My boyfriend took me here for Valetine's Day dinner and I had the Eggplant Parmesan. The food was absolutely delightful and the service was attentive. A bit pricey, but hey, it's a more upscale restaurant. What surprised me is that the whole place was literally empty when we arrived, and halfway through our dinner another couple arrived, just thought that was a bit strange... The ambience and the place were beautiful even though the lighting was a tiny bit darker than I would've liked. read more

Great Father's Day brunch with the multi-generational family. All of us ordered something different, and each of us cleaned our plates. Great service and wonderful food. read more

We had a group of 7 for graduation and were treated very well by the staff, while the food was very good! The ambience is as good as it gets in Ithaca and the renovations are well done. We started out with the bone marrow, beef tartare, and mushroom toast all of which were tasty. For the main course - Chicken Parm, Pork Shoulder, Ahi Tuna, Hanger Steak and Rigatoni. All the plates were clean and their small taster desserts with coffee were a perfect way to end dinner. Price is higher end, but relative to service, quality of food, wine selection and atmosphere Simeon's hit the mark. Looking forward to our next visit! read more

Great atmosphere, friendly staff and owners. Food is undescribably wonderful. Came for brunch and taking lunch home because there was so much we wanted to try. read more

My wife and I are always on the lookout for a cozy place within driving distance of home for good food and cocktails. We found Simeon's to be that and more. The building on the corner of The Commons is unique and inviting and the staff cannot be friendlier or more attentive. The menu isn't just trendy tapas. Think comfort food with the extra touch. I use to think nobody could beat my Mom's meatloaf, but theirs stepped it up a notch. On our last visit we both ordered their glazed corned beef on a pretzel roll with a three mustard dressing that was so good I wish I had room for two. We washed it all down with a local Ithaca Pale Ale and two espressos for the road. As usual, we came away very satisfied and can't wait for our next trip. We bring friends there often and would highly recommend Simeon's to anyone. read more

Simeons. . .where have you been all my life? And how have I ignored you . . . . until now? As I looked out the windows, I felt as though I was looking out at a snow globe as the snow was swirling and the lit gazebo in the park across the street was glittering through the swirling white. I knew we were in for a special night. We were warmly greeted by the host who took our coats and led us to the bar to enjoy a drink before dinner. The bartender was friendly, offering up a specialty drink list as well as a wine list. And our drinks were perfectly poured when they arrived. We were seated with a perfect view out the windows at a cozy table. The various menus were explained . The chef sent out some appitizers with an unbelievable topping to start which was delicious. I then moved on to my first course. Next up our pasta course. I had the Rigatoni Bolognese which was perfection on a dish. If this had come as an entree I would have just stopped here because this dish was soooo good. And this was all just foreplay to the main course! I had the Lamb Shank which was perfect with its perfectly pink interior and delicate flavor. My friend had the Crispy Salmon which was done just right. The service was impeccable. Amazing food. Great location. All served by people who really want you to feel valued. It's easy to see how Simeons has been rated on the best restaurants in Ithaca list many times over. I can't wait to go back! read more

In town for business, and liked the look. Went for the special, a hangar steak, which was served w/ a great side of spinach, roast corn, and potatoes. The setting, an east coast fin de siècle salon feel, w/ marble bar, mahogany throughout. The special was a bit on the pricey side, but the cocktail was expertly served by a non obtrusive yet friendly bartender. No complaints whatever, and will go back next time I'm in town. read more

The food is awesome! Everything I've had there has been really great. The atmosphere is nice, and there is some seating outside (limited). The wait staff is pleasant. I've never been here for lunch, but the dinner specials are really, really delicious - definitely recommend. Prices are reasonable for the food, though more expensive on Ithaca standards. Particular things I remember - the eggplant stack with goat cheese was really good! Sea bass is great. My favorite dinner place downtown! read more

I've been here for dinner a few times (which was always good), but most recently I went here for brunch. The food was quite good, with a nice range of options for their brunch menu. The drinks weren't bad, but they also weren't particularly great. The service was good, both the hostess and the waiter were friendly and personable, without being overbearing. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca. So sad to hear what happened recently. Wishing this restaurant all the best as they recover from this tragedy. read more

Food is overpriced and mediocre. Kettle chips and cheese, really? Gross. Waitress brought the check before we finished eating (place was empty) and came back to get the check/money but we still weren't done! Desserts were great, though. We will NEVER go back. I recommend going elsewhere!! read more

I have dined at Simeon's a few times since it's re-opening and I have been impressed with the food and service each time. The wine selection is impressive enough that I am choosing to comment on it. The food choices are not only interesting, but have been perfectly executed every time. The meats have been cooked perfectly (including lamb, beef, duck) options. Their sauces are on point and the flavors of their dishes are generally very good. Service is decent and the "bites" they offer for dessert are always interesting (albeit a tad pricey). For a more upscale dining experience, this is a great option in Ithaca. read more

Our family loves going to Simeon's. Whether my husband and I want to go for a cozy dinner alone or have a family dinner together with our kids, there is a little something on the menu for everyone. The food is always excellent and we are never disappointed. A quote from my 11 year old son..."Simeon's cowboy burger is a crunchy piece of heaven". He's a picky eater and when he's happy that makes the experience even better.. Simeon's is also a great place to take customers because you know that they will always be satisfied with the food, service, and the atmosphere. read more

My girlfriend & I were visiting Ithaca, NY & went to Simeon's on Saturday @ approximately 4:00pm. We were seated & sat at least 15 minutes before anybody even acknowledged that we existed (including the owner & several of the wait staff). My girlfriend chose their 8 ounce sirloin that wound up being loaded with grizzle, salt & fat (for $34.95) & I chose the Asiago sea bass which was DRENCHED in butter (on top of the mashed potatoes & green beans literlly floating in butter), for I believe $32.95. Crappy food, crappy service all at an outragous price! I pulled the owner aside & showed him the grizzle & fat filled steak as he cleared our table. His words were "oh; sorry" & walked away with our plates. Oh well; as Paul Harvey use to say "now you know THE REST of the story"!!! read more

We went here for my birthday since they are one of the few in Ithaca that take reservations- bonus points! We had amazing oysters, the house made chips and cheese fondue, steak tartare, and the duck roll ups (I think these are all actually named something much fancier - but still delicious haha). We enjoyed their house cocktails and the bartender even made us a new one off menu. We loved sitting by the window and being able to look at the commons. Definitely recommend. read more

While the food was good, I feel that it is a little overpriced. The decor and layout are quite good. There is a good bar selection as well. read more

I went here with significant other for Valentine's Day. The staff that greeted us was not very friendly, and the food portions were so small I was still hungry. For the price, the sizing was completely ludicrous. Delicious though, but it comes with a high price (literally). read more

The service was so bad we never got to try the food or drinks! It is a sad day when the person greeting you is so offensive you chose to leave rather than stay to eat. Therefore I give them a zero. I will never set foot in Simeon's and will continue to pass along my disappointing experience . read more

We've been there for brunch and now dinner. Fabulous food, pleasant waitstaff, excellent service ... even on a busy Saturday night at 7 pm. Recently enjoyed probably the best French onion soup I've ever had. and I still think about the crabmeat omelet from way back in September. LOVE the desserts, served in glass demitasse cups and presented in a tiered holder - always a perfect, classy "just enough" ending. read more

Kind of on the pricey side and obviously not a place the college kids will be frequenting. But their parents might want to check it out. Pretty good selection of wines and beers. Food was fresh and delicious. Portions are a bit small. Had the gazpacho and salad for apps. Gazpacho was good, flavorful and the salad especially tasty with a light and unique dressing and very fresh greens. For entrees, took a chance on the cod even though it's not exactly a local fish. It was excellent, seared over couscous. Other entree was the pulled pork which was presented as a formed slab - bit different and unexpected - but also quite good. read more

Have no idea why this place has only 3 stars. We consider ourselves foodies and this place was fabulous! One of the best Bloody Mary's I've ever had, one of the best French Onion Soups we've ever had (ask for it browned well) one of the best tuna burgers I've ever had (although i will say they overcooked it a bit), great aioli. My husband had the tuna nicoise salad from the specials board that he thought was good but not great, although i will add that he doesn't like any type of creamy dressing, which this had, so really just a personal taste item. We wish we had a place like this in our home town. Fantastic service as well! Sat at the bar. The front is very casual, but there is also a smaller room toward the back that is more formal. read more

Easily the best restaurant on the Commons, if not in all of Ithaca. Great for brunch, lunch, dinner, or a drink. Unpretentious. Delicious. Moderately priced. Do it. read more

Large bar and restaurant styled in the era of Belle-Epoque. The building says Paris Bistro, the crowd says "confused." A weird mixture of drunk fraternity brothers, drunk sorority dates, parents in town for homecoming weekend, aging hippies and "normal" college kids out on dates, the clientele definitely didn't hold true to any kind of stereotype. The menu is one of those large leather-bound books holding sheets of paper covered in plastic sleeveholders. Old fashioned and tedious but still holding onto its roots. The menu had an entire gluten-free page, which I thought was a nice touch. I could see why the place was popular with the college crowd: it was slightly upscale but the dishes were varied and affordable. The alcohol, however, was pretty expensive by Ithaca standards. Two mixed drinks for $19. They were below-average in taste -- the tonic was flat in one of them and the heavy-handed bitters in the old-fashioned just killed the normally awesome taste of the Woodford Reserve. They weren't terrible mixed drinks, but they tasted like they'd been mixed by a kid who'd just stocked their home bar. We didn't stay beyond one drink, but not much about the place really called me to go back. If I were in college and wanting grown-up experience, however, this seems like it would be a reasonable choice. read more

Food mediocre. No bread and butter with the waters :(. I got the Portabello Panini and the inside of the sandwich was good but the bread was soggy. I didn't want to complain, that isn't my style (that is why I yelp instead), but my father-in-law George did so without my asking. They apologized but did not refund the meal. I think that is what George was really going for. read more

very expensive! and sorta like a hidden gem slash hole in the wall. its one of those little old places in a little old college town. its not busy when the college students are gone, and the seating is quite nice right there on the promenade. the food is up scale dishes and you can get free bread, so that made me feel a little more like it was worth the price. its a great place for a romantic date or to go with family in town read more

I loved the food and service here! Second floor has great view and the music was good too.

We were so excited to see our very favorite Ithaca resteraunt open again after several years of rebuilding. We knew the menu was limited and also understood they needed to be a bit different than several other places in close proximity. Even taking that into consideration we were very disappointed. The bar was so poorly stocked so as not to be able to mix not one but 2 popular drinks, making lame excuses as to why. Blamed their vendor. The "eclectic" burger was dry and tasteless. The menu selection was so contrived in order to be special that 2 of our party had really no choice but a dry burger with a chunk of unmelted cheddar on them. The cucumber mignonette did not compliment the oysters in any way. Bottom line, they are trying too hard to be special when they were special in the old days by serving just plain good food. We'll try again with hopes they will see the light and combine some of the old and the new into this beautifully rebuilt space. read more

I've been there for brunch and dinner and was very happy with the food. Service was ok, but nothing stellar. I got their Thai seafood curry and loved it, which stands out for a restaurant in this area. My girlfriend's salad was large and delicious. The wine selection looks pretty good, as does the beer list. They could use some work on their mixed drinks and martinis. Despite all of that criticism, I would say that the food in both cases was good enough for me to rank it amongst my top restaurant choices in Ithaca. read more

Good quality of food with reasonable price. Waitresses are very friendly and nice.

We were eager to go now that Simeon's has re-opened. The new decor is airy and pleasant, and the higher bistro-table chairs are very comfortable (many are not). We enjoyed the food, and the cocktails were wonderful. Our server was very friendly and helpful and gave us recommendations that were on the money. The steak was perfectly cooked and tender, the chicken parm was very flavorful, and the pasta was delicious. We left full but not over-stuffed, which was nice. We'll go back again. read more

Only ok. we were in Ithaca for the weekend and walked the commons on a very cold evening (about 20f). We found our way here and were able to get a seat at the bar. We both ordered the aged sirloin which at $39 and with only about a quarter cup of cabbage and maybe the same about of carrots as well as a steak of about 4-6 ounces we felt underwhelmed. We both had to order a side of fingerling potatoes to round out the meal. The steak came out cut in half, a real negative. I believe this may have been done to check the doneness. although the service was fine, the quality just wasn't there. The best part of the meal was the carrots and the fingerling potatoes. The room was loud and cool in temperature. I would have rather gone to the Longhorn Steakhouse and had a steak of similar quality at half the price. I don't like to say it , but the one thing I do when I visit an area is to find a good, high quality steakhouse. I have been to Delmoninico's, Del Frisco's and the Capitol Grille in Philadelphia , Moishe's in Montreal (my personal favorite) as well as a dozen or so in NYC as well as Atlanta and Atlantic City. This paled in comparison. I may try again but I would not make a special trip. read more

First off I do not like oysters, but my other is a huge fan and she loves them every time we eat here. My person favorite dish in the entire restaurant is the Wedge Salad, although tonight as I always do I ordered minus the bacon "it actually came with bacon this time" not a big deal, still great presentation and and the homemade blue cheese is one of the best I have ever had. Honestly if you are in the Ithaca area and like Iceberg and blue cheese it is probably the best salad you could experience in the area. Next up was the Southwest Pork Chop the best way that I found to experience was to cut up the pork and mix the sauce, potatoes, corn and bean relish together. The chop is bone in but really tender and when all the ingredients the flavor profile is great. On a non food note Simeon's has one of the largest selections of Scotch I have seen in the finger lakes area. They are even able to obtain 2 types of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon "one of the rarest in the world" although they are currently sold out it speaks volumes they are even able to obtain it. The scotch menu is expansive and also offers flights, really one of the best spots in Ithaca if you are a fan. read more

We've been here twice and really enjoyed it both times. The food is creative and well executed. The service is top notch, though not particularly fast. read more

Went there for the second time this afternoon! Last time I had the pulled pork sandwich which was very delicious. This time I went for lunch and the pulled pork was not on the menu. The overall menu was very short and did not have a huge selection. On the other hand, the Thai chicken lettuce wraps are to die for!! Definitely a place to try if you're visiting the commons. read more

Very glad Simeon's is back. The menu is simple, but that allows them to focus on what they offer. Everything we had was delicious and brought to our table very quickly. In addition, for a fancy-ish bistro, the final bill was surprisingly affordable. Still not cheap, but the prices seemed fair. The staff was friendly and attentive, the dessert menu was creative, and the atmosphere was casual but romantic. read more

Glad to see Simeon's open again and looking so chic (a little too chic?). I think there are some kinks to work out with the reopening. Menu was just ok, not a lot of options for gluten free, veg, etc. Very standard fare. We ordered the appetizer entitled, KETTLE CHIPS FONDUE. It was not fondue. It was potato chips with some alfredo like sauce lightly drizzled on top. Not impressive at all. Call it chips and cheese or something, but fondue it was certainly not. The burgers were good. Service was pretty underwhelming. Had to ask for things twice, no salt and pepper on the table or offered, ordered hot tea and they only had one type of bland black tea, no options. I'd love to see better service and a better menu to match the new facelift of a classic Ithaca joint. We want you to be great, Simeon's. I don't want to wish I spent less for much better food across the street at Viva. Good luck! read more

The food here was tasty enough and the decor was nice and new, but for what we got I'd say it wasn't worth the price. $55 for a piece of salmon and a chicken parm is quite a bit! read more

A year ago for our fourteenth anniversary, we tried Simeon's with no expectations. We were so very pleasantly surprised we figured there was no better place in Ithaca (we live in Rochester, but Ithaca is our get away place) to celebrate our 15th. To keep this short, Simeon's was every bit as good this time, and that is saying something. The wine selection by the glass isn't extensive (the bottle list is), but it is diverse and there isn't a bad wine there. We each had the rigatoni, a naturally vegetarian dish, although our server, Brenda, who clearly knows her business and great customer service, advised of other dishes that could be altered to our needs. The rigatoni was again spectacular. It takes a certain skill to blend corn, summer squash, zucchini and cherry tomatoes with basil gremolata and achieve the perfect doneness of each of the diverse ingredients. The squash was perfectly under-cooked and just crispy enough to stand up to the home made pasta. The corn had to have come off the cob while we were waiting, it was that sweet, that fresh, and that perfectly cooked. The owner, Dean stopped by, and we congratulated him for his is a place that we will visit whenever we are in Ithaca and it has a good set of options. He has trained his staff to know the menu, know the options, know the wine and while Brenda was superb, I am sure that any of the other servers would have done almost as well. The deserts looked wonderful, but we were full from the main course and more than satisfied. Now we just need to find an excuse to get back to Ithaca for another visit. read more

I came upon Simeon's due to a friends reccomendation and was far from dissapointed. I was impressed with everything this place had to offer from the beautiful arched ceiling to the extensive bar which illuminates like a little piece of heaven to us spirit drinkers. I was also intruiged by their wine selections. From moderate to high end, California to Finger Lakes, this place seems to have it all. And now to the food. I decided on the asiago roasted seabass. This generous filet was topped with homemade breadcrumbs and a marinated tomato and artichoke salad. In one word I would call it outstanding. I will definately be returning often in the future!! read more

Love this place, great for lunch and dinner. The decor is pleasant and you can eat outside in the spring/summer.