The annual Hamden Restaurant Week is one familiar to the area, and it’s back for the 11th year in a row.
This year, the event is showcasing eight restaurants, including Aunt Chilada’s, Ristorante Luce and Donatos Apizza & Trattoria. Participating restaurants feature fixed lunch and dinner options, ranging from $9-15 and $20-35, respectively.
The event featured 15 restaurants in 2019 and 14 in 2019, making this year a steep drop from the past.
“It’s helped a lot,” said Charlie Hague, owner of Aunt Chilada’s. “It started on Monday, and we’ve seen an increase in business by 23%.”
Aunt Chilada’s, which Barstool Sports donated to through the Barstool Fund in February, is a local hotspot for Hamden residents and Quinnipiac University students. Located right by the Sleeping Giant Golf Course, Aunt Chilada’s has lots of people come to test its cooking.
Hague said one of the most popular items at Aunt Chilada’s, and one of his personal favorites, are the tacos that the restaurant began serving earlier this year. The owner said they had options ranging from pork to tuna to chicken. Hague also recommended the sweet corn and esquites as a good option with the tacos.
Edwin Picado, manager at Ristorante Luce, said that the week was a great opportunity to entice customers to leave their homes after lockdowns hurt restaurants throughout 2020.
“It helps in bringing people back out,” Picado said. “We took advantage of the opportunity we had to expand the patio. A lot of people felt more comfortable sitting outside than inside, so this motivates people to come out and enjoy a nice meal again.”
As the end of the week nears, Picado said he hopes to add some new regulars to the restaurant.
“Out of all the people that come in, not everybody is going to continue to come back, but you always get extra customers,” Picado said. “They check you out, they like what they get and they will continue to support us.”
Some of Ristorante Luce’s most popular menu items are the salmon, meatballs and pane cotto, according to Picado.
Donato’s Pizza is the only new restaurant to join Hamden Restaurant Week this year, as it just recently opened in October 2020. While owner Vincenzo Buontempo said there weren’t many new customers over the first four days of the event, he hoped that the best was yet to come.
“Hoping it’s gonna bring some business,” Buontempo said, laughing. “That’s the whole purpose, right?”
Buontempo recommended Donato’s brussel sprout pizza. Drizzled with honey and sprinkled with bacon, the 12-inch pizza is $13.99.
Saturday is the last day of Hamden Restaurant Week 2021, so make sure to check out all the specials and participating restaurants here.