My fiancé and I were passing through CT on our way from Boston to Florida. Found this place through yelp reviews. We arrived just after the 7 am opening on a weekday. Service was friendly, fast and accommodating. Food was excellent!!! Everything tasted fresh and home made. Very nice place. The only drawback was that there was no heat!! This is December. No heat! When we asked if the place would warm up we were told that the owner had turned off the heat the night before to try to get rid of the "gnats". What? There's a gnat problem in the restaurant? Staff probably shouldn't say that to the customers. Sad to say that it was hard to enjoy the great food and atmosphere while freezing our butts off. Would have given the place a 4 but they lost a star because of the heat issue and bugs. We would definitely go back and try again though. read more

I signed up for Yelp just to leave a review of this place. The service here is absolutely TERRIBLE. The waitresses spend the entire time talking to their friends instead of paying attention to their customers. I've never seen anything like this in my entire life. I came here based on reading a review online about their pancakes, which were actually okay, but the service ruined the entire experience for us. I've honestly been treated better going to breakfast at McDonalds. Bottom line: We'll never come back here again. read more

Cash only and no, the laundromat with the ATM down the street is not open on Sunday mornings, no visible announcement that they will take away your outside latte you have been nursing if you try to bring it in, dry eggs, terrible greasy, hard bacon, and really disinterested service. The recorded jazz music was nice. read more

Great breakfast/brunch spot, but don't expect anything fancy. This is like eating at your uncle's restaurant on the weekend. The food is standard fare, the decor is...well, what decor?, and the service is done by your awkward 14 year old cousin. I think the food here is very good, but if you're looking for decadence visit brunch spots on Whalley. read more

Good food. Casual atmosphere. Cantankerous owner. Rarely can walk in- usually a line.

We ran out of sugar to make pancakes at home so I suggested we try this place out. I was kind of worried that there might be a long line since we didn't leave until 9:15 am. With the snow banks all over on the streets in New Haven and their unplowed parking lot, it was quite difficult to find a place to park. Surprisingly, we were seated right away. The seats were small. We ordered salmon Benedict, omelette and a short stack of small pancakes. Salmon Benedict was very very nice. The flavors of smoked salmon, yolk and the hollandaise sauce really work together quite nicely. The potatoes are tasteful with crunchy skin. The pancakes are fluffy and full of buttery taste. We did not even use the extra butter or the syrup. (The syrup is not the good maple syrup...) My bf had the omelette and he had plenty of meat in it as he wants it. It is definitely a good treat as a Sunday brunch. read more

My husband and I took my mother-in-law to the pantry for her birthday as first timeMy lox scramble with home fries and rye toast was very good. The birthday girl had a deliciously, mouth watering, pancake filled with fresh peaches dish. We happily helped her as she was unable to finish the dish. The three stars are largely due to the long wait. While I enjoyed the food, it was not good enough to warrant a 45minute wait. read more

Disclaimer: This is my first review for Yelp, but it's not often I go somewhere and decide to write a review. But this place was so bad I had to. Number one: The table was dirty as soon as I sat down. There was syrup all over the table like it hadn't been washed. The food was sloppy and greasy. I can't say enough to avoid this place at all costs. There are so many breakfast places much better than this in New Haven, don't let this one ruin your day. read more

I have had better pancakes and eggs benedict in the diner, IHOP and Chips. I don't know what the hype is all about. The pancakes had no taste. Won't be going here again. read more

I have been to The Pantry many times, and I would describe my collective dining experience as "The Curse of the Double-Edged Sword!" Starting with the sword: On one side, the food is really, really good! I love to go out for a big breakfast on the weekend and The Pantry truly serves some of the best breakfast food around! Their signature Cinnamon Roll Pancake is scrumptious and always a go-to item whenever I go there (FYI - just order one because they are huge)! This speaks to their portion size, which is generous without wandering over to the ridiculous, and their prices seem reasonable to me as well. In addition, their menu is fairly diverse, including a number of different varieties of Eggs Benedict, and there was also Grapefruit Brûlée, and Oreo Pancakes on the Specials Menu! But even simple things like bacon, scrambled eggs, and home fries are just far tastier at The Pantry, and way better than you could get any where else or make at home! However, on the flip side of the sword, the service is notoriously slow and plainly discourteous at times! There has been the rare occasion where I didn't have to wait all that long to get seated, or place my order, or get a refill...but this is not the norm in my experience! My most recent visit was this morning, Saturday (2/8/14) around 10:00am. It was busy (as expected) but not completely jam-packed. It took about 30 min to get seated, another 15 min before the waitress even acknowledged our presence, and another 25 min before food arrived, at which point, the milk I had ordered was lukewarm...as was the food! I'm not sure if this is a waitress-specific problem or not, but seeing that the folks seated next to us seemed to get their food shortly after us, yet came in about 30 min later, suggests more of a global problem. It was to the point where if I had exact change for the bill, I would not have left a tip (or a nominal one at least)...which is something I rarely ever consider. Oh yes, it's a cash only establishment! Now for the curse: Despite the long wait, poor service, and tepid temperature of our dishes, the food still tasted amazing! I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and a Cinnamon Roll pancake, all of which were simply delicious! My girlfriend had the California Benedict, which was great as well! Some "foodies" would argue that most things taste best (or at least better) at cooler temps. This may be true, but I'm a simple man, who likes his grilled foods hot and beverages cold! Nevertheless, I could not help but to enjoy the fantastic flavors of my breakfast...and that is the curse of The Pantry...delicious food, sheathed within a generally terrible dining experience! Thus, while my disposition is often left wanting, my stomach and taste buds are usually well satisfied --- and I suppose this is what keeps me coming back! Therefore, the 3/5 rating directly reflects the service/food ratio! read more

I recently had a surgery and cannot stand for long periods of time. When I was next for table at the pantry I told the waiter about my condition and sat at an empty table because I was becoming tired. I stood to let the waiter clear the table and he then gave it to the people behind us because as he said "you didn't wait in line". He acknowledged that we had been there first but was adamant we didn't follow the rules. I will not eat there again and would urge anyone with a disability to avoid the place. read more

Great atmosphere, friendly service, and excellent food. Yes, there is a ridiculous wait, but only for those losers who come there in masses hungover late on a weekend. read more

Love this place. Bring cash. you wont need much but they don't take credit. I love the eggs black stone and the home fries are the best in town! read more

Needed a quick breakfast before a conference and found the panty on Yelp app. Excellent value, friendly service and a beautifully presented, tasty breakfast arrived quickly. The coffee was strong, the waitress was friendly but not obsequious and the bathroom was clean. A great place the delivers on its promise at a fair price. What more can you ask for? read more

We enjoyed an excellent breakfast and service when we were first seated, but had to wait more than an hour for a table. We were a group of eight and the person responsible for the seating seemed to have no plan for seating us. Actually, she was more busy seating the groups of up to four arriving after us than finding opportunities in two neighboring tables being free at the same time. Makes me reluctant to come again read more

Love the Pantry. Love it. Love the French toast, love the home fries, love the omelets, love the real maple syrup, love the you're-part-of-the-family service for regulars. I even love the wait. read more

A line typically forms in front of The Pantry on weekend mornings. I joined this line one day to understand it's existence. The wait seemed endless, actually, and my guest and I were able to accomplish some serious people watching of the ravenous clientele beyond the windows - highly entertaining, yet foreshadowing of the same eerie stares which we were about to endure. The food itself was decent: An unfun, health-conscious decision of a vegetable filled egg-white omelette is acceptable but can only go so far, and eggs Benedict was generally built to please. A third entree of French toast, not for a third guest, but for the same two highly-motivated guests, was ordered to be shared as well. Things went well overall, but the initial wait was sorta lame, and the feeling of having only a sheet of glass separating my back from tens of zombies, clawing and clamoring, watching my every move and thinking only of their next meal, was a bit disconcerting. read more

I love the food here but you have to know when to go to not have a long wait. It is fun to sit at the counter, read paper and have nice breakfast with wonderful french roast coffee. It is also very reasonably priced. read more

Hands down, the best breakfast in town. Their Eggs Benny can't be beat. The place ain't so pretty and the line can be long if you go at the wrong time but the food is consistently delicious! read more

I wish i lived in new haven again so i could go to the pantry for breakfast again! so good Cali Benedict is so good and the fresh fruit you never see anywhere else its a yes! read more

Great little breakfast place. Delicious coffee and very affordable. Great service. Perhaps best homefries I've ever had. Got the eggs Benedict and it came with homefries and fresh honeydew melon. No frills, great food! read more

Worst place ever! The waitress was rude and disrespectful. we ask for a legible copy of the recipe, she got upset, asked the other waitress and the second one came to our table and threw it. read more

This place is incredible. They are known for their pancakes but everything I ordered was wonderful!! I had an omelette with feta and spinach and their amazing home fries. They were honestly some of the best home fries I have ever had in my entire life, so crunchy and delicious. The omlette was also amazing. I split a pancake with some friends and that was also incredible. The only thing about this place is that it is small, so if you have plenty of time and don't mind waiting for a table if you go on the weekend, it's fine. Can't wait to have another pancake!!! read more

perfect eggs benedict. a little to salty i would not get hollandaise sauce next time. great price. very far from downtown but i like the walk to be extra hungry and digest on the way back. pancakes were ok. the fruit was so fresh. read more

quality/price ratio is absolutely astounding. delicious! this is def a one dollar sign place though. you can order a "short stack" of pancakes for $3!! (a large, ridiculously oversized order of 3 full pancakes is only $6) read more

Great place to have breakfast! Blueberry pancakes and hazelnut coffee were delicious. Nice jazz music as background. Small and cozy place. I will definitely come back to taste waffles that seemed pretty tasty! read more

Very good food. Worth the wait on weekends. The place is small. Bring cash.

Food is phenomenal! A frequent breakfast goer myself and I always get the cinnamon swirl pancakes and they never diverge in flavor! Other items on the menu are great and everything tastes fresh! The wait is long on a weekend morning so be ready to wait a while for ur seat and ur food but any other day is a breeze! Staff are amazing and so kind! It's a tad bit pricey but it's worth it! read more

Can't go wrong at The Pantry. My only complaint is that they are cash only and can be a little cramped, but I've never had less than a five-star experience there. The Pantry is a local greasy spoon-type place in the best sense of the phrase. The food is always delicious and hits the spot when you're looking for a hearty brunch (especially the cinnamon bun pancake!). read more

Nice people. Packed on the weekends with queue. This is an Average American diner-type breakfast place that is not very expensive. Food is fine but nothing special, but one of the best places you will find in New Haven. read more

Solid breakfast. Cute place. Prices reasonable. Will go back.

This is a very average breakfast place. And if you go when it's cold outside be prepared to wear your jacket while you eat or sit as far from the door as possible. It's cold inside. My kids complained the whole time. Yes, they have a cinnamon roll pancake that is good. Don't get the French toast it's not very good. Eggs Benedict also average. I was hoping for a spicy/savory option. Nope. Nothing like that. I really think I would have enjoyed my meal more if the atmosphere were better...or the food outstanding. Also it is cash only. If you are looking for outstanding breakfast food go to Bella's. read more

Really mediocre brunch food. I really love French toast and was really looking forward to it but it just ended up being lumps of bread that were not fluffy or crispy or fragrant at all. There was no dressing them up with fruit or whipped cream, just some sad lumps of bread. How can you mess up French toast??? read more

There aren't too many places I am actually excited about bringing friends to when they visit, but The Pantry is definitely one of them. My friend from New York were truly impressed by the quality of the food and you can't really beat the price. Some people prefer Bella's b/c their menu is a little fancier, but if you want unpretentious brunch fare, one can't really do better than this East Rock stand-by. I hate waiting for food, so as much as it pains me, I will drag myself to the Pantry by 8:30 to avoid the long lines. I typically order the feta & spinach omelet or the California benedict, but regardless of what you order, be sure to include an order of home fries, no one can make it quite like them. read more

This place is great for breakfast, they use the freshest stuff and the food tastes fantastic; much better than a lot of places for breakfast. My wife got the blueberry pancakes with fresh strawberries and they do not skimp on the strawberries and the pancakes are huge. I got the omelet with spinach, mushrooms and feta - man it was tasty. We try to go there whenever we can. We try to get there before 9 AM to avoid waiting. read more

California Eggs Benedict, yum! Great breakfast place.

Best brunch I've had so far in New Haven. Cinnamon roll pancakes are everything. EVERYTHING. And this is coming from a girl, who is hands down a waffle fan. I've seen some complaints that the hashbrowns/homefries are little on the salty side, but having eaten my share of flavorless and just plain sad breakfast potatoes on so many brunch menus (and I have eaten brunch all across the South on up to New England), these are the best. THE. BEST. And breakfast potatoes are super important to me because I don't eat eggs. They are seasoned, and crispy. Delicious. The only reason I can't give them five stars is the seating process is pretty annoying. I don't mind standing in line, but when I get to the front of the line, there is only so much I can over look when you tell me it will be just a second, but what you mean is it is just a second to sit at the counter. If I'd wanted to sit at the counter, I could have likely cut my wait time in half. I waited nearly 45 minutes to sit at a table. And I get it, seating has to happen as space becomes available, but at one point they sat a party of three that was in line behind me and the one other person I was there with. There are no triangle-shaped tables at this place. read more

I have lived in the New Haven area for almost 10 years and having been coming here for years. Though after just returning from vacation with really underwhelming bkfst, drove to Pantry before going home and compelled to finally write a review. This place never disappoints, a true favorite-- the California Benedict is second to none...simple ingredients, great flavors..poached eggs made to perfection! And I cannot share enough love for the home fries with scallions--- perfectly crisp on outside, cooked beautifully...delish. A single pancake off their special menu always helps finish off a great bkfst! read more

Great food, quick service, strong coffee- all you need for a perfect start of the day :-). Of note, pancakes are huge in size and extremely delicious! read more

Okay, so it's a little pricey for pancakes, and there's often a wait, but let's face it -- there just aren't many great places to go for brunch in New Haven. The food is delicious. Service is prompt and there's always a coffee pot coming around. I really love the ambiance -- divey, but not too divey, more homey than a diner, and love the old school bar. And they have high chairs :) read more