On a recent visit to New Haven to see an exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art, we hoped to…read morehave dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (Barcelona Wine Bar), but they were fully booked with a Yale event. In a display of restaurant solidarity , they recommended that we try Vinas Wine & Tapas. As it turned out, we have a NEW favorite in New Haven! We arrived a bit early and were cheerfully greeted by Mike G, our server. The atmosphere was welcoming and relatively quiet, since their musical offering does not start as early as our 5:00-7:00 PM time slot on a Tuesday. We had asked for the waiter Christian because he had been mentioned in several of the Yelp reviews, but Mike proved that the service compliments should go to everyone. First, the tapas: We enjoyed all five of the tapas we chose. The "Calamares" were lightly battered and crispy. The Vinas salad was fresh, with tomatoes, cheese, corn, and croutons. The pork belly was delicious and more meaty than expected . The oyster mushrooms were presented with onion crisps. The baked birria empanada was stuffed with brisket style beef. Each of these "courses" was a unique delight to the palate, and for me and my partner, it was completely satisfying. In keeping with the spirit of a "wine bar," Vinas offered a flight of 4 wines in 3 ounce glasses, and after hearing about our food choices and wine preferences, Mike chose the wines for us, giving us a chance to taste some less familiar offerings. We had the Felino Malbec 2024 (Argentina), which became our favorite for its full-bodied and deep flavor. Our second wine was a unique Don Abel (private label) from Wallingford CT, made by one of the relatives of the owner, specially for Vinas. This one reminded us of the local wines one might receive in a B&B in the Loire Valley in France. The final two wines were both from Chile: Reserva Carmenere 2023 and Cabernet Sauvignon Marques de Casa Concha 2022. Both were excellent wines. It was great fun to have Mike choose the wines for us, and we really enjoyed the variety that the flight offerings gave to us. Of course, we had to try a dessert, and Mike recommended the Toffee Cake. We had heard that the owner claimed that some people cried with joy after eating it. Although we restrained ourselves, we had to agree that this was an extraordinary conclusion to a fabulous meal. Overall, this was a great experience for us, and we heartily recommend Vinas Wine Bar and Tapas for a relaxing and welcoming dinner. Some reviews I had read suggested that the portions were too small for the price. I have to disagree. My partner and I love food, and this was plenty. And the price was reasonable. Including tip and tax, we spent about $75 each.

We stopped in for apps on a Saturday afternoon. We ordered a glass of wine, ceviche, and skewers…read more We sat at the bar and the bartender was very friendly, full of energy, and efficient. The ceviche was excellent, everything was cooked throughout by the citrus. The portion size is small for $19 and it could have used a side of bread or tortillas to soak up the delicious citrus based broth. The skewers were also excellent. They were cooked perfectly, super tender, juicy and flavorful. They cooked them with a seasoning and had a delicious chimi on top.

I love coming to Barcelona with my friends whenever we want to just chat and catch up! It's a dimly…read morelit, busy but modern restaurant and I like to try different tapas here. We normally add a paella to share. This is a cute place to host your birthday or a weekend dinner to relax at. Will be coming back!

My fiancé and I just came here to celebrate our anniversary after having been to Spain this past…read moreAugust! We would say this place is very comparable to the food we had there. Overall, it was a great experience! Service, food, and drinks are tasty. They have plenty of seating, including bar seating. For tapas we got: patatas bravas, jamon & manchego croquetas, spanish omelette, and lamb shakshuka. They typically recommend getting 3-4 tapas each, this amount was perfect for us in addition to a half paella dish! My personal favorite tapa was the spanish omelette. It was sooo good, especially with the sour cream. The other tapas were delicious as well. My only note is that the lamb shakshuka was toooo salty. We decided to get the paella salvage and it was pretty darn good! Definitely comparable to Spain. I would consider this place a date night spot given the price point, but overall, a great place!

Every dish was fabulous! - And beautifully plated as well. The service was excellent and the…read morestaff is friendly and professional! The ambiance was authentic. We will e back for sure!

29 April 2026 Went…read morehere for lunch with friends. The food is extremely mediocre and expensive. Some other reviewers have noted that the portions are large. Some portions are and some are not. We had: Chicken tortilla soup ($14.00) -- tasty but very artificially flavored. Also, this is a Mexican dish, not a Spanish dish. Croquetas de Pollo (14.00) -- completely inedible: tasteless, except for salt. Very pasty. No chicken or any other flavor. Large portion, which we had to throw away. Patatas bravas ($14.00) -- Tasty. Decent portion. Regrettably, I think they use mayonnaise (rather than a garlic aioli) in their sauce, which is definitively NOT authentic. Espinacas salteada ($14.00) -- Adequate, though a little oily, and the portion was tiny. All the appetizers are completely overpriced. Each should have been maybe ~$9.00. I think that $14.00 is just the amount the owners settled on for most appetizers, regardless of ingredients or portion size. All in all, a 4 over 10. I'll never go again.

What can I say about one of my favorite places? Any day of the week is great. The food is amazing,…read morethe bartenders are the best, you will not be disappointed.

Came here on a Saturday at 12:45 PM. The place was quite empty, and it took a few seconds for…read moresomeone to greet us, but we were then seated immediately. They have an outdoor, indoor, and bar seating area all of which are nice. There was music playing quite loudly but without asking the worker immediately turned it down. We were quickly offered drinks, and given a slice of warm bread which was great. Once ordering our meals, we were asked if we wanted some of the items served later but we opted for all together. The food then quickly came out. And I would say everything was delicious! I really enjoyed the bisque, linguine, and the bruschetta as stand outs. Will be back!

Another amazing meal. We have been coming to Olea since it's opening…read more It was and has remained our absolutely favorite restaurant in New Haven! We always celebrate our anniversary and birthdays here. We have always had amazing meals and wonderful service. We prefer the tasting menu which offers smaller portions of multiple dishes allowing us to enjoy the great variety of chef Manuel Romero's wonderful creations. Each time we come the experience is amazing. Over the years we have enjoyed each new dish as it is presented beautifully. Flavors meld creating real enjoyment. There is nowhere I would prefer to dine. Service is attentive without hovering. So glad we discovered this gem all those years ago and so happy to have been able to be there as the menu has continued to be varied and always delicious. Thanks to all of the staff for the wonderful experience over the years

Came here for Valentine's Day and every dish was amazing! Absolutely loved the duck confit and the…read morepasta in the lamb ragu was amazing! Our service was great and the restaurant is very chic. It's really a romantic vibe with a great bar. Loved the wine pairing

excelente Buena comida y ambiente familiar. Servicio bacano . se la comieron en este sitioread more

When you walk in you are greeted with complimentary champagne and a welcoming handshake. You have…read moreto take in the beautiful decor of the restaurant in this mansion like setting. Straight ahead you can see the chef hard at work. We choose to sit at the bar for dinner. We were very impressed with the cocktails and wine flight. We were very impressed with the complimentary rosemary bread and bean/olive oil spread. For the first course, we opted for the crudo with the white wine, absolutely delicious, refreshing, and light. For the second course, we had the scallops, seared perfectly with a mushroom, hazelnut, and a fantastic sauce For the main course, we had the prime sirloin strip, roasted potatoes, and parsnip. The New York strip was out of this world...cooked medium rare all sliced with a side of truffle butter. After dinner, we were surprised with complimentary cantaloupe sorbet and two salted chocolates. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a special evening in New Haven. I plan on coming back for the chef's pairing, which you have to sign up for ahead of time.

We decided to have lunch here for their $26 prix fixed menu. It was a good deal and the food was…read moredelicious. They are full size portions. It was very quiet in the restaurant when we were there for lunch on a weekday. Maybe 3 other tables were occupied in addition to ours. The crispy eggplant and burrata appetizer and the brussel sprouts salad risotto cake appetizers were good. For lunch, I ordered the swordfish special and it was absolutely delicious over couscous. The grilled salmon dish looks delicious too and my friend liked it as well.

We got the lobster bisque, grilled hanger steak, truffle Mac-n-cheese, prosciutto crisp, seared…read morescallops, crispy mushroom risotto tater tots, and Brussels sprout salad with rice cake, and fried Sicilian calamari. Lobster bisque was hot though pretty liquid-y. The Brussels sprout salad was by no means a salad. More of a rice cake with Brussels shavings on too but really good. Calamari was okay. Mac and cheese was eh, really liquidy as well. I did really like the crispy mushroom risotto tater tots. They tasted just like tater tots. As we were getting to our last bites and still eating, at least three different staff members within a matter of a minute asked if we're were done and could take our plates away. I would have given this place four stars had we not been bombarded at the end of our dinner. It felt like we were being rushed out even though there were tons of tables and seats still available. Left a bad taste in my mouth.

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I first heard that pizza was "a thing" in New Haven. I had…read morenever heard of New Haven style pizza, and certainly didn't expect it to wow me. And now here I am asking all my friends "Did you know New Haven has some of the best pizza?!" I ordered via Uber Eats with delivery to my hotel. They messed up the delivery, so unfortunately the pizza wasn't piping hot once I finally found it. However, it didn't need to be. The flavor was a masterpiece! It was spicy, with just the right amount of cheese and sauce. The sauce was not the tangy cheap-tasting sauce that I sometimes stumble upon so I was happy about that. The crust was not hard, but not soft. I was pleasantly surprised that it had so much flavor, yet was not at all greasy. I wish I knew how to describe it better, but I guess you'll have to try it for yourself! ;)

Every time I drive back down from my travels up the north, I stopover here at Next Door…read more For good reason, it's not just the pizza but everything here is great. Of course the pizza is awesome, it's what they are known for but the dam the Penne ala vodka is incredible! Brussels roots awesome! The garlic knots are so addictive! The mashed potato and Margharita pies are my favorite. The White Clam isn't the best but a good option as well. On one occasion I received a complimentary dessert by the owner which pretty much deals the deal on my returning. The hospitality is golden and I shall return.

Everything and I do mean everything tasted amazing and the drinks were delicious. Do yourself a…read morefavor and have the passionfruit margarita you will not regret it. The portions were big enough where we each had a little to take home for the next day. The owner is an absolute sweetheart. It was just a very pleasant nice experience. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone if you're in New Haven, this is where you wanna eat.

A nice establishment located behind 80 proof. Similar menus but a more laid-back vibe. I went…read moreduring happy hour. I feel like 80 proof and Barracuda have the best happy hour value around. The server was very attentive.

Good spot for a happy hour drink if you're cool with going with one of the small handful of…read moreoptions. I've found the happy hour whites to be pretty good and a nice value. Avoid food. It looks like a great deal but the portions are so comically small that it's actually a bit of a rip off. The food quality isn't great either. I've tried the fries, flat bread, and artichoke dip and didn't find any of them to be particularly good. Mixed experiences on service, a little hit or miss. Ambiance is nice and includes indoor seating as well as a few tables out front on state street.

Possibly my favorite wine bar in New Haven!! I love the decor and vibe inside - they have tall bar…read moreseats but also plush couches where you can really relax and chat with your friends. The staff are also super friendly. Their wine selection is awesome! And if you get a flight, it comes in these cute glasses and a stand. Their chocolate fondue is a great pairing to the wine. I've been here again since my first visit and will definitely be back!!!