NEW HAVEN — The owner of an award-winning Italian restaurant in New Haven has once again won a prestigious award for Italian restaurants and is looking to sell his New Haven spot as the restaurant charts its expansion across the state.
Danilo Mongillo, owner of Strega, was named one of the top Italian restaurants in the world Thursday by the Italian food and wine magazine Gambero Rosso. Mongillo’s restaurant won a “Due Forchette,” or Two Forks, award.
The highest amount of forks Gambero Rosso gives is three. Strega won the same award in 2025. In 2019, the magazine recognized the first location of the restaurant, which opened in Branford in 2016, for its excellence in authentic Italian cuisine, a first for an Italian restaurant in Connecticut, Mongillo said at the time. Strega moved its Branford location to Milford in 2021. That location, at 9 River St., closed last year.
Strega New Haven, located at 1006 Chapel St., was listed for sale by Home Services of America on Feb. 24. The listing is described as a “rare opportunity to purchase an established Italian restaurant concept in New Haven’s downtown dining corridor.” The sale price is $175,000. Mongillo said in a statement to CT Insider that the decision to sell the restaurant “is not a step away from the project, but rather a natural evolution of it,” as he plans to grow the business across the state.
“Strega has been a very important chapter of my life and of my culinary journey in New Haven,” Mongillo said. “Our goal is to find the right partners who truly appreciate what Strega represents and who are committed to preserving the spirit, the quality, and the identity that have defined the restaurant since day one. This transition would allow us to ensure that the New Haven location continues to thrive while giving us the opportunity to focus on expanding the Strega concept and developing it into a broader brand dedicated to authentic Italian cuisine.”
Strega New Haven is part of The Shops at Yale. It opened in 2024. The listing notes that the business is active and operating. The dining area contains six tables, which is an “intentional design choice.” However, the listing notes that the buyer has room to change the configuration if they desire.
Dining and Cooking