Cancel

Open app

Search

Moosewood Restaurant

3.4 (639 reviews)
Open 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Updated 3 months ago

Moosewood Restaurant Photos

Business Info

MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

You might also consider

More like Moosewood Restaurant

Recommended Reviews - Moosewood Restaurant

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Jody M.

Such a warm and welcome restaurant. We were greeted and shown to our table and it felt like a lovely warm spot. We had a great server and he explained the menu to us. We shared the cheeseboard which was delicious. I had Moroccan stew and my husband had the black bean burger. Both were very good! My cocktail was also delicious.

Almond cake with nectarines
Linda S.

After 30 years of cooking recipes from their cookbooks I finally made it to the iconic vegetarian restaurant in downtown Ithaca. I was not disappointed! To start we shared a watermelon feta salad which was so fresh and delicious. Then for entrees we chose theThai curry and the vegetable pot pie. Both were outstanding. To top it off dessert was almond cake with fresh nectarines. The cocktails were slow coming out and two of them were wrong . But they were sent back and corrected. Candlelit tables were a nice touch to the space which was neutral with artwork lining the walls. So happy I finally got there.

cheesy lemon bread crumb pasta (special) and the Moosewood burger
Anja H.

Went to Moosewood for the first time a year ago and found myself reminiscing today about how good it was. I have since bought 3 of their cookbooks and have yet to be disappointed!! Moosewood was one of the pioneers of inventive vegetarian cuisine for decades and they are still putting out delicious, comforting, quality, and healthy dishes for the world. My praise for this place and their work couldn't be higher, I only wish I lived closer!

Lemony pasta with the crispy leeks!
Rumi F.

I heard about Moosewood when my SIL sent us a Moosewood postcard from Ithaca (you'll get one with your check at the end of your meal, check it out)- we got to check out the restaurant when we went to visit recently. If you're planning on going, make sure to make a reservation- when we walked in on a Friday night soon after opening, it was already pretty packed! We got lucky and got a table outside. Moosewood seems to be a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, but they did have a salmon special that evening so guess they do fish too? For Appetizers, our group of 4 shared the polenta cakes, the green pea hummus and the mushroom lentil pate. The hummus was served with crudités and some whole wheat pita- while delicious, the earthy flavors of the the whole wheat pita overpowered the green pea flavor of the hummus. My husband was raving about the polenta (it WAS really good)- crispy triangles of cornmeal goodness served in a tasty romesco sauce. For mains, my SIL and I got the lemon parmesan pasta topped with crispy leeks and breadcrumbs (one regular, one vegan)- the vegan version doesn't have the parmesan so didn't have the creaminess factor but was still delicious. SIL's partner got the Thai red curry (which I was eyeing too!)- topped with lots of vibrant veggies, it looked just as good as it tasted it seems! My husband got the black bean burger with sharp Cheddar and he happily finished off his plate. Make sure to leave room for dessert- we shared the vegan chocolate cake and seasonal panna cotta (matcha flavor)- perfect way to end a really good meal. Our server was attentive and kept checking in on us- she had a full patio but she kept it moving! Definitely recommend if you're visiting!

The view from the table on a lovely, fresh spring day.
Mielabelle S.

The first time I came to Ithaca was specifically to eat at Moosewood!! Somehow fate brought me to live here many years later, and I have come to Moosewood on occasion over the years. What can I say? A lot of the dishes on the menu, which changes daily, you may recognize from your various cookbooks. Sometimes it seems like, "Ph, I could've, and have, made this at home..." Other times it's wonderfully comforting. The portions are never too large, but they're always just right. The cocktails and wine list are wonderful, and if you sit next to a window or on the terrace on a beautiful day, your experience can be memorable. (Of course it's overpriced!) I really like the service. You get the sense that some of these folks have been here for a while, and they know what they're doing. They don't need to try very hard, being a pilgrimage site. In some ways, that's a disadvantage.

Sol C.

Had the most fantastic lunch experience at Moosewood! Thank you to the staff for being so family friendly. My husband and I could enjoy the beautiful and elegant atmosphere while our kids colored with crayons presented to us when we first sat down. There is a kids menu that includes delicious sparkling lemonade. Their alcohol menu is also fantastic. The food really blew us away, everything was delicious. The sourdough bread with smoked butter, green pea hummus, black bean burger, Moroccan stew and the Thai curry. All around wonderful! So glad we stopped here in Ithaca.

Vanilla panna cotta
Dawn D.

The vegetarian mother lode! I'm Not a vegan or on any restricted diet. So many great options I wasn't sure what to order because everything was tempting. I started with the Mexican Street Corn hummus---total foodgasm. Creamy texture with the crunch of the corn, the cilantro and the lime flavors adding to the symphony of flavor with great tortillas to mop it up. The burrata was super creamy and mild on a bed of zucchini, yellow squash, greens and a great balsamic vinegar splash. For desert I got the vanilla panda cotta (without fruit as I don't like sour cherry). Nice vanilla flavor and texture. Prompt service. A little noisy but the food is so good. My one complaint---I wanted to try many things but I can't eat it all!

The brownie a la mode was one of the best I've ever had!
Vijay N.

Another reviewer said it well - Moosewood feels like fancy home cooking in a lovely setting. Almost every dish had an amazing element - the pita in the hummus appetizer was pillowy but had a crispy outside, the tofu on the salad was baked perfectly, and the date chutney on the Moroccan stew was otherworldly. Other elements felt less refined, like the crudités with the hummus or the level of dressing in the salad, but overall still solid dishes. Then came the brownie.... Wow, what a brownie! Elevated flavor, fudgy yet crumbly, nice balance between sweet and salty. Just amazing - one of the best brownies I've ever had! The local vanilla ice cream was a perfect accompaniment. If you are looking for a seat on the patio, I suggest coming after 8 as many spots opened up then. If you are wondering, the patio was waterproof (it poured while we were there). Service was friendly but was a teeny bit slow because the restaurant was so busy but sped up as the evening went on. I would definitely recommend checking out this institution on your next trip to the area.

Steven K.

I was hesitant about this place as I find a lot of vegan restaurants to either be overpriced, or lacking in quality. But Moosewood was a great experience that served quality at a fair price. I got the bean stew, and you wouldn't even knew it was vegan, had a bit of heat as well. Gorgeous outdoor seating area, and outstanding service as well. I recommend this restaurant for everyone, vegans and meat eaters a like!

Moroccan chickpea stew.
David K.

Would be a five but the Moosewood salad was weak. Dressing was benign, needed salt and pepper, and there were a few pieces of browning lettuce that is off-putting. Server was very patient and helpful. She gets a 10. Entrees were creative and delicious. Veg lasagna and the Moraccan chickpea stew. We enjoyed our meal and we love our well used two cookbooks.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Jeremy G.

I try to go to Moosewood every time I visit Ithaca. Menu items have a unique way of feeling both like a home-cooked meal and fine dining. Its ingredients are always fresh and unique, packing a lot of flavor through the use of native ingredients. The ambiance is very relaxing and the service is great. As an iconic and historic vegetarian restaurant, it is worth trying at least once! Who knows, you probably wont even miss the meat.

Cheese board
Craig G.

Moosewood Cafe is one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in the country and with the quality of the food, it's not hard to see why. Known for their cookbooks as much as the restaurant, the "farm to table" menu sources from local dairies and farms for simple but tasty fare. We made a lunch reservation in the sunny dining room on a Saturday afternoon. We split a cheese board and a salad, while each of us got a soup (vegan split lea and creamy red pepper bisque). The split pea was a little heavy on cumin but tasty, while the bisque had a deep, rich flavour. The salad was bright and colorful: mixed greens, shaved beets, red onion, carrots, and pumpkin seeds in a lemon tahini dressing. The star of the meal was the cheese board: crackers, almonds, honey, and pickled vegetables with three cheeses: a camembert, a smoked gouda, and a truffle ewe cheese. The camembert was the best of the three, creamy and just enough of a mushroom funk, though the subtle smokiness of the gouda and the subtle tang of the ewe cheese were great as well

Pot pie

See all

7 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Bill S.
2
86
17

2 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 2
Love this 2
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 2

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ashley P.
13
36
74

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of K L.
0
138
28

8 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 2
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 3

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Vikki D.
0
48
111

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

11 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of PJ C.
76
2110
2325

4 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Melanie K.
129
22
12

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of rob b.
0
18
0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Bat M.
0
29
0

2 years ago

Extremely limited vegetarian menu. Expensive for what you're getting. Nice but no longer the classic is apparently used to be.

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 1

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Food was incredible marinated olives and batatas are 100% worth it. Service was good and so was the environment

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 2

4 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 1
Love this 2
Oh no 1

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Gina B.
3
57
52

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 2 of 16

Ask the Community - Moosewood Restaurant

The Rook - Upscale Comfort Food.

The Rook

4.2(181 reviews)
0.1 mi
$$

Unique mac and cheese and good gnocchi!…read more I am debating giving the rook 3 or 4 stars... I was not a fan of the salmon mousse... far too salty and I wish it was paired with crisped bread or at least something other than Ritz crackers. I did, however, enjoy the presentation and taste of the macaroni au gratin. The square shape is very unique and I liked the cheese sauce. The lamb w gnocchi was also quite good. Pillowy and soft. The lamb was cooked well. Overall, I would maybe return. I enjoyed the macaroni au gratin as well as the lamb w gnocchi!

Loved the Rook's design choices, filled with anthropomorphic art and light yet refined ambiance…read more It wasn't too crowded when we arrived and we were seated immediately. Staff was pleasant and quick. The menu is dominated by drink options (cocktails and wines), and happy hour is 4-5pm, which is perfect for an aperitif. The fried chicken is by far their speciality, with the macaroni coming in as a distant second. But while both were delicious, I'd say the best value and taste goes surprisingly to the simple summer salad, which was crisp, sweet, tangy, and refreshing. It's only $10 for a hefty portion of food and I'd order that again anytime (and that's coming from a guy who'd never normally order a salad). My only criticisms are that the Rook doesn't have many entree choices (which may be a good thing for indecisive diners), and that it's very slightly pricey. Otherwise, it's an easy recommend for me.

Photos
The Rook - Making cavatelli

Making cavatelli

The Rook - Schnitzel, a tad dry with rubbery re-heated tasting spaetzle.

Schnitzel, a tad dry with rubbery re-heated tasting spaetzle.

The Rook - Aperitif/digestif anyone???

See all

Aperitif/digestif anyone???

Simeon's On The Commons - Ribeye with oyster mushrooms and sweet potato gratin

Simeon's On The Commons

3.8(326 reviews)
0.1 mi
$$

The ambiance became, while intimate at first, a bit noisy toward the end of dinner--probably due…read moreto the close proximity of tables and the overall restaurant set up. However, did love the elevated feel of a typical American bistro. We thought the service could've been more attentive, but improved as the evening progressed. Our waitress was super nice and was helpful in explaining the menu specials and answering any questions we had. Most notably on the menu, the NY strip was a perfect medium rare. We opted to get the 4 jumbo shrimp on the side, which we thought retained a nice snap when we bit into it. It was also well seasoned, while still displaying its freshness. The fries complemented the steak, but was too well done for our liking. Our other entree, the lobster mac and cheese, had a nice cheese pull. We liked the added roasted tomatoes in the baked mac and cheese, which gave it a necessary acidity that countered the creamy, cheesy roux. For our appetizer, we chose the meat and cheese board, which was really solid. Appreciated the waitress explaining the selection, as well as the addition of a sour cherry jam and pickles on the side. This gave us a lot of mix and match options (64 to be exact), and we also liked how it came with charred/toasted bread. Finally, we wrapped up with a chocolate peanut butter parfait and key lime pie. Both were really good (get both if possible, but we liked the latter more).

Food, service and ambiance ON POINT!!! With every visit to Ithaca I try my best to not leave…read morewithout having my favorite at Simeon's which is their magical Mussels with the tasty grilled bread to perfection. The thing that was different this time was I had to leave early so we visited for brunch and I quickly, was saddened that they do not serve mussels during brunch time but to my delightful surprise the chef made an exception an I was smiling so hard that the waiters were please and extremely happy for me. For that I am grateful and needed to recommend my favorite restaurant on the Ithaca commons.

Photos
Simeon's On The Commons
Simeon's On The Commons - Black Points

Black Points

Simeon's On The Commons - Mimosas

See all

Mimosas

Brewer’s Cafe and Taproom - Chicken Spiedie Sub Special: marinated chicken with garlic aoili lettuce & THE WORLD'S BEST tater tots

Brewer’s Cafe and Taproom

4.4(69 reviews)
5.3 mi

This is one of my favorite places to come for good food, good vibes, and good beers. I'm a little…read moreindecisive so I always get a flight to try a few because they have a large list to choose from and you can try 4 with their flights. We went a little after they opened and it was a great time because it wasn't too busy. Any time I drive by the parking lot is full. They have parking in the front and around the right side of the building. I tried the Meier's Creek Choccy Milk, Other Half BA 10X Bananaversary, TALEA Beer Hibiscus Splash, and Allagash Allagash White and I enjoyed all of them. The bathrooms were clean and easy to find and I can't wait to go back in the spring/summer to check out their outside seating because they have about 15 tables. They also host a game night and have live music. Definitely a hotspot in the Ithaca area.

I stopped by Brewer's the other day, a place I hadn't been in years, and it was a pleasure to see…read morehow they've evolved since their debut. The food menu is now several pages long, including tried-and-true favorites (many gourmet burger varieties, chicken sandwiches (with a Nashville Hot style option), nachos, wings, and salads . . . plus more intriguing fare like kimchi tater tots, a tuna poke bowl, and pork belly burnt ends. The inside has a gorgeous polished wooden bar in the middle for socializing; and while the inside can get crowded at peak times, keep in mind there's an enormous beer garden out back with about 15 picnic tables. And with a well-curated selection of two dozen beers on draft, you're sure to find something you like. But here's the amazing part about my visit: despite it being a weekend evening at the height of the dinner rush, our food came out in less than 10 minutes. And it was SO YUMMY. So keep in mind that, even if the parking lot looks full, there's almost always plenty of room out back. The two folks on the wait staff we interacted with were super nice, down to earth, and did a great job. The ordering process is a little confusing at first if you haven't been there, but the staff members was really helpful at walking us through it. Bottom line: Brewer's is the kind of neighborhood joint that's all too rare in these parts. Highly recommend!

Photos
Brewer’s Cafe and Taproom
Brewer’s Cafe and Taproom - Classic Burger

Classic Burger

Brewer’s Cafe and Taproom - Fried Chicken Sandwich

See all

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Moosewood Restaurant - newamerican - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...