City: North Canaan, CT

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (860) 824-7040

Address: 100 W. Main St.

Insider Pick:

Description: There is no lack of diners in Connecticut, but few of the classics remain. Not only is Collin’s a genuine diner from way back (1941), it has been featured in numerous films. Marble counters brought from a bar in Texas, the metallic trailer shape, and the vintage sign will not disappoint those looking for an authentic experience. Since 1969 it has been owned by a Lebanese family, the Hamzys, and they have kept all the original diner dishes like Salisbury steak and spaghetti (you can even get a Fluffernutter here), and have added a few others like their Lebanese plate of hummus, loobi, tabouli, and mjedera. Just the bacon here is outrageously crispy and tasty, and their food in general is not as greasy as you’ll sometimes get at local joints. The latest generation, Ameen Abo-Hamzy, both a second lieutenant in the US Army and an English major from Norwich, began a poetry reading series at the diner in 1994 that has become a classic during Canaan’s Railroad Days.