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    It’s A Utica Thing

    4.0 (21 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order It’s A Utica Thing Takeout or Delivery

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    Rahul K.

    It's a quintessential Utica experience; recommended to us by a friend. Our group of four was excited to try a new spot in town. We ordered the garlic bread, and it was amazing, definitely a highlight. However, the wings left much to be desired. We also sampled several pizzas, including the spicy tricolor, Utica tomato pie, and New York-style garlic pizza. The spicy tricolor was decent, though nothing extraordinary; the other two, however, were below average. The cheese on the Utica tomato pie tasted stale, and the garlic pizza was a disappointment. We rounded out our meal with a few lemonades and iced teas. The ambiance is fantastic, with a clean and artistically designed washroom. Our server, Alice, was exceptionally helpful and friendly, going above and beyond to meet our needs. The only area for improvement is the flavor profile of the dishes. Ultimately, the garlic bread is the only menu item I can wholeheartedly recommend.

    French onion bay leaf?
    Steve A.

    This place looks nicer inside than you'd expect from the strip mall outside. But looks can be deceiving. Maybe it was short staff with only one waitress for the bar and dining room, but we had some really long wait times between our food or even having our table attended. We arrived with just one or two other tables occupied. Waitress said she'd bring by water. I went to the very nice restroom, came out - and only glasses on the table. No water. It did come shortly thereafter and we placed our orders. My friend got Utica greens and offered them to the table. I don't know if there was a miscommunication but all 3 of us had ordered hot apps and they were nowhere to be seen. She told us "they'll be out in a minute" and then disappeared for the next 20 minutes. We ran out of water in the meantime. The complimentary cheese garlic bites she put down with the greens were nice but a very short delay in our hunger. So I ended up trying a tiny bite of greens - unexpectedly a little spicy, breadcrumbs added some zing but I would say overly breaded and flavor otherwise unremarkable. Finally our hot appetizers arrived - after I asked for the manager. That miraculously seemed to do the trick. The manager said our other entrees were going in now, which is more truthful than "in a minute", and I'll say service improved from that point on. I shouldn't have had to do that though. The daily special French onion soup was way too salty. The bowl shape left a deviously smaller top than middle, so not enough bread and cheese to balance the salty soup. And I expect bay leaves in Indian cuisine but not French - could easily have ended up with that slicing my tongue. My friends both said their hot appetizers were good, but nothing spectacular, and the ravioli marinara is a testament to that (tomatoey but underseasoned). Homemade is a positive at least. As far as the entrees, I'm a sucker for homemade pasta. I did vodka riggies instead of chicken, and instead of pieces of prosciutto like I expected from the menu description, it was tiny motes in the sauce. Sigh. But it tasted great, especially with the hot peppers I asked them to add. The waitress did offer to bring around Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes... guess how long that took? So again, maybe just short staffed and she had to serve some other bar customers before returning to us. So. Ambiance: 5 stars. Food: 4 for the entrees, 3 for the appetizers. Service: 2 stars, reserving 1 for my worst experiences. If we had been comped even one appetizer for the long wait time, if the manager explained that they were short staffed - anything to improve our experience, and I would have given 4 stars instead of 3. But as it stands I would recommend a pass for your Utica edibles.

    First time visiting since they change their name from Charlie's. Order two fish fries for pick up for $50.00. Decided to leave a review after consuming three fries, one piece of lettuce and using my own ketchup. Portions are extremely skimpy as one can see from the picture. Sorry to say this will be my first and last visit to "It's a Utica thing."

    Maestro L.

    Very surprised. Expected another overrated Italian restaurant. Server/bartender awesome. Ambience was just perfect with lighting and music. Wings cooked perfect. Pizza, great sauce but undercooked. Layer of uncooked dough on top. Wine is reasonable

    Bolognese with ricotta
    Carleen S.

    Be ready for a transformation. My girlfriends and I wanted a comfortable a spot that had a cool vibe with great food and drinks. A place where we could chit chat over shared plates. It's A UT hit the mark. Service was on point and food was upscale Italian with a flair. The charcuterie board was delish; tomato pie unexpectedly tasty. Bolognese with homemade pasta, yes homemade! Pork chop cooked perfectly. Salmon w risotto was tender, exceptional. Not sure which was best ?! Definitely Check it out.

    Haddock Oreganato and Chicken piccata.
    Nora D.

    Our first time here and we are pleased with the meal and the service. I had chicken piccata with their homemade pasta, delicious. My husband's fish was a good size and it came with pasta.

    Buffalo chicken calzone
    Tarik O.

    Walking in you notice the bar and it's very lively. The service was pretty good. My wife had a watered down mixed drink so watch out for that. Food was much better. Everything tasted as it should. Overall it was a nice experience. P.s parking isn't the best, you might have to walk a little. Not always a bad thing after all that food.

    Chicken Riggies
    Mariesa C.

    Just moved back to the area and this place is already my new go to spot! It looks great inside and has a comfortable yet upscale atmosphere. All the pasta's homemade, and all the food I've tried has been delicious. Chicken Riggies and Margherita Pizza were absolutely out of this world

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    2 years ago

    Just awesome. We keep going back and trying new things and everything is delicious. This place is a gem in Utica!

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    3 years ago

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    Review Highlights - It’s A Utica Thing

    I had chicken piccata with their homemade pasta, delicious.

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    It’s A Utica Thing - foodtrucks - Updated June 2026

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