If you have driven past 344 Washington Ave., you have seen the wooden patio boxes, the orange umbrellas and the big white sign: Breakfast, Sam’s Place, Crêpe & Lunch. Some listings still show the spot under its old name. What a lot of people don’t know is how much has changed inside since Sam took it over, and that the crêpe menu has become the thing reviewers talk about most.
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Sam’s Place serves breakfast and lunch every day from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It holds a 4.5-star average across more than 360 Google reviews, and when Google sorts those reviews by topic, the word that comes up most is “crepes,” ahead of omelettes, cleanliness and home fries.
From Breakfast Connection to Sam’s Place
The restaurant’s own story is short and to the point. “Late in 2020, Sam took over and began remodeling the restaurant to give it a more refined and distinctive look,” the Sam’s Place website says. “He added an extensive array of unique antiquities to the dining room.”
State business records fill in a little more. The company behind the restaurant, Breakfast Connection of North Haven Inc., was registered with the Connecticut Secretary of the State on Dec. 17, 2020, at 344 Washington Ave., Suite 9, with Sameh Salem listed as its director. The filing lists the business as minority-owned. An earlier partnership under the Breakfast Connection name had been registered at the address in 2017, which is why some local listings, including Visit New Haven’s, still show the restaurant as Breakfast Connection.
The Quinnipiack Valley Health District, which inspects North Haven restaurants, lists the place as “Sam’s Place (Breakfast Connection).” Its posted report from a May 16, 2022, inspection gave the restaurant an A rating.
The website calls the restaurant “our tribute to the American diner” and sums up the menu in one line: “Fresh. Fun. Flavorful. Where Traditional Food Meets a tWisT.” The staff, it says, “operate as a happy family.”
What it feels like inside
The remodel is the first thing reviewers mention after the food. Brenda put it this way in her five-star Google review: “Amazing restaurant! The staff and food and atmosphere is beyond warm and welcoming.” She added that the decor “makes you feel warm and cozy” and that the staff go out of their way at “making you feel like family.”
Staff get named by guests. Cassie, writing about her first visit, said “Kristie was wonderful as well, she greeted us” at the door. Ashley wrote that “Service was 10/10” and that “It was nice to meet and chat with Mo.”
The restaurant also takes private parties, according to the sign out front, and the restaurant does catering, including orders through ezCater.
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The crêpes are the headline now
The crêpe menu is the restaurant’s newest addition, and it now takes up its own section, “Coffee & Crepes.” Every crêpe on the board is $17.95, and the list runs from dessert-for-breakfast to full savory meals. Reviewers keep coming back to two words about them: fresh and big.
Cassie ordered “the eggs Benedict crepe, and the smoked salmon crepe” on her first visit and noted that the “portions were pretty big.” Elizabeth wrote, “I loved the Apple caramel crepe! The apples were fresh and cut into thin pieces!” Ashley’s verdict: “the Nutella crepe was such a nice treat.”
Brenda summed up the value side: the “portions are generous and priced amazing.”
What to order
Start with the crêpe everyone mentions. The Nutella crêpe ($17.95) comes as two Nutella-filled crêpes with your choice of two toppings from strawberries, blueberries and bananas.
The Apple crêpe ($17.95) is filled with apple and walnut and finished with caramel sauce. This is the one Elizabeth called out for its thin-sliced fresh apples.
The house namesake, Sam’s Crêpe ($17.95), is the breakfast-bowl version: banana, yogurt, granola, dried cranberry and honey.
For something bright, the Blue Limoncello ($17.95) pairs lemon curd with fresh blueberries and whipped cream.
On the savory side, the Chickichanga ($17.95) fills the crêpe with eggs, seasoned chicken, roasted onions, green chilies and avocado slices with hollandaise. There is also a Pesto crêpe with chicken, mushrooms and spinach, a Benedict crêpe and a build-your-own option.
If you want a diner classic instead, the Classic Benedict ($15) is two poached eggs over Canadian ham on an English muffin with the kitchen’s own hollandaise. California ($16) and Smoked Salmon ($18) versions are on the menu too.
The House-made Hash ($16.95) is two eggs any style on top of the restaurant’s homemade corned beef hash.
Sam’s Steak & Eggs ($16.95) is built around a 6-ounce sirloin.
Omelettes are the second-most-talked-about topic in the Google reviews. The Mediterranean ($14.95) is a blend of onions, tomatoes, zucchini and feta.
For the sweet tooth that isn’t in the mood for crêpes, the Brioche-style French toast ($7 single, $10 double, $13 triple) is “scrumptious & airy layers,” the menu says, and the Berries Hotcakes are stuffed with blueberries, strawberries or a mix.
Lighter eaters should look at Avocado Crush on You ($11.50): mashed avocado on multi-grain toast with grilled tomatoes and pickled red onions. Add an egg for $1.25.
And if you’re grabbing breakfast to go, The Philly sandwich ($10.95) stacks shaved steak, two eggs and American cheese.
A menu with a few surprises
Read the whole menu and you will find dishes most local diners don’t carry. The Egyptian Breakfast ($17) brings two falafel made from fava beans, eggplant, hummus and scrambled eggs with tomatoes and feta, served with pita. The lunch side has Beef Hawawshi on pita ($11), ground beef with onions, green peppers and jalapeño, and a Beef Kebab Wrap ($12) with tzatziki or tahini.
The kitchen also offers beef bacon, beef sausage and turkey ham, and the Multi-Lovers omelette ($16.95) is built on all three. Elizabeth noted the “non pork options which is a mega plus.” Burgers, a Philly cheesesteak wrap, salads and soup round out lunch, and a kids’ menu has silver dollar pancakes and French toast sticks.
Coffee drinkers should know about the Nutella Latte ($6). And a few chocolate items with a trend name, Dubai Chocolate Hotcakes and Dubai Chocolate French Toast, are on the board too.
If you go
- Where: 344 Washington Ave., North Haven
- Hours: Every day, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Phone: (203) 234-6100
- Ordering: Dine-in or pickup, plus DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats; catering available
- Extras: Gift cards and a loyalty program; private parties
- Social: @samsplacenh on Instagram and Facebook
Been to Sam’s Place since the crêpes arrived? Tell us your order. And if there is a North Haven business or organization you think deserves a profile, we want to hear about it.
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