This is a SPECIAL and delicious place. Set aside any doubts and get your culinary curiosity going…read moreand GO! I am a serious Yelper. I believe my reviews are honest. I love to help folk who want to avoid bad restaurants and especially to have excellent culinary experiences. I am grateful for others who lead me to memorable dining spots. This is one of them. One Arabian Night is tucked away in a scrappy part of Utica, NY. It's a Yemeni place so authentic at one point the chef came out during a call to prayer, unrolled a little rug and prayed. It's a beautiful thing. People being authentic and showing devotion. These guys are also devoted to flavor, and very generous portions at very good, honest prices. I got the succulent mixed lamb, which had chopped veggies and little pieces of roast potatoes. The dish came with a HUGE "sheet" of freshly baked flat bread with sesame seeds (as big as a pizza) WHO DOES THAT?! Side dishes were a fresh chopped salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and lettuce with lemon juice and parsley, a bowl of very tasty lamb broth and a spicy chutney. I was blown away. When I was there it was catering only to Arabic families and men amiably chatting and eating with their hands. I was taught by my mom to respect other cultures and do as they do: so I observed the locals a little and dug in -ripping bread off and using it to grab finger fulls of food. It was wonderful. They also have an urn of self-serve sweet spiced tea to help make this a unique and unmissable dining experience in Utica. Go! And please leave your xenophobia behind. This ancient civilization (one of the world's OLDEST) has something to teach the most hardened burger-chomping American.

I've only ever ordered delivery but it's always delish! I'll make sure to dine in soon.read more

Driving down 90, searched for dinner. This popped up with all the green flags: hole in the wall,…read morefamily owned and run, authentic and homemade from scratch. Did. Not. Dissapoint. is an understatement. Holy baklava! Everything that came to our table was phenomenal. Hummus, baba ganoush, kofta specialty wrap (called the Laila(sp?)), skewered lamb platter, tatziki. The pita alone was to die for, so fluffy and soft. Their ingredients are so high quality and flavorful, the Tahini you could taste was super fresh, olive oil on top of the baba and hummus was really lovely, pickled veggies in the wrap just hit the spot. Yes, it's a few minutes off the highway, but the service was so fast and so incredibly friendly, like genuinely beautiful humans running this place, that it's 100% worth the quick detour off the highway and you'll probably spend more time and feel far more stress waiting on much crappier food at a restaurant closer to the interstate. Don't let the neighborhood put you off, this is worth the trip. If you're driving through when they're open (only 4 days per week), it's your lucky day!

The restaurant is located on a street that seems like it used to be bustling, died out, and is…read morestarting to revive. We arrived around 2:30pm on a Thursday, there was only one other group there. We were immediately greeted and our waiter was super friendly and chatty. The inside is pretty casual, and they played 2000s hits at a good volume. We started with a cup of Turkish coffee... I've never had Turkish coffee so maybe this is standard, but they did not offer cream or sugar. I don't usually like black coffee but it was surprisingly light, and the serving was pretty small so I actually quite enjoyed it. The owner later said it was the brand Utica coffee (which I love). We ordered the loaded fries, which came with taziki sauce, feta cheese, and tabouleh. Usually loaded fries feel very heavy and greasy, but these tasted very fresh. For the main dish, we ordered the Elias Gyro and the Layla Gyro. My pallet is usually more oriented towards lots of flavor and spice, so I found the Layla Gyro to be lighter than I would have liked. There wasn't as much sauce as I was expecting, but it was still very moist. I loved the pickled vegetables in it, but I wasn't a huge fan of the fries. The Elias Gyro was a lot more flavor heavy thanks to the garlic sauce, which was delicious. The meat in both gyros was cooked perfectly. Lastly, we had the baklava. Ive never had baklava before so I have nothing to compare it to, but oh my goodness it was so good. Overall, super positive experience. It's always such a treat to see the owner walking around interacting with customers, and I would definitely go again whenever I want something light and fresh.

Never had a bad meal here. Consistently fresh product and is on time when ordered out or dining in…read more Prices are reasonable and you receive PLENTY of good. The "louies cart classics" are really good!!! Shaved lamb is muy delicioso.

Great food, friendly atmosphere and accommodating!! Excellent rice pudding!! Go there every time…read moreI'm in Utica!

The ambiance is a hole in the wall, but the food is some of the best. Baba ghanoush was wonderful…read moreand great chicken gyro sandwiches. It was more than we could eat and we will return. For reference, it is a stone's throw from the Fort Plain museum

Family owned restaurant, which offers table service and take out. Friendly service. Not fancy…read moreinside, but clean. Ordered the baba ganoush and the falafel appetizer, which was more than enough for two people. It came with a basket of warm pita bread. The prices were reasonable and the portions large. They had homemade baklava, which we tried and it was the best we've ever had!

I really liked the chicken riggies and service was pretty good. Drinks came quickly and refilled…read morequickly. Casual setting. Clean. No complaints.

The power of YELP! We were spending two nights in Utica and needed a restaurant for day one. We…read morelooked up places and Ancora just stood out. So, made a reservation for nine and we all came here for dinner. After a very quick drive from the hotel we found easy parking (in the attached lot) and made our way inside. Nice size restaurant in two rooms. An incredibly nice staff and you could see all the customers truly enjoying themselves. We were directed to the side room where our table was all set up for us. There was a lot of food coming to the table and I am just going to focus on the dishes we (my wife and I) had. We started off with a Mozz and tomato salad to share. All perfect. Plenty of slices of cool crisp tomatoes and thick slices of cheese with a balsamic glaze. This was really good. The other end of the table had calamari which I tasted and really enjoyed. Main meals were Chicken Riggi (never had that dish by that nake before), It was really good and I thought the sauce was rich and tasty. Nice pieces of tasty chicken. My wife had the Gnocchi with shrimp in a pesto sauce. Also well made with a tasty sause. My friend had the Paella which he really enjoyed. Plenty of tasty seafood. An extremely professional staff who are all friendly and capable. The portions are generous and you will be provided with containers to pack up leftovers. Unfortuenately not practical going back to a hotel. All in all a very pleasant and tasty experience. KUDOs to the team at Ancora.

Restaurant has gone out of business, which is a shame, because they did a really nice job. Good…read morefood and friendly service don't ensure survival when the major portion of your customer base (Cazenovia College students) evanesces. Sadly, the college going under dragged quite a few businesses down with it.

The food was outstanding. We came in 5 minutes before closing time with specific dietary needs and…read morewe were treated very well. We highly recommend Kalamata Pita.

Absolutely fantastic--fresh, delicious, and not overpriced. This is the best-tasting food you'll…read morefind in Oneonta. Try it for yourself, and you won't be able to say I'm wrong--it's not going to happen! It's like eating a meal made by your grandmother, and the people are as nice as you could ever hope for.

Got takeout and it was a ton of food for the price. Salad was freshly cut, fries were still crispy…read moreand hot, and the mixed chicken and lamb shawarma were both tender and nicely cooked. Sauce was great. Not fancy but that wasn't what I needed on a late work night!