Downtown Milford Tavern Closes Permanently

MILFORD, CT — Eli's Tavern has closed its downtown Milford location after 10 years in business. The 21 Daniel St. establishment closed Oct. 10.

"We appreciate the support the community and our staff provided over the years but unfortunately due to the challenging environment we and the rest of the restaurant industry has faced over the last few years it has led us to make this very difficult decision," Eli's wrote on Facebook.

Eli's currently has other locations in Hamden, Branford, Manchester, and Fairfield, with another location soon coming to Danbury.

The restaurant was working to transfer Milford staff to other properties.

Eli's offers casual dining with pizza and burgers along with its own line of beers.

"The closing of Eli’s is a sad event for Milford and the downtown community," Simon McDonald, director of Membership and Marketing for the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce, told Patch. "It was always a great place to grab a bite to eat, meet friends, and even make new ones. However, I feel that our vibrant downtown will continue to be a fantastic destination for diners and shoppers, and I hope we will see a new eatery open in that space soon."

McDonald said he hasn't heard anything about what will take Eli's place in downtown, "but with all the new housing being developed by Metro Star, I'm sure there are many interested parties."