Overall the food was good very fresh ingredients. Service was good and pretty quick. Unfortunately they were heavy handed on the salt. The meal felt like you were about to start having hypertension ( high blood pressure), if you do not already. I would come back again to give it a second chance seeing that the chicken looked good but avoid the sirloin!!!! read more

Never had a bad meal at Ports, but both our meals(Mahi & Shrimp entrees) were sub par last night. We had a wonderful waitress who provided excellent service. We asked her if Ports was under new management, but she said "no". I believe they must have new staff in the kitchen, though. read more

I am writing this strictly for the horrendous service. Do not recommend if in a large group. Not handled well at all from the restaurants part. The food was good but the lack of service tainted the experience. The service as a whole was awful and don't recommend or request Kate. To Claire L: No drinks ordered just water. Also pains me to see the judgment/assumption of the bachelorette concept in general. This was our experience: 45 minutes from ordering with waitress first appetizers arrived (one). 25 minutes later dinner arrived and still not everyone served. Basically 2.5 hour dinner with no server presence to just check in to see that water was filled or whether anyone needed anything. The icing on the cake was no one was drinking. Glad you had a good experience and maybe that waitress has improved and grown from a very bad service night. We as a party of 9, did not. The purpose of these reviews is exactly that. Your experience. read more

Filet Mignon was great and the service was even better!! The atmosphere is very nice too and not loud at all.

Worst customer service ever - a pre-set gratuity is not an excuse for shitty service. Food was over an hour late, waitress (Kate?) never checked in and at the end of the meal, she comes over w/ the checks with 18% add-on walks away. When we asked to speak to the manager, we were directed to the host who clearly didn't seem to know what was going on or had the acumen to solve for the issue. Do not recommend coming here - food isn't worth the wait or the service. read more

I called Ports Cafe approx. 1 month ago to make a dinner reservation for July 21st. I was told at that time that they do not accept any reservations until 2 weeks before the desired date. So, I called back today (2 weeks, plus 1 day) to make the reservation for a party of 9. After checking with the "manager", she told me they could only do a reservation at 8:30 as they were booked until that time. I explained the above regarding the 2 week notice and how could the restaurant be booked until that time.. She stated it was basically booked until then. Her demeanor was curt, unfriendly and unapologetic. She needs to learn basic customer service skills. I told her not only would I NOT be making the reservation for 8:30 but that we would never step foot in that restaurant again. If they have a 2 week notice then they should stick to it. ... not give prospective customers differing information. read more

Two for two!! This place is really great. My only complaint would be noisy and small. But I feel if they change it, it would lose its charm. Went for my birthday and the server was very knowledgable and attentive. We ordered the calamari which was outstanding and the roasted red pepper chowder. Very good as well. I ordered the ribeye with delicious dry rub (tasted limey too yum) and blue cheese with walnut butter. Garlic smashed potatoes. I ate every bit of it. My hubby got mahi with a salsa which was also very tasty and quickly devoured. Had to get the pecan bourbon creme brûlée which hit the sweet spot. Still my favorite place!! Despite the great gourmet food, there were a lot of families in shorts and tee so it's casual or dressy--whatever you feel like. PS.. Even the bathroom was spotless! That's the real test. read more

Ports Cafe - Pecan bourbon creme brûlée - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

Beautiful beginning to my first weekend in Geneva. God daughter attend Hobart and Williams Smith College and knows all of the restaurants. Thanks goodness reservations were made. Ambience was nice, lively and cozy. I ordered the cracked pepper and seasoned rib eye which was cooked perfectly (medium). As an appetizer we ordered the calamari which was also delicious. Portions were huge! Leftovers were shared the next day between god daughter and her roomies. I'm giving a 4 star because it was my first time. If my second visit is just as good, a 5 star rating! read more

Very lovely ambiance with friendly service and delicious, innovative food! I thoroughly enjoyed the nicely Old Bay-spiced fresh peel 'n eat shrimp served with both clarified butter and cocktail sauce, which went well with my unoaked Chardonnay. I enjoyed my fresh seared scallops with very fragant black rice. I do think the scallops could have used a little more of a sear so they were crispy, and the slightly undercooked broccoli on the side seemed like a throwaway. Still, a great dinner spot read more

Tonight was my first but not last visit. What an absolute wonderful dinner. Atmosphere awesome, service incredible! Our server Andrew was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and helped us select our dinner items. Our meals were fabulous and I cannot wait to return!! read more

My partner and I visited Ports Cafe at the end of a weekend on the Seneca Lake wine trail. After several decent, but rich, meals we were looking for something a bit lighter and fresher. Ports delivered. Certainly you can order a juicy steak, but also great sea food and pasta dishes with seasonable vegetables. I tried the monkfish, which was perfectly cooked and seasoned -- tender on the inside and slightly crisped at the edges. The atmosphere is casual but nice. An indoor trellis complete with grape vines overhangs the upper dining area. Many seats have a partial view of the kitchen. Be aware that some of the dishes area a tad heavy on the salt. It's not so much to ruin your food, but the salt is noticeable. Let your server know if you're on a low sodium diet. read more

Wow! This place went way above my expectations. At first you walk in and think it's a cute place. Service excellent. But the food ... Is beyond amazing!!! We are NYC foodies ... And this was up to par with top NYC restaurant food quality! Come for great food, great service and good decor. read more

Ports Cafe - The duck - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

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It's been several years, chefs and a remodel since we've been back to Ports. I wondering now why we waited so long. The new appetizer, the volcano was amazing. I ordered the flank steak with scallops, my wife the duck with wild rice with walnuts. Two amazing sauces, veggies with crunch still in them. My scallops were not done as crispy as I prefer them and so I sent them back for a re do. Not only was this no problem but the chef refused to just redo the single scallop, sending out a double order to what I had sent back. Delicious. Wonderful service, great suggestions. Nice wine list. Delicious desert. What are you waiting for? read more

Ports Cafe - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

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Almost, but not quite a perfect experience. We arrived on time for our 6pm Saturday reservation and were immediately seated. Our knowledgeable, congenial waiter was immediately informed of our need to be on our way to an event no later than 8pm. The waiter needed more than 10 minutes to read the 15 specials. In this day of computers and printers the kitchen and chef can decide the daily specials and the house manager can print them on papers to be handed out WITH the regular menu. Wine and appetizers AND dinner were ordered, wine delivered promptly, and apps were on the table in a reasonable length of time. Then we waited, and waited and waited some more. After nearly an hour the waiter apologized for the delay. We reminded him of our imminent need to leave. He returned with a gratis appetizer from the kitchen as an apology for the delay. A kind gesture, but all the more irritating because several of us could not partake, due to food allergies. The meal was delivered about 10 minutes later, giving us only 15 minutes to eat and leave. The pork entree was completely raw and had to be returned to the kitchen. When the pork entree came back to the table it was still rare. The other 3 entrees were generally good, though everyone agreed the potatoes and vegetables were over seasoned, particularly with black pepper. To add to the irritation, the water glasses were re-filled only once, and we were never offered another bottle of wine. The first bottle was finished with the appetizers and the hour-long wait for the entree. With the check, the waiter brought a single take-out box with 1 slice of chocolate cake as a further apology for the slow kitchen. ONE piece of cake for FOUR people to share! To add further insult, we literally had to fight our way out the door through the throng of people waiting in the dining area for the next available seating. Was the kitchen having a bad night, or was this a series of errors by our waiter? Only a return visit will clear up this mystery! We'll plan to go back when we have hours to spend (just in case) and a willingness to spend $150.00 to determine where the fault lay. read more

You ever go to a place where everything on the menu looks amazing that you can't even decide what to order? And then they tell you the specials??? Yeah, this place. We finally decided and could not have been happier! I had grouper that was cooked to perfection. My husband had the most tender filet mignon I have ever tasted. Service matched the quality of the food. Decor was funky; open kitchen... Which I love! Smaller restaurant, so make you make reservations! read more

This is and will forever be my favorite restaurant. There are not enough good things to say about this place. They are only open for dinner 5 days a week, do you know what that means? That they buy the ingredients fresh each and everyday and work to make sure that every night of dinner is unique, special, and of the highest quality! They have an exception wine menu covered in European, Californian but most importantly - the best Finger Lakes wines. Their specials menu changes daily, and it never disappoints. The price is steeper than most, but you get the most delicious and unique dishes. They are well put together and good portion sizes. I will keep traveling to the small town of Geneva, NY my whole life for this restaurant. The service is great too - big enough but because it's so popular you need to make a reservation. read more

AMAZING food!! The setting is very nice, we sat outside and the patio overlooks the view of the lake. I ordered a Burrata appetizer and the red snapper, both were specials that evening. My boyfriend got the calamari and lamb. Everything was absolutely delicious with beautiful presentation. We were too full for dessert but we definitely loved this place! read more

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Just dined there last night !! absolutely delightful ! food was top notch and our Waitress Liz was fabulous !! compliments tot the Chef and the service / staff !! highly recommend this restaurant !! read more

The steak here is delicious, every one comes with it's own creative, custom butter. Pecan creme brûlée was incredible. Make a reservation. read more

Ports Cafe - Hello steak. - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

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Really disappointing especially since a bunch of people told us this was the place to go for dinner in the area and the reviews here are really strong. Hopefully it was just an off night. We sat at the bar for dinner. Bartenders were friendly enough. Helped us pick out a local bottle of wine and explained that they were out of most of the seafood specials already (730 pm). The fried oysters app was good with a nice spiciness to them. But, then the salads took more than a half hour to come out. Once they finally arrived, my wife found something in her salad. Calling it a bug wouldn't do it justice. This was a huge moth that she pulled from her lettuce!! I quickly put it in a napkin and gave it to the bartender to avoid causing a big scene. Bartenders were apologetic and said we'd get dessert on the house. We were never approached by a manager or anyone else. The entrees weren't very hot when they eventually came out and obviously we had lost a bit of our appetites at that point. I have to say the caramel cheesecake was pretty good though. We'd really like to give this place another try if we can get that vision of Mothra out of our heads! read more

An unspectacular menu accompanied by a pathetic wine list. My salmon was undercooked and the basmati rice on the side was over cooked. My wife's lamb chops were not very tasty. The coffee was "institutional." The best part of the meal was the bread. I give it three stars only because our waitress was quite charming and really hustled to make sure we had superb service. Otherwise it was thumbs down all the way. read more

I love love love Ports! My husband and I come here for special occasions, for family visits, or just because...and we always love it! First of all, don't walk in expecting to get a table, you'll definitely need a reservation. We made the mistake of walking in at around 5:30PM and they said they could fit us in at 9PM...lets just say that's past our bedtime so we had to venture somewhere else. Secondly, don't let their regular menu fool you. If you can't find something that fancies you, just wait until the server comes to your table and reads not 2, not 4, but close to 8 specials that they custom make every day. I've had their appetizers, steaks, salmons, etc...and have never been disappointed. On their regular menu for appetizers the calamari is awesome with the shrimp accompaniment. For entree's, the Delmonico steak is amazing, and the salmon is cooked perfectly! If you haven't already, you need to come here. read more

The food was delicious and the service from Liz was excellent (recommendations were great)! Would definitely stop again if I am ever in the area read more

A - Wonderful little place looking across to Seneca Lake. Tastefully decorated and modern. B - Amazing menu featuring seasonal ingredients, with many being from the area. C - An equally amazing and lengthy daily features menu, which is described in detail by the server. Our dinner last night had 12-14 nightly feature items. Don't worry, they leave you with a copy of the features listing. Our dinner for four last night was on the patio, allowing us a view of the lake and a chance to enjoy the wonderful evening air. There is an extensive local wine list, of course, that also includes some California and other regional selections. Feature offerings ranged from Delmonico steaks, to jumbo Baltimore shrimp, to Monkfish, pork, half-chicken, and more. All of our selections were from the feature list and all were wonderfully prepared. Our server was friendly and very attentive. It was a great experience all around and we will definitely return. I recommend this stop if you are touring the wine trail in the FLX region. read more

We loved this restaurant. Amazing environment, delicious food, and friendly service. This combination is always the best experience.

Food was excellent and our waiter was fabulous... very knowledgeable. Thoroughly enjoyed everything about this restaurant.

Outstanding food, view, porch-side sunset. Erika was so accommodating and vey knowledgeable of the menu. We started with the mussels which were dry ice-packed and never frozen, beet salad and my husband had the king crab stuffed haddock and myself the bacon bourbon butter sirloin. The house smashed garlic potatoes are to die for and we took the chocolate tort with Oreo crumble to go and had it with a bottle of wine at home later. Even after eating all that, we feel amazing today, so just another sign of the high quality farm-fresh products and house butchered meats. read more

Ports Cafe - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

What an amazing meal. I had the Burrata for a starter (think savory strawberry shortcake). Three other tables nearby ordered it after we couldn't stop raving about how it was so delicious. The pan seared halibut may be one of the finest seafood entrees I have eaten. The service was spot-on. The meal was world class. My compliments to the chef and owners. What a truly extraordinary dining experience. What a find. read more

Absolutely delicious! The specials menu is awesome. I got the roasted brussel sprout salad. To die for! Great service as well! read more

Ports Cafe - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

Our server, Erica, was amazing. She was friendly and informative. Her recommendations were spot on. The Delmonico Steak was fabulous and so was the Scallop and Flank Steak Special. We ended off with a lemon:blueberry creme brûlée . The best meal we've had in ages! read more

Definitely one of the dining highlights of our week in the Finger Lakes. Casual and very unassuming from the outside, but wonderful food. We had delightful summer salads as appetizers -- mine had fresh blueberries, cherries and arugula, and my wife's had fresh grilled peaches. I had the triple-thick lamb chops, which were perfect, and my wife had the stuffed roasted trout. The only downside for me was having to skip dessert because everything had dairy (curse you lactose!). But I made up for it with two glasses of wine. We got a kick out of how many specials the waiter had to tell us about and were impressed that he remembered as much as he did before having to refer to his cheat sheets, which he left at the table for us to refer to. I will say that you absolutely have to make a reservation if you want to get a table. We called a couple of hours earlier and sailed right in, while people who arrived at the same time as we did without reservations had to wait a while. read more

An absolute must if visiting Seneca! But make sure to call ahead for reservations! Don't order until you hear the dinner specials they are always the best! Super friendly staff and dessert is to die for! read more

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Perfect from start to finish. Don't be deceived from the outside. This is a 5 star restaurant with friendly attentive wait staff and expertly prepared meals. Worth every penny! read more

Ports Cafe - Beautifully cooked Yellowtail - New American Near Me - Geneva, New York

This is probably the best place to eat in the finger Lakes. Make reservations early, and prepare to get wowed by their food and excellent service. read more

Absolutely delicious. Flank and scallops was really good. They accommodated menu items for the kids, even dessert. Great service and nice outdoor dining. Just great and must try. read more

Excellent experience all around. Andrew was friendly, attentive and his recommendations were spot on (food and wine). Outdoor dining was perfect. Tables well distanced and staff all masked. Regular menu looked great but the specials were above and beyond. I wish we lived closer as this would be a regular destination for us. Will certainly make a detour anytime in the Finger Lakes region. read more

We couldn't wait to eat here. When we walked in it was s bit off putting the host avoided eye contact with us for about 2 minutes finally he asked our name and didn't say much more. It was a little uncomfortable a few minutes later he said there was a table on the patio we were grateful. Then we met our waitress Erika! She literally made the night. She was kind and passionate about the menu explained the specials and helped us make a choice. My food tandoori chicken was amazing and I took cheesecake to go so yummy. Thank you Erika for being who you are and what we needed to make our experience happily complete. read more

Had a group of 10 in town for HWS Family weekend....service and food was fantastic!! Andrew, our server, was the best!! My son had food allergies and they handled this with no problem....very attentive. This if probably the best place in town to go in a tie with Kindard Fare. Highly recommend Ports Cafe. read more

Ports is excellent. I not from the area but am in Geneva a lot due to both kids attending/attended Hobart College. Every visit to Ports has been excellent. We consider Ports to be the best food in Geneva. read more

It's hard to find a local restaurant that does everything right the way Ports Cafe does. I was so proud to bring houseguests from out of town here over the holidays. There's never a worry about the quality of the food (even for my fussy, big-city foodie friends!) or the service, which is always efficient but very friendly. I've dined here about 10 times now and the food is always amazing -- creative and delicious, using local ingredients whenever possible. There is a standard menu and a "specials" menu that changes regularly. Just having the waitperson recite the lengthy specials menu in detail is a treat and gets the ol' Pavolvian responses fired up! They also have a great wine list featuring wonderful local Finger Lakes wines. Walk in the door and breathe in the aromas of spices and garlic ... oooo, you know you're in for a delicious experience. It's making my mouth water just thinking about it! The space is not large and as word spreads of the high quality of the dining experience there, you'll want to make sure you call ahead for reservations. The room fills up very quickly! Ports Cafe is my now favorite Finger Lakes restaurant, and may the people who work there and make it such a special place have all the success they deserve in 2012! read more