Contois Tavern

Somehow this place has developed a patronage that delights in being insulted. That’s the bartender’s shtick, but it’s not cute nor comedic. Neither the food nor beer begin to make up for the deliberately unfriendly service. I wouldnt cross the street to patronize this place. Which is too bad, because I live across the street.

Contois is a special place in New Haven. I did not want to write a review because I do not want everyone invading this place but the poor reviews are unfair.
If you are looking for a bar were everyone knows your name, and what you want, you’re not going to find it here unless you are over the age of 50 and have been going there for years.
If you are looking for one of the best burgers in the area with cold beer, you’ve found your home.
I was introduced to Contois by a friend who has been a regular. I’ve been hooked ever since.
The tough as nails, retired Airborne Ranger behind the bar is rough around the edges and has a very dry sense of humor, but it is his place. If he knows you, its a great bar. If you are shy and easily intimidated, not the place for you.
There is not a menu, burgers on a hard roll are the main fare. Tomato, onion, and roasted peppers are the toppings. Hot dogs are available if you ask, it will show up on a hard roll. Home made soup of the day in the winter. There also may be roast beer, pastrami, and other special hiding, but don’t ask unless you see it out.
Plenty of bottled beer selections and 3 or 4 on tap. Mixed drinks are available, but Martini’s are not the drink of choice.
Think retired men who all know each other hanging out at the local bar and this is what you get. You can also look at it this way, if you know what Unilocal is and how to use it, this place may not be for you.

Review in a few words: This is a no-​frills bar. Prices are fair and if you can get a burger the food is pretty decent too. You can cut the locals-​only attitude in here with a knife and the service can be slow/​rude.
Review in full: A fair amount of hype surrounds this location. Looking at some of the five star reviews it is clear some folks are either exhausted by the gimmicks of downtown New Haven or that this is the first and only bar they’ve been too.
Contois has a bar. It has some chairs and it has some beer. That’s an apt description. I first came here on a Saturday night. The owner’s son was working and he was really friendly. Unlike many other bars in New Haven we were able to drink in peace and our tab was under $ 25 despite having more than a few beers. That was pretty refreshing and we certainly enjoyed ourselves.
I was excited to return the next weekend during the day to try out the burgers and I walked into a completely different environment. The owner was working and there was a large crowd of regulars. I swear it was a shade under one of those movie scenes where you walk in and the jukebox stops playing and everybody stares you up and down. I was waiting for someone to say «you ain’t from around here»… Whatever I can sit at the bar and grab a drink, don’t need to be friends with the world. As others have noted the owner has a take it or leave it attitude and this sours the whole experience. It’s a bar but somehow he manages to turn the experience of getting a budweiser into an interrogation. I am sorry but I just don’t get the appeal.
It probably should be noted that there was never more than one staff member here at the bar so service can be pretty slow. I am never in a rush when I am going to a bar but when coupled with a nasty attitude it really doesn’t make for a great time. Maybe when I am 70 year old grizzled hamden resident this place will make sense but until then I guess I will stop bothering the owner with my business.

Summary: A great Neighborhood bar.
What it is: A welcome respite from the apple-​tini, the dorito-​topped wood-​fired pizza, and the cast of the Jersey Shore. Contois is a nice neighborhood bar. It has some quirks and some history, but overall it’s a great place to have a drink with your friend, relax, and talk about whatever.
What it’s not: a sports bar, a Yale bar, a nightclub, a place to get craft cocktails, a place where there are over 9,000 craft beers on tap, a place to sport your newly waxed handlebar mustache and suspender combo, a place for vegetarian/​vegan dining… and the list goes on.
Things to know:
1. Cash only
2. Burgers and Chips are it. No menu, no apps, that is all.
3. Sometimes the grill shuts down early, sometimes it doesn’t.
4. There is no «bike parking.»
5. The bar is in a quiet neighborhood.
6. There are three taps. Everything else is bottled.
Caveat: I’ve been here twice and I loved it each time. My instinct tells me that my list of things that Contois is not is accurate. If you are a regular and disagree with anything i’ve written please message me and I’ll amend my review. Contois is a gem and the world would probably be a better place if there were more bars like this..

This place is a neighborhood gem — affordable, cozy and friendly. Nothing fancy but it does the trick after a long day.

A more wonderful cheeseburger I challenge you to find. I’m a vegetarian and I just can’t help myself

This place is great. Locals only, quiet. You won’t see any kids with saggy pants or baseball caps on backwards. The burgers are great, real beef and not cooked to death.

Awesome, no frills, local bar. Cheap drinks served with no pretentious attitude. Refreshing! Owners’ dogs are chill and keep patrons company. Will definitely have to return and try the burger!

Firstly, Carl S was impaired if he thought he was in Contois-​words like hipster aren’t even spoken there.
Contois is a small neighborhood bar that’s a half step away from being a private club. It was opened in the 30’s and hasn’t changed much. The bar is usually lined with regulars, mostly men, mostly known by the two brothers behind the bar.
My brother is a regular and brought me there for a burger and beer. I drink Rolling Rock, which is getting harder to find so I was thrilled when a frosty bottle was put in front of me. We ordered burgers and were offered cheese, tomato, onion-​I asked for lettuce and was told cheese, tomato, onion-​I was good with that. I asked for medium and it was perfect.
These are the kind of burgers you wish you could make on the grill, hand formed from good quality beef, not too big but a little thick, not the flat, fast food version. Juicy, just enough fat to flavor the roll and make you give it your full attention. We ate our burgers, shared a bag of chips, drank our beer and all I could say was mmmmmm. I will certainly be back.

this is the most hip speakeasy bar in new haven
im really hesitating to tell you about it because its so hip and only tastemakers know about it
i heard that kanye west opened this place up in 1934 when he was a young yeezy and wanted to cater to the local crowd of ballers and moguls (like carl s)
anyway, this place only does bottle service and they only have ciroc and remy martin but damn its worth it. oh ya and they got like tasteful dancers that come around and sit on your face for a hundo
ok well that’s it now that i blew up this joint’s spot all u hipster dudes are gonna ruin it and carl s will have to find a new ultra lounge to frequent when he wants to unwind away from the plebiscite
#hoipolloi