American fusion restaurant The Pharmacy opens in Hamden’s Spring Glen

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

HAMDEN — From Cajun Jambalaya Pasta to Colombian Empanadas and Korean Sticky Ribs, new American fusion restaurant The Pharmacy has opened its door in Spring Glen.

It’s located at 1670 Whitney Ave., where Cafe Amici used to be before it was relocated earlier this year because the owners said the restaurant had outgrown the spot.

However, co-owners Michael Migliaro and Stephen Barraco didn’t want to leave this location behind, and had planned for a new restaurant with a different theme.

Migliaro said the duo wanted to offer the neighborhood something other than what they’ve been serving for the last 15 years, which was Italian food.

“This restaurant is primarily everything except Italian,” Migliaro said.

Customers can get Southern, Asian, Spanish, American and more types of cuisine at The Pharmacy. Chef Gilberton Galdamez came up with recipes for the food.

“We want to give different varieties for the neighborhood, we want people to stay in the neighborhood,” Barraco said, stressing that there is something on the menu for everybody.

As 1670 Whitney Ave. used to house a pharmacy for the neighborhood in the 1990s, according to a business database, Migliaro and Barraco wanted to maintain the history of the building because they said many area residents still remember when it was a pharmacy.

“A lot of drinks that we have on the drink menu, they’re all named after different medicines and our shots are served in classic syringes to mimic a pharmacy,” Migliaro said.

Cocktails on the menu include The Little Blue Pill, The Painkiller, The Detox and The Remedy, among others. Some of the different shots people can get are The Vaccine shot, which consists of vodka, triple sec and lime juice, and The Botox shot, which is made of Ketel One Citroen flavored vodka, Chambord and pineapple juice.

In the short time The Pharmacy has been open , both Migliaro and Barraco said they have received positive feedback from diners.

The restaurateurs also own Cafe Amici in Hamden and Amici Tavern in North Haven, offering Italian and new American cuisines, respectively. When asked whether they plan to grow more, they said they will see what the future holds for them.

“It’s always something that we think about but you never know,” Barraco said.

If the partners end up expanding, they said they don’t know what kind of cuisine they would want to serve yet because it would depend on the location.

If “we found a spot that we really fell in love with, then we would look at the spot and then when you walk into it, you kind of just get a feeling of what (food) it should be,” Migliaro said.

The Pharmacy is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“We want people to come to Spring Glen because it’s still a beautiful part of Hamden and we’re trying to keep business in Hamden and keep the area exciting and fun,” Barraco said.

chatwan.mongkol@hearstmediact.com