Louis' Lunch

Order a hamburger sandwich on toast, cooked in 1898 cast-iron vertical broilers, with no ketchup offered.

261 Crown St · New Haven, CT

Plan your visit

Price: No admission fee
When it runs: Closed annually in August and the week after New Year's
Good for: Hungry travelers
History lovers
Offbeat tastes
Public transit nearby: George St @ opp High StBus 254, 255, 261 · 0.1 mi away
Chapel St @ College StBus 237, 238, 241, 243, 246, 254, 255, 278 · 0.1 mi away
New Haven-State StTrain New Haven · 0.5 mi away
Stops and lines from the USDOT National Transit Map. Check times with the agency before you go.
Flying in: Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) is about 4 miles away.
See everything near HVN

Get directions

Go with Uber Go with Lyft

Get there by Public Transportation

Official site More to do in Mystic & the Connecticut Shore

Confirm details on the official site.

Is this your business?

Tell us what to change on this page, or ask how to manage it yourself.

Loading map…

See area map

About Louis' Lunch

Louis' Lunch started in 1895 as a lunch wagon run by Louis Lassen, and the Library of Congress recognizes it as the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich. The patties are a blend of five cuts of beef, ground fresh daily and cooked to order in the original cast-iron vertical gas broilers from 1898. Your burger arrives on white toast with cheese, tomato or onion if you want them. Do not ask for ketchup, since the family does not offer condiments.

#hamburgers
#historic restaurant
#new haven food
#lunch counter

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Louis' Lunch, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Museums
Yale Center for British Art
No admission fee
A Yale University museum in New Haven devoted to British art, with a large holding of works from outside the United Kingdom.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Rainy-Day Pick
Yale University Art Gallery
No admission fee
See van Gogh's The Night Cafe and art from ancient to modern in a free university museum on Chapel Street.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Connecticut Children's Museum
Under $25
A hands-on children's museum in New Haven with interactive exhibit rooms and a library of children's books.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Yale Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments
No admission fee
A Yale School of Music museum of instruments from many cultures and eras, founded in 1900.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Eat & Drink
Foodie Favorite
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Under $25
Order a coal-fired white clam pizza or original tomato pie at the 1925 Wooster Street pizzeria that started it all.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.7 mi awayMore like this
Eat & Drink
Local Gem
Shunock River Brewery and Village Cafe
Under $25
A small craft brewery and wood-fired pizza cafe near Mystic with weekend live music.
55 mi awayMore like this