We don't order Mediterranean food enough, especially considering how many places we have available…read moreto us in Syracuse. This place was close by and relatively new, so we gave it a go. We've been jonesing for a good shawarma for ages, so we went with beef shawarma over rice, and lamb chops over rice. We threw in some beef sambusas and eggplant salad. The only complaint we had was the wait time. We showed up when they told us to, but ended up waiting about 25 minutes in store for the food. The staff were really friendly, and had we not ordered to go, it would have been a comfortable place to dine in. The lamb meat was tender and delicious. Not a ton of seasoning, but probably because it didn't need it. I'm seeing more and more places doing red and white sauce like the Halal Guys in NYC, and I'm all about it. The red sauce is bold and spicy, the white sauce is cool and refreshing, like Greek yogurt. They go amazing together, and I'd eat them on anything. It included two heavily seasoned pieces of pita. I'm guessing they were seasoned specifically for this meal, because the fresh mint garnish added a huge layer to the lamb meat. If you order this, I recommend asking for a ton of extra pitas seasoned just like that, even if you have to pay more. The shawarma is one of our favorites. They're not stingy with the sauce, and there's a good mix of veggies and lettuce. Extra credit for Lebanese pickles, they went a long way. The beef was a little chewy, but packed a punch. It's coated in a thick brown sauce that tastes similar to A1, but the meat itself is packed with different tastes - most notably nutmeg. I'm guessing they season it with garam masala. We definitely would have ordered some pitas if we knew it didn't include them. The sambusas were packed full of ground beef. The texture was pretty tough, but once you get past the corners they're so packed it doesn't matter. It seemed to be mostly just ground beef with little or no seasoning, but it came with a pretty flavorful dip. Not sure if it has a name, but it's Greek yogurt whipped into a frothy mixture and mixed with mint. It had a super light and airy texture that didn't match our expectations for a yogurt based dip. If you leave it for too long, it'll fall back down into an unpleasantly thin liquid like whipped cream. Texture aside though, the taste is immaculate and turned a bland sambusa into a full spectrum of flavor. Finally, we have the eggplant salad. This was our first time trying it, so I have nothing to compare it with. We tried to Google it to get a feel for what we were ordering, and the images were all over the map. I'm not sure if there's a standard or if it's a free for all. What we got was a very creamy mix of eggplant, roasted red peppers and onions. I'm guessing a lot of the creaminess is tahini, which gives it a toasted/smokey taste. It was unlike anything we've ever had before, and we're absolutely hooked. I'll definitely make sure I have pitas for it next time, it's pretty intense eating something this creamy by itself. This has been one of our favorite take out meals in a while. I hope these guys are here to stay.

I visited this new restaurant today for lunch. I have never had middle eastern food, and I had NO…read moreidea what I was missing. my husband and I chose two very different things to try... both delicious. we live right nearby and will definitely be visiting again. the prices were reasonable, the decor was lovely and most importantly it was delicious. this is my first review I've ever left on Yelp... it was that good.

Lovely dining room. Great menu and delicious food. I think our waiter may have been the owner…read more Definitely will come back

Small eatery and open late , we came famished after a fight from Chicago. The one man run…read morerestaurant is kind of neatly set up . The host took our order , quickly went in yet kitchen made our food and brought it out . It more afghan food than Indian or Pakistani food. Was freshly made lacked flavor and felt a tad bit greasy

Grotto is hands down the best restaurant in Syracuse. From the hostess to serving staff, everyone…read moreis welcoming, delightful, and kind. They are attentive and able to answer questions. The food was delicious. So fresh, best ingredients, and so flavorful.

The food is excellent and the staff is efficient, accommodating and friendly. It is also a small…read moreintimate setting. It is priced slightly higher than other restaurants but the food is worth it!

Was in Syracuse visiting my son and we had a great dinner. There were gourmet of us and we kept…read moreputting out forks in each others plates saying of next time I'm getting this. The fried chicken with hot honey was absolutely delicious and had enough for lunch the next day. The salmon was fresh and super flavorful and the risotto was to die for. We had ordered a bottle of wine and cocktails to start. Everything was great. Our server was incredibly friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. I. Any wait to go back, next time I am definitely getting the chicken pit pie!

I stopped by with a group of 6 on a Friday afternoon. When me and my friend stopped by there was no…read moreone at front so we stood around awkwardly for a bit before someone came over to bring us to our table. Walking through the restaurant was nice as the space was very large and the decor indoor was cozy and whimsical. Our server was nice throughout the meal. However, I did get a water glass that had marks on it that looked like someone just drank out of it and a crumb on the rim. I asked them if they could get me a clean cup and they ended up bringing the same one as the same mark and crumb were still there. For food, our table ordered a few items to share. We got: -CAULIFLOWER WINGS: The chutney/salsa on top of the fried cauliflower was nice and gave the item a little sour kick. However, the cauliflower itself was not cooked fully so not as soft as I wanted it to be. -SYRACUSE POUTINE: The appearance of the poutine was not the best. However, the gravy it came with was very flavorful and tasty. The potatoes themselves were not fried and were in wedge form but went well with the gravy. The small globs of melted cheese on top were a nice complement. -CAJUN SLIDERS: The slider compliments/sauce went well together but the sliders themselves had grill marks on it which gave a bitter bite to those parts of the slider. Additionally, the fried shrimp inside of the slider still had the tail on and so it was a bit of a surprise to bite into a full tail while eating a slider. All in all, a cute spot to see people but food had some hit or miss components.

The preserve is always a great time, good food, and awesome service! I've been for lunch a few…read moretimes with work but recently went for a birthday dinner and enjoyed all of it. I didn't realize they had a different menu for lunch and dinner so I was pleasantly surprised to see some new options than what I am used to. I had an espresso martini with peanut butter cold foam and I wish I could taste the pb but still delicious. My friend and I both ordered chicken and the pieces were huge and so delicious!! We had a reservation for a Friday night and i'm glad we did because the place was packed, which it normally is! We were even 15 mins late and they were super nice about it and had no problem keeping our table for us. All the staff are very friendly and can give an answer to any question on the menu very quickly. I really do like everything about the preserve and will keep coming back! It's also nice they have a parking lot and don't have to street park.

The staff was really nice and attentive. This is the first thing that I noticed…read more There was no fries at 730pm on a Friday night, not sure how that happens? It's the main side on half of the menu items. The artwork is really nice. It took 45 minutes to get an appetizer....not sure how that happens, as they were not that busy and there is literally 15 people back in the kitchen. I waited 30 minutes for food and figured I would work on this review for the next 15 minutes while I still wait for salads. My wings that I ordered did not get made until the server realized they were not coming. The salads were good, kids complimented a salad! The wings were good too, kids enjoyed those. They adjusted the bill for the delay to their credit. Probably will never come here again but the staff works really hard in the front of the house.

I ordered takeout from here one night and found myself asking "how have I not ordered from here…read morebefore?" The restaurant is on Westcott Street and has been open literally longer than I've been alive. It very much has the vibe of a local spot that probably has regulars. Parking can be tight on Westcott itself but there is a small lot that they share with Mom's diner. Inside there's a bar and a second dining room with a stage where I think they do trivia. Lots of nice decor. It feels very homey. I heard they had a hummus shake and was intrigued to try it. They have a bunch of syrups they can mix in to flavor it. It was interesting. Very very syrupy sweet, and the taste is unusual at first but kinda grew on me. The real star was the savory food though. I went for a shrimp gyro. As a pescatarian, I was psyched to see this on the menu because most places around here only have falafel or meat, so it was nice to have another option. The shrimp were SO PLUMP and well seasoned. Very big size and quite full inside the pita. Felt that I was getting my money's worth. The vegetables were very fresh, pita soft, and sauce perfectly tangy. To be honest I'm still dreaming of this. I'd try more of their options. Also worth noting, when I called in my takeout order the hostess (/server?) was so incredibly courteous and friendly in a way that feels fairly rare anymore.

I think these guys have the flash in the kitchen. Within 10 minutes of ordering the beautiful…read morepictures below were brought to us. My chicken gyro bowl was packed with flavor and well arranged so I could eat different things on the plate as I wanted. This included the chicken, rice, a salad, toasted pita bread, pickled onions, and a zesty cheese dipping sauce I couldn't quite place but I lived. Had to take the rest to go. My gf got the hummus dinner with veggies and pita and some falafel. I tried some just so flavorful. Dinner, tax, tip, $32 seems good in this economy.

A local favorite! The menu is expansive and great for sharing. The food is interesting and comes in…read morelarge portions. There's a little something for everyone and it's hard to go wrong!

I stopped by with a large group (around 20 people) on Thursday night. We were taken straight to a…read moreprivate room so we had a lot of space with two waiters assigned to our table. The restaurant itself was such a large space with nice seating. Service throughout the meal was good but a bit slower. For appetizers, we had plates laid out for us to grab from. The eggplant items and spring roll I think were the best. We all got a large plate of salad which felt very generic with no Thai flavors. For my main, I chose the chicken in red curry. The curry was good, a bit mild though. The chicken itself was a little bit dryer than I was hoping for but flavor was good. I do also wish they had more veggies in the dish as well but the ones that were in there were well cooked. It would have been nice if there was more eggplant and hopefully also some bamboo shoots as well. Finally, for dessert I had the warm chocolate cake. The cake was tasty - basically just a chocolate lava cake. Additionally the ice cream it came with was a nice addition. All in all, a fine meal option in the area.

Takeout thursday strikes again on 4/30/26…read more Staff was friendly. Food reminded me of something of the Pakistani Dishes I grew up with like Sambusa vs Samosa but with unique differences in flavor and seasoning. Everything was good. I like spicy but it wasnt too much. It also made several meals and the food was very fairly priced like $35 for 2 people for multiple meals

I chanced into this place when I found out the Caribbean restaurant next door ran out of food. It…read morewas late and we needed to make a quick decision. Thankfully I saw the Open sign for the Somalian restaurant next door. I walked in to a warm smile by the only woman working in the restaurant. She greeted me and said what I understood to be, she spoke little English. I said, it's okay I will point. We ended up getting the goat rice and Haneed upon her suggestion. This was our first experience with Somalian food and we were in for a treat! The meat so complemented the seasoned rice and were a perfect combination. The sauces that came with the dishes were uniquely seasoned with a hint of spicy garlic, which we loved! We will definitely be returning for other dishes. You should too!