Havenly — Restaurant in New Haven

A walk through this delicious meal we just had from a place that just opened today.... I pretty much ordered one of everything on the menu and will go back for the ones I missed....

Kofta kebab - meatballs in a yummy sauce that had enough kick so you knew it was there, but a non spicy eater like me was going back for more

Grape leaves - hands down the best ones I have ever had. They had flavor all the way through.

Biryani - a great choice for rice on the side. Had plenty of flavor.

Burek - a meat pie with flavor. Could use a but more meat, but I took the wrong half of the piece. Will know more after lunch tomorrow.

Hummus - so good! After having the store kind for way too long lately, this was truly why you need to get it fresh. It was so full of flavor!

Tzatziki- my husband and I both agreed this goes way to the top of our favorite list. Eat it on anything or just by itself. So full of cucumber and garlic and just packed with flavor.

Mujaddara - when the top came off and the smell of caramelized onions hit me, I was a goner. It was sheer perfection. A dish the you know is good for you, but you could care less because you can't stop eating.

Dessert is yet to come because there was just no room after trying everything.

All of the good they are doing for the community and the solid food delivered on the their first day makes this...

The restaurant is a cozy, comfortable environment. It feels like being in someone's home as opposed to a restaurant.

To the right of the dining area there seems to be a learning area where students congregate. I was shocked to see a young man, who was getting ready to leave, lift a food covering lid to take a dessert meant for customers. His hands were clearly not clean and he did not wear gloves or a mask.

The food was average. Grape leaves and Salata Baladia were dry and/ or lacked flavor. I thought the french fries we're going to be different, but you can get the same quality at Costco's. I was charged a dollar for Pita, which I did not request (only wanted the pita chips that were included). My only favorite was the Tamriyeh.

Supporting their mission was the only reason I patronized the restaurant. I do not intend to patron a place where people who are not supposed to be handling food take...

This is a real review. Not friends, not family.

This review is meant to be helpful, but it may seem harsh.

The food here is subpar at best. The burek was greasy and basically tasted like an old hamburger. The chicken was supposed to be curry flavored but it was a single chicken leg over some basmati rice. $16? Seriously. For a chicken leg and some rice. The baba ghanoush was chunky (???) and had no flavor. The hummus had no seasoning. We had to add salt to it. Seriously when was the last time you had salt to hummus? What’s that all about?

My recommendations to the owners before this place ends up closing, is to get some honest people in there to help you improve your recipes. If you keep listening to your friends and family, your business is going to fail. They are...