Mia is an Asian Fusion shop on Aurora Street in Ithaca. This area is noted for some compelling…read moredining venues so a chef needs to bring his A Game to compete in this neighborhood. In the case of Mia, Executive Chef Yuttanun Nakaranuruck has crafted a superb mix of flavors and spices to fuse together the tastes of Japan, China, Thailand, and India into a unique and captivating menu. Mia has a sophisticated interior decor that holds fewer than ten tables. They don't take reservations (I would suggest they ought to do so) so one might have to nurse a beverage at the bar while waiting for a table. They do have outdoor seating behind the store but, in 90 degree heat, this was not a very appealing option. In the event, we were fortunate to claim a freshly vacated table and so our evening began without a hitch. This is a Pan-Asian tapas store that does offer larger plate options but the small plates variety and flair makes tapas the obvious choice. We were greeted by Andrew, and Englishman who made his way to the Finger Lakes and chose not to return to Bedfordshire. His service was attentive, punctual, and he offered insight into an interesting if unusal assortment of Asian fusion offerings. Our evening began with Hendricks extra dry Gibsons up before transitioning to the Argiano Winery Super Tuscan which is a delectable blend of French Cab and Merlot with Tuscan Sangiovese. It conveys dark cherry, raspberry, and plum with an earthy underbrush before yielding to a velvety finish. Argiano has made this a staple of their cellar and it never ceases to satisfy. Moreover, when confronted with a bold menu such as Mia's, this full bodied wine has more than enough muscle to stand up to Thai, Chinese, and Indian tapas. At Andrew's suggestion, we selected the Prawns in Kerala curry with Japanese eggplant, Thai sun-dried beef with sticky rice, braised pork belly in a star anise and ginger soyu, and sautéed Asian greens with a mushroom garlic soyu & truffle oil. This blend of tapas complemented each other perfectly and more than sated our hunger. Having said which, their limited yet thought-provoking sleection of desserts was compelling and we finished with an Asian twist on Creme Brulee with double espressos with a twist. Mia is an interesting venue with an engaging selection of intriguing dishes. We believe it merits your attention.

I do not recommend this restaurant at all. As soon as we sat down, we were told that if we didn't…read moreorder within 5 minutes, we wouldn't be able to eat--yet no one even came to take our order. To make matters worse, another party that arrived 10 minutes after us was seated without issue. Since it was our first time here, we were looking at popular menu photos on Yelp and Google to place our order. When we did, the server shook their head repeatedly with an openly condescending attitude. Even though we are Asian and English is not our first language, we strongly felt discriminated against. When we finished our meal about 40 minutes later, the restaurant was still taking in new customers. They told us we couldn't eat unless we ordered within 5 minutes because they were closing soon... Was that 5-minute order rule meant only for us?

I order a chicken souvlaki salad while at the Ithaca farmers market and it was incredible, no…read morenotes. Service was friendly and quick with customizable salads. If I could eat it everyday I would

Yummy gyros and falafel. Super nice guy serving food. Fast and delicious…read more The tahini and the tzatziki were both super flavorful. The pita is soft and the salad was fresh. Was just driving by and had to stop to try. Good food for good value. Thanks.

We are craving a light meal and the masala dosa, keema samosa were great. I definitely recommend…read morethese two items. The service was good as there were only 4 customers at the time. Only street parking from what we saw. The is am Indian market next door, in case you need to stick up on anything

Fantastic food! I am vegan and had plenty of options, the samosas were my favorite dishread more

What a sweet family owned place, super authentic Chinese eatery, I love how the lady (probably the…read moreowner) only spoke Chinese, to me that means it's a legit place. She gave us a donut and warm soy milk, there's also free peanuts, candy and fruit. The hospitality is outstanding and it's 1000000 stars for that alone. We got chicken and chive fried dumplings, soup dumplings and what we thought was Jajangmyeon but it wasn't and it was just a 'pork and sauce noodle' dish, it didn't have any black bean sauce. I also forgot to ask for sauces and ginger so idk if they even had that but it needed it. Parking is a mess and it's more of a walking town, there's tables and it's a lot like a food court inside.

Incredible hidden gem with some of the best, freshest dumplings and lovely service. Tucked away in…read morethe corner is this stall that serves a variety of homestyle Chinese dishes, most notably their dumplings. They offer a variety of fillings and the dumplings are made fresh to order, along with a selection of condiments such as chili oil and garlic sauce. In addition to fresh dumplings, you can also order frozen dumplings to go. Service was wonderful, with a lovely owner who has trays of little snacks and peanuts for free. I absolutely adore this place and look forward to coming back.

The best BBQ I have had and I am from the south!…read more We tried the Full Texas (has all of the meats) with the potato salad, mac and cheese, cornbread, and a lemon curt tart. The tart was tangy, bright, not too sweet, and the bottom wasn't soggy at all. Excellent! As for the BBQ, all of the meats were so smoky and melt-in-your-mouth flavorful! I wasn't expecting to like the chicken, I typically go for brisket, but the chicken stole the show. It was moist and so full of flavor! Definitely my favorite! Closely followed by the brisket, then the ribs, then the pulled pork, and last, but not least, the chorizo/sausage. I also really liked the chimichurri sauce as well as the addition of pickles and pickled onions. They paired really well with the BBQ. I preferred the golden bbq sauce a over the classic bbq (sweeter and too smoky for me). Honestly didn't love the mac and cheese. It was a bit bland and would not recommend or order this again. However, the BBQ and everything else was so good that it makes up for the faults of the mac and cheese. Cornbread was solid- on the crumblier side and not sweet at all. I prefer my cornbread sweeter, but this was still good cornbread. I was pleasantly surprised by the potato salad on the other hand. I don't like potatoes in general because I find them to be too bland and chronically underseasoned. Much to my surprise, I rather liked this potato salad. I loved the addition of dill and green onions. This was really good with the BBQ. The interior is a bit lackluster and the building is unassuming. Everyone there was really friendly and helpful when deciding what to order though! Overall, I would highly recommend State Eatery! Incredible BBQ!

State Eatery was our final stop in the Finger Lakes before starting the drive home to Baltimore…read moreafter spending the Fourth of July weekend in the area. We were sad to leave, but State Eatery was a great goodbye meal. It's a bakery, bar, and BBQ spot and a really cool space. We were there after a hot, sweaty hike, and ready for some BBQ. Their menu is both classic and eclectic, and we decided to share a little classic BBQ and a little less classic BBQ. We shared the Brisket + Chicken plate, which comes with both proteins, two sides, sauce, and pickles. We chose the mac and cheese and smoked pork + beans for our sides. We also got - under their Meats by the 1/2 Pound section of the menu - their smoked beets?! Full disclosure: I'm from Texas. And I have a lot of strong feelings about brisket. State Eatery's brisket definitely isn't what I'm used to or what I'm craving when I order brisket. It was quite dry, I suspect from a much leaner cut than most Texas spots would use (although at home, you're sometimes asked if you want a slice of lean or fatty). If I'm going to eat brisket, I want a fatty slice. State Eatery's was dry for me, but with sauce was fine. I preferred the chicken, which I thought was very good (smoky with a crispy skin without being overcooked or dry inside). I also enjoyed the beets! I'm a fan of beets, but I've never had them like this and it surprised me. The sides were both good, too! The mac and cheese was made with good pasta and wasn't overcooked or too saucy - and very peppery! The beans with smoked pork were great. I also thought both sauces we had were very good. They also have a bar, so we were able to have some brunch-y cocktails with our BBQ. My husband had their Spanish sangria, which he enjoyed, while I - as slowly as I could - savored my Daytripper Spritz (Matchbook Distilling's Estate Grown Strawberry Amara combined with Prosecco and a touch of lemon juice over ice). The service was great, and they offer indoor and outdoor seating. We wished we could have stayed longer - their indoor bar looked like a great place to watch a World Cup game - but we had to start our drive home. I'd happily return to try more of their food (their choripán - an Argentinian sandwich/street food - was calling my name but we could only order so much since there was just the two of us)!

Tasty sandwiches, a stellar cider selection, and wonderful staff. They have multiple vegetarian…read moreoptions which I always appreciate.

Amazingly flavorful, we changed plans and came back a second time on our vacation trip…read more The schnitzeled oyster mushroom salad was 10/10!

Chicken wings are soooooo good. Also recommend the steak sliders and cheeseburger. Prices are on…read morethe lower side which is rare to see for Ithaca. Casual pub atmosphere with fun sports decor and Knick knacks. It's connected to the Hilton which is quirky but an easy way to meet people visiting town. Will be back!!

Took 45 minutes for appetizers on A Monday night. Not crowded. Hummus was not good and everything…read moreelse was just ok. Only here 1 day, but have to assume there are better options.

We went to the buffet for the first time in years , now offered only twice a week post-pandemic …read more.. For filling yourself up with good Indian "comfort food" you can't go wrong ... Those looking for "elevated" or hipster type Indian food may indeed not find it in Ithaca -- but that's not what Diamonds has ever tried to be ... And if you order their entrees (at evenings or non- buffet times), they're usually quite good ... Had the lamb vindaloo a while back & it was quite nice ...

ordered lamb with potatos and got one small piece of potato. I asked telling them I really love the…read morefood and wanted potatos and a woman actually came out of the kitchen and told me it only comes with the one small piece of potato, which is of course ridiculous so I asked her can I get a side of potatoes charge me and she said no. Absurd. They lost a regular customer cause it was the second time they were in the food was quite good but their response was absolutely ridiculous and I was so disappointed and I'll go to the Indian restaurant up in College town in the future.