Delicious and creative menu. Lots to love. Had the shrimp roll with a great roasted red pepper and smoked Gouda soup.

Amazing server, Genessis, do all the details and knew how to match our interest in preferences with the innovative menu items. Sitting by the the street was comfortable enough, but the restaurant has a more attractive into you that its advertising might suggest. read more

We drove to Ithaca on. Monday. When we arrived at the hotel we were told many restaurants are closed on Monday. We took a walk to The Commons and were happy that Food Lab was opened. Fortunately, we were able to get seated. Our server, Kylie, was so attentive. We ordered a salad and three shares. Each one was a wonderful blend of flavors and texture. The presentation of each was a work of art. What an amazing find! read more

When the app decided to add a 6 star option, I will come back and update my review. What a GREAT place to eat! The menu had classic food with a fun flair to each dish. Waitstaff was friendly, knowledgeable and wonderful. Every dish, every drink, even the items I saw go to other tables looked incredible. Clean place, outdoor and indoor dining, fun view to people watch. Cannot stop raving about this spot! read more

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Creative Cooking We visited Food Lab Bar + Kitchen looking for new experiences (Jul 2026). We were not very impressed. On the day we were there, the menu was ordinary, and the flavors were OK but nothing special. For what you're getting, from that day"s menu, at least, it was too expensive. From other reviewers, I'm guessing they usually do better. read more

My husband & I had a late dinner at Food Lab on Friday night and will absolutely be back! Cocktails were creative and delicious -- the smoked pecan old fashioned was probably the best example of a smoked old fashioned I've ever had, and the razz cloud margaritas was several cuts above the usual flavored margarita in quality and subtlety. We had the spicy tomato calamari and truffle sachetti for dinner, and while the former was good, the latter was out of this world. The chocolate espresso mousse was a perfect ending to the meal -- again, not overly sweet and with more depth and complexity than you usually see. Service was fantastic -- attentive but not overbearing. We especially appreciated that the servers took the time to offer dessert and didn't make us feel rushed even though closing time was approaching and we were the only customers left. My one criticism is that while the cherry duck tartlet appetizer was delicious, the filling was cold. I'd give 4.5 stars if I could, but given the overall good experience, I'm happy to round up. read more

Food was amazing, great spin on Thai with veggie dumplings. My son got the new age chicken parm and I feel he was expecting an original without pesto but he cleaned his plate..... service was friendly and food was quickly served. read more

Food Lab - Coconut Curry Dumplings - Wine Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Very good, imaginative dishes. Good service, and the server made good suggestions. I recommend it highly.

The food was the best we've tasted in the Ithaca area in the past few years. Well done. Service was also excellent. It was our anniversary and you helped make it spectacular. read more

A fantastic meal in a chill amosphere. We had the pomegranate Brussels sprouts and a fizzy birch mocktail to start. The sprouts needed a little salt, which our server, Genesis, provided. Excellent after a pinch or two, they were crispy and the feta and pomegranate seeds really elevated the dish. I got the Blood Orange Branzino and she got the Harissa Chicken Skewer. Both were absolutely phenomenal, neither could have been improved upon. The flavors were complex without being overdone, and the preparation was perfect down to the charred lemon on hers and the charred blood orange on mine. The servings were very large, we didn't finish either and still had no room for dessert. Their menu has lots of interesting options with some pretty clever and thoughtful flavor combinations. This is definitely a place worth visiting several times to explore the menu. read more

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I stopped in for lunch to catch up with a friend who recommended Food Lab as one of their favorite local spots. We arrived around 1:30 PM on a hot afternoon, and the restaurant was fairly quiet at that time. Sam, the staff member working, was incredibly friendly and welcoming. He let us choose our table, quickly brought over menus, and was helpful in walking us through both the food and drink options. I decided on the watermelon gazpacho special and a gimlet cocktail, while my friend went with the fish tacos and also opted for a gimlet. The space was inviting and thoughtfully decorated, with local artwork on the walls, racks of wine on display, and large garage-door windows at the front. I imagine those windows would be open to let in a breeze on cooler days, adding to the ambiance. We stayed for a couple of hours, enjoying the food and conversation, and Sam remained attentive without being intrusive--checking in to make sure we had everything we needed. Both dishes were fresh, flavorful, and well-seasoned. The gazpacho was especially refreshing given the heat outside. I'd definitely come back the next time I'm in Ithaca to explore more of the menu. read more

Food Lab - Wine Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

The menu and food were trying to be fancy and creative and sounded great, and it's certainly priced that way, but everything was way off balance and/or missing ingredients. Everything was way too salty, rich, and had no freshness nor acidity for relief. The Nori Steak Taco Box was INSANELY salty, and I didn't see nor taste nori on the steak. Two of the components (rice cake and prawns) were almost exactly like the prawn appetizer, so it felt redundant. The soup of the day, pepper and tomato seemed like pasta sauce adjusted to be called soup??; It was way too salty, rich, super THICK, and the portion size was huge. The dishes weren't timed well either. We sat with nothing for a long time, and then dishes came out really fast one after the other. We got the soup right at mains, so things were disjointed and plates didn't fit on the table. The service was also pretty slow. Staff were nice, but seemed like they were more hanging out chatting with the bar than tending tables. read more

Food Lab - nori steak taco box - Wine Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Excellent food combos and drink menu. Jermaine was one of the friendliest servers we have encountered and had some really great suggestions! We will be back when we are in the area. read more

After reading rave reviews and browsing the menu, we decided to stop by Food Lab and give it a try. Unfortunately it did not start well with a long hair inside the bottle of water, hanging down the side. The waitress was kind to replace it. However, when we asked for a glass of ice and were brought the glass, it had a chunk of paper floating in the ice. We asked for a replacement of that glass and waited without it arriving. We had to flag down a second waitress to replace it.... and there was something black floating in that ice. We did not drink from that glass and gave up on replacements. When the food came out - Eventually - we found items in the meals that were not listed on the menu. Such as slivered onions in the Mac and Cheese. The blackened fish tostada was flavorless fish on store bought lettuce and store bought corn tortilla. The pistachio sauce was bitter and added little to the dish. The only highlight was the few halved blackened cherries. The wedge potatoes were haphazardly cut. Some were the usual "steak fry" size while other were a quarter of the potato. This lead them to be inconsistently cooked, with some being crispy and others being very starchy. The burgers were salty with the bacon and Parmesan crisps, and desperately needed tomato or some acid as a relief. When the waitress came to check on us after we'd eaten what we could, she provided a replacement for the Mac n cheese and took one of the burgers off of the bill. We do very much appreciate this gesture and thank her profusely. However the overall experience is what I am using to give this rating. read more

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Was excited to try this restaurant given the reviews, however was very disappointed with our food. Unrefined. Nothing fits together. Either over or under seasoned. read more

We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Food Lab. Our go to place was closed Monday and we had watched Food Labs final constriction on our last visit. We were not disappointed. We went simple. My hamburger was as good a burger as I've ever eaten. Just the right combination of creativity from the caramelized onion to the Chrissy cheese. My wife's Mac and cheese was light and creamy with smoky bacon. Server was a bit stretched but good. My only complaint, while storing wine in display racks near the ceiling looks good, heat rises and the bottles get too warm. Need to find a better way. read more

Food Lab - Creative drinks - Wine Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Great ambience and good food and excellent service. Wife loved her chicken skewers, while my chili crisp gnocchi was a 3 out of 5. My son enjoyed his bacon Mac n' cheese and my daughter loved her burger! And I recommend the blackberry gimlet :) read more

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Service was above and beyond, Jermaine was attentive and checked in frequently. The food was unique full of flavor- will definitely be back!

Gosh where to start... I don't think I ever rated anyone 1 star, I don't think I ever went somewhere barely ate their food and spent good money for crappy food. Let's start from the beginning, hold on tight! Start with the drink. We just wanted water, it came in the bottle closed with the cork. Well... my friend's bf spotted hair stuck inside and out of the cork! GROSS!! Then we asked for ice, there was paper in the glass. Really??? We asked for new ice and the waiter never came back with it so we flagged someone else for it. When we got it, something black stuck in the ice. Sigh. Now, let's move to the food shall we... my friend ordered the mac n cheese nowhere in the menu it said onions but plenty of onion on it. We ordered the blackened fish tostada, it's black alright but that's it... so tasteless. I tried to put some salt on it but yeah no. The sauce was supposed to be pistachios sauce, all I can taste was bitterness as bitter as I am at this point. In the meantime my son's burger was super salty. So that was where all my salt on my fish goes! We also ordered potatoes wedges. It was wedges all I can say. They did try to do right. They comp my friend burger that equally crappy as my son's burger with soggy fries. Also made different food for my friend because the mishap with onions. Though according her the replacement food tasted like can tomato soup. Nevertheless we won't be back and won't recommend this to anyone. read more

Food Lab - Potato wedges - Wine Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Good and creative dishes. I had the shrimp roll with fingerling potatoes that came with a delicious garlic aioli.

Jermaine was attentive and very helpful! Perfect cozy restaurant with great vibes. Definitely some of the best food we have had in a while!

Fresh, delicious food and friendly service! Great location in downtown Ithaca, close to Cornell and IC.

We were intending to go somewhere else for brunch but wound up having lunch here. Sam our server was very friendly and paced our food good. We loved what we ordered our only feedback was we wish the sliders had a sauce or something. But other than that no complaints, the kimchi fritters were fantastic, and I really didn't miss a bun with the cast iron blue burger. Also the drinks we had were fun and weird in a very good way. read more

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Wonderful selections on the menu, great service, Sam was the Best. Will be back very soon.

I really enjoyed the food and the service was great. Genesis was amazing, very helpful and friendly. We had a great time and really recommend it read more

My girlfriend and I had dinner at Food Lab on Friday 6/12. I ordered the signature burger and fries; she got the branzino; and we shared a salad. While the restaurant was busy, our food took more than 45 minutes to arrive. No big deal - we were enjoying the nice weather and outdoor seating. My burger was ok and the fries were limp - probably from sitting out too long waiting to be picked up. As soon as we arrived back at our hotel, I got sick - I was already not feeling well soon after finishing my meal. I vomited immediately (and also expelled my meal through outer means) - in fact; I could pick out ingredients I had recently ingested at Food Lab. Long story short: I got FOOD POISONING from the burger. How do I know? Because I tasted everything in my girlfriend's plate - branzino, roasted potatoes and we shared a salad. She did not try my burger as she's a vegetarian. By deduction it had to be the burger. This was not a cheap meal - almost $100 with tip (we always tip %20). The meat probably sat out raw out of the refrigerator for too long - and bacteria got into it. Service was friendly and warm. But it was not worth the food poising - and truly left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended). read more

We came to Ithaca for the day from Penfield NY and had dinner here. We loved everything about this restaurant. The restaurant itself was very nicely decorated and comfortable. Our bartender/waiter Phillip was so friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and the wonderful old fashioned cocktail he made us. We had one shareable which was the crostini with feta, butternut squash, candied bacon and hot honey. It was delicious!!! For our mains we had the meatloaf and butternut squash ravioli meals which were also incredible and plentiful! I can't wait to try other selections the next time we are in Ithaca! I highly recommend this restaurant and definitely suggest making a reservation. Thanks to Phillip! read more

Interesting and tasty food. We were there during graduation weekend, so it was busier than usual. Nonetheless, the service was good and more importantly, the food was good. read more

Excellent food, drinks,& service. My husband and I were in town and tried this out. Absolutely amazing spot. Burgers we had were done just as requested and were delicious. Great drinks also with Hot Lips and Espresso martini. Service was right on point. Highly recommended. read more

Kylee our server was amazing ! Delicious food and great service - thanks for making our trip to Ithaca so fun!

Delicious food & amazingly crafted drinks! Super unique flavors and a great variety of options. Kylie was our server and she was so welcoming + gave great recommendations! read more

I wanted to try something new and I really enjoyed the meal and atmosphere of food lab the blackened fish was very good. I was pleasantly surprised by the stone fruit salad!! Very fresh beautiful presentation!! read more

Service was great and the food was outstanding! So much attention to detail! We ordered the chilled lasagna insalata and it was the highlight for me. I can't stop thinking about this salad. I was hesitant to order something with "chilled" in the name because it was freezing out but I'm so glad I did! I wish I took a photo, very unique concept for a salad and it was 10/10. I loved it! It was layers like a lasagna of perfectly dressed arugula, lasagna noodles, fresh ricotta, pesto, tomato and roasted garlic. We also ordered the spicy squid and the mushroom arancini. The sauce on the arancini was really interesting- there was a "kalamata caramel" that blew me away, it was the perfect mix of savory and sweet mixed with the creamy sauce. Squid was delicious, sautéed and tender with a perfectly spicy puttanesca style sauce. It all paired perfectly with the six eighty Grüner Veltliner. If I lived closer I'd try everything on the menu. read more

Kylie was great. Food was great. Drinks were great. Definitely recommend trying this place.

Wonderful downtown Ithaca location was interesting, well-prepared food and good local wine selections. The salad was particularly memorable. Phillip took great care of us. read more

I visited the food lab two days ago and ordered a salmon dish on a bed of brussel sprouts. I thought it was an odd choice to do that, but the dish was good. The brussels were cooked just right. The salmon was cooked perfectly so that it was not dried out, but I don't recall the sauce they put on this dish. The one change I would make is to put more seasoning on the fish prior to cooking. That would take this dish to the next level. read more

Mushroom frittata is amazing! Cute place for a cozy weekend brunch. Samantha served us and she was friendly and attentive. Definitely will be back and recommend to others. read more

Delicious, artfully made food. Attentive service. Phillip, our waiter really knew his stuff.

This place was terrible. Avoid even if you are drinking only. The red flag should have been the fact that the place was empty despite all other places being busy. But we still gave it a shot as it was ranked high on yelp and Google. Second huge red flag was the fact that the waitress brought dirty glasses. I mean filthy cloudy glasses - while holding her fingers inside the glass....ewww. Food was terrible as well. read more

We happened upon Food Lab while looking for a late afternoon cocktail and small bites. A fantastic find! Our host, Phillip, made some very tasty Manhattans, and the two shareables that we ordered were great. We'd happily return for a full meal! read more