Bologna With Attitude and Shrimp & Grits: Meet George and Foula Mastromanolis, the Couple Behind State Street Cafe

If you have ever waited for a table at State Street Cafe on a Sunday morning, you already know the secret is out. The breakfast-and-lunch spot at 346 State St. has been part of North Haven’s morning routine for more than two decades, and it still fills up on weekends.

Here is the story of the husband-and-wife team behind it, what regulars say on Google, and the plates worth ordering on your next visit.

George and Foula’s place

State Street Cafe, LLC was registered with the state of Connecticut on May 18, 2004, at the 346 State St. address, according to the state’s business registry, which lists George Mastromanolis as its principal. The cafe’s website calls him the owner and says he “carefully creates unique menu items while honoring classic diner favorites.”

He does not do it alone. When FOX61’s “Foodie Friday” visited in November 2016, it introduced the owners as Foula and George Mastromanolis, a couple “known for serving up unique dishes at their North Haven diner, with a twist.”

The State Street Cafe dining room with booths and a counter

“I love the kitchen,” George told FOX61. “I love cooking and want to transfer creative ingredients to my plates.”

Foula told the station that weekend regulars should look past the printed menu. “When you come on the weekend, you may be hesitant and looking at the menu but, have the board specials,” she said. “He (George) comes up with these concoctions that just blows our minds.”

She also explained why the place feels the way it does. “It really is home here and I appreciate each and every one of our customers, they have become our family,” she said.

“Bologna with attitude”

One of George’s favorite ingredients is a New Jersey breakfast staple. “It’s Taylor Ham and it’s from Jersey,” he told FOX61. “It has beautiful flavors, something between ham and bologna so that’s why we call it bologna with attitude.”

Ten years later, Taylor ham is still all over the menu. It goes into the Jersey Breakfast Sandwich and the newer Quinnipiac Toast, which piles scrambled eggs, Taylor ham, potatoes, caramelized onions, poblano peppers and bacon with spicy queso on challah toast.

The counter and stools inside State Street Cafe

The cafe’s motto is just as direct. FOX61 reported that it is written on the wall above the kitchen: “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best.” The cafe’s website still leads its About page with a version of the same line.

A diner menu with a twist

The website describes State Street Cafe as “a modern diner with a twist,” and the menu backs that up. You can still get a two-egg platter, buttermilk pancakes, a BLT or a triple-decker club. But you will also find a Big Mac Omelet, a Barbacoa Benedict, breakfast steak tacos, carnitas tacos and a Tony Soprano Wrap with crispy chicken, prosciutto, burrata and crushed pistachios.

Some dishes carry local names, like the Skiff Street Omelette and the Quinnipiac Toast. And the Apple Fritter French Toast is made with apple fritters from Whitney Donuts, according to the menu.

The specials change with the seasons. This fall’s online menu includes Pumpkin Cheesecake Pancakes and “The Cozy Scrambled Toast,” which the cafe calls its fall special, with chicken apple sausage, butternut squash, roasted peppers, fontina and hollandaise.

A spread of breakfast plates at State Street Cafe

What locals say

State Street Cafe has a 4.5-star rating from more than 1,100 Google reviews. Grits come up in 56 of those reviews, the most of any dish Google highlights, followed by French toast. Portions and wait times come up often, too.

“I highly recommend the Shrimp and Grits—it’s absolutely delicious,” Thanchanok wrote. “Usually, I can’t finish my entire meal when dining out, but I polished off this dish without even realizing it. Trust me, you have to try it.”

Perry called it a “great breakfast & lunch spot” with a menu that is “not your typical diner menu,” and wrote that the Biscoff Pancakes and Cinnamon Sugar French Toast were “incredible,” with “huge portions, friendly & fast service and reasonable prices.” Perry added: “George and his team do a great job and we will definitely be back soon!”

Cory had the pastrami eggs Benedict, “The New Yorker,” and called it “delicious.” Cory also noticed the coffee service, writing of having “only got to drink a quarter of my hot coffee before it was filled to the brim again.” The verdict: “I would absolutely come again.”

Nodella, a first-time visitor, wrote that there was about a 10-minute wait on a busy Sunday, and that the Belgian waffle and chicken tenders “were prepared perfectly.” The review called the grits and omelets delicious and the server “really nice, friendly, and professional,” but noted that parking is limited.

Humpreet wrote, “I love coming here for breakfast on the weekends,” praising “a great selection of benedicts, omelettes & wraps.” The one tip: if you have a group of more than four people, plan ahead.

What to order

Shrimp & Grits. The dish regulars rave about: seasoned shrimp sautéed with onions, cherry tomatoes and poblano peppers, served with scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon and cheddar over creamy grits ($23.99 on the online menu).

Shrimp and grits topped with scrambled eggs at State Street Cafe

Biscoff Pancakes. Crunchy Biscoff pancakes with melted Biscoff cream and crumbled Biscoff cookies, served with whipped vanilla sweet cream and fresh berries ($21.99).

Biscoff pancakes with berries and whipped cream

Apple Fritter French Toast. Whitney Donuts apple fritters turned into French toast, topped with caramelized apples and caramel sauce ($18.99).

Apple fritter French toast with caramelized apples

Jersey Breakfast Sandwich. The “bologna with attitude” in sandwich form: Taylor ham, a fried egg and American cheese with the cafe’s breakfast sauce on an Asiago bagel ($17.59 and up).

The Jersey Breakfast Sandwich with Taylor ham on an Asiago bagel

Big Mac Omelet. Angus ground beef, bacon, potato tots, tomatoes, red onion and American cheese, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and Mac sauce ($20.59 and up).

Crab Cake Benedict. One of seven dishes on the menu’s Benedict list, alongside the Original, the California, the Irish, the Florentine, the NY and the Country ($25.59 and up).

Boom Boom Chicken. A lunch favorite the cafe features on its homepage, listed under the menu’s “Favorites” ($19.99 and up).

The Boom Boom Chicken sandwich with waffle fries

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. For the table that wants something sweet to share ($12.99 and up).

Rooted in North Haven

The cafe says it supports “local schools, sports teams, theater productions, and charitable initiatives” in town. It also offers catering, a rewards program and an app for online ordering, and its website says it is always hiring.

On Facebook, where the cafe has about 3,000 followers, 96% of 724 reviewers recommend it.