Don't skip the Bloody Mary! It's so good. Love to get a pines burger or fish sandwich. Sides are always yummy.

The Pines is a unique experience. Beautiful view of the lake and great food. Legal beverages only!! read more

Glenwood Pines - American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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I grew up in Ithaca and I have been away since 1996. I always loved the Pines. Is it the best place to eat in the Ithaca area? Yes and no. No because Ithaca has an ever changing list of terrific restaurants. There are many, many good places to eat/dine. The Pines is where you go after a day out on the lake, hiking, fishing, landscaping or getting worn out at a festival. You go to the Pines, you order something that you know is going to taste great and you lose yourself for an hour or two. The drinks are cold, the food is hot and the folks are friendly. Everyone goes to the Pines and they like it. They come back year after year and they take their out of town visitors there for the experience. I'll see you there when I visit home. I always loved the Pinesburger. A++ read more

5 stars on Food, location , food food and food 4 stars on service honestly our server was not pleasant I know you're tired, worn out etc but don't slap a plate down. My honey actually wanted to order more food but she never came our.... Will be back but I will make sure not to get that same server and hopefully it'll be a pleasant trip read more

Delightful, cozy, local joint. This is where the locals eat and when you visit, you will know why! Quaint, comfortable atmosphere for dining, or bar. Delicious burgers, fish fry and sides, but... wait! Don't miss out on the specials like the blackened catfish sandwich, or (if your lucky) the compost burger! Go by, have a pint and a meal or some appetizers. Ask to have your burger dressed the way you please, they're happy to accommodate. Watch a game, play some pool or (seriously) Ms. Pacman. Try to grab a seat with a view of the lake! read more

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The Pinesburger is wicked with thousand island. That and a side of dynabites (fried broccoli and cheese bites) is the best Ithaca comfort food as far as I'm concerned. I've been going to this place for the last 6 years and I honestly have never felt the need to order something different at the Pines. If it's busy, there might be a little wait. There's a pinball machine, a billiards table, a Sunset Riders video game and an old bowling game machine. The Pines reminds me of all those fried clam places we used to frequent in New Hampshire by the lakes and in Massachusetts by the ocean. They just need to be closer to the beach and have a boardwalk. read more

Glenwood Pines might be the most overrated place in Ithaca. Their burgers are supposed to be real famous, but I think it's more because they have this burger challenge thing (which isn't really too bad, just eat three burgers in 30 minutes). Or maybe the quality's just been going down a lot since. Like some other reviewers wrote, nothing about the burger was impressive. It's just slightly raw burger meat with a not so special wheat bun. The deep fried stuff (the corn fritters and musrooms) wasn't even that good, that's definitely the determining criteria to figure out if a restaurant isn't good. I think probably the best part about this restaurant was that the inside seemed like a really cool log cabin. I guess that's definitely Ithaca for you. Price was not too bad and the service was alright as well. Some other people wrote stuff like if you want a real burger get Inn-N-Out or some place in Massachusetts, but bro this is Ithaca, New York. If you're really desperate for some good burgers I'd probably recommend Ale House, Stella's (only for half off burgers), or even Five Guys. read more

Once upon a time, I was lured to Glenwood, who proclaimed themselves as having "Ithaca's Best Burger." What a disappointment. So ok, it's not a terrible burger, but it's basically an incredibly thin patty sandwiched between an enormous French bread slab. Patty to bread ratio is easily 1:10. Food here is your typical bar fare. Lots of fried items (the corn nuggets are nice), but nothing spectacular. read more

This place is hyped as the best burger in Ithaca, so we had high expectations. The atmosphere was great, but we were very disappointed in the food. The burger is nothing special. Ours were overcooked and wrapped in a huge roll. The fries were ok, but the fried mushrooms were gross. Save yourself a trip and get the Perfect Burger at Ithaca Ale House. The Perfect Burger has become the benchmark by which I measure all other burgers. Glenwood Pines doesn't measure up. read more

I rated this 5 stars because of the area. If I was rating in NYC it would be 4 stars. 1. Cheap $6-$8 for a burger 2. Love. The burger was made as we asked. Attention to detail with a large non white bread mass produced bun 3. Fish platter was as expected. Fresh, fried well and excellent tarter sauce. 4. Corn Nuggets YUMMY! If I was going there I would get the haddock fish, burger and corn nuggets. I have not tried the desserts but they did sound excellent. Fish sandwich comes with no sides and half a fillet ($1 for an additional one) Platter comes with two (full fillet) $32 with a few beers burger and fish. Cash only. Worth the trip. Fun time.. Is it the best burger ever? No. But it is good. read more

My last trip to the Glenwood Pines was, from beginning to end, a reminder of why this is the only restaurant in the area to have held my constant business for the last 20+ years. We were sat in the dining room with a lovely view of the lake, and brought our drinks promptly. I ordered the Super Delmonico steak, rare (the waitress made a point to inform me that their rare was quite rare, which I appreciated and was VERY happy with) with a side of double fries. The steak came out looking like a million bucks, with perfect grill marks and a side portion of fries that nearly overflowed off the plate. The first bite into it unveiled the smoky, savory flavor that only comes from cooking a great steak on a high quality grill. This is what has kept me coming back, it is the best steak in the area in this price range. I have frequented this restaurant regularly for years, and have many favorites on the menu. The fish fry is absolutely fantastic, their burgers are all great, and they even have steamed clams most of the year! The restaurant has 3-4 arcade style games for the kids and is very family friendly in general, I have been going since I was a kid and I am sure many others have as well. I cannot wait to take my nephew when he is old enough! The service is generally fantastic, with only the occasional off night (and if you go a bit early or a bit late, as I generally do, you avoid the busy rush and slow service never happens). Overall, in a town that has seen many of my childhood restaurants close down, I am glad my all time favorite has remained! I look forward to many more great meals here with my family. read more

Just about my favourite place to eat in New York. I love the relaxed atmosphere and the food isn't bad either. The open steak sandwich is beautiful, and add any two included sides from a long list and you're in for a good meal. The homemade slaw is amazing and is always one of my two sides. The chips (I'm British so they're chips, not fries!) are always fluffy on the inside and crisp outside, just as they should be. Service is always great. The servers are attentive without being intrusive and always get our orders to us quickly and accurately. If I'm ever in Ithaca I always try to get here. You should too. read more

Great food and wonderful service. Nice folks!!! Hamburgers are huge and the drafts are cold.

First time we visited this establishment, Friday evening prime time. Plenty of parking and very clean outside. As soon as we walked through the front door into the main bar we were greeted within seconds and seated at a beautiful table in the corner next room over. Our server, I think Jaime dropped off menus and took our drink order extremely quickly! She answered all the questions we had with the menu by guiding us through the favorites. Ordered a fish fry, coleslaw, potato salad, fries, crab cake and a super chef salad! Excellent everything, I wish more establishments could nail it like this consistently!!! Awesome Job Piney read more

So I was excited to try this place after all the reviews and everyone telling me this place had the best burger in Ithaca. Of course, as a burger connoisseur I had to try them out. We went on a Sunday afternoon, was nice and quiet and not a lot of people. We were seated quickly, brought water quickly and the waitress took our order. I got The Pines Burger with lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo and of course the burger and bun. Might as well try the classic right? Instead of a side I decided to indulge myself and also order their crabcake sandwich which consisted of the crabcake, lettuce, tomato, bun and a remoulade sauce. First off let's start with the good. The bun was right on. Their bun is a slice of fresh french bread, soft, sweet, not too bready. This was the perfect bun for a burger. The burger was a little thin, good size but could be a little beefier but it was cooked to perfection, medium, and had a lot of flavor. Not just a beef flavor but a good bbq burger flavor. They season it well. The lettuce and tomato were good, plenty of both on the burger to compliment it well. The bun was bigger than the burger which was good, had plenty of bun for the burger which is nice. The bad: The cheese tasted a bit like a kraft single, though I'm not a huge cheese fan in the first place so I should've got it without. While this was a pretty darn good burger, especially for the price, I wouldn't say this is Ithaca best. Does it get put on the top ten? Maybe...if so it'd tie for 9th or 10th as it was good, i'd definitely go back for one, but for sure I'd take Northstar or Kilpatricks over this. The crabcake sandwich was disappointing. I have really nothing good to say except that the bun and veggies and remoulade was good, but the patty, not so much. It was mushy, tasted bready and it just doesn't hold up against some other's that I've had in the past. Wouldn't get it again. As for sides, the corn nuggets are AMAZING. Dude I could sit here all day and just snack on them. They are breaded and fried cream of corn nuggets that are just amazing. The fries are good too, nothing to brag about but are crispy, salty and good. We did get their Maple Apple Pie and Chocolate Peanut Butter pie for dessert. The Chocolate Peanut Butter pie tastes store bought, actually pretty sure it was and the Apple Pie was good but not great. It was probably home made but really didn't taste much maple. The crust was okay. The apples were good and overall it was a good pie, just again, not the best. The reason this get's 4 stars though is because of the service, the price and because overall, their burger is worth going out for! When I come back (notice I said when) I'll be getting 2 pines burgers and a side of corn nuggets and call it a day. It's worth checking out, worth going back to, but if you are looking for the best, this falls a bit short that's all. Still great though! read more

After checking out Taughannock Falls a few miles away, I passed by this place and thought I'd give it a try. Despite being known for having a "famous" burger, I didn't try it because a lot of the reviews here were pretty mixed. They have a pretty diverse menu so I thought I'd give something else a try. I went for the pig wings and fries instead. The fries were pretty good - they were crispy and salty enough that I didn't need to use ketchup or anything else. The pig wings were really tender and came with a good amount of sauce. However, I wish they could have provided more, since two was really not enough considering the price. The waitress was a bit slow in taking my order despite there not being that many customers at the time, but she did apologize for it and served my food very quickly following that. I really like the interior of the restaurant as well. The outside makes it look like some boring roadside diner but the inside looks like a log cabin. read more

Glendwood Pines is a great place to eat - save the first time my husband and I ate there just after moving from South Florida. Unfortunately, the deliciously tempting Fried Haddock gave both of us food poisoning!! We were so sick that I wasn't even able to pick up the phone and alert them. I'm sure if they had known they would have taken the appropriate steps to ensure no one else got sick. Otherwise, the food was always excellent and the staff friendly. Only now and then did we have poor service, and that was typically only when they were exceptionally busy or when we had a new girl serve us. read more

A great place to go with a group of friends. I went on a Saturday night, and it wasn't too busy at all, unlike what some of the other reviews have warned about weekend nights. The waitress wasn't around much, and it was difficult to get things that one usually takes for granted at restaurants, like a glass of water, and she had to be tracked down to verify my winning of the Pinesburger challenge (seriously, where WAS she all night? The tables were only half full!) But the food was good, and the beer selection was decent and featured some great local brews. The prices are good for the awesome quality of the burgers, and everyone should try the Pinesburger challenge at least once! read more

Casual, good prices, quick service. Veggie burger, baked potato, salad available for vegetarians. Salmon burger is tasty. Note: Sides are all additional cost over the main dishes. No gluten free alternatives/menu. read more

Burgers still taste as delicious as they used to... so juicy - Great fries too ! Old school arcade games are a bonus (Galaga and ms pacman )

A generous 2 stars. As a foody I like to try new places and sample what they have. I was recommended this place by a fiend who was shocked when I told them what my experience was like. - This is more like a low budget bar/café type of place than a restaurant. The seating is very close together and on a hot day like today it's not very comfortable. - The menu is very basic, they do have steaks but I wouldn't pay $20 plus on a steak from this place. - FRIES ARE $2.95!!!!! The staff are pleasant enough and the service was quick. Looking at the place I didn't want to chance having anything with French bread as I am very particular about my bread and fresh bread is hard to keep soft and this place is far from a bakery. So I opted for the TULLY burger. The fries were $2.95 extra. $8 for burger and fries is a good deal but that was before I received my plate. CHILD PORTIONS!!! I am a grown man, I like to eat and what I was served was the smallest portion of fries I have ever had in my life. The plate was also a childs dinner plate. The burger was ok, definitely not the best in Ithaca, 3 out of 10. Mcdonalds burgers taste better and I am a burger expert! The burger was also very small. If I were 9 years old then perhaps this meal would have been enough, but I weigh almost 190lbs and felt offended when I received this micro meal. I left feeling hungry which should never happen after eating burger and fries. A very simple meal that should never go wrong. I know not to go there again. The portions are terribly small, even my wife who only eats small meals commented on how small it was. There are far better places close by and my wife said since the last time she came here a few years ago, this place has gone drastically downhill. read more

SLAM! menu says shaken - bloody mary, just poured is not shaken. other brother used to really shake them. he's not there anymore. shaken really makes a difference. got slammed. no reprieve between courses. SLAM! good for turnover. not good for repeat customer. crab cakes lost quality. undisclosed up-charges too. just tell customer that it is extra. shake! or take it off the menu. be real. read more

I've always heard of the famous Pines and after living in Ithaca for 3 years I deemed it was about time I tried one. As a vegetarian, I had very low expectations for their vegetarian interpretation of a Pines burger because most burger places put the veggie burger as an afterthought... I was thoroughly impressed by Glenwood Pines! The veggie burger (which I think was homemade, judging by the oval shape) was incredibly flavorful and went nicely with the 1000 island dressing and veggies. Without a doubt, I would say this is the BEST veggie burger concoction I've had in years. Congratulations Glenwood pines, I will be coming back often!! read more

Home of the "World Famous" Pinesburger. I doubt it's famous beyond the townies and a handful of Cornell frat boys, but it deserves to be. It's big and tasty, and it costs less than $5.00. They offer it with mayo or 1000 Island dressing, I recommend the latter. The fries are tasty too, as are the jalepeo poppers. Wash it all down with a cheap PBR. This place is mostly frequented by townies, often with little kids in tow. It's always funny and terribly sad to see two parents sitting with their children and throwing back beer after beer. read more

My family wasn't impressed. I had the salmon burger, which was OK but very dry. One of my stepsons had the chicken sandwich, which he thought was too small of a portion and a side of chili which was also just OK. My other stepson got some double burger, which was OK but not great. He wasn't impressed. My husband had the pig wings, which doesn't come close to being able to fill up a grown man. My favorite part of the restaurant was the Ms. PacMan game. I kicked my stepson's ass and got the high score. read more

Good cheeseburger and fries. I don't know about the rest of the stuff. They say their burgers are world-famous. I never heard of them. Ha ha

What can I say? The Pines is one of my absolutely favorite places to eat in Ithaca. We are summer regulars, from the day we put our boat in until the last day of the season when we pull her out, we grab dinner here at least once per week. The classic Pines Burger is a favorite but the fish and chips is awesome too. I've never had a meal here that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Even during this year's lockdown, we ordered weekly takeout to support our favorite place, and they continued to impress us with prompt and courteous service during a stressful time. See you next summer! read more

This is a friendly burger place with a nice view of the water. I liked the long local history and my burger was tasty. I also appreciated the good waitressing and easy parking. Nothing fancy, but it was relaxing, clean, pleasant, quick. read more

I love the Glenwood Pines. Even after graduating Cornell over 20 years ago, I still make sure to stop by for a pinesburger. I love how it's got a fun family environment, decently priced food, and a good bar. I don't love the fact that you have to pay a lot for sides, but hey, it's homemade. Overall, the food is a 3.5 star but worth stopping by if you're coming through Ithaca. read more

Well, its relatively cheap. While camping in the Fingerlakes this past summer, we asked a local couple where to go for lunch. They suggested Glenwood Pines. Its a dive-y place, which is fine, and our server was very attentive and pleasant, and the food was pretty cheap. But it just wasn't very good! My "famous" burger was way small, overcooked (nothing at all like a medium rare--not even slightly pink inside), and flavorless. The roll was uninteresting, lettuce and tomato not especially fresh. My fiance got the footlong hotdog special, and he was unimpressed. Since all sides (fries, onion rings, etc) are only available ala cart, and there are no platters, prices really are on par with a diner, but the food is a little below. Beers are cheap though. read more

Glenwood Pines is a bit out of the way if you're visiting Cornell, but it's not a bad place for a burger and a brew (or in my case, a sandwich and a brew). Maybe cause it was like, a Sunday or something or maybe it was too early or maybe the generator was out, but they weren't too busy when I stopped in. They carry the entire line of Ithaca Beer Company beers. I had the Cascazilla, a "Red Ale" which went ok with my pastrami sandwich. Judging from the reaction of my compatriots, the burger was pretty good, but not "the shit". My sandwich + beer hit the spot, and didn't hit the wallet. 3 stars + 1 for the nice waitress and the location right on the lake. read more

The Pines is a should-be Cornell institution. It's just too damn far away. It's difficult to find, off the beaten path, and can easily be mistaken for... a dirty truck stop. But the Pinesburger is great. It's basically just a burger, except with Thousand Island dressing and on a hero roll instead of a roll-roll. It's just really damn good. They also have pinball games and crap. Try the Pinesburger Challenge - you can win a tshirt - or the Derby Cake for dessert. read more

Fun place to bring the kids, charming and old-timey. The fried fish was excellent, I regret that I didn't get a pinesburger they looked really good. read more

Glenwood Pines - American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

This is a cool joint for a group of friends to hang out on a weekend. The place is brightly lit, and has a very welcoming ambience. The burgers served here are good, and a good burger can be hard to find in Ithaca. I particularly like the buns, they are thick and spongy, which remain in tact while soaking up the delicious juices from the patties. I recommend ordering at least medium, as they cook their patties on the rare side, medium rare would be much closer to rare than you would expect. The corn nuggets are rather disappointing actually, too much batter and doesn't come with a dipping sauce. I've also tried their fried seafood platter on one of my visits, and it wasn't in any way memorable, so I suggest getting the burger. The beers are cheap at around 3.50 per pint, but what they have on tap is quite limited. The black and tan goes well with the burgers, though. read more

What makes the burger rise above is the French bread, IMO. We live in the land of white bread and buns with no texture. I liked the burger very much. Best burger in Ithaca? No, but it was delicious and cheap. The fries were extra but there we enough to share. Service was excellent and they were busy this past Friday for lunch. My mom had the fresh Haddock sandwich and it was huge and served on French bread as well. Lunch for 2 with one beer and iced tea was $22. , not bad. read more

I had one of the strangest meals of my life here (it was lovely though). Here's why: 1. It was my second-to-last dinner of 2010. 2. It was 8pm and by the time we stopped here, it was at least our fifth feeding of the day and our bulging stomachs made trying the burger or anything dinner sized an non-option, even though we had driven many many hours specifically to visit GP. 2. Being one to seize opportunities as they come, I did not want to leave without trying some sort of food. So I listened to what my stomach actually craved rather than what my mind said (You don't need food), and ordered a side of spaghetti and fried mushrooms. Yep. 3. Washed everything down with several pints of beer, which is not weird but when you look at the whole meal of fried mushrooms, spaghetti and beer it becomes a bit stranger. 4. The whole place is filled with bobbleheads of all kinds. 5. Our bartender looked like Santa Claus with a subdued jolliness, which almost makes sense since Glenwood Pines seems like just the place someone named St. Nick might choose to retreat to after a busy day of delivering presents around the world. The takeaway? I liked Glenwood Pines a lot, and hope to return someday to try the burger. read more

Nice little joint to hang out in with a group friends. It's reasonably priced but I honestly wasn't amazed by the food. Although I like that their buns are not your average soggy burger buns, I almost found the burgers as a whole to have a too-high ratio of bun:burger. The burger itself was decent. But again, nothing special. For the price I'd come back here again, but since it's a 10-15 minute drive from Ithaca it would only be an occasional visit. If you want a real burger, get In N Out. For a classic burger joint, go to Bartley's in Cambridge, MA. read more

The food is great, and there are a few arcade games to entertain kids waiting for food, and the fireplace is homey... But the prices are high, considering you pay additional money for sides with your sandwich etc. Close proximity to the yacht club for a bite after being on the water, but not the best value or portion sizes to be satisfying. read more

This is the kind of place you could easily fly by at 60 miles per hour and never even notice - but if you stop, you'll be treated to one of the many "truly Ithaca" experiences. The crowd is always a good mix of townies, college students, and members of the hoity-toity Yacht Club, which is just below the restaurant. The eats include good comfort/bar food - burgers, sandwiches, seafood platters, etc. While you wait, you can play an awesome little bowling game in the bar. It cost 25-cents to play when I was 11 years old, and the price hasn't gone up in the more than 20 years I've been frequenting Glenwood Pines. read more

This place is great. In town for a conference and wanted a place with a view of the water. Although the view is just okay the food and service are fabulous. Had the p b & j burger. Best one I've ever had. Definitely recommend this place read more