This was my first time eating a kobe beef burger and, it will not be the last. The Ithaca Ale House has a phenomenal burger line up and great selection of pub style appetizers. Be sure to try the homemade onion rings. After a long day studying in the library, there is no better place to be in Ithaca. read more

I suggest making a stop here if you want a good burger. I could safely say that even though it was a little pricey, I will be back for their Build A Burger option. Their beer and wine selection was okay, i would have liked to see more local options. read more

I can't believe I haven't written a review of the Ale House until today. I have been going here for the better part of 3 years and I have a great experience every single time I go there. The food, beer, and service are all top notch and conducive to return visits. I take people here when they come to visit. It is a place that I will miss when I finally leave Ithaca! As the name implies, a major attraction is the beer. The taps rotate and they pick up some seasonal releases from some of the better breweries such as Great Lakes, Ithaca, and Dogfish Head. They offer flights of beers and serve them in the appropriate glassware. The thing they do, which I wish other places did, is they list their drink prices. Nothing is more infuriating than paying $6 for a Guinness when you don't expect to. Kudos on the price listing! I do wish they had more unusual or highly rated beers like anything from Russian River, Cigar City, Lost Abbey or Founders. Despite the lack of extreme beer, they have enough of a selection of really good beer that never disappoints. I actually come here for the food instead of the beer. I feel it is reasonably priced and excellently prepared. Most of the dishes are assembled in house from scratch. Some of my favorite dishes I have had there are the chicken and biscuits with gravy and the BBQ plate that had the best fried chicken I have ever had (seriously, it sounded like a car accident when I bit into it. The chicken was that crunchy!). I usually end up getting the flat bread pizzas most of the time. The crust is crispy and chewy and perfectly cooked. I get the 3 meats, summer veggie, and the Thai chicken pizza that is on special sometimes. I do really enjoy margarita pizza because it is true to what it should be; torn basil, sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. It is just perfect in every way. The burgers are also some of the best in the area. They are huge and all of the sandwiches have the right amounts of condiments to make them memorable. I wish they would buy out one of the places adjacent to it so they could expand. It gets a bit crowded during regular dinner hours. Once you get to your seat though, the tables are all quite spacious and comfortable. The service is usually very good and I have never had a jerk server or someone who tries to up-sell or get you to drink fast. They are quick with filling your glass when you ask for another round. I really like sitting outside on the sidewalk in the summer time with a good beer. They have plenty of TVs so you can watch some sports if anything of importance is going on in the world of sports. The Ithaca Ale house is one of those places that just speaks my language when I go out for a casual night of eating and drinking. I simply love this place and cannot wait to go back again soon! read more

Not impressed. Guess that sums things up before even getting started. Stopped in here on a Sunday afternoon before heading home. While the beer selection was better than average, that's pretty much where my happiness ended. In looking at the menu, my other half and I ended up on the burger page. As she is quite conscious about how the cows are treated before becoming lunch or dinner, she asked our server if she knew if the meat came from humanely treated cows. I think it kind of threw our server off a bit and she said she'd check with the kitchen. Upon her return, the only real information she could ascertain was that the Kobe beef was better than the rest. All that ended up doing was making the decision easy for her to order the veggie burger... As for the Kobe burger, unless I know for sure that the beef is true Kobe beef imported from Japan, I never bother. Typically beef listed as Kobe in the United States is a US version and not the real deal. So, I ordered a "That's Just Wrong" burger which has pulled pork on it. Asking for it medium, my burger arrived well done with absolutely no pink in the center. Figuring it wasn't worth the bother I just ate it as is. Turned out to be a very dry burger, topped with very dry pulled pork. The only saving grace was the extra bbq sauce that it was obviously topped with. Requesting french fries as my side item, they too were disappointing. Having a slight coating to them they reminded me of every frozen seasoned fry I've ever purchased. Not to mention, at $14 for a burger and fries, the quantity of the fries was severely lacking. My better half's veggie burger got an average review from her. It was messy as the patty itself wouldn't stay together and every time she picked it up, more of it fell out onto the plate. Eventually she wound up eating it with a knife and fork. I do have to say, both of the breads our burgers were on were good. Seems they weren't made there... Finally, we both took turns visiting the restrooms which were clean enough. However, the trip there was life threatening. The floors in this place are horrendous. As soon as you're off the carpet runners and on to the tile floor, hold on to something for dear life. The tiles felt like someone coated them with a thin layer of grease. Even standing still on that floor had my legs sliding apart. I saw another customer, an older gentleman, exiting the restroom with a petrified look on his face. As he passed me he also commented on how slippery the floors were. Someone with an itch for some easy money could happily do a nose dive and sue this place for every last dime. Sadly, this was a very short weekend visit to Ithaca and the Ithaca Ale House was the only meal we ate in town. As I mentioned, not impressed... read more

Great bartender first of all!! Just awesome! The food was amazing! Great burger...the big sexy burger...cooked perfectly! The buffalo chicken egg rolls are a must! They need to get the heat going though! Oh good ! Got it going! Can't wait to come back! read more

Ithaca Ale House - New American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Very nice beer selection. We enjoyed the outside seating. Decided to try the Alehouse Burger. Ordered it cooked medium but it came out well done and we never did have our waitress stop by to ask how we liked our meals so I ate it as it was. Great toppings (good bleu cheese, caramelized onions & bacon) and the beef seemed fresh but, cooked as it was, I am not sure I would stop back. read more

Witch at the front door says no you cannot have a table while I'm parking and my whole family standing there with 2 open four tops. I run 3 blocks after parking and she says now wait is 45mins. Yep not getting my money. read more

Great food and ambience! I ordered the fish and chips which were great! The portion size was pretty good for the price.

Excellent food & great beer selection. We all had burgers except son had flatbread pizza. I had the burger of the week- calypso burger & it was great. Wife had the orchard burger with apples & onion straws & said it was best burger she's ever had. Daughter had the Perfect Burger & loved it. If she ends up going to Cornell we'll stop here every visit for sure. Wait staff was great & all the burgers were cooked exactly as requested read more

Definitely a great spot! A little pricey, but for what you're getting it's worth it! My only complaint would be the nachos (with chicken, and guac) tasted oddly sweet, and they were served on parchment paper, which was fine, except I couldn't really peel the leftovers from the paper to take home read more

Our entire party got sick. Eater beware, we ordered burgers and salads. Service was great but the food leaves much to be desired

First off. The beers. Great selection. Second. The food. My burger was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was delicious. Third. A couple next to me got a fish sandwich. Normally, I'd expect a nubbin of a fillet but this thing was the size of my forearm. TL;DR: good beer, good food read more

Good food, but HORRIBLE service. Been there twice now and same issues. No offer of refills or ask if we needed anything else both times. First time I was there was on a weekday afternoon around 2 and I sat for 20 minutes to pay for my bill with no refills or drinks period. This time, same issues again. Crappy and slow service, but VERY quick to collect payment as soon as they see your credit card or cash....funny how THAT works. It's a shame though really since the food is good, but I've received more attention from fast food chains than here. read more

I recommend the Ithaca ale house. Yo recomiendo el restaurante The Ithaca Ale House en Ithaca New York porque muy delicioso. Yo recomiendo tu ordenar la "prefect burger." Esta hamburguesa es muy perfecto. La hamburguesa es lechuga, tómate, mayonesa, salsa de tomate, queso, y pan de hamburguesa. La atmósfera esta barra de deportes. read more

Bad service, food is okay. The waitstaff is rude and usually it is super busy so they don't care either. Good location but we wouldn't go back. read more

Gourmet bar food. Ale House hasn't really decided what cultural inspiration they want to have in their food, so it's American with things like "Jerk Burger" or "Spring Rolls" appetizers. I'm not complaining, it's just a big variety of choices. The food is good, no doubt about that. The atmosphere is in a strange grey area that cannot decide if it's a fun pub style restaurant, or a hopping bar scene at night. I've experienced a little of both and both are a little strange. One thing that is NOT unclear is the Prices! In fact, that's what knocked of at least 1, if not 2 stars for me. If I felt as though I was getting a true Ithaca experience, eating the best of the best burgers, local or organic food, etc. I wouldn't mind paying $11+ for a burger and fries. But come ON. You and a partner can't even have lunch for twenty bucks. I don't know very many students willing to drop that on food that is not the be-all-end-all of cuisine. The alcohol prices are also quite high. This is not unusual for Ithaca, but Ale House lacks any kind of specials or happy hour (That I know of, correct me if I'm wrong). Every time I went it was $6+ for any beer on tap that was not mediocre. Just saying, I don't go out and order Bud Light. So expect your alcohol tab to be high if you're going here for that purpose. But props on the selection, it is indeed one of the best around. The service, like many have said, is often mediocre. My food experiences have been so-so with service. The usual scenario is a friendly waiter then a long wait for food. I've had better service, I've had worse. As for the night drinking scene, there's always waiters/waitresses scrambling to clean up the final dredges of dinner plates and diners while many come in for drinks. They always seem intensely irritated by the customers. I was once here with a very large group (which I know for certain was bringing in a LOT of revenue for the restaurant that evening) and we were met with angry glances, instructions where to move, sit or stand, and overall really poor treatment. The bartenders, however are usually pleasant and put together. read more

This is our go to place! The food is awesome! Drinks are great! Service is good. Haven't had anything I don't like! Great atmosphere. It's fun and great for groups. Highly recommend!! Oh finish off with fried Oreos in chocolate milk! Amazing! read more

Good variety of beers. Courteous and attentive staff. Diverse menu selection. I recommend chicken wing dip for an appetizer and the aptly named perfect burger. read more

Didn't get any food here. Just drinks at the bar and dessert after. Good service and the cookies were so delicious. Drinks were made very well. Loved the atmosphere, nice spot to unwind. read more

I was here last weekend with a bachelorette party of 7, when we asked the hostess if we could be seated she immediately told us "oh no we can't do that tonight". She didn't even try to accommodate us or even ask if we would like to sit at different tables. Very disappointed. read more

We really miss the Ale House and George the bartender! The food is very good, typical bar food menu, but it's a step above what you'd expect. The 3 meat pizza was one of our usual picks. The pulled pork sandwich was great too. We never had something we didn't like here. read more

The Ithaca ale house is truly one of if not the best restaurant in Ithaca New York. I've never had anything bad there. The food is not only spectacular but the beer selection is phenomenal. The burgers are definitely their flagship but everything on the menu is fantastic. location is right in the heart of restaurant Row and during the summer the outdoor seating and atmosphere is Perfect. The only downfall that is barely a downfall is that because it's one of the busiest restaurants in town sometimes it's hard to get seating and it's crowded. A True five out of five read more

One of the best beer selections in the city! These guys do a great job presenting a well thought out bar menu and there are tons of TVs to watch sports. My favorite place to watch a game! read more

I've never had this experience anywhere else, but for some reason I was seated and not paid any attention to for about 20 minutes, while the waitress took water, drink and food orders (making multiple trips) to the two tables in front of and behind me. It was truly bizarre, and I've never experienced anything like this. I eventually just got up and left. It wasn't particularly busy or anything, just really awful service beyond anything I've ever experienced. read more

Best burgers in town hands down. Great beer suggestions to go with them as well. Gets real busy on weekends for dinner so go early.

Great food. Great bar choices. George B and Justin D are awesome as always. Busy busy place so get there early. Always hopping with people. Perfect burger is just as advertised. No need to say anything more. #eatanddrink read more

Great burgers! Pretty decent beer selection though I would've liked to see more on tap. Can get kind of crowded though there is usually space at the bar read more

Pretty good, pretty good! Great burger, wings, food and beer. Only complaint i have is its to dark for my dine in experience.

Love the burgers, buffalo chicken egg rolls and beer selection. The food carries this place. I've had good service here but, the majority was bad. It's the best burger in Ithaca that's why I keep going back. read more

What a great find we were out of town for my son's football camp and were recommended by our hotel to go here so glad we did. It was very very crowded and I did not think we would get a table I'm glad we waited . We waited at the bar having a few cocktails while we waited for our table shortly we got our table received your wonderful food and we're on our way I would definitely go back! read more

20 minutes and no service from surly bartender. Left and went across the street to Mahogany grill where we got a beer in two minutes. Avoid like the plague. read more

Burgers are decent. I had the Kobe Brie Burger, but I'd choose something else next time. Service was just OK. Waitress never came by to check on us or make sure food came out OK. Fairly small spot compared to most ale houses I've been to. Plenty of TVs to watch games. read more

Back in town for Reunion weekend, and since my favorite Ithaca bar has sadly closed (sigh - a moment of silence for The Palms), we ended up here instead. Decent selection of beers on tap with plenty of local & regional choices, and a lively, good-looking crowd of students and locals. The bartenders were attentive, and the atmosphere overall was good. They've got a bunch of flat screens up on the walls, so it's kind of got one foot in sports-bar territory. Worth a stop if you're in the area, but not unique or characterful. read more

A great burger cooked perfectly med rare as requested. A little dry but overall a really good burger.

So I am on a personal hunt for the best burger. I've had a lot of burgers and this ranks up there! But alas, my hunt continues as it was not the best I have ever had. So let's start with the bun. I got the honey roll as I like a lighter, sweeter bun. It was warm and definitely fluffy, not too much bread for the burger. The burger was cooked perfectly the two times I went which lately at other places has been an issue with consistency. Anyways the burgers have good flavor, you can tell it's not just beef their serving you but beef with seasoning cause let me tell you, a burger with no seasoning is just grandmas meatloaf again. I had the Kobe burger once and I wasn't impressed by the quality, honestly I preferred their regular burger. The toppings, they give you a good amount, 2 slices of tomatoes, fair amount of lettuce and good size onion pieces, not just the inner small pieces like some places. You can tell that they care about consistency and their burgers. The fries are pretty good as well which every burger connoisseur knows, is a big deal. You need good fries for a good burger. Their chipotle aioli for the burger is pretty fantastic as well and doesn't just taste like mayo, but has great flavor. The service here is always pretty fantastic, energetic staff with a smile who generally seem to care that you are there. Overall this might be my favorite go-to burger place in Ithaca, but like I said, not the best! read more

Whenever I return to Ithaca, I hit the ale house. Why was this place not around when I was at IC? I think I have been here about 4-5 times and I have ALWAYS had a great experience. Great nachos, burgers, pizza you get the picture! Once of the best beer selections in the city, certainly the best with a full menu. If you like quality food and beer you will NOT be disappointed! read more

Not too impressed. Beer selection was pretty good with many local brews on tap, but pricing was steep. Service was slow and lacked energy for food servers. Food was typical bar food. This place can be great if they focused on a better experience. read more

They have excellent burgers here. The bartenders are awesome, and the outside seating is great when its warm outside. If you don't want a burger their flat breads taste great and their salads are decent (but nothing special). They also have a weekly karaoke night where the singers are really good ... kind of makes it intimidating if you just want to let loose and sing something god awful...but also makes it more entertaining if your just watching. read more

Came for dinner hiking buttermilk falls. The restaurant and bar were both packed on a Wednesday evening. I had the blonde ale and my partner had the salted Carmel Porter both were good. We had the guacamole brie melt appetizer and the French dip sandwich and too gouda to be true burger, all excellent. Service was a bit slow but probably due to how busy they were. All staff were friendly, courteous, and helpful. read more

Really good wings and nice staff. I had the wings medium and they were the perfect heat level. If you do like very spicy I'd go at least "hot". draft beer selection is also broad and I had a local brewery's lager from tap and it was yummy. I will come back mostly for the wings, but it's a good spot all around for a night out. read more