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    The State Diner

    3.3 (183 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

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    THE STATE DINER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    DeAnna T.

    Running late to work and ordered breakfast. It arrived hot and ready to be eaten. The bacon and eggs were great. I like my home fries a little crispy, but I was hungry and ate them all. Quick service, tasty food.

    Spanakopita
    Laura H.

    Wow I absolutely suggest the cheese fries with gravy! Whoa that was fantastic & I wanted more cause they were so good! I also got a chilli cheese dog & that chili was terrific. My friend got the Spanakopita with a Greek salad and she said it was delicious as well. The dressing tasted fresh & homemade as well as the salad. The unsweetened tea was great & the server was really on point & my glass never went empty! So that's a plus. Definitely an old fashion diner but worth the stop if you're in the area enjoying the beautiful waterfalls!

    Mediterranean Omelette
    Alana K.

    I went here with my friends for brunch on a Sunday morning. We arrived at about 11:30am, and there was a 30 minute wait. We waited outside the front door and the hostess came out to call our name when a table was ready. The weather was good, but I probably wouldn't stick around if we'd had to wait out in the cold. I had the Mediterranean omelette, which had gyro meat, feta, onions, and tomatoes. It was served with toast and home fries. It was good and a substantial portion. Typical diner fare, in my book. The service was better than I expected; the hosts and waitstaff were all very nice. Would give it 3.5 stars if possible.

    Alexandra B.

    We arrived 9:30ish on a Saturday morning and luckily were seated right away. Our server was great. Breakfast was very good. As I looked over the bill, I was surprised to see that we spent $10 on two glasses of apple juice. Seems a bit steep to me but maybe there was a bad crop across the Apple industry lol. The diner booths had jump seats which I never saw before which added to the old charm.

    State Street Diner.
    Carol T.

    State Street Diner. A cool old diner on State street, offers egg breakfast and coffee at 8am Mon- Friday along with other diner menu items. Less costly than some other local places and makes you feel like you are still in the 1960s.

    Billy T.

    Came here for lunch and was surprised to get pretty authentic diner vibes in the middle of Ithaca, New York. I'd say my experience was alright, but nothing special. I got the biscuits and sausage gravy, which came out to ten dollars. As a whole, prices here are pretty high on average and something that definitely hold this place back from being somewhere that is above average and a place I'd come back to. My food was average. Service was fast and effective, on the other hand. My server was super prompt in getting our orders in and food came quickly. Water was refilled quickly, so I can't hold anything back there. Overall, this place is pretty mid - food is alright, prices are a bit high. Probably won't be back but you won't die if you eat here. If you want a diner experience, you can get it here but it's not some wonderful one.

    Greek Salad

    This place has a retro diner vibe. You can definitely get a solid burger or sandwich from here. They seemed to be pretty busy around lunch time. A couple orders at our table were slightly off, but they were happy to remake the dish due to an allergen. The service was excellent overall. I would recommend getting something with a Greek twist since the original owners were Greek.

    Hash browns
    LaDreena W.

    We were looking for a place that was still serving breakfast and came here because there were limited options and my husband said he'd had a good meal here before. I had a veggie omelette that was good; the potatoes they came with it were awful: oily, overcooked and flavorless. My kids had pancakes and when I tasted theirs I thought it was a box mix. My husband enjoyed his Greek burger and chili fries but commented that the pita was cold. There was an old knife underneath the seat that hadn't picked up before we were seated, so it made me question the overall cleanliness. The final straw was that the staff got into an argument and were yelling and cursing; then our server walked out. As in left, mid shift, and did not return.

    Don W.

    An unplanned lunch stop in Ithaca found us in close proximity to The State Diner. As soon as we walked in off the street smiles spread across our faces. From the outside, it looked conventional. Another urban storefront restaurant. Once inside we found ourselves standing in a diner right out of the 40s or 50s. The sign directed us to find any seat and the fold down seats at the tables aling the front windows were convenient and comfortable. We were immediately greeted by our waitstaff who brought menus and drinks in a flash. Our sandwiches came quickly. We had a triple deck turkey club and a Reuben sandwich. My turkey was made with a generous heap of turkey, freshly cut from a breast, beautifuly crisp bacon, American cheese, fresh lettuce, and mayo, on toasted white bread. My companion enjoyed a delicious Reuben made in the standard fashion, and was very generous in size. She said it was delicious. The service was excellent and attentive The atmosphere was a treat, and everything including the restroom was fastidiously clean. I highly recommend The State Diner. They serve all day breakfast, and the lunch menu has something for everyone, including vegans and those who prefer gluten free fare. I apologize for my exterior pic not being good enough to post, but as you drive past you will not miss the bright red building.

    Blueberry Pancakes

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    1 year ago

    Great food great service. Me and my wife enjoyed it very much and our kid loved the waffles. I recommend this place to any new customers

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    1 year ago

    The food was classic diner fare and the service was impeccable. Really, what more could you ask for from a diner!

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    1 year ago

    Excellent diner food. Great atmosphere. Superb service. A definite stop if you're visiting Ithaca NY.

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    3 years ago

    the interior is like a real American cafe, the food was delicious. I liked everything very much

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Solid diner in the Ithaca area. Better than Sunset grill in my opinion. Burger, shake, & waffles were okay.

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    Milkstand - Brie French Brioche  Brie-stuffed brioche smothered in berry sauce. Served with whipped cream and powdered sugar.

    Milkstand

    4.0(216 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Stopped at the milkstand for breakfast this morning. I was afraid wait would be long and with 3…read morekids that can be difficult but we only had to wait 5-10 minutes. This restaurant ran like a well oiled machine, everyone chipping in to grab empty plates, run food, fill coffee, clean tables... Our waitress was awesome! Extremely attentive and hospitable. - now to the food, I won't post a menu pic because there's plenty of them posted. We ordered the chocolate strawberry waffle, Brie French brioche, a Belgian waffle, the baked apple pancake and a side of chicken with sweet garlic sauce. Everything was delicious!! I'm glad we made this a stop on our road trip. Instagram worthy ambiance and food presentation for sure, check this place out if you're in Ithaca!

    Overall a very positive experience. Service leads the review. I had the eggs Benedict, because I…read moredon't eat meat, I had it without ham. When they brought out my food, the server bringing out my food, asked if I would like any water. When she returned with the water, she asked if I would like any avocado since I didn't get ham. Anytime the servers we go to another table with coffee they would swing back around and check to see if I wanted more coffee. It felt like the servers enjoyed their jobs and were not trying to take any shortcuts and were genuinely trying to make it a positive experience. The food was good. Overall, the food wasn't amazing. It was not the best hollandaise sauce I've ever had in my life and the poached eggs felt flat and somewhat small. However, there hashbrowns were probably the best I've ever had. They were very crispy on the outside. Like ASMR crispy. But flaky and buttery on the inside. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated. It was very cold inside on the day that I was there, but it was also very hot outside and so this may have been deliberate. Aesthetically it's very pleasant. The bathroom is very clean and has a really nice changing table in it which is a plus for parents.

    Photos
    Milkstand - A surprisingly empty table

    A surprisingly empty table

    Milkstand
    Milkstand - Indoor seating area

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    Indoor seating area

    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Weekend in Cancun!

    MIX Kitchen & Bar

    4.3(488 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner at MIX, and all with varying levels of enjoyment. My recent…read morebrunch experience included ordering a Where the West Begins omelette, which includes "Braised short rib, butternut squash, red onion jam, spinach, smoked gouda". I wasn't sure how to feel about butternut squash with everything else (I'm not necessarily a huge squash fan - but I'm trying to learn to enjoy it), but the omelette was decent... it's the other side on my plate that looked less than appetizing. The biscuit was still covered in flour (and who wants to bite down on a clump of flour?), the cheddar hashbrown casserole lacked in flavor, and the brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal just... wasn't doin' it for me. Other recent experiences have been similar... there's usually one item on the plate that's flavorful or imventive (sometimes a main dish, sometimes a side), and the other parts of the plate are lacking. In reality, I think MIX is suffering a bit from rising food costs and inconsistency in their service and offerings. They've also changed the style of their menu from the original tapas-style to now being more typical entree options. Again... they've lost some of their innovative, experimental approach. In terms of ambiance, it really depends. I've been here for a work event and, because of the number of people, it was SO LOUD... they had also done a buffet offering for the event. As you can imagine, the food from the buffet was lacking, but that's often what happens when you're more mass producing your food (and it's left in a chafing dish, trying to be kept warm). On the other hand, I've been here for a dinner on a random night and was able to enjoy one of their Thai noodle bowls (and split some other apps with friends). The reality is that experiences at MIX are... well... a mix. Whether service, menu offerings, etc., I've found MIX's recent inconsistencies to be a disappointment. Will probably only visit in the future if it's suggested by others.

    we made a resy for 5 for a wednesday night dinner, not crowded at all and our server was the most…read moredarling lady. she checked on us many times and would call us "love" after she would take our orders or give us more water. it was very nice and homey. we came here initially because in the past it's been a tapas place and we were looking forward to sharing small plates. unfortunately they changed their menu so they mostly do individual entrees now with a plethora of options from spaghetti to steak to burgers to thai noodles (lots of options) thai mussel bowl - 3/5 mussels a little ocean-y fishy tasting and the thai sauce a little liquidy brazilian cheesy bread gluten free 4/5 - yum appetizers delicious crunchy with cheese inside. the red dipping sauce was just tomato sauce a little strange but not bad osco bucco 3/5 - a little salty but a solid pork shoulder. the gnocci was also fried which was interesting italian sub with house salad 4/5 - good solid sub, i could only finish half and ate my entire side salad which had nice breaded croutons (not the dense thick ones) red clam linguine 4/5 - not bad, only about 4 clams but some more inside the pasta penne alla vodka 3.5/5 - a solid pasta nothing special

    Photos
    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Hawaiian ahi poke

    Hawaiian ahi poke

    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Purple sticky rice dumpling

    Purple sticky rice dumpling

    MIX Kitchen & Bar - Duck quesadilla

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    Duck quesadilla

    The Rook - Upscale Comfort Food.

    The Rook

    4.2(186 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Solid Great friendly ambiance…read moreWe had: Bacon wrapped cheese filled dates Fried chicken - skin layer under batter isn't the best but chicken was tender Pork Schnitzel - on a buttermilk sauce with two fingerling potatoes. Duck fat fries - nice crunch. Overall a no frills restaurant- good solid choice for a weeknight out.

    The Rook is located a couple blocks north of the Commons. The staff were very pleasant and…read moreexplained everything on the menu. The menu itself is short and focused, while the interior of the restaurant features wallpaper with anthropomorphic animals, and large windows. I opted for the Burger, and my wife the Salmon. We also ordered the grilled dates and collard greens. I also decided on a Ginger Beer. They serve Goslings (since 1806), with all 47 grams of sugar, over ice and a lime. Highly recommended on the ginger beer flavor scale. The Burger came with a massive amount of their duck-fat fried fries, certainly more potato than burger. I also liked the burger with the added bacon. But my wife's Salmon was even tastier. It featured a nice hunk of fish, skin-on, crispy, and not some half-or-quarter fillet that other places might serve. Plus, it comes over a bed of green peas and canneli beans and green asparagus sauce on the bottom, and a small bed of frisée on top. The combination with the lemon cream leads to very satisfying bites. The grilled dates wrapped in bacon, with goat cheese, Marcona almonds, and honey were presented as a drumstick. The collard greens were nice, though on the saltier side. Seating here can be had inside or out. The bathrooms are located in the hallway next to the restaurant.

    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???

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    Aperitif/digestif anyone???

    Shortstop Deli

    Shortstop Deli

    3.8(177 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $

    service is fast and friendly- turkey/ provolone sub was great except I really miss the good quality…read morechewy bread they used to have. I've tried the French bread and ciabatta they have now- its not worth it- quality of the rest of the sub was great but the bread ruins it

    Locals told us: Get great sandwiches from the deli in this convenience store!…read more Shortstop Deli has been "hidden" in a convenience store in the "lower northside" of Ithaca NY since 1978! Great design-your-own sandwiches, and if you like, friendly suggestions from the staff. It was our first time in, and their helpful hints quickly showed they have every filling (savory seitan!) and every topping and a nice variety of breads. We got their "Italian mix" of cold cuts, which included Genoa salami, sweet tender thin-sliced baked ham, and meats that were either mortadella and capicola or at least richly-flavored alternates, provalone cheese, tomato, onions, a light amount of lettuce brightened with a splash of Italian dressing and a dash of fresh salad-oil, and a sprinkling of what we call "hots": lightly-spicy pickled peppers. All this on fresh French bread, which could have been with sesame, or could have been ciabatta or whole-wheat French or several others. We added a light scatter of our own crushed pistachios, which are in some mortadellas. Nobody said this couldn't be fun :-) The sandwich was a heavenly armful, shared amongst us on one of our woodsy picnics. Extra kudos again to their cheerful helpful (patient) staff!

    Photos
    Shortstop Deli - Order Counter

    Order Counter

    Shortstop Deli
    Shortstop Deli - In case you're curious about the order

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    In case you're curious about the order

    The State Diner - diners - Updated September 2026

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