Atelier Florian specializes in Belgian seafood and meat cuisine. I've been here for both Restaurant Week and recruiting events, and the venue gives both an upscale and business casual setting. I've only come on weekday lunches, but service has always been quick. One time, our server even took me and my friend's lactose intolerance in mind and gave us a non-dairy chocolate mousse. However, I have a mixed reception towards their food. For instance, my favorite thing at the restaurant is the crispy brussel sprouts glazed with maple syrup, lemon, and pecorino. I would happily eat that appetizer as my main entree. I've loved moules frites since studying abroad, so I naturally ordered mussels to try. However, my moules frites mariniere was sadly disappointing. The white wine alcohol content didn't completely evaporate in the cooking process, so my mussels tasted unnecessarily bitter. Normally, I like to drink the broth of the Belgian moules, but I couldn't finish it off here. On a positive note, the portions were generous though, especially compared with other New Haven seafood restaurants. You also can't really go wrong with Belgian fries (ask for mayo to for a true Belgian meal). The salmon burger was a healthy alternative to a normal burger, but nothing extraordinarily special. The chocolate mousse was a great way to finish the meal; it was light, airy, and subtly sweet. If you're strongly craving mussels, they do have a Monday night dinner deal to get your money's worth! read more

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We have been coming here for brunch. The menu is somewhat limited but the food is really good. So is service. So is coffee $3 mimosas/bellinis and live jazz music on Sundays read more

We had a reservation (made online) for six people for 9:15 on a Tuesday night, got there a few minutes late, but before their posted closing time of 9:30. We were rudely told (I'm talking complete attitude) that the kitchen had already closed, and they had no knowledge of our reservation (this despite our confirmation). There were no apologies. Just more attitude. Thankfully we were able to take out party of six to Harvest, which went out of their way to accommodate. Interesting how the empty Atelier Florian didn't need our business, while the almost packed Harvest welcomed us with open arms. Perhaps it was just more important to get home for the night. So this is not a review of the food. Never got a chance to try it. And with attitude like that I'm sure I never will. read more

This was the worst dining experience I've had in quite some time. The service was comically bad , as if the waitress had just walked in off the street with no experience, and the food was very average - raw onions in the mussels and soggy frites - for me. Half of the contents of cocktails were spilled out on the tray before they even got to us. We also got to watch a mouse running underneath our table and around the restaurant for about an hour. The manager seemed to think that was normal. Going to this restaurant would be a mistake. read more

I am so remiss in not reviewing this gem sooner! My sister took me here for my birthday and it was completely and totally amazing. Chef Cabirol pulled out all of the stops and created a dinner that is the most memorable meal I have ever eaten. The hexagon beet salad was divine, the beef fillet was cooked to perfection, and the lobster cappuccino was beyond belief. Octopus is one of my favorite dishes and this version was the best I have ever had. The meal was capped off with two fantastic desserts! Chef Jean-Marc Cabirol is truly an artist and passionate about his craft! read more

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I really wish I could give a more fine-tunes star rating. This place is really more of a 3.5 than a four. The food is okay/good, but for the price point I don't want to return. That said, the location is central Downtown, New Haven. There's street parking without much trouble depending on the time of day. The interior is very crisp and nice. Towards the end of our meal, some live music started up. Our service all night was lovely. My mother in law wanted something off-menu and they were accommodating and patient with every customization. Our server was a delight. My partner and I both had the gnocchi which was good, but a little sticky. It wasn't the best I've had nor the worst. Everything else was just okay. No real complaints, but no compliments. For the price, there's other options in the area. read more

We used to love this place but tonight's experience was disappointing. The food was mediocre, even though I've had the same menu items at this restaurant before (tuna tartare and seafood pasta). The restaurant was extremely understaffed, our waitress seemed very overwhelmed and it took an hour for her to take our dinner order. She also made the drinks at the bar and they were not great. She did apologize profusely the few times that we saw her and we felt awful for her. Doubt we'll be back on a Saturday night. read more

Atelier Florian is a snazzy new seafood spot in New Haven, CT on the left side of Chapel Street across from The Study hotel. The floor to ceiling windows at the front of the restaurant are inviting, and make this a great spot to go to on a sunny day. Inside, the white walls and high ceilings make the restaurant feel big, and clean, which is great for a place selling raw seafood. I went because I heard about their happy hour specials, which happen from 4-6:30pm on weekdays, and features $1 oysters (minimum 6) and half price tap wine (yes, wine on tap) and draft beer. I've never had wine on tap before, and was surprised that it was so tasty. The wine was a Chardonnay, but that's about all I know about it. I wonder if there's a big box of white wine behind the bar that this "tap wine" comes from, but who doesn't love boxed wine? Haha, and for $4 per glass (during happy hour), it was a good deal. I was given a small sample of salmon tartar as I waited for my dozen oysters, which was nice. My oysters (pictured below) came out on a large platter on ice, complete with two lemons, tartar sauce, mignonette sauce, and a cute mini Tabasco sauce. They gave me 13 instead of 12, which was a plus! The oysters were Connecticut Blue Point oysters which come from the Northwestern Long Island Sound. The restaurant says they have both east and west coast oysters, but on my visit, the blue points were on point. All in all, I had a great experience, will be returning again, and suggest that you try it, at least during happy hour. read more

Atelier Florian - A bakers dozen oysters!!! - Seafood Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

I really wanted to like Atelier Florian's Sea and Meat - who can say no to surf and turf? Perhaps it's still getting settled, but I was completely underwhelmed upon my first visit. First, the menu isn't exactly very inspired, although I did like the integration of sea into typically turf items (crawfish mac n cheese). Not being very hungry, we started with some East Coast oysters ($2.50 each, while West Coast oysters are priced at $3.59. I did see an advertisement for $1 happy hour oysters, although the bartender said that it didn't start until the following week). A few misses on the oysters - they weren't served cold enough and there wasn't any lemon to accompany it. They gave a lot of pointless aioli (who wants an aioli on a fresh oyster?!), and their migonette was a travesty (mince your shallot, people! Don't give me huge chunks that are better reserved for guacamole). I have caution that we didn't get any main dishes, so the assessment below is based on two starters we ordered - the coconut calamari and the seared polenta with mushroom, fiddlehead fern, and Parmesan. Both were underwhelming. The calamari was not hot enough and lacked a balance of flavor. It wasn't crunchy the way a good calamari should be, and the mayo they drizzled on top of it was completely unnecessary. The seared polenta was awful - the whole thing was mushy and one-note. If you're going to sear polenta, then make it crunchy! I expect to see a crust. Average price of entrees was around $23, so it's pretty pricey to eat here for a meal. I'll probably be back to check out happy hour, but nothing else we ate was worth a second visit. Check out some of my photos of the place. read more

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I've come here three times - twice with a friend and once with a big group, and had pleasant experiences each time. I was also surprised to discover that Atelier Florian had received a rather good review in the New York Times... I wonder how they pick restaurants to review when they wander out of the city. Florian is also apparently owned by the same group that owns Maison Mathis a couple blocks away. Anyway, Florian offers some pretty well-cooked, fresh seafood, which is surprisingly hard to find in New Haven considering it's a coastal city. Most dishes are a bit above the budget of the average college student crowd, but they have a great happy hour (4:00-6:30pm) with $1 oysters and half-off draft beer and house wine. They also have moules frites with four different preparations (provencale, mariniere, red curry, hoegaarden garlic) at $22 an order. The red curry moules frites at this Belgian-French place are legitimately good - hot, creamy, spicy, and satisfying. Overall, one of the best happy hours in the city (along with Barracuda across the street) and a very decent dinner option. read more

Stopped here for happy hour last night. I had the pear and cherry martinis. The cherry was not as sweet as I expected and quite good. We also had the $1 oysters, which we agreed was the best of the three places we tried in New Haven. Three sauces were provided and they were all good. My husband had the lobster roll which was itty bitty! However they finished our dinner with complementary little whipped chocolate cups-- such a cute touch! Overall nice little spot, good service and good menu. We thought it was French but it's actually Belgian! It could be improved if the bar menu had at least one or two less sweet drinks, and if the portions were larger for the main meals. read more

Atelier Florian - Complementary dessert - Seafood Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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We went for what we expected would be a special dinner and unfortunately had a truly disappointing experience. The entire evening was filled with mishaps. We had an early reservation, 6:30pm, and so arrived prior to the crowds. The mishaps began fairly quickly - the waitresses were confused as to who would be waiting on us, but we laughed it off when, after we had already placed our order, a second waitress came to take our order. One drink arrived, but the other did not until we asked several times and finally one of the hostesses assisted us. Service of our appetizers was taking a long time so we asked for bread. Again, it took several requests to receive slices of dry toast (without butter or any other condiment). When the appetizers did arrive (tuna tartare and a large Cesar salad) they were not served correctly. We specifically told the waitress when we ordered that one of us has Celiac Disease and cannot have any gluten - that any bread must be served on the side and not touch the food. We did ask for croutons on the salad. The tuna tartare arrived w/ a large slice of toast seated directly on top and the salad had no croutons. Meanwhile, the restaurant was filling up and we noticed the tables to each side of us not only seemed to be getting the appropriate attention and service from the waitresses, but their drinks and food were served before ours. This continued throughout the night. We repeatedly flagged people down to assist us. Our meals were so delayed that we decided to cancel one entree and share the single remaining one. The food we ate was all tasty but not enough to make up for the many problems. As if the service couldn't get any worse, paying the check was the finale - when we asked for our check, that too took an extraordinary amount of time, yet the table next to us quickly received their check. When the check finally arrived after a long wait, a whole new problem ensued. We had a $100 gift card, but when we went to pay, the waitress said the system had changed and that it could not read the card, and that the card had expired. We had received the card only six months ago. AND we told the waitress upon ordering that we had a gift card AND we told the person on the phone when we made a reservation we had a gift card - there was never a mention that there could be any trouble using our gift card. It took nearly 30 mins. to resolve the issue, while we waited and the table was cleared. The waitress first comped our drinks in an attempt to make up for all of the problems incurred. Then she returned and offered a credit, writing some random dollar amounts on a blank slip of paper - if you wouldn't honor our legit purchased gift card, would you really honor a scribbled note about credit handed to us from a waitress. Finally, the house manager, seeing our compounding issues and obvious unhappiness, gave us her card and said she would make good on the problems. We wrote to her and never received a response. We are out $40 that was left on the gift card. But why would we ever return after such a spectacularly awful night?!! read more

The food was fine but I was really upset that for Yale graduation their graduation menu wasn't mentioned when we made our reservation. They could have been much more transparent about the pricing and instead it was a nasty surprise to the start of dinner. We essentially paid 3x what we Would have for a normal menu. read more

Lunch took forever. 1 person working the kitchen. 1 person serving. Food was blah and didn't even get half of what I ordered of of 2 dishes.

** restaurant week review ** Lori N. and I snagged an 8pm Friday night reservation a day before. The downstairs space definitely feels like a French bistro, whereas upstairs doesn't have the same character but is much quieter. AF had amazingly-comfortably chairs, some of the best restaurant seating I've seen in a while. The moules frites were definitely hits. Their mussels were of good size, and the flavors were rich. I couldn't decide if I liked the Provencale or Red Curry flavor more. (Make sure you keep some of the table bread for sop up the juices.) Unfortunately, the desserts were pretty meh; strawberry cheesecake and crème brûlée didn't seem to have the right temperature and were not particularly memorable. We had a great rose with our dinner. I appreciated our waiter's recommendation on the wine. read more

Very average. Our order was not accurate and the misstep wasn't handled well. Pear salad arrived without chicken and when they corrected it a few minutes later the chicken was bland and dry. Lobster roll was over cooked and chewy. Our server didn't even notice how much of our food we left behind. read more

Mussels, clams, lobster cooked to perfection. Rich flavorful broths redolent with saffron and wine. The hardest part of our first visit was deciding what to leave for the next visit. But apart from the stellar shellfish there is an amazing, tender chicken and the promise of. Steak frites. Oh yes, don't forget the frites. We ate in silence, and nearly forgot they were there, and even less than piping hot, they were full of flavor and disappeared in seconds. And don't forget the happy hour $1 local oysters and draft beer and wines. Yes, the only sin is that he complimentary chocolate mousse is in a shot glass, and I always loved the Alsatian tendency to dollop out a huge spoonful of the fluffy stuff. Please don't come so I can book a table for my next meal with no problems. read more

Atelier Florian - Yes, it's the best bouillabaisse I've had in years! - Seafood Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Very fancy and the food is amazing. I was here for their commencement special and got the lobster omelette. I was expecting some small pieces of lobster but it was giant pieces everywhere in the lobster which was great! The sauce on top of the omelette blend the lobster and egg together so well. Everybody got the lobster roll, which looked and tasted good. The fries were really crispy. Staff was nice but I don't know about helpful, I asked the waitress if she could recommend something and she just said, everything is good. And there's a staff guy who walks around like he's angry at the world and looks intimidating. read more

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Service was impeccable and I enjoyed crab cakes and fries and the drinks were amazing.

Our experience overall was fine. We sat at the bar and felt so bad the bartender had to seat tables, wait on every table, make drinks, and delegate to the runner. Apparently, the kitchen was short-staffed, too, but the food came out fairly quickly and was good overall. We weren't in a hurry, so we were very patient, but it was not the experience we were expecting. Drinks were fine. Fish tacos, brussels and spicy tuna were all very good. The fish and chips was fresh but under seasoned. But again, overall, our experience was fine. read more

Went here for an early birthday dinner celebration and it was a perfect night from start to finish. We had 7:30 reservations on a Saturday night and we were promptly seated upstairs at a two person table overlooking chapel street. The decor was gorgeous - lots of white, chalkboard art, tufted booths, etc. Our waiter was friendly and attentive without being overbearing. He offered us water and took our drink order right away. They had a decent draft selection from which my dining partner chose an IPA. I went the classic route and settled on a bourbon cocktail called The Remix - we were both happy with our selections. For appetizers we started with the Brussels sprouts and some east coast oysters. The Brussels were crisp and came as a nice portion perfect for two to split. Because it was a birthday dinner they offered us oysters at the happy hour price (1$/oyster) which was kind and unexpected. The oysters were perfectly shucked and served with classic mignonette and a salsa verde which was a fun play on the traditional accompaniments. He chose the homemade mushroom gnocchi and I the duck. The pasta was delicious and the heavy truffle cream sauce made it very filling. The duck was cooked to a perfect medium and my knife cut into it like butter. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the duck at a seafood restaurant. Dessert was complimentary chocolate mousse (with a lit birthday candle!) and creme brûlée. I really appreciated the extra gestures they made towards creating a memorable birthday dinner. I cannot wait to go back again. read more

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Our server Kevin T was amazing and provided the best service. We have come to Florian twice and have been amazed with the service and the flavors of the dishes. Absolutely recommend and can't wait to go back :) read more

Great good vibes always great service no matter what love it there there fish tacos are phenomenal

Hot dishes delivered cold. Service remarkably slow. Misses the mark in every manner. Management unwilling to make accommodation for a sufferable meal. If you want to be disappointed and frustrated, this is your spot! Rank: No Stars. read more

Restaurant week in New Haven brought our 4 person party to this restaurant. Nice decor. There is an lovely bar area and a sitting area for mostly two guests. We were brought upstairs and seated in the upstairs dining room. Nice decor upstairs as well. We opted for the $34 per person dinner. Service was good throughout. We had beet salads, a sushi app and I had the Brussel sprouts which were phenomenal. The sushi app was a little different in that they deep fried the rice - strange little twist. Two salmon entrees and coq et vin were good. One salmon was a bit on the cold side. I had mussels and they were delicious. Two creme brûlées, a chocolate cake and a lemon sorbet finished the meal. The martinis and the drinks poured were done perfectly. I think this was a great night out and a good place which I will return to again. read more

My husband and I enjoyed a delicious late lunch today. We were fortunate to have Kevin as our server. For starters we shared the calamari which was better than any we've had in years. The burger was super thick and cooked to perfection. The curry moules with fries I would definitely get again. And getting back to Kevin-he's one of the most welcoming and engaging people we've met dining out. We'll be back soon. Thank you so much!! read more

Feeling like having fresh oysters? I have been dying for finding a good place for oysters. I heard words of mouth from others saying Atelier Florian is one of a good place to enjoy oysters with reasonable price at happy hour. I visited with four of us and had Fried Calamari, oysters, and various drinks. Not to mention the freshness of oysters, I was impressed by excellent quality of the wine on tap I ordered. Friendly staff, lively atmosphere, and high quality food were all extraordinarily satisfying for our first round. Definitely recommendable for date, party, and family events. Ask for wine! read more

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Another great find while on travel. Atelier Florian is a quaint restaurant that offers GOOD food. I was impressed with their Sunday Brunch as well as their dinner offerings. I believe this is one of my favorite restaurants to dine in while in New Haven as I've either physically dined in or ordered via UberEats at least 4x. read more

My first time dining here. I had the east rock salad (cute nod to local neighborhoods with the names), deviled eggs, grilled octopus, and fish tacos. All was very good. Service was attentive and friendly. Also tried the midori martini. I definitely plan to come back for the oyster happy hour. read more

Atelier Florian - Apps for dinner! - Seafood Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

I have been meaning to try this place for awhile. So, we decided to come here for New Haven Restaurant Week. Keeping that in mind, we knew it would be busy so it might not represent the typical experience. We got there right on time for our reservation time and the hostess was nowhere to be seen. After finding her, we ended up having to wait 20-30 minutes. The service followed that trend - not readily available and kind of snobbish. We felt like she was subtly giving off the attitude of "oh you're only here because we have a special Restaurant Week menu" which was not the best. Anyways, ambiance was good, food was ok. Drinks were not strong enough, but price was right where we expected it for this type of restaurant. Overall, nothing against it, but not really someplace I am itching to go back to. Lots of other food options. read more

Awesome brunch spot! Interior was very well set up with a very cutesy design and live music playing - created a very classy and welcoming ambiance. Service was quick, staff was AMAZING, ordering was easy, and food was served promptly! Great brunch options ranging from pancakes, benedicts, to avocado toast, everything was delicious! $4 mimosas, refills given in a timely manner. 10/10 recommend for brunch/ lunch dates. Dinner menu looks to die for too! read more

***HAPPY HOUR ONLY*** One of the best happy hours in New Haven. Half off beers, tap wine, and cocktails. I always get the Leffe that's on tap, and it's $3.50 a pop. (Can you say amazinggggg!) Plus, you can get Oysters for $1 an oyster. Honestly, a great decor, too, and it's one of the best places to meet up with friends for a cheap (but good) drink that won't break the bank. Would highly recommend for happy hour, and I'll certainly be going back soon (and already have). read more

I made reservations for four for New Year's eve dinner approximately a week in advance. I was unaware of an upstairs and a downstairs seating area. From my own, personal experience, I have found that the "upstairs" is never as nice as the main level. It always seems that's where the "overflow" is seated. The restaurant wasn't packed! Anyway, it was quieter and warmer upstairs but if I were to come back I would prefer to be seated downstairs where the vibe and ambience is better. The good was great as was the service. This is what we had: Appetizers: Shishito peppers, roasted Brussels sprouts and Calamari. Main course: Gnocchi, Bouillabaisse and the steak. One side of Caesar salad. Everything was delicious. The complimentary mini chocolate mousse was a nice and yummy ending to the meal. We tried two cocktails-I had the One for the Sages Martini-very good. My friend had the Pumpkin Spice and said it was ok. read more

Perhaps my opinion is biased because I'm vegan but the menu is truly lacking. The best they could offer me was a salad. I ended up settling for Brussels sprouts and asparagus. A list of available sides would have been appreciated. The sangria wasn't would I expected either read more

Atelier Florian - Seafood Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Best happy hour in New Haven. We love to get 18 oysters ($1 each!) and a half carafe of wine. The oysters are huge, fresh, and juicy. You can tell they were just pulled up from the water. The half carafe is a really generous amount for the price (I think around $6 or so) and the Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect pairing with the oysters. The space is beautiful and bright -- elegant but not stuffy. The non-happy hour dishes are expensive, so I'd save for a special occasion unless you'd like to splurge. read more

Fantastic food, service and ambience. I am a self professed food snob and this meets my expectations for a current food and wine experience on par with NYC or Brooklyn. Compliments. read more

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I have now eaten here twice and the difference between the two experiences was like night and day. The first time was not a good experience. The service was poor and the food was served incorrectly. I wrote a yelp review explaining my experience. Because I had made my reservation through opentable, the manager had my phone number. She called and profusely apologized. I guess they had a big party that night and she transferred her anxiety about it to her staff. She urged me to come back for a redo. I would have never given them a second chance, but I also would have never expected the management of a restaurant to care so much about my satisfaction. So we did go back. The manager had asked us to ask for her when we go back so she could apologize, but I wanted to first experience the restaurant without their realizing who we were. I wanted another regular experience without their trying to impress me. Well, we were impressed. The waiter did everything perfectly. He took our order in the right order, he made delicious recommendations (pear martini ftw!), and was always friendly and courteous. Everything we ate and drank was fantastic. I'm excited to go back for the $1 oyster happy hour special that they have every day. Also, the beignets that we had for dessert were just divine. (I wish we didn't share the plate. I wanted them all! So good!) They make excellent food and they care about making sure the customers have an excellent experience. The manager clearly wants people to be thrilled with their experience. I can't wait for my next visit. read more

Here after theatre today. Not the usual friendly service- hostess cold, waitress indifferent. No course checked. Waited for iced coffee 1/2 hour- for no reason. Prix fixe dinner was overpriced. Disappointing at best for one of my favorite New Haven Restaurants Bummer read more

This is my favorite restaurant in New Haven and I have eaten many lovely meals here. However, their business practices during the phased reopening left a very bad taste in my mouth. Florian has very limited outdoor seating. Knowing this, I made a reservation and specified outdoor only as I wasn't willing to eat indoors. I was clearly told that we had a reservation for outside and that this was just fine. However, upon arrival I was told that all outdoor reservations had been "converted" to first come. We were then steered to an indoor table. This is clearly a ploy to drive business inside since they have limited outdoor dining. Don't take reservations that you won't honor! Very disappointing. read more

I really wanted to like Florian. I did. My friend and I booked a table here for Friday night last week and were seated promptly. She got the bouillabaisse and I got the moules frites marinière. Classic Belgian dishes, we thought. What could go wrong with our dinner. A lot it turns out. First of all, we weren't given bread. We had to bring this to the attention of our waiter, who then obliged. He then said there was no butter with the bread and we'd have to wait 10 minutes (it never came without prompting. Did someone pop out to buy butter?). Second of all, my friends bouillabaisse resembled a thick tomato paste laced with a few bits of seafood, some of which were clearly frozen and was completely bland in flavour. There was also incidentally no fish to be had. I honestly don't know what kind of "fish stew" this was supposed to be. Third of all, my moules frites came with about a tablespoon of stock and about 3 tons of flavourless cabbage and onion. If I wanted to dine like a peasant, I would have gladly stayed at home. The mussels were tough and just not nice at all. I did ask for more stock, but the waiter said it couldn't be done. However, 5 minutes later he comes back with some more stock and about 2 more tons of vegetables that he dumped into the bucket. I appreciated the gesture and the kind waiter, genuinely thinking the mussels would taste better, but it didn't. It's safe to say we won't be returning. read more