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Opinion • Ella Bean '23 & Madison Zachow '23 • March 2023
Killingly is full of restaurants both old and new. Many have changed hands with new owners, or swapped locations. Others are tried-and true, and some, like NK Restaurant, are brand new on the restaurant scene. We reviewed them so you’ll know where to go next!
Sawdust
Sawdust Coffee House & Dessert Bar II is a breakfast, lunch, and dessert establishment. It opened 2 years ago. The café is located at 91 Main Street, Putnam, CT, 06260. The interior is quite lovely and decorated nicely: comfy seats and beautiful lounge areas. Couches, stools, and chairs are all options. Very Pinterest-pleasing!
You can come by if you want to work or just sit while you drink coffee or order a pastry. We ordered three mango smoothies, one iced coffee, two cinnamon rolls, a cannoli, a cranberry orange muffin, and two chocolate cheesecakes. The food here was great. The cinnamon rolls were huge with lots of frosting, and the drinks were tasty.
Brady O'Donnell '23 and Ella Bean '23 enjoy a good laugh at Sawdust.
NK Restaurant
NK Asian Market recently relocated, leaving its previous storefront (on the corner next to St. James) and moving into the old Bousquet’s appliance storefront in downtown Killingly. NK’s is now located at 18 Furnace St, Danielson, CT, 06239.
Only two months ago, NK Asian Market opened its very own restaurant. The restaurant began with only online pickup and takeout, but NK’s recently opened a brand-new indoor dining section. The inside is well-oriented, with a plastic partition separating the dining section from the rest of the store. We were fortunate enough to be their very first customers on opening day, and our friendly waiters made conversation with us while we made our orders. The food here is inexpensive and family-friendly. The crab rangoons were $8.95, the spring rolls were $7.95, and the Pad Thai was $17.95. The crab rangoons we got here were the best ones we’ve ever eaten, and we would definitely recommend going to try this new restaurant out!
These crab rangoons are becoming the subject of great fame...
These crab rangoons are becoming the subject of great fame...
Blended Nutrition
Blended Nutrition, which is located in downtown Killingly at 535 Main St Unit 2, Danielson, CT 06239, opened only a few years ago and is already so successful! The ownership of the business changed about three years ago, but it was kept in the family. Blended serves protein shakes, teas, acai bowls, and many more items. The store also sells the powder used to make the shakes and teas so that you can make them at home! You can place your order online or go inside to order. Blended Nutrition has over 20 different flavors, so at least one will satisfy your sweet tooth. Ella ordered a strawberry-cheesecake shake and a Skittles tea, while Maddie ordered a chocolate-banana shake and a “blue breeze” tea. The price came to $32 in total, so it’s not a cheap treat. We both enjoyed our drinks and would recommend trying them!
See if you can tell which drink is which!
A sandwich from Heirloom Food Co. That's a lot of veggies!
Heirloom Food Company
Heirloom Food Company, which is located at 630 N Main St, Danielson, CT, is a small, organic café and juice bar within five minutes from the high school. The café is open from 10 AM – 5 PM on Tuesday through Saturday. Although the location is close to the high school and downtown Danielson, the outside of Heirloom is often mistaken as a residential building because it does not look like a typical restaurant. Once you walk inside, though, you’ll see an earthy aesthetic: lots of plants, fairy lights, and little booths, which make your trip feel very comfy.
We ordered a cheddar cheese and avocado sandwich along with a “monkey business” smoothie. The price for these two items was $27.00. Yes, this place is not cheap, but all the products they sell are organic! Each of Heirloom’s soups, baked goods, and prepared foods is always made vegetarian and gluten-free, and many items are vegan or dairy-free as well.
After ordering, we went to take a seat and the food and drink was brought out within ten minutes. The service was quick and the staff was friendly. The sandwich had lots of veggies on it, so it was filling. The smoothie proportions were just right, too. We’d definitely recommend trying this place if you haven't already!
Mexican Grill
Mexican Grill is a casual chain restaurant located at 1086 N Main St, Dayville, CT 06241. It’s open from 11 AM – 9 PM all week. The restaurant is family-friendly and quite colorful inside. The menu is fairly traditional, and for those with dietary restrictions, there are gluten- free and vegetarian options. Mexican Grill’s specialty is the margaritas, but we did not get those for obvious reasons.
We ordered a quesadilla, burrito, chips, and guacamole. The quesadilla was $13.75, the Mexican burrito was $16.00, and chips and guacamole were complimentary. We went right after school, so it wasn’t busy but the service was really fast. The servers were very active in making sure that the chip basket was never empty. The food was excellent, and we’d rate the burrito a 10/10. For the amount of food we got, the price wasn’t expensive, and neither of us could finish everything we ordered because of the big sizes.
The staff was super-friendly and overall, it was a good experience!
That’s all of our restaurant reviews! If we had to pick a restaurant you should visit first, we’d recommend NK. We haven’t ordered the majority of the menu items, but we can say from experience that the crab rangoons are fantastic. Check them out and be sure to give each of these restaurants and cafés your patronage. It’s important to support local businesses! ■
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