Tavern On State Owners Opening Fair Haven Oyster Bar in New Haven

Fair Haven Oyster Bar will be going through major renovations before its April 2022 opening, but you can view the “before” pics above.

Emily Mingrone (recent winner for "Chef of the Year" at CT Restaurant Association’s Crazies Awards, and her partner, Shane McGowan, are expanding their presence in the New Haven area with a new spot opening this April, Fair Haven Oyster Co. Co-owners of Tavern on State, as well as the nose-to-tail butchery, Provisions on State, in the East Rock neighborhood, they are poised for a trifecta with this new seafood focused oyster bar on the waterfront of the Fair Haven Marina, a beautiful old water town dating from the late 1700’s.

As the owner of both a highly acclaimed fine dining spot and a successful butchery, we asked Mingone why seafood this time around? “We have wanted to do a second restaurant for a long time but Provisions On State (butchery and marketplace) made more sense mid -pandemic in terms of fulfilling a community need. We are ready to get back to dining, and the opportunity presented itself,” says Migrone.

As if it were fate, a Tavern On State customers happened to be involved with Haven Ventures, the new owners of the Marina in Fair Haven. Mingrone says, “It’s a beautiful location in an area that feels neglected.” Emily continues, “Fair Haven was an oystering port back in the day, and we liked the history behind the location. There used to be oyster bays all over the river, and there are still some private oyster bays in the area.” Hence, an oyster bar felt like the right concept.

The Fair Haven Oyster Bar space will be intimate, much like Tavern, with roughly 30 seats indoors, plus a large outdoor patio right on the river. The menu will feature classic new England seafood (with that Mingrone elevated twist)…”kind of like the way we do American at Tavern, but this will be a seafood driven concept,” says Chef Mingrone. “Plus, Tavern On State tends to be light on seafood, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to explore something new.”

In addition to classic seafood dishes, there will definitely be a “lot of oysters (obvi)…maybe 8-10 varieties, from all over the country, sourced from the East coast, up to Canada, plus a few West coast oysters if we find ones we really like,” says Mingrone.  There will also likely be one solid burger, a large format steak, a lobster roll of some sort and possibly a whole steamed lobster during the winter season.

The beverage program, under Shane McGowan’s artful eye will include cocktails bearing the same sort of aesthetic and philosophy as Tavern, but McGowan is planning a strong presence for GIN and Sherry drinks to accompany the seafood forward menu.

The restaurant’s outdoor space will include picnic tables and will utilize the marina’s bandstand for live music and summer events.

Mingrone and McGowan are shooting for an opening date of April 2022 to coincide with the Fair Haven Festival going down in early April. We will keep you posted as they get closer to opening.  

Fair Haven Oyster Bar 307 Front Street New Haven