Went to Cornell's in Schenectady for Restaurant week on Friday night. 4 days later I literally feel stolen from. We went with 3 kids, and were told there was no kids menu, it says thus no where, should no one ever bring a child here? The menu had no traditional American Italian kids items ie chicken parm. It had Barciolle, stuffed flounder, eggplant rollatini, and steak pizzialo. Which is fine, if you still offer a kids menu. The stuffed flounder gotten by 3 of us, one child, Was inedible, the stuffing mixture was so old, it tasted so off. Sour almost. None of us ate it. One child got steak pizzialo, the steak was basically boiled in tomato sauce, tough and not good. Service was maybe a 2/5. Save your money, I want mine back. $210 with tip. We left hungry. When the waitress came and saw the full plates, she said, do you guys want boxes? No thanks. read more

Unfortunately I have to agree with many of the other more recent reviews here-- Cornell's seems to have gone way downhill in the last couple of years. I was here last in 2022 and had many delicious meals during my trip to Schenectady. This time, I returned to the restaurant and asked for a seat at the bar, only to be told that they weren't accepting walk-ins. I thought this was odd, but made a reservation for the following week. I wish I'd followed my gut and skipped it. The menu looks the same, but the preparations are completely different. The chicken Milanese used to be two large pieces of chicken served with a light and delicious cream sauce, nothing else. Now, it's a single thinly pounded piece of chicken, piled with lettuce and tomatoes (no mentioned of this on the menu) and served on top of a bland cream sauce. I wouldn't have ordered it if I'd known this. Also, the side order of cavatelli which used to be so delicious tasted like it had about a tablespoon of salt poured over it. Seriously, I've never had such salty food in my life. I also heard a diner at an adjacent table complain to their waitress that their food was too salty. I don't know what happened, but Cornell's is a completely different place than the great restaurant it once was. I won't be going back. read more

What a horrendous experience we had Saturday night! My wife is vegan, went through this very carefully as we always do with the bartender as we sat at the bar. the bartender noticed they put cheese on her pasta and sent it back. When it came back out, my wife took a bite and discovered it was meat sauce!! We left and my poor wife was sick the entire night. Horrible place do not go here if you have food allergies!! AVOID read more

We had our monthly brothers & sisters dinner here on Fri 7/18/25 5:30pm. Our last time here was June 2022. Our reservation request for a round table for eight was accommodated. Our waitperson Ross & his "shadow" Olivia(?) were very attentive & professional. Drinks then appetizer order w/ Perreca's bread & olive oil. He told us the specials, and then took our dinner orders on separate checks. Apps were calamari w/ banana peppers & lemon aioli ($17) & bruschetta ($13). Calamari was crispy battered & fried - perfecto! Dinners included Cavatelli ala Cornell's w/ broccoli rabe & Sindoni's sweet sausage ($16), a charcuterie board app ($19), chicken Romani ($28) w/ mushrooms, roasted peppers & procscuitto in a white wine sauce w/ a generous side on sauteed green beans, shrimp pescatore ($32) w/ lemon garlic butter & wine over linguine, Frutti de Mare ($41), Contornis of 3 meatballs ($11) & Brussel sprouts ($4.50), and a vegan dinner of broccoli rabe ($10) & something else (?). All dishes were well prepared & served promptly while hot from the kitchen. Ross was extremely patient with all questions, special requests, and the separate checks. Thank you again to Ross & the kitchen another exceptional from Cornell's. Ciao. The Parisis of Schenectady. read more

This will be our last time eating here, I ordered the wild mushroom pasta dish, I was served pasta with 5 small slices of button mushrooms, nothing like the menu description . My husband ordered the pasta bolganese and he was very disappointed with his dish. It used to be very good there not sure what happened , won't be going back. read more

Our party of four walked in to a mostly-empty restaurant on a Sunday night at 6 p.m. and were told no walk-ins could be accepted. No mention of a private party or extenuating circumstances... Who turns away business like that? I sure won't look to give them mine in the future. read more

3 1/2 stars. Old time Italian in Schenectady's "Little Italy". Cornell's has been there for many years and it shows. The food we ordered was good: Eggplant Parm for me & Husband, surf & turf (filet & shrimp) for 18 year old. The Eggplant Parm was huge! I do t even think I finished half of it. Our server was lovely but it took forever to get our food. Don't go there super hungry or order appetizers. read more

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An excellent family meal for a birthday. Service and drinks excellent. Everyone was happy with thier dinners. What stood out is return to the classic outstanding Bracciole, which was disappointing during my last fall visit. But the recipe returned to its former high standards, as I consider it one of the best on the East Coast between Philadelphia and Boston. The American Standards music and Sinatra was much enjoyed in this classic Schenectady Italian Restaurant. Plus they were open Sunday, some of the other restaurants in town of this genre are closed Sunday read more

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Date night Cornell's has been advertising their date night specials with 6 courses for $75 PER COUPLE. I have been eyeing it and I finally had the chance to go. We sat on the patio and it was a perfect night for it! It was beautiful outside and the lighting and vines were a great ambiance. To our surprise, it was very empty inside! That needs to change because this deal is great and the food was awesome too! Let's order! We each got to choose our own meals and we would share the pasta and the dessert. The meal even came with a glass of Prosecco! For my dinner I chose the Fritto Misto, grilled caesar, Alfredo and swordfish. My date ordered the Arancini and the chicken dish. The bread came out first and it was so nice, soft and crusty! I believe they use bread from Pereccas next store. Even the butter was great, whipped and salty. Then came the appetizers. I was shocked! I couldn't believe the generous portions that were offered. I went for the Fritto Misto which was fried calamari, peppers and lemon slices. The batter was perfect, a great amount of tentacle pieces, the peppers were a great addition and do not skip the fried lemon slices. Fried lemon slices so good and provide a great citrusy bitter bite! The portion was so large I opted to pack up half for home. The Arancini was gorgeous and so creamy. The sauce was light and bright and was a great compliment to the rich and creamy rice balls. With the appetizers also came out the grilled Caesar salads. The grilled flavor really added to the salad and the dressing was good too! I will say the salad got a bit soggy due to the grilling and it was slightly overdressed, but the flavor was there! Next came the main course. The swordfish was a great choice, topped tomatoes, crispy capers and a nice lemony sauce. The fish was tender and cooked well, and a bite of everything together was heavenly! We shared the Alfredo and it was good, super creamy with a great cheesy bite. I have had a hankering for Alfredo and this definitely satisfied my craving. The chicken dish came in a lemony sauce with capicola and peas. The chicken was super tender and the sauce was bright and lemony. Again, the servings were great and we both brought home half our entrees. We did save some room to split the Oreo cheese cake. It was as expected and a great sweet ending. Service from Katie was amazing and very helpful. The patio was gorgeous. I cannot believe they weren't absolutely packed. Reminder, all of this was ONLY $75. I would absolutely recommend this incredible date night deal. Come with your boyfriend, husband, best friend or a family member. Loved it. read more

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In the past few months my husband and I have dined twice at Cornell's and it was lovely. Staff was pleasant and attentive, food was excellent as well. Thank you for making our Christmas Eve dinner this evening a great experience! read more

Family members swear by Cornell's as the best Italian restaurant around. Which this was our first time visiting. Meant family for dinner Saturday night around 6pm. They do have off street parking but is shared with Perreca's. Parking lot is in the back in between both restaurants and was packed. Walking into the restaurant was pretty dark, would suggest more outside lighting. Your greeted by a Really super cute outdoor patio, with a propane fireplace on. Ambiance was cute if you just wanted to hangout for a cocktail prior or after dinner. Right in the front door is a great photo opt! Also one by the bathrooms! Sat down a server was over with in a few minutes of being sat. Ordered 4 drinks: 3 alcoholic and 1 non, and 2 apps, the 2 apps calamari and Utica greens arrived prior to the drinks!! Reason for the -1 as the drinks took about 15-20 minutes to arrive after ordering which I thought was very long as the bar had 2-3 people sitting at it. Only nice thing is they do offer mocktails for us non drinkers. Complementary sliced warm bread with butter was given, not enough butter for the amount of bread had to order more. Ordered chicken parm with penne vodka sauce (pictured) it was good enough for some leftovers. The chicken was pounded thin and the vodka sauce was very delightful. Others ordered traditional Italian staples: regular chicken parm, linguine with white calm sauce and then scallop risotto special. Everyone else ate all of their meals. Ordered the zapollis for dessert which where cider flavored for fall and had drizzled caramel sauce, pretty good. Nothing fancy or anything. Or all it was a great meal at a traditional Italian restaurant. Menu is pretty simple and limited so just be aware, check online prior to arriving. Prices are average. Would love to go back and try again. But would I say it was the best Italian place around the area... that's still up for debate! It's good and server was attentive but My favorite is still Armondo's or Canalis. read more

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Why two stars? Not for the food, but for the deceptive bar prices which are - well, the product of some manager's venality and mendacity to gouge customers, I would venture. When I ordered a drink, I asked for a "bar pour" for the whiskey. In a rational world governed by fairness and respect for the customer, you don't tack on an additional two dollars to the price of the drink: A BAR POUR anywhere else than Cornell's means the price of the drink includes the alcohol - no upcharge. Imagine my surprise, then, when an additional two dollars is tacked onto the already-hefty price of the cocktail (I recall $12), as if to say, "Oh, you want alcohol with that? That's extra". Distasteful and dishonest are the words that come to mind. I'll also add that my companion was upcharged $5 for her margarita when she selected Jose Cuervo for the tequila. $5 for the privilege of having run-of-the-mill Cuervo added to her drink, making it a $17 margarita? You've got to be kidding. If Cornells thinks this is a fair restaurant business practice, they're living in an alternate universe. Treat customers, and their wallets, with respect. They earned that money the old-fashioned way, by working for it - and so should you. read more

Long post ahead, but I don't want someone to experience what hubby and I did. The experience I had at Cornell's in Little Italy was underwhelming to say the least.  Hubby and I don't go out often but he received a bonus at work and used some of the money towards our anniversary dinner which happens to be New Year's Eve. After searching and reading the reviews on Google, Yelp and 518 Foodies (a local foodie page for reviews and suggestions), we decided on Cornell's. In our reservation, we made sure to state that we were celebrating our 3rd anniversary (many reviews stated that they would receive at least a card congratulating the milestone). We expected nothing too extra, maybe a free drink or dessert at the most as there are other Capital Region restaurants that offer this.  We arrived early and seated early. The restaurant had open tables and wasn't too busy (I've seen Texas Roadhouse more packed). However the waitresses were running around crazy. They let us know that there were 2 girls who would be helping us, one didn't work there. I understand it was NYE and that can be a hectic time for restaurants. However for a restaurant to be opened since the 1940s, they acted like this was their first NYE dinner. We waited at least 20 minutes for our drinks. Hubby ordered a Pepsi and I ordered from their holiday cocktail menu. 3 out of 5 drinks were unavailable. I ordered a cranberry and vodka, received it at least 15 mins later. I noticed that tables who ordered wine received their drinks quicker.  Second,  we waited at least 40 minutes for a bowl of bread. There was a larger table sat behind us, came approximately 20-30 minutes after us and they received a bread bowl, drinks AND their appetizers before us. We had to ask for bread 3 separate times. We were only checked on when they saw us without drinks and bread. Third, we never received our appetizer which we were both excited for. We put the order in with our drinks. We received our entrees before our app. We canceled the app since we had our meals. Now with our meals. I ordered a chicken parm with papparadele pasta and hubby got a 16oz ribeye with tortellini. My food came out and his steak came. But his pasta was missing. Hubby informed waitress who stated she would tellthe kitchen to let her know when it was ready. I took a bite or 2 out of my food before I stopped eating to wait for Hubby to get his pasta. It took a little over 10 mins. My food was then lukewarm and so was his steak. The quality of the food was not good. Honestly, Olive Garden makes better food (and has better service). My pasta was bland and watery. The chicken was okay. My hubby's steak was too fatty for his liking. The tortellini plate was hot and the flavor was excellent. We both shared his plate. The best part of the meal was the cannoli we ordered for dessert that we ate at home. I didn't want to wait an hour for dessert, that they may or may not remembered to bring. We were both really excited to go out. I work for the state and hubby is a maintenance worker. We don't go out but when we do, we hope for our money's worth. We would have been better going off to Olive Garden. They didn't acknowledge our anniversary, we didn't get comped anything for our missing app and the service lacked. I always pass out in the car after going out. Always. I stayed awake the entire 35 minute drive home. I understand the labor force is limited and they may have been understaffed.  But it is NYE and the many service mistakes we saw were unacceptable.  We watched as a waitress brought in a large tray of hot food and it sat on a table for at least 10 mins before being passed out. Also, our table was a metal patio table with a white tablecloth on top. Idk that just felt off to me.  Staff were bringing out drinks and food without knowing which table it belonged to. We asked for more butter, waitress took it off an empty table. The experience we were expecting to have based off reviews and the experience we had were two worlds away. The money he spent was a waste and we would not go back. I like to give restaurants the benefit of the doubt, but I can't with this place. Idk if it was because we are a mixed couple (white and black) or the lack of staff training, but we did not feel welcomed there and felt ignored and forgotten about most of the dinner.  We will not be going back even if they offered us a free meal. It wasn't worth it. read more

Cornells in Little Italy - Chicken Parm with Pappardelle. - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

We arrived ahead of our reservation time on a Sunday evening. We started with Fried Calamari which were light fried however quite chewy. Entrees were a Homemade cavatelli with marinara sauce with sausage. Cavatelli were swimming in sauce. I had the cavatelli with broccoli rabe and sausage. This dish had a ton of ground up sausage, too much! This was an ok dish but tasted greasy from all the pulverized sausage. We also had a bottle of Chianti. We were disappointed it wasn't better. Maybe an off night. read more

We had the best time for Friday happy hour, .25 wings and Jeffrey as bartender is the best! Love Cornells .

Came for the Thursday 6/9 night six course dinner for $75. (See Photo for Menu.) This menu changes every week. First time at the new Cornell's. Service -- A+. Our waiter was outstanding. Food -- B minus Started out with the legendary bread and tasty tapenade. Bread is so good, it is hard not to eat too much. Prosecco was superb. Next a generous portion of clams. Very good. Next salads. I disliked all the currants sprinkled on top and decided not to not eat it. Next was a generous plate of homemade cavatelli with a red sauce loaded with cheeses. Delicious and rich and filling. Entrees and dessert were packed to go. We seniors could eat no more in one sitting. The cavatelli did us in. One entree was Veal Piccata in a creamy sauce. The other was Chinook Salmon with a lemony creamy sauce. It came with a chopped warm tomato vegetable side which I did not like; it was tangy and did not complement the flaky delicious salmon in my opinion. Tiramisu for two was excellent. Small pieces. We were seated at 4:00 in the back room. Nice. I refused a table next to the bar (stated "no table near bar" in reservation request) which was two people deep later and busy. We were the only ones seated in the back room until 5:00. The banter from the kitchen was disruptive to a quiet dinner at times. Conclusion: A lot of good food for the price. read more

Cornells in Little Italy - Menu on night we went. Great value. A lot of food. - Italian Near Me - Schenectady, New York

We had a very nice dinner at Cornells. The staff were very kind and attentive and the meal was 4-star all the way. We had calamari and Utica greens. The calamari with garlic aioli was delicious. Utica greens were fresh and not too spicy. My wife had the egg plant Parmesan with a side of meatballs (you always have to try the meatball!). Eggplant forward without too much breading was really nice. Meatballs were tender and tasted great. I had a ribeye (medium) with side of pasta with Alfredo. The steak was grilled perfectly. The shallot demi-glaze was outstanding. We had a nice bottle of Costello and finished up with an excellent tiramisu. Overall, we had a very nice experience! read more

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I have been craving Cacio e Pepe so Hubby and I headed to Cornells for a lovely dinner. As soon as you enter the restaurant you are guaranteed a good meal, as their sign says, Carbs Don't Count. Our dinner was delicious and complimented with exceptional service thanks to our sweet and attentive server, Abby. We had the option of the wonderfully curated "Date Night" menu, available on Thursdays but chose to order a la carte since I've been craving cacio e Pepe. Chef Ryan and his team nailed it. Every dish we ordered was well prepared and presented beautifully. The atmosphere is very cozy and inviting and the cheerful staff make you feel comfortable as you dine. read more

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Went there for the first time in ages. Our meals were absolutely wonderful. My husband rarely finishes his meal, but he ate everything. I'm looking forward to going back and getting the chicken Parm which he had. Our Waitress was very attentive and pleasant. She did not crowd us, but she was always there whenever we needed something. We went to the restaurant early and it was not at all crowded. Unfortunately, we were seated a few tables away from, who I believe was, the owner and she and her companion were kind of loud. read more

Visit was during Belmont Stakes Festival on off peak day. My party enjoyed baked beef with pasta , the eggplant Parmesan, the spaghetti and meatballs, the cavil and meatball, and the veal Parmesan. comments included that the sauces were very good and dishes were prepared to be customized to how they liked it. The downside was there is no happy hour served at the dinner tables. Additionally, there is an up charge for their homemade cavil pasta. Combined with the fact that the salad is not included with the meal the up charges and lack of happy hour in dining room was a sour sour downer for my party. The portions were small compared to other local places, noted by only two of our eight diners brought home left overs. We probably won't return as they also upcharge if you use a credit card. The food was good however the restaurant was half empty on a Friday evening prior to the Belmont steaks. I think the locals are trying to tell them something. read more

Hard pass. When I walked in there was a fruit fly on the wall near the hostess stand, and when I ordered my first cocktail there was another one floating around in my drink. If I saw these two I can only imagine how many there are in the kitchen. We had the chicken parm and chicken Milanese - they were both average. The brussel sprouts & calimari appetizers were decent. Not good enough to come back for. read more

We had a nice dinner here after a hockey game. Pareccas was full so we went here instead. Food was delicious and yummy. The server was good and we felt welcomed. They didn't rush us out of the restaurant after we were done, allowing us to relax and chat. Thanks! read more

Before you even sit at your table, ask about the "3% credit card convenience processing fee" the restaurant adds on AFTER you've eaten and before you pay. More on that fun tidbit later! I am a native born, bred, and raised Schenectadian who now lives in Georgia. On a recent trip home my brother mentioned Cornells and that he and his wife had a good experience there for their anniversary. So my wife and I decided to treat the whole family to dinner at Cornells on our last night in town. That was a mistake. Upon first glance Cornells looks fantastic; it is a very pretty building and the interior is fairly modern. We had reservations so we were seated fairly quickly, although the hostess seemed a little frazzled because we were a party of 4 instead of 6 after my mother and her husband were unable to attend. She brought us to our seats, and we started to sit, but she then removed two place settings from in front of where my brother and I decided to sit at the six top. A little weird, but we just shifted place settings as appropriate. I will only be speaking about the food that my wife and I ordered and ate; my brother will leave his own review in the future. For appetizers, my wife ordered the Crispy Brussel Sprouts and I ordered the Clams Casino. The sprouts were...interesting. Sprouts are already notoriously bitter if not prepared correctly, and well, these were neither prepared nor cooked correctly. They were overcooked, and singed, which just amplified the bitterness even more and the advertised garlic aioli was nowhere to be found. They seriously bordered on unpalatable. The Clams Casino were better, but the smokiness of the bacon overpowered most of the other flavors, but I still found them yummy. For entrees my wife ordered the Center Cut Pork Chop and I ordered the Pan Seared Scallops. This is where the real issues came forward. First, the scallops. The menu advertises "10 diver scallops..." but my plate arrived with only 5. Granted, I thought 10 diver scallops were generous for a dinner plate, but I asked the server about the disparity. She said she would ask the chef. A few moments later a nicely dressed woman approached our table, but she never formally introduced herself as to who she was. She claimed that the menu had a typo and was meant to say 5 as opposed to 10 scallops. I thought this was a little shady considering I've worked in the restaurant industry before as both a server and a manager, and this seemed almost intentionally deceitful. However, I was willing to grant the benefit of doubt and write it off. The 5 scallops I did receive were very well cooked and almost melted upon placing them in my mouth. The lobster risotto was also very good in my opinion. My wife's pork chop, however, well, hoo-boy. To claim that it was well done is an understatement. They had cooked the pork chop to within 2 degrees of becoming a husk. It was dry, oh so dry, that it would have made a bowl of sand seem creamy. The "apple thyme-scented demi glaze" was repulsive. My wife thought that she was crazy and had me taste it. I was in the Army for a long time. As such, I have eaten things that most people would consider unpalatable, but was simply Army food. This pork chop would have made those Army cooks blush in how bad it was. The pork chop *could* be eaten, but upon trying a bite I immediately yielded my dinner plate to my wife so she could have something palatable to eat. I then took another bite, thinking maybe the first bite was a fluke, but alas, it was not. This little piggy should have had roast beef. For those of you wondering why I didn't raise a ruckus at this point please understand I only get to see my family so often. I did not want to overshadow a final meal with my brother's family at home with restaurant drama. I took mental notes of everything and decided to write a review later that encapsulated all of the issues. I recognize that this is somewhat unfair to the restaurant and does not allow them to correct issues as they occur. However, they should have someone doing quality assurance/quality control before the food leaves the kitchen and it is obvious that was not happening. Finally, dinner ends and we get our check. Our server then informs us that there is a "3% convenience processing fee for all credit card transactions" and to "not shoot the messenger!" This is where my anger almost took hold, but I let it go. This is clearly a nickel-dime effect to squeeze just a little more from the customers. I now had no doubts that this restaurant is a joke. I am not sure who thought that adding this hidden fee only to be disclosed as they are handing you the check was a good idea, but you're a real asshole. I will never set foot NEAR this restaurant again whenever I come back to Schenectady. I am so supremely disappointed. Take this review as you will. Everything in it is true, but maybe your experience will be better. I truly hope it is. read more

Food was excellent. The ambience was very pleasant and the service was beyond excellent. Will definitely return and recommend.

We ate for the first time at Cornells and had a wonderful experience. The entire staff was gracious and helpful - from the lovely woman at the front desk to our server. We felt very welcomed. And the food was absolutely terrific. I was happy to see one of my favorite Italian wines on their list which went perfectly with the hot antipasto that our table shared to start. Later, we all enjoyed the cavatelli which were hands down the best we've ever tasted. I like a leaner steak, and the filet I got was perfectly cooked and delicious. Wife loves an old school chicken parm and said it was excellent. Get the warm zeppoli dessert. You'll come back here to thank me. read more

I have a gift card for $150 that was issued apparently prior to the sale of this restaurant. When I called to make reservations and informed that the manager that I had this gift card, I was told I was unable to use it as they have changed ownership. The name of the restaurant has not changed, and for all intended purposes, it appears to be the same restaurant, certainly a strategy to maintain the legacy of the previous owner. Standard business practice would be to reconcile any outstanding debts such as gift cards, prior to the closing. When I was denied the right to use this gift, I requested to speak to the owner. I left messages twice and still have not received a return call. To note, interestingly, enough, I had a similar situation with Caffè Calabria on Western Avenue. They were gracious and respectful enough to honor the gift card provided by the previous owner. read more

The Food and Service are excellent! You will not be disappointed, this coming from some who creates his own Italian dishes weekly. read more

Went here today for the date night special with my beautiful wife! We were blown away by how amazing the food was, how much value we got for the price, and the epic portions. My only regret is not coming here before tonight. We will be faithful and lifetime customers from this day forward, even if we have to drive over an hour just to get here. If I can only recommend one place to eat at, it's Cornells in Little Italy. You won't be disappointed! read more

This is a little late posting but better late than never. We had a party of 7 on the Saturday before Mother's Day. Our reservations were for 6 o'clock. We had heard such wonderful things about this restaurant and were excited about the opportunity to have dinner there. After being seated, we began to order. Our salads were very good. My clams casino and my son's meatball appetizers were also good. My sister-in-law's fried calamari was very over cooked. The worst part was we waited waited 2 1/2 hours to get served our main course. I think our waitress was embarrassed because she only came back to the table once after taking our order, in the 2 1/2 hours that we waited. We had to go hunt people down to find out if they had forgotten about us. The hostess apologized saying that they had a banquet and someone in the kitchen got hurt. A member of our party had to use the men's room and ran into an employee from the kitchen and asked them if the person who had gotten hurt was ok..that employee replied "No on was hurt". By the time we were served dinner we were tired and it was very late. Most of the food was tasty but cool and my asparagus was slightly burnt and cold. No one wanted to send anything back in fear of having to wait even longer and unfortunately, no one ever came back to the table to see how everything was anyway. The biggest disappointment was not being offered any compensation what so ever. Needless to say, we will not be returning. VERY dissatisfied customer! read more

What happened, Cornell's? I'm a local who hasn't been to Cornell's since last year. I was so looking forward to dinner there Wednesday night. My favorite Utica greens were definitely not the same recipe as last year. Calamari was very tough and chewy this visit. Drinks from bar were served in plastic soda cups and not good. When one of my guests asked for Fra Diavolo sauce, they brought out regular red sauce with a teaspoon of red chilli flakes on top! Did you change chefs? Bill was $375 (before tip) for 3 people-5 drinks total at the table. I would have had no problem with that if the food and beverages were the quality I was used to from Cornell's, but unfortunately, this latest experience was disappointing and we are not going back again. read more

Our new favorite restaurant! We've been here twice in 2 weeks. It's always packed, but the place is big and there doesn't ever seem to be a wait. The staff is so hospitable and the food is delicious. I was craving steak and my filet was cooked perfectly. I paired it with the homemade cavatelli and some crispy Brussel sprouts and the experience was a 10/10. I don't drink alcohol so I was really happy to see a thoughtfully curated mocktail menu. I forgot the name of the drink I ordered...but it was pink and it was pretty and it was delicious! And for what it's worth, my husband, who DOES drink alcohol, was impressed with their whiskey selection. We love it here read more

First time dining at Cornells for both of us. Understanding opinions on red sauce very and can be polarizing. Positives first, portion sizes of everything were good, atmosphere was great, rich colors, comfortable seating/tables, soft background music. Waitress came soon after seating, and explained the specials, took our drink order (both had waters). The Perreca's bread and butter were both great, warm and fresh, crusty as Italian bread should be. The timing of the meal from appetizers, to main courses were spot on. We first ordered Fried Calamari and Clams Casino. Calamari was chewy, and heavy breading and menu states with banana peppers (which when served with Calamari can break up the richness)...but no banana peppers. Clams Casino could have been good, but way to salty!! 1st entree was the Chicken Parm served alla mamma style $4 upcharge (thin layer of eggplant between the chicken and the Mozzarella cheese) with housemade Cavatelli $4 upcharge. First we both didn't like the red sauce served with it. The Chicken had an odd stale taste to it, my guess from the breadcrumbs used from the left over Perreca's bread, but little to no seasoning. The housemade Cavatelli was lackluster, but ruined by our dislike of the red sauce. But there was no fresh Parm cheese offered or any offered to us...we had to ask a busser to grab some for us, it came in a glass shaker. 2nd entree, was the Delmanico with a chianti butter on top, and a demi glaze asked for it medium. I opted to ask the server if I could have a side of linguine with Alfredo sauce instead of other pasta and potato and veg. Which turned out to be a great choice. My steak and side of Alfredo were both outstanding!!! Really good. However also asked to have the Utica greens served with the meal when we ordered. Server didn't bring them, didn't say anything about them....after a few minutes we asked about it, and she came back out with garlic broccoli raub....I stated I didn't order that, but ordered the Utica greens. Oh she said....I told her it's ok...don't worry about it, at this point we were a third into out meal....I would rather not have them now....but she ignored that, and brought them out 5 min later. They weren't touched. Also not taken off the menu. For dessert I took some Tiramasu home, it was the smallest portion I have ever seen!!! It also was old, inedible....had a bad sour taste to it. Threw it out. So had a $100 gift card, thank god....so bill came to $148...before tip....so we payed roughly $80 after gift card, and tax and tip. Most likely won't be back......there really are too many other places better for the $$$. read more

I had pasta bolognese....... Wasn't great........ Cost a lot...... Enough said House red wine was pretty flimsy too read more

To start the dining experience was about 2 1/2 hours, without dessert. Which doesn't seem horrible unless, like we did, you ordered starters as soon as you sat down. But we didn't received the starters for over an hour, and only after searching out waitstaff and inquiring. I ordered the homemade cavatelli with broccoli rabe in garlic and olive oil. The cavatelli was under cooked gummy, and submerged in the garlic and olive oil. Way too greasy. The other entree was chicken parmigiana, ordered with the up charged homemade cavatelli. That entree was delivered cold, the cavatelli was undercooked and the chicken was unnecessarily smothered in cheese. After a few bites we asked for the check and let the waitstaff know that chicken parmigiana was cold and about the undercooked cavatelli. We were told by the waitstaff we should have mentioned it and the chef would have been happy to redo the dishes. About that: first, the waitstaff never approached the table after serving the dishes and second, I didn't want to chase after the waitstaff for the second time. We had enough. we paid the bill and left. I will say the restaurant was very busy. I wouldn't say that's a good excuse though. I would say the person in charge of beverages was a ball of energy and very accommodating. We do dine out frequently, this is only the second time the meal was so bad I felt like I needed to make other's aware: or beware. read more

Unfortunately, Cornells is not what it used to be. Used to be my favorite Italian place in Schenectady and that's saying some thing given all the great Italian we have to offer. We went for Mother's Day, and the service was terrible. We had asked for butter half a dozen times, and when the server finally gave it to us, he took it from another table and gave it to us! It hasn't been used, but still! I thought the food was just OK, and we have not been back since. read more

Thoroughly enjoyed a dinner full of appetizers at Cornell's on a Wednesday night. Relaxing pace with attentive service. The brussel sprouts were absolutely out of this world delicious! read more

Feel the need to comment after dinner on a Saturday evening. Sat at a high top and was being served by a new employee. She was nervous but very sweet. Unfortunately we received the wrong order but she and the head bartender were so kind. They comp'd the meal and apologized profusely. The food was outstanding. Restaurants that do the customer right in a time where mistakes are made need to be recognized. A negative set of circumstances was made positive by the humility of the staff and willingness to make things right. I will definitely be back. read more

This food is phenomenal! I am a sauce snob and there are so many Italian places to eat in Schenectady that I won't go to because I don't like the sauce but here at Cornell's. It's always like eating in my grandmothers kitchen. The food is consistently delicious, and the service is always top notch. it has become our favorite Sunday date night restaurant read more

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Exceptional. Impromptu visit on a Friday night. They fit us in without a reservation. Food (chicken parm, salmon special, cavatelli, potatoes, zeppolis) was out of this world. Server Ben was attentive and prompt. Very high quality:price ratio. Looking forward to a return trip. read more

What a great dinner experience. From the matre 'd our waiter Dani to kitchen staff Ryan everyone