Truly the most overrated vegetarian restaurant in the world. Their food is as one reviewer noted, is bland. Their menu is boring and uninspired. And I don't know how they get away with calling themselves vegetarian when they serve fish. read more

Delicious! So many vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options! Special almost every day. read more

Moosewood Restaurant - Really nice atmosphere and cosy lighting - New American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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The famed Moosewood Restaurant, known for its vegetarian delights, was an essential stop on a recent trip to Ithaca. Stepping through the door, we were a little disappointed with the relaxed decor - it didn't meet the high reputation we were expecting. But with all good restaurants, we were there for the food. And it was excellent. Our party of four tasted the Vegetable Barley soup, the Creamy Herbed Potato soup, the Filo-Pizza, the Baguette Sandwich, and the Hoppin' John's Rice and Beans. The soups were great. The Baguette sandwich was devoured immediately and with much pleasure. The Filo-Pizza was solid. The Hoppin' John's was declared "the best black-eyed peas north of the Mason Dixin" by our Louisiana native. Oh, and our guests thoroughly enjoyed the brownie and ice-cream desert. A lot of meat eaters usually stay clear of vegetarian eateries, but for those weary of dining on leafy greens, give Moosewood a try. Its meals are hearty and sure to impress both vegetarians and carnivores alike. Highly recommended. read more

I finally got to the Moosewood Restaurant for dinner after 35 yrs of wanting to eat there, since receiving Mollie Katzens Moosewood Cookbook ( 1977 edition) for a wedding gift. For 30 some odd years I have been cooking out of that well worn cookbook & finally for our 35th Wedding Anniversary we drove to Ithaca from Syracuse to eat there. Thank God, we put a Valentine dinner reservation in...it was packed ( as expected). We were seated right around 5:30 & actually were the first 4 some in the dining area to the right. We had looked over the menu ( as we waited for the dinner time to begin) & knew exactly what we wanted. I personally was very excited to eat here & try the food I have been making all these years from the cookbook. So, we placed our order promptly when we sat. - appetizer, soup & entrees. Well appetizer ( Guacamole) came out verily quick. Then soups came out & the soup we ordered wasn't now available??? What??? It was offered by the waitress ( Pumpkin & mushroom) but now it wasn't available...mmmm...how could this be? So, no soup for us!! We were enjoying each others company, when we realized the rest of the room was all eating. ( Remember, we were the first in the dining room & the first group to place a order). So we look @ our watches ( or phones) & realize we had sat there for 1 hr. It was now 6:30 & we were the only table in the room that had no food. What could have possibly happened? We got ahold of our waitress & she came back twice saying our food was up next. But wait....how could 2 sandwiches, African Stew, & the mash potato/kale entree ( it has slipped my mind what you guys call that...delicious by the way) have taken over 1 hr? We were dumbfounded!! Almost forgot to mention - when we sat down initially we told our waitress we had a concert to be to @ 7 pm in Lansing. She was well aware we only had 1 hr 15 mins. She was going to take care of us she assured us. So...now its 6:45 & we have to leave, with our food in take out containers!! Moose.....I am utterly disappointed with this Moosewood experience. My husband will never, ever eat there again. I although love your food ( my African stew was amazing BTW), but there is definitely something wrong on the kitchen end or the service end. Very disgruntled Vegetarian read more

Wow! We got some "real" food critics on Yelp. It sounds like they should just go into the kitchen and knock the chef the F*** out! I can definitely talk about my numerous times eating at Moosewood. Even at busy times, I have not waited over 20 minutes for group seating. I have celebrated a college graduation here. A date with my wife before we were married. A go to restaurant for out of town vegetarians from my workplace. Countless family get togethers. Etcetera I will give Moosewood 5 stars, not because I LOVE the cookbooks (which is true), but instead going by the criteria of other posters, one might think they were food critics and had the ability to hand out Michelin stars. I may not be worthy of giving out a Michelin star or an equally over hyped Zagat rating -- I do know a consistent performing restaurant which I have been loyal to for years. This is a solid vegetarian restaurant through and through. I have been pleased by the knowledgable wait staff, and thoroughly enjoyed the food I have had. read more

I have dined here twice in 4 years, once as part of a party of 2 and then this weekend with a party of 10. Both times my experience was devastatingly disappointing. The food was bland and lacked diversity. Everything was tremendously under-seasoned. The side dishes that came with the entrees were dull (steamed green beans and roasted potatoes for example). The desserts were mediocre but reasonably priced (think larger-than average portions of uninspiring sweets). Reasonable requests (such as omitting peppers from the vegetable lasagna or substituting a pasta sauce) were all denied. Server lacked charm. Only saving grace of Moosewood is a beautiful interior layout that reduces the noise from other diners and accommodates large groups well. For the cost of dining here, I would STRONGLY suggest you go to Maxie's or Agava instead. read more

I had dinner at Moosewood with a large group of friends on Saturday and it was a bit of a letdown. I'm not a vegetarian myself, but have eaten at some amazing vegetarian establishments and expected a similar dining experience. Unfortunately this was not the case. We made a reservation earlier in the day for 2 groups of people because we could not make a bigger reservation online. It took about 15 minutes for them to be able to seat us. I understand the wait as 12 people is a lot to accommodate. But when we were seated, it took about 5 minutes for a server to take our orders. By then it was about 9pm and we were pretty hungry. The server only took our drink orders, which was a little aggravating considering how long we waited to be seated and attended to. A few people in our group ordered berry magaritas. When our drinks came, there was 1 extra by mistake. I offered to take the drink and pay for it (honestly because I needed to consume something as I was getting hangry). When we finally placed our food orders, half of our group (those who ordered salads/small plates) was served first while the rest of us had to sit and watch them eat. I understand that it's standard to bring out apps first, but since only some of us ordered them it would've been nice to be offered the option of bringing everything out together (especially with all the waiting around). I ordered a salmon dish and when the food came out I was disappointed by the portion. It was a $20 dish for a small filet of salmon and a few pieces of asparagus and potatoes. The salmon was cooked perfectly but rather bland on the flavor side. 2 others in my group ordered the same dish and we finished it all in about 3 minutes. We were all still hungry. For some reason they brought out an extra house salad and offered to give it to us. My friend said yes assuming it was on the house. We found out later they charged us for it even though it was their mistake. I guess they assumed because I offered to pay for the extra drink that we would also pay for the salad, even though both were mistakes on their part. The server did come by and refill our waters, but didn't offer any drink refills for anyone who ordered other drinks, which was odd. When it was finally time to pay the bill was over $330. I was pretty bummed that I personally paid $36.75 (tip included) for a pity drink and an unsatisfying entree. That's even more than I would pay in NYC for a meal that would've been much better. I can sympathize with the difficulty in accommodating a large group (I was a server myself for awhile) but the below-average service could've been remedied by fantastic food, and in that area Moosewood fell short. I think they could use a menu refresher and take pointers from places like V-Note. Also, the interior decoration needs help. read more

Moosewood cookbooks are staples for me; I always said I'd go to the Restaurant if I was in Ithaca. However, when I got here on a business trip, I saw it had mixed yelp reviews and I hesitated. Still, I went tonight and I am SO glad I did. My meal was delicious from beginning to end: salad w Spinach-Basil Dressing, chili w cornbread, vegan chocolate cake, and the Moosewood '73 cocktail. The others in my party also remarked on how good their food was. And the service was terrific. We were a group of 10 and our server, without batting an eye, provided us each separate checks for our meals as well as separate checks for alcohol. The food was prompt. The atmosphere was warm and comfortable. And there was a fun section with swag and cookbooks to browse. Don't hesitate - just go! read more

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I mean, this place is famous in the veg world... which is very cool. But vegetarian and especially vegan cuisine caught up and blew past this place years ago, and shockingly/tragically Moosewood has not kept up. Certainly not worth a pilgrimage, but still an option (albeit not the best) for a vegan bite in Ithaca. read more

My sister and I are both Vegetarians and we had a great experience here at Moosewood. It's exciting just to have multiple options on a menu when you are vegetarian. Everything we had was delicious and the service was great. Our experience was so good that we stopped in the gift shop and picked up some swag. I get a little reminder of Moosewood whenever I drink out of my pint glass. read more

Look, it's the local claim to fame, our famous vegetarian haven. And I'm not going to knock it. But is it where the locals eat? Not so much. There are so many fabulous local restaurants (Hazelnut Kitchen, Willow, the Carriage House...) that do vegetarian entrees with local ingredients, more creativity and for a lot less $$. So, if you're a tourist who absolutely has to check out the celebrity kitchen, feel free. Otherwise, try some of our more "local" joints. read more

I was told by everyone to check out moosewood when i visited Ithaca because of their cookbooks. But i was a wee bit disappointed. Food was overpriced, cold and under seasoned. It could and should be so much better... read more

We've been here north of a dozen times. Tonight was, by far, the biggest fail. Firstly, I call them to ask if they have reservations or room for two walk-ins. We are told "yes, that's fine there's no wait currently." We walk over and come inside about 3-4 minutes later. Apparently, there is now a 20 minute wait. The hostess was quite glib and came off rather snooty. Ok, fine. We waited. We get seated about 20 minutes later. It takes 15 minutes for our server to come over. We give him our order and it seems we are good to go. The appetizers arrive within 12 minutes so all seems fine. Then its another 25-30 minutes for our entrees. The server informs us that the computer system is down and he's very sorry. Hmmm....ok. Having worked as both and line chef, these things happen but usually you switch over manually and recover. Not this place. The food arrives hot but grossly underseasoned. I try to get the servers attention atleast 3-4 times with no attention given. Finally, after the table is in the process of getting bussed, and asks if we want something else. I tell him "just the check" knowning that their systems are down and therefore it'll take a bit longer. About 25 minutes after initally asking for the check I ask the bus boy to get our server and have our check. He casually strolls over and asks me what we had. This is where I nearly lost it. This guy had no idea what we ordered and didn't think it relevant to ask for 25 minutes. We had other plans but, out of courtesy, waited for him. Also, at this point, what stops me from telling him I had a coke and leaving? To the servers credit, he came back within a few minutes with the physical check and I give him my card. Another 10 minutes later some woman comes by with an old school imprint check for me to sign. Overall, this place need to focus more on guest service and less on being fair trade, crunch granola, responsibly sourced, hippy, dippy, dopey. read more

People who visit Ithaca will insist on eating at Moosewood, which has a reputation for producing popular vegetarian cookbooks - often over the recommendations of locals who know better. The restaurant itself is not only mediocre but often so packed that a long wait is inevitable, and you may actually be better off buying one of its books and cooking from it yourself if you want to experience its best cuisine more quickly. The decor here is very tired and the selection can feel the same way. There are other restaurants in Ithaca where it's worth waiting for a seat; Moosewood isn't one of them. read more

Really great food and drinks! They do allow dogs on the patio (older reviews say they don't). The patio is covered so it was a great place to eat in the summer with our pup. read more

Had 8:15 reservations and still hadn't had a bite to eat by 9:25. Friendly service but they are way too busy and need more cooks in the kitchen and more wait staff to really satisfy the clientele. read more

My girlfriend and I were looking for a nice healthy dinner and we choose Moosewood. I have only been there once in the past and it was over 10 years ago so I do not remember my experience. We looked up the menu before going and I saw they had salmon the night we were going. We get there and order and the waiter tells us the salmon is all sold out (around 7:30pm on a Saturday) and they are now doing the dish with shrimp instead, but only told us this after we ordered. I ordered another dish along with a soup. We get our salads pretty quickly. About 20 minutes goes by and our meals come out. I asked the waiter about the soup and he told me he forgot about it. My meal was ok, but my girlfriend's meal tasted like they dumped a whole bottle of garlic powder over it. As we are eating I hear a different waitress talking to the table next to us as she was seating the guests, and immediately tells them that the salmon is sold out and they are doing the same dish but with shrimp and for a reduced cost...something our waiting happened to not tell us. Safe to say we will never be going back. read more

After a long, long drive in crazy snow, it was comforting to land at Moosewood. Tasty dinner, terrific service. It was like a warm hug on a cold night. A pilgrimage I make whenever I can! read more

Great healthy food that tastes amazing. Wide selection of cooking books too. Bright atmosphere and friendly staff.

Went in expecting scrumptious vegetarian food given the legendary status this restaurant has. What my friend and I got were really insipid soups, crusty dry cornbread, an underwhelming hummus bowl, and a bland tofu pita. But I will say that our waiter did give us good service. I think they've been coasting by due to temporary visitors, who are told by residents who haven't been there in years that Moosewood is a great place to eat. For eg. parents coming in to see their kids at Cornell and IC, who then take them out to the 'famous' Moosewood restaurant. It's a shame, as neither downtown nor Collegetown really have many good vegetarian options. read more

I just don't get how this place could have won an award for their food. I could make better at home. Good ingredients, but nothing about it was spectacular. I don't know what is so great about this place, but the service was very nice. read more

While I will never be a vegetarian, I do like the food here. I thought they were well-presented and delicious. I admit that they lose a star, though, for its slow service. Granted, the staff was absolutely swamped as every college kid plus their parents and grandparents were here, but my friend, who frequents Moosewood, has mentioned that it's always been slow, packed or not. I just feel like it doesn't have this character... Maybe I need to be a vegetarian? I don't know. Ehhhhhhhhhhh. Memorable food, but unmemorable everything else, which I suppose counts for something. read more

Went for dinner a few days ago, brunch on Sun. Food was very good. Chose the lemon pasta and menestra de verduras for dinner. The broth for the menestra was good but had to ask for a spoon. We split the baker's choice pound cake with nuts and a coffee glaze. DRY. Thought decor a bit simple. Expecting older, maybe mismatched chairs, something not so updated. Breakfast Sun on the outside patio much nicer. We both had omelets, one of the soups was a corn sweet pepper chowder and they allowed me to choose a cup of that in lieu of a side. Soup was delish. Omelets were good. Had the ginger, orange, lemon tea....SO GOOD. Weather perfect for being outside. read more

I am not a vegetarian. I am not a vegan. But I think Moosewood is one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca (given, I've only been here for about six months... but I've tried so many places already). I suggest that you ignore the hype but go in with good expectations. I'm pretty sure you'll be well-satisfied. The positives: First, about the food... I really like that his place tastes like it's made from a homemade recipe. You know how some places taste delicious, but processed and/or corporate? Not here. It tastes like Grandma put in salt, to taste, instead of 1.5 tsps exactly. There aren't quite variations in the taste, but there is a slight variance in the shape of the lasagna or whatever. This is one time where a tiny lack of consistency is actually a good thing because I cant tell everything is freshly made instead of cookie-cut or pre-made from a box. The entrees come with a salad, and I suggest the house dressing (creamy spinach-basil? yum). And to drink? Their specialty cocktails are all quite good, but I like the Apple-Jack (ginger ale, apple cider and Jack Daniels!). Ahhh, refreshing and delicious, without being overly sweet. Lip-smacking good. And as for their entrees, I love that their menu is constantly changing, so there's always something new to try. Sometimes, there will be vegetarian Russian strudel (delicious, rich, and hardy), or Hungarian stuffed portabello, or some regional fish dish. Also, the service is generally pretty good. People there are friendly, pretty attentive, and accommodating. It really isn't exceptional, but it isn't bad either. I did have a mixed experience where I left my sweater there, called in and had them put it aside for me. But then, when I got there, no one seemed to know what I was talking about, even though I had said I would come in later that night to pick it up. After quite a bit of searching, they found it. They were very nice about it, but I would appreciate some internal communication to smooth out any potential customer service issues. And, as an added plus, the premises is clean and well lit there. I also haven't been cramped in my seating arrangements. Good, warm ambiance in general; not too dark, not too bright, cozy and comfortable. Some negatives: the wait and issues with the check. Because Moosewood serves delicious food in a place where deliciousness is kind of hard to come by, there can be a rather long line out in front. I've only been here for dinner, and they don't really take reservations. I still suggest calling ahead if you have a big party, because they'll "put your name down" and *maybe* you'll get a table sooner than later. Also, they don't let you split the check easily if you have a large party. I forget how many ways you can split it, because now most of us bring cash or just put it on one person's card. But the first time I went with a huge group, this was a hassle. Overall: if you're in Ithaca and you're looking for healthy, tasty, and fresh food on a culturally-varied menu, I definitely suggest giving Moosewood a try! read more

Before I took off to Ithaca I had heard RAVE reviews for this place. The person I was carpooling with actually had every cook book from this place. I didn't have unrealistic expectations as I had flipped through all of the books. I had a pretty good idea about what to expect. Once we got there we were sorely disappointed. They have very few options which is weird for a place that pretty much has an anthology of cook books. Their drinks were not very good either. My friend was repulsed by her cucumber vodka cocktail. I ordered a lemonade and it was mediocre at best. It's hard for me to respect a restaurant that charges for sharing a plate. This place was already way too expensive for what it was. The pre-entree salads were not very exciting. It barely had a couple of drips of whatever dressing you requested and it was just a bland little plate of greens. I ordered the Indian style ratatouille and my boyfriend ordered the vegetarian lasagna. The lasagna was above average, but the rice on the ratatouille was overly soggy and it just wasn't very flavorful. It wasn't all bad though. They were nice enough to seat a group of 25 and our waitress was quite nice. Also, a few people at my table ordered the fish plate and I did hear that the salmon was cooked perfectly. Not sure if I would go again. read more

Ithaca's version of a tourist trap. You'll come here and wait forever for a table, then pay $20 for an entree that leaves you hungry. You're better off making the Moosewood recipes at home out of the cookbooks. read more

The Moosewood cook book was first introduced to me when I was living with 6 vegetarians. At that point I thought Moosewood existed in some imaginary land. But now I find myself in Ithaca, and its not imaginary at all. It wasn't what I expected, it was casual, not crowded (I went in February), we were seated promptly without a reservation. The food was good, the wine was good, the service can be a little hit or miss. I will definitely go back. read more

Does putting your name on some of the greatest vegetarian cookbooks ever published create high expectations? You bet. So when you read these Yelp reviews, please keep in mind that this restaurant is the head cheerleader, the latest It-Girl-Actress, Arrested Development; it is something who's greatness has been so hyped that no matter what it offers, it will never live up the expectations. But if you put the cookbooks and product licensing aside, Moosewood really is an amazing restaurant that gained such a high reputation by being so great for so long. Moosewood embodies all that is this 10 square miles surrounded by reality. Despite all the publicity and product licensing, the restaurant retains a casual, unpretentious feel. You can enjoy local Ithaca or Southern Tier beers, hard cider made about 20 minutes away, and tofu made by a local company. None of these things are considered some of the greatest in the world, but they are very well made local products that Ithacans are proud of; they are the very things that make 18 year old college students fall in love with Ithaca. By no means does this mean the food is bad or am I looking at this through my own personal bias, the food is actually good--very good actually! Many of these reviews talk about the small menu and little variety, and I can totally understand feeling that way. I remember going my first time--before I was vegetarian and gluten-free--and thinking everything looked uninteresting. I ordered a mushroom quiche thinking it was nothing interesting. How I was wrong! The joy in this food is the simplicity, the taste of the food. While other restaurants serve a multitude of complex sauces, Moosewood serves simple dishes made from fresh, seasonal ingredients. Please, please, if you decide to go here, expect something more like friends going to a farmer's market than some snobby French chef that does everything by a certain style. People should cook around the food that is fresh, not make the food fit around what the cook wants to make. In short, please do not expect this place to compete with French Laundry or some NYC hotspot or you will be disappointed. The food is what it is; literally. And order dessert. Share it. Trust me on this one. read more

Not worth the hype - overpriced and underwhelming. We started with the chips and dip trio: black bean dip, guac, and pico de gallo (which was more like a garnish for the appetizer). I ordered the shrimp and grits ($18), which had a nice flavor, but was overpowered by garlic. My partner ordered the molé special ($16), which was lacking salt and actual vegetables. Our meal was capped off by a pineapple bread pudding, which was quite delicious, but served cold, which was weird. We can make better vegetarian fare that is much more flavorful and for a much lower cost. The service wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. The neighboring table got scolded for not disclosing that they had a child/stroller in their online reservation. Not a great way to start the evening. Our service was timely, but our server kept walking away while we were ordering. I'd try this place again, but I'm sure there are other veggie restaurants that are more worth your time, money, and tastebuds. read more

Moosewood was so good, we went back for lunch the next day after having dinner. Most of the items on the menu are vegetarian (and can be made vegan), but there was one seafood entree on both the lunch and dinner menu. Highly recommended. read more

We went for supper at the Moosewood this evening. I had heard about it years ago when I lived in Canada. My food was good, my hubby said his was bland, the price was expensive for what we got. The service was excellent, Connor our waiter was really courteous and helpful. I think the place needs to up it's dinner menu, there was next to nothing on it. I got a piece of Vegan Chocolate Cake to go. Haven't eaten it, but it looks like it's 2/3 icing. read more

Great food! I could feel the healthy nutrients running through the cells in my body after eating here. Everything is super fresh, locally sourced! The only reason it didn't get a 5 star is because I ordered soup/salad and my boyfriend ordered an entree. My salad came out way after my soup with his entree and I would have enjoyed nibbling at it all at once. The Finger Lakes Root Beer is SO good! read more

Good food ruined by dreadful service. My girlfriend and I were coming to the end of a 6000 mile, 3-week road trip, and I wanted to treat her. We'd read good reviews on the web, and since we were in town, we thought that we would try. We sat down at 8.45pm, which we thought wasn't too late. The first sign came when the waiter informed us of a lack of entrees available, and would we give him our order quickly. He promptly came back and asked what our order was again since he'd forgotten it. We'd decided to make an evening of it and had started with cocktails. Based on previous experience, I'd asked him to wait until we'd finished the cocktails before bringing out the food. Alas, to no avail. Our cocktails were followed quickly by the food. While it was going cold we finished the cocktails and ordered a bottle of wine. It was brought out with one glass. Apparently they didn't have enough glasses and we would have to wait. The second appeared but was still wet and almost half filled with water. Meanwhile, my partner had offered to taste the wine, which was good, but the waiter neglected to fill her glass up after. This was the last interaction we had with our waiter as he was seen, literally, with his hair down tucking into some food at an adjacent table. He was replaced by the girl who cleared the plates. We hadn't yet ordered dessert or dessert wine. The place was emptying and chairs were being put on tables. I looked at my watch. Not yet 10.30pm. Seemed strange so we asked another waiter if they were closing. He replied impatiently that the kitchen had been shut since 9pm! Nobody told us but this explained the hurried service. To his discredit, he explained that their job was so intense that they could only work 3-4 hours and they had to close. Impressive, considering the lack of attention to detail from our waiter. All in all, although the food was good, the place has no class and no savoir faire. Spend your money elsewhere. read more

I was really disappointed in the food here. My date and I are vegan and we were expecting a lot, since this place is very well known. First of all, they have fish and if you're a vegan restaurant, that can turn some people off because most vegans and vegetarians don't eat it, as it is a living creature. There was a really small selection, and I understand this is because they do something entirely different each night, but it really was not good. Pretty tasteless, in fact. Perhaps they should try having a menu they stick to every night so that they can perfect their dishes and not send out boring, unsavory food. I would not refer anyone here, especially given that they are expensive for what you get. read more

Was hoping for better, but was disappointed with this place. Didn't think anything was very great except for the chocolate cake (that was 5 stars). Also expensive. read more

I was very excited to visit this restaurant, having been vegan for over eight years (now vegetarian) and having their cookbooks forever! My husband took me as part of our mini moon. Service was pleasant if a little understaffed. The food was extremely mediocre at best. I've eaten at vegetarian:vegan places everywhere from the middle of Kentucky, to Portland, Oregon (vegan Mecca!!) to Austin, TX, Seattle and NYC. There was absolutely nothing unique, especially tasty or even very good here. We had the vegan chili(bland), quesadillas(greasy), guacamole(way too salty) and a pear tart(okay, oats undercooked). Their steamer is down so we couldn't have the hot cider. Yea, so basically it was just eh. I guess if you're hungry and you're there and it's open, it will feed you. But so will Dominoes. read more

It's hard to be too impressed by a restaurant that is so comfortable to simply rest of their laurels and seemingly do so little to improve the experience for their customers. I completely agree with other reviews in that this place is always hit or miss. I've had salmon there that was so overcooked that I had to swallow each bite with water to get the dry texture down (it was obviously cooked well ahead of service), but I've also had great pasta dishes and casseroles and stews. The key to ordering here is you have to think in terms of what holds well when made in advance. I do not suspect that much gets made to order here. So think about what can withstand being kept hot for a long period of time. There's probably a stew on their menu every night - if the ingredients sound good, go for that. Don't order something like an unforgiving fish (ah, like salmon!) that will simply fall apart after being kept hot all night. Their Noodel Kugel is one of my favorites. The soups there are great, which always impresses me because I couldn't make a good soup without fresh chicken stock and tons of heavy cream to save my life. The desserts are not good - I tend to always want dessert anyway and I often end up ordering their chocolate ricotta mousse, but the texture is so insanely dense it just turns me off (not dense as in rich and thick and wonderful. dense as in HARD - fight to get your spoon to get you a full bite). Service? I have too much to say about the service here. Again, hit or miss. I was there once late summer, and arrived about 15 minutes before they opened. I sat in their waiting area for a while as other people started to filter in. By the time Moosewood was supposed to open, the room was packed. They were still not ready to seat people. 15 (!) minutes later, they were finally ready (by the way, this was one of those special weekends where all restaurants are PACKED with students and parents - it was one of the student return weekends) (I just say that because I think any smart restaurant would have been ready for this). The host yells to the crowd "ok we're ready! everyone who wants to eat outside follow me." The train of hungry customers marched behind the host, and then once outside she simply made a sweeping motion with her hand towards all of the tables while she looked at us. We all just sat down at an appropriately sized table, and then servers came through and began waiting randomly (with no knowledge of who had been waiting the longest - I have no idea why the host even bothered with the "wait list"). This whole scene is a nightmare for servers and for the kitchen - but I will say that Moosewood seemed to pull this meal off from here at least (probably because I have already suggested, everything is cooked in advance). Other service related problems are things like waiting for a table for half an hour or so, getting seated, given a good long time to order, finally ordering and THEN being told that they are out of two items. With maybe 5 or 6 items a night (? I might be being generous on that), I think it's fairly critical information to pass along to the customers. Service at least has improved from where it was maybe 8 years ago when they had auto gratuities built into your bill. Anyway. There's just no reason that this restaurant can't do better. They need to accept that their fame isn't worth anything if the product that they are putting out every day isn't anything better than eating at the Wegman's vegetarian bar. It makes me sad that this place has lost the respect of the locals. read more

Unfortunately, after two not so good meals we won't be going back for a third try. I suppose that since the menu changes constantly you can roll the dice, but after four mediocre dishes we're going to take our chances elsewhere. The first time, I had salmon that was really overcooked and dry and the second time I had an okay pesto pasta with a side salad. The pesto was quite bland and the portion was ridiculously small. I was actually a little embarrassed (I'm not sure for whom, I guess the waiter) when I saw the waiter bring the pesto pasta to other people at the restaurant. I could see the incredulity in their eyes when they saw what they were getting. I guess the portion would have been okay if the dish had intense and/or great flavors, but alas, it did not. read more

I have been going to Moosewood since 1986 and it used to be one of my favorite restaurants but my last dining experience was very disappointing. We ordered a chipotle humus sandwich and a Muffaletta Baguette. I guess that they called it a muffaletta because it has an olive tapenade? I was not impressed, both sandwiches were bland and boring. Our waitress was clueless and unhelpful.To make matters worst, the to go containers were not eco-friendly. The entire dining experience was mediocre. I hope that they return to their previous glory. read more

This might come as a surprise, but I bought 3 Moosewood cookbooks and I love every single recipe I've made from the cookbooks. I would give this place 5+ stars, but every single time I've gone here, I've been really disappointed. Why oh why? Maybe I just go on a bad day and their menu isn't very good that day? I don't know...but 3 stars for the amazing cookbooks! read more