Eli’s on Whitney, Wood-n-Tap, Aunt Chilada’s and more have become staples in Hamden to kick back during happy hour and gather for fun nights on weekends. However, the town has a new player looking to generate the same buzz: Tavern By the Hall, located at 2345 Whitney Ave.
The restaurant is open seven days a week at 4 p.m., according to the business website. Owner Steven Boddie said the restaurant has grown week over week since it opened and word of mouth from the community has been the biggest factor in all of it.
“I’m always in awe when new faces walk through the door, and they say they’ve heard so much about this place,” he said.
The restaurant serves a variety of foods and beverages such as salads, nachos, pizzas, empanadas and paninis. Popular food items include nachos and chicken tomato basil paninis served alongside popular cocktails such as the Tavern Lemonade and Cavern Rum Punch, Boddie said.
Boddie also said the business is establishing itself as a student hotspot for those at Quinnipiac University. The most popular night for the business is Friday Karaoke Night where graduate students come in for karaoke, food and drinks, Boddie said.
However, Tavern by the Hall faced some hurdles before getting business to where it is today.
The restaurant opened on June 17, against all odds, with adversity piling up to the point where Boddie was almost ready to walk away from the project.
“We were at a crossroads at that point,” Boddie said.
Boddie previously owned a business in West Haven called Stevie B’s. When the opportunity came along to open the establishment in Hamden, Boddie took it with a deal to renovate the site’s current building alongside three of his contractors, but tragedy struck along the way.
While in the process of renovating the building, Boddie’s original plans fell through with his contractors dealing with serious illnesses and injuries, leading to one of his contractors passing away.
Boddie was prepared to walk away but thanks to the support of the community from his updates on Facebook, along with funds raised on Boddie’s kick starter page, he was able to see the project through to the end and open the bar that’s in business today.
Bodie said members of the community volunteered in different aspects of the renovation like construction, painting and electrical services. Even now, some of the employees, like Melissa Ptak, are volunteers who reached out to help.
“I’ve known Steve forever,” Ptak said. “He’s a great guy and he wanted to put this together and as soon as I found out I said I’ll take a job.”
Boddie is grateful for the help he has received along the way.
“Humble doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about all that, it’s been an amazing thing,” Boddie said. “Had it not been for that, we wouldn’t be open now.”
Boddie also shared encouraging words about his two surviving partners. They are both on the mend in terms of recovery.