Beers, burgers and some of the thickest fries in the Elm City — Kelly’s Gastropub on Crown Street nails the classic pub-fare genre with everything you’d expect and some you might not, from Irish comfort foods to fries made out of yucca and a salad that’s actually good.
There are tons of appetizers to choose from, ranging from $4 to $13. We tried the Reuben spring rolls ($8.95), which were a tad too greasy and caused the wrapping to become soggy (also, the rolls were oddly paired with fried polenta discs).
Go for the fries instead. We tried the yucca and polenta (classic hand-cut potato and truffle fries are also options). Both orders were thickly cut and crispy, and each comes with your pick of three of seven dipping sauces, most nearly indistinguishable by sight and flavor. The chipotle and wasabi sauces were flavorful, but the barbecue was amazing.
You can get that Guinness barbecue sauce on Bailey’s Burger ($10.95): a 10 ounce sirloin burger with cheddar, bacon and fried shoestring onions and served with fries. Seriously, this is a huge, loaded burger.
The Long Wharf sliders ($10.95) are three perfectly fried crab cake patties each topped with a spread of roasted pepper remoulade and a slice of red pepper, nestled between thick mini buns and served with sweet potato fries.
If all of this gastropub-fare sounds a little too heavy, great news: You have mad salad options. We tried the Oriental Salmon salad of mixed greens and sesame soy vinaigrette topped with wasabi-crusted salmon, crispy wontons and orange slices. It’s $14.95, but the hunk of salmon you makes it worth the price.
Wash it all down with any of Kelly’s 20 beers on tap, with plenty brews from Connecticut, New England and beyond.
Kelly’s Gastropub, at 196 Crown St. in New Haven, is open Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. 203-776-1111.
