Three restaurants are scheduled to move into Blue Back Square this year to give food lovers in West Hartford and beyond more dining options.
The trio of restaurants ncludes Charcuterie, Wonder and Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings.
“These new additions will further enhance Blue Back Square’s dynamic and diverse dining scene, offering fresh concepts and experiences that complement our existing roster. They add variety, energy, and new reasons for guests to visit throughout the day and evening, reinforcing Blue Back Square as a go-to destination for dining, gathering, and community connection in the region,” said Blue Back Square spokesperson Elizabeth Zigmont.
Charcuterie will open at 80 Memorial Road in February. Owner Anna Estiandan, 52, said this is her first restaurant after working in the health care field for 27 years. She said she has been preparing charcuterie boards for family and friends for the last 10 years.
“I woke up one day and said, ‘I’m done with health care. I want to do something I really want to do,’” Estiandan said.
Last June, the Agawam, Massachusetts resident drove to West Hartford and noticed the location on Memorial Road was available. It was then she knew where she was going to open Charcuterie.
“I love that area. It’s a calm area that still has a lot of traffic and a lot of foot traffic. I passed by it and I said, ‘That’s cute,’” Estiandan said. “This was the first space I encountered, and the rest is history.”
One of the many offerings at Charcuterie, which will open at 80 Memorial Road in West Hartford in February. (Courtesy of Anna Estiandan)
Estiandan said she has a European distributor for her “carefully curated” boards and a European importer for her meats and cheese. According to Estiandan, customers can expect that “there’s always going to be a story behind a board.”
“My cheeses are from Ireland and Switzerland and other places in Europe,” she said. “I want to get the cleanest cheese I can get. I care about the grass that they eat. I care if they roam free. I learn all of the backstory about everything I’m going to put in on the charcuterie board. Everything is going to be organic including vegetables and fruits from local farms in Connecticut.”
Fresh fruit, nuts, olives, jams, pickles and crackers are also available accents to boards.
Estiandan said her menu will be intricate with attention to details and pairings. The boards can serve one person or as many as 20 with prices ranging from $20 to $275.
“The pairings have to marry. I care about all of that. I care when you eat the prosciutto you know its buttery and it will melt in your mouth. There’s no gaminess. You know it’s clean because there are no antibiotics. It’s different. You won’t find the meat I’m going to be serving in any grocery store, except some of the ‘to go’ retail.”
Estiandan said she had charcuterie boards made for children and will have mocktails and elixirs. Charcuterie is a non-alcohol establishment.
“There’s nothing like this in New England or New York,” Estiandan said. “The health department told me that because they didn’t know how to classify me.”
Estiandan, who plans on moving to West Hartford, said she has hired her staff, a collection mainly of college students, and hopes to be a mentor. Estiandan plans on offering health insurance to her full-time employees.
Charcuterie owner Anna Estiandan said customers can expect that “there’s always going to be a story behind a board.” (Courtesy of Anna Estiandan)
Wonder is slated to open this summer at 91 Memorial Road. It is a food hall-type of experience that ill offers 20-30 different kinds of cuisines from different chefs under one roof for dine-in, take-out and delivery.
Wonder was founded in 2018 and has dozens of locations along the East Coast. There are other Connecticut locations in Stamford, Fairfield and Milford with Westport and Newington locations opening later this year.
“We partner with celebrated chefs and restaurants to bring their menus to you,” according to the Wonder website. “Dine-in or pickup at any of our locations throughout the Northeast and at Wonder, delivery is free and arrives in minutes.”
Customers will be able to mix and match items from several different restaurants and chefs in one order for culinary variety, according to a Wonder news release.
“We are thrilled to bring Wonder to West Hartford,” a Wonder spokesperson said. “Blue Back Square has become a destination in its own right. We see this location as not just another storefront, but a gathering place where great food meets neighborhood energy. We look forward to becoming part of the story here in 2026.”
Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings is expected to open in the fall at 111 Memorial Road and will serve shared appetizers and eight different varieties of Chinese steamed and pan-fried dumplings, three different varieties of soup buns, fried rice, noodles and entrees.
This will be the business’ first Connecticut location. There are currently eight other locations, with seven in Colorado and one in New York. West Hartford is among five locations that are listed as “coming soon” on the company website. The others include two more Colorado locations, one in New Jersey and one in New York.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome these tenants to Blue Back Square,” Zigmont said. “Each new opening strengthens our carefully curated mix of local favorites and well-loved brands, and reflects our ongoing commitment to bringing high-quality, in-demand experiences to the property. These additions build on the momentum we’ve created and continue to elevate the overall experience for our residents, office tenants, and visitors.”