Simeon's is a very good restaurant in Ithaca (which is also full of other really good restaurants). I really like their food here, the menu is classic and approachable. They also have a very good brunch. It is one of the more "upscale" restaurants in the area but it still isn't terribly expensive or stuffy, which I really like. Will be back here on my next visit I hope! read more

Simeon's On The Commons - New American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Excellent service and outstanding food. Pasta we ordered was cooked to near perfection.

The oysters were excellent and the asiago-crusted seabass could not have been more perfect. Expanded outdoor seating to accommodate COVID-19 protocals/concerns. (That's the Elderflower Bloom in the background... Fabulous!! ) read more

Simeon's On The Commons - Asiago-crusted Seabass over garlic mashed potatoes with brocolloni, marinarted artichoke hearts, and cherry tomatoes. - New American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Excellent service, wonderful food, lovely ambiance even in "these unprecedented times!" Came here with my travel companion on our first ever masked trip, for our first dinner. Loved our oysters and Prosecco to start. A kale salad was on special, as well as a paella with huge shrimp, lobster pieces, and mussels. Even though portions were modest, we felt great about the amount of food we ate, sharing all three dishes. Then, these teeny desserts came out, and we each got a cocktail (the Blackberry Brambler was amazing), and our meal was complete. Satisfying and just enough pomp to feel like we were really "out," it was a wonderful night and we would return! read more

Simeon's is definitely an experience for college students to have- dressing up and going out to eat way overpriced food with friends is really fun! I absolutely loved the rigatoni; it wasn't too heavy on the stomach and tasted creamy and flavorful. Also the spinach artichoke dip as a starter was perfect for sharing and tasted so amazing (pretty oily but that's a trade off I am willing to make on a special night). Most of the food here should be pretty good but this is definitely a "treat yourself" once in a while meal for the typical college student. Our server was extremely nice and the ambience in the restaurant was also nice! Overall, I think the food here is pretty good, but not super worth the high price point. read more

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I have been to Simeon's a few times and appreciate not only the ambience - but also the friendly service. As I have a number of food allergies - they are always helpful in pointing out what might work for me. read more

Brunch was yummy! Server was great! I remember coming here 30 years ago and it was good then too.

With COVID Valentine's Day was my first time truly dining out in Ithaca. I chose to have brunch at Simeon's with my honey since we both love oysters and Simeon's is honestly the only spot in town with a decent selection. Service and food quality did not disappoint. We tried a two dissenting assortment of their raw oysters and everything was fresh, well shucked, and delicious. The mignonette, horseradish, lemons, and cocktail sauce were all great accompaniments. We ended up ordering two entrees as well - the King Crab Omelette and Eggs Benedict. Both were delicious and the salad that accompanied my dish was perfectly dressed. Overall we splurged to celebrate and I was not disappointed and felt it was money well spent. Service was great and I'm looking forward to an excuse to try Simeon's for dinner. I will definitely be back for brunch. read more

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Came for birthday dinner. Made reservations to be sure we would get in. We were a party of seven. Ordered the seafood tower, dip, and meat and cheese platter. The dip they didn't give enough bread and chips but the other two were delicious and nice portions. The oysters and seafood tower were Fabulous. Ordered the pasta orichettea, Steak, lobster Mac and cheese and the salmon. Food was delicious, nice size, cooked to perfection. I would def recommend this place. Service was awesome!! read more

Everything about this place is impeccable: the atmosphere, service, location, and, of course, the food! I enjoyed a phenomenal shrimp cocktail and their clam chowder is THE BEST I've ever had! I will back to have much more next time! read more

Cool place, on the pricey side but nice and clean. It's nice to sit outside on a hot day and have a drink and sandwich. The portobello sandwich was delicious- with goat cheese and roasted peppers. The side salads were just the right size. They had a nice selection of beers on draft- not extensive but enough. The ahi tuna was good too! Cool looking place right on the corner. read more

It was a busy, early Saturday evening in downtown Ithaca and we felt lucky to get an outdoor table given the crowds (the students are back in town) and the beautiful weather. The staff at Simeon's was super friendly and helpful. We decided to keep things simple and ordered their burger that is made with ground short rib. The burgers were correctly done medium-rare and were very tasty - they had that fresh-off the grill flavor. The fries were just OK - too limp for me. Overall a fine experience. read more

Our food was in time, tasty, and the service was nicely done. Thanks for the meal! I'd eat here again if I ever make the long drive to upstate New York again! read more

One of the best rib eye steaks I have had in a long time. Service was great and food was also great. Kids devoured the mac and cheese.

Came to Ithaca to drop my son off at school and found this gem. Great mussels and cocktails! We really liked this place!!!! Great location

Great ambiance, excellent service and the top notch food is to die for!!! There is something for the pickiest of eaters, can't wait to go back! read more

Simeon's On The Commons - Cold Seafood Platter. - New American Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Stopped here for dinner after being turned away from a restaurant close by a half hour before closing. Simeon's was closing at the same time, but the hostess welcomed us in. We told her we would "be quick and not linger, " and she said we were welcome and didn't need to do that. Our server was fantastic--knowledgeable and warm. We had a great, leisurely meal. We shared some lovely oysters and the arancini. For dinner, I had a beautifully cooked and seasoned steak, and we all tried some dessert. Very small dessert portions, which I always appreciate after a hearty meal. It was a lovely atmosphere and convenient to the action on The Commons. read more

Mmm-mmm-mmh! Mmm-mm-mm-mm-mmh! Food was so delish! Server was a baddie too (love you girl)!

I went to school in Ithaca, too long ago to talk about but, Simeon's is new and improved and better than ever. I had the half broiled lobster with garlic mash and broccolini, it was a very tasty dish. The highlight was the service it was top notch. We felt like we had a personal server. I'm guessing the Statler school has a little to do with the professional quality service. While some things have change through out the years in Ithaca. Simeon's is one of the good changes. Fully worth your time for a high end night out. read more

Excellent gourmet and comfort food with great service. We loved eating on the first floor looking out the window.

Excellent service from our two servers added a nice touch to our delicious (and very expensive) dinner. I got the lobster entree and my partner got the ribeye special. Both were delicious, well prepared, and adequate in size. With an early arrival, we didn't need a reservation. But there was a lengthy line out the front door when we left so reservations would be a very wise idea here. read more

For a nice night out with my partner, we chose to come to Simeon's in high expectations. The inside of the restaurant has a great ambiance, and the outdoor seatings were set sparsely. Our waitress was warm and attentive. Things went south when the steak, which I ordered medium, showed up in front of me very much well done, fully grey in the center with little hint of pink. The texture was dry and rough, like skewered meat and there was little seasoning. "Understandable", I thought, "restaurants get busy and they just overlooked this order". I conveyed this to our waitress, who was apologetic and nice about it. Moments later, a person who appears to be the manager showed up with my dish, saying that due to the bad lighting outside, it might appear greyer that it actually is. She asked me to turn on my flashlight to recheck the color. I was dumbfounded but did what she asked, and voila, still an almost fully cooked steak. She ended the conversation annoyed and passive-aggressive, interrupting me with "so you want it more medium RARE", which I replied with "sure.. I mean..", she then stormed off without letting me finish my sentence. The new plate came after a while, but it was perfectly delicious, exactly what "medium" would look like, and it came topped with a sauce that was absent from my first dish. It had a great sear and was juicy inside. The manager (I assume) came back and dropped a "I hope you enjoy THIS ONE more" in a tone left me and my partner a weird taste in our mouths. Clearly the first dish was not up to par -- it was obviously closer to well done, and was missing the drizzling, but she tried to gaslight me into thinking it was just a matter of "lighting". This is not what I was expecting to experience for a 60-dollar steak. In addition, the plates were dirty with solid particles still on them, and because of the tilt of the table outside and the absence of coasters, water flowed all over the table and landed on my partner's laps. I was tempted to give one star because of the experience with the manager, but the food (second dish) and our waitress were excellent enough for me to bring it up to 3 stars. read more

The food is simply amazing. The staff is always friendly and professional. There is a warm, welcoming vibe at Simeons. It is a great place to dine for just about any occasion, especially if you have out of town guests. Great location, right on the Commons! read more

Service was okay, and a very convenient location. Ambience was clean and simplistic. The 60 dollar ribeye was horrible. I was really excited to come here because the photos looked good. The waiter was very polite and let me know the specials of the day. He recommended the soup of the day, and the ribeye steak which came with oyster mushrooms and sweet potato gratin. The soup of the day was some sort of creamy sweet bell pepper soup. I probably should have stopped there. Unfortunately, I also ordered the ribeye. I asked for the ribeye to be medium rare and it turned out to be more then well done(photos below). Chewy, dry, and hard to swallow. The flavor was there but it was also over salted. The potatoes were okay but cold. Weird combination. I barely ate any of the ribeye and I was still charged the full price.. This place caters to tourists who want to go to a trendy place. Overall, would not come here again or recommend to any foodies or friends. read more

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We stopped by for dinner and were very happy we did. We were in town visiting the wineries around the Finger lakes and while strolling though town came upon Simeon's. The 4 of us arent really keen on dining indoors in these Covid times, so the amount of socially distanced outdoor seating was perfect! The service was great. I cant recall the server's name, he was a slightly older guy, great personality (I can say that, he was prob my age - lol) My friend and I both had the Chilean Sea Bass and it was AMAZING! Spent the rest fo the trip trying to match the quality at other places we visited. Didn't happen. I cant speak to the indoors, but sitting outdoors and people watching was perfect! read more

Lovely upscale restaurant in downtown Ithaca. Wait staff is friendly and efficient. Not at all noisy. Husband's salmon and risotto was excellent. read more

Food was pretty good but it took over 1.5 hours to get it. When we initially asked the waitress she said "it's definitely going to be above 10 minutes but we are full." Way to manage expectations...NOT! Communication from the server was altogether lacking about the "back up in the kitchen." Maybe I am a bit harsh but if you pay ~$30 per dish in a small college town you should expect some degree of service above half-assed (at least offer some bread during the long wait, or keep customers informed about how long the wait could take). read more

Great food and amazing service an Ithaca staple for sure! .

It's very hard to get a table here so we were pleased to get a reservation. We were seated upstairs at the round table in the window, which overlooked Ithaca Commons. Waitress was very nice and was able to get our toddler his Mac and Cheese very quickly, which we greatly appreciated. Thai lettuce wraps were tasty, with lots of pickled vegetables and a sauce with a bit of punch from spices. Salmon was well- prepared with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Pasta with sausage also delicious and was quite a large serving. They are known as an oyster bar, but we did not order any. Downstairs is small but large on ambience, with classic architectural details. A landmark in Ithaca for decades, it's worth a visit. read more

Hospitality is really an industry you have to be passionate about. When people are passionate about making people happy and their vehicle happens to be food, that's when the restaurant will see success. And though food plays an important part in that scenario, so does service. And the one you will receive at Simeon's is probably similar to the one you receive at your local AYCE buffet. Occasional, quiet, plate clean-ups paired with awkward smile and chuckles. Terribly slow service with just as terrible time management when it comes to pushing out tickets. Received our appetizers then had to wait a noticeably long time to only receive 2 burgers when we had 4 guests at the table. Awkward wait until 2 more entries came out only to notice that one of the requests for the order was not met. Had to return, and now 1 party was waiting for his food while others awkwardly ate on. No apologies, nothing. Left his sides for him to eat while they fixed up the plate. Figured they'd come back with the new entree with fresh new side. But nope, just the main entree. Maybe I was biased at this point due to the slow service and sub-par food quality (food alone would be a 2.5-3 stars), but all parties at the table noticed serious absence in any form of hospitality whatsoever along with a cold attitude from our waitress. I'm a believer of heavy tipping when it comes to amazing service. And.. vice versa. Hate to bash on institutions but I feel the need to let others know what they should expect from this place when they visit and want to treat their college kids out to a nice place. Probably should have left a smaller tip for the service that a 3rd grader could have done a better job for (and a much more pleasant one at that), but it is what it is. Please hire better FOH staff. I get that it gets busy regardless on the weekends due to the scene near commons, but that mentality is seriously toxic. read more

Awful seating and service. We waited got 20 mins while 4 tables were vacant. Two tables were reddy to go & 2 weren't bussed after customers left. Losing money big time read more

Tbh it's really not good!! Not sure whether it's fried egg or it's omlet.....clam chowder is fine but the king crab omlet is a nono...

Really glad we chose here for dinner the night before my sons music auditions for Ithaca College. The hostess was enjoyable too speak with and everyone was so friendly. The food and beverages were fantastic. We got Brussels Sprouts as an appetizer, I got the winter salad with salmon - which included a think layer of edible crispy skin. Yum! My son got the Miso Salmon dinner - he enjoyed. Hope to be back soon! read more

Great atmosphere and really nice brunch. Great servers too. Lunch and dinner are super-challenging if you are vegetarian, vegan or can't eat gluten, however. When I end up here for lunch or dinner because a friend chooses it, I can only eat a basic salad, which occasionally makes me sad. read more

We were hesitant that it was just a high priced canteen for students eating on Mom and Dad's tab but we had an absolutely superb brunch with perfectly prepared brunch burgers and outstanding house bloody marys. Service was friendly and quick and the wine selection by the glass was excellent although one at $25 a glass was high even if we were in Tokyo. The place is very busy so while they fit us in, i would recommend making a reservation. read more

Just had the 14 oz pork chop. Substituted the fingerling potatoes for garlic sautéed broccolini. Absolutely fantastic. Started with a double Scotch since the single is lack lustre. Great liquor and wine selection. However they didn't have a Gewürztraminer so I settled for a Heineken.... All good. Very good atmosphere friendly attentive. service. Not cheap, but very good food never is. desserts look awesome but I'm low carbing it. Sorry not five stars but they takes an act of God read more

Really great bistro lunch. Service, food atmosphere all really well done. Go to in Ithaca.

Always my go to restaurant for a special occasion. Went here continuously throughout my college semester for graduation, Easter, and just celebrations, and they were always very kind. It gets really crowded on weekends and nights so good luck getting a table. Food is amazing, and the oysters are a must try! read more

Classy restaurant in Ithaca commons. I'm visiting Ithaca for a few days and this restaurant was great! The decor is simple yet elegant. The service was friendly, and approachable! There are a variety of items from steak, sandwiches, seafood and pasta. I got the New England clam chowder which was the soup of the day special. The soup itself was packed with seafood and potatoes and was a warm appetizer on a cold night. My boyfriend got the oysters, 6 for $18 which is pricey but not surprising based on our location in upstate NY. The oysters came with three sauces, a mignonette, horseradish and cocktail sauce. I had one and it tasted fresh and I enjoyed the mignonette with it. There were a variety of oyster types you can choose from, we got the Black point. For dinner I got the chicken club on a ciabetta bread. The chicken was a bit too charred for my liking, but the pesto added an additional punch and it was a large portion of chicken and bacon. I picked the greens which was a large helping of mixed greens in a balsamic dressing which freshened up the meal. For dessert we each picked a small dessert. They brought out a choice of 5ish options so we could actually visualize what we wanted. I picked the chocolate mousse of course which was the perfect size dessert to end the meal. I enjoyed the restaurant, friendly staff and delicious food. read more

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Food was adequate. Service was greatly lacking. They could have had a much larger check, and thus tip, if they had been more attentive.