14850 Dining

Offering wings, subs, and pasta dishes in addition to pizza, Bella Pizza has taken over the corner pizzeria stand in the Center Ithaca atrium food court. At the heart of downtown, this is a cluster of eateries we might wish were open longer hours -- like, say, at dinnertime or late-night. Lunch specials start at $2.25 for a slice and a soda. The pizza's crisp and tasty, and we look forward to exploring the rest of the menu.

The Dryden Hotel's history begins in 1844, but its current incarnation dates to 2005, when a refurbished building opened to offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. After a typical omelets-or-pancakes breakfast menu, it's a step above diner fare, with salads, wraps, and sandwiches alongside burgers, fried shrimp, pizza, and prime rib. Vegetarian options are few and far between, and we admit we mostly get there for wing night on Thursday.

This downtown eatery on "Restaurant Row" quickly became a favorite, sporting fresh salads, crisp flatbreads, creative appetizers, soup and seafood, and what consistently gets our nod as the best burger in Ithaca. The outdoor seating and big french doors are great on summer evenings, and a variety of seating from barstools to booths to big tables indoors can handle just about any group.

This old favorite in Ithaca's west end reopened several years ago to great fanfare and high expectations. Despite a shaky start, Joe's has settled down and provides good Italian-American fare. Specials in the bar, such as a pizza and a pint, make it more affordable than a full dinner can be.

Mama Teresa's has adequate pizza with interesting combinations, 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. Try $1.50 slices after 10pm on Monday through Wednesday nights or $5 lunch specials. Of course, the best pizza comes straight of the oven, not out from under a heat lamp, so order a whole one when you can. Free delivery.

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, or try the soup or the new homemade hummus. The Nines used to house one of Ithaca's fire stations (now next door) and offers great music many evenings.

We find Pizza Aroma's pizza to be just pretty good, but they're noteworthy for offering soy cheese and Daiya non-dairy cheese, a real boon to vegans who love pizza and don't want to skip the cheese. If you're not in a pizza mood, try the Salvadoran menu.

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.