Could not rave more about this place. Wings and Reuben were amazing and the staff is top notch! We brought our kids hockey team here and sat on their beautiful outdoor seating and they did a bang up job!! read more

Although I like their wings, I will never get a salad from there again - this was $15!!!!! And they still charged $.10 for the to go bag. They didn't even ask if we needed a bag, just assumed and charged us. read more

Hard Hat Cafe - Southwest Chicken Salad -- way too expensive - Cafes Near Me - North Haven, Connecticut

Had the opportunity to try out this true, mostly guys, work a day bar. Staff was great, as we're the wings and poppers. Large screen sports all around. Loud, engaged crowd. Few couples, did not observe this as suitable for families, although I am sure they would be welcome. Bar, back room and outdoor tent seating. read more

Used to go here all the time. Now $2 per wing? No thanks. Won't be going here anymore. I know the price of wings have gone up, but you wont find any other place charging as much as they are. read more

This is 1 of my most favorite places. Terrific food and the staff is the best!! They are very attentive and they remember your "usual" drink order. The doob wings are addictive, satisfying and delicious. I love the new addition & expanded outdoor seating. New friends are made there all the time. Thank you for the good times! read more

Great local "dive" bar. Came here with a couple of friends that picked it out after hearing about their wings. Upon driving up I wasn't so sure about going in, but glad I did. Small place but the vibe is friendly and fun. Bartenders are very friendly and welcoming and aim to please. The food was fantastic. We got the Doob wings, fried ravioli, fried pickles and sweet potato tots all super good, LOVED the wings. The place itself is very small, but they have a back room with an additional bar. Guess it's for really busy days/or perhaps parties?.?.?.not sure. Two single bathrooms men & woman and the have an outdoor tent area for nice weather. Great place to watch the game with I believe 5... maybe 6 TVs all with different games on. read more

The best local bar in North Haven. The wings and food are awesome. Try steak and cheese egg rolls and Doob wings. Friendly service and surprisingly welcome and accommodating with kids. GREAT place!!! read more

Great dinner last night at Hard Hat... new outside patio was terrific ! Great food, great service and great waitress, Nicole ! Plan on making this a weekly night out... Thanks all :-) LYNN read more

Amazing food, service and music. The wings are really crunchy and flavorful. Waitresses are super friendly and attentive. They have music playing on weekend. First time going there and we are in love. Hysteria rocked the stage and made our night so much fun. Highly recommended and definitely be back and try some different food read more

Never Again. The bill came with the food. We payed while our food got cold. The staff was rude and they screwed up our order.

I ordered this food on 2/15/21 and the quality was extremely poor, I ordered a buffalo chicken wrap and what I got was a few strips of chicken that was drowning in their bleu cheese that overshadows any other taste. This food was disgusting and will never return here and suggest you do the same read more

I have been meaning to stop by for years and now that I did I am glad I did. Nice clean hole in the wall but spotless kitchen and the doob wings are awesome ... read more

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I guess it's good if you're a regular or they know you but were not. We've given them 3 tries and had bad service all 3 times while staff fawns over the regulars. It's a basic dive bar with decent wings and beer that is somewhat overpriced. Go to any Archie Moore's, it beats this place hands down. read more

This is one of the first bars I came to after moving to Hamden and will always remind me of good times. Friendly staff and great wings! This is a place made for camaraderie and drinking. read more

This place is famous for their wings, specifically the 'Doobs'. They are fried and then grilled. They are some of the best wings around, but they are way overpriced and definitely not worth the hassle. Unfortunately, the service is so bad I will never go there again. On both of my visits (which were several months apart) the bartender had a NASTY cough and a VERY POOR attitude. She was coughing constantly and never once covered her mouth... On my most recent visit she botched the order twice and made some snide comments when I asked her to correct it. The place is also dirty... I went to sign the bill and my hand stuck to the bar... read more

They have constantly gone up on the wing price year after year and it has now gotten up to $2 a wing. Absolutely absurd.

This is a dive bar. As in I want to dive into a plate of doob and a cold pint. The doob wing is a fried, then sauced, then grilled chicken wing. They are, everything considered, a perfect chicken wing. They also have a lot of craft beer choices for a little spot like this. Not a lot of seating in the bar, but there are some tables in the back and an awesome tent for outdoors adventures when it's warm. A local favorite and a great place for a happy hour drink and app. read more

Been here plenty of times me but service definitely hit or miss. Spent over 20min tonight completely being ignored. Left with no service and not even a second glance from staff. Won't return anytime soon. read more

This is a little local yoke-cal dive bar with amazing wings! We have been going there for a while and have tried everything on the menu. The food can be described as fantastic bar eats most of the time but it really depends on which person is cooking. The only thing I can say is the prices have been slowly increasing so come with cash. It is now at a point where we are putting this place on probation, so to speak. Although, the wings are dynamite the prices are out of control. When three friends go for a quick snack of wings and a couple of beers and walk out with a $100 tab it's now crossed the line of stupid! We are taking a break from this place for a while especially since there are other close by places that have better wings with better prices. If you've never been, give it a shot but remember this place is not for everyone, like I said it is a divey local's joint so be prepared. But if you do you go you must get the doob wings!!!!!! OMG! they are the best! read more

Nice local establishment. DOOBY Wings are highly recommended. Great service and people. It's just a small place but it is mostly locals.

Hard hat has the best wings around. Great bar with cool people who work there! I can honestly say that their doob wings are comparable to none. The only place where I will get wings from! read more

We've only done take-out from this place, but they seriously have the best burgers I've had outside of the mid-west. Great flavor and hefty portions. We usually get steak fries, which are excellent, but they have others that are tasty too. May seem a little pricey for a burger, but trust me when I say it's worth it. read more

Great little dive bar with good food. I ordered a cheeseburg and the doob wings which are their signature dish- and very good. Prices were a bit higher than I expected- service was fine. Now I have to try their expansion location in Wallingford to compare to the original in North Haven. read more

Holy cow - keep the shepards pie eggrolls foreverrrr!! We were going to drink the gravy. The southwest salad dressing is amazing. Deep fried or right off the grill - have not had a bad meal yet. read more

Love the "Hole in the wall atmosphere". You have to try the Doobs wings they are delicious!! The staff is super friendly and attentive. Every now and then the whole bar will join in singing someone's juke box choice. read more

Great wings. Cold beer. Great service. The DOOB wings are petty awesome. I usually go for the hotter, the better, but these are petty outstanding. read more

OK, I am going with four stars because of the wings and the quality of the food. This might become a regular take out place. The Doob wing (fried then grilled) are awesome. Not messy, with great taste and spicy. If you like a drier wing but still want buffalo flavoring give the Hard Hat a try. The service was very friendly but somewhat inconsistent on delivery. This is a bar that servers good food making a transition to a bar/restaurant. This is not a place I would bring my six and eight year old to get a bite to eat and watch some sports, the conversations are too colorful. It is in a strange out of the way spot, so it is definitely a local's dive bar the food prices are on the mainstream side. My wife had a grilled chicken wrap with waffle fries that was very tasty. The waffle fries were crisp. I enjoyed eating and drinking here with a group of friends/regulars. I will go again and I will definitely get take out soon. read more

We found this place while visiting the fair and it was awesome! It looks very small and is hidden on a back street but it is worth the search. Great real chicken wings made fresh! Everyone was very friendly. It has a nice small town "watering hole" feel. I highly recommend it for lunch. read more

Stopped by for a couple of beers on a Sunday. Honestly we were just looking for a place for a couple of drinks open before noon and this was the place we found. Seems like a bunch of regulars. The bartender was friendly. Decent looking inside considering it seemed questionable as to where my gps was taking me. I didn't try any food but it did smell good. We did seem some people picking up takeout orders. Decent selection of beers on tap. Looking for a quick drink and in the neighborhood you should stop by! read more

Came here last weekend and had an awesome time. There was a mixed crowd, some older and some younger. There was an array of music being played in the jukebox. We ordered their "Doob" wings and they were delicious!!! The bartenders and patrons were very friendly. I would definitely go back. read more

Great food great staff great beer. Don't let the outside of the place scare ya lol. Go in and you won't regret it

This place definitely has a no frills, local, dive bar feel. Most of the people there are local regulars and the crowd, at least the night I was there, was a bit older. There are a ton of tv's to watch football etc. I agree that it's a bit loud between the music and the patrons but that didn't bother me. The people were all very friendly, patrons and staff. They have a decent beer selection on draft. The true star though was the food. The food was definitely much better than your typical "bar food". I agree with the reviews of the wings, definitely worth trying. The burger I had was also excellent. This place definitely has its niche and I'd certainly go back. read more

By far the worst afternoon bar for a couple of pops and food I Have ever been too.. hands down.... The place had no soul/vibe..My dead grandmother in the ground has more personality than this joint. Maybe a off day but shit..had a better time at work eating lunch on the job.. Food was ok at best.. just like any other bar with a bar menu.. Maybe just a off day... or bad timing on our part.... I really wanted to like this place.... read more

We were visiting from AZ to see family here in Hamden and wanted to try the Hard Hat Cafe because of the great Yelp reviews. We were not disappointed! The wings are amazing. We tried the garlic and Parmesan cheese wings along with the buffalo blue cheese. Both were very tasty. I tried the Hard Hat Wrap which was very flavorful with the candied pecans. The sweet potato fries were just perfect as well! Our server was attentive and the prices reasonable. Thanks for the lovely meal! read more

Always go here for wings, actually only place I go for wings!! The doob wings are the best. Great service from the staff every time I go. Would recommend going to try the doobs!! read more

Tiny hidden little place, with great bar food. Slow service, but friendly atmosphere. Prices fair.

Easily the best lunch around. While the office is only about a mile away, there''s really no reason to go any place else. Bar staff is friendly & personable. Great happy hour too. read more

The company email info@hardhatcafe.com was rejected People. Buy some hamburger. There are seven items on the menu for hamburger and you have been out of burgers for 4 days. Plus we have been waiting for hard hat north haven waffle fries since you opened. Two bars. Two companies. Sell them to each other. read more

Awesome bar food! Actually, just awesome food in general. The doob wings are out of this world good, and their fried pickles are top notch. Solid drinks, delicious bar food, all at a divey bar. Can't get any better! It's off the beaten path a bit, so I can't imagine many people stumble upon Hard Hat accidentally which is a shame. It's the perfect place to meet friends for a bite, a drink, and a laid back atmosphere. I've never felt pressured to order more or leave, like some other bars. Not much else to say, the decor is nothing special, the staff is friendly and quick, it's whatever..the food alone the standout here. read more

Dropped by with a few friends this last Saturday night for a couple of drinks. Heard a band on the patio, 2/3 Tall. Outstanding!!! The music, crowd and patio service was great. We stayed the whole night. Would love to know when the band is appearing there again. read more