Great food and service. coconut curry was delicious, so were the Wagu sliders. our server, Kylie was very nice. Will definitely come back.

Food Lab is a cute, clean, modern place with all kinds of interesting fusion dishes and fun ingredients. Their culinary scientists are making some real winners here! The menu had so many things I wanted to try and thankfully the food was just as good as it sounded. I had the Vodka Bucatini with added steak and it was amazing. It was a cold and rainy day and that hot pasta and rich sauce were perfect for that weather. The Duck Fat Fingerlings with black garlic aioli were another favorite...and what a huge portion! My mother-in-law had the Bone Marrow Burger (which I got to steal a bite of) and it was delicious and very flavorful. My wife loved her New England Shrimp Roll and soup of the day that came with it (which I also personally verified was excellent as well). And the house wine got a thumbs up from my wife! It's a good thing my family loves to share. The portions were great, the staff was friendly and everyone loved their food. We were too full for dessert, which was a shame because I wanted to try more of the menu. The only thing I could find to nitpick was that the floor was a bit too slippery. That's really just me reaching for something to complain about to try to balance out all this well-deserved praise! If I lived anywhere near Food Lab, I'd be a regular until I'd worked my way through the entire menu and then some! Please open a franchise in Atlanta. Five stars easily! read more

See all

I have been here twice now with larger parties. The first time we had a group of approximately 8, the second time was a bit larger and about 12 of us. This place is a good option for large parties as they often have space available and are able to accommodate. There menu is interesting and a lot of the flavor combos sound good in theory. However, in practice it left a bit to be desired. The food took a while to come out, likely due to the large party size. The chili crisp gnocchi was lukewarm and the texture was too dense. The second time I got the coconut curry dumplings, again, they weren't as hot as I would expect. The flavors were muted and a little bland. This place seems really interesting in concept, the flavor ideas are unique and the location is good. However, they are just doing too much with the menu. They might have a few great dishes, but unfortunately they were not what I ordered. They maybe should scale down the menu to focus on their best items. read more

I ate here again. I love this place. Eating here Tuesday I was taken care of by Kylie and Carla; Wednesday night was Kylie and Natasha holding it down. Terrific service. Good atmosphere. Wednesday night I had the stone fruit salad, which was delicious and filling. A lovely combination of colors textures and tastes. It's twice the size of the basic green salad which I had Tuesday. The Harissa Chicken Skewer was really good. It's Incredibly filling and solid comfort food. I'll return next year when I am back in Ithaca. Thank you Foodlab! read more

First time here back on Aug 8, 2026. Sorry for the late review, life. Darla was our waitress and she was great - Thank you. The food was outstanding! So tasty and flavorful mmmm!!! Started with a few cocktails- Smoked pecan Old Fashioned - kids enjoyed them a lot! Wife got the Razz cloud margarita cocktail- very tasty! Appetizers of Black Garlic Wagu Sliders - OMG these were amazing- so flavorful and hot - right off the grill (I am really upset I didn't take a pic of these). Wife got the Lemongrass chili chicken wings. She liked them a lot. On to dinner: coconut curry dumplings - delicious!!!Bone Marrow Burger with Duck fat fingerlings. Excellent! Blackened fish tostada - so flavorful. We really enjoyed our visit and will be back for sure. read more

See all

Had a nice dinner at the Food Lab on a busy Saturday evening (we were lucky enough to get a last minute reservation). Started with the Stone Fruit Salad and the Lemongrass Chili Chicken Wings - both excellent. For mains we had the Branzino (very good), Bone Marrow Burger (a little more done than we would have liked but good flavor) and the New England Shrimp Roll (solid) Servers were very friendly and helpful. read more

See all

Great food! Great service! Loved sitting outside to people watch! I got the chicken parm sandwich and cheeseburger soup. Both were so yummy! The chef makes soups from scratch daily. This soup is one of my absolute favorites. My husband got their bacon cheeseburger with fries. He ate it all - which is rare for him. We wish we lived closer. We'd be regulars. read more

Food Lab - Chicken parm sandwich, cheeseburger soup, bacon cheeseburger, and fries - Wine Bars Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Food was SO GOOD! I got the chicken parm sandwich and the shrimp chowder. Delicious. The chicken parm was perfectly crispy and cheesy, really surprised me. Service was also really fast, the servers were so nice and attentive. There is a lot of seating inside and outside, we were seated fast read more

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

Delicious food! Not a ton of dessert options, but super tasty unique options. Great for date night! It's small in there so definitely make reservations! AND - get there early. We had 7pm reservations on a Sunday night and it was IMPOSSIBLE to find parking. We ended up being 20min late to our reservation and they still honored it luckily but even with getting there early to find parking the area was a nightmare. Great service! Family friendly. read more

See all

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

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

See all

Wife found this little place in NY and it was really good. Staff was friendly and drinks were well maid. Good stuff... read more

Two of us went for lunch on a Tuesday - first-time diners. On the bright side, our waitress was excellent and the shrimp roll was decent. But the pasta my husband hoped to order wasn't available, and the rest of our food was barely edible. We both had side salads that were spoiled by a yellow dressing that was almost as sweet as maple syrup. Worst was the panzanella salad that featured no torn bread or flavorful tomatoes or basil - but instead, just hard chunky slices of bread bigger than a golf ball, with watery tomatoes, cheese cubes that tasted off, and raw zucchini slices, all topped with a bad raspberry vinaigrette. Without a steak knife we couldn't figure out how to cut the bread chunks down to bite size, so we just left them. Honestly, we should have sent it back to the kitchen. To top it off, the only bathroom was tied up for well over 5 minutes by one of the staff. Will definitely not be eating here again. 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

We dined here for Sunday brunch and omg it was so amazing. The chilled ricotta from the regular menu was delightful and sweet. The honey potatoes from the brunch menu was like general tso chicken except with potatoes and was so lovely. For entrees we had the frittata and bucatini vodka. Both were incredible and generously sized. We happily took leftovers for later. We will be back and can't wait to sample more of the menu! read more

See all

Went to Food Lab on a date with my partner. Our server was Morrigan, and she was phenomenal! She was extremely attentive, fun, and great at her job. Food was well-paced, hot, and so tasty! Shrimp and Steak add-ons were cooked perfectly. Definitely recommend for a fun date night ! read more

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

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

Back at the Food Lab and a year has not dulled their ability to put out very good food!! We shared the roasted Brussels sprouts. "corn flake" chicken, our entree was the Branzino. All were perfect and Kylie our server was excellent! Highly recommend Food Lab!!! read more

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

See all

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

Just stopped by Food Lab for a lunch on our way home from a finger lakes weekend. Wow. The food was amazing. I had the poached pear, pistachio and steak salad and my wife had the stone fruit salad and we spilt a generous side of fingering potato cooked in duck fat with the best black garlic aioli. The food was amazing and served up by Sam who did a wonderful job while both wait and kitchen was under staffed for the day. I would highly recommend. 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

See all

Anastasia was wonderful! Super helpful even recommending other local businesses for other things I was looking for in the area! Food was fabulous! read more

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

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

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

See all

Our first time in Ithaca and the burgers and cider were awesome. Also, Cait was a great server and made us feel right at home.

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

See all

My friend and I went to Food Lab for brunch during our visit to Ithica. I got the Grilled Blueberry Muffin and she got the Hawaiin French Toast. The food was excellent!!! The blueberry compote on the muffin was perfect - not too sweet or overy thickened - and the coffee was just right. Our server Kylie was very attentive and informative. I recommend this resturant to everyone and wish I could join you for another meal! read more

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

See all

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

Our server Morganne was lovely. Food was mid at best. Excited for the panzanella salad but it was dry and flavorless. Descriptions of food on menu sound full of flavor but all 4 dishes were bland. Drinks look exciting but are basic. Next level trickery at this spot . read more

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

See all

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

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

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

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

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

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