Ripkas Beach Cafe — Restaurant in Norwalk

I want to love Ripka’s but in recent visits 2 things have soured me a bit-

1. Prices are not listed correctly. For instance, cheesesteak is 12 dollars, not 10 as listed. At start of summer I let it slide - however upon return in mid June.. I mentioned the disparity. “Oh yea we haven’t had the chance to update the sign” - mind you this isn’t a billboard, it’s a sign hanging 6 feet in the air. A stool and a sharpie should do the trick. And I’m not even saying the prices were unfair, they were just not clear and obviously that’s going to continue all summer.

2. There’s a big jug of water at the end of the counter where patrons can pour a free cup. Much appreciated and necessary at the beach! However at my last visit the water tasted like someone dropped an onion in the jug and let it sit for a few days. I alerted the woman behind the counter “there’s something wrong with the water, it tastes disgusting and you shouldn’t serve it.” She smiled and offered me water from the soda fountain. Which was delicious. But… the water stayed. I’m not sure how you take that feedback and don’t do a thing about it. The speed in which the fountain water was offered made me think I was the tenth person to mention it that day.

So, that’s two bad things. And yet I think Calf Pasture beach is better with Ripka’s offering their food and drinks. I love their fries, and drinks, their small concerts and cookouts, and I want Ripka’s to succeed. It just seems like it’s sleepwalking a bit - listing prices and drinkable water are not minor things...

Happened to be driving thru Norwalk last night and remembered the full moon was supposed to be beautiful tonight so I ended up at Calf pasture beach. As I walked around I was amazed at the smell of food coming from a building on the beach. It was Ripkas Beach Cafe. I did not eat dinner so I had to see what was cooking. Was I amazed not only at the selection but the prices. Everything was extremely reasonable which was shocking for seafood. Not only did they have seafood but they had burgers, dogs, chicken fingers and a lot more. the place had quite a bit of things, they even had beer and wine. I was immediately helped by a very happy guy which come to find out was the owner himself. Nothing better than a business owner that is full of pride about his business. Smile from ear to ear. We ordered fish and chips and a clam strip dinner. I instantly knew this was not your typical burger, seafood joint this food was fresh and not frozen. The fries were even real good! The food was a lot better than I would have thought for a small seafood spot by the water which was still not in season. The park is really nice and the food was exceptional. I now have a new spot to visit to be by the sound and to eat great food. Hungry? Eat at Ripkas! You will be...

The grilled-chicken sandwich and corn on the cob was good and reasonably priced. The clam roll sandwich was a lot of bread and not much clam.

The seafood items seemed kind of pricey for the type of "restaurant" this is. That said, it did seem like they try to make good quality food and there is a descent selection.

What is the place like: you place your order at a counter, and there is a grill behind it. There are some inside counters to eat at and picnic tables outside.

There is a somewhat confusing/disorganized ordering process (and cashiers are not friendly). The pick-up process consists of your number being yelled out.

We found the park to be good for adults and kids, as it is comfortable with nice views. While there is regular sand, that ends as you get closer to water where it's mostly rocks. So it's not much of a beach to swim in.

The park does have BBQs and tables if that's your thing.

It's hard to rate it 4-5 stars given the limitations of plastic knives and forks, but 3-4 is probably in order. 4 for the food and 3...