Location: Ithaca
Top Restaurants in Ithaca
New York, United States Food Guide: 10 American food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Ithaca
Best American restaurants nearby. Discover the best American food in Ithaca. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for American restaurants near you.. "Ithaca is gorges" can be read on proud t-shirts across New York State, and there is definitely truth in advertising. Sitting on the shores of Cayuga Lake, the largest of the Finger Lakes, the hilly town of Ithaca is surrounded by dense forests, towering waterfalls, and many gorges. The natural beauty has a distinctly academic feel, as local universities have filled the woods with museums and education centers like The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which features a 220 acre wildlife sanctuary.
Things to do in Ithaca
10. John Thomas Steakhouse
Overall Ratings
4 based on 252 reviews
Reviewed By shalmunzies
We ate at John Thomas 2 nights in a row while staying at La Tourelle. Everyone from the receptionist to the waitstaff performed their duties in an outstanding fashion. The classic steakhouse offerings like surf and turf,etc. were prepared with care using excellent ingredients.Highly recommended!
9. AGAVA Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 430 reviews
The AGAVA restaurant concept is rooted in local, farm-to-table cuisine, seasonal menu and a Southwest-Inspired palette. One of the central design and functional elements is a wood-fired oven with eating bar in the main dining space, serving up flatbreads
Reviewed By tadak
We visited Agava the last time we were in Ithaca a few years ago and loved it so much that we returned recently.We were quite disappointed this second time around. Nothing tasted particularly fresh, and everything felt really greasy. We remembered fresh, farm to table quality being what stood out last time. This time, the avocado in the guac was brown - veggies looked like they'd seen better days....nothing was good.How disappointing! What happened??Thank you for your feedback, Tadak. We so regret to hear that your recent visit to our restaurant was not up to our very high standards. We strive to serve only the freshest, seasonal cuisine and hate to disappoint on that front. We will be sure to investigate this to better understand what went wrong with the produce and what steps we can take to prevent this from happening again.
8. The Antlers Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 212 reviews
Like our décor, food, prices, and service, our intention is to give you a comfortable, honest homestyle dining experience. We value consistency, getting it right the first time and every time. Discover delightful dining, serving classic American cuisine i
Reviewed By marvi62
My husband, adult son and I had dinner here Saturday night based on the TA reviews. Our server was wonderful. My Cosmo martini was very fairly priced and blended perfectly- one of the best I have had in ages. The sweet honey butter served with hot rolls was amazingly good. The 1st course salad was also really good, although the dressing was a tad too oniony.We all ordered meat for our main courses - filet mignon for my husband, a steak with barbeque sauce for me, and London broil for my son. The entrees were all ok, but nothing special. Most restaurants charge a lot more for meat entrees than the Antlers. I suspect they are trying so hard to keep the prices low that the entrees suffer as a result. We probably would have been better off ordering burgers. We would have paid $5-8 more per entree to get better cuts. The steak fries were also ehhhh. No.harm but I definitely think the cooking style - and decor - need to be updated.
7. Ithaca Ale House
Overall Ratings
4 based on 459 reviews
Reviewed By LGRichmond
We had arrived later than expected in Ithaca so wanted to grab something quick for a late lunch. What a surprise! Although the hostess wasnât particularly welcoming, our waitress was phenomenal. Wish I remembered her name but she was top notch. The philly cheese steak was one of the best Iâve had, as was the French dip. All reasonably priced. We liked the place so much, we went back for evening drinks. Highly recommend.
6. Mahogany Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 563 reviews
Reviewed By tuftsgrad
One of the nicer restaurants on Aurora. We thought weâd cobble together a meal of appetizers for our kids and were pleasantly surprised to be offered a childrenâs menu (not online). We thoroughly enjoyed our grown up dinner out, and our kids enjoyed their pasta, too!
5. Maxie's Supper Club and Oyster Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 372 reviews
Maxieâs is a New Orleans-style fish house featuring Southern comfort cooking, BBQ, and a full bar. From our kitchen: only from-scratch Southern comfort cookery: traditional and modern fresh seafood dishes, slow-smoked barbecue, and homemade desserts. From
Reviewed By vespagl1963
Really a funky joint that is a bit parking challenged, however it rightly is popular. We started with a Pimms cup cocktail which was (I am old) superb. Then moved on to a great blackened catfish, plate of steamer clams (wonderful, canât get that often in Texas , our home), followed with a classic wedge salad with awesome Spicy ranch dressing. For desert we had a dark chocolate, cherry, corn bread bread pudding... yea it was very very good. Give it a tryThank you for dining at Maxie's and we are delighted that you had a "funky good time" with us! That is what it is all about. We would love to do it again. Come back whenever you're around! Thanks again!
4. The Boatyard Grill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1087 reviews
At The Boatyard Grill you can enjoy delicous locally sourced steak and seafood while looking out over the breathtaking waterfront view. All of our food comes in fresh everyday, you won't find a better dining experience in the town. We are happy to host la
Reviewed By ctomaset
Decided last minute to have dinner here last night. What a huge surprise! Arrabbiata sauce and mussels was a special and we ordered it as an appetizer. We havenât eaten mussels like this in 5 years! They were fabulous! For entrees I ordered the swordfish tacos and my husband ordered the fish fry. Both delicious and perfectly cooked! Canât wait to go back and try something different! Hope they have the mussels again. By the way, mussels were from Canada! Way to go Boatyard!
3. Ithaca Beer Co.
Overall Ratings
4 based on 304 reviews
Ithaca Beer Company specializes in brewing world-class craft beer. Farm-to-table, American-style fare is served in our lively and modern brewpub restaurant. In addition to year-round favorites like our popular Flower Power IPA, you can also choose from ne
Reviewed By Jackie T
Great casual and friendly place to take a break from the scorching heat. Their beer on tap selection is diverse without overwhelming the senses. Their creole chicken, pickled seasonal veggies and poboy sandwich were an amazing pairing to our brews. Would def go back
2. The Heights Restaurant and H Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 283 reviews
The Heights Restaurant and H Bar was established in 1995 by Culinary Institute of America graduate James Larounis and his wife Heidi. We are located in the Village of Cayuga Heights, one mile from the center of Cornell University. The restaurant has a cas
Reviewed By 179cynthiaf
I've visited this restaurant twice, and both times I ordered a fish entree from the regular printed lunch menu. Both times, it was the best fish entree I ever had.On this visit, I enjoyed the fantastic PAN-SEARED SALMON: Roasted Beet Salad, Saffron Cous-Cous, Citrus Ginger, Pineapple Chutney, Green Harissa & Chinese Broccoli. What is exceptional about this dish is the multitude of sweet, spicy, tart and other flavors on the plate and how well they complement each other. My husband loved the vegetable harvest salad, but it is not a light salad; it has a lot of (fried?) brussel sprouts.Joanna is a fabulous experienced server.The decor and ambiance are upscale and lovely.My husband says the chocolate cake is great. The pear cake I ordered is OK, not great. The Heitz port is a superb dessert wine, sweet as honey.
1. Just a Taste
Overall Ratings
4 based on 526 reviews
Reviewed By Leslie C
small place with wonderful selection of small plates and wine samples. Enjoyed the mixed olives, the housemade charcuterie, and the spicy chicken wings. Chicken wings were yummy but don't have it be your small plate. You'll need something else to cool down your mouth!
