Mikro

Hautacam

Connecticut

4.55/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Our first visit to Mikro last night was great.
Located in a small strip mall on rt 10 in Hamden, they did a great job designing the space. The entire place IS the bar; there is no restaurant side vs bar side. It's a very cool bistro style interior with open rafters above the bar and fabric panel walls, which I assume helped keep the volume down even with a good sized crowd. Very conducive for enjoying beer, food and conversation. The music was kept at a reasonable volume.
We were met by the owner, Mike who is a really nice guy. His entire staff reflects his commitment to offering friendly, knowledgeble, service along with really good food. Our waitress was very cool.
Beer selection was very good. We had BBC Lost Sailor, Southampton Alt, NEB Wet Willy !!, DFH 90, North Coast IPA, Weihenstephan Korbinian ,Stone Smoked porter....there were lots of other good choices.
Food was very good. The Poutine was awesome !..best we've ever had. Roasted, spiced nuts were very tasty...and hot. I had the mushroom and carmelized onion flatbread and my girlfriend had pulled chicken ( free range ?) apple, aged cheddar, pesto flatbread....both were outstanding.Our friends had the Mikro burgers with belgian style fries...which they shared...very good.
So, cool atmosphere, great service ,food and beer. What's not to love ? Goes without saying that we will frequent this place for sure. A great addition to the CT craft beer scene.

Update 11-18-10
I have been back a few more times and have been eating my way through the menu. The bistro steak is awesome ! and a pretty good deal for $14. I'm addicted to the hot spiced nuts. Beer selection rotates often..always good. Supports local breweries: NEBCO, Cavalry,BBC, Capt Lawrence. Gandhi Bot on cask last week !

11-07-2010 13:50:15 | More by Hautacam

ArrogantBastard203

4.58/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I went here for my 21st birthday yesterday and I couldn't be more glad that I did so because this is just a great place to hang out and drink some quality beer with some friends and maybe something fried to nosh on once you're a few beers deep. Its not the type of place where drunks congregate which i liked a lot; its a small place but its a very nice little hideaway from the hustle and bustle of Whitney Ave. outside which one would forget was there from the atmosphere of the place.

I love that they change the beer on "the board" everyday even if its only by 1 or 2 beers. The board is a giant chalk board on the back wall and it lists the 2 dozen microbrews that they have on draft that night and usually one is a cask.

I certainly will be dubbing this place my watering hole especially since its only a 15 minute drive for me :)

08-16-2012 21:08:45 | More by ArrogantBastard203

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

4.68/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $

Mikro is a small room, with the bar area taking one half the space, with tables fitting in behind the bar. It was a little cramped on a Friday night, but I was able to find a spot at the bar.

The draft list was on a board in front of me, with a wide range of styles covered. Mostly local, New England brews were on tap when I went, with a couple offerings each from Berkshire and Sebago. Price and ABV were listed for all the beers. I decided to go with a Blue Point Oatmeal Stout.

The food menu was small, with a good selection of small and medium sized plates. I ordered a cheese plate that included a cheddar with onions and chives, a smoked blue cheese and a smoked Gouda. All were tasty, but I wish the plate include more of the cranberry-walnut bread. I also had a small plate of mussels steamed in white ale, with an orange in the broth as well as some pepper-spice. The portion for the "small" mussels plate was very generous.

Service was very impressive. Even though it was a busy night, my bartender was attentive, talkative, and even brought me an extra plate of toast for my mussels! The quality of the food was excellent, especially for the price. I think my two plates totaled $16. The beer list was great, and the tap list changes frequently (two or three taps were changed while I was there.) This might be the best beer bar in CT!

12-19-2010 19:58:13 | More by jeffthecheff

dmgnyc

New York

4.72/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

This place opened up 10 minutes down the road from my childhood house. Figured any place that could get my Dad excited about "some dark beer called Imperial Stout Trooper" was worth checking out.

Pretty sure it used to be a non-descript bar called Jackrabbit Slims mostly catering to a Quinnipiac crowd, but Mikro is anything but unmemorable. The first thing that comes to mind upon entering is a friendly ski lodge, albeit one with fantastic beer taps. 18 on tap, usually a few from New England Brewing Co. down the road, with mostly a Northeast focus (Allagash, BBC, Weyerbacher, Smuttynose, etc.), but also a few West Coast stalwarts for good measure. Pretty extensive bottle list too, all reasonably priced, and flights of four, 4oz pours are nine bucks. They seem to go through kegs pretty quickly, unsurprising because the place is usually packed.

Food consists of a variety of higher end small plates, poutine, mussels & fries, salads, etc., as well as larger entrees and flatbreads. The flatbread with yukon gold potatoes, mozz, and various herbs was completely delicious, as was the chipotle chicken flatbread, and our chopped salad. It's higher end bar food, but reasonably priced, and not obnoxiously fancified.

But maybe most impressive was the knowledge of the servers on the topic of suds. Our waiter was familiar with every brew on the menu, more than willing to talk shop, and was able to recommend brews based upon the food being ordered and the diners' past experiences with beers they liked. Every one of the servers seemed to have similar knowledge, and patience.

Warm environment, great food, excellent taps and service. I'd return in a heartbeat.

02-14-2011 01:14:18 | More by dmgnyc

erosier

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +7.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Stopped in for some food and beer 11/20/10. Upon walking in through the door, there's an interesting cloth curtain that keeps the cold breeze down for the patrons near the door. It is dimly lit to promote an intimate atmosphere and is actually quite inviting. The music is a good mix of stuff that isn't the same stuff you hear at every bar and it is at a lower level so you can have a conversation with the person without having to scream into their ear. It is a small bar with about 8 tables or so and another bar in the middle that separates the seating area from the rest of the bar. It is a good use of the space. Also excellent was the ring on a string game, I can't wait to play that when the bar isn't so crowded...

The beer selection was excellent - they had some local stuff by Cavalry Brewing, some stuff by Captain Lawrence, Southampton, Berkshire Beer Co. (on nitro tap), Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti, Delirium Tremens, and much more, there's about 20 taps and an even more extensive bottle list. The service at the bar was great and the bartenders all knew about their beer, along with the waitresses, and especially the owner, Mike. The wait staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable.

The food was outstanding, I can't say enough about it so I'll just say this: Anything on that menu is going to be a good choice; you can't go wrong with any of it. The best part is it is reasonably priced food too, stuff that costs less than $20 a plate here would be close to $35+ at most other restaurants around the area. The beer was also priced fairly.

Overall a great friendly atmosphere that is a great place to stop and have a beer (or a few).

11-22-2010 12:12:08 | More by erosier

henorl

Connecticut

4.9/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Went to Mikro on Friday, November 19th with my wife. We were very pleased. The beer selection is very good, and the beers we had were all fresh. The food was exceptional for bar food. In fact, it was very good even if this were not a bar. My wife had a half a chicken (it is a small bird so it is actually a reasonably sized portion - not too big) with white beans. I had the wild salmon and pearl barley with mushrooms. The salmon had a glazed top which had almost turned to shellac - very different and not overcooked. The pearl barley and mushrooms was very savory. My wife loved her chicken and the white beans were cooked to perfection - again not overcooked.

It was a cold and gusty evening, and we were seated right next to the door. I now understand the function of those heavy curtains over the doorway. They prevented us feeling the chill as people came and went. My wife, who is normally quite sensitive to cold, had no problem sitting there.

The place was full but not over crowded when we were there. The noise level was moderately high, but we were still able to hold a conversation. The service was attentive but not overbearing. Given that the place was hopping, I has pleasantly surprised.

Thanks to the memorable food and beer I am sure we will be back.

11-22-2010 21:39:56 | More by henorl