Riley's — Restaurant in City of Syracuse

We have lived walking distance to this restaurant for almost a year. Honestly for the first few months I didn't know it was a restaurant. Since we have been here people have recommended giving them a try. Tonight while looking into something new we decided to give them a shot. We were a bit lost walking in the door (6-7pm) they were pretty busy so that was understandable. We were directed to the back for seating and we were seated immediately. We found the setting to be intimate but comfortable. Our menus were hand written (which I love because that means the menus can change) we finished an appetizer (calamari) our opinion was that it was just slightly under cooked (not enough to not eat it, I wouldn't take anything away from that). Just as we finished up a pianist started playing and this experience went from good to outstanding. Music was the perfect addition to the atmosphere drowning out some of the other patrons who were a bit loud ( again not the restaurants fault) our main course came out and they were outstanding! I was skeptical because there are so many positive reviews. Sometimes it's hard for a company to live up to their own reviews. This was not the case. I am absolutely a believer of everybody that posted before me. This food was outstanding. The mashed potatoes were loaded with flavor but not overpowering. Texture wise they had chunks and skins which we appreciate. All of the meat was perfectly cooked to request even the pork chop which was 100% bigger than I expected. We look forward to coming back many times over the summer. Hoping that maybe there's some outdoor seating as well . Should you find yourself wondering if your expectations will meet what they can...

My favorite lunch place with friends. The food is excellent, the service is great, and the menu is always changing which keeps it interesting. The bar that you enter from the street, is pure Irish pub, but the adjacent dining room serves outstanding American and international cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. If you go on a Friday in the summer, try the lobster roll with a slice of raspberry pie for dessert. UPDATE-1: After being closed for some time during the pandemic, Riley's is now open for dinner starting at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Update-2: My wife and I went to the restaurant for their St Joseph's Day menu. We started by sharing an appetizer of fried clam strips with two dipping sauces, tartar and a spicy tomato. The clam strip coating was crispy and the clams were tender and delicious. To my surprise, I liked the spicy tomato dip as much as the tartar sauce. This was followed by a fresh side salad that paired well with a creamy balsamic dressing. For an entree, I had shrimp scampi over fettuccine. The dish included six jumbo shrimp cooked to perfection, and the pasta was prepared al dente as I prefer. There was a problem with the dish in that the sauce didn't stick to the pasta. I added some butter which helped. UPDATE-3: Returned for their St Patrick's Day breakfast. Wonderful food,...

I tried Riley's last night and it was pretty good! They have live music every evening as far as I can tell, which is a guy playing the piano. Only problem is piano was quite loud which bothered me, but your mileage may vary. I got the 14 oz steak, which was great. It came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The mashed potatoes were amazing and I could have eaten a whole plate full of them. The asparagus had a nice coating of lemon juice but sadly was somewhat undercooked. Wait staff was friendly and kept checking in to see if I need anything, although it was a bit weird considering they didn't take away the empty bread bowl and plate with used butter wrappers on it. Price was what you would expect for a nice steak, although actually quite cheap compared to something like Outback Steakhouse. Overall a pretty darn good experience -- I only rated four stars because I personally thought the music was too loud and the other small details I mentioned. Not necessarily an all-star favorite of mine, but it was good and I...