The restaurant scene in the Finger Lakes operates on its own logic. There are no Michelin stars, no reservations secured through concierge connections, no velvet ropes. What exists instead is a network of kitchens that cook with serious intent, source from the farms and vineyards surrounding them, and charge prices that would seem like errors on a Manhattan menu. The best meals here feel inevitable — the trout was in the lake this morning, the greens came from the field out back, and the Riesling was bottled two miles down the road.
Here are the restaurants worth eating at, from prix fixe to counter service.
Fine Dining and Special Occasion
FLX Table — Geneva
Christopher Bates, a Master Sommelier, and his wife Isabel run a 12-seat tasting counter in downtown Geneva that functions more like a dinner party than a restaurant. The format is prix fixe — usually eight to ten courses — and the menu changes based on what Bates finds at the market that day. A Tuesday in October might bring seared duck breast with concord grape gastrique, local chanterelles on brioche, and a pavlova built around whatever fruit is at peak. The wine pairings draw from the deepest cellar knowledge in the region. Reservations are required and open one month in advance. They sell out. Plan early. Expect to spend $150 to $200 per person with wine.
Dano’s Heuriger on Seneca — Lodi
Dano Hutnik trained in classical Austrian kitchens before settling on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake, and his restaurant reflects that background with complete conviction. Heuriger refers to the Viennese wine tavern tradition — Wiener schnitzel pounded thin and fried to a golden shatter, warm potato salad with bacon vinaigrette, house-made spaetzle. The dining room is a converted farmhouse, intimate and warmly lit. The wine list favors Austrian and Finger Lakes producers, and the Gruner Veltliner pairings are particularly sharp. Open for dinner, Thursday through Sunday. Entrees run $25 to $40.
The Restaurant at Belhurst — Geneva
Set inside a stone castle on the northern shore of Seneca Lake, Belhurst plays its setting for maximum atmosphere — candlelit dining rooms, lake views through arched windows, white tablecloths. The kitchen executes a New American menu with competence: seared scallops, braised short rib, a well-constructed charcuterie board from regional producers. It is not the most inventive cooking in the Finger Lakes, but for a celebratory dinner where the room does half the work, it delivers. Entrees $30 to $55.
Farm-to-Table and Regional Cuisine
Hazelnut Kitchen — Trumansburg
A small, counter-service restaurant in the village of Trumansburg, about fifteen minutes north of Ithaca, that serves some of the most thoughtful food in the region at prices that feel almost charitable. The menu rotates weekly and leans Mediterranean — roasted beet and chevre salad, lamb meatballs with harissa yogurt, wood-fired flatbreads with seasonal toppings. Everything is made from scratch, including the bread. The space is narrow and fills quickly; expect a wait on weekend evenings. Most dishes are under $18. BYOB with no corkage fee, which means you can bring a bottle from a nearby winery and eat exceptionally well for under $50 a person.
Simply Red Lakeside Bistro — Ovid
Sitting on the east side of Seneca Lake in the small town of Ovid, Simply Red does elevated comfort food with genuine skill. The menu shifts seasonally but reliably includes dishes like pan-roasted chicken thighs with root vegetables, hand-cut pasta with local sausage, and a burger that is better than it needs to be. The lakeside deck is the preferred seating from May through October. The wine list is almost entirely Finger Lakes, and it is well-curated. Entrees $20 to $35. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Stonecat Cafe — Hector
On Route 414 along Seneca Lake’s eastern shore, Stonecat occupies a yellow farmhouse and serves rustic, ingredient-driven food with Mediterranean and Latin American accents. A fall menu might include roasted squash soup with pepitas, braised pork shoulder with mole, and a farmers’ salad built from whatever the neighboring fields produced that week. The space is relaxed — wooden tables, local art on the walls, a small bar with Finger Lakes wines and regional craft beer. Entrees $18 to $30.
FLX Wienery — Dundee
Also from Christopher Bates, the Wienery is the casual counterpart to FLX Table — a gourmet hot dog and sausage stand in the heart of wine country. The dogs are made from pastured local pork and beef, topped with combinations like kimchi and gochujang mayo or sauerkraut and grainy mustard. There are also fries cooked in duck fat and soft-serve made in-house. It sounds simple, and it is, but the execution is precise and the ingredients are better than they need to be. A full meal runs under $15. Open seasonally, roughly May through October.
Ithaca
Moosewood Restaurant — Ithaca
Moosewood has been a vegetarian institution since 1973, and its cookbook series brought Finger Lakes cooking to a national audience before the term “farm-to-table” existed. The restaurant operates as a collectively owned cooperative, and the menu rotates daily based on what the cooking team devises. A typical lunch might include black bean soup, a grain bowl with tahini dressing, and a vegetable quiche with salad. The food is honest rather than flashy — you will not find microgreens arranged with tweezers — but the flavors are grounded and the ingredients are sourced with care. Lunch and dinner daily. Most entrees $14 to $20.
The Heights Cafe and Grill — Ithaca
Perched in Ithaca’s Cayuga Heights neighborhood, The Heights serves a New American menu that balances ambition with accessibility. The brunch is the draw for many regulars: thick-cut French toast with local maple syrup, eggs Benedict with house-smoked salmon, a breakfast burrito that is genuinely large. Dinner brings grilled strip steak, pan-seared trout, and seasonal risottos. The wine list is concise and tilted toward the Finger Lakes. Dinner entrees $22 to $38.
Ithaca Ale House — Ithaca
A gastropub on the Ithaca Commons that takes its beer and its food more seriously than the casual exterior suggests. The burger — a thick, hand-formed patty on a brioche bun — is regularly cited as the best in Tompkins County. The beer list runs 24 taps deep and favors New York State producers. The fish and chips use locally brewed ale in the batter. It is a pub, but a pub that cares. Entrees $14 to $24.
Casual and Counter Service
Ports Cafe — Geneva
A Geneva downtown staple that sources almost everything within a 50-mile radius and makes it work without pretension. The lunch menu rotates and might include a pork belly BLT, a roasted beet and grain bowl, or a soup made from whatever the kitchen received that morning. Coffee is excellent. Pastries are baked in-house. The vibe is neighborhood cafe, and the locals treat it as a daily ritual. Lunch plates $10 to $16.
Finger Lakes Cider House — Interlaken
Technically a cider tasting room, but the food program at Finger Lakes Cider House — centered around a wood-fired oven and a small kitchen — produces some of the best casual eating between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Pizzas with seasonal toppings, cheese and charcuterie boards sourced from within 30 miles, and a soup that changes daily. The setting is a restored barn with broad views over the orchard. Pair everything with the ciders. Open weekends and select weekdays, seasonally. Most items under $18.
Rheinblick German Restaurant — Canandaigua
German cuisine done with consistency and without apology — sauerbraten, jagerschnitzel, bratwurst with house-made sauerkraut, and a Black Forest cake that is the real thing. The restaurant has been family-owned since 1976 and occupies a timber-frame building with a biergarten open in warm months. The beer list is anchored by German imports alongside regional craft options. Entrees $16 to $28.
Kindred Fare — Geneva
A relatively recent addition to Geneva’s Main Street, Kindred Fare combines a scratch kitchen with a locally sourced ethos that runs deep. The fried chicken sandwich — brined, buttermilk-battered, and served with house pickles — has developed a following. The grain bowls are well-composed. The cocktail program uses Finger Lakes spirits. It occupies the comfortable middle ground between fine dining and fast casual, and does it with genuine care. Entrees $16 to $30.
Practical Notes
The Finger Lakes restaurant season peaks from June through October, when most kitchens have the broadest menus and the longest hours. Winter brings reduced schedules — many restaurants outside of Ithaca close one or two additional nights per week from November through April. Reservations are strongly recommended for FLX Table, Dano’s, and Simply Red on weekends. Ithaca restaurants tend to stay busy year-round thanks to the university population.
Tipping culture follows standard U.S. norms: 18 to 20 percent. Many of these are small operations where the owner is cooking or serving — your tip matters to the livelihood of the restaurant. Credit cards are accepted nearly everywhere, though a few farm stands and pop-up vendors remain cash-only.