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Eating in New Haven
Eating in New Haven
New Haven has many famous pizza parlors and is often credited with having introduced pizza to the United States, although New Havenites themselves often contend that New Haven-style apizza is a separate food from pizza altogether. The pizza has a thin, bitter crust, offset by high quality ingredients, making for one of the world's best pizza experiences. The most famous apizza locations are Pepe's and Sally's, which are over 80 years old and usually have lines going around the block. Modern Apizza?a more recent arrival further from the city center?has nonetheless usurped these establishments as the local favorite in recent years. For a real New England New Haven experience, order the white clam bake pizza?the simple toppings of garlic, olive oil, and New England clams against the backdrop of the bitter, oven-scorched crust make for a delight to the senses.
While it is a bit sacrilegious to pass through New Haven without trying the pizza, the small city has an astonishing wealth of fine dining establishments?easily rivaling the dining scene of any of New York's outer boroughs. The blocks just south of Yale University along Chapel, Crown, and George Streets are home to the majority of the city's best restaurants. The two "top" restaurants that vie for the attention of elitist Yalie parents are Bespoke and the Union League Cafe, but there are fantastic options around every corner in this part of town to try.
Wooster Square
Sally's Apizza, 237 Wooster Street, ☎ +1 203 624-5271, . 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Closed Mondays, closes at 10:00pm on Sundays). �
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, 157 Wooster St, ☎ +1 203 865-5762, . 11:30 AM - 10:00PM (Opens at noon on Sundays). �
Downtown
Louis' Lunch, 261-263 Crown Street, ☎ +1 203 562-5507, . This tiny hamburger joint, located just a few blocks off the Green, claims to be the inventor of the hamburger. There is no menu, the only dish available is a burger served in Louis' traditional style: cooked in an antique table-top cast-iron gas broiler, served between two pieces of white-bread toast, optionally with cheese, tomato, and onion. Condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard are not used or available, which is a point of pride for management who are adamant that such extras detract from the experience. Lunch at Louis' during peak hours is not for the faint of heart, if there is a modest 10 person line out the door you can expect an hour wait in a cramped standing-room-only space before you receive your "fast" food. �
Aladdin Crown Pizza, 260 Crown St., ☎ 203 773-3772. 11AM-2AM. Don't be fooled by the name; the best cuisine this place offers is not pizza; it's Middle Eastern. Be sure to try their falafel plate and blaclava dessert. Authentic food with excellent service. $7-12. �
Bangkok Gardens, 172 York St, ☎ +1 203 789-8684 (fax: +1 203 789-0336). Lunch: 11AM-3PM daily, Dinner: M-Th 5PM-9:45PM, F-Sa 5PM-11PM, Su 5PM-10PM. If you are looking for a casual, but high quality restaurant within walking distance of the University, take your budding scholars here. The food is up to New York standards, prices are reasonable, and the location enviable. $8-17. �
Clair's Corner Copia, 1000 Chapel Street, ☎ +1 203 562-3888. �
Pacifico, 220 College St, ☎ +1 203 772-4002. Latin American seafood dishes with a upscale New York sensibility served at this LGBT-friendly restaurant. $15-30. �
Royal Palace Chinese Restaurant, 32 Orange St, ☎ +1 203 776-6663. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-10PM. Very reasonably priced authentic Chinese cuisine plus friendly service equals a great find. Definitely do not pass up on the honey walnut shrimp. $7-18. �
Temple Grill, 152 Temple Street, ☎ +1 203 773-1111. �
Union League Café, 1032 Chapel Street, ☎ +1 203 562-4299, . �
York St. Noodle House, 166 York St., ☎ 2037769675. 11:30 AM-10:30 PM. If you're looking for an inexpensive, casual meal, York St. Noodle House is the place to go. Service is always friendly, and the menu always has irresistible options. Be sure to try their delicious boba fruit slushy. Try also coconut curry noodle soup and spicy wok basil noodle, noodlelicious�!!! $6-12. �
Zinc, 964 Chapel Street, ☎ +1 203 624-0507. �
East Rock
Modern Apizza, 874 State St, ☎ +1 203 776-5306, . This New Haven-style apizza place has really stirred up the waters of New Haven cuisine in recent years, dethroning the seemingly invincible Pepe's and Sally's as the city's (and quite possibly the world's) best pizza place. Modern Apizza has been voted "Best Pizza" in New Haven for twelve consecutive years in the New Haven Advocate’s "Best of" Reader’s Poll. Modern Apizza is a long walk, or a short drive, bike ride or trip on the "M" bus from Downtown New Haven. �
Brazi's Italian Restaurant, 201 Food Terminal Plaza, ☎ 203-498-2488, . Drawing upon New Haven’s large Italian-American population, only the best food made with the freshest ingredients is served. Who knows, maybe you’ll be serenaded with traditional Italian music while you dine �
Cafe Goodfellas, 758 State Street, ☎ 203-785-8722, . This is the perfect place not only for the connoisseur of Italian cuisine but for also a lover of movies. You can enjoy some of the finest Italian food New Haven has to offer while viewing movie classics on their ten flatscreen televisions �
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New Haven Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.