Dandelion - Westport — Restaurant in Westport

Often restaurants take a while for all to go smooth upon opening. Not for Dandelion, which just opened this week. The setting is beautiful, felt like we were dining in Manhattan, and the food was exceptional- fresh, flavorful, and unique compared to other restaurants in the Westport area. We tried a lot of different dishes, including Alex's seeded bread, Moroccan Cigars, Crispy Lamb Belly (only dish that needed an improvement to be more crispy), Dandelion Salad (lettuce with baby shaved artichokes, fennel), Cruciferous Shaved Salad (mixture of lettuce and ingredients including pomegranates and carrots), grilled local calamari, amazing wood fired broiled prawns, wood fired sea bream, and hen of the woods (maitake) mushrooms. Make sure to save room for the amazing desserts.We ordered the Apricot Bougatsa (similar to a flaky streudel) with lemon thyme ice cream, and the delicious Frozen Yogurt (labneh yogurt sherbet with light and refreshing meyer lemon granite). I hear the Chocolate Sesame Moussee is also amazing. The service was attentive, impeccable, with on target trusted recommendations....

Things to know. Valet parking only. Like Artisan. Hold your nose as you enter the hotel. They have a "Signature Scent" that reminds me of "old lady" perfume. It's so strong that you can taste it on your tongue as you walk in. Thankfully not noticeable in the restaurant. The space is wonderful. There's a lot of energy in the building. The decor is very nice. There is an outdoor space as well. The service was very good especially since they're new. Some misses of no consequence. Very nice people. The menu is great. Lots of choices with good descriptions. The drinks were quite good. The food was more bland than expected and just misses the mark. We had the hummus, the fig salad and the chicken. The pita and hummus is far superior at Esh. Not up to the Artisan or L'Escale standards. We will definitely go back and try some other dishes for sure. Please, get rid of the "Signature...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Fresh and Flavorful Addition to Fairfield County

Dandelion is such a welcome addition to the Fairfield County dining scene. From the moment we sat down, both the food and service impressed. The wood-fired pita and hummus are absolutely incredible — easily some of the best I’ve had anywhere — and the Moroccan cigars are a must-order.

Every dish had that perfect balance of flavor and freshness that makes you want to come back and try more. The only miss for me was dessert, which didn’t live up to the same high standard as the apps and entrées — I’d definitely skip that next time.

Overall though, Dandelion delivers a truly memorable dining experience, and I’ll definitely be back for another round of...