Ordinary

I loved the look of this place. It was rustic and homey. The bartenders really know their stuff. Highly recommend!

A gin cocktail that called into question my lifetime hatred of gin? Yes. Ordinary did this and my mind has been opened.
I can’t wait to go back and try some food.

this place was fantastic, really glad my friend and I decided to stop in during our night in new haven. loved the «old study» feel of the décor and even more so the drinks. our bartender was phenomenal to watch in action as he built each drink he served. you could tell this dude has a real passion for what he does & taste it in his concoctions. i went with the numbah one for my beverage of choice and it was perhaps one of the best tequila cocktails I’ve ever had. sad I live so far away, but if I ever find myself back in new haven I’m definitely heading backup ordinary for another not so ordinary drink experience.

We went during the day when they first opened up so the bartender was waiting on most of the tables so it was a tad bit slow but beside that she was friendly and the food was great and the atmosphere is really unique, definitely try it out!

This was my favorite place to have a nice drink in New Haven. They make kick ass old fashions and carry a lot of unique & distinctive liquors. Craft cocktails, cool bartenders, mellow chill, dark wood décor. The back room is like hanging out in a Harry Potter secret room. Great place to grab a nice cocktail and catch up with friends or relax. I’ve never gone late night, so not sure if the vibe changes. But I do love his place, to a life less ordinary is usually the toast j say when I’m here. Ordinary isn’t so ordinary.

Damn! Awesome cocktails, killer food, and great ambiance — a great place to take friends or enjoy a secluded nook in the dining area. I would definitely love to come back and sample more of the menu. We played it down the fairway with some safe options on the first trip (mac n cheese, pulled pork, frito pie) but will be back to get a little more exotic and dial up some yards of beer. I am very excited for this restaurant.

Very intimate, old-​timey feel — a mixture of rich, decadence in the back and speakeasy in the front.
The grilled cheese was ooey gooey cheesy w/​yummy buttery golden bread. The tomato soup dip that accompanies is a wonderful compliment as well as the pickled veggies (that sounds nasty to me but it actually brought out the flavor of the sandwich even more!
Ragtime cocktail — refreshing and citrusy
Body Double — bit too sweet for my liking.
Thief of Hearts — I’m going to be outrageously sexist here: I can’t imagine any female liking this drink. There, I said it. Address your complaints to Brian Williams. Well, some, but not many. Perhaps Zena, Warrior Princess but only the warrior princess demographic. It’s a heavy, bitter, mapley drink that makes me believe this is what cocktails tasted like at old west brothels. I don’t want an old west brothel drink, I want a trendy college-​town bar drink. I’m shocked that the waitress recommended this to me given the parameters of my liking I relayed to her — slightly sweet mixed w/​refreshingly citrusy. This is neither.
Giant chocolate chip cookies– definitely salty but not unbearable. Oooey gooey nelly chocolate.

Really great experience here ! This place is for the people that enjoy classic cocktails and well made drinks. Very wide selections of rum, whiskey bourbons different brands that your not used to seeing in a reg. Bar. All the bartenders were awesome I only had one thing wrong ordered a Hemingway the taste was a little off but everything else was on point.

Couldn’t love this place more. Amazing drinks, fun atmosphere, and fantastic food!!! Pulled pork is delicious and the Mac n cheese is to die for. Have only been here during the day, but I almost feel that’s better-​can have it all to yourself!!!

If you’ve always wanted to belly up to a bar and say «[insert preferred spirit here] — bartender’s choice», but have been too afraid to do so — this is the place to do it, my friend. Ordinary has, IMO, some of the best bartenders in the state, and I have never been disappointed with a cocktail here.
I’m also really impressed with their wine list and the fact that they actually educate their staff on wine — I don’t order wine here often, but every time I have had a question my waitress/​waiter has always had an accurate answer and more than willing to provide a sample to taste. They also have a healthy selection of delicious craft beer if you’re in the mood for a brew.
Naturally, being affiliated with Caseus and Mikro (two of my other favorite places!), all of their food is bomb and so is their service. Yes, they get insanely busy on weekends, but it is worth the wait. Great place to come nosh on a bunch of little bites — like the candied bacon (NOM), olives, cheese plate and nuts — but their grilled cheese also has a special place in my heart!
Reader’s digest: my go-​to spot for kick ass cocktails in New Haven. If you haven’t been yet, you need to check this place out. Like yesterday.

I cannot speak more highly about this bar. The vibe is fantastic: hipster, dark with a speakeasy vibe to it. All the bartenders are a blast to be around. The owner even did a shot with me on my birthday. Truly I feel like they are more friends then workers which makes the whole experience a blast.
In addition their drinks are extremely unique and constantly changing. They will always give you a sample of a new beer they have on tap or recommend their favorite cocktails. Yes some do say their drinks are more expensive… but they are infinitely stronger than your average bar’s drinks. In my mind it is worth the added price. I highly recommend the bee’s knees drink. Made perfectly every time.
If you can make sure to get a spot at the bar. That is where you will have the best time!

This place has a fun prohibition era speakeasy vibe to it, but it serves crafty modern gourmet food and interesting drinks. The menu is a bit ridiculous and overpowering. I prefer it be less than an almanac of ridiculousness.
I ordered the bees knees and it was super well made and thank god not that super alcoholicy misery. My friend ordered this rather unique mixed cider drink that was also delightful.
I do really appreciate how clean this and well organized this place is. The decorations give it a fun tack, but all in keeping with the overall experience.
Oh and yes, when a place has clean bathrooms, that is a sign of excellence in upkeep and management.

This bar has the coolest décor of all the bars in new haven. I really like the vibe here and everyone is friendly.
The drinks are a bit on the pricier side though. A friend of mine got a glass of wine and it was $ 12. Another friend got the prosecco with a sugar cube and plum bitters and it was really delicious.
I think the style and vibe is well worth visiting this bar.

Don’t let the name fool you… Ordinary on chapel street in new haven is anything but ordinary! They serve creative cocktails that gets everyone in the mood for a good time. As soon as you walk in, you know you’re in a special place. The lights are dim, there’s rustic wood all around you, and your mouth salivates for a bees knees. The bar, to your left is full of creativity, fresh fruit, herbs, and liquor. It’s pretty much a hallway lined with bar stools and people, so it can get crowded. At the end, there’s a room with tables, more seating, and a moose head on the wall. The food is tasty, but the portion sizes can be small, so to me, it’s not worth the money. If you do order something though, I’d go with the grilled cheese… As ordinary is owned by caseus (the restaurant in new haven known for their cheese!).

I liked the whole ambiance of the place — dark, woody, like a study in a fancy Victorian mansion. All you needed was a cigar and a monocle. The alcohol selection is a fair one, and I was impressed with the interesting way they do happy hour.
On Wednesdays, they pick a liquor, or mixing style, or ingredient, and all the happy hour cocktails are based around the chosen item. It was not crowded, and it’s a quieter crowd (at least during those hours), and I quite enjoyed being able to have a cocktail and talk to someone without shouting. Also, the bartenders are very knowledgeable and very pleasant to talk to.

Great cocktails and a very handsome interior. When you see fresh fruit and herbs on the bar it is probably going to lead to a delicious drink. I went for a Rye Old Fashioned because it felt like the type of surroundings to get a time-​tested classic. Roasted nuts were great to snack on after our first round. And HAD to order up a grilled cheese with candied bacon (I am pretty sure I tasted Melville cheese in there thanks to Caseus). And this was as close as I could get to the delicious smoked meats I used to take for granted when Smokebox was across the parking lot from where I work (when/​where are they coming back!!!). Absolutely pleased on this, my first visit.

Drinks are GOOD. Sazerac (his) and Bees Knees (mine) were perfectly made.
Milk and cookies are nothing special. Cute idea but poorly executed and overpriced. Would benefit from higher quality milk and better cookies that are not overly sea salted (a little is good, a lot is gross). Also, $ 2 for a milk refill when the first glass was only half full and obviously not enough for cookie to milk ratio? Wtf. C’mon now.
Ambience trendy but at the same time cozy enough. Service slooow and place was full even on a Monday.

This place was okay, we got here about 7pm on a Thursday and it wasnt very crowded maybe 1 or 2 other tables of people. The waitress took our drink order, and when she brought us are drinks and asked if we wanted to order food, we had not looked at that menu yet, so she said she would give us a few minutes. She never came back. It did get crowded but other people we being served and being paid attention to. We finished our drinks (which took us about an hour to do so, as we were talking, but gave the waitress plenty of time to come back) and had to flag her down, to get our check, and for her to even take the check.
Im giving it 2 stars bc I would give it another chance and the moose on the wall has a pigeon on it hahaha

This was my kind of spot: hip without trying to hard and satisfying while still leaving you wanting more.
On my most recent visit to New Haven, CT, I had my first experience here with something called a Moscow Mule: good stuff. The ladies I was travelling with promised that this would be a good spot to slake my thirst. We stopped in and stayed a while, chatting in the warm environment that reminded me of a cross between an alpine lodge or cabin and a German tavern… yet still very distinctly urban American. I can dig that.
There were a lot of options on the menu, and I have to say there was one in particular that was just the bee’s knees: The Bee’s Knees.
Good place for conversation or just relaxing. I’ll be back for sure.

Came here at around 7pm on a Saturday night and was able to get seating at the bar.
Matt was our bartender. He was very knowledgable and willing to answer people’s questions, including giving the history of absinthe to the customer sitting next to us.
There is definitely a group of regulars who come here.
I would have been more into this spot if they had more vodka and whiskey cocktails, but it looks like the list changes. Also, I think the wine list here is pretty decent in terms of variety and number, though it’s probably not the type of spot for true wine-​os. Rotating draft beer list had about 10 beers on it and had a decent amount of variety, including of local beers.
Cozy spot. I love the gothic feel and dark wood.