The LakeSide Syracuse — Restaurant in Syracuse

After settling into our new neighborhood, we were eager to experience Kelly Jae's, a restaurant that had garnered a wealth of positive feedback. Regrettably, our experience did not match the commendations we had heard.

We made a reservation a day in advance, but upon arriving at the restaurant, we were directed to seats at the bar to accommodate a large party. We immediately expressed our disappointment, having anticipated a more private dining setting. The constant chatter and banter from the bar staff made it challenging to enjoy our meal and engage in a quiet conversation. The hostess's apology and explanation for our seating did little to assuage our growing dissatisfaction.

Intriguingly, another couple who entered shortly after us voiced their concerns when they were ushered to the bar seating. Unlike us, after their vocal complaints, they were provided with table seating. When we inquired with the hostess about the disparity in treatment and asked if we hadn't been vocal enough in our complaints, her response was startlingly candid: "Yeah, you didn't complain enough." This incident not only showcased the inconsistent service but also raised questions about their reservation protocol.

On the brighter side, we did enjoy the crab cakes and the Blueberry Bourbon Sour drinks. However, as we progressed through our dinner, we found the steaks, though cooked as requested, lacked proper seasoning. Given the hefty bill, our overall experience was less than pleasing.

Additionally, the reason provided for our bar seating (to make space for a larger party) eerily echoed an explanation given in a review by Donyel Byrd just the week before. Such repeated issues, coupled with similar justifications, hint at underlying management challenges.

To conclude, our first visit to Kelly Jae's was overshadowed by multiple disappointments. The high price, in particular, stood in stark contrast to the quality of our experience. Sadly, a return visit isn't...

Kelly Jae’s had a beautiful atmosphere but unfortunately, the experience was bad. I ate here a couple of weeks ago with my mom and sister in law for a Mother’s Day outing. We arrived early to our reservation and they were able to seat us right away. The waitress was nice and knowledgeable about the menu. However the whole experience was slow moving. We ordered drinks and then once she brought our drinks appetizers. The appetizers were brought to our table and we probably ate half of them before the waitress came to take our order for dinner. Again it was slow moving to get our entrees out. We ate them and then the waitress came to ask about desserts. We ordered two desserts and I ordered a cappuccino. The cappuccino was pretty large and so I was drinking it while talking with my party. The hostess came over and in my opinion rudely told us that the next party had arrived for their reservation and that we needed to leave. Now we had just spent $250 on dinner for three people with service that was not quick. I said the only reason we were still there was that I was working on my cappuccino. I asked if they had a to go cup, she said they do not. She did not apologize or say I’ll reimburse for it. She just rudely stood there, mad that we could possibly be there still which is funny because it was mostly THEIR fault for the slow experience. I honestly won’t be back and I can say the same for my party. The food was not that great for the price and the service was poor. I don’t normally review places but this experience left a bad taste...

Could have been a 5 star rating. We arrived on time for a 5:30 pm reservation on a Friday night. Upon entering with reservations we were told we had 90 minutes before next party needed our table, that we "should be good" but be mindful of time frame. Atmosphere on a Friday night was nice. Service good. Appetizers were served over a period of time and they did not take our entree order until they were clearing appetizer plates. We waited quite a while for our meals. Our main entrée was served 15 minutes before our time was up. Aware of our deadline we finished our meals. We were not offered desserts but did ask for dessert menu. She did ask if we would like to order take home. We declined. While we were writing out our payment, 10 minutes late now, the hostess returned to our table and asked us if our server had told us the next party was waiting for their table. Really? Food was very good and server was pleasant and attentive. I have never been pushed at a restaurant like this before and we had no part of being late or over our allotted time frame. It was disappointing to say the least. I understand you want to provide service that is promised upon reservations. By warning us we had an allotted time tells me they have a problem making their deadlines. By the way we made reservations 3 weeks in advance. For the amount of money spent at an upscale restaurant, I would expect better service than this. We will be back and hope not to have this...