"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.

"Life off the Hill": Grocery Shopping

By popular demand, this week’s “Life off the Hill” covers all the joys of grocery shopping in New Haven. It’s something that we all do, and it can be trickier than one might think.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the only supermarket in New Haven recently closed. Shaw’s closing is more than an inconvenience, it’s a social justice issue.

As things now stand, the closest supermarket to East Rock is the Stop & Shop located at 2335 Dixwell Ave in Hamden (which is located about 4.5 miles from YDS). One of the perks about shopping at Stop & Shop is that their free rewards cards let you accumulate points that can be used to buy gas, which helps offset the cost of driving to Hamden. Stop & Shop also runs a grocery delivery service, which makes it a shopping option for those of you without cars.

For more upscale grocery options, there’s a Whole Foods in Milford (1686 Boston Post Rd), and a Trader Joe’s in Orange (560 Boston Post Rd). Milford is also home to a Costco (1718 Boston Post Rd), for those of you who prefer to do your shopping in bulk. There’s also a BJ’s in North Haven (555 Universal Drive North), for those of you who need eighty-eight packs of tp, but don’t enjoy Costco’s romantic ambiance.

Food can be purchased in more reasonable quantities at any of several smaller markets in New Haven proper. Within East Rock, there’s Nica’s (603 Orange), Romeo and Cesare’s (771 Orange), and Orange Street Market (721 you guessed it… Orange). For those of you who plan on living closer to Yale’s main campus, there’s always Gourmet Heaven (15 Broadway and 44 Whitney). These markets can be pricier than the Stop & Shop, but they often feature much better produce.

New Haven does have several farmers’ markets, which are your best bet for produce. On the plus side, the State Street Farmers’ Market has more business days than any other farmers’ market in the nation (at least according to an NPR broadcast that I kinda-sorta remember).

"Life off the Hill": Dining Down the Hill

Alex may be providing you with a steady diet of meat and potatoes, but I like to think of my feature as something more fabulous. How fabulous you ask? This fabulous. (You should eat at Miya’s at least once while you’re living in New Haven. Even if you don’t like sushi. It’s that good.)

On a similar note, the Div School’s Refectory will prevent you from going hungry by providing you a steady diet of meat-and-potatoes-esque dishes. Don’t get me wrong; I like the Refectory. It’s far from the worst cafeteria that I’ve eaten in. However, when you eat it day in and day out, it gets old. That’s where today’s feature comes in.

As a YDS student, you’re required to purchase “Eli Bucks,” Yale’s dining points system. For full-time students, the required amount is $400; for part-time, it’s $200. While you can spend all of these in a semester at the Refectory, you do have other options: namely the Hall of Graduate Studies and Yale Commons.

HGS (320 York St) operates a cafeteria for Yale’s graduate and professional student community. At $9.50 for lunch and $13 for dinner, it can be a bit pricey, but it is money that you’ve already spent (plus, you didn’t hear this from me, but people totally sneak in Tupperware). At each meal, there’s a salad bar, two soup options, at least two hot entrees, one of which is vegetarian, sides, and desert. Throughout the year, HGS runs special dinners, such as “Chocolate Fest,” where every dish contains chocolate.

Yale Commons (168 Grove St) was at one point Yale’s only dining room. That isn’t the case today, but it’s still the only dining facility open to the entire Yale Community. Plus, where else can you dine beneath pictures of former US Presidents (all of whom were Yale alumni) while watching the fascinating creatures that are Yale undergrads? Commons provides more options per meal than HGS does, although it’s only open Monday through Friday. Plus, the scenes in the Indiana Jones moves that supposedly occur in Sterling Memorial Library were all actually filmed in Commons (I’m still really impressed by that fact).

There’s also a restaurant in Bass Library, but, as the worker told me, “Divinity points? We don’t take those here.” The moral of the story here is: bring cash for snacks when you’re studying in Bass (which is open later than the Divinity Library, for the record).