And the Winners of the Best of West Hartford Are …
Audio By Carbonatix
The Seventh Annual Best of West Hartford winners, and the second and third place finishers, were determined by the community during voting in the fall of 2021.
The celebratory reveal of the winners was postponed several times due to COVID-19, and after too much red tape made an in-person event scheduled for Monday, March 21, 2022 infeasible, the event was switched to a virtual format.
Following two instances of Zoom-bombing that included inappropriate language and imagery, organizers decided the most important thing is to notify the winners and the community that supported our local businesses. The West Hartford Police Department has been notified about the Zoom bombing incident.
The winners are listed in the spreadsheet below, and the complete presentation that was to have been shared during Monday night’s presentation has also been provided.
| Winner | First Runner Up | Second Runner Up | ||||
| Food, Drink & Dining | ||||||
| Best Outdoor Dining | Doro Marketplace | Effies | Flemings | |||
| Best Bakery | Donut Crazy | Elmwood Pastry Shop | Hartford Baking Co. | |||
| Best Breakfast Restaurant | Sally & Bob’s | Effies | Blue Plate | |||
| Best Tea | Cafe Sofia | Green Teahouse | Tea Break | |||
| Best Coffee | SPoT | Doro Marketplace | J. Renee Coffee Roasters | |||
| Best Brunch | Pond House | The Place 2 Be | Avert | |||
| Best Family Restaurant | Effies | A.C. Petersen | Fernwood | |||
| Best Fine Dining | Flemings | Artisan @ Delamar | Treva | |||
| Best Grocery Store | Hall’s Market | The Crown Market & Cafe | Big Y | |||
| Best Ice Cream | A.C. Petersen Farm Restaurant | Sweet Frog | Milk Craft | |||
| Best Pizza | Harry’s Bishops Corner | Zephyr’s Street Pizza | Luna Pizza | |||
| Best Business Lunch | Restaurant Bricco | Rockledge Grille | Butterfly | |||
| Best Wine Shop | The Wise Old Dog | Total Wine | Maximum Beverage | |||
| Best Burger Restaurant | Rockledge Grille | Max Burger | Plan B | |||
| Best Ethnic Restaurant | Black Bamboo | Nummy | Zohara | |||
| Best Food Truck | GastroPark | Craftbird | Fuego Picante | |||
| Family | ||||||
| Best Preschool/Daycare | Mandell JCC, Beatrice Fox Auerbach Early Childhood Center | St. Joseph School for Young Children | Lollipop Tree Nursery School | |||
| Best Camp | Camp KO | Renbrook School Summer Adventure | Camp Shalom | |||
| Retail | ||||||
| Best Eyewear | Harvey and Lewis | Central Optica | West End Eye Care | |||
| Best Specialty Retail | Jerry’s Art-a-Rama | Black Diamond Body Piercing | Park Road Shoe Repair | |||
| Best Fine Jewelry | Lux Bond & Green | Becker’s Fine Jewelry | Philip David Jewelers | |||
| Favorite Non-Profit | Ron’s Run for the Roses | Friends of Feeney |
Visions/Voices Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford
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| Best Sports Retail | Fleet Feet | Play It Again Sports | REI | |||
| Best Men’s Clothing | Bards Clothing | JT Ghamo | Jos A Banks | |||
| Best Women’s Fashion | BK&CO | Kimberly Boutique | Hope & Stetson | |||
| Best Home Decor | Good Cause Gifts | John Boyle Home Decorating | Kaoud Oriental Rugs | |||
| Health & Beauty | ||||||
| Best Exercise/Fitness | Mandell JCC Greater Hartford | Orangetheory Fitness | WIP | |||
| Best Hair Salon | Salons by JC | Off Center Salon & Spa | Matthew Philips | |||
| Best Barber Shop | Bristle & Blade Barber Shop | Final Cuts Sports Barber Shop | Fifth State Barber | |||
| Best Spa | Float Forty-One | The Fix | Face It | |||
| Best Yoga | West Hartford Yoga | Mandell JCC Greater Hartford | Yoga Shop | |||
| Best Home Health Care | Juniper Home Care | Care At Home | Hartford Healthcare | |||
| Best Assisted Living | The McAuley | Hoffman Summerwood | Duncaster | |||
| Nightlife | ||||||
| Best Happy Hour | Barcelona | Beachland Tavern | Ocho Cafe | |||
| Best Late Night Spot | Vinted Wine Bar & Kitchen | World of Beer | Artisan @ Delamar | |||
| Services | ||||||
| Best Lawn/Landscaping Contractor | Hodges Landscaping | Begley Landscaping | JS Landscaping | Chenail Lawn Care LLC |
Over 60 write-ins!
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| Best Pet Services | Uberdog | Woof Gang | Pet Supplies Plus | |||
| Best Veterinarian | Vet Specialists of CT | CT Veterinary Center | Petcare Veterinary Services | |||
| Best Real Estate Company – Commercial | Udolf | Figure Eight | RLM | |||
| Best Real Estate Company – Residential | William Raveis Real Estate | Berkshire Hathaway | Coldwell Banker | |||
| Best Real Estate Agent | Robin Gebrian | Kara Flanagan | Kevin Eagan | |||
| Best Wealth Management/Financial Planning Firm | Charles Schwab | Edward Jones | Northstar Wealth Partners | |||
| Best Wealth Management/Financial Planning Individual | Robert Laraia | Sue Banville | Michael Keating | |||
| Best Home Improvement Contractor | Bartlett Brainard | Liljedahl Brothers | Walbridge Design Build, LLC | |||
| Best Bank/Financial Institution | Westfiled Bank | NBT Bank | Bank of America | |||
| Best Garden/Florist | House of Flora | Moscarillo’s | A Special Place | |||
| Best Law Firm | Goff Law Group | Eagan & Donahue | Stanger Law | |||
| Best Event Venue | Mandell JCC | University of St. Joseph | Delamar | |||
| New Category | ||||||
| Best Business District | Blue Back Square | West Hartford Center |
Bishop’s Corner Neighborhood Association
|
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| Best Covid Friendly Event | WeHa Bear Fair | WH Mural/Library | WH CHamber of Commerce | |||
| Best West Hartford Cheerleader – Individual | Patti Albee | Ronni Newton | Shari Cantor | |||
| Best West Hartford Cheerleader – Business | Sheehan Hilborn Breen | Noah Webster House | Westfarms | |||
| Best “_______” write-in | Playhouse on Park | Larsen Ace Hardware | French Cleaners | Modern Tire |
Dr. Oscar Gonzalez
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| Top 5 Highest Vote Recipients | Mandell JCC | Sally & Bob’s | A.C. Petersen’s | Restaurant Bricco |
Lux Bond & Green
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Please note that these are the winners for the 2021 Best of West Hartford. Voting for the 2022 contest will be held later this year, and plans are in place for an in-person celebration on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at the Mandell JCC.
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