Roomba

Roomba– I miss you too. Your outside area in the summer was where I kicked off many a crazy night with Mojitos that inevitably ended at Anna Liffey’s or Rudy’s. Too bad you are gone. :-(

Since I’m in a reviewing frenzy today… why not be nostalgic?
I miss Roomba. I can’t count the number of times I ate here over the years. The space was gorgeous and service was generally flawless. The outdoor bar and seating rocked in the summer. Jon is right about tres leches… and no where in New Haven (until now!) did it like Roomba. The ceviche and the salmon entrée with rice and plaintains… droooool. Mojitos were pretty tasty as well.
Thank god for Sabor… granted the space is completely different from Roomba (I miss the corner booth!) but the food and service is spot on… mostly the same menu. And yes, the tres leches in out in full force here (most of the time… they didn’t have it last time I went, boo!).

I guess it doesn’t matter what I have to say about this place since it doesn’t exist any more, but I will say that I was very sad to hear that it had closed. The food was very good and the drinks were very inventive and tasty. Also, they had tres leches cake, and on the list of «top 5 most awesome things about living on planet Earth», tres leches cake trails only bacon and blow jobs. For your own sake, don’t ever ask me about any of my fantasies…

This place is great: yummy food, fun menu, great for dates and groups of friends. The mojitos are a requirement, as are their ceviche and Yuca french fry appetizers.
I had the duck confit with Peruvian purple potatoes. Absolute ‘Cielo’, or Heaven, as you’d say in English (yes, I’m a complete nerd). They’re known for their seafood too, and I have a friend who can’t seem to stop ordering the salmon every time she goes. The cilantro olive oil they serve with the bread is also delicious, though I didn’t note anything extraordinary about the bread itself, as have other reviewers.
Cons:
The place is a little dim, and the gentleman that was hosting was fairly rude to me (and I think as I former hostess, I can act self-​righteous in this department). And the vertical presentation of all the dishes is fun, but I’m not super-​keen on eating a 3-​course skyscraper dinner. All in all, I totally recommend this place and will certainly be back for more!

This place was AMAZING! My only wish is that I lived closer to it!
The décor is very simple and clean. Each dish is a masterpiece. From start to finish everything we tried was delicious.
I recommend the coconut battered shrimp, pork spring rolls, and croquette with crab and shrimp to start. I had the snapper for dinner (Pargo) it was paired with fingerling potatoes, tomatoes, baby shrimp, and clams. It was sooo good.
The best dessert was the tres leches cake with banana liquor and paired with banana gelato. YUM!
The wait staff was very attentive, never letting your water glass go empty. Also, they were very knowledgeable about the menu and very personable.
Overall, it was great!

The strength of Roomba lies in its appetizers, desserts, and general aesthetics of the food and place, not to mention the bread (and by bread I mean the amaaaaaaaazing cilantro dipping sauce).
I have tried the ceviche (ordered the special trio) and it was good, but not quite amazing. I have also tried the skewers with three meats. The meats are tender and well-​marinated. But my absolute favourite is the chivita, which is amazing: fried malanga topped with goat cheese, sun-​dried tomatoes, and portabello mushroom. It’s the kind of dish that makes you want to scrape the plate.
Their entrees are huge and a bit intimidating. The food is solid and is arranged nicely (usually in a very vertical manner) with hearty portions, but the flavours lack any particular distinction. It tastes great, but somehow the flavour combinations do not match the presentation in impressiveness.
I absolutely love the desserts here. They are ever-​changing, but always delicious. First of all, you can never go wrong with a chocolate lava cake. Their tres leches cake is also very good — a mellow, milky, sweet sponge cake. They also always have sorbets (but I feel it is a waste of my time to order a sorbet quartet when dining out). My favourite among their desserts is the semi-​freddo. Usually, good foods will get the initial moment of silence after the first delectable bite, but this one required several throughout the experience. It wins the award for my dessert of the year. It is a frozen chocolate-​banana mousse (it’s super solid, but so smooth and creamy), topped with banana gelato and whipped crème, with two banana-​shaped shortbread cookies on the side. It was perfect.
The interior of Roomba is dark with plenty of mood lighting (tea lights in a shell of sand make for a nice touch). It is a bit on the loud side, with music of some sort playing in the background, but it is not unbearable. And there is running water right outside the front windows — very zen.
The service at Roomba is average at worst, but can also be quite good. The last time I was there, we were lucky enough to have a very cheerful and pleasant waitress, who added to wonderful dining experience.
Overall, Roomba is one of the best restaurants in New Haven, and a fun, reliable place to go for any occaision, although I tend to make my Roomba trips into a Treat for myself.

The best thing about Roomba is their burrito cart often stationed on Broadway and York. Those burritos run around five bucks but are worth every cent.

Just went here for dinner and I wasn’t thrilled. The food was presented amazingly and the space was very serene. However, both entrees we got (the duck and the veal) were disappointing — we could barely get through them. The appetizers were good — we had the chino latino spring rolls and the cerviche sampler (special). The lava cake dessert was great. Overall, appetizers and dessert were great but we wasted money on the entrees. Not sure if I would go back.

Best latino-​fusion restaurant I’ve ever tasted anywhere. Incredible ceviches, best mojitos on the planet and food that just has to be tasted to be believed. Awesome!

This place is definitely a party for your mouth.
I was first introduced to Roomba several years ago when some friends and I went for dinner. The fish (salmon, sea bass, etc) was great. The pork was great. Everything was great.
But even better than the mains are the desserts. A restaurant that has good food only to have subpar desserts is a big disapointment. You’ve got to finish off your meal with a bang for it to be memorable! And the desserts at Roomba are AMAZING. The frozen chocolate mousse are incomparable – you won’t find it anywhere else. The lavacake is actually their one disapoint. It’s just blah. But the tres leches are superb as well. Even if you skip appetizers, GET DESSERT! If you live New Haven and are on a budget, simply splurge on dessert and drinks here and get burritos from their burrito cart (found at the corner of York and Elm) for $ 5 (or is it $ 6 now?) and watch a sunset from East Rock beforehand.
Better yet, don’t eat all day and pig out there!
The atmosphere is nice – despite it being in a basement location, the lighting and decorations are unique. Relaxed but very date-​y too. But great for a friends night out as well.
If you’re EVER in New Haven, you must go to Roomba!