Hands down the best place to go for Paella. Ancora does a fabulous job with service, their staff is…read morefabulous (hilarious, helpful, kind) and their food is always delicious. P.S. our server was Greg and he was amazing! Everything is made in house (sauces, dressings) and is so flavorful and delicious! Their drinks are great and have many options (including non-alcoholic beverages). Definitely recommend a reservation for busy dinner hours. It's a smaller place, but definitely has enough tables for bigger parties (we had a party of 6 with 1 child). There is street parking, but also has a parking lot to the right of building with lots of space. Wheelchair accessible (although it's a little tight). Great food, great drinks, great atmosphere. Will always come back to Ancora.

A wonderful restaurant in downtown Utica, a small city filled with wonderful restaurants. Ancora…read morestands out for its fidelity to Spanish and Italian cuisine. Tapas like they serve in Barcelona, paella, chock full of seafood and spicy sausage, wonderful appetizers, and a full bar menu that is staffed by an unseen mixologist who knows what he/she is doing. Good paella is difficult to find. Although the paella at Ancora is served in a tomato-saucy bed of rice in stark contrast to the more traditional yellow saffron rice, it is a beautiful paella, teeming with flavor. The desserts are spectacular. The table settings, flatware, serving dishes are all appropriate and fully functional. The staff are all friendly and capable. The portions are generous and you will be provided with containers to pack up leftovers. The cappuccino was a bit off, as was the coffee, but no one else at my table seemed to notice or mind. But chances are that They were too distracted by the incredible desserts to notice. I will definitely be back.