Mecha-Uma

The best and most authentic Japanese food in New Haven comes in the form of a food cart. The food here is cheap and delicious, and the service is fantastic. You can’t really go wrong with their food, but I especially recommend the eel, the mackerel, and the beef curry. They also have tempura and chicken and fish cutlets, sushi, udon and even ramen! If you haven’t tried them, do yourself a favor and visit them in front of Ingalls Rink asap!
P. S. They only take cash and they’re only open for a little while on weekdays (11:30−1:30, I think).

I love this cart! Like all of my favorite carts, the food is great and inexpensive. One of the coolers in the front has beverages and the other a variety of sushi rolls, which include some veggie ones and some fish ones. For hot food choices, there is usually a variety of different meats with sauces like chicken teriyaki or spicy beef to put over rice with some veggies or in a soup with ramen or udon and some delicious spiced broth. Some days there is shrimp tempura available. The other day he had giant pieces of some type of delicious fish. My personal favorite is the soup. I love to get beef or shrimp with ramen. The container and serving is large enough for two lunches (for me at least).
There isn’t usually a line because you get your food pretty quickly. Many of the carts have great food, but when you are on a tight schedule the lines can be a big factor in your choice of the day. The lack of a line does not mean it is not popular though because if you go too late (around 1:30) all the good stuff is gone! The guy at the cart is super nice too. I am a total sucker for service with a smile! Overall summary: good food fast.