Papa's Wings & Seafood Finds Its Home In East Haven

EAST HAVEN, CT —James Green had taken a job driving for Lyft and Uber, to help make ends meet, and found himself in East Haven when he saw the storefront with a for rent sign.

The 240 Main St., location was the former home of Fish Ahoy. Green stopped his car and took down the number. He lives in Meriden and when he mentioned to some folks that he was looking at the site for a restaurant, some told him it might not be the most welcoming and perhaps not the best spot for his idea: to open a wings and seafood spot.

He was not fazed. When he saw that the location was next to Food Network "Cupcake Wars" winner and East Haven legend Sugar — where his wife Ernestine has previously purchased cupcakes for special occasions — he knew this was the place.

“I was, oh my God. I just pulled over and took that number down," Green said, taking a quick break from getting orders ready. "It was like it was sitting here, waiting for me.”

Empty for a year, Green wondered “how people could drive by and not see what I saw.”

“People told me I might have problems, but honest to God, I don’t think I could have found a better place to be,” Green said while juggling tartar sauce and pick-up and delivery orders at what he told a reporter was likely a good time to meet, around 3 p.m. on Thursday, as it would probably “be a little slow.”

But when Patch went to meet Green at his new take-out spot, Papa’s Wings & Seafood, the phone did not stop ringing. Within the span of around 15 minutes, two GrubHub delivery drivers came by, and five customers, one who preferred not to give her name, but said it was her second time visiting the eatery.

And that’s saying something since Papa’s has only been open less than two weeks.

“Problem? No way," Green said. "It’s been awesome.”

Pandemic delayed opening

Papa’s Wings & Seafood had hoped to open many months sooner, but a global pandemic stalled that opening. In fact, it was in January that Papa's Wings & Seafood first made itself public with a Facebook post.

So it's been a long time coming for Green. But worth the wait.

“Since we opened our doors, everyone has come. Guys from the water department. Police come here and firefighters. Even the mayor came,” he said.

“My neighbors, like Sugar, they gave their blessings and (other business owners nearby) have come to eat with us. It’s been just wow, great.”

At Papa’s Wings & Seafood, it’s a family affair with Green’s wife Ernestine and daughter Brittany helping to run the restaurant, a fusion of Cajun and Caribbean, specifically Jamaican, flavors with a soul food vibe.

A reporter placed an order to go and later enjoyed a fried shrimp Po Boy, Cajun fries, honey BBQ wings, and a Buffalo shrimp platter. The take-out containers lay empty.

'Cook with love'

Green is not a chef. He has siblings who attended culinary school and have “run big kitchens.” They are professional chefs. He is not.

“I’m a just cook. And the way I cook is with love.”

Green said that he’s learned from watching: his wife, his mother, grandmother and aunties. And the spice blend he uses is his own creation, but not a mystery.

“Seasoning is like chemistry. It’s all about getting that mix of spices right, the balance of how you put it together.”

At Papa’s Wings & Seafood, the wings are fried and mildly spicy, dry-rubbed or with sauces to dip or pour over.

The menu includes Po Boy sandwiches, rolls stuffed with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, his “secret sauce,” and seafood or chicken; fried or sautéed BBQ shrimp, buttery lobster, whole belly clams or Buffalo chicken.

There’s shrimp and grits, seafood fries, shrimp and crab nachos, ribs (hot sweet, BBQ or honey BBQ) and wings including jalapeño cheddar, Jamaican, Cajun, and sweet chili.

(Did we mention there was nary a crumb left in our take-out containers?)

Papa’s Wings & Seafood is located at 420 Main St. in East Haven. The phone number is 203-691-5277. Find and follow the restaurant on Instagram, 'like' on Facebook or visit its website here. Papa’s partners with Uber Eats, Door Dash and GrubHub.