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

Great place to go, good food good drink. Make it a weekly stop The blue burger, and the wings are the best 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

My parents love coming here with the friends and for the lunch specials. I had the steak bleu salad the other evening and it was delicious. It was a massive portion, I couldn't finish it all. Service is consistently great as they all work together! It's small inside with limited seating but they move quick and the food is always on point read more

We were in town for the Sub-Regional High School softball game at Carrier Park. Figured, something to eat and drink before returning to Albany. Tavern is in a small strip mall with minimal parking. When we walked in around 7pm, it was busy but they sat us pretty quickly. Hate to say that is about the only positive. Waitress didn't come to the table for over 10 minutes. Took our drink order, and did not return with beers for another 15 minutes, rather another waitress came over to take out food order then the bartender came over with our beers and apologized for the wait. We ordered 2 salads. They looked good although I ordered Salmon on the Caesar salad and it had shrimp. The waitress took both orders back and again another apology. She returned with Amandas salad and without mine, seemed she didn't know what to do with Amanda's. She came back with what seemed like a deep fried Salmon as it had a "crust" around the entire Salmon. Not too much else to say, the food was ok as we ordered salads. Never asked if we wanted another drink. The establishment is small and narrow with dim lighting. It seems like a place that is frequented by regulars. By the time we left around 8ish, it had cleared out. Would I come back? No I would find another place as Syracuse has many other more places to go. read more

Food, Service and Setting is on point at all times. Consistently good! Well done Team Dark Horse!

This is a great spot! I had Utica greens and French onion soup. It's small and intimate. The bartender was the host and kept everyone seated and the drinks flowing. I highly recommend the short drive to Dewitt read more

Brian and Shane are great bartenders! Always friendly and quick with serving you! Had the steak & blue salad at the bar...delicious! Delicious chocolate martinis! read more

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Went here on a whim for dinner the other night. From the front it looks like it's going to be a small dive bar but boy did it not disappoint. First off the service was outstanding, some of the best service I have had in years. The meal came with bread and olive oil which was good. My husband got the French onion soup which he enjoyed, said it tasted home made and it didn't have a lot of salt which he liked. For the meal I got the Salmon which was good and he got the short rib sandwich which was very large and he really enjoyed it. Small place but it was really good, pretty busy and we got sat right away at 630pm. Seems like a lot of people frequent the place since the servers knew people by name. The server also said they have the best fish fry in town so that probably worth a try I can imagine it's probably delicious! read more

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Classy, cozy, great food and great service. I recommend parking out front and not in back- easier access.

Arriving here is a bit of a bother because of the parking situation. They share a store front with other businesses and sometimes you have to park out back. Once you handle parking it's all good from there. It's a small space, I would describe it as more cozy than cramped. Drinks are strong and the cook knows what they are doing. Give the specials a glance, if something looks intriguing--try it out. There is a good chance you will not be disappointed. The staff here is awesome. Everyone seems like they are part owners and takes pride in the experience they provide their guests. It's a team effort, the servers clean tables and haul dishes if needed for quick turnover (it's cozy AND popular), the bartenders make rounds at the tables if the bar is slow. I wouldn't be surprised if the cooks come out to polish glasses in the free minutes they have. When I was here I observed a tight ship of awesome people running an amazing restaurant. read more

Ahhhh the Dark Horse. Nothing makes my foodie spider sense tingle like the thought of a night at the Dark Horse. It starts with the ambience - when you walk in you will think to yourself "wow this place is small, we'll never get a table". And, you may be right - waits for a table can sometime be upwards of 45 minutes if they are busy. However, if you are willing to log some time at the bar with the friendly bar staff, then your wait will be well rewarded. The dim lighting and the hum of background chatter usually sets the stage for a nice evening of good dining. The Dark Horse utilizes a team style serving where you will see many faces throughout your meal. I am a big fan of this when the wait staff is as solid as the Dark Horse's. They work very well together and never seem to miss a beat. Bread is served with your meal and is good - pretty standard for restaurants these days with a dipping oil/pepper/spice/cheese mix. They always have some good appetizer specials on tap, and we usually give those a a shot. Try ordering some of their buffalo wings with crumbly bleu cheese on top - they were a special one evening and blew me away. The menu has a good mix of sandwich and smaller plate type dishes that are nicely priced if you aren't looking to spend a lot of money. Entrees are served with starter salads and soup (try their homemade clam chowder when they have it). The entrees show a wide variety with their normally being a fish special and some type of steak or chicken special in addition to the normal offerings. Dessert is always excellent here. All of the desserts are homemade and they rotate what is available each week. I have friends who would probably be willing to part with a limb for a slice of their banana cream pie or some of the Mary's big ass chocolate cake. Are they crazy or just Dark Horse fan boys like myself? The negatives (yes, I am done gushing). Parking is TIGHT. They share a front lot with Mario & Salvo's and a few other businesses, so you may be forced to park out back, which is limited. If in a pinch you can always park at the Tops across the street. As I mentioned, if you're looking for a quick in and out, it's not happening here. Other than that, it's solid. Can't go wrong here. If you haven't been here, or haven't heard of it, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot some night. Oh yeah, great spot for a date. read more

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Absolutely recommend if it Cortland. Owners are friends but I can still objectively state that the combination bar/restaurant works. Heidi is the Best waitress serving great food and a great smile as well! read more

Great food excellent bartender. The dough for pizza and calzones is excellent

Excellent food. The service was quick and friendly. The place is just a small hole in the wall full of locals but really a cool local place. Well done. read more

Doesn't look like much from the outside, but had very attentive service, pleasant ambiance and the food was good. Really enjoyed myself and had a wonderful evening. Quality ingredients that are presented well. read more

We were traveling through Syracuse on vacation and we felt so lucky to have stopped at the Dark Horse Tavern! First, the atmosphere. Unexpected is an understatement. You walk up to an old strip mall and see the small storefront. Okay. You go in and are transported - it's a skinny space, low lighting, with an old timely bar with a beautiful horse painting behind it, surrounded by booths. The back opens up to a few more tables and booths and you can see the kitchen serving window (which I love) in the back. This place is small, but cozy and sweet. The staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. The bolognese pasta is pure comfort and enough for two or three (take it from Italians) with a complimentary side of Italian bread and olive oil. We also had a very well priced dry rose wine special by the bottle. If you get the Caesar salad, ask for it lightly dressed, even though the house made dressing is very good. I can't tell you how happy we were walking out of this place- perfection after a long day on the road. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - French onion soup. - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Food is excellent. Their burgers are so good and the service is exceptional. All the servers and bartenders are friendly

Recommended. Food is delicious and good amounts. Jimmy the bar tender is fun to talk to and gives you good options. The menu changed 2 months ago so you might not find everything. Chicken and lemon grass potstickers are a must and the soup of the day was creamy potato and sausage also was delicious. You would think is a big place but it sits about 40 people per bar tender comment. It's very cozy and clean. Have some TVs and comfortable chairs with a full bar. read more

Dark Horse Tavern - Dark horse tavern! - American Near Me - Syracuse, New York

My husband and I were in the area and stumbled upon the dark horse tavern. Although the venue is pretty tight, the food is absolutely delicious! We had the honey salmon/French onion soup/quesadilla/Cesar salad. Definitely recommend checking this place out! Cl read more

We had just gotten back into town from a weekend in the Catskills and were too tired to cook. I've had dark horse on my radar for years. But never made it out that way to try it. Since a decision needed to be made. We decided it was the night for it. Trying to locate this place you really need to pay attention. It's in a small strip mall just past a busy intersection and the storefront is so small it's a blink and you'll miss it sort of place the parking lot in front is pretty tiny but I think there's additional parking in the back. Upon entering this place is small. Maybe 6-7 booths along the walls in the front with a large bar next to them with some stool seating and a few tables in back. They jammed as much seating in a small location as they could while keeping a decent flow it seemed. Bartender acted as the host and told us to pick a booth and the server would be right over, And true to his word she was. There is a pretty extensive alcoholic drink menu given the full bar but non alcoholic is pretty standard stuff. Nothing fancy. The menu is a single sheet which I love because it's not hard to make a choice and you don't end up picking something out of 100 options, but the waitress did go through quite the chat about specials and pricing on things which seemed to vary with the other tables I overheard getting the same speech. We went for their pot roast poutine app and I got a short rib grilled cheese. Naomi got herself a Caesar salad because she wanted dessert and didn't want to fill up too much. Man, the food here I'll tell you. Bits and pieces of it were pure bliss. Not many stumbles and it might just be a preference where my issues were. First off, the only thing poutine about the appetizer was there was fries with some stuff on it. Wasn't traditional by any means. But the pot roast was stuff of legend. So tender and rich, possibly the best pot roast I've ever had at a restaurant. And I eat a lot of American comfort food when I go out because it's my favorite. The fries were pretty standard but cooked well. Not soggy or overly crunchy. And it has a shredded cheese instead of curds. And not much of it. I wish it had more. Cause a lot of it went without for the size of the dish. The Demi glacé the use instead of brown gravy was delicious though. A welcome change to the standard poutine gravy. Now as for the sandwich, something I regularly try and review everywhere. They call it a grilled cheese. I call their bluff there. It's more of a melt. There was definitely some thick sliced brioche bread with some melted provolone on it. But again, the meat was the star here. The short ribs and caramelized onion. There was so much of it. The real smoke of the provolone and taste was lost. It really needed more of it or to be shredded and mixed in with the meat. Perfectly browned on a flat top though and the short rib was tender and seasoned well and delicious. And it came with more of that excellent demi as a dipping sauce and a choice of sides. I just got more fries cause I'm a big meat and potatoes guy. Naomi got the French silk pie as the aforementioned dessert and I did try a little of that. The crust shell was pretty meh. But the mouse filling was dense and rich and not overly sweet. A little lighter on that and it could have been perfection. But it didn't get enough air whipped into it. Overall, not bad though. Definitely tasty Overall I can't give dark horse a perfect score cause of a few things like the lack of non alcoholic drinks and a few missteps that could be just my opinion. But what they do. They definitely impress. And it was worth the wait to go and give them a try. I definitely am interested in their house specialty burger on the menu so I'll be back. They are a solid choice if your looking for a nice evening out. read more

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The Dark Horse Tavern is one of the best kept secrets in Dewitt. You'll never get a marginal meal here and they have a contender for the best burger in Syracuse (The Tavern Burger). It gets crowded (not so great a secret) but service is cordial and efficient and you leave happy. Highly recommended. read more

Local gem! Great food and staff. Great selection of drinks. Would recommend for a date night, a night out with friends or a family dinner.

Love this place. My new favorite local restaurant. I recently moved to Dewitt so I am now trying to be a regular at this place! The food is great and the service is amazing. read more

The Dark Horse is a regular spot for us - the food is consistent, the service is always terrific, and the menu changes regularly. It's a small space and it gets crowded, especially if there's a popular sporting event on TV. Careful in the parking lots which are narrow. The French onion soup is always good. They have a number of decent beers on tap, a sizable wine list, and a full bar. Their desserts are homemade, and last night we shared a key lime pie that was creamy, tart and had pieces of zest mixed in. It was outstanding. The only reason I don't give the Dark Horse 5 stars is that the food is safe, meaning there aren't many surprises. This is probably in response to the clientele who are generally older locals who are seeking consistency and familiarity. My husband and I come here when we want something that we know will be good. It's never going to challenge your palate. That's ok, but you can get the exact same food at multiple establishments around Central NY. A lot of diners like that. There is usually at least one vegetarian option on the entree menu and a few salads/appetizers that are vegetarian or can be made vegetarian. It's not vegan friendly. They do fish well and have good fish specials that are more complicated and nuanced than a salmon salad. The olive oil/bread basket at the beginning of the meal is a nice touch. read more

So I'm visiting a friend and Syracuse and we wanted dinner. So I looked on yelp and found this place. They already had good reviews but y'all know sometimes the experience varies. This was not the case. The ambiance was very comfortable and relaxing. We were sat and greeted. We ordered the wings and salmon ceaser salad for an appetizer. Literally one of the best salads I've had and the wings were amazing. We both got the 22 oz steak which was like chewing on butter. The wait staff was very nice but Tyler just made the experience even more enjoyable. He was friendly and on point, had a nice smile and wasn't too bad to look at lol. Definitely going to come here when I visit again and my friend whose a local was so happy that I found a new place to eat. read more

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

My 1st time to the Dark Horse Tavern. Definitely a locals place. I walked in and it was busy on a Monday night so that's always a good sign. I had the short rib grilled cheese, cup of chorizo, corn and bean chowder. Everything was delicious. I was torn between the burger and grilled cheese. I heard both are great, because time I'll try the Tavern burger read more

Don't let the outside fool you as there is a very quaint bar/restaurant serving up great food just beyond the door! The French onion soup was outstanding! Entree portions are huge! read more

Nice pub. Good fresh food- we had wings, burgers, chicken sandwich and French Dip. Good beer selection. Will return again. Complementary bread was nice, the olive oil and Italian spice mix to dip the bread was fabulous. read more

I feel like I already reviewed this place but don't see it! I feel it's worthy of a good review, so wanted to throw it on here. Their menu changes periodically. We just went again over the weekend (prob our 5th visit) and they have a new menu. I had the tagine and it was SO good! I want more! LOL. Seriously, I was tempted to get an order to go for lunch the next day! My husband tried the short rib grilled cheese and it was huge and delicious! The other item I was debating whether to order was the short ribs. I have to assume the short rib meat in his sandwich was the same thing and it was so tender and tasty. As usual, they delivered. The staff is also attentive and friendly. If you haven't been here and are thinking of trying it, do it! read more

Surprisingly decent food, but extremely small restaurant with high priced dishes. It was a bit of a fluke that my family and I arrived here on a Saturday night. I've been wanting to try this place for a while, especially since I live down the street, but it always seemed so sketchy from the outside. The reviews on yelp gave me courage to finally try this place and we were quite surprised by how well everything was made. I started off ordering their Buffalo Wings ($14 for ~10 wings) and they were almost saucy enough for me to not need extra! They were breaded, crispy, juicy and substantial. I was a bit bored by the sauce though. For how perfect the wing was, I wish there was more flavor to the sauce, maybe some garlic or Parmesan. But these are Buffalo wings, so I have to be content with their red hot and butter. My mother and brother ordered their French Onion Soup ($7) and were happily satisfied with their soup. My mom and I split "That Burger, You Know the One" ($16) which had a bacon-onion jam, mushrooms, Swiss, roasted garlic and truffle aioli, Cabernet and brown sugar reduction. I originally thought that all of these toppings were going to be overkill, but I was pleasantly surprised by the mix of flavors. The sweetness of the brown sugar reduction really brought out the cabernet and swiss. But boy was that burger messy. The patty was cooked perfectly. So perfectly, that between the reduction sauce and the juices, I basically had soup on my plate. The brioche roll was able to hold up to all of the juices, but it couldn't protect against the spillage over the sides. It made a nice sauce over my fries though! My brother ordered the Short Rib Grilled Cheese ($15) which had extremely tender and flavorful pot roast, but, for a grilled cheese, had very little cheese. The bread was also unpleasantly crunchy. The waiter also sold us on their homemade desserts for $8 a piece. I asked for the peaches and cream cheesecake, which was great for a cheesecake, but the peaches got lost. My mom ordered their Orange Crunchcake which also had great flavor and was nice and moist, but it didn't taste like orange at all. My brother ordered their Chocolate Cake which was also very moist and extremely fudge-y. I would have needed a glass of milk if I had more than 1 bite. Overall, while this place was small and we had a bit of a wait, but that's to be to be expected on a Saturday night. The biggest downside was that it was quite expensive for pub food. In that respect, I don't know if it was worth it, but the food was good. The staff was obviously rushed and busy, but they were still very attentive and filled our water at any slightest reduction in our glass. I would recommend this place to anyone willing to spend a pretty penny on pub food. read more

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Dropping our son off at Syracuse university and looked for a good meal without a lot of planning (reservations). This place was a find. Great a atmosphere, lovely service and delicious food! read more

A strip mall bar/eatery that offers live theatre (in house!) of 48-63 year olds cramped at the bar all boozy and hitting on each other. Secretly, I think it's sort of the Jamesville/Dewitt meat market if you catch my drift. Syracuse is sort of a time warp, and this place will let you into the world of the locals who never left....stay for the food too (quite good Americana). The show at the bar is worth the trip alone... read more

Ordered take out from this business tonight. Had maple bacon wings, short rib grilled cheese, and the dip sandwich. All were excellent. even the bun on the dip sandwich was seasoned well and delicious. Plenty of dipping sauces included. Overall a great experience during this stupid pandemic. I also appreciated that the take out containers were environmentally friendly. If only the owner could figure out how to supply cold draft beer to my living room! We had drinks here about a year ago and I remember excellent draft choices. Will definitely be back - hopefully in person next time for some frosty beer! read more

Always great food! The steak and bleu salad and the pub wings are 5 star winners! As is the Short Rib, yum!

I've gone here off & on many years. Always fine. Took home the Poutine. For the first time ever - terrible. several pieces of the meat were inedible. All fat, not just in need of a trim. I never complain - but i called - was told they rarely get complaints on that dish. I agreed, which is why I order it. They offered me a replacement certificate- never came. I called again, retook my info....again never came. I sent an e-mail -Ignored. My family is in the high end restaurant business- I don't need a free meal. I just thought they should know for whatever reason- there was an issue. Would have cost them $2 + a stamp. read more

Great food and drinks, insanely waspy atmosphere. Always very kind wait and bar staff, food always outstanding.

Great bar and even better service! Love the food! Rum and coke can never go wrong! Coconut Shrimp and DHT wings! read more

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

We chose Dark Horse Tavern on the fly based on reviews on Yelp... And we were not disappointed in the least! We entered through the back door right into a hallway walking past the kitchen. The atmosphere was immediately welcoming as the staff greeted us while they were busy. A sign said to check in with the bartender if we planned to dine, which we did. Our timing was spot on as one last table was available. Great first impression. Then not only were we treated to DELICIOUS food but.... (wait for it...) The staff was AMAZING! They were prompt. And they were courteous. And they were attentive. And they were friendly! Their timing was exquisite even considering all the tables were full and there were folks waiting for a table. And did I mention the food was delicious? This is a dining experience I would recommend to anyone. read more

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