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!!!

One of my favorite spots. The food, atmosphere and drinks are all something you need to experience.read more

We have never had bad meal here. This is absolutely my favorite Italian salad restaurant in the…read morearea. I might even say Tri-State area

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!

While the local food seen in Branford is somewhat lacking Pearl stands out and really shines..well…read morelike a Pearl! The ambience, service and meals were unexpectedly amazing. Much thought was given to each dish and the chef provided big city vibes and tastes to each. Don't miss the cocktails which were delicious and priced so reasonably. This is now our newest go to restaurant in Branford! Reserve the window seat for 4-6 if you can!

Small portion for the price for the southwest bowl. The food didn't have enough seasoning, the…read moreburgers were bland. There was a very rowdy group and the entire place had to listen to them yell, and while that doesn't have anything to do with the restaurant itself, a manager or someone should have asked them to be more conscious of others. We came for Mother's Day with a reservation at 1:00 and didn't get food until 2:20. We had to ask for water refills, and no one came to apologize or let us know the kitchen was running behind. There must have been one cook for the whole restaurant. Unfortunately I would not recommend, the food quality didn't make up for the poor service. Three groups left before getting their food as a result.

This review is not the easiest for me to write. I have been coming to the Little Columbian…read morerestaurant since 2015. I loved this place, their food was fantastic and the quality was super consistent; an excellent spot to get together with friends or a date. So much attention to detail was paid, house made dressing, salsa, all ingredients were super fresh, the meats were always cooked excellently, and the staff was friendly. I hadn't been to the restaurant in a while but at some point in the last few years the Little Columbian restaurant became My little Columbian restaurant. My friends and I went there for dinner at the end of October, there was one couple that was leaving the restaurant but we were the only ones there when we first walked in. The vibe of the restaurant has changed because they changed how they decorated the interior of the restaurant. I prefer their older vibe but no big deal. Our waitress was nice and very attentive all night and the staff in general was quite friendly. Here's my issue, the food quality is not as good as it was in the past. And if they are going to charge along the same lines as what they have, always been on the pricier side, then the quality should still be at the same level. There were a bunch of little things that added up. To start, the salad I ordered didn't have the same quality of greens (I think they used a spring mix in the past), there were some small bits of core in the salad. More to my disappointment the Salad dressing was no longer the house dressing they used to make it was Ken's balsamic dressing, which generally tastes like diabetes syrup. Maybe it was an off night for the salad and I could live with that but the lack of the old house dressing was disappointing. Speaking of cutting corners, the chimichuri used to be super fresh and of good quality ingredients. The chimichuri this time around had a lower quality olive oil and the parsley was dried instead of fresh. My friend ordered some empanadas, which were partially burnt and again the slasa wasn't the same quality as they used to make with the empanadas. For an entree, I ordered Bandeja Columbiana. The chicharon was a bit overdone but ok enough. The chorizo was probably the best part but you have to try to mess up chorizo. The maduro was kind of dry and somewhat bland. The chicken was a touch rubbery and the steak was fine; nothing to write home about. As I had mentioned before the food wasn't terrible, it was fine enough but it was not worth the price it cost. Much worse is the fact that the quality in general just isn't the same as it had been prior, maybe they just had an off night but something tells me this is how it is now. It's too bad this restaurant isn't quite what it was; it used to be one of my favorites.

Great food. Acceptable prices. In a sneaky little corner of East Haven. Would recommend to friends…read moreand family. Will go again. Be prepared to order in Spanish.

I had a fantastic meal here! All of the food was fantastic! I tried the beef empanadas, potatoes,…read moreartichokes, chickpeas, and some cheeses. I really loved the artichokes and the chickpeas! Both were packed with flavor. It was a great spot to relax and spend time with people over a delicious meal!

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!

This was my first time here and I was delighted to speak with Derick, the owner about the business…read more He was proud to share that their five year anniversary is coming up this fall. The space is nicely decorated and has a comfortable vibe. There is a bar and tables. Looks like a great spot for a romantic sip. We indulged with a flight of wine which you can have one, two or three selections and a charcuterie board to go along with the wine. All the selections (food and wine) are flexible so everyone should be happy! Definitely looking forward to a return trip.

Intimate surroundings for a largely female clientele. Charcuterie selections are excellent. Many…read morevaried wine choices although a bit expensive for the size of pour. Good for an occasional treat but pricy overall.

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.

This is a very delayed review as I visited over the summer. Our party of 4 visited on an early…read moreSaturday evening and was able to be seated right away. The vibe is very much dark and moody. They were setting up for what looked like a guest DJ of sorts? Once the DJ started their music, it was VERY loud which was a little disappointing. We didn't try any of the food. We did try some of the cocktails though and they were all great. Also tried the paper bag beer because we couldn't resist the mystery. The beers were 16oz cans of craft beers. not bad! Overall, really liked the place!

Very moody, vibey lounge, restaurant, and bar in downtown New Haven. Stopped in before a late…read moredinner nearby on a Wednesday night around 6. There are couches in corners, tables, and bar seating. Only the bar tender seemed to be serving so service was very slow. I liked the aesthetic and Dj Kamakaze provided tunes or else I'd give a lower rating. Would return for an evening outing, good place to get lost.

I went to this place for the first time for a birthday party so I'm not sure how accurate this…read morereview will be. It was a bit smaller than I was expecting but the place was cute inside. I will say the drinks were strong (at least to me). I felt like the service was lacking a bit as it took a while for myself and those at my table to get our drinks. To be fair, we were with a birthday party of easily 30-40 people and it looked like we only had the one waitress taking all of our orders so that could be why the service was slow. We had food but it was catered from a restaurant so I can't speak to how their bar food is. I would try them again on a normal night just to see how it is without all the birthday party madness going on.

This cocktail bar feels like it belongs in NYC and is always a good stop in Branford. They have a…read morewonderful cocktail menu but can also make you pretty much anything you want. I haven't had their food but would love to try it in the future. Bonus points for nights where they have live music!