On my first and only trip there I waited almost 15 minutes to even order, after having been told I was standing in the wrong line to order my sandwich. This ended up seeming redundant, as when I approached the Sandwich and Wrap station, and ordered the New York Minute, I was handed a pre wrapped, cold sandwich from a refrigerator. The bread was cold and dry and the sandwich was not very appetizing in this form. THIS SANDWICH is $9- I can get a freshly prepared sandwich for far less cost at Darwin, Blue Tusk, Bull and Bear, Brooklyn Pickle and more mainstream options like Wegmans and Subway The staff were curt and not very helpful indicating where things were ordered. As I stated above no one asked us what we were looking to order to better indicate where to go, so I had to wait for 15 minutes before even ordering. It seems that the staff should have had a bit more training before opening. Their overall menu is bested by CORE- who have a variety of very fresh salads, grain bowls and even poke bowls, and where you get more for less money.Further, the more Asian-inspired cuisine is available at many local restaurants- try Sakana-ya, Secret Garden, Yamaho and other local Korean or Japanese restaurants for wraps, poke, and korean bbq for often far less cost (and it probably tastes much better). The other problem is that Original Grain is not a useful or needed restaurant in downtown Syracuse at this location.This is an ideal location for a quick, local lunch spot-- it is on a highly trafficked corner near many local employers downtown- therefore can cater to both workers on lunch downtown and the community who frequent the area. The restaurant is very nicely set up, and the remodel seems to have been thought through. BUT the theme of cali skate culture and ambiguous 'mixtapes' art looks cool, but is better suited to somewhere near the SU, or maybe in Armory Square. The other problem that becomes evident with this 'theme' is the ironic use of the name Original Grain, as a pun on Original Gangster or OG. This restaurant is owned, run, and exclusively staffed (from what I observed) by white people. This joking reference to OG in a neighborhood frequented by a variety of people from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds while blaring uncensored rap music and charging $12 for a basic lunch is definitely misguided if not outright offensive. The concept of "Cali Fresh" with $10 and $12 prices for wraps and sandwiches is far more suitable for Marshall St. or Armory, and even then may be misplaced. The current location on Salina Street does not provide a viable food option to the vast majority of people who traverse the area. Even well paid office workers nearby would forgo a $12 okay lunch when they only have 30 minutes and there are a variety of other, fast, affordable, and even local options nearby. We desperately need good, affordable, healthy, and local food in downtown Syracuse. Original Grain is a good idea for somewhere else, just not downtown. I don't know if it really fits the needs of our community, and does not comport well with the well established, tight knit group of local restaurants and food providers from which Syracuse takes pride. There are many great uses for these empty spaced on Salina Street- we especially need a grocery store in order to resolve problems of having a food desert for the majority of people in and around downtown (perhaps a good use for the empty location adjacent to this restaurant). read more

Here's the deal: My friend and I ordered a bowl each. I got the hail kale and he got the kelp noodles. The line moved quickly as it was about 1:00. No issues with wait or staff. You can keep a star for that. But when we got to the register was when I really started having problems. Feeling particularly generous that day I offered to pay for my coworker. I figured a small kale and chicken salad and a kelp noodle bowl with NO PROTEIN Couldn't possibly cost that much. So I pulled out a twenty expecting that would cover it. My jaw almost dropped when the very nice young lady said "that'll be $27" No drinks, no add on... 2 small salad bowls... 27 bucks. Lost a star on price. After much deep regret for offering to pay, we sat down at the bar against the window. Before I started eating I took a second to take in the esthetic. It is impressively nice. Definitely giving a star for that. Serious props to whoever design the place minus the weird lines. But alas, once we started eating we were both very disappointed. The bowl is served without being mixed so you have a bunch of random ingredients wedged into a designated slice of the bowl. I'm told this is some sort of California thing? We were each handed a small container of dressing. Both were half full so not sure what that was all about. We each tried to drizzle the morsel of dressing onto the bowl and proceeded to make a mess trying to mix our own bowls. The result of what was left in our bowl was a flavorless poorly mixed salad. There was a pinch of chicken. Nothing like what is advertised online. The picture on their website looks like they use a whole fresh chick breast. I got a forkful of shredded chicken. Minus 2 stars for food. Ultimately this place has a great concept. But the concept came from somewhere else. A better name for this place would be "Unoriginal grain" or maybe "Core 2.NO". I'll be back in about 3 months to see if their prices drop and their food gets better. Until then I'll join the rest back in Cicero where the salads are bigger, better, affordable, and mixed for you. I would like to try some of their other options but I just can not justify paying 10 bucks for a "fast casual" sandwich or 6 buck for one slice of toast with cream cheese and honey. That is insane. read more

I was so excited when Original Grain opened, especially after seeing how many gluten-free options are on their menu. As anyone with celiac/gluten intolerance can tell you, finding GF food in Syracuse is no easy task. Finding a place that accommodates a GF diet with more than a house salad was so exciting! I could actually get a sandwich wrap for lunch! So I did. And then I got "glutened." Not sure if this means the food wasn't truly GF or if it was cross-contaminated, but it's unacceptable either way. I feel bad for leaving a bad review about a new local business, especially since they already seem to be taking some heat. The wrap actually pretty good! But the subsequent bathroom visits were very much not. It only seems fair to give other GF people a heads up. As most others have pointed out, the price point is a little high and a lot of the produce seems to be frozen, not fresh. I hope they work out some of these issues over time. I'd love to see a good quick GF option with this many choices available downtown! But for now, I'll be sticking with Core; I'll take the drive over the risk. read more

As your stereotypical white girl, you can say I'm somewhat of an acai bowl connoisseur. Naturally, when Original Grain opened, I had to jump on the band wagon. HOWEVER... This restaurant is TERRIBLE. I went with one of my other most basic friends; they didn't even have chocolate chips..like what? What are karob chips even?! They took 45 minutes to give us our "purple swag" acai bowls. They called my name twice, and when they finally called my friend's name, it was when we were leaving - an hour and 15 minutes after our arrival!!!! The main takeaway from this review should be the fact that Original Grain uses FROZEN FRUIT!!!!!! Excuse me, what?! If I'm paying $10.82 for a flipping smoothie in a bowl, it should literally be like the Fountain of Youth, not frozen fruit from Wegmans. Literally never go here, because it's honestly not worth it and it's terrible!!!!!!!! You'll get a basic insta but it honestly made me vom. read more

I came to original grain expecting a great meal and awesome experience. Having lived in LA for 5 years I thought the concept was cool and reminded me of my experience in LA... I ordered a smoothie bowl without NUTS as I have allergies to all. (I made it very clear to the person behind the counter that I have a bad allergy to all nuts) With the high price (higher then LA even) I was expecting awesome fresh fruit and berries, but got frozen that tasted like it was picked about 4 weeks early, perhaps Sysco brand? I took a second bite before relaxing how scratchy my throat felt. My smoothie had nuts in it.... so my experience that I was so looking forward to ended with an overnight stay in the hospital and being treated for anaphylaxis. I feel like the lack of a chef or someone who understands food and the seriousness that allergies present is detrimental to how good this idea could be. read more

I visited OG on opening day, so the process was a bit slow. I'm assuming the flow will improve with time, so that didn't bother me all too much. As other reviews have noted, the disappointment came when the bill was nearly $30 for two meals and one drink. For fast casual, I thought that was a bit pricey. I understand that the ingredients are expensive, but even my favorite poke in NYC didn't cost that much. We ordered the original poke and a nori wrap. The nori wrap was decent, something I would possibly come back for, but the poke was disappointing. The fish was small and not super fresh tasting, and I felt like they missed the mark on the overall taste of the bowl. I probably won't be coming back for lunch/dinner anytime soon, but I'd still like to try the acai bowls to see if that is any better. read more

Very unhappy with their customer service. I emailed them 4 times requesting a refund because I simply did not like the look/style of the watch I ordered. The email they sent with exchange/return information was muddled and made no sense. I wanted a refund, not an exchange. NO PHONE NUMBER for customer service. I finally received a response from their returns department 2 weeks after inquiring about returning watch only to be asked "why" I want to return it. Maddening!! I am out nearly $200 right before Christmas. I have given up on getting a refund and do not feel confident to mail it back to only get a store "credit". Very disappointed. I would have done better purchasing off of Amazon. Seriously. read more

Disappointing. While realizing it is their first week open, you would think that with multiple owners in the food business, flow would be better. Very confusing upon entering--and not ideal when you only have 30min for lunch. I spent most of my time in line (which is fine because it's busy, I get it!) but once to the register, I discovered I couldn't order what I wanted and actually had to go stand in a different line! Resorted to their grab and go case and it was just ok. Nothing special, especially for $10. Based on what I am reading and pricing, I think I would hold off on being patron until they iron out quality and flow. read more

Today I had ran a bunch of errands and needed to fuel. This place is always clean, fresh and delicious. Beyond the food at a 5star level their staff is awesome. This was my 5th stop of the day and this was the first place where anyone commented, yet multiple employees commented on my shirt that said "kindness is magic". You can tell they are happy in their place of work and there are giving employee/ employer relationships. Today I am grateful for original grain. read more

Nothing like this in Syracuse and a great, healthy option for downtown. We've enjoyed both breakfast and lunches. Its been fun tasting the variety of menu items. Our favorites are the Milk n Honey Toast, Green Thumb brekkie and the Mexicali bowl for lunch. My daughter, 14, begs to go back often! Hats off to the staff for keeping up with the surge crowds. I'd say fantastic job for the first week in business! read more

Do yourself a favor and stay away! The owner and employees are awful people and are truly psychologically abusive to customers. The owner has several restaurants and seems to have created a hostile customer hating environment in all of them. Shame Shame Shame is all I can say. Stay away from here and XO Taco at all costs unless you want to be treated like the scum of the earth. SHAME SHAME SHAME read more

The decor is on point & the Great Swell bowl is my new go to in downtown Syracuse. I ordered one for the lunch and enjoyed it so much that I ordered another to go. You can't go wrong with the bamboo rice but I prefer the grains. I'll be sure to experiment with other items in the future but I think I'll be a Great Swell guy for my next couple of visits at least. read more

Super fun place with great, healthful food options. This is the place to go if you're looking for clean superfoods that taste delicious. Downtown Syracuse really needed a spot like this- the smoothies are incredible and packed full. The staff is friendly and there are several vegan/vegetarian options! Thanks Original Grain- Downtown Syracuse needed this! read more

Original Grain is a very creative and refreshing concept, a welcomed addition to the downtown Syracuse community!!! The food was delicious and we were in-and-out for lunch in less than 30 minutes. I recommend The Great Swell or the Mexi-Cali bowls for any newcomers. All around awesome OG team, I'll be back today!! read more

Love to patronize locally owned shops, even when traveling. We decided to forgo the Starbucks across the street and check out this shop. The customer service was great and they seemed to have a lot of choices on the menu for coffee drinks. Unfortunately, my coffee was way too hot to drink and tasted burnt. read more

I've heard the hype, and have visited restaurants similar in NYC, and THEY DELIVERED. Everything is great about this place, from the signage to the smoothies to the staff. Don't quote me, but this might be the beginning of the revitalization of downtown Syracuse (MUCH NEEDED). read more

I was really impressed to see such a great new venture open up in town. Its great to see a place that finally offers a fresh, healthy alternatives. On my visit I went with the Ruckus sandwich and can't wait to get another. No doubt this place will be one of my new go to's!!! read more

Love this place. The setting is laid back and fun. The food is incredible - super fresh and so healthy, nice variety. I have been hoping for a place downtown to finally get some clean, healthy breakfast and lunch. Now I have it. And the best part is it tastes so good! read more

Went back to my hometown in Syracuse this past week and was told to try this new spot and it was great. There was a good variety of tasty, healthy food choices surrounded by an upbeat and hip atmosphere. Really enjoyed it and will definitely go back! read more