Location: Ithaca
Top Restaurants in Ithaca
New York, United States Food Guide: 4 Southwestern food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Ithaca
Discover Restaurants offering the best Southwestern food in Ithaca, New York, United States. "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
1. Viva Taqueria & Cantina
Overall Ratings
4 based on 383 reviews
Reviewed By dese2
I've passed this place by several times. This time we did go in. Viva has two options - the Taqueria, for window service and Cantina, for full service. Both offer indoor and outdoor seating.We ate at the Cantina, indoors. They have booths or table indoors. You can also eat at the bar. In the back of the room I noticed a nice bench with low tables that looked like a good place if you just want drinks; although I'm sure you could order food too if you wanted.The restauarant does offer a full bar with cocktails, wine and beers, a mix of domestic and Mexican, and an extensive list of tequilas and mezcal. They make a house-style michelata with lime juice; no tomato juice. They offer tequila flights I would like to try sometime.We ordered chips and salsa fresca; chips fried on site and salsa made fresh every day, according to the menu and our waitress. No free basket to get you started!I got chicken mole enchilada and my table mate got the fajita burrito. Our chips, salsa and drinks came out quickly. We were disappointed with the salsa as it was mainly chopped tomatoes with little heat. There were two bottles of sauce on the table that I used for more flavor. Even the tomatoes were not too flavorful. Our mains were attractive and served with a bit of escabache, pickled vegetables; again, not spicy.My enchilada had finely shredded dark meat chicken. The mole was good. There were black beans and rice on the side.The burrito came with some cabbage slaw. It was a plump burrito with lots of filling. The beef seemed to be a skirt steak and tasted grilled.Our service was friendly and effecient. They offer vegetarian options.
2. 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.
3. Old Mexico
Overall Ratings
4 based on 120 reviews
Reviewed By Robert D
This is a good restaurant if you want authentic Mexican food it is really good and they definitely donât skimp on the portions I have been here multiple times and have never been disappointed they also make a good margarita among other drinks I hope everyone can enjoy this food as much as I did
4. Chili's Grill & Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By Gibsoninpa
We stopped by here after hiking all day for dinner. There was a long wait for our meal and the manager came over and apologized and made it more than right with us. Now that's GREAT management, no excuses, just I'm sorry and let me make it right! Recommend and we'll stop again if in the area!
Where to eat Mexican food in Ithaca: The Best Restaurants and Bars
