Restaurants

2 New England restaurants made Yelp’s list of hot and new women-owned restaurants to visit in 2024

Travelers will find them in Maine and Connecticut.

By Kristi Palma

updated on March 27, 2024

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, Yelp is toasting two new regional restaurants owned by women.

The website released a list of 25 hot & new women-owned restaurants to visit in 2024, and Bread & Friends in Portland, Maine ranked No. 17, with J.Law Kitchen & Craft Bar in Danbury, Conn. ranking No. 25.

The No. 1 restaurant on the list is Hey, Sunshine Kitchen in Culver City, Calif.

The restaurants feature “an eclectic array of food brought to the table by big dreamers all across the country who opened their doors in the last year,” wrote Yelp.

Bread & Friends, a bakery and restaurant in Portland’s Old Port neighborhood, is owned by the husband and wife teams of Jess Rattey and Jeremy Broucek and Maggie and Tanner Rubin. They serve brunch and dinner, beer and wine, and pastries and bread. Recent social media posts for the restaurant detail offerings such as petite pastrami biscuits, fig & ricotta toast, and a smoked maple rosemary latte. Check out the Bread & Friends menu here.

At J.Law Kitchen & Craft Bar in Danbury, guests enjoy lunch and dinner and a happy hour with craft cocktails such as a blackberry smash with sage. There is also a Sunday brunch. The restaurant is owned by Kelly and Jason LaReau. Recent social media posts detail dishes such as calabrian shrimp scampi, eggplant rollatini, and dumplings. Themed nights at the restaurant include artisan pizza night on Mondays and half-price bottles of wine on Tuesdays. Check out the restaurant’s menu here.

View the list of 25 hot & new women-owned restaurants to visit in 2024.

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to reflect J.Law Kitchen & Craft Bar’s current ownership.