Dive Bar & Resturant

It was a pleasant spring night and wanted to eat by the water. I looked through various Unilocal ratings and felt this place looked best and like it would fit the bill. Never heard of the place but very glad I know about it now. It’s a small bar with 7 – 8 tables in addition to the bar. We got lucky and arrived just as the couple at one of the two window tables were leaving. You can’t beat the view-​across the street from the beach, it was low tide, still warm out with a cool breeze that didn’t quite make it into the bar, and just past sunset, so still enough light to enjoy the scenery for a while before dark. I ordered a local craft brew-​they have an electronic board with 8 – 10 on tap and mainly local or small brewery beers. Mine was served in a mason jar which I like. The only tip I would offer is to keep the jar frozen-​especially in the warm months. We started with the Mahi Mahi bits. They were fried to a light golden brown perfection and were the juiciest and sweetest bits of Mahi Mahi I think I’ve ever had. It was served with a light dipping sauce with was good but not necessary. I ordered the Hawaiian burger and my guest had the caprese salad. I’ll say what I always say when i order a burger and there’s no choice of different buns. Please have a choice of whole wheat bun available. It was served on brioche which is ok but personally I’m not a fan. It adds a flavor to the burger and it gets very soggy and falls apart before finishing-​which happens every time and did this time, too. The burger was delicious, prepared perfectly. I ordered the house made chips because the waitress said the fries (both regular and sweet potato) were frozen. The chips were ok, a bit over done or maybe the oil needed to be changed. The caprese salad was a generous portion of everything and was very fresh. We’re looking forward to going back soon!

Cute place, great in the warmer months since it’s across from the water and their whole window pane opens up. The menu is not too long but something for everyone. There is definitely a local crowd that tends to be there but the staff and everyone else is very friendly. Limited seating due to size so be patient and get there early.

Great view, great company, great staff, great burgers, great booze… Place is simply, great.

Love this place one of the best bars if not the best bar in West Haven. Location is awesome always good parking. Wish it was larger so more people could go as I have been turned away a few times do to capacity. Anyways food is amazing (best fried pickles ever) Fish Bowl is great to get with friends. Always a great beer selection wish they always had Kona since they represent it very hard. Great service every time you go very consistent.

Dive Bar always has cool beers on tap and the food is great. From wings to fresh tuna, they got it all. The burgers are pretty legendary. Great ambience, especially in the spring/​summer.

Tiny place on the water of West Haven. Descent food, awesome beer selection, extremely friendly staff. Perfect for a quick lunch or a low key beer after work. Can get a bit loud but once you see how small this place is you’ll understand why. All in all a really nice joint. Fish tacos are on point.

Great place for beers, burgers and apps! I have always been happy with the food I have had here. They also have a burger deal on Tuesdays.

As soon as I moved to west haven, people kept telling me, «go to dive bar!». I have been to dive bar several times and have not been disappointed. I have found that dining in is better then take out. Their burgers are delicious, some of my family members tried their jerk chicken and shrimp po boy. They were so impressed. Definitely a good place for lunch or dinner!

Wow I can’t say enough about this place their stuffed burgers are tremendous phenomenal the wings are out of sight the best wings I think I’ve ever had in my life I mean they’re just booty tender and just so if you can get an extra saucy or if you don’t like a lot of sauce they can go light on it but trust me go extra saucy I’m telling you they’re the best around here the dive bar there are french fries oh my god in the homemade potato chips or so so good fried pickles are good till the drinks are nice it’s a good place but I usually take it to go because it’s like it you know its on the water but it’s really crowded and there’s not a lot of seating and it still the most like sports bar.

Loved the atmosphere. The Mahi bites could use a bit more flavor, but the tuna loin salad was incredible. Carl provided wonderful service behind the bar and I was very impressed with their draft list. Small place, so get there early if you want a seat. Great place to meet locals. Highly recommended!

For the fish tacos, not for the burger.
The tacos are well presented, the mango side add to their juicy taste, great experience. Disappointed by the burger that was overcooked compared to my request. I would have appreciated a larger side (a spoon of coleslaw).
Service is fast and friendly.

My wife has been wanting to visit this place all summer. We finally made it over on Saturday afternoon. As soon as we walked in we loved the vibe of the place. I felt as if I was in Key West or on some Caribbean island. Very laid back. I was worried about getting a table as I had read that the place was on the small size, but we got a table against the wall and it was very nice, especially since the front window/​wall was open and we enjoyed the cool breeze from the beach across the street.
Now to the food… I ordered the cheesesteak sandwich and it was awesome. Very tender cheesesteak with onions, peppers and mushrooms. Very very good.
My wife ordered the shrimp po boy and she said that was excellent also. Extra large, fresh shrimp on a grilled roll. Very very good also. Each sandwich came with a good size pickle and cole slaw. Fries were also very good.
Good selection of beers.
Will be back again.

Only okay.
They do have a decent selection of local and craft beer both in bottles/​cans and on tap.
The prices are comfortable, but sides are ordered separately from you entrée.
The burgers were nothing special. His was greasy and my veggie was bland.
The service was nice and the atmosphere was mostly great.
Not terrible, just not convinced we’d go back.

Great spot! Right across the street from the beach and the food is excellent! My favorite is the hangover burger! And i recently had a lobster BLT… So delicious! Definitely a place to visit more than once!

I’ve been meaning to stop in to this place for years, but for some reason never did. I can tell you for a fact that I won’t be missing an opportunity to come back. It is small, VERY small, but my wife and I seemed to time it perfectly on a rainy Sunday afternoon. We found a table right away, and I was amazed at the beer selection. For some reason I thought this would just be a B/​M/​C kind of bar, but they even had a Nitro on tap! Quite impressed. The menu was just as impressive, with things that I would never expect to see in a little CT bar — Waldorf Salad, Fondue, Quinoa — along with some great looking burgers, fish tacos, etc. Can’t wait to give all of them a try! The waitress (Kim) was friendly, attentive, and made us feel like regulars, which is what we will soon be!
I’m betting that this wouldn’t be as fun on a Friday or Saturday night full of people, but when it isn’t busy you won’t find a much better place for a burger and a brew. It has a Florida Keys vibe to it, and the view certainly helps. Highly recommended.

We took my mom here for Mother’s Day and everything was fantastic! The bartender was super friendly. The beer list was (surprisingly) full of craft brews. Plus we were able to try whatever we wanted before making our selection.
The food was great! We got the Shrimp Po-​Boys and Fish Tacos. Food was fresh and delicious and clearly the chef cares about what they do. The menu looked so good that we had trouble picking what to eat! Definitely not your typical fried seafood joint you expect to find from the area. Place is quite small, but the view of the water is amazing. Reminded me of a little place out in San Diego. Because of the size (and how good everything is), I definitely recommend going on off-​hours to get seating. We can’t wait to go back!

This place has incredible fish tacos and ice cold beer and the bartenders were extremely friendly and like to have a good time

Superb Burgers and Great Beer Selections!
This is your quintessential «burgers and beers» place. The burgers are top notch and there’s always creative specialty burgers to try. The small plates and other menu items are good too, but its hard not to eat a burger when your here. The beer selection is also great. There’s always a fresh selection of draft beers as well as tons of bottled selections.
This place blows Plan B Burger away; however, the place only seats about 25 people so getting in with the family is NOT going to happen. This place is perfect for going with friends and grabbing a burger and a beer while knowing you might be eating it standing up. It’s still well worth it.

I feel SO bad giving this place a three star review.
I mean the food is better than good. While it is a standard bar menu of burgers, fish tacos, and such the quality and variety is light years beyond your average bar. The beer is so much better than your standard bud, miller, whatever crap (though they do have bud if that’s your thing). I really appreciate that they rotate their tap selection and that they have a good variety of bottles and cans. The waitresses are really comfortable with making suggestions if you haven’t tried anything they have on tap yet.
So why do I give it a three star «A-​OK» rating. It is SMALL. Usually that is not an issue, but it is literally so small that if my three buddies and I want to go out and drink we can’t go to dive bar unless we want to be crammed up against an awkward bar or someone’s table. There are two four-​person tables and four two person tables and I do mean four and two person, you are not cramming anyone else into these dinner plate size setups. So if you want to eat some apps while your having a beer you better get there early or be prepared to fight for your seat.
Besides that while the waitresses are really nice most of the bar tenders suck. They aren’t rude, but I wouldn’t describe them as friendly or attentive to non-​regulars. I mean I’m just trying to exchange cash for beer and they don’t seem to make that process easy.
My suggestion, go here for lunch so you can enjoy the good food and beer in comfort.

This is one of my favorite spots in the West Haven and Milford area! OK people, don’t expect to roll in with you and your 15 friends and find a table with ample seating. This place is SUPER TINY and if you plan to come at 5:00 pm on a Friday, expect Dive Bar to be packed like a sardine can. If you can put that aside, you will be very impressed by the food!
For starters, try the conch fritters. I’ve only had them once and remember them being unique and tasty, but haven’t been able to order them again since they’ve been sold out. The burgers are honestly top notch and are always cooked perfectly. I’ve been here with multiple people who have all claimed it was the best burger they’ve had in their life. Try «The Hangover» which has a fried egg and bacon on top! The house-​made potato chips are also great and come with a special dipping sauce that I can’t exactly put my finger on the ingredients, but will not disappoint! Finally, if you happen to stop by in the summer, you MUST get the lobster roll. Always fresh and hot on a nice buttery bun. Mmmm.
As for the service, the waitresses here are the best! Very attentive and friendly and they always make sure you’re having a good time. Fair warning, this is definitely for locals and don’t expect it to be a fancy, romantic restaurant. But if you come in with the mindset that this «dive bar» can be fun and entertaining with delicious food, you will surely enjoy yourself!