Dan R.
Yelp
If you are driving up or down Bantam Road (Route 202) in the center of Bantam, be prepared for a whole lot of commotion, people, and vehicles at the Arethusa complex of businesses. There are three establishments under the Arethusa umbrella- a full service restaurant, a coffee bar/bakery/sandwich shop, and an ice cream shop/dairy store.
We had lunch at the coffee bar/bakery/sandwich shop yesterday, known as Arethusa a Mano. They are open every day except Tuesday from 7 Am to 4 PM.
Their food and drink line-up include breakfast sandwiches, bagels, croissants, muffins, bagels, yogurt parfaits, pastries, cookies, paninis, salads, sandwiches, and enough coffee choices to make your barista weep with joy.
We ordered two bagel sandwiches for lunch -egg salad ($10) and curried chicken salad ($11). No sides were included except a small bunch of grapes, so they cost $2 or $3 more than what we are accustomed to.
My chicken salad was pretty good. Lots of big chunks of very tender shredded chicken with raisins and all sorts of crunchies to give it texture. The Everything bagel was excellent, the serving size was generous, and the curry undertone to the chicken was very good.
But was it equal to $11 worth of goodness without chips and cole slaw or a scoop of potato salad? You decide for yourself, I wasn't convinced that it was.
On the other hand, if you're driving through Bantam and are in the mood for a nice breakfast or lunch, you'll enjoy your visit to a very pleasant place with a very pleasant staff and some pretty good food.