I recently had the opportunity to dine at the Tavern on State Street and, as an executive chef, I found the experience to be quite disappointing. The focal point of my visit was the $26 burger, which unfortunately did not meet expectations. The flavor was remarkably bland, and the high concentration of fatty components detracted from the overall quality of the meal. For a burger priced at this level, one would anticipate premium quality beef, which was regrettably not the case. On a positive note, the customer service was exceptional, and I appreciated the owner's initiative in seeking feedback. However, there is significant room for improvement in the culinary execution to align the taste and quality with the price point.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Geoffrey Owens
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!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason Greenberg
Food was delicious. The mackerel and gnudi were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jamuel
Tavern on State is a fine neighborhood restaurant.
Cocktails were a mixed bag (maybe I ordered wrong). The smoked trout was delicious, but the octopus and the beef tartare were a bit bizarre. The octopus was cooked beautifully, tender but with crisp edges. Unfortunately the chili butter was heaped on in such quantities as to make the whole dish greasy. The tartare was more additions than beef, and as a result it was missing beef flavor. The whole menu reads as maximalism (you might like this, that’s okay!)
Neither dish was particularly terrible, but for how the restaurant portrays itself (price, reservations, general buzz about town) it does leave something to be desired. Looking back through older reviews it looks like the menu stays pretty constant over time, which is a bit of a disappointment. Very nice atmosphere though
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Caitlin
Love love love it here. The burger is great!
Recommended dishes: Tavern Burger \u0026 Fries
Annalise Rose
I can't tell which was better... the food or service. both were phenomenal. I will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steven Roberts
The food rotates and is always excellent. The drinks are built well. It is somewhat small inside and can feel cramped and depending on the other guests conversation can be hard at times but the staff overcomes and does a great job.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Geyshes
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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steve
Superb flavors. Very unique cocktails. All dishes held their own and surprised us with their freshness and creativity. Everything was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristin Vola
Everything about this place was amazing! The food and drinks were 10/10, our server Allie provided such a delightful dining experience, and the vibes were perfect! Truly only an experience that can come from a team that genuinely cares about providing an amazing dining experience from beginning to end. We absolutely cannot wait to come back!
Great food. Great vibes. All the employees were so nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
T L W
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!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Norma Tempest
The name is misleading, this is now a bar or casual restaurant. It is high end restaurant and expensive, We got 2 dishes one good the other not so much. If you decide to go get the $25 burger good but not worth the $$
Corey Harris
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.
Caroline Smith
One of our absolute favorite places to go to for celebrations, anniversaries, and any special occasion. I feel fortunate that we live just a couple blocks away! Grateful for the entire team at Tavern — kind, thoughtful, and excellent at what they do.
I recently had the opportunity to dine at the Tavern on State Street and, as an executive chef, I found the experience to be quite disappointing. The focal point of my visit was the $26 burger, which unfortunately did not meet expectations. The flavor was remarkably bland, and the high concentration of fatty components detracted from the overall quality of the meal. For a burger priced at this level, one would anticipate premium quality beef, which was regrettably not the case. On a positive note, the customer service was exceptional, and I appreciated the owner's initiative in seeking feedback. However, there is significant room for improvement in the culinary execution to align the taste and quality with the price point.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
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!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was delicious. The mackerel and gnudi were excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tavern on State is a fine neighborhood restaurant.
Cocktails were a mixed bag (maybe I ordered wrong). The smoked trout was delicious, but the octopus and the beef tartare were a bit bizarre. The octopus was cooked beautifully, tender but with crisp edges. Unfortunately the chili butter was heaped on in such quantities as to make the whole dish greasy. The tartare was more additions than beef, and as a result it was missing beef flavor. The whole menu reads as maximalism (you might like this, that’s okay!)
Neither dish was particularly terrible, but for how the restaurant portrays itself (price, reservations, general buzz about town) it does leave something to be desired. Looking back through older reviews it looks like the menu stays pretty constant over time, which is a bit of a disappointment. Very nice atmosphere though
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Love love love it here. The burger is great!
Recommended dishes: Tavern Burger \u0026 Fries
I can't tell which was better... the food or service. both were phenomenal. I will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food rotates and is always excellent. The drinks are built well. It is somewhat small inside and can feel cramped and depending on the other guests conversation can be hard at times but the staff overcomes and does a great job.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Superb flavors. Very unique cocktails. All dishes held their own and surprised us with their freshness and creativity. Everything was excellent.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything about this place was amazing! The food and drinks were 10/10, our server Allie provided such a delightful dining experience, and the vibes were perfect! Truly only an experience that can come from a team that genuinely cares about providing an amazing dining experience from beginning to end. We absolutely cannot wait to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food. Great vibes. All the employees were so nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The name is misleading, this is now a bar or casual restaurant. It is high end restaurant and expensive, We got 2 dishes one good the other not so much. If you decide to go get the $25 burger good but not worth the $$
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.
One of our absolute favorite places to go to for celebrations, anniversaries, and any special occasion. I feel fortunate that we live just a couple blocks away! Grateful for the entire team at Tavern — kind, thoughtful, and excellent at what they do.
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