The Depot Restaurant and Tavern — Restaurant in City of Oneonta

1st time here. Called for reservations for 2ppl (Sat nt) & asked for 530pm, which they were very hesitant to give & asked if we could do 515pm instead - no problem! Busy parking lot, so get there early. Inside was minimally decorated & seating looked like they were still in Covid mode - very distant from others & not a lot of tables. We got seated on time on their indoor porch. We knew what we wanted to order when the server arrived. Ordered 2 beers, some apps (their garbage wings, which we heard they're famous for & spinach-artichoke dip). Entrees were 10oz strip steak, sweet potato fries (side of honey) & chicken riggies, both came w/ a small salad. We waited approx 20 mins before we ASKED our server to have the apps come out whenever they were ready. (thought maybe it was going to come out w/the entrees as it was a long time to wait). He proceeded to bring our salads & rolls about 10 mins later. Then, another 10+ mins & the apps came. Their wings were AMAZING - A MUST TRY! They were sweet & tangy with the slightest bit of heat. The wing sauce was so tasty that we were dipping our rolls in it. This is their saving grace. The spinach-artichoke dip was disappointing. The portion size for $11 was much too small. The dip was very cream cheese forward, no artichoke to be found & 2-3 spinach leaves (yes, leaves, not chopped up or anything, just thrown in & mixed together). I liked it better than my spouse, but it was still just meh. Definitely have had better. Almost tasted like a crab rangoon filling, minus the crab. The crispy cracker/tortillas that came w/ it were good, though. Dinner FINALLY came around 630pm!! The steak was average, well cooked but not super flavorful. Sweet potato fries & veggie portion were practically non-existent. Side honey was missing. We asked for it & by the time the server came back w/ it, my spouse was already done w/the meal. The riggies had pounded down chicken pieces that probably totalled 3/4 of a 1/2 a chicken breast & included sautéed green peppers, which were not part of the menu ingredients (cooked peppers=yuck..imo). So by the time dinner arrived, I wasn't hungry anymore & asked for a to go box. We passed on dessert b/c it probably would've been after 8pm before we finished! The server was even slow w/the to go box & check. We put our card down to pay & waited & waited...finally ask the manager walking by if she could run it, she did, we paid $94 + tip & then our server showed up to collect our payment. We told him we already paid, and he apologized for the delay (he knew he'd messed up) & we left. I would never go back here for dinner. Horrible service. I WOULD, however, sit at the bar & have their garbage...

Rude, unaccommodating & inappropriate behavior. We called on Saturday to inquire what time they close and were told 9 pm . I asked what the latest time we could be seated and they said 8:30 PM. So we drove 20 minutes in the rain to go grab a burger and a beer and arrived at 8:28 PM only to be told they would not seat us because they were closing at 9 PM. I explained I had called & what i was told but the waitress said the owner had just said not to let anyone else be seated. We asked to see the manager and the woman came out and told us they were closing at nine and they were not seating anyone else . I explained how we had called & what we were told, that we drove 29 minutes in the rain and that we arrived at 8:28. She could seem to care less and just had a smirk on her face and continued to state “we are not seating anyone else”. She never apologized and didn’t even offer take out. We were shocked because someone just left with takeout and more importantly, the restaurant was still pretty full. We explained we only wanted a burger and that we eat fast. She didn’t seem to care. I told her we were absolutely stunned they told us to be there by 8:30 and we were, and that they weren’t taking us and that we were very upset and that I was going to slam them on the reviews to let everyone know how they behaved toward customers. She didn’t seem to care, but we do. My husband said he will never go back again. Think twice about whether you want to patronize a place that says one thing, does another & doesn’t seem to care if they turn you away 30 minutes before posted and confirmed closing time. How rude, unaccommodating and inappropriate. So, we drove a few minutes and went to Hill City Grill which closed at 9 pm. We walked in about 8:42 PM and asked the hostess if it would be okay if we just had a burger or something real quick. She said “no problem we don’t close till nine nine.”. We sat, had a beer, burger & chicken sandwich. The food was great and the service was friendly & accommodating, as it should be. Shame on you Depot...

Housed in a former train station, this unique dining venue, that boasts plenty of dark wood, has enough seating options for a 2 person dinner or a baseball team. This restaurant is a little off the beaten path, but well worth the traverse for their food. Not only that, if you are looking for a historic taste of our area, than it is worth your time to try their historic pizza. Their sheet pizzas can be a little startling, as their sauce is ON TOP of the cheese, but this unique way of making it is part of the charm. Originally created in a pizza parlor on Broad Street, (which once was in the heart of downtown Oneonta, but was demolished in the 1960's as part of urban renewal) the recipe was sold to the owners and has been served exclusively at The Depot ever since. So, whether it is your thing or not, you can at least experience a local specialty. To get the full effect, I recommend the sausage pizza, which features a SHEET of sausage under the sauce. But if meat is not an option for you, try their garlic lover's pizza!

The Depot is also home of the Garbage Wings (a sauce that combines all the other sauces they offer,) as well as many other fantastic selections of sauces to go on their wings.

Personal recommendations: Their Sausage Pizza Appetizer: Home made Spinach dip and tortilla chips. Wings: Try the 18 wing option, which allows you to pick 3 of their sauces to try, so you can find your favorite. Also, be sure to get their house blue cheese sauce, which is super chunky and, in my opinion, is the bese blue cheese...