Stories, tips, and local perspectives from across the Finger Lakes.
Three consecutive Gold wins for Best Place to Buy a Gift (2023, 2024, 2025) plus a Silver in 2022 — Finger Lakes Laser has essentially owned this category across the entire FLX Finest voting history. Operating out of Romulus, a small town on the western shore of Cayuga Lake between the Seneca and Cayuga wine […]
Tucci's Family Diner has been feeding Waterloo and the surrounding Finger Lakes community since 2005, and the sheer volume of FLX Finest awards tells you how deeply this place is woven into the local fabric. Gold for Best Diner in 2023 and 2024, Gold for Best Breakfast, Burger, and Plates in 2023, Silver for Best […]
Perched on Highway 54A just south of Penn Yan, The BBQ Shack doubles as both a destination barbecue spot and one of the most capable catering operations in the Finger Lakes. Winning Gold for both Best Catering and Best Plates in 2025 is a rare double that speaks to the range of this operation — […]
Potters Farm to Fork sits on Route 31 in Port Byron, about 20 minutes west of Auburn, and it is quietly the most-awarded restaurant in the entire Finger Lakes Finest rankings. Gold for best all-around restaurant three years running. Gold for breakfast, lunch, brunch, wings, sandwiches, and plates. The trophy case is absurd for a […]
Connie's Diner has been anchoring East Main Street in Waterloo since 1989, and the place radiates the kind of nostalgic diner energy that most restaurants have to fabricate. This is the real thing: a no-frills, counter-and-booth operation where the coffee is always hot, the portions are generous, and nobody rushes you out the door. Breakfast […]