New Haven Restaurant Week Cocktails Worth Trying

New Haven Restaurant Week runs through March 28, and for those still looking to make the most of it, the participating bars and restaurants offer more than just prix-fixe dinner menus. The cocktail programs at several stops along the trail are worth the trip on their own.

One group of friends decided to put that theory to the test this week, skipping the usual tequila-only rule they’d set for themselves and committing to sampling whatever each participating restaurant had to offer. Their first stop was Villa Lulu, a contemporary Italian restaurant on the New Haven dining circuit that describes itself as a home for “modern cocktail culture.” The happy hour window had already closed by the time they arrived, but the full cocktail menu, a tight list of ten drinks split between classic Italian cocktails and Italian riffs on familiar formats, gave them plenty to work with.

The standout of the evening at Villa Lulu turned out to be the Affogato Martini. The drink takes its name from the Italian word for “drowned,” a nod to the traditional dessert in which a scoop of gelato gets submerged in hot espresso. Villa Lulu’s version swaps out Bailey’s for a ball of vanilla gelato placed directly in the glass, floating in the martini itself. The result plays the sweetness of the gelato against the drink’s bitter, coffee-chocolate finish. If you want to feel like you’re having dessert at a bar, this is the move.

The White Fig Cosmopolitan drew attention for its ingredient list. The drink uses Figenza, a fig-flavored vodka that doesn’t show up on many menus in the area. The cocktail came out a pale green, which looked refreshing enough. The verdict, though, was mixed. The lime came in heavy and dominated the drink, burying what should have been a noticeable raspberry note. The cocktail was strong, but the flavors didn’t quite hold together.

The Italian Margarita rounded out the table’s orders at Villa Lulu. The drink leans on amaretto, which gives it that pronounced almond sweetness that will be familiar to anyone who made it through college on amaretto sours. The tequila base cuts through the sweetness but doesn’t fully redeem the drink for anyone who burned out on that particular flavor profile years ago. The glass did not get finished.

By the group’s own accounting, the Affogato Martini was the clear winner at Villa Lulu, enough so that the others said they’d return specifically to try it.

The second stop of the evening was South Bay, a Mediterranean restaurant that also promotes its craft cocktail program. New Haven Restaurant Week draws a lot of coverage for its food, and rightly so given the city’s outsized reputation for dining. But the cocktail menus at participating spots are often treated as afterthoughts in the broader conversation. This kind of informal survey work, moving from bar to bar on a weeknight and actually reporting back on what’s worth ordering, fills a real gap.

New Haven’s restaurant scene pulls in diners from across the region, including plenty of Fairfield County residents making the drive up I-95 or Route 1 for a night out. Restaurant Week in particular gives people a structured reason to try somewhere new rather than defaulting to the usual spots. The event runs through the end of March, which leaves a narrow window for anyone who hasn’t made plans yet.

For anyone planning a stop at Villa Lulu before the week closes out, the Affogato Martini is the order to make. For the fig-curious, the White Fig Cosmopolitan at least offers something you won’t find on many other menus in the area, even if the balance needs some work. And if the Italian Margarita sounds appealing in concept, just know going in that the amaretto runs the show. That may be exactly what you’re looking for, or it may not be. Either way, you’ll know after the first sip.