What a special place! The restaurant is intimate and bright, which is perfect as it sits alongside the water. There is a small herb garden outside the window where the kitchen chef occasionally went out to pick fresh herbs. Our sushi chef Mai was so funny and attentive, we absolutely loved him! We even tried his signature fried roll which was of course decadent. The young man presenting each dish was so sweet and funny too! Great conversationalists and smiles all around (we encouraged it of course). They really have a special team there. Each bite was thoughtfully curated, fresh, and paired with sauces and seasonings that did not overpower the main ingredient. My absolute favorites were the o-toro, scallop, jellyfish, amberjack, and wagyu. We were celebrating my birthday and they were so sweet to decorate my matcha crepe cake with a candle. The cake was so light, it was a perfect finish. The owner was also there and checked in to make sure we were having a great time. I appreciated this a lot. 10/10 will be returning. It's sad CT doesn't have too many omakase options but that's ok because Little Lotus met all my needs. read more

Beautiful ambiance and decor that makes you feel like you're somewhere tropical. Incredibly attentive service, excellent quality of fish with each course being better than the next. My friend and I did the omakase and we will be going back! Everything was outstanding read more

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Good vegan food!!!! Really yummy, reasonable price, nice vibes inside. Service was good read more

This was an absolute treat! I got the omakase, the oxtail bao buns, jumbo honey shrimp, lamb chops, braised ribs, flan, and matcha crepe cake. Every single dish was fantastic. All of flavors paired so beautifully together. I had the best omakase experience! The food was delicious, incredible service from our waiter Jordan, and the perfect location to set the mood! Chef Dave is a wizard in the kitchen! Easily the best dining experience I've ever had! WOW! 10/10 read more

Little Lotus - Flan - Japanese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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I chose the omakase -- a unique combination of hot dishes and sushi. The fish was incredibly fresh and top quality. The hot dishes featured Wagyu beef, octopus in a chile verde sauce, and scallops. The only downside? It's going to be hard to go back to regular sushi after this -- this place is truly on another level. I was dining alone, but I felt completely comfortable. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. read more

We enjoyed the excitement of a new spot opening. The staff was knowledgable, friendly and eager to please. The interior was very bright and clean. The back patio overlooks the parking lot and has a water view beyond. The front patio is attractive along the front of the restaurant on the street side. Some of the dishes we had were a bit on the pricey side, but well prepared, creative and tasty (a single crab cake was wonderful but cost $25). The wine recommendation was excellent. All in all, we may consider returning if later reviews are positive. read more

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The food was as good as the lo-fi vibes. Love this restaurant and would highly recommend it! read more

Little Lotus - Japanese Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Fantastic new restaurant. My husband and I decided to celebrate our 10th anniversary at Little Lotus. We have been to our fair share of 1, 2, and 3 star Michelin restaurants in NYC. Little Lotus deserves a 5 star review. The service was fantastic. The drinks were phenomenal. We had the yuzu and matcha drinks and both were fantastic. I've had my fair share of drinks in the city as well and these are just as good. We ordered the yellow tail crudo which was a great combination of both flavors and textures. The crab cake is to die for. I forgot to take a picture of the sushi roll, but it was the freshest one I've ever had. The cod was great and I was surprised by the portion size. I have nothing negative to say. And I am a harsh food critic. read more

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It's very rare for me to rate a place 5 stars. If not for the meh main course, it was 5 stars for sure. Two of us were seated about 5 pm. Started with drinks. My Matcha Moment was might fine so I had 2. I'm not a sake guy, but my buddy said it was good. We ordered 2 great apps: pan seared foie gras and charbroiled oysters. I highly recommend both. Next up was 2 rolls, Magic and Little Lotus. We both very much enjoyed the one named for the place, but the Magic Roll was one of the best or the best rolls we've ever had anywhere. Both were large, fresh and super flavorful. We both felt the rolls were better than those from Hanami in Clinton. We ordered the braised short rib on coconut polenta, but they had run out (not even 5:30)! Being lamb lovers we chose that instead and it was a letdown for both portion size and flavor. Menu stated 4 but we received 3; menu has since been updated. We've both had very good and amazing lamb dishes, and this wasn't even close. The waiter was fantastic: knowledgeable, patient, prompt, courteous and friendly. While finishing our meal we struck up a conversation with chef Larry the owner. Fun and easy to talk with, and obviously very proud of his new restaurant. He even treated my buddy to a taste of the good stuff sake. I highly recommend this restaurant, and I can't wait to go back for the Omakase. read more

We had been waiting for a while for this little gem of a waterside restaurant to open and it was worthy the wait. It is not just a "sushi" place but has a wide selection of dishes -superb. The atmosphere is comfortable and the staff is super friendly and appear to love what they are doing and eager to exhibit their culinary knowledge. A small but roomy place-the owners do not appear to want to "jam" more and more customers in at once. Definitely will be a favorite place for us to dine at a table or sit at the bar for drinks and appetizers. read more

Every single dish was outstanding. Very pretty spot on the water. Excellent and friendly service. My new fav New Haven restaurant.

The food was exquisite! So many different flavors. Accompanied by a glass of plum wine. The staff and owner were very friendly and kind. Accessible friendly as well! ‍‍ read more

Excellent sushi, but the apps and mains were great as well. I really enjoyed the crab cakes, foie gras and meatballs. It's a very nice setting for a sushi restaurant and the service was excellent. I will definitely be back. read more

Absolutely amazing restaurant. The food is fresh and delicious. The staff is wonderful. And it has a beautiful view! Cannot recommend this place enough. read more

The food is NYC quality-- every dish better than the next, from foie gras to wagyu beef and the sushi. The service is impeccable, the owners Larry and Nia make sure to come and speak to everyone and are beyond thoughtful. We went for a celebration of life for my dad, and they picked up on that, and brought tears to my eyes when they surprised us with a lit dessert ON THE HOUSE! Can't say enough good things about the food and the vibe of this restaurant. Despite being a small place, this is a MUST TRY for anyone in the New Haven area. Worth noting, this couple also owns Red Lotus in Shelton, which has more of a family style and is also quite successful. read more

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A new restaurant in New Haven by the waterfront, Little Lotus appears to be resting on its location, more so than its quality or service, to drive attendance. I stopped by on a Friday evening in the fall, and found the experience disappointing. The quality of the fish falls short of à la carte counters in East Rock, as well as omakase experiences in downtown New Haven, and the facilities feel sterile. It feels more like a cheap attempt to jump on the omakase gravy train than a genuine attempt to deliver high-quality sushi to the area. I left with regrets that I hadn't gone elsewhere. read more

High quality new Japanese/Asian fusion little place in New Haven with delicious and sophisticated omakase. Friendly service and cozy atmosphere. read more

So fortunate this restaurant is in my neighborhood. I was there last night--not only is the food amazing...the vibe is so clearly a draw for inclusivity; a microcosm of the way the world should be. Larry and Nia are the best -- they embrace everybody as if they are sitting at their own kitchen table. Also interesting to note, at a time when people don't tend to get dressed up anymore to go out, people seem to make the extra effort, even though that is not required; it speaks volumes for the class/respect of this small place. read more

What a great way to celebrate my birthday with my wife. The entire experience from start to finish was 5 stars. We chose the Omakase experience which consisted of 17 courses which I highly recommend. To the staff of Little Lotus, thank you for making my birthday dinner so special. read more

This is a new place that is trying hard in terms of ambience and customer service. They are eager to please but the food doesn't meet minimum standards for quality Asian cuisine. I went with a Japanese friend and we ordered the omakase "chef's choice." The basics - the quality, temperature, and consistency of the rice, the balance of flavor in the dashi, the way they cut the fish for nigiri sushi, and the quality of the fish - were unfortunately lacking. "Asian fusion" should be a creative improvement on traditional Chinese and Japanese cooking but you can't improve on something unless you start with good fundamentals. read more

We had a wonderful time at the Little Lotus in New Haven! We ordered the Ominkase for a party of five. We got a fine dining experience with a casual vibe. Our waiter walked us through each course and was very knowledgeable about the culinary ideas behind all the ingredients. The whole staff was very friendly and efficient and the owner popped by occasionally to check how things were progressing (great guy!). We missed out on what probably was a great sunset over the harbor due to the weather. Although we may not be in New Haven that often (we were just visting for the day and were celebrating an occasion) I hope you will give this place a try if you're a sushi fan. The menu has some other great dishes as well. read more

We strolled up to Little Lotus the day after a horrendous winter storm. And wow, I'm glad we did! Once we stepped into the restaurant, I immediately forgot about the horrendous weather and instead was introduced to an incredible meal with incredible people. The Little Lotus is in fact, little - there are about ten or so seats at the bar and a few tables of varying size. I highly recommend the chef's omakase. Getting to watch the chefs prepare each course was a whole show in itself - quite literally art! Around halfway through the dinner, the owner came in (Larry - and his wife Nia), and they were so welcoming and warm. They greeted each individual table and you could tell they treated the staff like family. We felt so exceptionally welcomed and warm. Now, onto the food - WOW! First off, the number of courses for the price is insanely worth it. On top of that, this isn't your run of the mill omakase. I've done omakase before and it's usually just a bunch of nigiri, maybe a crudo, maybe a dessert - not this one!!! This omakase was a whole meal - incredible warm and cold dishes to start that were created with such craft and care. Then, the nigiri were all also beautifully made - my personal favorites were the king salmon with truffle, the tuna belly with caviar, and the fluke. Of the apps, the chowanmushi (egg custard) was a standout. But again - everything was good. The end dessert of a matcha crepe cake was the perfect conclusion to any already exceptional meal. I also had a matcha cocktail which was DELICIOUS! I honestly can't say enough good things about this meal. We will 100% be back, with friends!! read more

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The best sushi and service. From the A5-wagyu to the most delicate of flavor. the chefs table is by far the pick you will not get any better flavors. read more