My family of 4 were in the area for our eldest's college graduation. We wanted to go to a fantastic restaurant to celebrate. Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, I came with low expectations. We were all pleasantly surprised! We loved everything we ordered.
Started with their whipped feta with pitta chips and calamari. I loved the whipped feta - combination of feta, goat cheese and cream cheese with a sweet drizzle. Delicious! The calamari was fried to perfection but missing the tentacles.
For the main course the stand out was the filet. Tender, juicy, flavorful, again cooked to perfection. Dare we say the best filet we ever had.
Eggplant Parm was delicious! Still crispy even with a bit of sauce.
Dessert was to die for! Especially if you love chocolate, order the chocolate pie! Dense and fishy and oh so good!
If you're in Utica or near Utica, GO!
Adam Bice
Went out for a friend's birthday. Having never been here my wife and I looked at the menu online. We had a good idea what we were having before walking in the door. The service was great with us being checked on multiple times. Waters were refilled promptly and the food came out hot. We started with some greens, calamari, and meatballs. All were top notch and very delicious. The everything greens were spicy without scorching your taste buds. The meatballs were pillows of deliciousness. The calamari was fried perfectly being crunchy and not the slightest bit chewy. I had chicken lukatelli which is Panko Crusted and Fried Chicken Medallions, Willows Greens, Fontinella Cheese, topped with a Roasted Garlic Sauce. It was awesome. I would order this again in a heartbeat if it didn't all look so good that I will be trying something different the next time we dine here. My wife had the chicken parm. The chicken parm is Breaded and Fried chicken in a Tomato Sauce, topped with Fontina and Parmesan Cheese, served on a bed of Fettuccine. Unfortunately, we didn't save any room for desert. We had 2 Willows Cosmos which were delicious as well. The Willows made the night an unforgettable one.
Marlene Hobaica
The food is excellent great presentation the staff is faboulous this is the best fine dining experience around the Utica area our whole family loves it now that we introduced it to them ! Very very accommodating
Melanie Gray
Everything greens were fantastic with enough heat to be interesting and enough richness to be a meal, The risotto was outstanding, deep flavor and correct texture, scallops were cooked perfectly. Bang bang shrimp appetizer was a nice surprise. Chicken riggies were sublime. House made Belgian chocolate pie and cinnamon swirl cheesecake were the perfect ending.
Tara Grippe-Trodler
Always incredible!
Lauren Culyer
The Willows is THE best food in Central New York! I absolutely love it here! Wait staff is friendly, professional and knows what they are doing! The food is made in house and is absolutely delicious! I send everyone here to experience amazing and tasteful food!! The Willows is the BEST!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kurt P
Outstanding food. I never had something I didn't like. Very generous proportions. The place is small and intimate. Parking is adequate yet limited. Service is great. Everything is made to order so be prepared to wait while everything is prepared.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lidiya Brishchuk
Always amazing service and beautifully yummy food.
Thank you for a delicious meal and nice quiet atmosphere. But a HUGE thank you to the maître d for coming over to our table, pulling up a chair, and holding our 9 month old who decided she no longer wanted the high chair so we could enjoy our delicious dinner. Thank you for your kind gesture! And of course thank you to our waitress Ruthie, who is always great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jaimie Wrench
Hosted a private event for my mother's 70th birthday. Could not have asked for a better venue! Everything was perfect from the room set up, to the amazing food and service. They were great to work with from start to finish!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Le Girl
The best food and service in this entire area. From the appetizers to desserts, no complaints. The steak and sides were cooked to perfection. The feta dip was one of the best appetizers I’ve had along with the calamari. Such amazing food, I can’t wait to eat at Willows again!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wendy Alexander
This was our first time there. I was truly impressed with the food and the fact that the tables were not 4 inches away from each other. I dislike having to hear others conversations and seeing what they ordered for dinner. When I go out I expect to be able to have a private conversation and not have to make conversation with a stranger at the table next to me. Other restaurants in the area could learn a lot from the Willows. It was truly an enjoyable experience and I am sure we will be back. I recommend the Coquille if you like scallops. The filet was perfectly cooked and the sauce on the duck breast was delicious according to my husband. The homemade desserts that we took home were exceptional. Well done!
As good as you could hope for
My family of 4 were in the area for our eldest's college graduation. We wanted to go to a fantastic restaurant to celebrate. Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, I came with low expectations. We were all pleasantly surprised! We loved everything we ordered.
Started with their whipped feta with pitta chips and calamari. I loved the whipped feta - combination of feta, goat cheese and cream cheese with a sweet drizzle. Delicious! The calamari was fried to perfection but missing the tentacles.
For the main course the stand out was the filet. Tender, juicy, flavorful, again cooked to perfection. Dare we say the best filet we ever had.
Eggplant Parm was delicious! Still crispy even with a bit of sauce.
Dessert was to die for! Especially if you love chocolate, order the chocolate pie! Dense and fishy and oh so good!
If you're in Utica or near Utica, GO!
Went out for a friend's birthday. Having never been here my wife and I looked at the menu online. We had a good idea what we were having before walking in the door. The service was great with us being checked on multiple times. Waters were refilled promptly and the food came out hot. We started with some greens, calamari, and meatballs. All were top notch and very delicious. The everything greens were spicy without scorching your taste buds. The meatballs were pillows of deliciousness. The calamari was fried perfectly being crunchy and not the slightest bit chewy. I had chicken lukatelli which is Panko Crusted and Fried Chicken Medallions, Willows Greens, Fontinella Cheese, topped with a Roasted Garlic Sauce. It was awesome. I would order this again in a heartbeat if it didn't all look so good that I will be trying something different the next time we dine here. My wife had the chicken parm. The chicken parm is Breaded and Fried chicken in a Tomato Sauce, topped with Fontina and Parmesan Cheese, served on a bed of Fettuccine. Unfortunately, we didn't save any room for desert. We had 2 Willows Cosmos which were delicious as well. The Willows made the night an unforgettable one.
The food is excellent great presentation the staff is faboulous this is the best fine dining experience around the Utica area our whole family loves it now that we introduced it to them ! Very very accommodating
Everything greens were fantastic with enough heat to be interesting and enough richness to be a meal, The risotto was outstanding, deep flavor and correct texture, scallops were cooked perfectly. Bang bang shrimp appetizer was a nice surprise. Chicken riggies were sublime. House made Belgian chocolate pie and cinnamon swirl cheesecake were the perfect ending.
Always incredible!
The Willows is THE best food in Central New York! I absolutely love it here! Wait staff is friendly, professional and knows what they are doing! The food is made in house and is absolutely delicious! I send everyone here to experience amazing and tasteful food!! The Willows is the BEST!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Outstanding food. I never had something I didn't like. Very generous proportions. The place is small and intimate. Parking is adequate yet limited. Service is great. Everything is made to order so be prepared to wait while everything is prepared.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always amazing service and beautifully yummy food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best Riggies ever
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
It's ok
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Thank you for a delicious meal and nice quiet atmosphere. But a HUGE thank you to the maître d for coming over to our table, pulling up a chair, and holding our 9 month old who decided she no longer wanted the high chair so we could enjoy our delicious dinner. Thank you for your kind gesture! And of course thank you to our waitress Ruthie, who is always great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hosted a private event for my mother's 70th birthday. Could not have asked for a better venue! Everything was perfect from the room set up, to the amazing food and service. They were great to work with from start to finish!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best food and service in this entire area. From the appetizers to desserts, no complaints. The steak and sides were cooked to perfection. The feta dip was one of the best appetizers I’ve had along with the calamari. Such amazing food, I can’t wait to eat at Willows again!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our first time there. I was truly impressed with the food and the fact that the tables were not 4 inches away from each other. I dislike having to hear others conversations and seeing what they ordered for dinner. When I go out I expect to be able to have a private conversation and not have to make conversation with a stranger at the table next to me. Other restaurants in the area could learn a lot from the Willows. It was truly an enjoyable experience and I am sure we will be back. I recommend the Coquille if you like scallops. The filet was perfectly cooked and the sauce on the duck breast was delicious according to my husband. The homemade desserts that we took home were exceptional. Well done!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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