Kitty Hoyne's Irish Pub — Restaurant in City of Syracuse

I'm not just being lazy with all the five stars. This place was wonderful. We went while on a road trip through the state of NY and had been eating and drinking at wonderful places every day. Going to Kitty's was actually a random last minute choice, but became the best happy accident of our trip. The atmosphere was great. Very classic irish pub feel with all the right details. The service was friendly from the moment we walked through the door. Our server was Anne, and she spoke on the menu and drinks well, making solid recommendations. We had the Reuben fritters as an appetizer, and I would come back to Kitty's just for those. Following that was a round of great beers poured perfectly. For our entrees we had the Porter Burgers, the Smoked Reuben, and the special, which was a variation on the smoked Reuben. They were wonderful choices, and the Reubens (plural!) won out as table favorites. The real hero of the meal though was the onion soup. Every member of our party had a religious experience with that soup. It was rich, full of flavor, and had a mouthfeel that made you not want to swallow so the experience would keep going. I don't know if I'll ever make it back to Syracuse, but if I do Kitty Hoyne's will be one of the first places I visit. If i lived here, I'd be a weekly regular for sure....

Eagerly anticipated first visit yesterday (1/17/25). There aren’t many traditional Irish Pub style establishments in Central NY but this one was astonishingly well-reviewed.

FABULOUS atmosphere. Exceeded our expectations in every way.

Well-crafted entrees and delightful presentation. Excellent flavor. However there was a glaring problem: both were only marginally warm. Really disappointing.

Waitstaff. Middling at best. The hostess was lovely. Very warm and personable. Our waitress unfortunately left a lot to be desired. She was pleasant enough, for sure. But she was inattentive. Inquired at the time of ordering if the shepherds pie could be custom ordered with lamb as opposed to beef (true shepherds pie, as opposed to cottage pie which was what was offered). No answer was ever communicated. Beverage refills were few and far between. And, as mentioned, the meals surely would have been dynamite had she delivered them to our table in even a reasonably timely manner. After our meal was finished, we waited a very long time for the tab. So long, in fact, that it was necessary to hunt down the hostess instead. Very disappointing service, all things considered. Mid-day, by the way, and not terribly busy.

Could have been a fantastic experience....

Went here for dinner on a long trip home today and the food was amazing! We tried the Irish Porter Burger (which was so big it was hard to bite into, but great!), the grilled chicken sandwich, the Onion Stout Soup, and one of the day's specials - Gator Bites! Everything was wonderful, had a very "comfort food" vibe. Both sandwiches were large enough that we (both of us smaller women) brought home half! We didn't drink anything (I was driving, she is sober), but the drink menu was extensive and had good options, including some local brews. Food menu wasn't too huge (which in my opinion is good - better to do a handful of things well than dozens of things just "ok"), and a printed out page listed the days specials and music events. The dining area was separate from the bar area, and much more relaxed and quiet. The decor was tastefully cluttered in the dining area, just the right amount of interesting pieces to look at without being overwhelming. Beautiful stained glass throughout. There was a wide array of customers between the bar area and dining area, everything from young twenty-somethings to families with younger kids. Great food, great atmosphere, great music - all around a wonderful evening! I would definitely go back if I was...