From a 12-seat tasting counter in Geneva to a collectively owned vegetarian kitchen in Ithaca, the restaurants that define eating in the Finger Lakes — with prices, hours, and what to order.

A critical guide to the Finger Lakes wineries that matter most, from the dry Riesling benchmark at Hermann J. Wiemer to the Burgundian Pinot Noir at Heart and Hands, organized by lake and built on specifics.

Geneva sits at the north end of Seneca Lake where historic architecture meets a booming food and wine scene. This is the Finger Lakes town that has it all — lakefront parks, world-class dining, and a walkable downtown that feels like it was built for weekend wandering.

Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, a college town with big-city culture, stunning gorges, and a food scene that has drawn national attention for decades. If the Finger Lakes had a creative capital, this would be it.

Watkins Glen is a tiny village with an outsized reputation. Home to one of the most spectacular state parks in the eastern United States and a world-famous raceway, it sits at the southern tip of Seneca Lake as the gateway to Finger Lakes wine country.

Known as The Chosen Spot by the Seneca people, Canandaigua sits at the north end of its namesake lake with a historic downtown, world-class gardens, and an arts scene that keeps growing. It is the western Finger Lakes at its most gracious.

Voted Americas Coolest Small Town, Hammondsport sits at the southern end of Keuka Lake with a charming village square, deep aviation history, and some of the most celebrated wineries in the Finger Lakes right on its doorstep.

Corning may not sit on a Finger Lake, but it is essential to any visit to the region. The Corning Museum of Glass draws over 300,000 visitors a year, and the restored Gaffer District downtown offers the best small-town shopping and dining corridor in the southern Finger Lakes.

Skaneateles is the Finger Lakes at its most polished — a New England-style village on the shore of the cleanest lake in the region. Boutique shopping, fine dining, lake cruises, and holiday traditions that draw visitors from across the state.

Penn Yan is the quiet heart of Keuka Lake country — a small county seat where buckwheat pancakes are a point of pride, the diner has been voted best in upstate New York, and the surrounding wine trail offers some of the Finger Lakes most personal tasting experiences.