I will start this as I always do by saying I don't give out five stars unless I am really blown away I have not been here for a few years, but nothing has changed. This place is still awesome. It does not have an extravagant menu but everything on the menu is delicious. Portion sizes are great. Service is awesome and the ambience is cool. This is one of my favorite places to come in the Syracuse area. It is now back on the top of my mind so I will be frequently coming back. I suggest you do the same. read more

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The front restaurant entrance is small backing folks up trying to leave from the front or come in. Seating at the bar, tables across and in back. Restaurant for lunch was busy and the service was just OK. Lost a star. Never came back to check on us and other waiter served us. No follow up. Pet peeve. Food ceaser salad with shrimp add was very good. However, the Short Rib Grilled Cheese Slow braised short rib, caramelized onion, provolone, brioche, side of house demi glace was one of the largest serving and best , most flavorful short rib, I have enjoyed. Well worth the price. Had salad side. Overall experience was very good and would return. Entrance and parking also in the rear. Ps Verizon Wireless in back seating, no service and no in-house wifi. read more

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Went to a Yelp Event and unfortunately, did not get a chance to eat before the event. Before leaving we asked our Yelp Community Ambassador, Angela for some recommendations close by that were open later... who better to ask than fellow yelper's for recommendations. The food was delicious, the ambience when you stepped in was beautiful(a perfect place for a date night) and the restaurant definitely lived up to the hype. This restaurant is truly a hidden gem as it is nondescript and tucked in an older strip mall. I used to work up the street and have driven by this mall countless times and never know it was there. So disappointed that I missed out on the opportunity for lunch/dinner when I worked in Dewitt but will definitely be back. My only issue and given my earlier luck with getting a meal was probably all me and whatever bad luck aurora I had hanging over me was that we did not receive all of the food we ordered. Waiter came to take our dishes and was going to box my salad when I said I was still waiting on my grilled chicken for my salad and our side of fries we did not receive. All is good as our fries and chicken finally came out. I will definitely be back. The food was delicious and the menu offered a wide variety of choices read more

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Food and service was over the top had the prime rib which was cooked medium rare. My wife enjoyed the eggplant and my daughter enjoyed the wings and Caesar Salad! Dessert was an excellent Key Lime pie!! Will go back soon! read more

Happened in here while traveling through upstate NY and Wow -what a hidden gem! Very small space with an even smaller kitchen, but the service is excellent and the food is, too. The parking lot is tiny and you will struggle to find a spot, but I promise it's worth the effort. Bartenders were very friendly and made a great Long Island. The seating is tight and so are the walkways, you will be very close to others on a busy night, so if that's not your thing maybe visit on a weekday. The salmon was perfectly prepared and the honey sauce was an excellent complement, not overpowering of the salmon. I'd like to see them in a larger space, but I also fear it might steal away part of their charm. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

It's a small place with a minuscule kitchen but like their name implies, don't be fooled by appearances, they put out great food. The parking lot in front is often full and the traffic flow is one way so you could be stuck " in traffic" there when it's busy. There's also a parking lot in back with a separate rear entrance in the back. Got there at 5:30 and the bar was packed but there were tables available. By 6:30 the tables were packed and there was space at the bar. The restaurant is in some ways dominated by the bar so if you're seated in a table by the bar you could have bar patrons right by your table. Ask the bartender for a table when you walk in. Had the pork potstickers which were just good. The bone in pork chop with apple chutney was great. My favorite things though were the lemon ricotta cheesecake and their espresso martini. read more

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This was my first time at Dark Horse. I loved it. It's cute, cozy. Nice atmosphere for a relaxing meal or beverage. We ordered the Haddock Specials. Honestly it was some of the best Haddock I have ever had. The service was friendly and pretty amazing. This is a great place to go with a friend, a group of friends or co workers. I highly recommend going here for great food and excellent friendly service. read more

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Small neighborhood gem of a bar and grill with surprisingly good food. There is limited parking in front, but also more parking in back with a back entrance. The walkways are narrow and seating is slightly cramped, but the feel of the place is still charming. The menu is upscale and the drinks list has a good variety. read more

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Great service, nice spot with good ambiance, that we were happy to finally stop in to. We got the pot roast poutine and the flavor was great, just would have preferred it to be less salty, with more fries (felt very minimal for the amount of meat given especially) and more cheese/cheese curds (seemed to see almost none). We had a burger and the autumn chicken salad and both were great quality meat, great portions, and we loved. Also ordered a drink that was made well, and had a wonderful spot at the bar. It does get packed quickly so be willing to wait if with a group or not sitting at the bar. read more

Had a chicken salad $22.00 I believe .. Not worth $22.00 What can I say .. chicken portion was small / dressing was ok. I mean $22.00 for a maybe $15.00 salad read more

This place was really a delightful experience. I went here for lunch and the staff was extremely pleasant and the food was really good. I got the dip sandwich which was basically a French onion sandwich with the side of horseradish sauce which was amazing. I also got a side of the basil aioli for my fries and it was really good. The Ceasar salad and French onion soup are also a hit. Parking here is a little difficult, they do have parking in the front as well as parking in the back but they are small lots. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - The Dip Sandwich - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Visiting my son for college family weekend. He asked to go here because he came with the his father last month and really loved. We wound up eating here both nights. The food was delicious and a nice portion. I can't believe I actually said to the waiter "that's a lot of meat" . I had orderes the steak and bleu cheese salad last night. Really too big for me, but you definitely get your moneys worth. The mussels app was really good. I really like the sauce they were in. I could be wrong, but it tasted like a sweet chile sauce. Tonight I had the short rib grilled cheese and that was very good as well. I did not finish it though, because again too much for me. I would like to add that there must be a pre-req that the waiters need to be handsome. They were definitely nice to look at. Thanks for the great service as well! Attention to our drinks and cleaning off the table was on point. I will be back next visit. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - Steak and bleu cheese salad - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Great wings. Trusted place for good food. Staff very helpful and inviting. This place has been here for awhile and has it mastered

Such a great spot! Great ambiance, very helpful and friendly staff, and delicious food. They also have homemade desserts. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Food is consistently good! The short rib grilled cheese is out of this world. The service is great and for now busy it's considerably fast. I like the dark lighting and small, cozy feel. The espresso martini is top notch. Great bar tender and servers here. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - Espresso martini - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Great food, fast and friendly service. Cozy place for lunch. Try the French onion soup.

What an awesome find! Visiting Syracuse for the weekend and this gem was recommended to us. Everyone from servers to bartenders to waitstaff were friendly and super efficient. We had a few drinks at the bar and then dinner which was all perfect. Even the customers were welcoming and friendly which is something you don't always find when traveling. Highly recommend! read more

Dark Horse Tavern - Fish and Chips; Mushroom and Swiss Burger - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Not my first time here but first time at lunch. At 1:00 on a Thursday it was packed but luckily one table was left (it's a small place). We were seated promptly and water and menus were given soon after. They had specials but I ordered off the lunch menu as did my girlfriend. I got the steak salad and my girlfriend the poutine. The steak was cooked perfectly to my taste of medium rare and the dish was a perfect combination of flavors. It was also beautiful to look at!!! My friend loved the poutine and ate all of hers but I brought some of my salad home. They has a special blueberry crumble cake and she brought a slice home. She told me later it was excellent. The service was amazing with a waiter and waitress doing tag team to make sure everyone was taken care of. I have to say I love this place!!! read more

Dark Horse Tavern - Steak & Bleu Salad - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

They always serve great food. We enjoy the friendly service and cozy atmosphere. We have been many times.

Small rather cramped place. Noisy. Some excellent beer and the French onion soup is very good. But way too crowded for a small space. Not really possible to relax read more

Dark Horse Tavern - Onion soup - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Holy legit ness! So this place is very small but can turn some people like no other. Worth a visit as the food and specials look amazing and I can't express it in words but the poutine is where you should start. I will warn you it will fill you up so plane to split the dinner meal. Double it if there are more than two. Like 4. I nabbed the cheese sandwhich and it was huge and great! Staff is great and they all rotate which is helpful and ensures your drinks is never empty. If I roll back through town, I'll be back! read more

Dark Horse Tavern - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

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Have been coming here for years. Great place to come and hang out with friends. Food is very good. I always order one of there burgers . Always comes perfectly cooked. Appetizers are very good. I like to order the spicy mussels. So good. Many other options for all tastes. Nice bar menu as well. Come early because this place is small. Enjoy! read more

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We had dinner at The Dark Horse restaurant tonight. People are so quick to criticize these days. I would like to take this opportunity to praise our server who went above and beyond, Leiji. He was so pleasant, honest, fun and so awesome at his suggestions. He epitomizes the meaning of customer service and an employee that makes me want to come back soon. read more

Quite possibly the best service in all of Central New York! Everyone here is at the top of their game and it shows at every point in your visit. Been coming here for several years and continue to be impressed every time. From something as simple as a Caesar salad, to inventive specials, the food is on another level. Can't go wrong with pretty much any choice (have probably eaten 90% or more of menu). Cocktails are well made, great wine and beer selection too. What more could you ask for? read more

A little hole in the wall, but super friendly staff and good food. I was craving some carbs and have heard good things about dark horse's food, so I ordered the pasta bolognese. What a heaping amount of pasta- It's fed me for the past 2 days. I am biased towards shredded/diffuse meat in the sauce, and dark horse's sauce is more chunky pieces of meet, but everything was super flavorful and fresh. I could see into their kitchen and saw some pretty great looking salads, so might have to try those next. read more

That was a superior dinner last night. We each had the Poutine , a Canadian dish of slow roast beef tips over fries and a brown gravy with crumbled cheeses. Absolutely fantastic. A first for me. Recommended that I look for It by YELP friend Darlene. Thank you. Our companions had the steak and the Roast Beef Sandwich. Everything was terrific. No reservations taken, and seating is limited but dining at the bar is always an option. I would come here once a week if I lived here. Such pleasant service, and we met the owner Andrew. Warm attention all around.. A Winner. read more

Live this place. Service is great. Wines are good and food does not disappoint! Bartender always has a handle on seating

Wow! In town visiting Syracuse college and I cannot say enough! Drinks were good. Service was amazing. Food was fantastic!! Loved the steamed mussels. So cozy and a relaxing atmosphere. read more

I'm usually the one to research food options when my husband and I are visiting a new city, but my husband gets all the credit for this one. I had taken a quick look at the menu a few days earlier, but didn't really know what to expect. We were starving when we got to Syracuse after our two hour drive from Buffalo so we decided to go straight to Dark Horse Tavern rather than checking into the hotel. We pulled into a small parking lot and this place is nothing to look at from the outside. Once you step inside, it is absolutely lovely! It has a nice darkness to it in a classy way rather than a divey way that bars often have. The dark wood, yellows and greens work so nicely in here, it was an incredibly comfortable place to have a late lunch. As one would guess, the artwork features horses. It a long and narrow place with small booths running down one wall and the bar and several tables down the other. We sat at the table next to the bar, which has a nice partition and couldn't tell we were next to the bar. When you go in, the bartender directs you to choose a table and our server was with us quickly. She was excellent and did a great job going over all the specials with us (and the prices). The specials are also listed on a board over the kitchen. They don't have a huge menu, but it is very solid and I think anyone from picky eaters to food snobs could be easily pleased. One thing we really enjoyed was that it definitely felt more like a nice restaurant rather than a bar. Olive oil on the tables bread service. The paper napkins rather than linens were the only thing to remind us it was a bar (no complaints about paper napkins, just an observation). The bread service is great, they give you a plate with grated Parmesan, herbs and salt and you can pour olive oil onto the mixture for dipping your bread. We both ended up the Manhattan clam chowder, which was the soup du jour. The bread was a nice accompaniment to he soup. One thing we both noticed was that the cup of soup was a pretty large serving, a lot of restaurants would probably consider it to be Bowl size. Very good chowder, I enjoyed that the potato chunks were on the larger side. It also had a bit of a kick to it. Perfect in our opinion, but spice sensitive people might want to take note. We decided to order the short rib grilled cheese with fries as well as the pot roast poutine and share both. The poutine was excellent, I do like my fries a bit crispier than these were, but the flavors were perfect. The cubes of pot roast were fork tender as they should be, the gravy was flavorful and the cheese was perfectly melted (they use cheese vs the traditional cheese curds). The short rib grilled cheese was served with fries and a side gravy (it almost had an au jus taste) so in hindsight, we basically ordered the same dish, just served differently! Bathrooms are small, but clean (with horse pictures of course), there is a window into the kitchen so you can see what's going on and there is also a back door leading to what I assume is another parking lot. So pleased with everything about this place, I wouldn't hesitate to go back or recommend it to anyone. Excellent. read more

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I always look forward to their soup of the day! It's a great place to join friends for happy hour.

This place is cozy. The service is outstanding. The food is delicious. There is nothing more to say. 10/10 will definitely be back again.

We have been coming here as long as we have lived in the Syracuse area, before we were married or had kids. Now it's more of the date night spot for us, because it special to us. The food is great, the drinks are unbeatable, their mixologist is amazing and SO friendly. There isn't much seating space which is just a product of the restaurant location but it's worth the stop if you want a cozy date night or even just to grab a drink and have some good conversation. Not to mention their desserts are top notch tasty! read more

Returned here after a cuse football with a party of four and once again had yummy food and good service! Tried the following this time around: Wings-done very well! Clam, corn and sausage chowder-very well done! Side salad-generous portion and I love that they include craisins French Dip-husband loved it as much as the first time he had it there. Dewitt Philly- yummy Scallop special of the day day over risotto-very yummy! What a great find in East Syracuse! Had reached out on a Facebook page about a local joint near Trader Joe's and we got lots of suggestions for this restaurant and I'm so glad we tried it out! It is a small place but extremely cozy inside and you can tell that it is a local place where the bartender knows your name and your favorite drink after a few visits. Great food and service! The waitresses seem to work as a team and were always making sure our drinks were refilled and we had everything we needed. read more

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This place is a favorite. Many date nights and happy hours spent here through the years. The staff is attentive and the food is always delicious. read more

Stopped in Friday about 630pm. Small/med size place very busy but luckily found a seat for 2 at the bar. Great old fashioned made by a friendly bar tender. Both bartenders were attentive and friendly. Pork chop was very good and wife's burger was great. Quite loud but after 7pm it cleared out a bit and noise abated. Highly recommend this place, especially if you wait until after 7pm to roll in. read more

Love this quaint spot which has an excellent menu (and plenty of comfort foods) in my opinion, with friendly and extra attentive service (Staff is all about customer service) plus a "local" feel atmosphere!! Found this restaurant/bar a couple years ago, and have always had great experience and meals, so I keep coming back whenever visiting DeWitt/Jamesville area. It's a smaller venue with only ~15 tables/booths plus bar seating, so go early or for late dinner. It's usually quite crowded at happy hour with locals, so be prepared to wait for a seat or belly up to the bar, but worth stopping in. Strike up a friendly conversation, sample some happy hour snacks (usually free) at the bar, or order a special their offering for the day. And if not eating in, they do a nice job with takeout giving you all you need to enjoy their meals. I recently tried their street tacos, filled with tender pulled pork and a creamy zesty slaw mix, tasty with a sweetness. Then shared an order of DHT wings (Buffalo), cooked crispy outside with tender, juicy chicken inside and right amount of buffalo sauce, spicy enough but not too hot - and dip it in some blue cheese or ranch dressing. Next ordered the "Dip" sandwich, tender and juicy sliced prime rib cut beef stacked on a soft salted poppy bun, served with flavorful au jus and horseradish cream sauce on side; ask for extra horseradish if you like it spicier, dip is mild. And if you like fresh cut fries, these are awesome! Finally, they always have a variety dessert menu, from chocolate cake to fan favorite Orange Crunch layer cake, yummy! Cake was moist with light orange flavor, and the icing and crunch make it special. On a different visit, I've ordered their Tavern burger with cheese and bacon, one of the best burgers in town cooked to order! And if you prefer gourmet salads or fish options, their menu has plenty to offer. Enough of my rambling opinion, go to DHT when you are in the Syracuse area. Enjoy!!! read more

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Excellent A+ every time ! One of our go to places. Great staff!! Lots of options which is a plus

This is my new favorite place the food was incredible from the Short rib grilled cheese to the seafood chowder and the desserts are outstanding everything is great well worth a visit read more

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Great bar, food, service and atmosphere. Always enjoyable. Tight space though, so if waiting be patient- it's worth it. read more

Good food and service. Busy and popular long standing business in the community. Only drawback is no guest wifi available and the area has little to no cell phone service (at least with Verizon) so expect to be disconnected while there which also may be a draw for some. I went alone for lunch and brought some work to do which I was not able to do so that was a disappointment. read more