Support These Immigrant and Refugee-Owned Businesses
Blue Orchid New Haven
Blue Orchid New Haven is a restaurant owned by Natthawut Tipjak and Michael Flora. They serve Thai, Chinese, Korean, and Phillipino-inspired dishes. The restaurant was started during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the menu consists of Tipjak’s comfort foods that he has picked up over the years!
You can find their menu, and order takeout and delivery at blueorchidnewhaven.com, or go visit them at 130 Court St, New Haven, CT 06511. Reach them by phone at 203-691-9168 or email at qt@blueorchidnewhaven.com
Brick Oven Pizza
Pizza at the Brick Oven serves a variety of wood-fired oven cooked pizzas, and takes pride in serving the students and faculty of schools in New Haven!
You can find their menu, and place an order at newhavenbrickoven.com or go visit them at 122 Howe St, New Haven, CT 06511
Sanctuary Kitchen
Sanctuary Kitchen is a nonprofit community kitchen and professional development center. They employ immigrant and refugee women to cook and prepare food for the New Haven community. They also train their workers with professional development programs to prepare them for whatever comes after this job. Sanctuary Kitchen is owned by Courtney Ahern Renton and Lamiaa Ben Ayad. Ayad has a degree in civil engineering and is a former volunteer at IRIS. Fluent in three languages, she served as an interpreter to facilitate better communication between IRIS and its clients.
Learn more about this business, and view the menu at sanctuarykitchen.org. They offer curbside pickup at 109 Legion Ave, New Haven, CT 06519. Reach them by phone at 203-773-3736 or email at sanctuarykitchen@cityseed.org
Kasbah Garden Cafe
Kasbah Garden Cafe is a Middle-Eastern/Morrocan Restaurant serving mainly Middle-Eastern food with some Morrocan choices. The cafe has indoor and outdoor seating, and hosts live music and other events. The owner, Lehcen Alluh, has owned the business for ten years. The design, from the furniture to the artwork, is Morroccan inspired.
Learn more about this business at kasbahgarden.com or stop in for some food at 105 Howe St, New Haven, CT 06511. You can reach them by phone at 203-777-5053 or email at contact@kasbahgarden.com
Don Rene Taqueria
Don Rene Taqueria is a taqueria that serves and caters Mexican-inspired tacos. The owner, Ulises Jimenez, has decades of experience working in the CT food service industry. This is a new restaurant that takes the name from his recently deceased father-in-law.
Learn more about this business, view the menu, or place and order at donrenetaqueria.com or stop in for some food at 50 S Broad St, Milford, CT 06460. You can reach them by phone at 203-456-9191 or email at donrenetaqueria@gmail.com
Havenly Treats
Havenly Treats is a nonprofit Cafe and Job training and education program. The business consists of an Iraqi-inspired cafe that hires immigrant and refugee women to work along with a program called the Havenly fellowship which involves career training and civic service for its members. While originally living in Baghdad, the owner Nieda Abbas operated three restaurants. She also worked out of borrowed kitchen space for the first two years of running Havenly Treats.
Place an order or learn more about their catering services at havenlynhv.org. Pick up your order at 25 Temple St, New Haven, CT 06510. You can reach them by phone at 203-503-1646 or email at info@havenlynhv.org
Oh Shito!
Oh Shito! makes and distributes the Ghana-inspired sauce that serves as their namesake. The sauce can be used as a dip, spread, or topping, and is sold on their website. While visiting Ghana in 2019, the owner, Kwame Asare, was inspired to start this business as a result of the various different food, cultural, and familial ties he had to the country.
Place an order at ohshito.com. You can reach them by phone at 646-275-9876 or email at info@ohshito.com
Pistachio Cafe
Pistachio Cafe is a Syrian Cafe serving Middle-Eastern-inspired coffees and pastries. The cafe is dedicated to Middle Eastern culture and displays art from the owner, Mohamed Hafez, and other local Middle-Eastern artists. Hafez was originally an artist known for his multimedia piece, UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage.
View the menu, place an order, or learn about catering services at pistachiocafe.com or visit them at 911 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT 06515. You can reach them by phone at 203-800-4262 or email at info@pistachionhv.com
Rawa Mediterranean Fusion
Rawa Mediterranean Fusion, owned by Salam Al-Rawi, is a Mediterranean Restaurant serving Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern-inspired food. Al-Rawi fled from Iraq in 1978 by forging a stamp on his passport. He then opened a successful string of Mediterranean restaurants in NYC before moving to New Haven.
Visit them at 838 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT 06515. You can reach them by phone at 203-691-5781 or email at info@rawainc.com
Sabor Latino Deli
Sabor Latino Deli, owned by Gloria Hernandez, is a Latin Deli located in East Haven and Guilford that serves Ecuadorian and Mexican deli food. Aside from owning the deli, Hernandez also owns several other businesses, including a grocery store/bodega next to Sabor Latino that she has owned for 18 years!
Place an order for pickup at saborlatinodeli.dine.online, and pick up your order at 405 Main St, East Haven, CT 06512. You can reach them by phone at 203-889-2208
The Rogi Shoppe
The Rogi Shoppe is a takeout restaurant owned and operated by Mateusz and Ela Nogas. Ela makes and serves Polish and Ukrainian-style food, primarily Perogies. Ela served perogies from a food truck until all operations were suspended due to the pandemic. They were fortunate enough to be able to open up this restaurant as a result of their tumultuous circumstances and have been running strong ever since.
View the menu at therogishoppe.com or visit them at 55 Bridge St, Shelton, CT 06484. You can reach them by phone at 203-513-8838 or by email at realrogies@gmail.com
Westville Emesa
Westville Emesa is a Halal Middle-Eastern and Italian Pizza restaurant owned by Mazen Saloumi. Inspired by a Syrian upbringing and culinary values, the restaurant blends Italian and Syrian food to deliver a unique type of dining experience. Saloumi and his family owned a pizza restaurant in Demascus, Syria. Over a decade ago, it was destroyed in a bombing. Immigrating to Jordan and eventually to the United States, Saloumi worked in kitchens for over ten years until he finally got his opportunity to open Westville Emesa.
Place an order at westvilleemesanhv.com or visit them at 883 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT 06515. You can reach them by phone at 203-389-9474 or by email at westvilleemesa@gmail.com
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant serves an extensive variety of meat and vegetarian Ethiopian dishes. It has been owned by Shilmat T since 1999.
View the menu or contact them about catering your next event at lalibelact.com. You can also reach them by phone at 203-789-1232
Big Star Afro Cuisine (Taste of Africa)
Big Star Afro Cuisine (Taste of Africa) is a food truck serving authentic African cuisine made using traditional recipes with fresh ingredients and aromatic spices. They aim to create unforgettable experiences, showcasing the diverse flavors of Africa and sharing the warmth and hospitality of their Ghanaian heritage.
View the menu and daily specials or contact them about catering your next event at bigstarafrocuisine.com. You can also reach them by phone at 860-796-5604 or by email at bigstarafrocuisine@gmail.com. Look for them on facebook and instagram at bigstarafrocuisine!
Marshmallow
Marshmallow, at Chaps Grille, is owned by Ammar Chekhess and his partner, Mohammad Ali, and operated by Chekhess’ wife, Lamia Mohammad, and her friend, Jasmeen Hasar. They serve Syrian treats like Cezerye as well as a wide selection of natural juices and decadent treats like crepes and cheesecake. They also carry locally brewed Gorilla Lemonade.
View the menu and place an order for delivery or pickup on grubhub. You can also reach them by phone at 203-390-5931 or stop in and take some pictures in the Marshmallow photo booth at 1174 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06511!