|
|
|
Ithaca's vegetarian-friendly eateries
We've found that these establishments do a good job of catering to Ithaca's vegetarian and/or vegan populations. Most eateries can manage fried mushrooms or a plate of spaghetti, but these are the ones where vegetarians are likely to find a good variety, not just minimal accommodation.
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.
Boatyard Grill
525 Taughannock Blvd
607-256-BOAT (2628)
Ithaca West End
This restaurant was opened by Mark Campagnolo, a former partner at Joe's Restaurant. The beautiful building with its nautical theme is a great setting for the quick and friendly service and the exceptional, hearty food at this comfortable restaurant. Naturally, there's lots of fresh seafood (brought daily from Boston), but the Texas Cowboy Steak (a porterhouse with a chipotle glaze served on the bone) and Boatyard Angus Sirloin (smothered with fresh roasted garlic) aren’t to be missed. Be prepared to wait for a table.
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
Collegetown Bagels & Appetizers
Triphammer Mall
607-257-2255
Ithaca Northeast
This bagelry and appetizing establishment offers a wide variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches and simple entrees from 6:00 am until 7:30 pm. It's informal as dinners go, but that's fine. CTB has an excellent selection of retail gourmet items, along with an ever-changing variety of prepared food items. It’s very vegetarian-friendly.
(Web Site)
Corners Deli
200 Pleasant Grove Road
607-257-4019
Ithaca Northeast
Hours: M-F 8:30am-6:30pm, Sat 9-4.
This Community Corners institution is a family-owned delicatessen specializing in Middle Eastern specialties in addition to a wide array of fresh American-deli-style foods. The overstuffed sandwiches and pitas barely leave room for the exceptional baklava and other desserts. Great falafel and gyros, and fresh roast beef whose aroma permeates the neighborhood. In the morning, stop by for a pastry or rice pudding and a cup of flavored coffee.
(Web Site)
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.
Felicia's Atomic Lounge
508 West State Street, Ithaca
607-273-2219
Ithaca West End
Felicia's has a very simple menu and a very straightforward lounge philosophy that says a lounge is for lounging. The funky decor, with metal panels and velvet couches, fits nicely. On the menu when we visited were personal-sized flatbread pizzas, salad, and homemade apple pie.
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
Ithaca Bakery
400 North Meadow Street
607-273-7110
Ithaca West End
When I told a friend in Florida I was going to visit the Ithaca Bakery, she exclaimed, "Oh, I love bakeries!" I had to stop and think for a moment, then explain that our Meadow Street "bakery" doesn't just do bread and pastries. They do bake the fresh bread, rolls, donuts, cookies, and cakes for a staggering number of hotels, stores, offices, and other eateries around the region, but I was there to visit the eatery part of the business. Any time of day, you can satisfy your appetite at the Ithaca Bakery for just a few bucks for a bagel sandwich or deli sandwich, or spend $5-10 for a full meal.
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
Jade Garden
113 North Aurora Street
607-272-8880
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 11:00-10:30 Daily, Fri & Sat til 11 pm, Sunday opening at noon.
Jade Garden offers a small but well-stocked Chinese lunch and dinner buffet right off the Commons, plus tasty food prepared to order for dining in or carry-out service. The restaurant is clean and casual, and while they don’t compare to the sheer variety at the larger buffets in town, they don’t seem to have to.
Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches
122 North Aurora Street, Ithaca
607-645-0075
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 11am-3am daily
This sandwich shop offers well-stuffed sandwiches on French bread or thick-sliced whole-grain bread, with delivery available (the prices are higher for each item). The sandwiches are made to order, and they're lightning-fast.
(Web Site)
Juna’s Cafe
146 The Commons
607-256-4292
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 7:30-7:00 Mon-Thu, 7:30-9:00 Fri, 9:00-11:00 Sat, 10:00-7:00 Sun
Juna’s offers a wide variety of fresh, tasty, made-to-order sandwiches, salads, and wraps, and a vegetarian-frendly attitude. (The chef salad, for example, offers tempeh in place of the chicken at no extra charge.) On a cold day, try the chili, and don’t miss out on the coffee drinks.
(Web Site)
Just a Taste
116 North Aurora Street
607-277-9463
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Dinner Sun-Thu 5:30-10 and Fri-Sat 5:30-11.
Catering to an interesting mix of business owners, college students, and everyone in between, this wine and tapas bar offers an ever-changing menu of creative food, and a broad array of wines to sample. Since the menu changes every night we can’t suggest a specific dish, but we’ll tell you that if it sounds like an odd combination, it’s probably exquisite. Try the sangria. Just a Taste is once again serving its excellent weekend brunches, with great omelets and focaccia french toast.
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
King Buffet
734 South Meadow Street
607-256-3388
Ithaca Southwest
Hours: 11 am - 9:30 pm daily, til 10:30 Fri & Sat
King Buffet starts out as a Chinese buffet, but ends up with a much broader array of food. Their fresh and flavorful dishes include plenty of vegetarian dishes, sushi, carve-to-order ham and roast beef, and kid-friendly items like pizza and spaghetti.
Kyushu
2300 North Triphammer Road
607-257-6788
Ithaca Northeast
A new Japanese hibachi restaurant and sushi bar in the Tops/Applebee's plaza on North Triphammer Road in front of Pyramid Mall, Kyushu offers hibachi-style dishes (cooked table-side), fresh sushi, and a variety of other Japanese meals. The food is delicious, well prepared, and surprisingly affordable; complete lunches cost $6-9, and complete dinners $12 and up. Things seem vaguely uncoordinated, but on opening day, we won't complain. (The hibachi chefs certainly aren't uncoordinated, or someone would lose a finger!) When the staff has everything down pat, they may well rate a "5."
Lincoln Street Diner
309 Lincoln Street, Ithaca
607-216-1616
Ithaca
Hours: 6am-2pm M-F, 7am-1pm Sat
In the Fall Creek area near the Ithaca Falls, the Lincoln Street Diner, formerly Ziffy's, serves breakfast all day, hot and cold sandwiches, burgers, and daily specials like chicken and biscuits or a NY strip sandwich. The omelets are generous, and the signature breakfast is a pile of home fries and corn bread smothered in sausage gravy.
Ling Ling
Ithaca Shopping Plaza & East Hill Plaza
607-272-0718 & 607-273-1668
Ithaca
Hours: 11-10 Mon-Thurs, 11-11 Fri & Sat, Noon-10 Sun
Ling Ling, a pair of carry-out or eat-in Chinese restaurants, offers quick and inexpensive and tasty Chinese food. They offer a surprising variety of Szechuan, Hunan, and Cantonese cooking a la carte, with several options available as combo dinners ($7-8 or so for entree plus fried rice and egg roll), and a couple dozen lunch special possibilities, where $4.60 gets you an entree with fried rice, plus soup or an egg roll. Make sure you check which one you’re calling, or you’ll go pick up your food at the wrong place!
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.
Little Tokyo Korean Japanese Restaurant
113 East State Street, Ithaca
607-272-8638
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Lunch 11:30-2:30, dinner 4:30-9:30
Little Tokyo is a promising new restaurant, with a variety of Korean and Japanese lunches and dinners, plus a list of sushi rolls made fresh. Lots of the meals offer a choice of meats, tofu, or vegetables, making this a promising downtown vegetarian destination. The food was very good, and plentiful, though they need to work on better-organized service in this oddly shaped (long and narrow) restaurant; one waitress might well have been enough in a different layout, but ours seemed overwhelmed when the tables were only about a quarter full. They should do well with the $10 business lunch crowd, if not the $5 bargain lunch crowd.
Lucatelli's Ristorante
205 Old Elmira Road
607-273-0777
Ithaca Southwest
Lucatelli’s is best known for its plentiful Italian-style entrees. It’s also best known for its juicy steaks. And, it’s best known for its extensive antipasto salad bar. The food’s tasty, the parking’s easy, the pasta and gnocchi are fresh, and if you haven’t been here in a while, what are you waiting for?
Lucatelli's has a surprisingly good bourbon selection -- important to this bourbon afficionado. The shrimp cocktail features four large, juicy shrimp and deliciously sharp cocktail sauce, and the "side" of pasta (one of the choices with each entree) looks like a meal in itself.
Main Moon Buffet
401 Elmira Road, Buttermilk Falls Plaza
607-277-3399
Ithaca Southwest
Ithaca’s original "Chinese Buffet," Main Moon has expanded in response to the arrival of competing buffets in town. They’ve added sushi and a more complete salad bar, in addition to the wide array of Chinese food and such kid-friendly offerings as chicken wings and french fries. There are always vegetarian dishes on the buffet.
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.
Manos Diner
Elmira Road
607-273-1173
Ithaca Southwest
Hours: 24 hours
Dubbed "The Diner of Fate" by those who know, Manos offers the usual diner fare, from breakfasts 24 hours a day to sandwiches, burgers, and entrees, plus a full bar (and the same food menu) in the attached Ichabod's. Manos is perfect for an inexpensive but filling breakfast. Later in the day, try the fries with a side of gravy, and if you’re in the mood for a big meal, the turkey dinner can’t be beat. Ichabod's also features a nice, fresh salad bar, great with your dinner.
(Full Review)
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.
Moosewood
DeWitt Mall
607-273-9610
Downtown Ithaca
Moosewood is far more famous for its series of vegetarian cookbooks than for the meals actually served in the restaurant, but the meals are quite creative and popular, too. Moosewood offers an ever-changing variety of mostly vegetarian entrees (there’s sometimes a fish or seafood dish). If the service matched the food, and the prices were a little better matched to the portion size, they’d rate a 5. We recommend Sunday “ethnic nights,” when the offerings fit an ethnic or national cuisine, such as a recent Greek night that offered a “Grecian stew” and a tasty vegetarian Pastitsio. The fresh soups are often great.
Napoli Pizzeria
401 East State Street
607-272-3232
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 11am to 1am (weeknights) or 2am (weekend)
Napoli, at the foot of the State Street hill in the Gateway Center, has some of the best pizza and wings in town, for dine-in, carry-out, or delivery. Hot and cold subs and Italian specialties round out the usual pizzeria menu, but they also have ribs, burgers, and fried clams, shrimp, or scallops in addition to the typical fare.
New Delhi Diamond's
106 West Green Street, Ithaca
607-272-4508
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily
On Green Street just off the Commons in Downtown Ithaca, Diamond's features an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet with an ever-changing variety of Indian specialties, as well as a dinner menu for sit-down dining. They never manage to maintain the supply of nan, the traditional Indian flat bread, or refill water glasses in a timely manner, costing the restaurant a rating point. The silver lining? When there's nan, it's fresh and warm, and perfect for mopping up some spinach aloo or other thick sauce. The tandoori chicken is always delicious, and we recommend a mango lassi (think smoothie) with your meal. There's always room for a bowl of kheer, a sweetened, creamy rice dessert.
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)
Pangea Restaurant
120 Third Street
607-273-8515
Ithaca
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday nights
Pangea offers a surprising and delicious variety of dishes, varying in size and price, with a creative menu they call “precontinental cuisine.” (The menu changes frequently.) Many of the dishes seem ideal for sharing; they’re all flavorful and colorful. We were especially pleased with the summer risotto, featuring roasted red peppers, wild mushrooms, and white truffle oil; and the tagarashi-dusted seared scallops.
(Full Review)
(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.
Rogue’s Harbor
Corner of Rts 34 & 34B
607-533-3535
Lansing
Hours: Dinner 4-10 Mon-Sat, 3-9 Sun, brunch Sat & Sun
Situated in an old building on the corner of two main Lansing thoroughfares, Rogue’s has a great selection of beers on tap and Finger Lakes wines, and appetizers that fall heavily into the fried category but are worth sampling. They’re known for their prime rib and large portions of everything; we recommend the Chicken Riggies, a rigatoni and chicken dish with vegetables in a delectable cream sauce. Ask about the building’s past as a station on the underground railroad, and its underground tunnel to Cayuga Lake, and check out the antique maps on the walls.
(Web Site)
Sadie D’s Deli
DeWitt Mall
607-273-9027
Downtown Ithaca
This friendly, family-run deli, named after a dachshund, offers tasty sandwiches, delicious soups, and great coffee drinks in a convenient spot in downtown Ithaca, a short walk from the Commons. The usual deli sandwiches are supplemented by house specialties, such as the wonderful “Godfather” sandwich. They have a wider-than-usual selection of cheeses, and such interesting sandwich toppings as artichoke hearts. Try a half sandwich with some fresh soup, and don’t forget a slice of the peach pie.
Sangam
Center Ithaca
607-277-6716
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Open 7 days a week
There are a few select entrees from the main Collegetown Sangam Indian Restaurant here at this steam-table counter in Center Ithaca. The food always tastes fresh, and it's always ready when you walk up. There's also a small selection of Indian groceries and videos.
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.
Shortstop Deli
200 West Seneca St., Ithaca
607-273-1030
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 24 hours every day
Whether you call them subs or grinders or hoagies or whatever, Shortstop Deli specializes in those long sandwiches on fresh-baked French bread, or smaller sandwiches on kaiser rolls. They've got the usual ham, roast beef, and turkey, but they've also got seafood salad, eggplant, seitan, or prime rib. For the last couple of years, the Shortstop hot sub menu has had a selection of the famous Hot Truck French bread pizza subs. Supplement your sub with a fresh hot bowl of soup or chili.
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
Simeon's
224 East State Street, on the Commons
607-272-2212
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 11 am to midnight daily
Simeon’s is a favorite spot for seeing and being seen, at the corner of State and Aurora Streets on the Commons, but it’s also a good place to eat and drink. Long-time Simeon’s fans will be pleased to see the menu still has most of the old favorites, and we’re also pleased at the variety of creative and tasty dishes added to the specials board nightly.
The “sandwiches with a history” are a good fallback if you don’t need lots of food, and the generous salads are a good choice as well. Or, dive in with garlic bread with cheese, a crock of French onion soup, and Jamaican Jerk chicken or pork.
The good wine selection should have more local choices, but the scotch and bourbon offerings are without peer.
(Web Site)
Simply Red Village Bistro
53 East Main Street, Trumansburg
607-387-5313
Trumansburg
Hours: Mon, Thu-Sat 5-10pm; Sun brunch 10-2
Upscale dining in a casual atmosphere, featuring pasta, fresh vegetables, free range chicken, seafood, steaks, and more. Monday is "Southern Night." Listed only.
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.
Taste of Thai
216 The Commons
607-256-5487
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: Tues-Sun, 11am-3pm lunch, 5pm-10pm dinner
With a great fancy Thai restaurant on Route 13, and a great casual Thai restaurant in Collegetown, it’s nice to see something in the middle price-wise, but with top-notch food. The Pad Thai was delicious, and not quite what we were used to, and the Khao Pud Supparod, or pineapple and chicken fried rice, with slices of Thai sausage and raisins, was our first experience with sweet fried rice. Nearly all the dishes can be made vegetarian, using tofu, vegetables, or mock chicken or duck in place of meat ingredients. Our waitress was great, but some of the “supporting cast” in the dining room seemed to need a bit more coordination.
Taste of Thai Express
526 West State Street, Ithaca
607-272-8424
Ithaca West End
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:30am-2:30pm lunch, 4:30pm-10pm dinner
This west end eatery, just east of Route 13 on State Street, features the same exceptional food as Taste of Thai on the Commons, but this one delivers as well as having eat-in service. Our food arrived far faster than the promised 40-45 minutes, and everything was correct, fresh, and hot. The cashew chicken, a Vietnamese-style dish, was a delightful surprise, with a marinated wood-grilled flavour and crunchy strips of onion and green pepper.
(Web Site)
Thai Cuisine
501 South Meadow Street
607-273-2031
Ithaca Southwest
Known for having "the best Thai food in New York State," Thai Cuisine could rest on its laurels, but there always seems to be just that extra attention to detail. This is certainly one of Ithaca’s best restaurants, with good service, exceptional food, and an attractive presentation. Thai Cuisine specializes in spicy food (there are options for those who prefer their food blander) and it’s important to note that "medium" is more than spicy enough even for the hardiest spice lovers.
The deluxe pad thai makes a wonderful shared appetizer, and we recommend the "Ped Long Song" duck dish as an entree. Don't forget dessert!
On the weekend, try the dim-sum style brunch. It's an affordable and fun way to sample many of the restaurant’s specialties in smaller portions.
Viva Taqueria & Cantina
Corner of State and Aurora Streets
607-277-1752
Downtown Ithaca
Hours: 7 days until 10 pm
This downtown corner eatery features inexpensive and plentiful handmade, fresh Mexican food, focusing on tacos, burritos, nachos, and the like. The fillings include deliciously spiced chicken, beef, pork, or bean-based vegetarian mixes. The next-door Cantina offers table service and a bar that mixes (among other things) a respectable margarita.
Willow
202 East Falls Street
607-272-0656
Ithaca
Hours: 5-10pm Tue-Sat, Martini bar till 1am Fri & Sat
A contemporary American restaurant in Ithaca's Fall Creek area, next to Fall Creek Pictures. Chef Sean O’Brien has whipped up an enticing menu that features a number of creative appetizers, salads, pastas, and entrees. The menu includes several fresh seafood dishes, and they've added more vegetarian variety.
We were very impressed with the food quality and presentation, and the service and decor are top-notch.
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
Wok Village
23 Cinema Drive
607-257-8881
Ithaca Northeast
This attractive and casual Chinese restaurant offers lunchtime dim sum on the weekends, a plentiful and ever-changing weekday lunch buffet, and nice dinners consisting of traditional Cantonese, Hunan, and Szechuan Chinese dishes, plus an array of Vietnamese specialties.
(Web Site)
ZaZa's Cucina
622 Cascadilla Street at Route 13, Ithaca
607-273-9292
Ithaca
A new restaurant from the owners of Madeline's, ZaZa's Cucina transmogrifies the dumpy old Video Ithaca building into a sumptuously designed space. The food fits in perfectly, with a good variety of ambitious yet well-prepared appetizers ($5 to $8) and main dishes ($14 to $23). An appetizer pizza adorned with thinly sliced apple, melted brie, and fresh tarragon, all drizzled with truffle oil, was star of our dinner. Following closely were the main dishes, a handmade ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms and finished with a walnut cream sauce, and a herb-encrusted rack of lamb with soft polenta and braised escarole. The desserts were good but not great, with the chocolate cherry dome cake lacking an assertive cherry flavor, and the blood orange sorbet being a bit too icy. Service was good, though another couple was seated right next to our table despite plenty of empty tables further away. [ACE]
(Full Review)
(Web Site)
|
