Great Spots to Eat in Utica, NY
Hi, friends! Today on the blog I wanted to share some of my favorite topics…FOOD! If you’ve known me a long time, you may remember that Rick & I used to run a small Utica food blog on the Made In Utica website called “The Hungry Uticans”. It was a ton of fun – I wish I had some of the old blogs to share now! 🙂 It’s been many years since I blogged about Utica area restaurants, and I’m excited to share a few of my current favorite spots in the area!
Utica has had a bad rep in the past, but the city is truly in a revitalization mode. There is SO much going on here – the entire area seems to be on the rise, and a lot of companies are taking note and investing in everything Upstate New York has to offer. This has led to a lot of opportunity, and a ton of new restaurants, breweries, and more coming into town!
Coffee
Calabria Coffee: This is an excellent coffeeshop right outside Utica, in New Hartford. It’s relatively new, and I absolutely love it! The location is ideal and convenient, and the atmosphere is great. Their coffee is just amazing as well – I love their Iced White Mocha!
Character Coffee: Character is located right in downtown Utica – in a building right next door to where I used to work! Character makes great specialty coffees – every season they have great specials that are always a hit!
Restaurants
Ancora: This might be my favorite restaurant in the greater Utica area… I absolutely love Ancora. It’s always one of my top picks for a date night, and they also do an excellent job with to-go as well. There are so many favorite meals here… Chicken Francese, Cavatelli, Gnocchi…all favorites. They make amazing Bruschetta for an appetizer, and have small plates/tapas for a quick snack too. I highly recommend visiting if you’re in town or haven’t yet!
Delmonico’s: A Utica area staple. As you might be able to guess, Delmonico’s is known for their steaks and Italian food mixture. They have a special I always request, Filet Gorgonzola Alfredo – so heavy, but SO good. It’s 3 baby filets over a bed of fettucine alfredo, with gorgonzola melted over. I’m drooling just thinking about it 🙂 Delmonico’s is great because it is so consistent – you know when you go you’ll have a great meal, a HUGE portion, and excellent quick service.
Georgio’s: If you’ve ever been to Utica, you may know that we have unique dishes that you can’t find ANYWHERE else (at least, not as good!) – we are home o the tomato pie, the half moon, the chicken riggies, and the Utica Green’s. In my opinion, Georgio’s has the BEST greens in the area. I could eat a full plate as just my meal. I personally prefer them with potatoes added in (their specialty Georgios greens), but they have the standard if that’s not your thing. Georgio’s is another spot that is just so consistent – it’s fast, has great service, and the food is always outstanding. Another great spot if you’re in town! They also have a wonderful bar if you’re just looking to grab a quick drink.
Snacks
Baggs Square Brewery: This is a newer addition to downtown Utica, right in Baggs Square. I actually hadn’t made it over there until very recently, and I have to say I was really impressed. The food was great – we had Schnitzel Sliders and a large pretzel to snack on while we had drinks. It was SO good – I definitely want to go back and have more schnitzel, it was amazing and not something you find on every menu. Personally I’m more of a wine than a beer girl, so I can’t speak as to the brewery selection, but my husband said it was good. He’s pretty picky so I’ll take his word for it 😉
PHEW – that was a long one! I hope you enjoyed these picks – if you’re from/have eaten in Utica, what are some of your favorite spots? There are SO many I didn’t even touch on – I might need to make this a recurring theme and come back to it!
Have a great end of the week, all!
xx
P.S. Did you see my favorite wineries in Napa? Check it out!