Reviews of Lena's Cafe & Confections (Coffee Shop)

Chris Brigham

THE best corn beef hash. The breakfast burger is exactly what you need, no matter what time it is. Great service. Top notch all around. I’d rate it as top 3 breakfast spots in New Haven.

Evan Galvin

Has become my regular breakfast spot! Parking in back is convenient but hard to notice if you are not familiar. Located in Westville Village... Parking is always a challenge. But the lot in back is ample. Delicious menu options, owner and staff are very warm and accommodating. They treat you very well to match the excellent quality of food and the excellent menu choices. All day brunch! These guys nail it on a combination of delicious quality food choices, and excellent service.

Morgan Bontrager

Love this place. Food is always good. It is always busy on the weekends but they have a place to sit and you can help yourself to coffee while you wait for your table. It's a good place for smaller groups, but not really larger groups on busy weekends.

Michael Oppy

Great spot for breakfast. Super friendly owner and staff.

Brenda Addison

I love this place! Always freshly made and delicious, my favorite breakfast place.

Bill Dino

A great place to eat with friends or family. The service good, the food is good, and comes fast.

James Minuit

Fantastic place. The environment is fun and the wait staff are always friendly. The food is great as well. My favorite is the eggs Benedict. Lena's has easily taken over my Sunday mornings.

Josette Mari

Delicious choices!!

Ethan Hallenbeck

Best chicken and waffle sandwich I've ever had in my life!

Jae Brochu

One of two noteworthy brunch spots in Westville. Relatively affordable, good coffee, prompt service, and an ever-changing, but never disappointing menu.

Sanghee Lee

(Translated by Google) I wanted to feel a little bit different, so I visited on Sunday morning to visit the Westville neighborhood and take a brunch from New Haven. First of all, it is a comfortable atmosphere, From the well-dressed young man to the three families who brought the babies, to the lady meeting. It was indeed racial and non-racial. If you talk about food in one word, it is clean diner food. You can have a generous American breakfast. Coffee is very good, so you can take a cup of coffee when you go out to a restaurant after eating with other beverages. (Original) 조금 색다른 분위기를 느끼고 싶어서 New Haven에서 살짝 떨어진 Westville 동네 탐방 겸 브런치 먹으러 일요일 오전에 방문. 우선 편안한 분위기에 다양한 모습의 손님들로 문전성시. 잘 차려 입은 선남선녀부터 아기들 데려온 3대 가족, 아줌마 모임까지. 그야말로 남녀노소 인종국적 불문이었음. 음식을 한마디로 얘기하면 깔끔한 다이너 음식. 푸짐하고 넉넉하게 미국식 아침을 먹을 수 있음. 커피 인심이 무척 좋아서 다른 음료와 함께 먹은 후 레스토랑을 나설 때도 커피를 따로 테이크 아웃 할 수 있음.

alexander ferraro

Service good. Food good

Brad Tomkins

Waited over an hour when we were told we would be sat in approx 20 minutes. Food is not worth the wait

Kevin Meeks

Nothing fantastic going on here.... I rather go to the Kettle.......

Tamara Clemon

I went to Lena's Cafe today w/ a Family friend. The Waffles Fried Chicken and Cheese egges was really good.

Justin Wilkin

Warm, compassionate staff

Edward Banks

Great cafe. First time there and I will be back!

Nadine Horton

Great breakfast menu and a very relaxed, comfortable atmosphere to enjoy a meal with friends. Service and prices are great too!

Jay Kothari

Lena's has great breakfast and brunch. Their weekend menu specials never fail to dazzle. The French toast souffle is awesome, as are the omelettes and Benedicts. Nice, friendly service from staff and owner. Usually there is a wait on the weekends, but they allow you to lounge in the waiting area and help yourself to coffee from the coffee bar, while you wait.

Simon Greene

Coffee was not good but the food and service made up for it

D Pimental

One of my favorite breakfast places in new haven and fairly priced!

Ashley Papa

The wait was 30-40minutes on arrival which was extremely accurate which was nice. We chose to wait inside where they have a help-yourself coffee bar (also very nice with lots of options). It seemed to us that the restaurant has a work flow issue, we watched at one point four clean and ready tables sit unseated for over 10 minutes with multiple parties waiting. Once seated we were quickly attended to. I ordered the honey chipotle chicken and on the menu it was stated “extremely hot” so I asked the waiter how spicy we were talking, he said “it’s not that hot, we’ve had people complain so we had to put that there. It’s about a medium salsa type spicy and more temperature hot than anything else”..... well, that was false. The menu item is indeed, “extremely hot”. We have been to nashville and eaten hot chicken and my husband is a spicy enjoyer- he even said it was at his max spice level. The chicken was clearly not freshly breaded and fried, seemed to be a frozen product. Waffles were decent, nothing extraordinary. My husband got an omelette and said it was good not great- both our eggs were overdone (to our liking). Overall, a 40 minute wait for decent food- we will never be back- considering Bella’s (practically next door) has off the charts good food for a similar wait time.

Yesy Rivera

Best brunch spot

Jackie Denese

Went for breakfast and what we ordered was ok.

Edward Oberon

Will Always go here! Great coffee, food, staff, customers and excellent vibe.

sushi

Great hot chocolate, nice waffles, staff are wonderful and friendly. Nice place!

James Thibault

Best breakfast

Louis Dundin

Loved it! Great brunch, plenty of food, good service. Chipotle chicken and waffles were a hit!

Cynthia Scully

Good food, friendly staff, fast service.

Boxy Brown

Brunchaven

Gavin Hamilton

Sorry. Six of us were forgotten about, we arrived first but served last, service never checked up on us to see how we were doing, food wasnt all that fantastic either. Dennys would have been better. Two hour plus unenjoyable experience.

Emani

The food was okay. I ordered two sandwiches chicken ranch and a bacon, egg, & cheese. The chicken was a bit overcooked and salty. The eggs were undercooked which was masked by the Americans Cheese slice. My biggest issue was that I received my bill and paid with my debit card and I left a $5 cash tip. When I checked my bank statement a day later I saw that $5 was also taken from my debit card. I will not be returning here nor recommending the services here due to that occurrence.

Mrs. DeVonne T.

Breakfast sandwiches are awesome

David Feinberg

First time here.... great food and super friendly people. Will be back

Rebecca Joseph

Food and service here are excellent!!!

Michael Malmad

Great breakfast

Thomas Francis

It's good for family and friends

TC n CT

Breakfast was very good, staff friendly and welcoming. Food was served very quickly.

Travis Cataldo

Friendly staff. Only thing is that it can be busy on Saturday mornings but tasty egg sandwiches and mimosas.

doctor35mm

Used to look forward to their Omar's coffee. It tasted weak and watered down during our last visit. On the other hand the Cakes and Eggs was very good. I asked for soft scrambled and that's what I got. Service is always good. Look forward to our next visit.

Peter

Very delicious burgers and nice stuff. Could make some changes in the interior and a restroom.

Benjamin Muller

Considering the usual line, I expected more from Lena's. The food is good, but it isn't necessarily any better than an average brunch. And the prices seemed just a hair too high for what you get. In short, it's fine, but there are other options that are just as good on the same street, without the wait.

ahmed elshamsy

Slow service

Brian Linton

Really good breakfast food, worth the wait

john

My friend john lambe took me there for breakfeast today...What a hit perfectly cooked omelette scrambled soft and the owner Lena talked to us the entire time and made sure our foor was up to par. Great family place...great friendly staff! 5 stars for lena!!

Ar Fr

Awesome food, great owner and staff

Louis Bacchiocchi

Great Sunday brunch with the best corned beef hash in town. Variety of specials and large menu make it hard to pick one meal. Highly recommend,.

TTO215 TS

Absolutely Very delicious crab meat Benedict breakfast

Athanasios Panolis

First time here and the experience was fantastic. I really liked the food and coffee. Very clean and professional staff. The place is very delightful and cozy. Won't leave disappointed.

Gathe Kiwan

Good food, good service, reasonable pricing although it's gone up a bit in the past year or so.

Beneda Litchmore

Large portions...havent disappointed me yet!

Yasmin Rosa

They are a little cheap in their portion size a bit too expensive for the little food they give, they could dp better

Julie Sarko

Super good food. Prices are a bit on the pricey side at least for me. But the food is pretty good. Make sure to get a reservation before showing up especially on weekends!

Tiffany Crittendon

Pancakes are good, service is fast, and polite. Next time I visit New Haven I would make this one of my spots to eat.

Eric Letourneau-Rivera

Great food always!

Vonda Stokes-Little

This place is a hidden treasure. The food is DELICIOUS! The environment is relaxing & the staff is friendly. Two thumbs up.

Eric Beeson

Good breakfast, very busy. Definitely recommend reservations. It's pretty loud, due to the crowd, but well worth it.

Asia Artist

Such a great place to a nice brunch!

Ángel García

This place is awesome. I think it is unexpensive and the portions are great! We had the Lox bagel and the mediterranean omelette. See the pictures...

Michael Sorrentino

Impressive selection, good service. A comfortable spot to eat breakfast!

Jacqueline Brown

Delicious specialty got drinks

Jaime Soares

Always a decent brunch spot

madalykat

Never a bad bite! Brunch or lunch, yum.

Douglas Bernstein

Food is excellent. Service generally friendly and responsive. Ambience and decor are so-so.

PHOENIX Rising

Great Good! Great staff! Great price! If you eat here you will hit the TRIFECTA!!

Meagan Campol Haynes

Large menu with good coffee and brunch/lunch selections. Busy on weekends, often Bella's overflow. Decor lacking but service nice. Big portions.

Sharon Heyse

Great breakfast, nice staff. Does get very busy on weekends.

Christa Harvey

The food here is amazing!

Lawrence McSwiggan

Long wait.

Jyotika Kothari

Excellent breakfast

C Pfeifer

Great food!

Jorge A. Alfaro Murillo

Pretty good food for brunch and much faster to get a table and to get food compared to Bella's. They have OK coffee.

George Culbreath

Very good BREAKFAST BEST AROUND.

Lady

Great food, great service! Had the chicken and waffles and the chicken was seasoned nicely and cooked perfectly! Will definitely be back!!

Sarah Mcqueen

Fast service and short wait times ( especially compared to nearby breakfast/brunch spots). The food is good and there's usually at least one special I want to try. If not, they have all the basics. You can grab coffee or tea from their coffee station while you wait to be seated. We like that the mimosas aren't watered down or heavy on the orange juice. I do wish they had Bloody Mary's but that's a daring drink to offer around these parts. Parking can be scarce in their lot since it's mighty popular but you can always find a spot nearby, if not in their lot, on a Sunday.

W. Pierre

Great brunch food

Peter Sparks

Always a great brunch at Lena's! It is always my first thought for a destination. Rarely disappointed with my selection. Staff and owner are welcoming, even when they are jam-packed, which they often are on weekends. Still, 8 years later, it continues to be my first choice ☺ Well done Christine!

sundance3367 sundance3367

Long wait in line they are crazy busy BUT SO WORTH THE WAIT! Food is awesome

Wendy Shea

Bacon was good. Eggs were dried out and browned and crispy on the edges, like they had been sitting all day. Pancakes were dense and zero flavor. The "fresh" berries on the side were that previously frozen wilted and watered. Coffee was watered down and had that old burnt coffee taste. For the prices, this is horrendous. I wouldn't have eaten it if it were free. Walking through the back entrance of the restaurant was like the smell of a gym locker room, instantly turning off my craving for pancakes. When I let Lena know I didn't like it and the issues about it she turned up her nose, raised her eyebrows and asked me "well what do you want then?" I was shocked at this response, I would never run a business like this. The only two reasons I gave this a one star is because the waitress was nice and the two pieces of bacon were in fact good.

David DeNaples

Great spot for breakfast. Wonderful owner. Always busy in there but they hustle and get you in.

jose cartagena

Excellent breakfast. You will find the best corn beef hash here.

Laine Elyse

My boyfriend and I came and got brunch here. Out of all the places in New Haven I've had brunch this is one of my top 3. The food was great the drinks were great. Our server Tyler was cool, fun, and well-educated with the menu. He gave great suggestions and made our dining experience an all around five out of five stars

Dave Goffman

Good diner type food. Good breakfast option in Westville without too much of a wait.

Alex Alapatt

Quickly made food and delicious brunch!

Matthew Hesson-McInnis

The food is excellent at Lena's, and the staff are friendly. I found it odd that pancakes were served without butter, and it took enough time to flag down our server to get butter that the pancakes were not very hot by then. So ask for butter when you order pancakes. The chicken and waffles are yummy, too.

Jonathan Cohen

Friendly staff, causal environment, good food. Excellent specials. Grab coffee at the coffee station if there is a long wait.

Tameca Brown Deer

This restaurant runs with efficiency and even though when we arrived, it was a 25 mins wait, it didn't feel that long. I had the Italian Frittata it was good except for the whole garlic cloves. Just a suggestion maybe it can be shredded or crushed. Overall, I will definitley be returning.

Dennis Dubon

Old school feel, good proportion, fair prices $$ for the quality and freshness!!! When ever in town this is a most for me and my friends.

Angel Rodriguez

Rude i said I was taking out so they just let me sit there for20 min took orders right behind me of customer who came after me so bottom line don't say ur taking out

Amal Paul

Breakfast took time to deliver but was worth the wait.

Fam Gibson

Great food and atmosphere! Staff are friendly and helpful!

David Cox

Everything is good so share a couple of dishes. Wednesday not to busy

Sean V

Has to ne one of the best places I've eaten at in Connecticut

Craig Burnett

Excellent service! Food is always good!

Kwani McNeil

Best Breakfast spot around !! Mimosas & Great Food

Selfish Gills

Great portions. American style breakfast (aka you will be full all day).

Stephany Cousins

9 ood salas .drinks

ticky468

Even though there was a crazy Saturday brunch crowd there was literally no wait (party of 2)

Alan Levy

Awesome brunch

Brandon Knieriem

Always a pleasure. Honestly, I don't remember the last time I went anywhere else for brunch. It's nice to be remembered!

Hunter Horsman

Good brunch, but can be a long wait.

Nancy Forvil

Food was okay the pancakes were dense, I ordered cakes and eggs. I must say the bacon was great

Lisa Davis

Another great social place to grab coffee and something to eat for daybreak, breakfast, lunch, or dinner

Brian Gallagher

Excellent confections and food. The portions are large and the prices are decent. I recommend this place for its cool atmosphere and the staff are very laid back. I had a patty melt and they made it to order, which, as most people know, is getting harder to accomplish than ever. Usually, to order means, *(extra cost) not here. Check it out for yourself. It has that small town vibe

Justin Marong

Place looks like a ware house inside food was priced ok would recommend the pantry instead

carole jolicoeur

Always something new and interesting. Always delicious! Would highly recommend but that would make you want to come and prolong my wait time!

Alex Balzano

Awesome food

John Vignali

Best brunch experience in New Haven. Kid friendly and usually less wait than across the street. Comfortable waiting areas when you get there during a weekend rush. Free coffee or drink with brunch specials. Its like opening a Christmas present every weekend when we check their brunch specials.

Lock Towns

Wow.....service was great and the food was awesome. I'm from the south and the fish and grits definitely made me feel like I was back home. This place is highly recommended.

Donna Coleman

Excellent place, great service, and I am a very picky person. No complaints from me. I will come back again and bring my family.

Michael Schuler

Most excellent

Charmaine Acampora

Great customer service would definitely go back again The Cook's were friendly also pretty much everyone in the restaurant who work there said hello and goodbye

David Rodriguez

Good food. Great with kids.

Kimberly Adams

Love Lena's.. food is fantastic, wait staff always timely and polite.

Gail Turner

Friendly staff..great food

Ms. Frances M. Batista

The staff is very nice but waited 1 hour and 10 Min to be seated when they said 20 min and another 1:15 min for eggs. Never again. There needs to be a little more organization. Time on Sundays for some of us is very important.

Esther

20 minute wait,but worth the wait.

Aaron Wong

Good brunch spot serving the usual suspects. Many spillover customers from similar restaurant across the street.

Stacey Rivera

Awesome fish and grits yummy.....shrimp and grit are good need a bit more flavor but I def would order it again. The environment is nice and they have good service. Can't wait to return

Chelle

This was my second time here with my husband and I must speak out. First of all I LOVE the feel of this place. You walk in expecting it to be busy because it's Sunday brunch. But the welcome you receive makes it so worth the wait. (Which, for two people, isn't even that long) When you get to your seat you don't feel crowded, instead you feel very comfortable and I was impressed with just how clean the space feels. The waitress gives you your menu asks if you need anything to drink. And promptly brings it back. You don't feel rushed or pressed to place your order and yet you don't feel like you have to chase the wait(ress/er) down to place your order. In less than 20 min your well on your way to eating. Now for the food. Honestly I'd be here just for the biscuits myself, but I ended up ordering still. I had the Shrimp and Grits and my husband had the Chicken and Waffles... Oh my goodness, they put they foot in it! Why did these Shrimp and Grits touch my soul and will be back to life? I don't know what they did, but whatever it was I'm not sure it could be replicated anywhere else. Grits creamy and the Shrimp cooked to perfection. Then they had the nerve to add bacon, andouille sausage, carmelized onions, fresh tomato and green onion for garnish. I can't! So in love with Lena's. Worth the wait, worth the price, just plain worth IT!

Tina Franklin

great for Sunday brunch, have coffee while you wait to be seated. A little pricey

Tiana Ocasio

Best service and food!!

Ajita Watt

It's was cozy, yet peaceful

Christine Coughlin

Great food

Erin Sward

good atmosphere with lots a seating available. food and service were good. nice location, which ample parking in the rear so you don't have to worry about street parking. not entirely cheap but wouldn't say over priced either...

Kahmari J

The pancakes taste raw eggs taste dry and you were able to peel the cheese right off. It is supposed to be mixed in not just thrown on top.

L D

Get $10 off first UberEats order from this restaurant by downloading the app and entering code UE-uaduw. I like the chicken and waffles

Sabrina Whiteman

Potatoes were reheated. Not fresh. Never again.

Bernice Pescosolido

What a great place!!!

Peter Butler

Delicious breakfast specials, kind and excellent service!

nicole Nicole.Sherri

Food is good. I love the corned beef hash. Yum!

Ron Paglinco

The food was delicious and the service was oustanding.

Steve Werlin

Creative menu. Delicious food. Excellent coffee. Kid-friendly.

Marlyn G

French toast is my favorite! Quaint place with great customer service. Food is always fresh and delicious!

vianca lazaro

The friendliness, care & professionalism of the staff was refreshing,unexpected but appreciated & noticed. The atmosphere was airy the other patrons were friendly & nice as well, also refreshing. The pancake .... the best & most unique flavor I have ever tasted. I look forward to returning & trying something different. And they had parking !

Lorraine Oliver

The food was great service wasn't to go

Leah Bracey

I want to try this place one more time. I had an omelette. Something about CT; I've only had one good omelette in this town. Anyway, the omelette was a little greasy and wasn't fluffy at all. However, the home fries were really good. The coffee is pretty strong. I'd give this place another try. It has a great atmosphere. Wierd hours though.

TheGod Ofwar

Love this place. The owner is an absolute sweetheart. If you have a large group of people with you she'll do everything she can to get you seated. The food is good and the staff is nice. Call ahead for a reservation they do get crowded. But places that are good or always crowded and that's a good thing.

Nicole Gomez

rude staff

Paul Woods

Tasty. Generous portions. Hipster.

Yolanda Yancey

Very Peaceful setting, polite staff and good food

James Batista

Food was good but took an hour to get a table and another hour to get the food

Adam Supa Coop

The menu is exotic, very well thought out. Whatever you order will be a unique experience to other breakfast spots. A clear favorite to step out from the norm.

Bill Chilauskas

Food was awesome with alright prices. Loved the egg toast platter. Everthing came on time and hot. Like that it has a nice open cafeteria feeling. Also enjoyed a mimosa at 11 a.m. always a plus on vaca.

Melinda Hobart

The food is great but the customer service sucks. They’re so extremely rude so unfortunately I couldn’t give them more than 1 star. Experience is just as important, too bad they don’t feel the same!

Eddie Caruthers

My third or fourth visit as my girlfriend loves the place. I have never been impressed with the food relative to the wait.

Nathan Pirakitikulr

Great brunch spot and the wait is not so bad especially with the coffee and couches in the back.

Eric Keam

I actually liked this place better than the other place across the street...the space to wait with coffee and larger spaces between tables...the foods are good too!!

anthony feliciano

Great spacious environment. Definitely try the corned beef. I don't even like corned beef and I thought it was delicious. Parking in the back.

Christopher Pike

Super odd layout but good was good.

Lee Minu

Mediterranean omelet is great! Fast food service :)

Kenneth Brown

Love this place.. very good breakfast

Wynn Allen

Food has gone down, had crab omelette and crab was spoiled, ammonia/fishy taste. Hash browns were way too salty. Breakfast burger had very little taste. Disappointed, food use to be so good.