I made a reservation to celebrate my child's graduation in May 2023 for a group of 8 which included both sets of grandparents. I was really happy to have gotten this reservation several months earlier because all restaurants were booked up for Cornell's graduation. However, I received a message early on graduation day that they were canceling ALL reservations due to staffing issues. WHAT!? Cancel graduation dinner the day of graduation? Total incompetence to strand families like that on such an important day. I am in Ithaca frequently. Will never eat at Coltavare.
48lisas48
We stayed at a nearby and wanted a real hot breakfast not one prepared and set out for everyone. This was not even a block away. We arrived right after they opened at 8:30 am so they were not busy. We were greeted immediately and told to sit where we wanted. Our drink orders were promptly taken. I ordered a latte and it was delicious. For breakfast my husband created a ham & mushroom omelette and I had the Farmhouse breakfast with fried eggs and sausage. The sausage was different I could definitely taste the herbs used, it was good. The breakfast potatoes were cooked just the way I like with skins on and browned. If we return to Ithaca I would definitely return for breakfast but they serve lunch as well.
katie l.
We made reservations three months ago for a special graduation weekend. We received a text that they have cancelled our reservation, three hours before our arrival time. This put us in a tough spot as the entire town is booked for graduation. So unreliable and disappointing on a big weekend.
Vivienne N.
Very, very sad. My daughter chose Coltivare for graduation dinner. We received a text a few days ago that the menu would be prix fixe. No problem. Less than 4 hours before everyone was to arrive, they completely cancelled our reservation. This is on Cornell's 2023 graduation weekend. At this point, finding another reservation for our party is impossible.
Dak K.
The service was great. We went there for graduation and cannot express the disappointment . Somehow my review in open table ended up at 3 stars, maybe because the service was good and we were seated in the wine cellar which had decent ambiance. This was a price gouging money grab. 4 of the 5 entree's had no flavor. The meatballs were awful and ice cold , returned to be heated and received soggy pasta and room temp meatballs. The steak was tough, no flavor. Fish dry, no flavor Short rib , flavor , but dry. Each enter was 65-$75 . Insulting . I should be reimbursed my $550 , wait I'll pay for the $40 wine and 1 mixed drink.
Thomas H.
Well...I feel bad for the waitress and hostess. This situation was not their fault... Now the problem... Saturday night of Ithaca college graduation weekend. Reservations made 6 months out and had to be secured by a credit card. Arrive for a 6:30 reservation a few minutes early and get seated right away. Obviously busy as expected. Waitress and hostess seem stressed... prixe fixed menu which we were not expecting and limited selections ( only 2 appetizers to choose from. Buffalo cauliflower and mac & cheese). Waitress comes back for our order and the buffalo califlower is no longer available (really?) guess I'll make due with mac & cheese. Place our order and start the wait After A LONG TIME, we start to notice other tables that were seated before were getting take out boxes... but their main course hadn't shown up. Another table got up and left with nothing on their table....hmmm. Now it's 7:45 and we some drinks, BUT NO FOOD OF ANY KIND! Time to go find out what's going on.... go and speak to the hostess. Apparently they are down several cooks, a manager quit a week before, and other call outs. It's now 8:00 and we have ZERO food and nobody can give us any idea when we might get a salad or mac and cheese. Give up and leave after paying our drink bill....along with a lot of other patrons. It would have been nice if the establishment had reached to us ahead of time to give us an option to cancel our credit card required reservation before wasting an entire evening of a special weekend. Wound up ordering Dominoes pizza and ate at our hotel. Thanks Coltivare! I come to Ithaca occasionally but will NEVER dine with you again! I would highly recommend anybody coming for Cornell's graduation next weekend to be very wary if they are coming here! You have been warned.
Tracy H.
Disaster Ithaca Graduation weekend. We made a reservation months ago and the only time available was 8:15pm. We arrived to be told that it was 1.5 hour wait! They had sent emails, texts and called to confirm the reservation and never bothered to mention that their cook left 2 weeks ago and 3 other kitchen staff followed. Nor did they warn us of the wait before we showed up. They did "graciously" waive the cancellation fee when we said we did not want to eat at 9:45pm. The only positive was that Coltivare had chosen a price fixed menu that no one in our party of 7 was interested in eating. We were not told there would be a price fixed, pre-determined menu when we made the reservation. Once we saw that, we were actually happy to move on despite the fact that we were left searching for a restaurant at 8:15pm. The staffing issue was not their fault, but the lack of communication was. They tried to cover up kitchen issues by changing to a price fix and still couldn't handle the night. I hope they get their act together for Cornell graduation next weekend!
David E.
I take no issue with the service, which was quite good, or the ambiance. It is the food. The steak of the day was top sirloin. My rare steak arrived raw, which they recooked properly. But it turned out to be the absolute worst cut of beef I have ever had. Fatty, grisly, impossible to chew or even cut with the steak knife, which I had to use like a saw. Finally, the dessert was tiny. Granted, they only charged five dollars for the dessert (as opposed to $70 for the awful steak), but they ought to charge more for a decent size dessert. The wines and drinks were fine, and a good value. But I can't give more than two stars for an entree that was just terrible.
Chiraag B.
Very good ambience. Probably one of the best dine out spots in Ithaca for a special occasion. We came here for our date night. Our server Lily was wonderful and overall a very cheerful atmosphere for drinks & dinner, in what can be very long / cold & depressing winters in Ithaca. We had the meat flatbread (which was more like a pizza) and had the veggie and original burger. Nice selection of drinks as well. Burger was done well, but I'd say to come here for the service and ambience alone - if you have company you'll have a great time.
Laur L.
Gorgeous gorgeous interior. Perfect date night spot, or with a one-on-one with a friend, etc because it's a warm atmosphere. The food is locally sourced. Many of the dishes are plant based but you can add meat as a side if you need to. The entrées can be underwhelming/blandish depending on what you pick, but the food quality is there. Also get a dessert when you come here, they're not to be missed.
Very dry meatballs that weren't seasoned well. Pasta was too saucy and came almost like soup. Sauce was also very unseasoned and lacked flavor. Only good thing was pasta was cooked well. Wouldn't recommend this dish. 2/10
Theano_12
This is definitely not the Cafe DeWitt of old. Since reopening under new ownership, the menu is super scaled back and food is very 'meh'. You really shouldn't charge $15 for the tiniest sandwich imaginable, and not even bother to put so much as a handful of greens on the side. Also, we were confused by the slow service, since we were literally the only people ordering at the time. I am rooting for this place to do better because its always been such a great spot. They really need to take it up a notch or two if they hope to be anything like the old Cafe DeWitt, which I sorely miss. I am guessing by the empty tables around us, that we might be some of the last locals to get the memo about this place.
Wayne W.
Definitely a higher end restaurant in the are, from the vibe to the food it is a higher class feel. For 5 of us the bill was well over 300$ with tip. But we did order some apps drinks and some food so it really leveled out. What I highly recommend is the past with meatballs and burrata. I can't remember the name of it lol. The burrata was fresh and the meatballs was fantastic beef and prosciutto mix. Recommend this place for sure, but know it's a little pricey.
LaDreena W.
Came in to celebrate our son's promotion to high school. It's a nice restaurant and event space. The charcuterie board is amazing! We also enjoyed the shrimp and grits, pasta with meatballs and bbq burger. It was fairly pricey, but I could also tell the quality of ingredients so I think it was worth it.
Bernadette O.
I purchased tickets to a cooking class for my Mother-in-Law for Mother's Day and a week before randomly received a refund. I called over and over again, leaving multiple messages and sending emails as my mother in law was going to drive to attend from a different town. They never informed me of any cancellations or returned any of my inquires. Super poor communication and care for customers.
I made a reservation to celebrate my child's graduation in May 2023 for a group of 8 which included both sets of grandparents. I was really happy to have gotten this reservation several months earlier because all restaurants were booked up for Cornell's graduation. However, I received a message early on graduation day that they were canceling ALL reservations due to staffing issues. WHAT!? Cancel graduation dinner the day of graduation? Total incompetence to strand families like that on such an important day. I am in Ithaca frequently. Will never eat at Coltavare.
We stayed at a nearby and wanted a real hot breakfast not one prepared and set out for everyone. This was not even a block away. We arrived right after they opened at 8:30 am so they were not busy. We were greeted immediately and told to sit where we wanted. Our drink orders were promptly taken. I ordered a latte and it was delicious. For breakfast my husband created a ham & mushroom omelette and I had the Farmhouse breakfast with fried eggs and sausage. The sausage was different I could definitely taste the herbs used, it was good. The breakfast potatoes were cooked just the way I like with skins on and browned. If we return to Ithaca I would definitely return for breakfast but they serve lunch as well.
We made reservations three months ago for a special graduation weekend. We received a text that they have cancelled our reservation, three hours before our arrival time. This put us in a tough spot as the entire town is booked for graduation. So unreliable and disappointing on a big weekend.
Very, very sad. My daughter chose Coltivare for graduation dinner. We received a text a few days ago that the menu would be prix fixe. No problem. Less than 4 hours before everyone was to arrive, they completely cancelled our reservation. This is on Cornell's 2023 graduation weekend. At this point, finding another reservation for our party is impossible.
The service was great. We went there for graduation and cannot express the disappointment . Somehow my review in open table ended up at 3 stars, maybe because the service was good and we were seated in the wine cellar which had decent ambiance. This was a price gouging money grab. 4 of the 5 entree's had no flavor. The meatballs were awful and ice cold , returned to be heated and received soggy pasta and room temp meatballs. The steak was tough, no flavor. Fish dry, no flavor Short rib , flavor , but dry. Each enter was 65-$75 . Insulting . I should be reimbursed my $550 , wait I'll pay for the $40 wine and 1 mixed drink.
Well...I feel bad for the waitress and hostess. This situation was not their fault... Now the problem... Saturday night of Ithaca college graduation weekend. Reservations made 6 months out and had to be secured by a credit card. Arrive for a 6:30 reservation a few minutes early and get seated right away. Obviously busy as expected. Waitress and hostess seem stressed... prixe fixed menu which we were not expecting and limited selections ( only 2 appetizers to choose from. Buffalo cauliflower and mac & cheese). Waitress comes back for our order and the buffalo califlower is no longer available (really?) guess I'll make due with mac & cheese. Place our order and start the wait After A LONG TIME, we start to notice other tables that were seated before were getting take out boxes... but their main course hadn't shown up. Another table got up and left with nothing on their table....hmmm. Now it's 7:45 and we some drinks, BUT NO FOOD OF ANY KIND! Time to go find out what's going on.... go and speak to the hostess. Apparently they are down several cooks, a manager quit a week before, and other call outs. It's now 8:00 and we have ZERO food and nobody can give us any idea when we might get a salad or mac and cheese. Give up and leave after paying our drink bill....along with a lot of other patrons. It would have been nice if the establishment had reached to us ahead of time to give us an option to cancel our credit card required reservation before wasting an entire evening of a special weekend. Wound up ordering Dominoes pizza and ate at our hotel. Thanks Coltivare! I come to Ithaca occasionally but will NEVER dine with you again! I would highly recommend anybody coming for Cornell's graduation next weekend to be very wary if they are coming here! You have been warned.
Disaster Ithaca Graduation weekend. We made a reservation months ago and the only time available was 8:15pm. We arrived to be told that it was 1.5 hour wait! They had sent emails, texts and called to confirm the reservation and never bothered to mention that their cook left 2 weeks ago and 3 other kitchen staff followed. Nor did they warn us of the wait before we showed up. They did "graciously" waive the cancellation fee when we said we did not want to eat at 9:45pm. The only positive was that Coltivare had chosen a price fixed menu that no one in our party of 7 was interested in eating. We were not told there would be a price fixed, pre-determined menu when we made the reservation. Once we saw that, we were actually happy to move on despite the fact that we were left searching for a restaurant at 8:15pm. The staffing issue was not their fault, but the lack of communication was. They tried to cover up kitchen issues by changing to a price fix and still couldn't handle the night. I hope they get their act together for Cornell graduation next weekend!
I take no issue with the service, which was quite good, or the ambiance. It is the food. The steak of the day was top sirloin. My rare steak arrived raw, which they recooked properly. But it turned out to be the absolute worst cut of beef I have ever had. Fatty, grisly, impossible to chew or even cut with the steak knife, which I had to use like a saw. Finally, the dessert was tiny. Granted, they only charged five dollars for the dessert (as opposed to $70 for the awful steak), but they ought to charge more for a decent size dessert. The wines and drinks were fine, and a good value. But I can't give more than two stars for an entree that was just terrible.
Very good ambience. Probably one of the best dine out spots in Ithaca for a special occasion. We came here for our date night. Our server Lily was wonderful and overall a very cheerful atmosphere for drinks & dinner, in what can be very long / cold & depressing winters in Ithaca. We had the meat flatbread (which was more like a pizza) and had the veggie and original burger. Nice selection of drinks as well. Burger was done well, but I'd say to come here for the service and ambience alone - if you have company you'll have a great time.
Gorgeous gorgeous interior. Perfect date night spot, or with a one-on-one with a friend, etc because it's a warm atmosphere. The food is locally sourced. Many of the dishes are plant based but you can add meat as a side if you need to. The entrées can be underwhelming/blandish depending on what you pick, but the food quality is there. Also get a dessert when you come here, they're not to be missed.
Restaurantji Recommends
Very dry meatballs that weren't seasoned well. Pasta was too saucy and came almost like soup. Sauce was also very unseasoned and lacked flavor. Only good thing was pasta was cooked well. Wouldn't recommend this dish. 2/10
This is definitely not the Cafe DeWitt of old. Since reopening under new ownership, the menu is super scaled back and food is very 'meh'. You really shouldn't charge $15 for the tiniest sandwich imaginable, and not even bother to put so much as a handful of greens on the side. Also, we were confused by the slow service, since we were literally the only people ordering at the time. I am rooting for this place to do better because its always been such a great spot. They really need to take it up a notch or two if they hope to be anything like the old Cafe DeWitt, which I sorely miss. I am guessing by the empty tables around us, that we might be some of the last locals to get the memo about this place.
Definitely a higher end restaurant in the are, from the vibe to the food it is a higher class feel. For 5 of us the bill was well over 300$ with tip. But we did order some apps drinks and some food so it really leveled out. What I highly recommend is the past with meatballs and burrata. I can't remember the name of it lol. The burrata was fresh and the meatballs was fantastic beef and prosciutto mix. Recommend this place for sure, but know it's a little pricey.
Came in to celebrate our son's promotion to high school. It's a nice restaurant and event space. The charcuterie board is amazing! We also enjoyed the shrimp and grits, pasta with meatballs and bbq burger. It was fairly pricey, but I could also tell the quality of ingredients so I think it was worth it.
I purchased tickets to a cooking class for my Mother-in-Law for Mother's Day and a week before randomly received a refund. I called over and over again, leaving multiple messages and sending emails as my mother in law was going to drive to attend from a different town. They never informed me of any cancellations or returned any of my inquires. Super poor communication and care for customers.