A downtown Hartford bar that opened just three months ago has had its liquor permit suspended by state regulators after racking up more than 20 police complaints and defying orders from the city’s police chief, according to documents from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
White Rabbit Downtown, an Italian-Latino restaurant and bar, opened in December at 201 Ann Uccello St. — the former location of The Tavern Downtown, which closed last summer after facing eviction.
DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli on Friday signed a summary suspension order for the venue, which took effect immediately and runs through 11:59 p.m. on March 10, when the bar’s provisional restaurant liquor permit is set to expire.
The provisional permit was first issued Dec. 9, 2025. Because it expires March 10, DCP’s order notes the suspension will effectively become moot at that point, with no permit left to reinstate.
“It is rare for our agency to exercise our right to suspend a provisional permit in this way, but the actions of the ownership at White Rabbit leave us no other option,” Cafferelli said. “The premises’ immediate and blatant disregard of orders from the Hartford Police Department, in addition to repeated behavior that delays and impedes investigations by DCP into the application and premises operations, creates public safety concerns in the surrounding area.”
The suspension comes after Hartford Police Chief James Rovella on Thursday ordered the bar to hire two police officers daily as a condition of operating, citing public safety concerns.
The order took effect immediately with a two-hour grace period. Hours later, officers found White Rabbit open and serving patrons with no police detail in place.
The defiance of Rovella’s order was the final straw in what DCP described as a pattern of misconduct that stretched back to the bar’s December opening. Officers have received at least 20 noise complaints since Dec. 12, 2025, related to disc jockeys playing past 11 p.m. in violation of city zoning rules. Hartford’s Department of Development Services issued a notice of violation in January, but at least 12 additional complaints followed, according to the DCP order.
Police have also been denied immediate entry to the premises on at least two separate occasions by doormen, and DCP agents were turned away once as well, the order states. Officers have additionally responded to two breach-of-peace complaints, a suspected larceny, and a domestic violence incident on Jan. 1.
According to state licensing documents, the bar’s listed owners are Hector Cuadrado, the permittee, and his business partner, Antonino Chiulli Jr.
But DCP said Antonino Chiulli Jr.’s father has functioned as the de facto operator, signing documents on behalf of the business and serving as the primary contact with regulators, despite having no official role. When DCP convened a security meeting with all backers and key management, only Cuadrado appeared — and he was unable to answer basic questions about operations or security measures, telling agents Antonino Chiulli Sr. would have that information.
“Tellingly, Cuadrado also described Chiulli Sr. as an owner during that meeting,” the suspension order states.
Regulators also raised concerns that the bar may no longer qualify for a restaurant permit. The original menu featured sushi, tapas, pasta and gourmet burgers. But DCP learned during the security meeting that the original chef had left and the food was now limited to wings and appetizers. That menu change was never reported to DCP, the order states.
The bar may continue to serve food while the suspension is in effect, but must comply with the police detail order.
