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One of the best-kept secrets about the New Haven area is the abundance and variety of its restaurants. And one of the best things about the restaurants in the compact downtown area is that most are within walking distance of one another, so you can stroll along checking out menus and decide at a leisurely pace what you are pining for. Even better, you can fill your entire evening with samples from various establishments, and make the rounds like a true New Haven native.
Downtown and Yale
Start with drinks at Hot Tomato's, pop over to The Anchor, and then grab an après-dîner beer at Brü Rm. at Bar. If you are still hungry, go across the street to Louis' Lunch, where the hamburger was invented. Louis' is open until 2a Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and is a cultural institution not to be missed.
There is ethnic fusion at the chic Zinc, and traditional American at the classic turn-of-the-century Richter's Tap Room, New Haven's oldest bar. There is a piano playing at Scoozi's, too, which serves its fine Italian food outdoors in good weather.
You can get excellent sushi at Akasaka's, while Sono Bana Japanese Restaurant is just a few minutes north of downtown, and serves some of the best lunch specials in the area. In the mood for Thai? The award-winning Bangkok Gardens, near the Yale campus, can sate your appetite while you people-watch in the dining atrium. If it's Mexican you crave, then look no further than hot and sunny Villa del Sol, serving authentic south-of-the-border cuisine.
When in the Long Wharf area and in search of some fine seafood, head to The Rusty Scupper, which is, despite its unusual name, a classy choice for an evening out. When in search of something more casual, head to Brazi's for fresh pizza family fun. Across the bridge, on the east side of the harbor, you can get all the seafood you desire at Regatta Bar & Grill. For a taste of India, head to Darbar India for their weekend buffet.
Wooster Square (Little Italy)
Wooster Square's "Little Italy" is famous for its dueling pizza shops: Frank Pepe's Pizzeria and Sally's Apizza, each vying for the title of best pizza in the world. But Wooster Street is also chock-full of Italian restaurants exploding with traditional and local specialties. Try Consiglio's, Abate's or Tre Scalini, then satisfy your sweet tooth at one of the neighborhood's fine bakeries, like Lucibello's, or ice cream shops.
Shoreline East
There are some excellent restaurants in the upscale shoreline towns within a short drive of downtown. Heading east, the sizzling Esteva American Cafe on the Guilford Green is a new hot spot with a New York City bistro-style atmosphere. Over in Madison, you can get hearty all-American fare at the Dolly Madison Inn or try the Cafe Allegre that serves fine Italian cuisine and other delicious delectables, and if you can't bear to leave, they have rooms for overnight guests at their Inn at Lafayette. A favorite locale in Old Saybrook is Pat's Kountry Kitchen, serving fantastic country cooking with a strong New England flair.
Of course, one of the best reasons for coming to the Shoreline is the seafood, especially fresh lobster, clam chowder and scrod (a type of young cod found only in New England). Plenty of small, family-run restaurants dot Route 1 from Branford to Old Saybrook. If on the go or looking for a more formal, sit-down meal there are the Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale restaurants in Madison and Westbrook where you can get a hot buttered lobster roll, fish and chips, onion rings, 5+ lb lobsters and more. Just down the road in Old Saybrook, their seafood icon is the famous drive-in Johnny Ad's where clam strips reign supreme and foot long Hummel hot dogs are everyone's favorite.
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