Came here expecting some pizza excellence. After all, some of these reviews speak of Nina's as a…read moregift from God. Average pizza that is more bready than crusty. Way too much cheese & baked on a metal screen. I ordered two slices from their 24" pie. More gimmick than good pizza. Extra soft and not very crusty. The cheese is so gloppy, it spills off the crust and all over your hands. Unfortunate, because the sauce is quite good. I ordered an upside down pie and 2 garlic "giant" knots, too. The upside down was better than the plain cheese, but had the same soft crust, albeit with a better ratio of cheese to sauce to crust. Again, the sauce was the winner. The garlic knots were awful. Tasted like greasy day old pizza dough. No garlic flavor whatsoever. Price for large upside down, 2 large slices, and 2 knots? Nearly $40. Very disappointing.

Stopped in for some lunch today and everything was excellent! We got a chicken wing slice, an…read moreupside down slice, a garlic knot, and a rice ball (my favorite part) with meat, cheese and peas. The service was excellent and they were super friendly! It's set up like a typical pizza shop with some booths to sit in, but it's clean and was decorated nicely for the holidays! The location in downtown Utica is super convenient and it's a great spot to stop in for a casual lunch. In my opinion, it's the best chicken wing pizza I've had around here. I'll definitely be back!

Hypes: - 5 stars for hands down the best fried chicken in…read moreall of the land. I'm not joking and i'm not biased - it's simply the best and that too in Utica NY - The original fried chicken is great, but my favorite go tos are the hot honey chicken and the lemon pepper chicken. mmm. my mouth is salivating as i write this. It's perfectly crispy, perfectly flavored, and well..perfect - Love their sides also - there's a good variety to pick from - collard greens, yams, cabbage, and mac and cheese. their cornbread is so soft and yummy. - I have heard their brunch and their shrimp and other dishes are good but they can't get past the chicken to try anything else yet. it's too good. Gripes: - You might think a meal of chicken and two sides is pricey but it's really worth it for what you get and worth the satisfaction in your content smiling belly.

This is a Great Example of Black or African American Food taste like and providing business as…read moreProfessionals. They also do a lot of catering its sucks when you can't order on those days they are supposed to be open for the public. But nonetheless, I haven't eaten my own cultural food in years because of pork, but this right here brought it back to the Roots! the Food Here!

Ewwww! Poor service…read more- I walked in to an empty store with several workers in the kitchen. I stood looking at them occasionally glancing my way while they busily prepared orders. Despite my standing under the PLACE ORDER HERE sign for greater than 6 minutes no one ever acknowledged my presence. I suppose one of the workers felt me staring a hole in his back so he turned around and our eyes met. I gestured to the cash register and the sign with a questioning expression. His sassy response was "Just a minute ma'am. There's only one person that works the register" Questionable food handling - as I waited for my order I watched EVERY SINGLE WORKER touch the order screen then handle the food with their bare hands. I even witnessed an incident where Mr. Only Cashier picked up a packed order bag, opened it, took out 2 orders of fries covered them with his whole bare hand and transferred them to a different order bag. He then sealed the 1st order back up, put on the shelf where it was, and got back to it. Two important takeaways: there is a sign posted about how serious they take hand washing Mr. Only Cashier did get some hand foam on a dispenser before he took my order. But he didn't get any on the return trip to the kitchen. 10/10 would not recommend!

A friend and I came here late one Friday night (around 7PM) for wings on a snowy night. The place…read morewas busy with take-out orders, and several groups were sitting at tables. It was loud, cramped, and a bit dark inside, which reminded me of a bar setting even though it wasn't at all set up like one. It was also cold, because every time the front door opened a cold breeze blew in. We ordered 30 bone-in wings and two drinks and it was over $50. I guess that is how it goes. The wings varied in size from normal to huge. No tiny wings in the bunch, and they were a good mix of flats and drumsticks. We got Buffalo, Barbecue, and Hawaiian flavors. I never got to try the Buffalo but the other two flavors were good. However, they were smothered in sticky sauce which got cloying after awhile and completely rendered your fingers disgusting. A roll of paper towels at the counter helped, though I had to go back after every couple of wings for more. The Hawaiian had a strong ginger flavor which was different and enjoyable. However, in sum I think they need to use less sauce in the future. Drinks were via the all-in-one soda machine that seems to have a million flavors on tap. It is right by the door and the area was crowded, so getting to the machine wasn't easy. It was fun to go out for wings, though it wasn't cheap. I rarely eat wings anymore so I can't say if the prices were fair or not, but they were good wings.

We love checking out the restaurants around Varick street because we enjoy pub food. The Stief fits…read morethe bill. It's a casual, comfortable place with good beer and many types of margaritas on the menu. I ordered a raspberry chocolate that hid the alcohol very well and could have been dangerous. It was delicious! One friend tried the Fruit Loop (sweet and strong) and another got the pomegranate (yum!). We shared a few appetizers, the first were chicken fingers and pretzel sticks. The chicken was some of the best I've ever had: moist and flavorful. The pretzels were soft with a cheese to dip into and they were so good we got another order. The wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. We recommend you try it out!

Their Martini menu is amazing. The blow pop and poprock martinis are delicious. Feels like your on…read morethe beach. Also, try the fishbowl! The atmosphere is pretty relaxed and chill during happy hour. Always a good crowd. One of my favorite bars on varick!

As a person who travels alot for work you never really know what to expect when going to eat…read moresomewhere new. The hotel I'm staying at recommended Tavolos to our group On Monday. I must say upon sitting at the bar I was greeted by one of the most bubbly individuals I've ever met. That reason alone we have been back multiple times this week alone Sabrina has made us feel right at home, gave us great food recommendations and even a few ideas on activities to do in our spare time here in Utica. Thanks Sabrina! we will see you soon!

I chose this place due to it being open on a Monday, but apparently it's the place that invented…read moreUtica Greens??? In any case, I've wanted to try Utica Greens for years. I'm not sure if my 4* rather than 5* is for the preparation or for what the dis his--I wasn't expecting a dish called "greens" to be, basically, junk food. There's escarole in there and the ingredients were super fresh, sure, but the pile of oversalted bread crumbs was really most of the texture here. Is it a way to disguise a green vegetable under a mountain of fat and carbs? Probably, and they do a good job of that, but the salt and fat did get a bit overwhelming for me.

Thanks to Mama Lucy's today for an amazing cantering. They did not only make everything to…read moreperfection. Dominique and Billy worked the their magic in the kitchen delivering the best wings and empanadas. Hot fresh and on time. We will order again

Good Sized pizza but sadly missing flavor. The pizza is a good size and decently priced but just…read morelacks flavor and was under cooked a little bit.

This pizzeria is a quintessential pizza parlor and is the second oldest pizzeria in the country…read more This is not your typical pizza and they are the originator of the upside down pizza. I have been coming to this establishment for far too many years to admit to and it never disappoints. Not much has changed here over the years other than the prices. They have been around for over a 110 years. The restaurant is nothing fancy and most of their business is take out but to me nothing beats one of their fresh out of the oven pies with their gooey cheese on the bottom and crispy crust. On a warm summer night you can find me sitting outside at their picnic table enjoying a fresh hot pie.

On my way into Syracuse International Airport while picking up my rental car, a very friendly…read moreEnterprise manager recommended a pizzeria called O'scugnizzo. He mentioned it is the second oldest pizzeria in America, so I had to check it out. I'm so glad I did. This is a really cute, community-oriented spot with a warm and welcoming feel. I ordered a small pizza, but "small" definitely does not feel small here. It was actually a great size. More importantly, the pizza was super fresh and extremely delicious. What stood out just as much as the food was how kind everyone was. As someone visiting from out of town, I really appreciated how warm and friendly the people were. It also felt like the kind of place that would be great for hosting a casual party or gathering. Highly recommend. If you're in Utica, this is definitely a place you need to try.