We spent a few days visiting Seneca Lake. After hiking Watkins Glen, we wanted a place to grab a…read morequick bite to eat. We found the Elf in the Oak on Yelp and once we saw the menu, we knew we had to give it a try. The Elf in the Oak is nestled on Rt 414. If you're not actively using a GPS, you may pass it by. It's not a large place by any means, but there's more than enough seating indoors and out. We went on a Friday morning, so there wasn't a wait and we received our food quickly. We both wanted 'the Spicy' and I have to admit, it's one of the best egg sandwiches I've ever had, which is high praise coming from someone who once worked at a popular bagel joint on Long Island. If we lived locally, we'd definitely go back, but I hope if you're looking for a quick casual brunch place to grab a bite, you consider visiting the Elf In The Oak.

Came here after backpacking, it was delicious…read more Food: the sandwiches were amazing and worth every penny. The turkey with apple and bacon was amazing. The schnitzel sandwich was also very good. The fries, at $8 as a side were not worth it, I would have rather ordered another sandwich than got two sides of fries. The chips were also almost flavorless, except that of 99% fresh oil. The kids grilled cheese was American cheese, and thus, imho, was not very good. One of my kids took a bite and didn't like it either. Ambiance: simple, nice view of the lake. Service: friendly staff. Tl;DR: I'll be back, but won't order sides or the grilled cheese.

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)!

Locals told us: Get great sandwiches from the deli in this convenience store!…read more Shortstop Deli has been "hidden" in a convenience store in the "lower northside" of Ithaca NY since 1978! Great design-your-own sandwiches, and if you like, friendly suggestions from the staff. It was our first time in, and their helpful hints quickly showed they have every filling (savory seitan!) and every topping and a nice variety of breads. We got their "Italian mix" of cold cuts, which included Genoa salami, sweet tender thin-sliced baked ham, and meats that were either mortadella and capicola or at least richly-flavored alternates, provalone cheese, tomato, onions, a light amount of lettuce brightened with a splash of Italian dressing and a dash of fresh salad-oil, and a sprinkling of what we call "hots": lightly-spicy pickled peppers. All this on fresh French bread, which could have been with sesame, or could have been ciabatta or whole-wheat French or several others. We added a light scatter of our own crushed pistachios, which are in some mortadellas. Nobody said this couldn't be fun :-) The sandwich was a heavenly armful, shared amongst us on one of our woodsy picnics. Extra kudos again to their cheerful helpful (patient) staff!

Friendly fast fresh! I'll go again when I'm in town! Keep Ithaca fun!…read moreLove the fact that I could get a small-ish sub.

No soup in the summer! Nice sandwiches. Limeade…read more Our Ithaca NY friends like the soups here, so we stopped in. Gorgers told us they don't serve soup in the summer. Not gazpacho, not borscht, no brightly colorful cream soups or bisques, no mint soups. They have plenty of interesting sandwiches on homemade bread. They have limeade! But we were here for soup in July. Nope.

I can't believe it took me THIS long to try this Ithaca staple. The sub was packed with flavor. The…read morefries were perfectly fried and seasoned. And the portions were the right amount for one satisfying meal. I recommend ordering ahead online, especially on weekends, to avoid the line that can sometimes form.

Ribs are amazing and cider to…read more ???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!????!!?!???!?!?!?!?!?!?

Super cute spot with lots of unique cider options and great cornbread/desserts!…read more We tried the Funkhouse, Sparkling Cab Franc, Fruit of the Bloom, and Persici (in order from dry to sweet). My favorites were the Fruit of the Bloom which is infused with ginger as well as the Funkhouse. I liked how crisp the funkhouse was and I loved the ginger note in fruit of the bloom. The others were okyay too, persici was very sweet but paired nicely with the ginger hazelnut baklava which was incredible! I am allergic to pistachios, so I loved that I could eat their baklava! We also tried the cornbread with strawberry and jalapeno butter- absolutely incredible. I am from the south and have had a lot of cornbread but this truly stands out. It came out warm with a slight crunch from the crust while maintaining the perfect crumb inside. Just crumbly enough and not too try! I also really enjoyed the jalapeno and strawberry butters- you can tell they use high quality butter, they almost reminded me of goat cheese. I preferred the jalapeno butter a tad more but both were great! The exterior is beautiful- the views are very nice. I would highly recommend coming on a warm day and sitting outside. We initially sat on the balcony but moved due to the bees. The tables underneath the white tent were shaded and bee-free. Service was pretty quick- our ciders came out almost immediately. We had to wait ~10-15 minutes for the cornbread though, but I didn't mind especially given it was warm! Overall, I would highly recommend!

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!

This place has it all! Lots of made to order options for breakfast and lunch, beers on tap, a store…read morewith lots of delicious grab and go items, and tables to dine in or outside. I really enjoyed the bowl I ordered and felt like it was A TON of food! The atmosphere here is great too, and the employees are friendly and helpful. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in town.

Excellent baked goods. Lively atmosphere…read more We wanted some fast, indulgent takeout (Jul 2026). We hit the very cute Ithaca Bakery on Meadow at Court. I think that's called the Washington Park neighborhood, or west-Downtown. For pickup, we parked on Meadow. To eat in, there's a pretty large parking lot on Court Street. We saw what looked like more than 40 pastries in the display case, more than 15 bagel varieties, smoothies, teas, lemonade, and a host of creative coffee beverages. Of course, i got an espresso, neat. Rich, dense, dark, hot, perfectly drawn. And a regular Americano with oat milk. Fresh and tasty. Got a generously decorated well-crisped BLT to-go. We split that enormous blueberry, strawberry, kiwi tart. I wont even tell you what we added on top, but i'll say it was nearly next door ;-) Quick friendly service. The happy chatter of well-caffeinated well-sugared people. We even saved a fellow pastry-aficionado from forgetting their purse!

I never realized how very good Jersey Mikes was! Love the cheesesteak subs! And the staff here was…read morefriendly, funny and very engaging!! We will definitely be back...a lot!!

Fast and delicious Long line but moved fast…read more Fresh and made correctly Easy to get parking