Syracuse, N.Y. — When you step back and look at a full year of eating and drinking, certain places rise above the rest. Not just for one great dish or a standout cocktail, but for the way everything comes together: the food, the service, the room, the feeling that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Over the past year, Jared Paventi, Jacob Pucci, Danielle Benjamin and Charlie Miller crisscrossed Central New York, revisiting old favorites and meeting new ones. Some spots impressed us with ambition, others with consistency. A few managed to do both, night after night.
These are our best overall restaurants from our 2025 coverage, listed in no particular order and drawn only from places we featured on syracuse.com and The Post-Standard this year. If your favorite spot didn’t land here, don’t read too much into it. The list is about where we were this year, not a verdict on where to eat next.
Inka’s 
First Look: Inka’s Dinner at Inka’s in downtown Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller/(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com))
Address: Inka’s, 201 S. Salina St., downtown Syracuse
From Charlie Miller: This was the restaurant that put everything together. Dinner at Inka’s feels less like a meal and more like a carefully choreographed show. It’s one where food, drinks, service and atmosphere all move in sync.
The Peruvian-fusion menu, crafted by chef Flavio Solorzano, balances bold flavors with precision, whether it’s citrus-bright ceviche, deeply satisfying entrées or desserts baked to order. The bar program, led by Matt Sherlock, is just as intentional, with pisco-forward cocktails that feel thoughtful rather than trendy. And the room — buzzing, welcoming, dialed-in — invites you to linger.
I’m with Jared on this one: the best dining experience in 2025. My first visit there was the kind of night that recalls great city restaurants where nothing feels rushed, forced or out of place. You can stop in for a quick bite, but Inka’s rewards those who stay awhile. For us, it set the standard for what dining in Central New York looked like this year.
First Look: Inka’s Inka’s, a new Peruvian restaurant in downtown Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller/(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com))
From Jared Paventi: Without a doubt, the best dining experience we had in 2025. Cocktails were on point, the cuisine was spot on, and the service was exceptionally warm and detail-focused. In a way, it reminded me of the dearly-departed Saint Urban Wine Bar, the former fine dining spot off Westcott Street — precisely executed food as part of a well-orchestrated, finely choreographed evening you might expect from an upscale restaurant in a large city. The Instagram-worthy decor, cuisine and vibe all flowed naturally without ever feeling forced.
Stone Creek
First Look: Stone Creek Dinner at Stone Creek in Marcellus. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller/(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com))
Address: Stone Creek, 69 North St., Marcellus
From Charlie Miller: Stone Creek didn’t just reopen a dining room; it revived a neighborhood anchor. In the former Daniel’s Grill space, chef-owner Steve Tross delivered exactly what Marcellus had been missing: confident, scratch-made food, bold cocktails and a room that feels instantly lived-in.
The menu reads classic but cooks modern, from a smoked onion fondue that turns a table into a linger zone to big, properly cooked steaks and indulgent pastas. The bar is just as dialed-in, whether it’s a fiery Hot & Dirty Martini or a lavender-infused cocktail that leans playful without losing balance. And the vibe lands right where it should. It’s a place where cargo shorts and martinis coexist peacefully.
From full dining rooms night after night to the easy confidence of the kitchen and staff, Stone Creek feels less like a new restaurant and more like one that’s been waiting to come back. In a year full of strong openings, this was one that immediately felt essential.
K Kurdish Mediterranean
Dinner at K Kurdish Mediterranean Restaurant, Tully, N.Y. The mixed grill at K Kurdish Mediterranean Restaurant, Tully, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com) (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma/Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma)
Address: K Kurdish Mediterranean Restaurant, 6 Elm St., Tully
From Jared Paventi: Middle Eastern food is well-represented in Central New York. By my count, you can find influences of Lebanon; Jordan, Syria and the Levant; Palestine; and Iraq. This hidden gem tucked away in Tully brings the flavors of the Kurdistan region that overlaps Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Look for a heavy use of peppers and tomatoes, and a unique spice blend punctuating everything from the dips to the kebabs. You can eat around the world fairly easily in Central New York and K Kurdish gives us a portal to this lesser-known but absolutely delicious region.
Avicolli’s Coal Fire
Dinner at Avicolli’s Coal Fire, Fayetteville, N.Y. Coal-fired burrata affogato, a starter at Avicolli’s Coal Fire, Fayetteville, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com) (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma/Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma)
Address: Avicolli’s Coal Fire, 104 Limestone Plaza, Fayetteville
From Jared Paventi: Like cheese and wine, Avicolli’s Coal Fire got better with time. Our 2025 visit to the Fayetteville restaurant was a vast difference from the one we made six years before. Cocktails were playful and complementary of the starters and entrees, which were spot on. And the warmth went beyond the kitchen’s coal-fired oven, with one of our best service experiences of the year.
Grotto
Dinner at Grotto, North Syracuse, N.Y. The main dining room at Grotto, North Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com) (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma/Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)
Address: Grotto, 101 S. Main St., North Syracuse
From Jared Paventi: Our waiter was a callback to another era. He didn’t just list the specials and desserts or read them off a piece of paper, but sold them to his tables with personality and knowledge, as if he took pride in each one of them. He schmoozed with his tables, maintaining individual conversations with half of the dining room. Heck, he called us kids, as in, “Do you kids want more bread?” or “You kids have a nice evening.” I haven’t been a kid in 35 years, but I’ll take it. Sure, the food was good at Grotto but the service is what put this spot over the top for me.
Ruby Begonia’s 
Dinner at Ruby Begonia’s, Chittenango, N.Y. Chicken-fried chicken with pepper gravy over mashed potatoes at Ruby Begonia’s, Chittenango, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com) (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma/Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)
Address: Ruby Begonia’s, 236 Genesee St., Chittenango
From Jared Paventi: There’s a lot to like about Ruby Begonia’s in Chittenango, a restaurant still very much in its infancy. Opened in June 2025, there is still plenty of room for Todd and Jyoti Harris’ restaurant to grow. The upscale Southern menu features fried chicken and fish dishes, an otherworldly shrimp and scallop cake, and a lineup of first-rate sides. Service was warm and attentive. And, dinner is served on Syracuse China plates, which earns huge marks from me.
Raj Saffron House
Dining Out: Raj Saffron House in Syracuse Clockwise from top left: Tandoori mixed grill, kulcha (cheese-stuffed naan), lamb shank masala, basmati rice and a side of tikka masala sauce from Raj Saffron House in Syracuse. (Jacob Pucci/Jacob Pucci)
Address: Raj Saffron House, 124 Dell St., Syracuse
From Jacob Pucci: Of course, good food is key to any successful restaurant. But it’s called the hospitality industry for a reason. In the case of full-service, sit-down restaurants, attentive, friendly service is often just as important as the food, and few do it better than Raj Saffron House. Their food – especially the lamb shank masala – is as good as any you’ll find at an Indian restaurant in Central New York. But it’s the service that sets this Westcott restaurant apart. The owner and staff pulled out our chairs for us, happily answered every question we had, checked in at our table throughout dinner and made sure our water glasses never went empty. We were gifted two kulfi pops for dessert because the owner wanted us to try them. As special as we felt, little gifts like that are commonplace at Raj Saffron House, where even folks waiting on a takeout order are frequently given a cup of warm chai to hold them over.
Dining out in a restaurant like Raj Saffron House is more than just having somebody else cook dinner and do the dishes, though that’s certainly part of the allure. It’s about sitting down and knowing that for the next hour or two, you’ll be waited on with the utmost level of care and attention, a brief oasis amid our ever-demanding daily routines. You get all this for the price of an entrée. There might not be a better deal in town.
Brickyard Tavern and Barbecue
First Look: Brickyard Barbecue You’ll find several of these homemade 4-by-4-foot signs throughout LaFayette. They’re advertising the Brickyard Tavern and Barbecue on Route 11. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller/(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com))
Address: 2611 U.S. Route 11, LaFayette
From Charlie Miller: No one has ever accused me of being high-brow, and Brickyard Tavern and Barbecue isn’t pretending to be, either. What it is, however, is some of the best damn food I ate all year.
Pitmaster Davey Rickenback starts his days before sunrise, lighting fires and tending massive smokers built from salvaged propane tanks. The meat is ready when it’s ready, and if it sells out, that’s just how the day ends. What lands on your tray reflects that mindset: pepper-crusted brisket sliced thick, ribs the size of canoe paddles, snappy house-made sausage and smoked wings so big they reset expectations.
This is my kind of place to stop while out on an afternoon drive: two mismatched buildings, hand-painted ‘BBQ OPEN’ signs, a snowmobile trail leading to the bar. Somehow, all of it clicks. In a year filled with great restaurants and polished dining rooms, Brickyard delivered pure joy on a tray served without pretense.
Angry Pig BBQ
Angry Pig BBQ Buffalo garlic parm smoked chicken wings, brisket “macadilla” and a two-meat platter with brisket and ribs from Angry Pig BBQ, 2935 Lamson Road, Phoenix. (Jacob Pucci/Jacob Pucci)
Address: The Angry Pig BBQ, 2935 Lamson Road, Phoenix
From Jacob Pucci: This little barbecue spot near the Oswego-Onondaga county line is so new that construction of the permanent barbecue pit is still underway. And while it looks like an active worksite from the outside (because it is), inside you’ll find some of the best Texas-style barbecue in Central New York. The beef brisket, the centerpiece of Texas barbecue, is the star, though the pork ribs are also stellar, as are the smoked chicken wings, and the mac and cheese, and the chili, and even the Brussels sprouts, fried until crispy and seasoned with salt and barbecue rub. The wings, massive in size and only $1 on Wednesdays and Sundays, are lightly smoked before being fried, giving the wings a crisp exterior and juicy meat, with just a hint of smoke. They’re some of the best wings of any style you’ll find in Central New York, which, considering our collective fanaticism for wings in CNY, is an impressive feat.
The Kabob House
First Look: The Kabob House The Kabob House in Liverpool. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller)
Address: The Kabob House, 409 Tulip St., Liverpool
From Jacob Pucci: Masters of the meats. Sultans of the skewer. The crew at Kabob House in Liverpool is worthy of any title you can come up with to describe their mastery of the grill. To best enjoy it, bring a group and share the five-person house mix platter, a mammoth platter of food that’s bound to turn heads as it makes it way to your table. There are lamb chops, lamb shish kabobs, grilled chicken kabobs, beef kofta, chicken kofta, grilled tomatoes, onion, grilled jalapeños, warm house-made pita and so much green salad with lemon vinaigrette that you’ll be hard-pressed to find room on your table for everything.
Cooked over hardwood charcoal in an open-pit grill, the meat is slightly smoky, kissed by the flames as the flavorful marinades drip onto the ripping-hot coals. It’s been more than a decade since I was an exchange student in Istanbul and while my Turkish is rusty, my memories of grilled kabobs from kebapçı are clear as day. For me, in Central New York, Kabob House has come the closest to replicating those memories.
Colucci
Dining Out: Colucci Outside Colucci, 510 Westcott St., Syracuse. (Jacob Pucci/Jacob Pucci)
Address: Colucci, 510 Westcott St., Syracuse
From Jacob Pucci: Colucci’s truncated menu is filled with familiar Italian-American classics, like pasta, lasagna and breaded chicken cutlets. In a region with no shortage of Italian restaurants, what makes Colucci stand out? Nearly flawless execution. Yes, you can get lasagna from any Italian restaurant and even a good number of pizzerias. But Colucci’s lasagna, a hearty brick of pasta layered with meatball mix, ground Italian sausage and creamy besciamella sauce, isn’t like most lasagnas. The all-beef meatballs, one of my favorite starters of the year, are among the best you’ll find at any Italian restaurant in CNY. If only Tommy Devito were still in town to try the chicken cutlets, pounded thin, yet still juicy, with a crispy breading that clings to the meat.
The chocolate panna cotta, another one of my top desserts of the year, is both decadent and an absolute bargain.
Colucci is both comfortable and inviting, but more than anything, it’s genuine. The menu is small enough so that no dish is overlooked. If it’s on the menu, it’s there for a reason. If you’re not lucky enough to have an Italian nonna, but want to feel like you do, head to Colucci.
Eden
Eden Owner/Chef Rich Strub at Eden in downtown Syracuse’s Hanover Square. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller/(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com))
Address: 118 E. Genesee St. in Hanover Square
From Charlie Miller: Eden belongs on this list because it keeps proving, year after year, that details matter. Chef-owner Rich Strub has built the downtown restaurant around live-fire cooking and hyper-local ingredients, with every dish touched by flame in a custom hearth. That commitment earned Eden a DiRōNA Award of Excellence in 2025, adding to its Wine Spectator honors and cementing its place as one of Central New York’s most serious, thoughtful dining rooms.
Noble Cellar
Noble Cellar Noble Cellar in downtown Syracuse. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com) (Charlie Miller/(Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com))
Address: 304 E. Onondaga St.
From Charlie Miller: In under a year, Noble Cellar accomplished what many restaurants chase for decades. The Columbus Circle spot earned a DiRōNA Award of Excellence for its polished food, warm service and standout wine program, instantly placing it among the region’s elite. Co-owners Sarah Pelligrini and Robert Zaccaria have created a dining room that feels both special and welcoming. It’s the rare kind of place that racks up national awards while still feeling like a neighborhood favorite.
Bangkok Thai
Variety of dishes at Bangkok Thai Variety of dishes at Bangkok Thai in Liverpool (Danielle Benjamin | Contributing Writer) (Danielle Benjamin/Danielle Benjamin)
Address: Bangkok Thai, 7421 Oswego Road, Liverpool
From Danielle Benjamin: In addition to having a wide variety of both Japanese and Thai dishes, every single dish I’ve had there — on several occasions — has been generously portioned and packed with flavor. Plus the half price sushi specials can’t be beat.