Grotto is hands down the best restaurant in Syracuse. From the hostess to serving staff, everyone…read moreis welcoming, delightful, and kind. They are attentive and able to answer questions. The food was delicious. So fresh, best ingredients, and so flavorful.

Service was top notch provided by Anthony, a great waiter. Environment was welcoming and clean…read more Everyone seem to be having a great time. We went on a Friday night, which was also Mother's Day weekend and local college graduation weekend so the place was packed with people celebrating. I ordered the wedge salad, which seems to be a very popular option right now in restaurants. It came with a very thick dressing with some bacon sprinkled in the dressing. It was OK. I ordered the seafood fra diavolo, which was somewhat disappointing. The sauce was very watery and did not have a strong flavor of either the fish served on it or any heat as indicated by the name,. I had to ask for cheese to kind of kick it up, which was quickly provided. Dessert was a lovely cheesecake. I guess I expected more due to the positive reviews.

I came to Nestico's hungry. Big mistake...the food took a long time. Not "they're slammed" long,…read morebut "this is how it is" long. The waitress was very sweet about it though, and she kept the group hydrated with rounds of refreshing drinks while the kitchen slowly did its thing. When the food finally came out, it was solid. It didn't blow my mind, but I still cleaned my plate (or maybe because I was famished). The spinach salad was fresh and clean, and I was very happy with my French onion soup. The sauteed chicken with artichokes was a simple pasta dish cooked just right (although it could've used a little more seasoning). It's a solid 4-star dinner spot where the service charm does some heavy lifting and the food delivers without showboating. Just don't come hungry and in a hurry.

We went to Primo Nestico's yesterday for Mother's Day brunch. For starters, we had requested a…read moretable to accommodate a wheelchair. When we arrived, the table was completely set up and ready for my son to park his wheelchair without obstructing other diners or staff! That was a first for us! Our waitress was wonderful. Friendly, engaged and wonderful service. The food was delicious! We were all very happy with our orders and took home leftovers for another meal. We are looking forward to going back soon to have dinner.

Old school, no frills, great food! Service is excellent and it will be my go to whenever I am in…read morethe Syracuse area.

Philly Cheesesteaks are one of our favorite things. We pretty much have to try one wherever we go…read more Most places around here have them on their menu, and sometimes it feels like a black hole when most places use the same stock frozen meat and whatever they feel like for the rest. We seek out places like this who hold them to a higher standard. (Usually the places that have "Cheesesteak" or "Philadelphia" in their names.) The litmus test is whether or not they offer whiz as an option. These were miles above the stuff you'd get from a non-Philly branded place in Syracuse, but on the lower end of the good tier. We would definitely ask for extra dressing/whiz on our next order, because they were disappointingly dry. It seemed like an oxymoron to order Whiz Wit and have it come out dry. With that said though, all the ingredients were amazing. The bread is light, pretty much a full on sub roll. The meat was tender and tasted legit. Nothing weird, stringy or clearly frozen. The Smokey Horseradish Dijon kind of got lost in the shuffle. Same meat as the philly, but the mild kick from the mustard didn't really match what a focus on cheese would have done. The chicken cordon bleu was solid. The minced chicken was actually pretty moist. We added cherry peppers, which took it to another level and I would now never go without. Minced chicken is hit or miss for me, but I rolled the dice for chicken cordon bleu and hit the jackpot. These guys aren't my favorite "authentic" Philly in Syracuse, but they hold down the north side just fine. I'd be happy to eat here any time, and the prices are pretty good as well.

Prompt and friendly service. Nice interior with plenty of tables and comfortable seating. They came…read moreout and gave me a sample of chicken over rice which was delicious. I opted for a smashburger and it tasted like a big mac and came with tons of crispy fries. Great value.

Tucked into a strip plaza along Brewerton Road in Mattydale sits XCrispy, a new spot channeling the…read morespirit of NYC style bodegas and bringing something fresh to the Central New York food scene. The owners of XCrispy spent a year transforming a run-down former Pizza Hut from an eyesore into a nicely remodeled, open space, blending halal traditions with American comfort staples like smashburgers, chopped cheese, and chicken over rice. X Crispy is near my job, so I was excited to try them. I saw they had breakfast options, and they had a steak, egg and cheese sandwich, which oddly enough isn't offered in many places in CNY, so that was the first thing I tried. You're able to customize, so I got it on a roll with "mixed cheese" & their house sauce. I ordered online, and their online ordering option is easy to use and allows substitutions. It was ready as soon as I got there, which was around 10AM on a Saturday. It was delicious, still hot and fresh even though it was already ready when I got there. My only complaint was there wasn't enough house sauce on it for my taste, but it was still delicious, piled high with steak. My second time, my wife wanted to give it a try, and we got some dinner items. We ordered online again, a smash burger and one of their crispy chicken sandwiches. We asked for several things on the side, as we were taking it to go and had about a 35 minute drive with it. We got it home and unfortunately were disappointed. Both items were dry, the chicken sandwich almost seemed like it was frozen, and all items that were asked for on the side were simply removed and left out from our order. I didn't think we would return after that, but I just kept seeing good review after good review and thought...this has to have been an off day, or the food simply doesn't travel well. So I gave them another try over the weekend when I was craving a cheese burger and knew I had time to eat it there. I, again, ordered online and got the smash hit burger with fries, and left out tomato and lettuce as I'm not a fan on smash burgers. And they definitely redeemed themselves. Again, food was ready as soon as I got there, was fresh, the burger was moist, juicy, seasoned well, and not only did it have the sauce on it, I was also given extra on the sides, so I have to chalk the one time up to a bad day, and everyone's allowed that. I will continue to go back, but more than likely, only when I'm able to eat right there.

The food is tasty, the service wasn't bad at all, and the atmosphere is not bad. Very comforting…read more The waitress pays attention to how full your drink is and knows when to ask you if you'd like more.

We ordered Nashville honey wings, veggie pizza, and vodka burrata pizza. The wings were big and…read morecooked perfectly. Good flavor and paired well with blue cheese. The pizzas were decent although they could have used more herbs and spices. They also would have been better if they were cooked longer. Service wasn't good or bad. Love the dim lighting and vibe!

Just bought 4 wonderful King Cakes for Mardi Gras. I have been buying cakes for many years out of…read moreLouisiana and not bad. But, these cakes are the best ever! Forget Louisiana. I went to both locations and the staff are just a pleasure to talk with and are very helpful. I highly recommend as you will never be sorry. Check it out. Felix B.

A super cozy eatery in the heart of one of the biggest automalls in upstate New York. Customer…read moreservice here is excellent, and the eatery is known to deliver entrees to the various dealerships that are within the automall. I had a fruit wrap, with side of potato salad and coffee for about $10. Not terrible, for New York prices. There is plenty of seating throughout the venue, including a lounge that doubles as a small library for customers. The seating area, with its leather couches, are so comfortable that you can nearly pass out by how relaxing the sensation of sitting is. That, and you can easily become so comfortable that you'll start farting the leather seats down. Seriously.

Went here alone for breakfast at 5:30am on a Sunday morning. The good, the hostess/waiter was…read morefriendly and attentive, the food three eggs over easy, hash browns, two slices of buttered white toast was fresh and tasted fine. The bad, ordered a plain coffee, fee on bill $3.99, the menu item I ordered was originally intended to include two eggs for total cost of $6.99, my total bill with coffee and the extra egg was nearly $14.00, I was charged $3.00 for an extra egg. I wasn't thrilled with the bill to say the least, the price for a cup of coffee and an egg is ludicrous. Probably won't be back.

Denny is struggling but the servers go above and beyond. The food is good and reasonably priced. It…read morehas that home town atmosphere and comfortable to dine in.