Fair Haven Oyster Co. absolutely lived up to the hype…read more The restaurant is small, intimate, and has a beautiful deck overlooking the water that makes for the perfect date night. The service was outstanding from the moment we arrived - friendly, attentive, and never overbearing. The food was the real star. I ordered the skate wing which came in a buttery piccata-style sauce with capers and a few blistered tomatoes, and it was honestly some of the best fish pI've ever had. It was perfectly cooked, incredibly tender, and the sauce was so good I wanted to soak up every last drop. They served it bone-in and de-boned it table-side, which I loved. My husband had the whole fried dorade and couldn't stop talking about how good it was. We finished with the pot de crème, which was everything you want in a dessert - rich, silky, and absolutely delicious. From the setting to the service to every bite of food, this was a perfect meal from start to finish. Highly recommend!

We went to Fair Haven Oyster for my birthday. The service was phenomenal and right on the mark--the…read morestaff was incredibly attentive and always there when we needed a drink. The view from the deck was also excellent, and the cocktails themselves were delicious. A lot of the appetizers were very good. The tuna tartare and the mussel curry were both inspired dishes; the mussels in the sauce had great flavor, though the portion sizes overall felt small. The blistered snap peas with preserved lemon were also delicious. That said, for a place with "oyster" in the name, we expected a wider or higher-quality selection, perhaps including some from Canada, rather than the fairly standard options from CT and MA. Unfortunately, the main dishes missed the mark for us and didn't offer enough food. The sea bass was overcooked. the accompanying lima beans weren't cooked all the way through, and the dish lacked depth of flavor. The shrimp main also fell short, with the shrimp having a very odd, mushy bland flavor. To finish, the pot de crème had so much cream and so little actual chocolate that there was almost no chocolate flavor. On a separate note, navigating the QR code menu was pretty obnoxious. Restaurants should really just offer traditional paper menus; people stare at screens all day and come out to engage with each other, not look at a phone again, and constantly have it on the table. While I appreciate Fair Haven Oyster's creative concepts, their tinned fish with pickled sides, and their great starters, the execution on the mains and the portion sizes left something to be desired, especially at these price points. This was probably our sixth time going to Fairhaven Oyster. We've been going over the past few years and my overall takeaway is that I will definitely return for the drinks, the great atmosphere, and some appetizers, but will not be ordering mains.

I've been to Ordinary perhaps 3-4 times. Being a New Haven native, I've been to about every bar,…read morerestaurant, or eatery in the city, and Ordinary has been no exception. First few times I went was during covid, and they were one of the few that allowed folks to just be. They resembled a real speakeasy during lockdown because you had to ring a bell and be let in. My most recent visit was with two of my long time friends on a rainy Wednesday night. We got seated by the "fireplace" and browsed the menu. I landed on a mocktail old fashion, my friend got the bee's knees and we got the big pretzel and the candied bacon. Pretzel was great, old fashion could have been better but the ambience was just what we needed. You really get a feel of old school New Haven being at Ordinary. The staff was great so I'll be back.

Service here is excellent! The bartenders are SO nice and helpful when making decisions about…read moredrinks. They'll make you basically anything you want and even create custom drinks if you say you like a certain kind of liquor. Also happy hour !! It doesn't reaallly feel like a speakeasy but it's still a really cool vibe

Dined here last night with family and friends. We had a great time. The burger was excellent…read more Service was smooth and efficient. We will definitely be back.

I love the other Hachiroku locations in New Haven and was excited to try this cocktail bar…read more The atmosphere was nice and although the place isn't huge, they had several different seating options. As for the drinks, they had sake and whiskey, but no umeshu (plum wine), which was a bit disappointing. It's a common Japanese drink and is even used in some of the cocktails on the menu. When we inquired, the server said the cocktails are pre-mixed so they don't have it, which seemed odd for a cocktail bar. The server didn't even seem to know what umeshu was, because she suggested looking at their other wines, when umeshu isn't even a wine. It's just translated to plum wine in English, but it's a liquor made from Japanese plums. For food, we ordered: - shishito peppers - wagyu uni & toast - tempura fish & chips The wagyu uni & toast and fish & chips came out first, together. It seemed our order for shishito peppers hadn't been put through, so it came 15 min later, with no explanation. So the order was off but the fish & chips and shishito peppers were good. The uni was delicious, but we didn't enjoy the pairing with the wagyu at all, mainly because it was mostly fat. It was so fatty, after the first bite, we took the meat off and just ate the rest. We still had a nice evening, but this wasn't the best dining experience we've had.

We waited approximately 25 minutes just to receive our drinks and over 35 minutes for our food. To…read moremake matters worse, several items we ordered were never brought to the table at all. When the food finally arrived, the quality was unacceptable. The jerk chicken was raw, which is a serious food safety concern, and the rice and beans were undercooked. After such a long wait, we expected much better. To be fair, the restaurant did remove the jerk chicken dinners from our bill after we brought the issue to their attention, and that was appreciated. However, it did not make up for the excessive wait times, missing items, and poorly prepared food. Overall, the experience was frustrating and disappointing. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this restaurant based on our visit.

Good stuff behind the bar, the bartenders were pretty outstanding…read more HOWEVER that menu is sort of a drag, nothing was available on it. Also maybe consider having just a drink menu. The storys are a bit contrived for a neighborhood that unfortunately cares little for it, as i've seen. Again alot of things on menu were out of stock. I came to New Haven for a show down the block and strangely I was lured into something that was proposed as an extension of NYC however that it was not. Lastly, I get the concept but at certain hours the same Islander vibe gets pretty Banal after the 5/6 song that sounds like that last 5/6 songs.

Old Heidelberg is one of my favorite spots in New Haven. Great drinks, great crowd, and always the…read moreperfect place to catch up with friends after a long week. I speak for many students when I say that Mike is a huge part of what makes this place so special. He genuinely cares about the people at the bar, remembers faces, checks in on people, and makes everyone feel welcome. Absolute legend!!!

Great place and cool classic environment. Loved the beer…read moreselection and though the food menu is limited, most of the things we tried were delicious. Fantastic friendly service even on a crowded night.

Nice bar, great cocktails, delicious looking food, what more could you want!!…read more Stoped in for a happy hour drink, well worth it!

Excellent service, excellent burgers, and excellent cocktails! A great experience over lunch,…read morewithout any wait time. We definitely recommend the burgers on english muffins, phenomenal! 100% recommended!

I really don't want to write this review. I've been here twice in the last 4 months. I'm allergic…read moreto seafood and fish and it seems as if so many entrees, including a steak dish, contain seafood. Overall, the food was fine, a bit pretentious but fine. The dining room was so loud esp when the bartenders were shaking drinks as if they were starring with Tom Hanks in "cocktail" We had the pea salad which was very fibrous and chewy (a 10 second Blanche wouldn't hurt) and the burger was tasty but served with frozen French fries, and way too much of them. Considering the style of menu, frozen fries don't belong on the menu. The fish was overcooked and dry. Overall, it's an inconsistent experience. Dinner for 3 was $200 with 1 shared app, 2 burgers and the fish course plus 3 drinks.

I was on Holiday and my son and daughter in law have been meaning to take me here. We did a walk in…read more(we got lucky) I suggest reservations. We had a time limit to eat (due to a reservation at the table) inside or on the heated patio. It was cold so we ate inside. Our waiter Brendan was cool, knowledgeable and attentive. I ordered a burger, fries (came with it) I don't like fries I opted for a salad. My daughter in law got octopus and a pasta dish. My son a steak in chili butter sauce .Everything was delicious and the presentation was lovely. My son's only vice was the steak pre cut (it was new on menu) He preferred to cut himself. The ambience was low level lighting and relaxed. I had a delicious meal and a pleasant experience. I'd patronize this place again. Oh we had dessert too. They had tiramisu, we shared a lemon tart it was delish

Stopped here on a road trip and was blown away by how amazing this cafe is. They have such a…read morecommunity vibe, great drinks, a popcorn machine, and are dog friendly. Strong WiFi also! I got the coconut cold brew and it was chefs kiss - not too sweet.

Came back and brought a friend! Love their interesting take on drinks. Got a jasmine matcha and a…read moreblack coffee. Both were a good time and the service was quick and efficient.