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The Dilly Duck Shop at 666 Main Ave., located in Fairfield County in Norwalk, is no stranger to accolades after being named one of "Connecticut Magazine's" top delis for 2024 and one of Yelp's top places to eat in the state in 2022.
Owned by chef Russ Zappala and his mother, Phyllis Zappala, the Dilly was also no stranger to locals, who formed lines daily to sample a menu full of goodies.
Those goodies include the crowning glory of sandwiches, the rotisserie-cooked pork, and roast beef sandwiches and plates. A favorite with all, the roast beef sandwich is full of thinly sliced beef, cheddar cheese, and long-cooked onions.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and with more than 10 years of experience in fine dining and catering, Chef Russ Zappala seems to have struck just the right note with the Dilly by also offering fish, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sweet pastries, quiches, hummus and falafels, pork chops, and well, the list goes on.
Yelp says that when selecting the best sandwich shop in each state, they identified businesses in the Sandwiches category with a large concentration of reviews mentioning “sandwiches” and then ranked those spots using several factors, including location and the number and ratings of reviews saying the keyword.
And, yes, they sometimes feature duck on the menu, even though you can talk to Dilly on the phone if you push the right button when calling the "shop."
And, yes, it's a shop, not a restaurant, because to the Zappala's a shop "is where our craft meets art. We love to blend solid cooking techniques with a touch of creativity to fashion an atmosphere of discovery and festive cheer," they said.
In addition to food and sweets, the shop also sells fizzes, beers, and house wines. Oh, and gluten-free bread if requested.
Prices are medium to high, depending on what you order. Yelpers says it's very family-friendly and people-friendly.
So take a road trip and visit the Dilly.
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