On a recent outing a friend flew in from out of town so we decided to try something near the airport. I had the scallops and risotto, and my friend the mushroom ravioli. Both dishes came out in a reasonable amount of time and were warm. My risotto was just okay, and perhaps I expected better given the reviews. All in all a good, but not outstanding meal.The staff was friendly and helpful. read more

Kinda lousy food honestly was served lamb that was spoiled. Also the waiter was rude and inept. read more

It was open on Mondays which is a plus. They don't have a liquor license so wine and beer is available. Attentive service, good menu, too. However, red wine we had was so warm, really warm. Not enjoyable for a good glass of quality wine to be so warm. Veal is thick, not pounded thin as one would expect. Same with the chicken. The chicken parmigiana was not good, dish looked like it had been prepared awhile ago. Not full of flavor. Bread was very good , hot and crusty. read more

Went for dinner last night because my friend had been saying over and over how much she wanted to come back here. We had a reservation for 6:30 and were seated promptly. It wasn't very busy or packed so we were happy about that. We started off with drinks, I ordered the cosmopolitan, it was a little sweeter than I prefer but I used the lemon wedge garnish to add a little more citrus flavor to mine. I also ordered a strawberry margarita which was good and strong lol. We did 2 appetizers for the table, crab stuffed shrimp (AMAZING) and the cold water clams which was steamed clams in a garlic sauce covered with pancetta and red peppers (DELICIOUS). For my main course I ordered the George's banks scallops which are served over English pea and blue crab risotto. First of all it was sooooo good! The scallops were cooked perfectly (chef Ramsey would be so satisfied with those lol) and they were seasoned to perfection. The risotto was perfectly seasoned had great taste, it was a little undercooked and had a crunch to it but it still tasted good so I decided to overlook that part. I tried a little of everyone's meals and they were also very tasty. The short ribs were melt in your mouth tender and had perfect seasoning, the cheesy potatoes were delicious, the pork volcano was amazing. Also, one last thing I'd like to point out is the bread and garlic oil they bring you to start before you order is to die for!!! It's so good! I would definitely recommend this restaurant, delicious fresh food and a friendly staff. You can't ask for much more, check them out! read more

See all

Great food, outstanding service. The atmosphere is quaint and cozy. Definitely a favorite. Bar area is a fun place to dine for two.

Outstanding Italian cuisine. Fresh pasta made on the premises. Wow! Service was great. Ambiance good. We will go back here whenever we are in the area. read more

Absolutely delicious! Only bad thing, they are 17 feet away from a church so hard alcohol cannot be sold, but wine and beer are delicious!! read more

One of our favorite places! Fantastic food and service! We have never gotten a bad meal here.

In a post wedding-dress-fitting hangry semi stupor, a bride-to-be friend and I stumbled upon this spot. Hoping for a quick, decent meal, we nipped in for lunch after quickly glancing at the menu. Grotto exceeded expectations. A simple but lovely interior and fresh, tasty food. There are a ton of Italian options in Syracuse, but Grotto can hold its own. read more

Again... Stopped back but with a group of friends and the experience was pretty much duplicated... server was "tops" as they say in Australia, the fair again was "tops" but this time I had dessert and as you may have guessed it too was tops... very creamy cream brûlée and a nicely constructed lemon cheesecake. And for the record I had the NY Strip Spec as did one of my ladies and the other, her sister has the fish... all hot all tasty. And to complete my Benjamin button review the meatball and Calamari apps were simply to die for. The Meatballs are the owners family recipe and the calamari was Made from the squids body not the rings that you normally see, but the cut the body meat and Pound the living "beep" out of it and then bread it, deep fry it and serve it HOT... that's a theme here anyway it was every bite as good the second time and I felt that worth reporting. Bon appetite read more

I would've never thought just by quickly driving by such a nice place was located in a small nice area. When I arrive there I was greeted very pleasantly and when we were sat our waiter was excellent he made the whole experience he knew the menu inside and out and he knew how everything was cooked when we had questions he was there right away to answer them and they don't dance very comfortable being there the first time great place to eat food was absolutely delicious I will be going back! By the way I have the scallops in risotto. read more

Amazing food, drink, and ambiance. Servers are always good and food is ready in a timely fashion. Reservations are accepted and helpful also. My go-to for date nights! read more

Wow! My husband and I went here for our anniversary, and it was delicious. We started with the steamed clams appetizer. That is definitely a must. The clams were large, fantastic taste, and the sauce they were in was delicious. We did order two salads, which I would pass on next time. For our main course we ordered the seafood fra diavlo and steak riggies. The diavlo was very spicy and seafood was cooked to perfection. The steak riggies were equally as good. You can't go wrong with this place. We will be back! read more

See all

My husband & I went last week. We sat at the bar. The bartender was absolutely fantastic, wish I would have caught her name. We had stuffed shrimp for an appetizer & slow braised beef short ribs for dinner. The food was phenomenal! The atmosphere was cozy and everyone was a pleasure. Kudos to the owners, we will be back and probably regularly! read more

This restaurant has a cool vintage supper club vibe. CJ, the bartender, has a terrific energy and infectious rapport with every patron. On a one night Syracuse stop on our way to Montana, she graciously hooked my wife and me up with two coveted bar seats where we had the best Italian meal we have had in years. No need to name individual dishes, they were all delicious. This is the place where I wish we could be regulars. Big kudos to Grotto. read more

All I can say about my recent dining experience is AMAZING! We arrived a bit early for our reservation so we had a drink at the bar. The bartender was so friendly and made me feel so welcome. When we went to our table I jokingly mentioned I forgot my cheater glasses and would have to hold my menu out an arms length to read the menu - what a wonderful surprise when he brought me a pair to our table. We were then lucky enough to meet our server, Julie, who was a true delight and made every moment of our experience at Grotto exceptional. I ordered a small wedge salad, my husband ordered the crab cakes appetizer, I made a stellar selection with the short ribs and my better half ordered the bolognese pasta dish. Everything was spectacular and I consider myself a bit of a finicky eater. The owner was greeting customers in the dining area and I was glad I could let her know how much we enjoyed our dinner and can't wait to return. In addition, what a great surprise today when I realized that each "doggy bag" was labeled and dated. I give this a 5 star for sure. read more

See all

Oh lordie Grotto is soo good White clam and Linguine Delicious soups pre dinner and Salads Red Snapper Special was awesome Small but friendly Bar With a nice young man behind the bar the day I was there with two wonderful friends who loved the wine he chose for them while we showed up a few seconds late No worries great meal great drinks pleasant service (but Frank is our favorite) you ABSOLUTELY CANT GO WRONG THERE - not a big dining area but classic Central New York smallish but comfortable and cozy -Don't judge others by the outside (maybe they could perk that up a bit to garner attention) Besides that love love love it read more

Excellent food and service! Small place but served a large group efficiently. Everyone enjoyed their meals

Absolutely amazing. From the service to the quality of the food, everything we had was delicious. The bread was fresh out the oven and we got a nice bottle of Chardonnay (highly recommend). The chicken riggies were made perfect, just enough kick to it as it should! The chicken florentine was also delicious, highly recommended this place!!! read more

Grotto - Crab cakes - Italian Near Me - Syracuse, New York

See all

Very nice little Italian restaurant. There is a small bar when you walk in. The main dining area is small and slightly cramped. Despite this it was nice and quiet. The service was awesome. Everyone that worked there was was genuinely friendly. Our waiter was on point with filling our water glasses and bringing extra bread without having to ask. I had the tenderloin which was cooked perfectly. In all, Grotto is definitely an upscale restaurant you should check out. read more

Great little find in North Syracuse. Made reservations for 8. They added a 14-top behind us to our waiter's night. He turned out to be a 40-year professional - could not have gone better. Attentive. Hilarious. Food ... Best linguine with clam sauce other than mom's on Sunday. Delicious short ribs. Very good chicken parm (why do people order chicken parm haha). Excellent dessert. All around fantastic experience worth a visit. read more

Grotto - Italian Near Me - Syracuse, New York

See all

Nice looking place. Hostess was friendly and although there was a wait she sat me in the bar area. I went during St Patrick's week while in town for work. I tried the fish and chips which was fried mahi. Let's just say mahi should not be fried! read more

The food was outstanding. I had the chicken Milanese with couscous and stuffed shrimp as an appetizer. Nancy, the owner, stopped by our table to see if we were enjoying everything and our waitress, Julie, was on the ball! Thank you for snd enjoyable evening! read more

Didnt have reservations but they squeezed our party of 3 in! Had appitizer greens-spicy and delish! Hot crusty bread with garlic/oil dip. Crab cakes were excellent. I had Fra Diavlo with homemade pasta-best diavlo I have ever had-and I have had alot of fra diavlo! Brother in law got short rib papperdelle bolognaise which was fork tender and delish. Sister got parmesean crusted mahi with couscous/risotto. Fish was tender, a little bland but quality. Just a five star experience. We will be back. read more

Food was absolutely delicious, had the scallop dish and wife had the short ribs was outstanding. Service was good.

Always a great experience at The Grotto! Food is fantastic and the Staff are super nice! Great place to stop for a drink as well!

Great place. Came from Rochester to visit my daughter and came across this restaurant on Yelp. Nancy- the owner - welcomed us and was very hospitable. Bloody Mary special with shrimp was just right and shrimp were great. Cold water clams appetizer was great. The broth was delicious and you'll want that bread to soak it up. Mains we tried were Short ribs and mashed potatoes which my wife really enjoyed. Meat was tender and potatoes and gravy were very good. I had Seafood Fra Diavolo and the seafood was cooked perfectly as was the pasta and it was as spiced just as you'd expect for this dish. Last, but not least, our server Mark was a delight and made the meal special. Very professional, and fun and his enthusiasm in describing the specials made you want every one of them. Great meal and we'll be back next time we are in town. read more

After living in the area for quite a while, my wife and I finally decided to go check out Grotto. Overall a positive experience but with some pros and cons. The good: Excellent service, nice ambiance, very good entrees - I ordered the Steak Riggies and my wife ordered the Linguini with Clam Sauce. The rest of the menu sounded delicious and we'd like to go back to try more of it. The bad: We ordered the Grotto Greens for an starter which were... pretty awful to be honest. I've made my own Utica Greens plenty of times and ordered them in many of places so I'm fairly confident in how they should taste/be prepped - these were completely lacking in salt and acidity. I don't know if this is the norm but it was more or less soggy escarole with a few bread crumbs sprinkled on top. To be fair, I've really only ordered greens in a few places that have really nailed it so it's not a deal-breaker. Although we likely won't be ordering the greens, we'll definitely be back because the rest of the experience was fantastic. read more

Fantastic meal my first time there! Our server, Patsy, was great, very attentive! Loved the ambiance! Will definitely go back again!

Italian-American cuisine with a flair in the heart of north syracuse! Contemporary recipes, Warm and friendly atmosphere, And the staff makes sure everything is well above and beyond an average dining experience. Five stars, always!! read more

Grotto - An excellent wine menu to browse! - Italian Near Me - Syracuse, New York

See all

Food was absolutely delicious. My husband and I came here without a reservation and we're able to be seated immediately, but seating was limited, so probably best to make a reservation. My favorite part of the meal was their long hots. Peppers stuffed with sausage and cheese, wrapped in prosciutto, and covered in a marinara type sauce. Definitely recommend. read more

Amazing food and atmosphere. Friendly service and great food options. Will be coming back soon!

Ordered from here for the first time on Friday 5/23 with mostly a good experience. First the good.....The short rib ravioli, scallops risotto and long hots were delicious even as take-out. Meatballs app was good, but the "packaging" could use a little help. The eh.... the shrimp scampi was bland and the greens app was a little under cooked. Maybe that's their "style"?? Not sure just wasn't what we are used too. Overall a good experience and we look forward to visiting this restaurant after this lock-down is over. read more

The service is good. Very attentive wait staff. Great atmosphere. Nice open set up. The calamari is a little too salty for my taste, but it has a great crunch, still tender in the inside. I ordered the duck breast. It was served over a bed of duck dark meat gnocchi ragout. The ragout was good, but my duck breast was just average. Furthermore it was unevenly cooked. One piece was rare the other piece medium rare and the third piece was medium. The chef came out and explained but I was not convinced. For dessert we ordered the cannoli. Sadly I wasn't thrilled. The food is not bad. It is just not four stars. The service makes up some of it. read more

Grotto - Italian Near Me - Syracuse, New York

This place is an unexpected gem. I went with my chef husband who has worked for Mario Batale and at several fine dining restaurants in NYC and my 18 month old daughter while we were in town for the state fair. With my dietary restrictions and our familial love of food, we needed to find a place that we would all love and this was just that place. The exterior does not let on how amazing this food is nor how welcoming and attentive the staff is. We ordered a bunch of small plates which was more than enough food and allowed us all to sample a little bit of everything. The escarole was sauteed with garlic, parmesan, and either pancetta or prosciutto and was perfectly cooked and delicious. The meatballs were tender and flavorful and in a very fresh tomato sauce. The calamari was not your typical frozen calamari, it was fresh and tender and served with their fra diavolo sauce which was clearly homemade. The flatbread with caramelized onions and blue cheese was the perfect sweet and savory dish and as my husband kept saying "perfectly executed." What puts this place over the top is the staff. They were so sweet with our family and especially our daughter. They give great recommendations that are not based on overselling but on making sure you have a good experience. Our waiter told us all about the restaurants farm to table motto and seasonal menu. I will be returning to this place every time I'm back in town! read more

The best restaurant in the are BY FAR! My husband and I are in love with this place. It reminds me of European atmosphere, where the quality of food prevails, not the quantity. As a result, every meal is a work of art, that allies different flavors and textures, to create original and delicious alliances that are delicate and truly worth of going out to eat. The set up and atmosphere are perfect for a date night. The staff is super friendly and always tries to accommodate you the best they can. Tonight Reed was awesome but every time we go the service is on point. Definitely our jewel in Syracuse, I would tell everybody and anybody to go try it out! Call and reserve your table ahead of time to not miss it. And never be afraid of trying the specials of the day, every time they come out amazing! read more

Grotto - Rack of lamb - Italian Near Me - Syracuse, New York

See all

We were a party of 8 and everyone was happy. Not an easy task. Amazing food and service! Our waiter was charming, knowledgeable and did an amazing job. This will be out new go to when we are in town. read more

First time there and now one of my favorite restaurants! Friendly attentive hostess - nice touch hanging up our coats for us! Promptly seated with ice cold water glasses waiting. Our server Jayme was prompt , very friendly and attentive making sure everything was to our satisfaction. Even the water server was great! Food and drinks were AMAZING!! I had the scallops w risotto, daughter had filet mignon, other daughter had the chicken riggies - all were perfectly cooked! We all had leftovers to take home and we're just as delicious the next day! Ended with a crème brûlée and 3 spoons! Perfection! read more

The food was incredibly delicious. The staff were friendly and professional. Loved the restaurant and the vibe.

EXCELLENT food and experience here. Pretty nice place and it's location is on the Main Street near us.