THE RUDEST SERVICE we have ever experienced!!! Its a shame we could not review based on the food. The "manager" who also was the hostess was SO RUDE to us we left on the spot! Big mistake! read more

Visited the Hazenut kitchen in early February with some friends and had a great experience. The dining staff was very friendly and willing to accommodate my dietary restrictions (vegan) by showing me what options are/can be made vegan. I ended up getting the stuffed cabbage which was very delicious and unlike anything I've had before, especially because it was vegan! Everything was very fresh and flavorful. My friend ordered the surprise chef's entree and was very excited to see that it was pierogies with locally grown potatoes and lamb; he even was given a wine recommendation to pair. Be sure to save room for dessert! There are many great options including a few vegan desserts to choose from. Definitely will be back next season to check out what new delights they're serving! read more

The customer service here is atrocious and racist. We booked reservations a month ahead of our vacation and when we arrived, they were closed. I hoped we could reschedule given the obvious error but the manager instead chose to accuse us of lying about the date of the booking and suggested we had changed the dates of our trip. I honestly can't recall the last time someone was so disrespectful. Would the manager have made this accusation if we were both white? I doubt it. This is an example of how implicit bias influences social interactions as I can't imagine a manager who regularly accuses customers of lying keeping her job. Hazelnut Kitchen books reservations on paper which leads to issues such as these--moreover they don't confirm reservations and couldn't tell us the date they had booked us for (which wasn't the correct date). They also require a credit card when booking, which is incredibly atypical even in NYC, and yet they were somehow able to locate my card number to charge me $20 for another date which we did not book. I understand their cancellation policy and honestly would not have had an issue with it if we had cancelled or not shown for our reservation. However, I absolutely do have an issue with them booking it for the wrong date and then accusing us of lying. Folks who are anti-racist should vote with your dollars and avoid this restaurant. read more

Hands down one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca (or in general). After our mini hike at Taughnnock, I stumbled upon this gem. We arrived around 8:40 pm without a reservation, but they managed to squeeze our table for two in. I am super grateful for their awesome customer service. Our waitress was amazing, she took the time to talk to us and answered all our questions about the menu. We started out with a local farm salad (don't remember the exact name, but it had flowers in it). It was very crisp and had floral accents that blended very well together. I ordered the rigatoni and it was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. The ingredients were super fresh and they compliment each other really well. The snap peas were really fresh too. My friend ordered the "let the kitchen decide". The chefs surprised him with a chicken with butternut squash purée and veggies dish. The chicken was juicy and tender, it was crisp on the outside. For dessert - I recommend combining the salted caramel and sweet tea ice cream. The sweet tea was subtle and not too sweet - which balanced out the salted caramel. Ice cream was very creamery and delicious. TLDR: food was super fresh and delicious. Cute restaurant and awesome service. read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - Rigatoni - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

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Was really debating between 3 or 4 stars. Food wise, really amazing flavor combinations well executed. Service is where our issue was. Not at first, when the host was able to accommodate us to a table we preferred. Our waitress however really took it down a few notches. Appetizers were named "smallish" so we ordered 2 thinking it would be fine. They were lovely but huge! So we asked if they could slow down on our entrees.. the answer.. "the food comes out when it comes out", ouch nr 1. And it did, bc 10 min later my dish showed up with the words: "we are a bit delayed on your husband's dish but yours was ready so we don't want to let it sit" , ouch nr 2! His came out 5 min later but still, don't expect that in a nice restaurant. We looked at desserts but were so stuffed that we declined them. Our waitress gave us the smart ass advice to next time order 1 app, would have been nice to tell us that before we ordered them! Ouch 3! So yes really lovely food but service can be better! read more

Epic! Only 20 minutes away from Seneca Lake's wineries and 20 minutes from Ithaca. This is an adorable restaurant with a unique and fresh made menu. The menu options are few but all are house made, local and delicious. The staff is kind and attentive and responsive to individual needs and requests. They are especially accommodating with reservations, dietary restrictions and seating location. Entrees range in price from $20-26. Appetizers include soups, salads and cheese plates. We had the "let the chef decide" entree which was a delicious surprise of slow roasted pork shoulder with asparagus and grit. We also had the haddock which came with well seasoned, although slightly undercooked, roasted potatoes. I asked for dairy free options and the chef accommodated nicely. Even the bread choices included a dairy free pretzel bread. Parking is available on the street although in busier times you may need to walk a block or two. There is no lot. Overall, this is a very cute, unique, delicious spot worth trying! read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - Haddock with roasted potatoes - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

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Just finished a terrific Valentine's take-away dinner! Every dish was wonderful: roasted beet salad; jonah crab cake; day boat scallops; pan seared pork loin; and the hazelnut butter cake with chocolate hazelnut ganache! The best restaurant in Trumansburg. Great local fare prepared and served by those who love what they do. read more

Had a fabulous three-course dinner. Was in the area for Cornell graduation Worth the 30 minute drive from ithaca for this delicious meal.

So, I am a hazelnut kitchen veteran. I've been coming here for years with the previous ownership, and only recently came back with the new owners. I can say this, not disappointed in any way. This place is fantastic, everything we ate was awesome. Check it out, new heir to the Cayuga lake throne. read more

Great food, great service, just wish the menu was different on the date I went. Will be back

Lovely and tasty dinner. Chose the chiefs special and boat scallops. Was thoroughly surprised by how good all the flavors paired together. Will come again read more

Went for our yearly visit to this spot! They are only doing prixe fixe at this time so not really the choices I would have picked . As always though the service was spot on and all dishes plentiful and fresh. I'll be back next year hopefully a larger menu read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - Pork tenderloin with corn cabbage and green beans - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

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Maybe we just caught it on an off night, but very uneven and nothing better than just okay. Service was the biggest problem. Waited far too long for our appetizers. The waiter finally apologized and took responsibility (he was "new" and didn't understand the system), then he poured us two "complimentary" glasses of wine we didn't really want. I'm sure that the maitre d' noticed that our waiter was behind on our main courses, because he brought them to table. Now, the food. I liked my sweetbread appetizer. Delicious brown gravy and the morels were fabulous. My wife less enamored of the cucumber gazpacho with scallop ceviche. Too spicy and vinegary to even taste the ceviche. Plus the portion was much too large for an appetizer. We traded on the main courses. She loved her golden beet, Swiss chard and leek risotto with Parmesan. My mussels were just eh. The dish was topped with a bird's nest of matchstick potatoes that fell into the broth while eating and became soft. Aside from a dramatic presentation, I'm not sure what they added to the dish. The dish contained sweet corn, but the corn was lost in the good inch and a half of broth in the bowl. Some of the mussels were not completely open, and the shrimp could have been better cleaned of shell. Plus the waiter took my knife after the appetizer, making it difficult to cut the Andouille sausage. (Servers beware, this is a test. When a diner allows you to take the knife with the appetizer dishes, please replace it!) Bill even with 15% tip was nearly $100. The desserts looked interesting, but we were too full to try them. There are too many restaurants in the world for me to go out of my way for this one again. We like the local fresh ethic, but it doesn't account for bad service and ill-conceived food. read more

My family ate at Hazelnut Kitchen last night after having read fantastic reviews on Yelp. Unfortunately, the meal ended up being quite disappointing, perhaps because we had slightly high expectations. My parents each got the fried calamari special for the first course, and found the batter too heavy and salty. My first course of kielbasa with German potato salad was tasty, though the arugula was super bitter, but my second course of cavatelli with mushrooms, spring peas and horseradish cream was extremely salty and way too heavy. I was able to stomach less than half of the dish, and did not feel that it merited taking home as leftovers. (This, coming from a person that NEVER wastes food on principle.) My mom's grilled trout was slightly burnt, though the broth was refreshing. Dad's steak was also too salty and the potatoes were bland. The steak came already sliced, which was also not to his liking, though the meat was still perfectly medium. We ended up paying ~$40/person, which is expensive in any case for us, and certainly not worth it in my opinion. I am glad that the kielbasa was good, otherwise I would have left starving. I will say though that the place *looks* amazing and that we had a wonderful, cheerful waitress! read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - Grilled trout (top) and cavatelli with mushrooms, peas, and horseradish cream. - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

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Best meal I have EVER had!!! Really!!!! Super wine choices, an amazing blend of herbs and spices, really yummy watermelon salad, awesome rabbit stew and braised pork, unbelievable apple and plum crostata with ginger ice cream (and decadent caramel sauce), and just all around great! Not enough adjectives!!!!! Thank you!! read more

Came here on a Thursday evening about a month ago and it was surprisingly half-full. Here's why I'm giving it a 3. Food: I had the free-range burger with cabbage on top and side of fries. My friends had the cod with shredded beets. One thing I love about this place is that I think all of its ingredients are obtained from local farms and they are usually organic, free-range, or something along those lines so that is a big big plus! The only down-side is at least when I went, the food was not phenomenal. My burger was a bit salty? And the fries were kind of dry. The cabbage on top was an interesting addition though. The cod my friend ordered was good and I loved the beet sauce that complemented it. But overall, the taste of the food was not amazing. Although the ingredients definitely tasted super fresh. Ambiance: LOVED IT. I really enjoyed the entire dining experience. The setting is relaxing and there is an open kitchen. You can literally see all the chefs cooking in little pots and pans depending on where you sit. They also finalize the dish on an open table before they bring the food out to you. One last note: Waiter was a bit strange. It wasn't that the service wasn't nice, he was very helpful and provided us great info on the food and was very attentive but he never smiled the entire time. Maybe he was just having a bad day... I'm just a bit disappointed by the taste of the food but perhaps it was just what we ordered that night. I definitely want to go back and try some of their other stuff sometime though! I would recommend this place :) read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - Free-range burger with cabbage on top. - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

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Amazing food, friendly service and atmosphere all at a good price. Highly recommend!

We came here on graduation weekend which meant that all parties had to order off a pre-fixe menu for $63 - we were fine with that since all signs pointed to an amazing dinner. This turned out to be the worst dinner we had during our time in Ithaca. All of the things we ordered were off in taste and seasoning. The crab cake appetizer that we all ordered was overly salty and covered in a mayonnaise sauce. The NY Strip Steak that the guys ordered were rubbery and tasteless. The worst was the seared salmon with beet gazpacho. This weird combination made us feel so sick...my friend and I hardly touched the salmon. To top it off, both the coffee panna cotta and lemon curd parfait were so awful that we couldn't even eat it. Aside from the food being terrible, the waiter didn't even ask us why we barely touched the salmon. We were so disappointed in the quality of the food and negligence from our waiter. We gave our feedback to the hostess, but honestly don't think that this will make any difference. We all left dissatisfied and hungry, and will definitely not be coming back. read more

Everywhere you look people recommend coming here, and boy were they correct. This is the cutest most quaint restaurant ever. The service is friendly and caring, some of the best service I've experienced. The food, is on a whole new level. I recommend getting the cheese board, it was the best cheese board I've had. It's a must. I love that this restaurant does different and fun things. Sunday is pasta night, I ordered the rigatoni. The best pasta I've ever had, it was the tastes of fall in a bowl. Squash, pumpkin seeds.... it was amazing. My husband ordered "kitchens choice" this is a super fun thing they offer here. Basically the kitchen decides what to feed you and you have no idea. It ended up being a duck dish, my husband was over the moon because everything in that dish were things he loves. The experience was amazing, I'm sad this place is so far away to my home. I will be back! read more

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Recommended establishment but very disappointing after our experience. Some of the food items were excellent while others were just mediocre. Overall just ok but not worth a visit. The staff was also VERY RUDE - meaning the owner herself. No understanding of customer service. I like fine dining but hate spending my money on establishments that treat their paying customers with disrespect. This is my very first time writing a bad review - normally I would just ignore - but this experience was beyond awful. Here is just one example, we were sitting outdoors and when the sun went down it got really cold. We asked to move inside to have coffee/desert but they said No. We were confused since there were 4 empty tables and the restaurant was still busy with people eating dinner. They gave us one excuse after another and another - they treated us like 2nd class citizens. So we left without any desert on a birthday occasion. Very Sad! So visit at your own risk...just don't say I didn't warn you. Good Luck! read more

Hazelnut was recommended to us by someone who worked at one of the wineries we visited on Seneca lake. It was a 40 minute drive from our hotel but well worth it. We had a very later reservation in the middle of autumn, so the Main Street was dead by the time we rolled up. Once we entered the restaurant, we found that it was full of young couples like us. The menu is diverse so there is a dish for everyone. If you pick the mysterious "chef's choice" option, you will most likely not be disappointed. I was not adventurous enough to do this, but my fiancé thoroughly enjoyed his braised lamb which literally fell off the bone. I would highly recommend their homemade fries with garlic aioli. I can't stop thinking about it! For dessert we had the hazelnut cake, which had the texture of a polenta cake, and came with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream. So good! The wine selection is good and very reasonably priced! Overall a really great place to have a fine dinner. read more

Learned two new foods here: tat soi, a small leafy green that looks like Spring field lettuce, and faro, a starchy berry like wheat. I didn't expect such amazing ingredients and graceful service in the tiny town of Trumansburg, the Hazelnut Kitchen is delightful for a quiet meal. They start you here with slices of amazingly crusty and slightly nutty bread plus a house-made cider butter. Hey, I could stop there and be happy :) But no, we piled on the charcuterie plate and cheese plate. Meats included a pistachio-studded mortadella, a pastrami-flavored sausage, smoked trout terrine, pickled carrots and peppers, cranberry relish and a deeply blackened pretzel roll. Cheeses were a soft creamy brie-like selection, a sheep's cheese not unlike manchego, a generous hunk of bleu, plus toasted baguette slices, apple slices, almonds and more cranberry relish. Good starters but somehow there's never enough bread LOL. Special of the day was polenta with embedded chunks of Italian sausage, served over the aforementioned tat soi plus caramelized onions and shaved parmesan, a meal in itself and a bargain at $10. Chicken breast was served over the faro with bonus protein of chicken meatballs that were deeply aromatic with berbere seasoning, basically chili, garlic ginger, fenugreek et cetera. The NY strip steak was charred outside to perfection, sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts, and had a funky meaty umami flavor that absolutely didn't need anything more but still they served a bleu cheese sauce on the side. The restaurant has a big open feel, like a cafe and even has an open kitchen where you can pull up a stool and watch the line cooks work their magic. Simple decor: vintage mirrors on the walls, globe lights, and white table cloths. One minor downside: beer selection is all out-of-state (boo) and nothing on tap. A NY state hard cider by the glass was a treat, but $6 was too much for the short pour, maybe 8 ounces. Make a reservation! First courses are $10, second courses are $25 and desserts are $7, you can run up a bill here without really straining. read more

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This charming and delightful restaurant is tucked away in Trumansburg, NY not far from Robert Treman State Park, Taughannock State Park and Ithaca in the Finger Lakes Region. The food is just exquisite. The menu is limited and yet it has variety. Each day it is possible to order the Kitchen's Surprise. I did and was not disappointed. Coincidentally, we realized we had stumbled upon this gem several years ago and everything about it was perfect as we remembered. Open for twelve years, it has flourished. We arrived at opening time on a Sunday and within a half jour it was very busy and filled with mostly local dimers. read more

Truly unique talent and well prepared food. We will drive the 3 hours to return , that says it well. Just really impressive

I thought this place is a small and cute place for a remote area. I think the staff are not well trained to respond to guests. I think it would probably be useful if they have drafted friendly responses to common questions. The food was ok, I was not happy with the food but it wasn't so awful that warrant a return. I asked mine to be boxed. I am very surprised that the restaurant rushed us to order quickly because it was fully booked. However, our party was one of the two in the entire evening so I found that this behavior was very inhospitable. I am glad that I have finally stopped by but wasn't able to comprehend all the previous compliments. read more

Such a quaint little restaurant on Main Street. If you are seated in the back of the restaurant, which is not very big, you can see the kitchen and watch the food being made. For appetizer we ordered the artisanal cheese plate, that we really enjoyed. There was a nice balance between the three cheeses. Kunik, a creamy goat cheese, gouda, more of a sharp cheese, and a stronger blue cheese served with slices of bread with olive oil, a cranberry jam of sorts, and almonds. Beef carpaccio was very good, also! Our bread was warm, light and fluffy, and so good. We noticed the table next to us had a different kind of bread..I'm not sure what that was about. They had just ran out of the chorizo, so that must be a popular dish! So, I had the gnudi, which was amazing!! My boyfriend had the smoked salmon, which had intense smoky flavor and was cooked well. For dessert we shared the Panna cotta, which we ordered the last one! So so creamy and delicious with a raspberry sauce and raspberries on top. Get it! Side note. The napkins from table to table were different, if you notice that sort of thing. The silverware on the table were also all different. They looked old, almost, with dents and scratches. Like eating at home. I didn't mind it. Also, the bathroom is adorable! I had to throw that in there.. Come if you are in the area! read more

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Never in my life have been treated with such disrespect at a restaurant. We walked in and the hostess asked if we had a reservation. I replied "No, we do not". She replied "I'm sorry we are fully booked, but the the bar area is available, first come first served." I said "Great! It looks like the man at the bar is signing his check". Her response was "I'm sorry we do not have a waiting area". I said "Well we can take their seats when they are done". She replied "I have no idea when his dining partner might return from the restroom, and you can't just 'hover' ". WTAF? How about "Would you folks mind waiting outside and I will let you know when the seats become available?" Avoid this pretentious place at all costs. read more

This is the kind of place where you stop the server and ask if you can take copies of the menu (thanking a list of local farms and an apiary), a business card, AND wine list home with you in order to attain better Yelp accuracy. Seriously, one of the best meals we've had in a long time, independently owned and focused on local everything, this is a gem of a place in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Where do I begin? Well I suppose when we walk into what can only be described as a cute little joint with an open kitchen the size of a large bathroom, where the chef and another cook (the sous perhaps?) are working away at their culinary delights. The staff are all young, fairly casual but hip looking women, likely students around Ithaca would be my assumption. There is a large chalk board listing the day's features as well as the dessert selections next to the kitchen. We decide on splitting a salad, followed by two entrees and hopefully dessert if we have room. It's certainly a wine night, she chooses the organic Santa Julia Torrontes, I have a glass of the Tempranillo Crianza to start. Both wines are very nice, but her organic Argentinian beats out my Spanish without a doubt, really a great glass of wine for $5.50 (!). California was noticeably absent on the list, as were Oregon and Washington - the current focus seems to be local, or South America, South Africa, Spain and France. We start with the baby spinach salad with german porcelain garlic dressing, gorgonzola picante and ginger crisp apples - sublime, delicious, lovely. The bread and butter are equally satisfying, rustic and delicious - the butter with chives or some sort of garlic/onion greens. After savouring each bite of the salad the entrees arrive - local bacon wrapped monkfish with paprika aioli sitting atop a mound of white beans and tomatoes if I remember correctly (one of the features), and creamy vegetable risotto with chioggia beets, sweet corn, tomatoes, herb pesto, greens and melted vermont swiss. As I've stated in my profile - oh my. Both were excellent, and although you might not think veggie risotto could hold a candle to bacon wrapped monkfish, you'd be mistaken. We follow the first round of wines with glasses of Salneval Albarino and Crozes-Hermitage, and again the white edges out the red. Both whites were aromatic at almost an arms length and equally satisfying to drink. We decide to venture on to dessert, a Mexican chocolate Pot du Creme. Although it was almost difficult to eat due to the fact that we returned our plates to the kitchen spotless, it was a lovely, velvety, almost like creme brulee but a little bit better cup of heaven. Service was very good, glass pours presented tableside (quite unexpected), and the experience overall one we won't soon forget if ever. Now I remember why I do this. read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - You need to eat here. - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

We have been to Hazelnut previously. It's a lovely restaurant. For our visit to Ithaca, we wanted to visit this restaurant again. We have an infant, so it was difficult to arrive on time for our reservation (recommended to get one). Because of this, they were unable to accommodate our situation. We ended up visiting on Sunday instead. If you're a vegan, make sure to inform the restaurant when you reserve a table. I had the casarecce. The rabbit hit the spot. My wife had the "Have it your way". It was a short rib. The flavor was perfect, but she wasn't a fan of the texture. Lastly, our vegan friend enjoy his selection of items. At hazelnut, remember to save room for dessert because they are unique and delicious selections. read more

Hazelnut Kitchen - Casarecce - braised rabbit in a pasta with tomatoes and deliciousness. - New American Near Me - Trumansburg, New York

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I gave Hazelnut 5 stars a few years ago and I have to come back with a new review since they have a new chef and new owners. About 6 months ago they changed ownership and the quality of the food has struggled to fill those shoes. We went 3 times to give them another chance since the new chef. Twice for dinner and lastly once for brunch. To say we were disappointed in brunch is an understatement. The menu sounds very fancy and modern and you would think this has to be good, this chef knows what he's doing. Well it is the opposite. I will speak on our most recent experience for brunch. We ordered hot tea and both were cold so we sent them back. We received completely burnt bacon it was harder to chew than beef jerky. Nice looking local farm bacon completely obliterated and burnt. I got the baked egg sandwich which came on some mediocre white bread with the thinnest slice of cheese and the eggs were cold. Cold eggs are gross. My wife got the blue corn pancakes which literally just crumbled apart into mush as you tried to eat them and were barely warm. Pancakes Served with cold maple syrup and few cold pieces of quince on top, not even a compote or jam. The one dish that was warm was the pastry puff filled with cheese and bacon. But the bacon bits in the inside again were completely overcooked. I mean how do you screw brunch up? The service and front of the house are great. The ambience is really nice and quaint. They do use fresh and local ingredients a bunch as well. Still amazed at ithaca and no matter how middle of the road a place is it's always full. I miss the old chef. I miss the dishes that were creative and unique and executed well. After 3 tries and $250 we will not be going here again for a while. read more

My Cornell grad student daughter and I enjoyed a fantastic meal here on a Wednesday night. We shared a squash blossom appetizer and two main courses -- one fish, with the other, a pumpkin risotto. All three were prepared in somewhat unexpected, original, ways. In addition, the dishes were both beautiful and delicious. Service was super. Can't recommend it enough. It is an easy drive from Ithaca -- a great spot for parents/visitors to go with their students! read more

My boyfriend and we're visiting Ithaca and came here the first night of our trip. We didn't have reservations so we were seated at the bar, which actually ended up being a bit of an extra treat because we got to watch some of the cooks preparing the amazing food. If you're vegan, like me, call ahead and they'll put together a bit of a special menu for you. I did t know this, but someone there earlier that day had been vegan, so the staff gave me his menu. I had the roasted peach salad to start and the pasta with pickled blueberries and torn basil, and my boyfriend had the scallops with creamed corn, pistachios, and cranberry sauce. Everything was amazingly delicious. The staff was super attentive, nice, helpful, and efficient. The ambiance was beautiful, and we had such a lovely evening. read more

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Had dinner Saturday evening and as expected it was fantastic. They do a great job of farm-to-table and are so creative with the root vegetables they serve. Everything from the pork belly appetizer to dinner and dessert was exceptional, and for me the absolute best is always the sauteed veggies. I don't know how they do it but they are fantastic. FYI-- I scheduled the dinner even though I'm a couple hours away, so spent some time in the Ithaca area for the day. The cornerstone of the day was going to the Hazelnut and it was well worth the drive. Justin, Lisa and Brie were great as always. My favorite restaurant ever! read more

To put it simply, Hazelnut Kitchen isn't just my favorite restaurant in the Ithaca/Trumansburg area -- it's one of my all-time faves, *anywhere*. What's even more remarkable is how the business didn't just survive a transition of ownership a few years back, but is now thriving more than ever. No matter what season, Hazelnut offers inventive, fresh, and sometimes just plain jaw-dropping cuisine with ingredients sourced from nearby farms, dairies and other providers. Interestingly, I've always felt that the restaurant leans toward "autumnal" flavors, regardless of the actual time of year. I also love how the room features a kitchen that's both "open" but yet partially obscured -- you can see what's going on if you're curious, but it never gets overly chaotic or loud. I also particularly love the option to "let the chef decide" your entree. I've done this twice now: the first was rabbit meatballs (a little exotic even for me, but pleasantly surprising), and the second was seared duck tenderloin on a bed of cabbage, walnuts, and cherry compote. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was: perfectly charred, not overdone, flavorful and well-plated. Hazelnut also excels at desserts, especially where ice creams and sorbets are concerned. They often combine these with cakes or or tarts; on my most recent visit, I had the "Tiramisu Affogato,"served in a mason jar, with coffee ice cream, ladyfingers, ricotta, and rum liqueur. What it lacked in innovativeness, it more than made up for with taste. Visitors can also opt for a simple bowl of ice cream or sorbet, with flavors both straight-forward and straight-up bizarre. (Shishito-pepper ice cream, anyone?) Does Hazelnut have any downsides? Not many. It can be busy on weekends, which is to be expected. Street parking can be a bit of a challenge. Occasionally the entrees can feel overpriced and/or feature oddly-paired ingredients. And the menu can feel a bit too limited in options; if you're vegetarian, they are usually very happy to accommodate special requests. But none of these are deal-breakers, not even remotely. If you'd like to get a refreshing taste of Finger Lakes locavore cuisine at its absolute finest, look no further than Hazelnut Kitchen in Trumansburg. read more

Had the pleasure of eating dinner here while visiting my son at a local university. The restaurant is quaint and informal in the best of ways. The staff is attentive and pleasant and after eating and speaking the the chief I would add humble ! These people are putting out some incredible food blending unusual flavors and knocking it lit of the park yet carry on in the most matter a fact of ways. The menu is totally farm to table and most of the ingredients are from less than a mile away from the restaurant. The menu changes frequently depending of seasonal availability of ingredients. The menu is very different from other farm to table restaurants and I'm not the most adventurous eater. This place has so many rave reviews from friends that my wife, son and I decided to create our own tastings menu and share everything. We ordered the apple and parsnip root soup. It was an amazingly excellent soup with small pieces of cooked cubed apple in a white slightly thickened base. We also ordered the buratta and vegetable appetizer. The combo of roasted local vegetables (carrots, beets, peppers )and the rich soft cheese was amazing. We had some amazing and tasty peppers that are a variant of the pablano peppers with all of the flavor but without the heat. They were just fantastic. Next we had a 3 cheese platter served with bacon patte and some cured meats, rough ground beer mustard, pickled vegetables and amazing thin sliced bite sizes bread served as part of the platter. The whole platter was very lightly drizzled with a maple syrup that originally sounded odd to me but tasted incredible and just worked so well bringing all the flavors together. Then came the braised beef short ribs. Served off the bone. The Meat was cooked perfectly, it was moist and falling apart just the way it should be. Flavor was equally well done with the flavor of the beef was nicely concentrated and delivered a treat with every bite. It was served over a purée and in some of the beef stock. The Presentation was as good as the food. The next dish we had was the homemade pasta and pork meatballs. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce was very light allowing you to really taste the greens mixed in with the pasta and the full flavor of the pork meatballs. We had planned on ordering the chiefs choice as the 3rd and last dish but our server thought we might be getting too much food. She was right we were stuffed and were hard pressed to finish what was in front of us. Not even any room for desserts. The dessert menu is extensive and next time I'll save room to try one of the 16 flavors of homemade ice creams The wines we chose were excellent and our server help pair the wines with our food. We also had the local black iced tea and the grapefruit soda. The evening and meal were a trsucess and a I can say is we will be back ! Went back after moving my son back into school. This place continues to knock it out of the park. What's so nice is it's a totally different menu each time. Wish it we closer to where I lived. Pictures attached but believe me as good as it looks it's better ! read more

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Squeezed us in when there were no reservations left. Incredible food. Friendly, Attentive staff. Warm ambiance 10/10!

Amazing food! Super accommodating! Lovely service! We called on a busy night, they were very booked but managed to fit us in. The waiter was delightful. The food is worth the drive. read more

Yes! They are strict with covid protocol. Maybe a little too strict. We were scolded for laughing #enjoying ourselves and were told we were not taking covid seriously "enough". The hostess told us that if we didn't want to take it seriously we could go somewhere else. "bad vibe" Should have left then. 5 minutes later when we hadn't decided what to order yet, the same hostess told us that we only had a 90 minute window, #hurry. We were the only customers in the entire restaurant. My date said "90 minutes should be plenty of time" The hostess with the stick up her arse replied, "well you've been looking at the menu for 15 minutes." We hadn't been there 15 minutes and we did have to fill out our covid form. The great thing about living in America is that we have our freedom. So we exercised our freedom and split. If you want to dine in an uptight atmosphere be my guest. read more

More like 2.5 stars in this Post Covid world. Hazlenut has not adapted that well to take out. The deluxe style menu is pretty bad, atleast the items we chose. I got the pulled pork which was literally a large cup of greasy meat. My partner got the veggie casserole which was just a sheet of cheese on top of veggies that tasted canned. The ice cream was great and the only good thing about our meal. The charcuterie was decent, but really amounts to some cheese and meat in a plastic container. Takeout takes away from presentation (food is also cold so you have to warm up), so the quality and taste need to be that much better. But as it stands, menu is overpriced, poorly prepared food. read more

This place is amazing. My husband and I found this location a few years ago, and go back every time we travel to the finger lakes. We'll easily drive an hour or more out of our way just to have a meal here. The food is always incredibly fresh, very creative (something you wouldn't find at other restaurants) and of course delicious. The staff is friendly, and the service is great. We have had our favorite meals (ever) at Hazelnut Kitchen. We'd recommend: MAKE RESERVATIONS! They fill up quickly (literally, call and leave a voicemail on Monday). Also, let the chef decide! It's fun, exciting and you won't be disappointment. Lastly, get the cheese and charcuterie plate - it's ridiculous. Enjoy! read more