Tiki Bars and Rubber Duckies at Elm City Social, New Haven

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Looking for a fun night (or day) out? Head straight to Elm City Social! An antique map of New Haven papers the ceiling, the cocktails have names like Son of a Peach, Dawn of the Daiquiri and Miracle Man. The Rubber Ducky, a Martini-ish drink is served with little floating rubber duckies – and did I hear someone say Tiki Bar? Yes! A Tiki bar; the perfect beachy-summer-urban oasis is rooftop, right there on College Street.  Whether you’re dining in the bar area, the roof, or the larger backroom, the casual vibe lends itself to casual eating, and I prefer their ‘social plates.’ In particular, the teeny tiny tacos filled with salmon tartare, scallions and guac usually inspire another round. They rest on a crunchy spicy cabbage slaw – emphasis on spicy.  The Elm City Street Corn – grilled with roasted garlic aioli, parmesan, smoked paprika and cilantro – is just about on every table, as are the deviled eggs. If you’re a burger person – get it: a blend of house brisket and chuck, served on an English muffin with sharp cheddar, red onion marmalade, arugula, tomatoes and a schmear of smoked aioli, with a pile of killer house cut fries alongside.

Elm City Social lives up to its name  – you can go at odd times of the day or night – a place to hang out, meet-up, nosh, imbibe, and, well, get social. Prices are reasonable. Wines by the glass top off at $10, drinks shaken are $11, stirred are $13, and Happy Hour offers $3 bites served from 4pm-6:30pm during the week.  Social Plates are in the $10-15 range and larger portions, ‘For The Famished’,  are around $17-$29.

You can get lucky with street parking depending on the time of day, but the area is quite busy, especially on weekends, and a garage is the best bet.

See you at the Tiki Bar for live music on Thursday nights!


elmcitysocial.com

Here’s a great website to locate all the lots and garages in New Haven: parknewhaven.com

Elm City Burger

Elm City Salad