Farm-to-Table Before It Had a Name
The Finger Lakes was doing farm-to-table before the term became a marketing cliché. The region’s agricultural infrastructure — dairy farms, vegetable operations, orchards, livestock producers, and a thriving wine industry — means chefs here have access to ingredients that restaurants in major cities pay premium delivery fees to source. The result is a dining scene that punches far above the weight of a rural region with no city larger than 30,000 people.
What makes the Finger Lakes restaurant scene distinctive is its range. You can eat a nine-course tasting menu prepared by a James Beard-nominated chef and the next night sit at a BYOB Austrian wine tavern where the owner cooks solo. The quality floor is high, the pretension ceiling is low, and reservations — at the top places — are non-negotiable.
Geneva
FLX Table is a 24-seat, single-seating restaurant on Linden Street in downtown Geneva, and it is the most ambitious dining experience in the Finger Lakes. Chef Christopher Bates — a Master Sommelier, one of roughly 270 in the world — designs a nightly multi-course tasting menu that changes completely based on what arrives from local farms that day. There is no printed menu; Bates describes each course as it arrives. The wine pairings draw from his cellar of Finger Lakes, European, and global selections. Dinner runs $125-$175 per person before wine. Reservations open online and fill weeks in advance. Open Wednesday through Saturday evenings. This is a special-occasion restaurant, and it earns it.
FLX Wienery
The casual counterpart to FLX Table, also from Christopher Bates. The Wienery serves gourmet hot dogs, sausages, and sandwiches with creative toppings and Finger Lakes wine pairings in a tiny, counter-service space. The bratwurst with house-made sauerkraut and grain mustard is the signature. It sounds simple, but the execution is meticulous. Most items under $12. Open daily for lunch and early dinner.
Ports Café occupies a corner storefront on Exchange Street and serves an eclectic, globally influenced menu — Thai curries, Mediterranean mezze, Asian noodle bowls — using Finger Lakes ingredients where possible. The chalkboard menu changes frequently. The space is small and fills quickly on weekend evenings. Wine list leans local. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations recommended.
Kindred Fare focuses on seasonal American cooking in a bright, modern dining room on Exchange Street. The menu changes quarterly but typically includes composed salads, pasture-raised proteins, and creative vegetable dishes. Brunch on weekends draws a crowd — the sourdough pancakes and the shakshuka are both strong. Cocktail program uses local spirits. Open for lunch and dinner daily; brunch Saturday and Sunday.
The Wine Trail Corridor: Hector, Lodi, and Burdett
Dano’s Heuriger on Seneca Lodi Permanently Closed
Dano Hutnik is Austrian, and his restaurant in Lodi (population roughly 300) is a Heuriger — a traditional Austrian wine tavern. The concept: Dano cooks a short, seasonal menu of Austrian-inspired dishes, and you bring your own wine. The schnitzel, the spaetzle, and the strudel are the core of the menu. Everything is made from scratch in a kitchen the size of a closet. The dining room seats about 30, and the atmosphere is intimate to the point of communal — you will talk to the people at the next table. Dinner only, Thursday through Saturday. Cash preferred. Reservations required; call directly, as there is no online booking. BYOB with no corkage fee — stop at a winery on the way.
Red Newt Bistro sits above the Red Newt Cellars tasting room on Route 414 in Hector. Chef-owner Debra Bermingham builds seasonal menus around Finger Lakes farms, and the wine list — naturally — features Red Newt wines alongside other regional producers. The duck confit and the pan-roasted local trout are recurring favorites. The dining room has an understated elegance — white tablecloths without the stuffiness. Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Reservations recommended, especially on summer and fall weekends.
Stonecat Café in Hector occupies a converted general store and serves upscale comfort food with a seasonal conscience. The menu might feature lamb from a farm down the road or trout from a nearby creek. The space is warm and rustic — exposed brick, local art on the walls, candlelit tables. The wine list is entirely Finger Lakes. Open for dinner Thursday through Monday in season; reduced hours in winter.
Trumansburg
Hazelnut Kitchen sits on Main Street in Trumansburg, a small village between Ithaca and Watkins Glen. Chef-owner Rob Hyland cooks seasonal, produce-forward American food in a space that seats about 40. The menu changes weekly and features handmade pastas, local meats, and vegetable dishes that treat produce as the star rather than the side. The atmosphere is casual enough for a Tuesday night dinner but polished enough for an anniversary. Reservations fill up on weekends. Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. The wine list emphasizes Finger Lakes and natural wines.
Ithaca
Moosewood has been serving vegetarian food in downtown Ithaca since 1973 — two decades before vegetarian dining was trendy. The collectively owned restaurant published its first cookbook in 1977, and the Moosewood Cookbook series has sold millions of copies worldwide. The menu rotates through international cuisines — Ethiopian one night, Mexican the next, Indian the next — and everything is made from scratch. The food is hearty and comforting rather than fussy. Lunch and dinner daily. No reservations; expect a wait on weekends, especially during Cornell parents’ weekends.
Boomtown Kitchen and Bar
Located on the Ithaca Commons, Boomtown serves New American food with Southern and Appalachian influences — smoked meats, cornbread, seasonal vegetables, bourbon-heavy cocktails. The space is industrial-chic, and the rooftop patio in summer is one of the better outdoor dining spots in Ithaca. Open for lunch and dinner daily; brunch on weekends.
The Restaurant at Elderberry Pond
UnverifiedThis is the most unusual dining experience in the region. Elderberry Pond is a working organic farm in Auburn (Cayuga County), and the restaurant sits on the property, surrounded by the fields that supply its kitchen. Chef-owner John Burnham grows much of what he cooks. The multi-course dinner menus reflect what is ripe on the farm that week. Dinner only, Friday and Saturday. Reservations required well in advance. The drive to Auburn is part of the experience — rural roads, farmland, and a sense of arriving somewhere intentional.
Practical Tips for Dining in the Finger Lakes
- Reserve early: FLX Table, Dano’s Heuriger, and Hazelnut Kitchen all have limited seating and strong followings. Book two to four weeks ahead for weekend dinners, further ahead for holiday periods and October (leaf season).
- Seasonal closures: Many wine trail restaurants reduce hours or close entirely from January through March. Call ahead in the off-season.
- BYOB policies: Dano’s Heuriger is explicitly BYOB with no corkage. Most other restaurants that serve wine charge a corkage fee ($15-$25). Ask before bringing a bottle.
- Farm dinners: Several farms host pop-up dinners in summer and fall — long-table events in barns or fields, multi-course meals, local wine. Follow Finger Lakes Eat Smart for announcements.
- Tipping: Standard 20% in the Finger Lakes. Many of these restaurants are small operations where staff work long hours in a seasonal economy.
- Lunch options: For midday eating between wine trail stops, Fox Run Vineyards, Wagner’s Ginny Lee Café, and Stonecat Café all serve strong lunches.
