peppers.
Norwalk Bagel Co. opened on May 13. It's run by Chef Gary King and Pastry Chef Emily King, a married couple who make sourdough bagels and a breakfast menu. It's at 133 Washington Street and opens daily at 7 a.m. The website's homepage gives a 2 p.m. close and its location page says 3 p.m., so plan on the earlier time.
Where Each One Fits in a Day
Put together, the five spots cover the city from the Wilton line to SoNo, and the posted hours fill in a typical day. These are the hours each business currently posts:
- 7 a.m., SoNo. Norwalk Bagel Co., 133 Washington Street, open daily.
- 8 a.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. on weekends, near the Wilton line. Chez Jack, 666 Main Avenue, Tuesday through Sunday.
- 9 a.m. midweek, Harbor Avenue. Silvermine Coffee Roasters, 29 Harbor Avenue, coffee to go and whole beans, Wednesday through Friday, with shorter Monday and Tuesday hours.
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wilson Avenue. Between Friends Sandwich Co., 314 Wilson Avenue, weekdays only.
- Lunch through 10 p.m., Westport Avenue. TAC Burger, 249 Westport Avenue, latest Wednesday through Sunday.
A Saturday morning leaves you with two of the five, the bagel shop and Chez Jack. A Wednesday covers all five.
Meanwhile, SoNo's Evenings Got Bigger
Norwalk Bagel Co. closes in the early afternoon. Bar TerraMare, a coastal Italian restaurant from chef Giuseppe Castellano and restaurateur Raffaele Gallo, sits a few doors away at 122 Washington Street. It soft-opened on August 1 with seafood, handmade pasta and meat dishes.
Down the street at SoNo 50, Five Iron Golf opened its first Connecticut location in August. It covers two levels with 10 Trackman simulators, two bars and event space, and is run by a group of five franchisees. At 14 N. Main Street, co-owner Christian Burns and partners Joe and Aldo Criscuolo rebuilt the former Evarito's roof as The Haven's rooftop. It has covered seating, heaters and fire pits, a larger menu and views toward Veterans Park and the Sound.
The next evening opening is also the largest operation of the group. Falco, at 2 Wilton Avenue near Wall Street, will be BJ Lawless's fourth Norwalk restaurant in The BJ Ryan's Group. It occupies a building that was once a hat factory. Lawless is partnering with Chef Jared Falco, co-founder of Bar Rosina's in Greenwich, on homemade pastas, pizza and sharing plates. Patch reported in late July that it was aiming for October, and the restaurant's own site still says "Coming Fall 2026." As of this week, it has not been confirmed open.
Night spots that open under a restaurant group or a franchise can staff long hours and big rooms. The daytime openings have one owner, often with family in the kitchen, so their hours depend on what that owner can cover. That is why Chez Jack has no posted Monday hours, why Between Friends closes on weekends, and why Silvermine is still a takeout counter.
Knowing which counter is open at 7 a.m. on a Saturday and which one is closed until Tuesday comes from following Norwalk week to week, and that same attention to detail goes into how Gina Hackett prices and markets homes across Fairfield County. If you own in Norwalk and want to know what your home is worth this fall, request your home valuation and talk with Gina directly.
