Connecticut Shoreline Seafood Legend Closing New Haven Restaurant

I just wrote an article the other day about how great the Long Wharf Drive area of New Haven is. They booked the New Haven Symphony Orchestra to play live music outdoors at the Canal Dock Boathouse Building the next two weekends, and food truck row is an amazing destination to walk along and graze.

One of my other favorite places to eat in the area has been Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale at 501 Long Wharf Drive. It's in the building that most old school New Haven-ers  will remember as The Rusty Scupper, or Leon's. Well, friggin' coronavirus, as well as an expiring lease, has taken out yet another one of my favorite restaurants.

In social media posts, and in an open letter on their website, Lenny, Joe, Victor, Brian, and the New Haven Team have announced that:

Dear Friends,

It is with great sadness that we announce that the licensed Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale Long Wharf Family Restaurant will close our doors on Sunday Oct 18th.

For the past 8 years we have proudly served the New Haven area. We are grateful for the opportunity it gave us to serve many new loyal customers. You are now part of the "Fish Tale Family" that began in 1979.

The decision to close our New Haven operation has been a difficult one. Unfortunately, COVID 19 has greatly changed the restaurant environment. We have worked very hard for the past 8 months to try and keep the business going. We ultimately realized that the effects of the virus won't soon go away, and "have rippled through our community in ways that deeply affected the Long Wharf business". We also faced an expiring lease, both of which has made the closing a difficult, but necessary choice.

So please circle your calendars, because Sunday Oct 18 will be our last day. We are excited, because unlike many restaurant closures, this will feel more like a consolidation. Both of the 2 original Fish Tales, the Madison Drive-In Restaurant and the Westbrook Family Restaurant remain open year-round. Our Long Wharf customers can look forward to still enjoying the very best fresh seafood at these Shoreline locations. All Gift cards purchased at the New Haven restaurant will be accepted at the Westbrook and Madison restaurants.

The people of New Haven welcomed us with open arms, and for that we will be forever grateful. We are thrilled that the two original Lenny & Joe's will be there for you! The Long Wharf staff, customers, our suppliers and the great city of New Haven have our sincere thanks.

Come in and say "Hi" before we close on the 18th and enjoy our award-winning seafood! Up until the last meal is sent out of the kitchen, we'll keep doing things the way we've always done them; Fresh, Fun and Safe.

Thanks,

Victor, Brian and the New Haven Team
Lenny and Joe

While it's sad that the New Haven location is closing down, I'm very glad that the other two weren't impacted. It'll be a slightly longer drive to get out to Westbrook and Madison for most of us, but those fried whole bellies are worth the trip!