ABC Cafe
308 Stewart Avenue, Ithaca
607-277-4770
Collegetown
Hours: 9:30am-11pm Sat & Sun, 11am-midnight Tue-Thu, 11am-1am Fri.
At the foot of Ithaca's Collegetown neighborhood, ABC Cafe is Ithaca's only meatless restaurant. The atmosphere is casual, to say the least; you'll be more comfortable in tie-dye than in black tie. The menu, all vegetarian and mostly vegan, caters to a variety of tastes. Those accustomed to meat might enjoy the delicious ABC-made veggie burgers, on a bun or in a pita. There are stir-frys, salads, interesting pastas, delicious calabacitas burritos, and an entire page devoted to beverages. The appetizers include fine french fries and great nachos. Prices are reasonable and portions are large, but nothing beats the nightly specials for value, such as Mexican night with half-priced Dos Equis beer and two enormous burritos for under $9. Service varies, but the food is worth the occasional annoyance. [ALR] (Web Site)

Aladdin's Natural Eatery
100 Dryden Road
607-273-5000
Collegetown
Aladdin's offers passable Greek-style food, so-so service, and an unfortunate inattention to detail. The high points are the desserts and their extensive selection of bottled beers.

Asian Noodle House
204 Dryden Road, Ithaca
607-272-9106
Collegetown
From the folks who brought us Little Thai House, Asian Noodle House (formerly "Tap") is a classic noodle shop with a substantial variety of noodle and rice dishes and soups, plus gourmet Asian pizzas, with plentiful portions and reasonable prices. The curry puffs appetizer were a treat, and Thai grilled chicken with noodle was served with a perfect Thai peanut sauce. Our entrees came with a small salad, generously adorned with bean sprouts and bits of tofu.

Cafe Pacific
114 Dryden Road, Ithaca
607-277-7700
Collegetown
Hours: 10:30am-midnight (1am Fri & Sat)

Dasan-J Korean Restaurant
104 Dryden Road, Ithaca
607-256-3333
Collegetown
Dasan-J's Korean BBQ dishes are served over sticky white rice, with a side of crisp salad. The menu features a vegetarian selection in addition to beef and pork, wraps as well as platters, and affordable lunch specials.

Dino's Cosmopolitan Restaurant
313 College Avenue
607-273-4563
Collegetown
They’ve got a full menu, but it’s the breakfasts that seem to keep people coming back to “the Cosmo,” attached to the popular Dino’s Collegetown bar. The food’s not that special, and don’t expect expert service, but it’s decent diner fare, and it’s inexpensive and quick.

Little Thai House (Collegetown)
202 Dryden Road
607-273-1977
Collegetown
A tiny, casual eatery for take-out or eat-in service. You can order items from the menu, but your best bet is to select two already-prepared entrees from the steam table as a combo (or one large portion) for $4.95. We recommend the Pad Thai and one of the other entrees. Some dishes are deliciously spicy, and there’s good chili sauce if it’s not hot enough.

Mama Teresa’s Pizzeria
139 Dryden Road
607-272-6262
Collegetown
Hours: Til 3am weekdays, 4am weekends
Mama Teresa’s has adequate pizza, and good dishes such as chicken or eggplant parm. Their regular pizza doesn’t really have enough sauce, but the sauceless veggie pizza has a nice array of vegetable toppings. Free delivery.

Miyake
416 Eddy Street
607-277-6767
Collegetown
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week
In the former location of Kayuga, Miyake features attractive new decor and an expanded menu. After we'd been sitting at our table for a while (the restaurant seemed understaffed), we were greeted with a small dish of pea pods to nibble on, and served hot green tea. The steamed gyoza is a bit wilted, but the calamari tempura is exceptional and the sushi very good. The spicy tuna roll seems to carry most of its spiciness in a sauce drizzled over the top, instead of throughout the tuna. We look forward to trying more of Miyake's menu, including the hot food.

Nines, The
311 College Ave
607-272-1888
Collegetown
Like the Chariot, the Nines offers great pizza and a variety of entrees and sandwiches. The entrees lean toward an Americana theme, and there’s a good selection of beer on tap at the full bar. The square deep-dish pizza is its forte, with a broad array of toppings and a thick crust. The four slices easily feed two or three people. If you’re not in a pizza mood, try the astonishingly good ribs or the roast chicken. The Nines used to house one of Ithaca’s fire stations (now next door) and offers great music many evenings. They’d rate a “5” if the service weren’t so often slow and inattentive. (Web Site)

Plum Tree
113 Dryden Road
607-256-8081
Collegetown
This Japanese restaurant at the "kneecap" bend of the lowermost block of Dryden Road offers good sushi and sashimi and a plentiful variety of cooked meals with very nice presentation. Now all they have to do is differentiate themselves from Kayuga, just a half block away.

Sangam
424 Eddy Street
607-273-1006
Collegetown
Hours: Open 7 days a week
Sangam's daily lunch buffet is a good way to sample this Indian restaurant's offerings, though there's not quite enough variety on the buffet from day to day to explore what they're capable of. Come back for dinner, or order lunch from the menu. The mango chicken is excellent, and Sangam offers traditional tandoori (clay oven) roasting. They can cater to vegetarian and even vegan needs.

Souvlaki House
315 Eddy Street
607-273-1650
Collegetown
If you’re a fan of Greek food, you should never move to a town that has none. If you’re in Ithaca, the options abound, and Souvlaki House represents the best combination of good food, reasonable prices, and good service. In fact, Souvlaki House offers both Greek food and Italian food, with the area’s best souvlaki, Greek salad, and stuffed grape leaves, plus very good chicken (or veal or eggplant, etc.) parmigiana. Inexpensive lunch choices include subs, souvlaki and gyros, and Greek-style pizza. We recommend a bottle of Demestica, a Greek wine, with your meal.

Stella’s Cafe
403 College Avenue
607-277-1490
Collegetown
Stella’s makes a darn good martini or Manhattan, but if you’re planning to eat as well as drink, we’d recommend another destination. The drinks themselves are a touch on the pricey side, but we can’t imagine why you’d want to spend $9 on a cheeseburger. Some of the menu items are creative or tasty, and the food is in fact fairly good, but the prices are just too high. Have your martini, then go next door for a slice of pizza. (Full Review) (Web Site)