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As New York state relaxes its COVID-19 guidelines and restaurants move closer to full capacity, this summer in Syracuse is the perfect time and place to try new restaurants and return to your favorites. This dining guide includes a variety of eateries from indoor restaurants to outdoor food trucks, from sit-down locations to quick bites for on the go, and from Vietnamese cafes to American-style diners.

Breakfast

Water Street Bagel Co.’s freshly rolled bagels make them a Syracuse breakfast favorite. Louis Platt | Culture Editor

Water Street Bagel Co.
Water Street Bagel Co. is one of the premier bagel shops in Syracuse, and their bagels are a great way to start your morning. They are open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the weekends, and whether you’re an early riser or a late sleeper, their bagels are always freshly rolled and cooked in their wood-fired oven. At Water Street, you can combine their toppings with a bagel of your choice to make a unique sandwich, or if you’re not one to make your own sandwiches, the bagel shop has a broad menu to choose from, including favorites such as the “Turkey Bacon Ranch” sandwich and the “Power Up,” with sliced banana, almond butter and a drizzle of raw honey.

New York Style Diner
The New York Style Diner serves all of the classics, from a New York-style sandwich with eggs, meat and cheese on a roll to the “Hudson Bridge Combo” with a pancake or French toast, two eggs and a choice of meat. Don’t sleep on their French toast, but it’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu at the diner, which is open from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on weekends. Most of the menu items have a New York City tie-in in the title, and like the larger-than-life nature of the Big Apple, the portions are plentiful. Plan to leave with take-home boxes.

Lunch

Everson Food Truck Fridays
Whether you’re taking a break from work or starting the weekend early, Food Truck Fridays at the Everson Museum of Art is a perfect lunchtime location for an adventurous palette looking to try something new or a group of friends with different tastes. Every Friday morning, the museum updates its website and social media with a list of trucks that will be in attendance later that day. Customers are bound to find great food at Everson’s Community Plaza throughout the summer — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday until Aug. 27 — and some returning favorites include Papa Gallo Taco Truck and Toss & Fire Wood-Fired Pizza.

Located on North Salina Street, Ky Duyen Cafe is one of the only places in CNY that serves Bánh mì. Louis Platt | Culture Editor

Ky Duyen Cafe
Nestled toward the edge of Syracuse’s Little Italy, Ky Duyen Cafe is one of the few places in central New York selling Bánh mì — Vietnamese sandwiches generally made with pickled vegetables, pork and pâté. Owner Dung Vu sells four Bánh mì variations: grilled pork, BBQ pork, shredded pork and cold meat, which are all packed into a lightly toasted roll. In 2019, Vu’s son-in-law, Darren Huynh, said customers come from all across New York state to stock up on the cafe’s Bánh mì because they can’t get the sandwiches anywhere else. The sandwiches cost $6 each, and Ky Duyen Cafe — which opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. every day — only accepts cash. It’s a great option if you want to try something new or if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat.

Dinner

A Mano
A Mano Kitchen and Bar owners’ Alex Fiacchi and Lauren Markowitz worked in some of Philadelphia’s finest restaurants and worked on farms throughout Italy before opening their restaurant in Syracuse. The restaurant’s name means ‘by hand,’ as they make their wood-fire pizza in the dining room and roll their pasta in the basement. Because traveling abroad is still risky at this point in the pandemic, spend an evening at A Mano and indulge in their Margherita pizza or tortellini to be mentally transported to Italy. The restaurant, which is open Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4:30 to 10 p.m., also serves brunch classics such as frittatas and sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Eva’s European Sweets in Westside offers a variety of traditional Polish dishes and desserts. Louis Platt | Culture Editor

Eva’s European Sweets
Stepping into Eva’s European Sweets is like entering into a warm, welcoming home for dinner. The owner, Eva Zaczynski, said she wanted to make the space feel “homey” by decorating it with dolls, artwork and other mementos from Poland. The menu, inspired by dishes she grew up making in Poland and continued to make at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Syracuse’s Westside neighborhood, includes customer favorites like placki and sweet or savory pierogi. The restaurant also offers an assortment of homemade pies and cakes, which customers pre-order three or four days in advance. During the summer, make sure to check out Eva’s and enjoy their outdoor seating arrangement with friends or family.

Published on May 20, 2021 at 1:36 am

Contact Louis: [email protected] | @JBL__98