Skappo

Went with my fiancé for our anniversary and we were blown away! For an app we got the Salsa Tartufata con Mozzarella Fresca (walnut bread topped with mozz and shaved truffles) which was delicious and not something you find at every restaurant. For entrees he got the Gnocchi di Ricotta which was rich, creamy, and lighter than traditional potato gnocchi. I got the Costolette con Polenta (rosemary pork ribs) which were fantastic as well. We were debating between two bottles of wine, the server did a great job describing both and helping to chose which would complement our entrees best.
We left to go to the Shubert for a show and tried to come back for dessert since we were so impressed by our dinners, but they were just about to close. However, they welcomed us in and we chatted with the entire family for a few — such lovely, welcoming people. Since they were closing, they sent us home with two cannolis and a small bottle of prosecco for free for our anniversary. Overall an amazing experience from start to finish, highly highly recommend!

It’s a small, family-​owned establishment that seats maybe 35. The matriarch, who is quite adorable albeit kooky, may force you to listen to her grown son sing and play the guitar in a language he is not fluent in. The daughter is a waitress.
The food is pretty pricey for New Haven — we’re talking $ 25 for an entrée (pasta or meat), that is not even remotely a generous serving, nor especially good cooking. This whole place just screams amateur. Yes, authentic, in the way that going over to your friend’s Italian grandmother’s house for dinner is. Would you pay $ 35 – 40 for a dinner cooked by her and then be forced to listen to 15 – 20 minutes of cheesy song and dance? The menu is small — maybe 7 – 8 super simple appetizers (not Mario Batali simple, more like Northern-​Italian-​cooked-​by-​a-​highschool-​HomeEc-​class simple), 2 – 3 pastas and 5 – 6 meat/​fish entrees. On the night that I went, not a single of these pastas had a red sauce on it — everything was a creamy or white sauce, which, while I don’t dislike, is sort of limiting and unexpected for an Italian restaurant. Just not a terribly professional dining establishment or one that I would revisit.

Went here for my birthday with my friends. It’s a very very tiny place, but I guess that’s what makes it so nice. It’s a small family owned business and they are really attentive to the food you order. The waitress we had was explaining to us some of the fresh distributions they get straight from Italy. It’s an authentic Italian restaurant. Although very pricey, you get authentic wine and food. I left very happy, but it’s not really a large variety if you’re vegetarian. Be forewarned it’s New York style seating so you might have to be next to people you don’t know and be okay with that. There’s very few tables in the place, it’s very tight.

Delightful cuisine, small plates and fairly pricey but once you taste it, you’ll instantly know why. Worth going back again to try out the rest of the very small menu.
We shared 8 things amongst 5 adults and there were only about another 6 – 7 that we didn’t touch, do the menu for the next visit is known ;-)
Service was traditional laid back Italian style.

I came here with a few friends and family to celebrate my birthday. It was one of the most enjoyable dinner celebrations. The food was delicious: we ate family style with gnocchi, meatballs, beef cutlets, and homemade pasta with mushrooms. The wine selection was delicious, and I even got a hug and birthday blessing from grandma herself. An overall amazing experience! Would recommend to anyone for a special occasion!

Right off the bat, I am absolutely not friendly or social enough to be comfortable sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers and this place is tight. Second, I don’t eat red meat, or any animal I’ve ever had as a pet, both of which take up a bunch of slots on the tiny menu. As mentioned in other reviews, the fig/​gorgonzola app is great, so naturally, that is not what I ordered. The fresh mozz-​black truffle on bread was weirdly bland. My entrée of «baked sweet potato croquettes are served with a slice of our Umbrian farro and vegetable torte» was bizarre, but perhaps my prior croquette life experiences were wrong – these were 3 cookie shaped items that seemed to be mashed, dry sweet potatoes, unseasoned. «Umbrian farro and vegetable torte» = crustless quiche with carrot and celery.
Having said all of this, the people I ate with made better choices (fish, gnocchi) and enjoyed their meals a lot. Sadly, I was seated next to a teenaged boy who ate his rabbit (pets are not food) entrée WITH HIS HANDS, which was mad gross. I would go back, but I would skip entrees and just order apps.

Finally! Actual truffle! Amazing risotto and an all around good experience. A bit pricy, and served a la cart, but if that isn’t an issue for you, then it is a delightful place to eat.

I took my girlfriend here for her birthday dinner. We went in the middle of August so most of the Yale students weren’t in town due to summer break. We got there around 8PM and were promptly greeted by one of the son’s of the family who own this establishment. There’s room for maybe 25 people, so it’s a small space, I would guess you might need a reservation here during the school year but it’s well worth it.
From the second you step foot in this restaurant you feel as if you’re part of the family. Everyone who works there is extremely friendly and go the extra mile to make you feel good. At one point during the meal the chef came out and played a few songs on his guitar which made the night absolutely magical.
The food is also absolutely fantastic. We started off by ordering a drink special which was Prosecco mixed with a apricot marmalade which complemented the dryness of the Prosecco perfectly. We also ordered some figs stuffed with gorgonzola cheese which had an incredible earthy and nutty flavor. The texture was soft but crunchy due to the fig seeds.
For our mains we ordered their meatballs which come with perfectly cooked green beans covered in a delicious lemon-​pistachio sauce. My girlfriend lamented that these meatballs were so good she won’t be able to order from her favorite meatball sub place back at home.
I ordered their black rice risotto which was incredible. Most risotto’s I’ve found rely heavily on cream, this one had a fantastic texture due to the black rice and a delicious savory flavor. I highly recommend both dishes to anyone.
We finished the meal with a fig tiramisu which was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend that everyone try this restaurant. Even if you’re just passing through New Haven it’s totally worth stopping for an hour or 3.

We were in New Haven to visit a college and found this gem on Unilocal.I wish I lived closer to make this place a frequent stop. The food was spectacular. The staff is all family and knowledgable about wine and the region of Italy that the food comes from. The mother came out of the kitchen to not only ask how the food was but to converse with the patrons.

I am absolutely in love with the black truffle crostini… amazing! I also adore their butternut squash gnocchi, like none other I have had. Everything just melts in your mouth and makes your belly happy. Great staff, knowledge, down to earth and make you feel like family.

Just a warning — if you are the type of person who wants to be strictly left alone when dining, this might not be the place for you. This place is run by a wonderful family who are very friendly and love to chat. Make sure Mamma comes out to chat with you (she has great stories and especially loves children). Be sure to talk to Michael about wine recommendations — he is very knowledgeable and sometimes has a bottle or two that is not (yet) on the menu. If the kitchen isn’t too crazy, request Marc come and play guitar and sing a song. And be sure to sing along. Desserts are made in-​house by Yvette.
If you don’t like to be bothered during dinner, you are missing out on half the experience!
As for the food, most of it is small plates, so order plenty. All are delicious, and There are plenty of vegetarian plates. Be sure to try the black rice risotto (mmm!), If you don’t see anything your kids will like, just ask — they will make pasta with red sauce for the little ones.

on of the most delicious and authentic Italian meals I have ever had (outside of Italy) what a wonderful family that started this restaurant. the food is fantastic and the menu is quite divers. it is an umbrian Italian style, more
focus on meats, stews and earthy flavors. They also have a great wine and dessert selection.

First, my apology of no picture, I was to hungry and my panini smells so good. We had two different panini, Assisi was a braised beef with provolone — awesome.
My husband had their porchetta with mozzarella an provolone. Another awesome panini where I ate most of his as well.
Great owner, mom and son are extremely friendly and with great food as well as clean and cute. This is a gem. Son, Mark shared with us everything is house made at their restaurant next Dorr which opens for dinner. Guess where we will be for dinner. Good job and very best to your family.

Absolutely Amazing!!! I highly recommend it here! Family owned Italian restaurant and the food is absolutely out of this world! My boyfriend and I split the Crostini con Pomodori e Parmigiano-​Reggiano, the Risotto Nero con Pere, and the Polpette di Carne e Pepperoni Rossi con Insalata Caprese. We almost ordered more we wanted to try everything on the menu but we were sooo full! I will definitely be back here. Waitstaff/​daughter/​part owner was very nice as well! Also very informative and knowledgable about allll the different wines they have! Ana, the mother, came to all customers and introduced herself and asked how everything was. Very very nice woman. Only downfall I did find was that there isn’t an extensive menu and there was no chicken on the menu at all. However, they do have other options and for someone as picky as me, I left there fullllll and satisfied!

I love this place!
The food is excellent and the service is so careful and attentive. We had the mixed cheese/​meat plate and it was perfect with their house-​made jam. We also ordered the meatballs (pollpetine?), crostini pomodoro, and tiramisu (and salad so we didn’t feel like gross pigs, but that was great, too) and all were marvelous. We were treated to some singing from the son, and we felt very welcomed as customers. It’s an intimate dining experience and a lot of fun.

I am going to start off and give this establishment the maximum 5 Stars. I never thought I would do it but Skappo certainly deserves it for our visit on Thursday October 30, 2014. I do hope people will read this review as what I found endearing others might find annoying. I just want to keep it real.
My girlfriend has an Irish Accent. Mary, our waitress came out and gave us a warm welcome. She recognized the accent and took an interest in getting to know her. After Mary left Anna the owner came out and introduced herself to us. She had just taken a trip to Ireland and was excited to tell us about it. I enjoyed watching my girlfriend being treated this nice as she is a star. Some people would not like this attention.
Mary came out with the bread, water and our two red wines. We decided to order and share two plates. We got the Gnocchi di Ricotta and Risotto Del Giorno. We put the Risotto Del Giorno on the Gnocchi di Ricotta and bread which made for a wonderful meal. Everything was perfect.
Shortly after we started eating a group of four sat next to us. They immediately said hi to us and started up a dialog. We talked about restaurants and travel which just made the night even better. This was probably the best «date» night I have ever had. The bill came out to $ 52.11 and we were both satisfied.
I have read some negative comments about Skappo so I wanted to come out and address them. This is a small place which could probably seat about 30 people. The tables are close together so you could find yourself in a conversation with a group next to you. If you are in an antisocial mood and do not want to make new friends this place is definitely not for you.
I loved the way we were treated that night and will most definitely be back.

A lovely little Italian restaurant run by a family. The food is really well cooked. The presentation is rustic giving it the charm of an authentically cooked homemade Italian meal.
We often come here when we are celebrating a special occasion. I can honestly say that every meal we have ever had here has been beautifully cooked and prepared with the freshest produce. My personal favorite is the rabbit dish. The meat falls away from the bone and melts in your mouth. The desserts are great too.
To ensure a table and avoid disappointment make sure you make a reservation.

My absolute favorite Italian restaurant in New Haven! Now only is the atmosphere so romantic and warm, but the whole family who owns the restaurant are very involved, inviting, and knowledgable. I have come here on several special occasions and never not once been disappointed. Their mushroom and truffle oil bruschetta is amazing but my favorite small dish is the Gorgonzola and figs. I don’t know how they make them taste so sweet and tangy but I couldn’t copy it if I tried. I recommend trying something on their specials menu because I have always been amazed by anything they serve up daily. On Valentine’s Day I had the most amazing chocolate pasta dish That I can’t get out of my mind even months later. You must have dessert because everything is divine! Be prepared to pay a little extra for an amazing experience.

I loved it. Small & Intimate setting. Excellent wine list. Beautiful dishes. I enjoyed my chocolate desert. Also the owner was a wonderful lady! I recommend
if you like family style italian dishes. this is a place to stop for a bite. =]

This is possibly one of the best meals I’ve had in Connecticut. It’s a very small, intimate setting, but a great place for great food. Everything is mostly tapas style, so small plates. Great for sharing and being able to try different dishes.
I absolutely loved the stuffed figs, they’re soaked in a wine and filled with some delicious tasting soft cheese. It was so good, I literally forgot the name of the dish, but whatever fig dish they have is so yummy. Also their bruschetta is amazingly delicious. The bread is spongy but not gooey and it has these amazing tomatoes that taste like sun dried tomatoes but they’re not dried at all. They’re imported from Italy and seriously delicious. They also have a black rice risotto, it’s more el dente in texture and not soft and creamy like normal risottos. It’s very good and it’s served with shrimp.
The host/​waiter was very attentive and recommended the above mentioned dishes. They are a little slow, but I figure that’s just because they’re taking great care into making the delicious dishes that you’ve ordered. And this place isn’t a place you want to just dash through your meal, it’s more of a sit, relax and enjoy each flavor kind of place. It is really small inside so if you plan on going, either go right when they open for dinner at 5:30pm or make a reservation. I wasn’t dressed super nice when I went, but if you wanted to dress up for a special occasion, that would totally be okay. There’s street parking across the street from the restaurant.