Stories, tips, and local perspectives from across the Finger Lakes.
Dave and Rita's sits on Route 96A in Romulus, in the narrow strip of farmland between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, and from the outside it looks like exactly what it is: a small roadside bakery that you might drive past if nobody told you to stop. Inside is a different story. The cookie case is […]
Since 1953, D.A.’s Liquors has been a family-owned staple, offering an expansive wine selection that satisfies every palate and budget.
Perched on a hilltop along Wager Hill Road outside Penn Yan, Crispin Hill offers the kind of Finger Lakes wedding setting that is almost unfairly photogenic. The property commands sweeping views of Keuka Lake's eastern bluff — the same landscape that drew winemakers to this stretch of Yates County generations ago — and the venue […]
CountryMax is the kind of store that makes perfect sense in the Finger Lakes and almost no sense anywhere else. Part pet store, part farm supply, part garden center — it serves the specific needs of a region where a single customer might be buying chicken feed, a bag of premium dog food, and tomato […]
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 […]
Ciccino's occupies a slightly improbable position in the Finger Lakes dining landscape: it is a small-town pizzeria in Waterloo that has won FLX Finest Gold for Best Italian Restaurant, Best Pizza, and Best Chicken Wings across four consecutive years. The "Paninoteca" in the name is a tell — this is a kitchen that takes Italian […]
Penn Yan is not the first town you think of for authentic Mexican food, which is exactly what makes Casa Mezcal Reserva such a welcome discovery. Tucked in at 104 Liberty Street, this restaurant has dominated the FLX Finest Mexican category for three consecutive years — Gold in 2023, 2024, and 2025 — a streak […]
The award list at Canal View reads like someone accidentally merged four different restaurants into one. Best Pancakes, Best Burger, Best Chicken Wings, Best Salad, Best Sandwiches, Best Lunch Spot, Best Breakfast, Best All-Around Restaurant — Gold in nearly every category, year after year. For a family restaurant on West Union Street in Newark, that […]