Suggestions for New Haven please

Hi all! We'll be visiting NH for a conference at Yale for the first time. We''ll be staying at the Omni, and altough we won't have a car, a friend who lives there does. So, can you please recommend: breakfast and lunch walking distance from the Omni or Yale, and dinner that would be vegetarian friendly (not necc all veggie) and not too expensive (say entrees $20 or less). It's OK if we need to drive to dinner. Roomba sounds great, but maybe too expensive? (Two of the people in the group are latinos, so your regular rice and beans and maduris will probably not thrill them). I appreciate very much any chow suggestions!

[shoes]

Roomba has closed, FYI. It's a shame.

I can add to the recommendations for Soul De Cuba. I can recommend Claire's for the soups and salads, but I'd skip the vegetarian entrees. All of Claire's food has a homemade quality, which attracts some people and repels others.

Other inexpensive places for lunch and breakfast (or a light dinner) include the cafe inside the Atticus bookstore on Chapel Street and Katz's deli on Crown Street.

I also second the recommendation for Bella's for breakfast or brunch. If you don't have a car, you can get there easily on any B bus, which goes down Whalley Avenue. The B bus leaves from the main Chapel Street bus stop around the corner from your hotel every 15 minutes or so. Also a worthwhile place if you feel like getting out of downtown and like beer is Delaney's a few doors down. Don't bother with any of the entrees, but they make good, inexpensive burgers, salads and hot sandwiches, and they have an extensive beer menu.

For inexpensive dinners, try the Thai places up Chapel Street a few blocks. I have not found that any one place was significantly better than any other (much seems to depend on what you get) but the ones I have been to are inexpensive and enjoyable.

[sibeats]

Roomba has closed, but Sabor has opened by the same people and it's very good. We actually ate at Bespoke last night, which is downstairs from Sabor, but it's one kitchen same chefs, different menus. Both restaurants are delicious and right around the corner from the Omni, although perhaps more pricey than you are looking for.

[puckspell]

Sole de Cuba is very good and all the staff very friendly, a great place to hang out and meet people

Soul de Cuba: agree, good.
Claire's: agree, overrated.
Basta: agree, overpriced.
Adulis: mixed results. Sometimes good, sometimes not.

Veggie-wise, at the Omni you're near Bentara (Malaysian) and Miso (Japanese) -- both a definite cut above.

No doubt you're well aware of the canonical New Haven pizza choices, discussed elsewhere.

For breakfast, try the grilled bacon-egg-cheese sandwiches at Yankee Doodle lunch counter on Broadway -- to die for. Back on Chapel St. both Atticus and Book Trader have typical cafe-breakfast things.

If it's at all possible for you to drive to brunch, by all means drive to Bella Rosa, up Whalley Avenue a ways. It's fantastic and well worth it for brunch. Another good drive-to brunch is the Pantry on State St. (watch the long lines). And a good walkable brunch is in Anna Liffey's Irish pub.

I feel like I just read my own writing. bj12, you and I have almost exactly the same thoughts about dining choices in the Elm City. Very cool. It's nice to see someone else on here who really knows his/her food.

Love the doodle, but not exactly vegetarian friendly.

A very good option for Latino cusine is the newly opened Soul de Cuba on the corner of Crown and High St. Pretty authentic Cuban cooking in a very small space - and very reasonably priced entrees (most $12 - $15).

[Maroya]

I went to a restaurant tour over the summer and 1 of the restaurants that I really liked is listed here. That is Soul de Cuba...I have eaten there a few times since and I absolutely love the place.

Here is the website..
http://www.souldecuba.com/

Another place that I loved on the tour was Ahimsa! This is vegan and organic and some of the food is even raw! The food is absolutely amazing! And they have this ice cream that they make out of nuts that u would NEVER EVER guess has no dairy in it!!!! So delicious!

Here is that website..
http://www.ahimsainc.com/

Lastly, another place that I like alot in New Haven even though I have only eaten there once is Bangkok Garden! If u love Thai food, u have to try here and make sure u get the thai hot tea! Everything I had here that day was amazing..soup, my meal everything! I could not find a website but here are some more reviews on it!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bangkok-garde...

caffeadulis is a great place. great value for your buck. they have a great selection of vegterian. One steady place in New Haven good luck.

I'll start you off by suggesting Claire's corner Copia. If it's vegetarian you are interested in, you can't do much better.

Link: http://www.clairescornercopia.com/

I hate to bad mouth anyone but don't waste your time with the desserts at Claire's. They may look really good but every time I have had them they have been stale and old. Her food is good. Also,watch the fruit flies around the trash pail where you bus your plates. Rich

I agree. In college, I lived below it. I would not eat there.

Agreed. I never got the appeal of this place.

Has anyone been to that newish Basta place that they opened? Menu looked good, totally different from the veg. place.

Walked by on Saturday and checked the menu, looked interesting, but pricey. There was a review in the NH Advocate last week.

Link: http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/Din...

Basta is decent, but nowhere near worth the prices they are charging. There are plenty of places in town that have better food, cheaper prices, or both. However, if you think $24 for a so-so dish of monkfish is worth it, knock yourself out. I almost forgot to mention the overcooked shrimp.

Agree. Went there recently with a couple of friends and tried four appetizers and three entrees. The food was mediocre to barely passable. Extremely overpriced for what they're offering, unless you want to spend more than $10 for a chicken ceasar with watery dressing and two strips of overcooked meat. Service was fast but not friendly at all--very impersonal. All that said, I'd give it another go. That night could have been a fluke. If not, they won't survive long with all the great places around them (and I don't mean Claire's). Zinc on Chapel and Ibiza on High are great and definitely WORTH the price.