Tavern on State

Pearl Miran

3 years ago

Phenomenal meal experience- I was pleasantly surprised by how warm the garden patio was on a cool spring evening. I highly recommend a reservation as it’s a small and very popular restaurant. Three of us ordered 6 sharing plates/smaller dishes and one entree to split, plus two desserts and 2-3 cocktails each- I would say it was perfect to sample everything and leave us satiated but not overstuffed. The menu rotates but in case you get a chance to try the menu for 4/26/23, the cremeaux de citeaux, the roasted sweet potatoes, the raw fluke, the oyster mushrooms, the shortrib, and the aperol parfait were STANDOUT for the table. That said, The rabbit was delicious and tender and I loved the wild rice it came with, and the ube tart was so unique and perfect if you don’t want a sweet dessert. as someone who doesn’t like alcohol much, I can appreciate a good mocktail and I love that the spirit free has just as much thought and care put into it as the other cocktails. Every drink was phenomenal which I knew would be the case since I’ve frequented Fair Haven Oyster Co.

Chenchen

3 years ago

I love the cocktail 🍹 here! I want to try everything! The food is. Also delicious! I had pan-roasted prawns; both the quality and quantity were good. 😛 We also have Cesar salad, which is also good. I think the food here is a bit salty. And the atmosphere is really good here.

T L W

7 months ago

Ate here last night with three others in the party. It's tiny and cozy and just perfect. Brendan was our server and he was fantastic, (actually everyone there was just terrific). Super friendly, non-hovering and gave great suggestions. Had several appetzers - two which were so good we ordered another of each - the pork belly with melon and the carmalized onion and bacon tart. We had the steak, the chicken and branzino for entrees. All just superb. The branzino was the stand out star. The sauce, I told them they should make a soup out of it, so delicious. Ordered one of each dessert - all great - best was the concord grape in pastry. Surpassed all of our expectations! Thank you!!

Samuel Wenninger

5 years ago

Amazing food and service. The flavors were incredible with everything cooked to perfection. Definitely try the octopus, you won't be disappointed. It's amazing how tender they make it. No dish was one note, all had a complex pairing of flavors and textures making each a journey in itself. We went here with my parent's for their anniversary and all agreed we would love to return. Sharing a bunch of small plates with a group is the best way to experience the wide range of interesting and inventive dishes offered here. This was rated best up and coming restaurant by VisitCT for a reason. Get there and try it out before this place gets too popular to get in! The intimate and well styled interior along with a casual patio / alley area give a nice range of settings to enjoy the delicious food. The best feeling you can get from a restaurant is feeling that every cent paid was more than worth it. You won't be disappointed by Tavern on State.

Gary Geyshes

6 months ago

Wow, the food was absolutely amazing. Just passing through New Haven, and found this place with good reviews on google + some people on reddit recommending it as their favorite place in town. Honestly, for such delicious, fancy dishes, the portions were actually quite large, and I eat a lot. I had the Octopus appetizer and the Pork Milanese entree; both were worth writing home about. Atmosphere was cool with a darkly lit, wood/brick interior. I sat at the bar and the staff was very nice. I may have to come back to New Haven just to come back here.

Chris Cosgrove

3 years ago

Restaurant is very good. The basil pesto buratta appetizer was very fresh and simple, but well done and the bread was perfection. The Mrs. had the chicken dish which had an exceptional roasted corn puree as a base with summer squash. The corn was the highlight of that dish, such layers of flavor, it just all worked. I went the tavern route and got a lamb burger, which was a funky remix on the burger with the mint and whipped feta. The fries were flawless. Ample and perfectly executed. The only miss, if it could be classified as such, would be the desserts. We tried the Corn Ice Cream (really tasty and creamy) over a Cornbread with some kind of a grilled or cooked peach compote. It did have nuances of heat as there was some kind of a pepper in there which was interesting, and it had basil which popped, but in my opinion it needed an acidic burst like a berry (raspberry or currant would've been welcome). It was a bit one note of just sweet and creamy, and at $14 a dessert, I think it should really wow. We also had the blueberry buckle, which was essentially a crumb cake with fresh blueberries and a lemon curd. The lemon curd was excellent, truly delicious, but I think the dessert needed more of that in proportion to the buckle. Again at $14 a pop for dessert it should really stun. I would definitely go again. I do wish I had gone for one of the higher end type entrees, but I'll be back.

Jeff Ryan

a year ago

We truly enjoyed our first visit to Tavern on State and will definitely return for another next level culinary experience. The menu is always changing to reflect the fresh ingredients currently in season. We shared some small plates and entrees to be able to experience as much as possible. All the dishes were amazing.

Corey Harris

11 months ago

In a world where everyone is EXPECTING a tip for doing the bare minimum, this place is what you’d expect as far as service goes. Absolutely worth it. They go way beyond any service from any other restaurant and should be awarded for it. When I think of customer service, this is what comes to mind, and is the standard of how I’ll rate other places from now on. Oh did I mention the food is delicious? Every thing. This is a place to come and just try everything. Very fresh. Very tasty. Great for sharing and stepping outside your normal palate.

Meir Soffer

Edited a year ago

We arrived at Tavern with modest expectations, but we were blown away by the experience. Every dish we tried—from the appetizers to the main course to the dessert—was outstanding, bursting with freshness and flavor. Our server, Dan, elevated the visit even more with his excellent service. We wholeheartedly recommend Tavern to anyone looking for a memorable dining experience!

Geoffrey Owens

3 months ago

Fantastic food and great ambience! We had the kale salad, a vegetarian gnocchi dish, and the top sirloin. All of these were fantastic! Cocktails were great and very creative as well; i would highly recommend the Exchange Student. One hitch was that we had checked the menu before going and saw that there was a vegetarian pasta dish; but the menu was changed mid-service and by the time we got there it wasn't on the menu anymore. The staff was very accommodating though, and prepared a delicious veggie pasta plate. The steak with celery root puree and sauce americaine was delicious and original!