Ola Restaurant, Wallingford

Find the right door in either Orange or Wallingford, and you can walk right into a Latin American paradise. The colors of coastal waters and sunny beaches envelop the dining room, and bartenders serve drinks worthy of the tropical atmosphere: jalapeño pineapple margaritas, South American wines, and 10 kinds of mojitos—including one made with fresh guava.

These slices of the tropics arrive in Connecticut thanks to Ola Restaurant. Here, chefs grill, bake, and will Nuevo Latino cuisine into existence. They define that culinary genre through shareable tapas such as lobster and avocado quesadillas as well as heartier entrees. These meals might star guava-glazed ribs, skirt steak, or salmon caramelized with dark rum and sugar cane, all prepared with the gustatory finesse that earned the restaurant praise from the New York Times.