Looking for Family-Style Italian Food? Try Adi's in Granby

Sefer Dika said that he opened his restaurant Adi’s, located at 7 Mill Pond Road in Granby, due to the dearth of Italian eateries in and around town.

“You don’t have Italian restaurants in this area,” Dika said.

And Adi’s, which Dika named after his 16-year-old son, features all things Italian - from pasta dishes running between $8 and $14 on the lunch menu and $9 to $17 on the dinner menu to seafood, including one of Dika’s favorites, linguini pescatore (salmon, shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams in white sauce with a touch of marinara) for $24, to up-the-middle chicken dishes (e.g. parmigiana, alfredo, piccata) for $15 and $16.

Among the many family-style dishes that the staff suggests people give a whirl are the veal entrees and the calamari.

The lunch menu also features sandwiches and personal pizzas, though, to hear Dika tell it, everything on the menu is good, as all of the ingredients are fresh.

“I’m offering old-style Italian food,” he said.

Dika said that the 3,500-square-foot Adi’s does not have a liquor license, yet, but that he’s working on it. For now, it’s BYOB, with no cork fee, Dika said.

So far, the restaurant has enjoyed a quiet but steady crowd in the two weeks since it opened, which suits Dika just fine. He moved back to Connecticut - he resided in the Torrington area for 20 years - from Austin, Texas, where he ran an Italian restaurant, also named Adi’s.

“I like it here,” Dika, who is originally from Albania, said. “It’s quiet and there are really good people around. I like the small town because everybody knows everybody else. I’m very, very happy.”

So, too, are his devoted patrons, several of whom have made Adi’s a frequent stop for lunch and dinner.

“The food is delicious,” said Michelle Sanchez, who was spotted at the restaurant recently dining on a roast beef and fresh mozzarella sandwich and seafood bisque.

“Everything is very fresh,” agreed Mary Marulli, who had salami and fresh rolls for lunch.

Adi’s is open on weeknights from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.