The Room
Kawa Ni sits on Bridge Square — a low-ceilinged, warmly lit izakaya that expanded in 2022 to roughly double its original footprint without losing the conspiratorial energy that made the original space a local phenomenon. Bill Taibe opened it as a Japanese-inspired pub rather than a sushi room, and that distinction shows in every inch of the place: an open kitchen facing a long counter, a proper bar doing its bar-programme, and tables close enough that you end up eavesdropping on what the next party ordered and then ordering it yourself.
The Food
The menu moves across dumplings, small plates, noodle bowls, rice bowls, and live-fire preparations — steamed pork buns, crispy rice with spicy tuna, ramen the way ramen should be, house-made gyoza that have earned their reputation. The kitchen changes the menu with the seasons, which is how Taibe runs all his restaurants, and the signatures rotate enough that regulars keep coming back to find out what is new. There is a discipline to the cooking that you do not always get in American izakaya.
The Drinks
The whisky list is the real sleeper — a deep, carefully chosen selection of Japanese single malts and blends that most restaurants this size do not bother with. The sake programme is genuinely considered. The cocktail list plays off Japanese ingredients without turning gimmicky.
Why It Excels for First Date & Group Dinners
Kawa Ni is the Westport room that works for almost every situation where Gabriele's is too heavy and The Whelk is too busy. The small-plates format means you taste more of the menu, the noise level is alive but not hostile, and the bill lands at a number that doesn't require a justification. For a date, it is relaxed enough to feel unforced and interesting enough to feel deliberate. For a group, it is the closest thing in Fairfield County to a proper Tokyo backstreet.