Best Hot Spot Restaurants in Hamden

Great wait staff and service! Chestnut soup was amazing!

We went early, so the noise level was fine. Does get louder as the evening goes on. Food and service was too notch as we’ve come to expect. We were not disappointed and will be back.

We were greeted at the door and seated immediately. The ambiance was natural and magically perfect! The food arrived fairly quickly, fresh and tasty. The staff are all friendly and we didn’t feel pressured to leave. The cafe is situated within a beautiful store setting which works great in my opinion. I purchased nice faux candles in the store section before leaving. I can honestly say we had a wonderful time walking around and looking at all the items and plantings they had available before leaving. Would I recommend this restaurant? Absolutely!!!

I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to go here. Needed a place to dine for Christmas Eve and since Encore by Goodfellas was opened I decided to make a reservation. As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I was impressed with the upscale classy decor. We were greeted by the hostess who took us to the upstairs level that we requested only to be more impressed with the atmosphere and classy vibe. The waitstaff was super attentive and couldn’t do enough for us. AND….what a menu! A large array of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, steaks, seafood veal, pork, and chicken. Took me 15 minutes alone to decide what I would order, Well we placed the order and one dish was better than the next, absolutely outstanding and well presented large portions, Dessert was out of this world as well, Great Chef!!! Our dinner was so special that we decided to make another reservation for a few weeks down the line. Encore doesn’t deserve 5 stars, it deserves 10. Now this is coming from a native New Yorker who has had access to all the finest restaurants ( and dined in most of them as well). Encore by Goodfellas stands amongst them’

Had Christmas Eve dinner. Steamed mussels, shrimp cocktail, steak, scallops and duck all were well prepared and nicely presented. Crème brûlée was the best I have ever had and I order it frequently. It was such a lovely experience! Staff was smiling, food was delicious, gorgeous sunset. Booked it on a whim and it turned out to be a very special evening.