Golden Spike Pub — Restaurant in Town of De Witt

During our family roadtrip to Syracuse, we actually had the intention of visiting one out of two popular food establishments but to our dismay, they were first come first serve only and had too long of a wait. This actually worked out in our favor as that was the reason we stumbled upon this hidden gem!

Not to mention, it was a bonus that this spot has its own free parking lot as that was also the other struggle we were facing with the more popular establishments in the downtown area.

Upon entering, we walked into a completely empty dining room. No employees, no customers. You can imagine our slight confusion and fear about whether that meant this wasn't a good spot to be. We then realized that down the hall on the left, there was a bar area which was very lively and filled with people.

Back to the dining area, there was an employee who had already seemingly clocked out, who asked if we had been helped yet, and when we said no, he went to the kitchen to grab the hostess. The waitress then told us we could seat ourselves wherever we liked, so we opted for some high chairs and a table near the side of the restaurant. We were quickly offered menus and drinks.

As for food, we ended up ordering a bunch of dishes to share: BANG BANG SHRIMP TACOS WITH TORTILLA CHIPS & SALSA: I was pleasantly surprised by this dish which actually might be my favorite out of everything we had. The shrimp were of good size and tender. The portions of the entire dish were really good as well. CHICKEN TENDERS WITH SWEET POTATO FRIES: The tenders striked me as being hand battered and had a nice, light crisp to them. Their honey mustard sauce was homemade and so good that we had to ask for more! The sweet potato fries were a $2 upcharge but worth it in my opinion. I thought it was interesting that they served them with a side of maple syrup versus an aioli (which we pair it with typically in Canada). SPIKE BURGER WITH HOMEMADE CHIPS: I requested my burger to be medium and it was exactly that with a nice light pink center. The brioche bun was soft and the meat had a really nice char to it, tasting like it came straight off a grill. The homemade chips were also such a good call, as they were so light, crispy, and not greasy at all. PHILLY CHEESE STEAK WITH CRINKLE FRIES: If I had to pick my least favorite dish, it might be this one as some of the meat was on the drier side. I'm also not the biggest fan of crinkle fries as they're very potato-y and soft, and I definitely felt they could be crispier. This was a Wednesday special though! CEASAR SALAD: A regular 'ol salad, I don't have much to say about it other than the fact that I wish there was a little more dressing.

Service was very friendly between both the waitress and the nice gentleman (owner?) who came out to say bye to us and have a chat when he found out we were from Ontario. Our waitress came by multiple times to check up on us, gave us extra sauces without hesitation, and made sure our glasses were full.

This place has a really cute vibe to it, between the decor with neat trinkets, as well as the soft music in the background.

Note: there is a 0.04 cent per dollar charge for credit...

I wanted to tell everyone about a quite surprising and totally UNEXPECTED meal at Golden Spike in East Syracuse.

TL;dr GO THERE. Order anything. Order everything. It’s an amazing place for delicious homemade pub food.

Ok, now the full review. First of all, my friend saw this place on the internet and mentioned it to me. On a Saturday 12:30pm, we packed up and drove specifically there to check it out. And glad we did! My friend’s kid is 13 and he’s super picky. He ordered 5 wings extra crispy hot and a cheese quesadilla which he ate every crumb of… so it can’t be bad! My friend ordered 5 wings also extra crispy hot and a special chicken cordon bleu sandwich which he said was fantastic. My girl ordered a bowl of New England clam chowder which I admit I did eat half of – and it was so good and fresh. She also ordered the chicken Caesar wrap which was delicious and light. Now, my sandwich was absolutely PERFECT. I ordered the crispy chicken sandwich which typically comes with lettuce, tomato (which I said no to!) bacon, spicy aioli, cheese but I asked for hot sauce to be added. WOW. Game changer! It was absolutely the best chicken sandwich I think I’ve had in a long time. Came with choice of coleslaw, home made chips, or fries – I went with the fries and ate every last one.

This was such an unexpected and great elevated pub food in a very relaxed environment. If you haven’t given it a try, do it!!! You won’t be disappointed! And the reason for no pictures on my review.. I was enjoying the food way too much 😊 Oh and the owner was there and service was amazing. Couldn’t have asked for a...

The bar is old school. Has a dive feel but in the good way, although the bartenders weren't terribly friendly. Drinks were fine and priced right. Dining room was really a surprise. Totally different vibe, very clean and comfortable. Food was very good. They were out of chowder (it was a Friday) but the fish was great and cooked perfectly. Absolutely no complaints about the service, our server was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. Really had a good time and would like to return, then I hear the owners kid talking politics. Loudly. And it was such a huge turn off that I doubt we will be back. There are a whole lot of places out there that I haven't been yet, and I don't know their political views. Let's try to keep it...