I have been going to Eli's once a month for their music series since I have a friend who performs there. Overall the food is pretty good. I think the stand outs are the nachos which have a delicious lime crema on top which makes them hard to stop eating and the jumbo pretzel which has a yummy cheese that goes along with it. I've had a couple of entrees including the quesadilla, the burger and the chicken BLTA . I would say the entrees are just okay and not very memorable. Again, I've been coming here every month for their last few months and haven't eaten an entree that makes me say "I must have this again." I personally haven't ordered a cocktail, but my mother has each visit and has been disappointed with her drink each time. She thinks it's the type of liquor that they use. Again, not my personal experience but figure I would share. My favorite item on the menu so far has to be the Butter Toffee dessert. It is mouth watering and I get it every time, highly recommend!! read more

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I love this restaurant and come here often whenever I'm in town. The food and overall experience are consistently great, and I really enjoy visiting. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that the water we were served had a soapy taste. That said, the staff handled it really well when we mentioned it and were quick to address the issue which I appreciated. Overall still a place I enjoy and will continue coming back to, and the remodel looks great! read more

Eli's on Whitney - Ultimate Nachos - American Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Stopped at Eli's on Whitney in Hamden CT during our road trip to Boston and really enjoyed it. The place has a great neighborhood feel and the staff were friendly and welcoming. Food was fresh, well-prepared, and the menu had a lot of good options. Everything we ordered came out quickly and tasted great. Definitely a solid spot if you're in the New Haven/Hamden area. Glad we found it while traveling--would absolutely stop again. read more

The service was incredibly slow, though the food was decent (not fantastic). I wouldn't recommend this ultra ordinary experience that wasn't inexpensive. read more

After picking up at Quinnipiac, we tried Eli's for the first time. We got there at the open on a Saturday. There's only a handful of parking spots attached, so we were able to get one. 2 of us had the smokehouse burger, and it was outstanding. Cooked to perfection and onion strings were plentiful. I've had the same burger at wood-n-tap nearby, and Eli's is better! My son tried the honey siracha chicken rice bowl, but didn't like it. Barely ate anything. Our server was fine and the interior and bathrooms were impressive. Other yelps mention a recent remodel, but it was a first impression for me and I liked it! read more

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Stopped in for happy hour one day since the renovations and I'm so glad I did! One of the best buffalo chicken wraps I've ever had! So fresh and flavorful. The service was great and the place was packed! read more

Eli's on Whitney - Briss - American Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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First time here and it was such a pleasant experience. Tanasia was amazing and very attentive. She was so pleasant. She was very knowledgeable of the menu and what was available at the bar. The restaurant itself is very beautiful and gives a minimalistic, but comforting vibe. I the food itself was amazing. I seriously loved those Korean bbq wings on their specials menu. So amazing, I asked for a side of the sauce for my cali chicken BLTA. Definitely a must come to if you are in the Hamden area. I'll be here again! read more

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I've heard nothing but good things about this place, so a family member and I got dinner from here recently. The exterior and interior are all newly renovated and it looks amazing inside and out. Staff was friendly and the food was excellent. I started off with their grilled chicken panino. It was very good, in particular I liked the pesto aioli. All the ingredients tasted fresh and high quality. Fries were also delicious. However, the rosemary chicken rigatoni blew me away. Al dente pasta, tender chicken and a delicious rosemary cream sauce with a generous amount of bacon. The bacon flavor is strong and kinda fought for center stage with the rosemary, but I'm not complaining in the slightest; this was sensational. The family member had the Judith Point calamari and the chicken florentine; they said they're the best versions of those dishes that they've ever had. I now see why so many people love this restaurant. This was a fantastic meal. This place easily earns its 5. read more

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Eli's for years has been a go to location for quality food and services. Has this changed. Our dinner order was taken by a pleasant waiter. I order a basic burger with specifics. My partner ordered a chicken dish. Dishes were delivered. The burger was wrong having cheese and other toppings. Fries were incorrect also. The server looked perplexed and said he would get another. After 10 minutes our waiter walked by and I summoned him. I told him the burger had cheese and other toppings. He acknowledged that is not what he ordered and blamed the kitchen. I asked to just cancel and remove from the bill. He said "let me check on the burger". He never came back but a few minutes later a burger was delivered. The burger was tasteless and totally over cooked. The fries were awful also. I needed to summon the waiter again for our check. He apologized for the burger and again blamed the kitchen. He honestly was not aware of his lack of customer service. Besides taking the original order he never came back to our table to check in and had to be summoned twice, once for the error and then for the check. Extremely poor customer service. For years Eli's has been an easy go to spot and has this changed. Is off my list as many other quality nearby locations are available. read more

I am a long-time customer of Eli's. Recently, Eli's catered a student & family event at the University. Kelly and the entire team worked hard to ensure our event was a success! Breakfast & Lunch was catered with great care, professionalism, and top-notch service (kudos to John and Connor)! Food was fresh, delicious, and plenty for attendees to have seconds! whether I dine-in, cater, or pick up a quick meal at their take-out shop, the atmosphere is exactly what I expect - staff are friendly and service is great! I often purchase gift cards for family/friends to enjoy Eli's as well. Thank you Eli's for being a great neighborhood restaurant! DG read more

I just wanted to thank Eli's for helping us host an amazing banquet this week. Everyone was so kind, helpful and thoughtful in the planning phase (Kelly), extremely welcoming and proactive when we arrived and needed to set up (Kevin ), and just extremely helpful everywhere and in every way throughout the entire dinner (Wayne ). Dinner was great, service was wonderful, and we would recommend Eli's to anyone thinking of hosting a banquet! Thank you for a lovely evening! read more

Bustling Saturday Night for the 150th Kentucky Derby! Everything was very good and plenty of draft beer selections too. Our large party started off with nachos, chipotle wings, avocado egg rolls and crispy Brussel sprouts. Everything was tasty and were excellent portions! For dinner, the Fish n Chips, Honey Sirracha Chicken and Ahi Tuna were great! The chicken parm looked good too - with Eli's own vodka sauce recipe. My wife said it was very good. We also tried the Cali Burrito and my Son loved it. Definitely will return next time I'm in the Hamden area. Only ding is parking is a hassle. read more

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Hosted a retirement party at Eli's on Whitney and used their catering/venue services--everything was excellent from start to finish. Kelly Z was fantastic to work with: knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely helpful. She guided us to the right menu for our group and made sure we stayed within budget without sacrificing quality. The night of the event was perfect. Kelly's staff was attentive to our every need, kept everything moving smoothly, and checked in consistently to make sure the evening was meeting our expectations. We were truly happy with how it all turned out and look forward to working with Eli's again in the future. Thank you Kelly & staff!! read more

My team was in town for a meet, and we decided to eat at Eli's On Whitney. Everything ran very smoothly on Saturday - our team had a great experience. The food was excellent, and the service was outstanding. Everyone was very pleased, and it made for a really enjoyable team dinner. We truly appreciate all the help and organization leading up to the event - it made the entire process seamless on our end. It was a pleasure working with your team! read more

Recently went to Eli's (September 24) and had an awesome martini at the recommendation of the bartender. And she was spot on with the martini. I also heard that they have a really good pistachio martini which I will try next time I go. Also had a great smokehouse burger and fries. read more

Eli's on Whitney - Pumpkin spice espresso martini - American Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

we had a 60th birthday party on Saturday 8/9/2025 at Eli's on Whitney and all I have to say is that is was FANTASTIC. The food was outstanding/delicious . everyone kept saying how great the food was. Dante did an amazing job making sure everything went smoothly and Bianca (barmaid) is just great, she made sure everyone was happy. I definitely use them in the future. Thank You Eli's for going above and beyond to make sure we had an Amazing time. Toya W. read more

What has happened to Eli's? Visited the bar area on New Year's Eve specifically to see bowl games. Place was empty. They had a hearing aid infomercial on one TV and a rerun of the Sunday Night Football game that occurred three nights earlier on another TV, including the huge one in the corner for the entire restaurant to view. They had one lousy bowl game with teams no one cared about on three TVs, and a men's basketball game with two unranked teams from nowhere near Connecticut on another. Meanwhile, the UConn men's basketball team was playing a game at that very time!!! Yet, they were not on any TV. Neither were any of the other bowl games. This is not the Eli's my buddies and I loved and enjoyed frequenting. Seems whoever is in charge is clueless when it comes to sports and/or doesn't care. Do better!! You should be up on which games are on at all times. The service was extremely slow and it took almost 30 minutes to get our burgers, even though the place was empty. The male bartender was not warm and friendly at all. It's like he couldn't be bothered. Staff there used to be engaging and welcoming and that was not the case this time. Too bad Eli's has become like this. Not going to waste my time or money going back. read more

Great new menu and decor update. You must sit at the bar when Taylor is in house! So professional and customer friendly. Worth the visit in itself! read more

Came here for a fundraiser and they have a private room on the ground floor. It has bathrooms on that level. It is also equipped with a service bar. We did a buffet and all the items were very good. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Parking is limited and you could park in their back lot( 6 spaces) or across the street in their pizza restaurant. If both are full you will need to park on the street. read more

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For a supposed sports bar- with 20(?) TVs- how do you not have in the huskies for the Elite 8? Last year we got kicked out during halftime bc they had no other customers. Had to find another place to watch 2nd half. This year- couldn't figure out how to get the game on. Pathetic. Multiple tvs showing pro basketball, college baseball, golf. No UCONN. Even if the food was free- nope. read more

I love a happy accident. Visiting CT this weekend for a friend's wedding and, yesterday, decided to do a hike at Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden. Our hotel breakfast was pretty lackluster and we hadn't eaten much, so by the time we'd finished our 90-minute hike, we were HONGRY. I immediately took to Yelp (because Yelpers always deliver the goods) but since we didn't really know where we were (and since Yelping in a moving vehicle when your location is constantly changing doesn't work out well), we just decided to pick a spot at random. And that's how we came to have lunch at Eli's on Whitney. We sat at the bar (they hadn't been open long and it was just easy to cop a squat there) and were cheerily greeted by Tristan, the young woman behind the bar. We ordered cocktails (because HEY! WEDDING WEEKEND): a lavender bee's knees for him and an Aperol spritz for me. An Aperol spritz is always a good summertime choice, but let us discuss the bee's knees because HOLY HECK was it wonderful. Perfectly balanced and the flavor of the lavender came through beautifully. A cocktail home run, for sure! For lunch, it was a Caesar salad with blackened chicken (they have a wide range of proteins that you can add) for him and a Hawaiian poke bowl for me. Both were excellent! Caesar salad is among The Boy's favorite meals and he's picky about them, and he gobbled it up enthusiastically. My poke bowl was out of this world -- abundant ahi tuna, shrimp, avocado, mango, cucumbers, rice, nori, and furikake -- and I absolutely loved it. Just what the doctor ordered. But while the food and drinks were fantastic, the real star of the show was Tristan. She took note of my BF's t-shirt (it was from a music festival that we had all, coincidentally, been at earlier in the summer). We chatted about music and laughed and she could not be a better steward for this establishment. Like I said: I love s happy accident. And Eli's? We WILL be back, and next time, it won't be by accident. read more

Eli's on Whitney - Cheers! #AperolSpritz - American Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

We hosted our staff holiday party at Eli's On Whitney, and it was an excellent experience from start to finish. The newly redesigned private room was an amazing space and exactly what we were looking for! It was comfortable, well laid out, and perfect for a group event. The waitstaff was fun, friendly, and incredibly accommodating throughout the evening, which made the event feel relaxed and enjoyable. Grace, who helped me plan the menu, was especially helpful and thoughtful. She worked with us to include great vegan options so all of our staff felt included. The food was delicious overall, with the appetizers being a standout favorite across the table. We couldn't have asked for a better setting for our celebration and would absolutely recommend Eli's for private events or group gatherings. read more

The kiddo and I arrived in town famished after a very long drive from MD. We dropped our things in the hotel and took a very brisk walk to Eli's on Whitney where we were happily greeted and seated at 7:30 on a Saturday. The restaurant was busy but not mobbed. Our server, Cammie?/Cami?/Kammy?, was bubbly and attentive but not overbearing. She gave us a few recommendations that were spot on. I ordered a signature salad and a lamb burger with sweet potato fries along with an unsweetened iced tea. The tea was dark brewed and had a hint of fruit or floral notes to it; it was refreshing. The salad was a good size for a starter, chocked full of dried cranberries and nuts, and was dressed moderately. The lamb burger was amazing! I highly recommend it if they offer it as a special again. The onions and tzatziki with the lamb tasted phenomenal. It also was a decent sized burger - not stupidly gigantic but also not minuscule. The kiddo ordered a Caesar salad and the penne vodka without protein. She wolfed down the salad and said it was awesome. Although, she was starving and may have eaten anything at that point (except for the crotons.). She LOVED the penne vodka. It was also portioned well - not too much and not skimpy. She ate the entire bowl and then scarfed down my sweet potato fries. It was at that point when I realized my plan to drive straight through without stopping may have been a poor one. We asked for some dessert to go and our server recommended the chocolate cake, with the fair warning that it was humongous. It arrived in a takeaway container the size of a small banquet chafing dish. We laughed maniacally but agreed that we now had enough dessert for the entire trip. Thank goodness we were staying in a fully equipped Residence Inn. All in all, we had a terrific meal. The kiddo was all smiles and kept raving about the food. So in my book that calls for top marks. Why the 4 stars? It was the ambiance. While clean and comfortable, the walls were disconcertingly bare. It looked like they had possibly remodeled at some point and had forgotten to do something with them. Plus, the color scheme of the whole interior was a palette of sad beiges and browns. My advice, ignore the surroundings and go for the food and service. You won't be disappointed. read more

Service and food was amazing. I'll be back. We had the burger, philly rolls, and jumbo pretzels with margaritas. read more

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$86.00 for Mac n cheese, fish and chips, a glass of house wine, and a martini. The Mac n cheese was Kraft, the fish was oily and there was only ONE piece (I've never gotten just one piece anywhere), the small amount of cold fries was dusted with all-spice. the wine was drinkable, long wait for water, and an even longer wait for the check, which had an extra $10 charge on it. We had to ask someone to find our server in an empty bar. The worst part was the martini. I asked for very dry, no olives, up with Kettle. it tasted like 40% Tito's with 60% vermouth, and it wasn't even close to filled to the top of a small martini glass. It's one of the shittiest drinks I've ever choked down. I won't be back. You have to be able to fry up fries, fish, and chicken, and for these prices, give people enough for a meal. Also, train your bartenders. This isn't the type of drink to fuck people on. read more

The Restaurant Week menu was offered. I selected the shrimp scampi. It was a bowl of bread crumbs with shrimp; a bowl of sodium. The waiter was attentive and apologized for the delay in receiving my appetizer and entrees as I received my dessert before my soup and dinner. Not planning on returning anytime soon. read more

Food - Terrible! And before I decided to write this review, I emailed them first. It's been a week and no response. Very unprofessional! See my email below: Good morning, I was hesitant to reach out because typically, I would just go on Yelp and leave a review but because the bartender Anastasia was so pleasant and accommodating, I didn't want to leave a negative review based on on my poor food experience only. Hence, the reason I chose to reach out to management directly. My sister and I stopped in the Hamden location last night for some cocktails and a bite to eat. As aforementioned, we were greeted by a very pleasant bartender named Anastasia who made us wonderful drinks. We went on to order food. I ordered a Caesar salad and an order of buffalo wings and my sister ordered the bistro chicken sandwich substitute a crispy chicken breast. Both of us were very dissatisfied with the quality of our food. Let's start by saying that when I ordered my buffalo wings I asked for them to be fried crispy expecting to them nice and hot. They were literally cold to the touch. And I tried at least two before coming to that conclusion, not to mention the buffalo sauce use was some of the saltiest buffalo sauce I've ever encountered. My Caesar salad was average at best. My sister's fries were also stone cold and she was very upset with her sandwich because it came with avocado on it. She checked the menu description again, and there was no mention of avocado. The only reason why she didn't send it back was because we don't trust sending our food back. Of course I paid the bill, tipped Anastasia and then we left, but I could not wait to reach out because that was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in quite some time. As I stated, I would typically just leave a negative Yelp and/or Google review, but I did not want that to reflect on the Bartender's service and unfortunately you cannot separate the two. I've eaten at Eli's several times and even had you guys cater most recently, my father's repast. I'm not sure if it was just an off night, but unfortunately, we fell victim to that. My contact information is below you'd like to discuss further. Thank you, read more

Food was great. So was the service. But good was slow. If you're not in a hurry....but seriously the food was great

the worst food I have eaten in a while. Fried fish soaked in grease, nachos horrible and service was not good. waitress had a bad attitude. will never return. very disappointed read more

Amazing job done with hosting my fraternity alumni event. The staff is charismatic and wants to provide a top experience.

Eli's did an amazing job helping plan our party. Kelly the banquet manager was great! Very professional. She had great communication, and the party went very smoothly! The food was outstanding!! Our guests loved the crab cakes and mostly the Philly Cheesesteaks! The Taco bar was a hit for sure! The wait staff was very nice, on time and did a very good job with set up. Thank you, Eli's!!! I would highly recommend Eli's. read more

Eli's did an amazing job with catering our offsite event. Kelly was wonderful to work with as the event quickly escalated from only 45 people to over 200! They were able to accommodate our large group on a very short notice. We had two buffet tables, and two bar stations set up. The team was very efficient during the entire event beginning with setting up the tables outside all the way to cleaning up afterwards. The food was delicious, and we received many compliments about how wonderful the event was. I couldn't have done it without this amazing group! read more

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Had a great experience working with Eli's on Main to organize a team dinner for a group competing at Quinnipiac University. Easy to work with, great food, friendly servers, enjoyable space! read more

Great food, great service, easy planning, very accommodating! Highly recommend!!!!!!

Here visiting on holiday fam said let's order food. I got the crispy fish with onion rings. Idk maybe it was an off night. The fish was soggy and bland. The roll was soggy and slathered in too much mayo/sauce. Oh and let's not talk about that flapped orange thing, in the picture the fake cheese,just a horrible meal. I no where not to visit for a meal. When I am on holiday up here again. The onion rings were good the only thing I ate. 2 stars for the onion rings they were crispy and fresh read more

Eli's on Whitney - American Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Not the worse service as in the waiter. She was great!! But the we had to wait over 1 1/2 hours for a to go order that we put in when we ordered our appetizers. Absolutely insane. Manager came and said he would check on it and still waited 45 min after without the manager coming to let us know what happened. That was so unprofessional and we still had a drive home. Ending up leaving the restaurant and got a refund and food was still nowhere near to be ready. Also we seen people come in, sit down, order their food and receive their food, eat, pay and leave before we left. SMH worse experience. Will never go back especially for the drive. As I can say the atmosphere was nice but the that one thing messed it up at the way. read more

Love this place! The people are nice and the service is good. Food is also good and they have a nice selection of craft beers. They also host a trivia night which is pretty cool. There were a lot of college kids which makes sense for the area so dont expect an older crowd. Would definitely recommend! read more

We had our wedding rehearsal dinner at Eli's on Whitney and it was great. There is little parking so carpool or find street parking. The bartender and servers were amazing to our group. The pasta dish was a hit among all of us-young and older. read more

I have always liked this place. Haven't been here in a while. Stopped in after a softball game to watch football and UConn basketball. First disappointment. No basketball on any tv. Not totally unexpected. I watched it on my phone while watching the Dolphins/Raiders game and waiting 15 minutes for someone to ask if I wanted anything. This was probably because there were just 2 bartenders for 50 people sitting around a bar. Anyway, finally ordered and got an Impossible burger. Very happy they have many items for vegetarians and pescatarians like me. However, had the bartender brought over the Sunday specials menu, I likely would've ordered something from there, as well. I was asked if I wanted regular fries with my burger. I said yes. Foolish me thought they came with the $17 burger. I had a diet soda with lime. Small glass. Finished it quickly. No one asked or gave me a refill. I did finally ask for a refill. They took my glass and brought a new one. Not sure if that's new sanitary rules or because they don't give free refills. I still don't actually know because it wasn't on my check. My neighbor's 4 beers were on there though! I was planning to pay for his beers, but the bartender never asked. He never asked how my food was either. The food was good. The burger properly prepared (but too light on the ranch and absent bbq sauce) and the fries perfectly fried and seasoned. read more

Eli's on Whitney - Impossible burger and fries (the fries were not included in price of burger). - American Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Had a wide variety of choices from the Menu and food as always was spot on. Our Servers were extremely attentive to all our needs and very friendly. The newly renovated room adjacent to the Bar easily accommodated our group of 18. We plan on rebooking our annual meeting here again next year ! read more