This place was recommended to us by the woman we rented our Airbnb from. Definitely the best meal of the week. Sat on the covered patio, cool breeze blowing. Great music. Got the catfish with black bean posole and dill slaw. All excellent. I highly recommend for a good dinner in a casual, cool atmosphere. So glad she recommended it! read more

I read many reviews about this place and have seen it traveling up and Down Senaca lake and this is the time we tried it. First when you arrive you're greated by staff who give you a menu and show you the specials and tell you to decide what you want and come back up to the counter and order. Ok. For 23 bucks for an order of catfish you cant have a waitress take my order? My wife ordered the organic field salad for 14 dollars and I got the catfish platter for 23. The salad was just a salad of lettuce, some cranberries and pumpkin seeds (she had a salad earlier in the day that was just as big but was full of eggs, cheese, meats and lettuce for less) My fish was just fish with dill coleslaw which was ok, it was coleslaw with dill and beans and greens, again, a bean dish with greens cut in. Nothing spectacular nor mundane for the price and experience. The service is very good that we had 5 different staff come up and check to see of everything was OK. It was just that, OK. But suggestion, have your staff take the order and give it a feel of a nicer resturant. Overall nothing spectacular and a 3 star review is a little generous. read more

Fantasic food. So fresh with amazing flavor. I enjoyed it so much. I went 3 times. Twice for dinner and once for brunch. Their cocktails are amazing. At first I was put off that you oder at a counter, but then they bring the food and you can order more. They keep your accout open. They do it to be efficient. The location is also very beatuiful with great views and for brunch and at other times, they have music. I am sad to no longer have access to this great place. read more

We went there for lunch. We needed reservations due to Covid 19. Accommodating helpful staff. We had 6 feet physical distancing. Good ambiance. We sat out side. I had the tacos. Excellent with slaw. My wife had pulled pork, she liked it. My kids had yummy grilled cheese. We will go back when we return. read more

Stonecat Cafe - Taco - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

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Delicious farm-to-table French/American fare. Service was impeccable and our server was very knowledgeable about the wine list. I got the special soup of the day: golden bisque, which is golden oyster mushrooms and chanterelles with truffle and crispy mushrooms to finish. Delicious! Appetizers to share were the house-baked bread (pretty good), the olivada with chevre (also pretty good), and the wild mushroom torte (delicious). For entree I got the duck breast special with sweet potato mash and roasted cauliflower, zucchini, and squash. This was amazing. Duck was cooked perfectly medium rare. The sauce (which I forget what it was) was delicious. And all the veggies were flavorful. As for wine, we had the pinot noir champagne, which was delicious. Rich golden color, lots of flavor. The only gripe I have is that we went during a heat wave and the central dining room only has fans. Not great to eat delicious hot soup when sweating bullets :/ read more

The food at this cafe is unreal. Went with my family and we all enjoyed our meal. I had a bacon burger and it was cooked to perfection. Also, the drinks are awesome. I would recommend their homemade cream soda. Long story short, go. :) read more

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This was a great spot with a really nice vibe and view. The food was solid and service was excellent. We went for a bachelorette and had a terrific time. Halibut special was really good, although with a sweet beet cherry sauce that was not my favorite. Friends got the chicken under a brick (very good, a tad dry), the duck confit (also a tad dry), mushroom risotto w maple sausage (pops in your mouth - nice and creamy), duck special with sweet potato mash (very good, right temperature). Mushroom torte was a table hit! Olive and chèvre nothing really special. Pinot noir champagne was amazing! The only MAJOR CON was that we were seated inside where there was no AC. We were seriously MELTING with 80 degree weather outside. There was a secret room next to us that was curtained off with TWO ACs... felt a little odd. Like they were first class or something. The seating outside felt more casual but had a beautiful view and the benefit of fresh air. As a larger party, it would've been nice to be seated well. But perhaps we should've asked! read more

Stonecat Cafe - Halibut with a sour cherry and beet sauce, quinoa with almonds, and roasted veggies. 3.5 stars only because I didn't like the sauce. - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

So delicious and so accommodating. The view was spectacular as well. We sat indoors and there was great music. Building is unique. All around wonderful. FYI. The children's portions are very generous. read more

Stonecat Cafe - Yes we had to bring our kids. - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

We could not be more pleasantly surprised with a random find. Sunset view at bar seating, good food, welcoming people, and music in back patio. Thank you so much ladies who waited on us at bar... fabulous overall experience. read more

I did not go out here on a normal evening, I was there on the pub night on Wednesday. There was live music, which was great, little bit cheaper food, which was also great. I ordered the burger which was fantastic, they're not cooked medium like I asked. It was over cooked. But still tasted great. The beers were fantastic, service was great, and the vibe was definitely very local. I would recommend this place at least for the pub night, as I have not been there any other night. read more

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love love love this place, HOWEVER i am sad to see that the catfish sandwich is served with half the amount of fish as it used to be and no longer comes with slaw and a pickle. I would suggest ordering a Cat Snack on the side to add onto your sandwich. read more

The smallest container of hummus for $12. I would not recommend this place. Stingy portions and high price. read more

Stonecat Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

We stayed next door at the Stonecat Guest House and were fortunate to get to eat at the Stonecat Cafe 4 times in the week we were there. During that time between my husband and I, we tried 8 different meals and each one was wonderful! The staff is amazing, especially Mary who was the bartender on our first night. She took the time on our first night to there to chat with us about wineries and restaurants to try in the area during our stay. read more

Great food , great staff , great location Early evening and Sunset hours Stunning; All food wine cider local; delicious , relaxing and fun ! Go! read more

There was a service dog in the group I was traveling with. The hostess told us we would have to wait a few minutes because we would have to sit outside, at the last table on the deck. We were ok with that, even though the hostess was a little rude. We were seated and the hostess said the dog would have to lay on the grass, off the deck. The dog laid nicely by our feet, on the deck, under the table. Hostess- how is the dog supposed to alert the owner that they are about to have a seizure, if they dog is not next to the owner? The only reason why I am giving three stars to this place is because the grass fed burger was so delicious. I really liked it. It was juicy, and you could tell the ingredients were fresh. The fries were also crispy and good. I also didn't care for the server. She was not friendly and had an air of pretentiousness about her. read more

Stonecat Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

If you drive by this restaurant you would never imagine what food wise jewel will be inside. More looking like a typical road restaurant / bar from outside also the interior is more the same spartan style nothing extraordinary but the service is great and the food even better. They also care very highly about the COVID-rules, very much appreciated. Yes, you have to pay $2.50 for the bread but you get a nice basket with about 3 different styles and a good olive oil for it. As an appetizer I had the Gravlox a nicely marinated, smoked salmon which was exquisite. My wife took the Garlic Bulb (an appetizer) as main and she liked it very much. I had the Catfish which was very classical done but well prepared and presented. To finish a great dinner we shared the Cobbler where I definitely fall "in love" with the Chef. And all is really very reasonable priced. No visit to culinary Finger Lakes can be complete without visiting the Stonecat Cafe. But do not expect any "niminy-piminy". read more

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I do love the food here but it's changed so much. I understand Covid has forced many permanent changes but I miss a bigger variety on the menus here. The new way of serving is ok as long as there is not a crowd waiting to get in. It takes too long to show new people how it works. Sorry to give a neg to a place I really like. The catfish is still the best I've ever had!! I do recommend going here if you are in the Seneca lake area, just go early! read more

We came here during COVID on our trip to Seneca lake. The food was beyond expectations. Really unique dishes that were so delicious! The views, were by far, some of the best we've seen in the finger lakes. A must go-to restaurant if you're visiting Seneca Lake! read more

Stonecat Cafe - The views were exceptional. - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

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I loved this recent lunch but in hindsight am sad that we waited until the last day of our vacation to Lake Seneca to come here. It will be first on my list of places to go on any return trip we make to this area of upstate NY. In addition to Hector being farm and agricultural country, it is one of the towns lucky enough to be home to Lake Seneca. We were staying at the lovely lakeside vacation home belonging to friends of ours and we spent most of our time enjoying the perfecti location we had and being in and on the lake. We took some time away from the lake to enjoy the many wineries in the area and on our last day we hit up the Stonecat for lunch. We were seated at a table overlooking the lake which is the place to be in my opinion. The view of the water and the surrounding trees continued to delight us. We had a lovely waitperson who quickly brought us water and menus. While the lunch menu isn't terribly extensive I think most diners there find something they would want to eat. Everything on the menu is locally sourced. Much of the beer is crafted from local breweries and the wine comes from many of the wineries right in the neighborhood. It's a great opportunity to partake of the great agricultural and farming abundance that this area is known for. We both went with the grass-fed burgers. I don't want to go on too much of a rant here but our belief is that if we are going to eat beef we want to be eating beef from cows who have had a good life on a local farm eating what cows are meant to eat. And that food would be grass. Not corn, not grain and most definitely not the dreaded and unhealthy soy and soy by-products. Cows want grass. They are ruminants with multiple stomachs designed to digest grass. When they are forced to eat things other than grass they don't do well, aren't happy or healthy and don't live as long as they should. Not to mention that the vast majority of corn and soy grown these days is genetically modified. Thank you, Monsanto. We are always excited when we find restaurants that serve grass-fed local beef. With this basic understanding generally comes a desire for those of us who eat meat to find this meat from grass-fed cows. Then we typically see, as we have already, more of a demand for grass-fed beef as one example, which encourages local farmers to produce in the correct manner and and hopefully moves us away from factory farming. For those who think it's better to try to get everyone to stop eating meat, it isn't going to happen (and I don't believe it's healthy to not eat some meat...yes to paleo considerations in this regard) but we can put our money where our mouths are and choose to only eat meat that has been produced with care, understanding of the needs of the animals and even reverence. And so back to the burgers at hand...they were tasty, flavorful and very,delicious They were cooked as we asked them to be and were accompanied by incredible fries; crisp on the outside, soft and delicious inside. My husband ordered a locally crafted beer which he enjoyed...he was cheerfully given samples of a number of the local beers from which he made his final selection. I went with the tried and true local Genesee beer. Each menu item is listed with an accompanying suggestion for a wine or beer pairing. We are typically not sweets or desserts eaters so we said no (plus we were full) but the menu had some worthy sounding options. The Stonecat serves American style fare including lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. And although we had but one simple lunch here, I already know this is the kind of thoughtful, local restaurant that I appreciate and want to return for an encore. read more

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A seemingly rundown place along the main highway running through Hector. This was our dinner spot, chosen by our resident cousin and their former resident mother, all of which know the Stonecat and wanted us to enjoy it as they do/did. Well, it was OK, certainly not at the fan level or greatest place ever. Run down building reminded me of the hippy places in California. OK clean, but no real attention paid to decor. Any way, it is a restaurant, so that should be the focus. And the emphasis is on organic...with great pride. Menu was limited and eclectic. Seven appetizers to include bread with extra virgin olive oil ($2.50), olives and herbs with bread ($7.50), a beet salad ($14), gravlox ($12.50) a corn and scallion crepe ($11) and a bar plate of assorted sausage, goat cheese and veggies with their bread ($12). Not too exciting to wife and me, but everyone seemed very excited about it. There were four entrees, with emphasis on seasonal. Duck confit ($25) which I had and it came, as I requested, well-done. Wife had chicken under a brick ($28) which she was not thrilled with. The other two entrees were spinach and mushroom risotto ($26) and grilled NY strip steak ($36) which cousin had and he had to saw his way through it, the vigorous display he put on was the focus of our table. Two $18 cult classics were the pulled port BBQ and fried catfish, which I wish I had ordered. And one other cult classic was the falafel salad ($12.50). We drank cocktails and whooped it up with a couple of bottles of wine which helped to wash down the relatively flavorless meals. The descriptions fell far short of the plated items. A memorable experience, especially if you are in the area or receive a suggestion to go there and recall your experience. Back to the hippy analogy: whatever they do it wonderful and who are you to question it. Cannot understand the rave reviews; but when you read through them, the underlying theme is less than rave. read more

What a fabulous meal in a comfortable, unassuming atmosphere! Service was accommodating and the food was wonderful. We came based on a recommendation from one person in our group who had been here previously and said it was great. We had A group of 3 and everyone loved their meals. We had the veggie bisque, cornbread, halibut, pork chop and steak. The blueberry peach cobbler with ice cream and fresh whipped cream perfectly completed a delicious meal. This was by far our best experience in the Watkins Glen area over a few days stay. Cant wait to visit again! read more

I will lead off this review that our server, Andrew - completely blew us away! He was incredibly kind and did his best to accommodate us. We chose Stonecat Cafe to celebrate our elopement which took place earlier in the day. About 1 month before I E-Mailed the restaurant to make a reservation, informing them that it is for a wedding celebration and request a table outside. Kassidy, the manager, informed me that they don't take reservations for specific tables but she'll do her best. Our reservation was for 830 pm. Upon our arrival we did not get an outdoor table, we were sat a folding table in a backroom that had no ambiance, no music etc. just a window AC that was set on 60 degrees. I was obviously upset that after canceling our dream wedding we couldn't manage to get just a nice table to enjoy a dinner with our 3 friends. I spoke to the hostess and she tried to get Kassidy for me as she was on duty - Kassidy refused to speak to me and sent back the hostess to say "oh well, sorry." I should note that I've worked in hospitality in all various roles including hostess, server, FOH manager etc for most of my adult life. I always was able to accommodate special requests, especially if those were after the dinner rush. Half way through our dinner, Andrew our savior managed to get us a table outside - the patio was nearly empty and seemingly so for a while. The food was just okay - we had two orders of the swordfish, risotto and the NY strip - the flavors of the risotto did not wow me. The appetizers were super small portions but tasty. The price is very fair, we had 1 bottle of wine, 3 appetizers and 5 entrees and our bill was about $330. We left Andrew a 25% tip to thank him for trying his best. Overall its fine for dinner as the options in the area are limited but if you are really looking for a special night out, I would make the drive to Geneva or Watkins Glenn. read more

Creative and very flavorful.. excellent service. Respectfully following precautions. Specials were amazing! Started with cherry enhanced bbq chicken wings followed by Leg & a Link (duck w/ sausage) accompanied by the freshest green beans and sweet potato. Others In our party enjoyed the scallop special, chicken w/ cherry chipotle bbq and the pulled pork plate. Deserts!!! All good. Funky, casual but not lacking for true foodies!! read more

Stonecat Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

We came to the Stonecat Café at the suggestion of my cousin and sat out back on the deck. Great view from the shade on a particularly warm summer day. Our server was very friendly and we all chose something different. My wings were amazing and everyone commented positively on their lunch. Since we came from a wine tasting we didn't try any wines so I can't comment, but the food is fantastic. Unique and truly tasty. read more

Stonecat Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Hector, New York

The staff is very friendly& attentive to our needs. The view is okay. Try the BBQ Pork Cornbread ,& their signature salad! All this for $37 for 2 people read more

Food was good but not for the price. Pork chop couldve been cooked better. Wine was great but its the finger lakes so that's obvious

Everyone I spoke to recommended this place, and they were all right. Dining in is by reservation only. I called the day we wanted to visit, a couple of hours before they opened, and we got a reservation without a problem. There is plenty of our door seating in their beautiful back yard overlooking Seneca Lake. Dinner might be worth it just for the view. We got drinks and an olive tapenade appetizer to start. The cocktails were delightful - gin and elderflower liquor. The olive tapenade was good, but I wish it came with more bread. For entree, I got the cod and my boyfriend got the steak. Both portions were hefty, and both delicious. Even the side veggies were good. We finished off dinner with a brownie (just okay, but it's still a brownie so it was demolished.) Service was speedy too even though the place was full! Overall the experience was fantastic- highly recommend stopping by. read more

Had brunch here today (Sunday of Labor Day weekend). Made a reservation far in advance for 4 and was glad we did! They were packed, and our res got us a table on the back porch/deck which was very lovely. On Sunday's they have live jazz, so there was music, a breeze and their delicious food! Two of us got the scrambled eggs with local greens and herbed cream cheese, served with roasted herb potatoes - delicious. One had the Scooter Hash - it was served with two poached eggs. Though our friend described it as 'alright' is was literally devoured before our eyes in about 5 min! The other person had the special of fried chicken served with corn bread and dill cole slaw - really well cooked, not at all greasy, and nicely balanced. We decided to share 2 desserts as well - had the peach olive oil cake with apricot-almond ice cream and fresh whipped cream - scrumptious!! And the blueberry ricotta cake - super moist with lots of real blueberries. Only two things that were irksome: there is only one bathroom here and the line was always really long because they were so busy; also service was slow: took 10 min before a server came to take our drink order; another 20 before she took our main order; another 10 til our drinks were served (so, 40 min before we received a coke and lemonades) and we hit the hour mark before our meals came out. With dessert we were there 2 full hours. We had the time and it was really lovely sitting there listening to music, but take note - this is not 'in and out' in an hour!! read more

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The food was really good and inventive, but I docked a star for poor service from a rude host and bartender - they both seemed annoyed at having to serve tourists. I imagine a sizeable chunk of their business comes from tourism, so their attitude seemed odd. When my friend asked what was in a dark & stormy, the bartender rolled her eyes and seemed aggrieved at my friend's apparent ignorance. Then she angrily told us "I'll get to your drinks when I can, I'm trying to make drinks for 2 10-person tables", even though we hadn't displayed any impatience. If you're short-staffed, take out your exasperation on your management, not your customers - we didn't create your staffing schedule. Even though all of that left a bad taste in our mouths, it was quickly replaced by delicious food. Our server was really nice and helpful, and there was a food-runner who was soooo kind and recommended desserts to us - we might not have ordered dessert had she not talked them up so much. We also had a friend in our group who has celiac and she has to be really careful about everything being gluten-free. Our server was very accommodating about this and put our friend's mind at ease. And the gluten-free food was delicious - as was everything else! read more

This place has a lot of potential but the food is just okay with very few vegetarian options and the service was subpar. Also, while they have a really nice deck space out in the back with a great view, the bushes / plants were very overgrown, obstructing a lot of the view. I had made a reservation over a week in advance specifying that I would prefer an outdoor tables, weather permitting. The weather definitely permitted when we arrived and I reminded the hostess of my preference for an outdoor table. She replied with something to the effect that the preference does not indicate guaranteed outdoor seating, which I thought was unnecessarily abrupt, especially when she was actually able to seat us outside. Maybe wait with that line until you confirm a table is not available? It made me think we were somehow inconveniencing them and set a bad tone for the rest of the experience. The menu is very limited with only one vegetarian entree, a risotto. I ended up ordering a salad and a side of mashed potatoes. Our waiter started off good but seemed overwhelmed later in the meal. As we were waiting to checkout, he opted to take orders from a large party near us that was very chatty and we had to wait a long time to pay. I would not rule out returning here on a future visit as dining options in the are are a bit limited but they could really improve this place with more vegetarian options, trimming some shrubbery and training the staff in better service. Don't judge it from the exterior because it looks like a roadside dive from the outside. The outdoor seating is nice and classy. read more

The food, beverages, atmosphere, and staff are the best! I love this place. I've go back to this place ever time I'm in the area, and I've always been very happy that I did. read more

ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS EXPERIENCE, incredibly rude and demeaning staff. Manager was completely arrogant and unprofessional. I found multiple strands of hair in my food. They clearly shouldn't be in the hospitality industry if they are going to treat their customers with the uttermost disrespect. read more

I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. It was upscale casual dining, but had a great mix of pretty amazing food & great music playing in the background. Our server, Nicole, was very attentive and very helpful when it came to ordering just the right thing. Very glad we stopped here! The food was very high quality, and service was great! Would recommend this restaurant!! read more

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The best meal in the area. Nice patio. Amazing food. Every thing we tried was great as was the service. The recommended wine was good, but pricy. Would highly recommend. read more

I was part of a wine tasting group of four friends and we all enjoyed the Sunday Jazz brunch at the Stonecqt! It was great that they offer full meals and components separately. We each felt like we all got exactly what we wanted! Highlights were the shredded beef, fried catfish, cornbread, house sausage, felafel and burger. read more

Been to this place several times over the last 5 or so years and every one of our experiences has been great. Very innovative cocktails to compliment their beer and wine lists. The food has always been tasty and their specials are typically must try selections. The service is always on point as well. They also have a gorgeous deck that overlooks the lake. Great spot all around. read more

What a gem! This was consistently recommended to us by the locals on a previous visit to the Finger Lakes, so when we were lucky enough to snag a 9pm reservation on our most recent visit, we planned our day around it. It was well worth it! Our dinner entrees were delicious and impeccably prepared. The use of local ingredients was creative and simple, but resulted in very complex and unique flavor combinations. Don't skip dessert! read more

This place was amazing! The food was delicious! The service was great and the ambience is warm and welcoming! We would definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Ate dinner here on 5/5/23 and was thrilled to see Stonecat getting its groove back. Carrot ginger soup, special salad, and pork chop entree were all delicious. Leidenfrost Cabernet Sauvignon was a nice surprise. Our dining partners loved their catfish dinner and their "Manhector" cocktails looked great. Please support this local restaurant. Some of the best local fare in the area. read more

Had a wonderful lunch on 10/12/18. Our waitress was so kind and eccentric, it made the experience all the more better. The woman seating tables even twirled me down the hallway! Food was so fresh and nice portions. My boyfriend and I both had the roast beef sandwich special and it was delicious! Stonecat is a must when in Seneca Lake! read more