"Life off the Hill:" The Ultimate* Guide to Eating out in New Haven

It’s summer, and after perfecting your mastery of the regular very λύω, you just don’t have the energy to make dinner from scratch. Or, you’ve just moved to New Haven, have family in town who just might pay for dinner, and really, who cooks after moving all their worldly belongings across state lines anyway? Or, it’s the middle of the semester, you just aced that OT midterm, and you want to go out to celebrate. Well, when you find yourself at one of these points in your life, this guide will help you figure out which New Haven restaurant you want to patronize.

*While I’m calling this the “ultimate” guide to New Haven restaurants, it’s not quite that, really. There are a ton or restaurants in New Haven, and any ultimate guide should be much more comprehensive than this one. Plus, I’m ignoring many of the restaurants that are simply out of the average graduate student’s budget. However, you’re still getting a myriad of options. Bon appétit.

Pizza

I’ve always believed in starting with your strengths, and New Haven is famous for its pizza (both Sally’s and Pepe’s made it into GQ magazine as one of the “Top 25 Pizzas in America” last year), which it claims to have invented (along with written language, irrigation, democracy, the Magna Carta, and the frisbee). New Haven is lousy with pizza parlors, some of which are really, well… lousy. However, here are, in my attention, the top four. I’m not even going to attempt to rank them, since whatever I pick will be wrong, given the hotly contested nature of pizza devotion in New Haven, which has its own Wikipedia page. No, I’m not joking. The only downside is that none of these places deliver.

Sally’s Apizza (237 Wooster St), like its counterpart, Pepe’s, often has patrons standing outside for hours waiting for a table. However, it’s definitely worth the wait. Sally’s ranked sixth on the GQ list, and I second GQ’s recommendation: get a white pie with potato. It’s amazing.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (257 Wooster St), affectionately known as Pepe’s, is the original New Haven pizza parlor (at least according to Wikipedia). It, like Sally’s, is a New Haven landmark, and you should eat here at least once, even if it does mean standing in line for pizza. It ranked twelfth on the GQ list, and once again, GQ picked out the best pie on the menu: the original tomato pie. Pepe’s may have the best crust in New Haven, for the record.

Bar (254 Crown St) is nestled downtown among New Haven’s bars and nightclubs. If you’re planning on eating, rather than drinking, you’ll be headed to the Bru Room, which features the massive vats in which they brew their own (excellent) beer. Again, expect lines, but it’s worth the wait. Try a salad, since it’s excellent, and it just might help offset the massive coronary that’s going to result from what may be my new favorite pizza: mashed potato with bacon. Your heart may hate you, but your taste buds will thank you.

Modern Apizza (874 State St) is, hands down, the best pizza in East Rock. It’s located within walking distance from the Div School and is larger than Pepe’s or Sally’s, which results in much shorter lines. Their “bomb” pizzas (Italian and veggie, respectively) are great, but the real show-stopper is the clams casino. I know sea food on pizza sounds weird, but we are right on the Long Island Sound, after all.

Hamburgers

Again, New Haven claims to have invented the hamburger. According to Wikipedia, the Library of Congress substantiates this claim, which I dispute, since everyone knows that the hamburger was invented in Athens, TX (again, source Wikipedia). Still, origins aside, here are the burgers worth checking out:

Louis’ Lunch (263 Crown St) claims to have invented the hamburger and is a New Haven landmark. While you’re at Yale, you need to eat at Louis’, just so you can say that you’ve done it. While the hamburger itself is excellent, the folks at Louis’ are to hamburgers what Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” was to soup: they know the way to serve a hamburger, and there’s no arguing with them if you want an authentic Louis’ burger. Unless you agree with them, you’ll probably want other options.

Educated Burger (53 Broadway) is my favorite burger in town. As good as the burgers are, the fries are even better. It’s got a bit of a 1950s diner flair, and the “educated” bit comes in in the décor: which aside from pictures of Yale sports teams features scores of books arranged on shelves near the ceiling. Prices are reasonable, but they don’t take debit cards (they do have an ATM, however).

Prime 16 (172 Temple St) is a bit more upscale than the other options and, in its role as a tap house, has twenty beers on tap. The burgers are pricier than Louis’ or Educated Burger, but they feature 100% organic beef and a wider range of fixings, which includes avocadoes and blue cheese. Plus, if you can put off lunch until 2pm, you can get a $5 burger Tuesday-Friday.

Italian

Caffe Bravo (794 Orange St) is an East Rock staple. It’s a little on the pricy side, but the food is good. The only downside is a lack of weekend hours.

Tony and Lucille’s Little Italy (150 Wooster St) is located near Sally’s and Pepe’s and is a great second choice for when their lines are too long. It’s also a great first choice if you’re looking for a more romantic atmosphere. The prices are a bit on the high side, but the portions are huge.

Consiglio’s (165 Wooster St) is a great sit-down Italian option. The service can be slow, however, so it isn’t always the best choice for lunch.

Sushi

Miya’s Sushi (68 Howe St) is hands-down my favorite restaurant in New Haven. Bun Lai, the owner and chef, is a genius. The first time I went to Miya’s, which features fusion sushi, I wasn’t sure about eating rolls which paired tuna with mascarpone cheese, orange marmalade, and pistachios, but now I swear by the “Italian Stallion roll,” which is exactly what sushi should taste like. Miya’s is one of those places where you can get out spending less than $12 per person or more than $100; it all depends on what you’re ordering. From the dirt cheap to the ridiculously expensive, I’ve yet to find something I dislike. Do yourself a favor and order the curry okra rolls. The service can be agonizingly slow, since the place is almost always packed, but the staff is great about providing free appetizers or bowls of miso soup to make up for it. Oh, and Miya’s just happens to be on the cutting-edge of sustainable seafood.

Sushi on Chapel (1022) is located around the corner from Miya’s and offers more traditional sushi options. Try the Dragon roll.

Sushi Palace (1473 Dixwell Ave, Hamden) features all-you-can-eat sushi. I’m going to be honest, I’ve never eaten here, because I find the idea of all-you-can-eat sushi suspect. However, the place comes highly recommended by other Div students, and we are right on the Sound, which means that the fish is going to be fresh.

Indian

Thali Too (65 Broadway) features an inexpensive vegetarian menu. I don’t especially like Indian food, but I like Thali Too. This is the best bet for affordable Indian food in New Haven. Its sister restaurant, Thali (4 Orange St), is similarly excellent, but very, very expensive.

Thai

Thai Taste (1151 Chapel St) is arguably the best Thai in downtown New Haven. It has an extensive and affordable menu. Their curries are amazing.

Rice Pot (1027 State St) is conveniently located in East Rock. It’s got a similar menu to Thai Taste, but the service can be a bit spotty.

Mediterranean

Mamoun’s Falafel Restaurant (85 Howe St) has a small, but excellent menu, excellent prices, and great service. It also features parking in the back. Portions can be a little small, but the prices are great. The biggest downside is that there’s a $20 minimum on debit/credit card purchases (although there is an ATM, with a high surcharge, right outside). After one visit here, I haven’t bothered finding another Mediterranean restaurant in New Haven. Come for the shawarma, stay for the baklava.

Mexican

Mezcal (14 Mechanic) is my favorite Mexican food restaurant in New Haven (and, being from Texas, I have high standards). Their mole is to die for. The menu is a bit pricy, but the trick is to go at lunch; the lunch enchilada plate comes with two enchiladas, a side of flank steak, rice, and beans for $8.99. Still, just like in Mexico, the service is often inexplicably slow. It’s a great choice if you’ve got over an hour for lunch, but not so much otherwise.

El Amigo Felix (8 Whalley Avenue) is an excellent alternative to Mezcal. It’s certainly cheaper. Located downtown near the Yale campus, it’s a great option if you’re planning on spending the rest of the evening studying at Sterling.

Bars

Gryphon’s Pub at GPSCY (204 York St), or just GPSCY for short, is the graduate and professional bar at Yale. It’s hard to beat GPSCY’s prices, especially on Wednesdays, when drinks are two for one (Wednesday happens to be the unofficial Div School night). There is a small cover, or you can purchase a membership for the entire year (which pays for itself in three visits or so). There’s no food, but you can bring your own in.

Anna Liffey’s (17 Whitney Ave) is a traditional Irish pub. They have a weekly trivia night and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

Archie Moore’s Bar and Restaurant (188 Willow) is a Div School hangout. It’s conveniently located in East Rock, and it claims to have the best buffalo wings in Connecticut (which are pretty good). Wings are half off during their 5-7 happy hour, for the record.