🍽️ Ultimate Ithaca Food Guide 🍽️

After a year in Ithaca, I revisited my favorite spots before leaving. Here’s my top 10 must-try list: 🥇 Moosewood A classic vegetarian restaurant 🥕. A bit pricey, so I only went when my professor treated us (4-5 times!). I always ordered the Moroccan Chickpea Stew — delicious and ever-changing. Their desserts are also amazing 🍰. 🥈 Thompson and Bleecker Authentic Italian 🍝! An Italian PhD student insisted I try it — and it might even be better than the pasta I had in Rome (or maybe I just picked bad spots there 😅). Also love Franco’s Pizzeria — cheap, generous portions, and loved by my Italian roommate. 🥉 Ithaca Ale House Best burgers in town 🍔! I tried almost every burger joint here, and Ale House wins — especially the Orchard Burger with its tasty jam. Other great options: Five Guys, Northstar Public House, Red’s Place, and State Dinner. 4️⃣ Saigon Kitchen Classic pho spot 🍲. Discovered my love for pho in the US! Two pho places in Ithaca (both run by Fujianese owners), but this one beats the Collegetown spot. Great fried chicken 🍗, but skip the spring rolls. 5️⃣ Le Café Cent-Dix Authentic French bistro 🇫🇷. Went once with my professor — a bit expensive but worth it. Steak, fries, appetizers — all solid! 6️⃣ Texas Roadhouse Real-deal steakhouse 🥩. Affordable and delicious. Why buy a $20 steak from Wegmans when you can enjoy a perfectly cooked one here? 7️⃣ The Lotus Great Korean food 🍗. Their fried chicken is fantastic! Also love Spoom in Collegetown. 8️⃣ Wide Awake Bakery #1 bakery in town 🥖. Often sells out of baguettes by the afternoon — get there early! 9️⃣ Collegetown Faves Taiwanese fried chicken spot 🐔 and Dos Amigos 🌮 are my regular go-tos — highly recommend! 🔟 Silo Food Truck Biggest regret 😭! The most famous fried chicken in Ithaca — but the owner is… unpredictable. Always crowded when open, but I never got to try it. Heading back to Chengdu soon 🐼✈️ — then off to feast in Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Hanoi! If I didn’t write this down now, I might’ve forgotten all about Ithaca’s food gems. #Ithaca #Cornell #FoodGuide #EatIthaca #FoodieTravel #UpstateEats