Syracuse, N.Y. — We’ll say it plainly: the appetizer is the tell. It’s where kitchens show their personality, where chefs sneak in a little flair, and where diners decide whether they’re settling in for something special or just waiting for the main course.
Over the past year, we (Jared Paventi, Jacob Pucci, Danielle Benjamin and Charlie Miller) did not rush past that moment. From shareable plates meant for the whole table to starters we quietly hoped no one else would touch, we spent a lot of time at the front end of the menu.
These are the appetizers that stuck with us from our 2025 coverage. Every pick comes from a restaurant we actually visited this year, fork-first and fully committed. If your go-to starter didn’t make the list, it’s not a snub. It’s just a reminder that Central New York has more good food than any one year can handle.
K Kurdish Mediterranean: Mixed Appetizer Platter
Address: K Kurdish Mediterranean Restaurant, 6 Elm St., Tully
From Jared Paventi: Nearly every Middle Eastern or Arabic restaurant offers some version of a mixed platter of dips served with pita. K Kurdish Mediterranean’s version offers a couple of items you would expect – hummus and babaganush – and three new-to-us selections that have drawn us back to Tully. Muhammara is a savory dip made from pureed roasted red peppers and onions, crushed walnuts, and tahini sauce, and you get a bit of flavor from each element. Cacik is the Kurdish version of tzatziki, a garlicky yogurt sauce with cucumber, lemon, dill and mint. Aci Ezme – a dip made with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and olive oil – has since taken the place of the carrot yogurt on the platter. This dip made from baked carrots, olive oil, garlic and housemade strained yogurt is still available a la carte.
Avicolli’s Coal Fire: Burrata Affogato
Address: Avicolli’s Coal Fire, 104 Limestone Plaza, Fayetteville
From Jared Paventi: So, you have a starter that is a cast-iron skillet full of melted cheese and tomato sauce? Here, take my money. This starter from Avicolli’s Coal Fire in Fayetteville feels like cheating, but there is quite a bit of complexity here. Burrata and a punchy marinara sauce full of crushed red pepper goes into the oven and comes out as a warming, gooey treat. Served with toasted bread the burrata affogato takes the creamy, milky cheese and marries it with with a spicy, tangy sauce. After exhausting our bread supply, we scraped down the pan with spoons. The road to happiness is, after all, paved with melted cheese.
Grotto: Calamari Steak
Address: Grotto, 101 S. Main St., N. Syracuse
From Jared Paventi: Anyone can deep fry calamari. Some restaurants even manage not to overcook it. But, how often will you get a calamari steak? The squid body is filleted, fried and sliced like a chicken cutlet. You knew the fork-tender calamari was fried, but you couldn’t taste evidence of other foods having shared the oil. In fact, it wasn’t greasy. Just a smashing starter from an old-school
Susu Dim Sum: Dumplings
Address: Su Su Dim Sum, 549 E. Brighton Ave., Syracuse
From Jared Paventi: I’m a lover of all dumplings and have a wide definition of them. Ravioli are Italian dumplings. I grew up on them. Manti are Kurdish dumplings – you’ll read about those later in this series – and were a bright discovery this year. The more traditional Chinese version highlighted our visit to Susu Dim Sum on Brighton Avenue. Steamed bao dumplings were full of aggressive pork flavors in a delicate pillowy dough. A denser dough wrapped the steamed vegetable and chicken varieties, packed with distinct vegetable flavors. Shumai gave us shrimp and sticky rice wrapped in wonton. Even better, all of the dumpling wrappings were made in-house.
Brickyard Barbecue: Chicken wings
Address: 2611 U.S. Route 11, LaFayette
From Charlie Miller: Yes, I know. Syracuse is one of the best wing cities in the country. You don’t need a reminder. That’s exactly why these stand out.
Brickyard’s wings are massive and smoked for two hours, then chilled, then fried in boiling tallow until the skin crackles and the meat stays deeply smoky and rich. I watched pitmaster Davey Rickenback load 360 wings into the smoker at 7 a.m. This guy was serious about his work.
Now that the Brickyard Tavern is open, the picture is easy to imagine: a dozen of these smoky wings, a game on the TV and a steady stream of Miller Lite. Even in a wing town, these are special.
Primo Nestico’s: Ricotta Toast
Address: Primo Nestico’s Bistro & Bar, 412 N. Main St., North Syracuse
From Charlie Miller: This one surprised me, and that’s saying a lot. Primo Nestico’s, which Marty Richardson opened in the former Nestico’s just last month in North Syracuse, serves a ricotta toast built on house-made focaccia topped with lemon ricotta, roasted butternut squash, honey and pepitas.
I’ll admit I’m not usually a lemon-on-food guy. Fruit belongs in drinks. But this worked. The ricotta was bright without being sharp, the squash added warmth and sweetness, and the whole thing felt cozy and autumnal. What really seals it, though, is the bread. It was fresh, warm and sturdy enough to carry every bite. A strong early signal from a brand-new kitchen.
Golden Spike Pub: Chicken Tenders
Address: Golden Spike Pub, 411 W. Manlius St., East Syracuse
From Jared Paventi: Syracuse, we need to talk. Tully’s Good Times chicken tenders are for the kids. As adults, we deserve better. We deserve hand-cut chicken breast meat, breaded to order and served with a housemade, secret-recipe honey mustard. For us, there is the Golden Spike Pub in East Syracuse. We ordered six and got nine small- to moderately-sized handmade tenders that were juicy, crunchy and tasted like chicken; not frying oil. They paired masterfully with the house honey mustard and a Utica Club.
Inka’s: Ceviche
Address: Inka’s, 201 S. Salina St., Syracuse
From Jared Paventi: My favorite type of seafood is raw, so news of a restaurant specializing in ceviche got me very excited (or as excited as I get these days). Ceviche isn’t raw, per se, but it cooks in mixture of chili peppers and citrus juice rather than heat. The acid of this mixture, called leche de tigre, cures the seafood while imparting spice and tang. We opted for the mixto al rocoto, which featured shrimp, squid rings, octopus tentacles and cubed fish with Peruvian aji rocoto peppers for a punchy dose of spice.
From Charlie Miller: If you want a snapshot of what Inka’s does best, start here. The Ceviche Mixto Al Rocoto is a vibrant, no-shortcuts mix of raw marinated fish, shrimp, octopus and scallops, all tossed with spicy peppers and soaked in leche de tigre. It’s a bright, citrus-driven marinade that wakes up your entire palate.
This is classic Peruvian at its core, but there’s a quiet confidence behind it that reflects what the chef is doing across the menu. Inka’s leans into “Peruvian fusion” without losing the plot, weaving in subtle Japanese and Chinese influences while letting traditional flavors lead. This ceviche is bold, balanced and absolutely built to be shared, even if you briefly consider not doing that.
Stone Creek: Smoked Onion Fondue
Address: Stone Creek, 69 North St., Marcellus
From Charlie Miller: Stone Creek opened in July and has been playing to full houses ever since. This appetizer helps explain why. The smoked onion fondue is what would happen if French onion dip went to grad school: deeper, richer and indulgent.
Served with crispy roasted baby potatoes, it turns into an exercise in restraint. The potatoes are the perfect edible shovel, though we immediately wished for more. The fondue, meanwhile, seemed bottomless. It’s comfort food with ambition, and that’s exactly the kind of starter that makes a table slow down and stay awhile.
Aurora Brewing Co.: Smoked Chicken Wing Dip
Address: Aurora Brewing Co. Syracuse Taproom, 620 Ulster St., Syracuse
From Jared Paventi: We are frequent visitors to Aurora Brewing Co.’s taproom on Tipperary Hill due to its relative proximity to our home and each time we visit, there is more than one table sharing smoked chicken wing dip. Served with housemade tortilla chips, this dip expertly blends pulled and chopped chicken, cream cheese, housemade ranch dressing, cayenne pepper sauce, and crumbly blue cheese for a salty, spicy snack that leaves your palete begging for the next sip of beer.
Amber Inn: Fries
Address: Amber Inn, 2424 Otisco Valley Rd., Marietta
From Jared Paventi: I wrote 233 words about these French fries, so of course I was going to include them in my Best of 2025. Whether a side dish, starter or part of the loaded fries appetizer, Amber Inn makes some of the best in the area. Skin-on with crispy skin, the irregular cut potatoes were pillowy soft in the middle. They were hot but not too hot, salty but not too salty. These are the French fries every Ore-Ida in your freezer dreams of becoming when it grows up.
Ruby Begonia’s: Cornbread
Address: Ruby Begonia’s, 236 Genesee St., Chittenango
From Jared Paventi: The cornbread at Ruby Begonia’s is the type of item that tests your marriage. Who will get the last forkful of the sweet, buttery cake-like bread? Do I claim the last piece for myself, or should I lean into the spirit of chivalry and let her have it? After the first bite, she declared that she wanted this instead of a birthday cake, even with the drizzle of hot honey that added an extra layer of flavor to the dense brick of cornbread. Of course I acquiesced. Happy wife, happy life, right?
Chorong House: Seafood and vegetable Jeon
Address: Chorong House, 1121 E. Fayette St., Syracuse
From Jacob Pucci: This giant savory pancake could easily be a meal (or two) on its own, but it’s perfect as a starter for a table full of hungry diners. The seafood and vegetable version, with its ample portions of kimchi, shrimp, calamari, scallions and peppers, is well worth the upcharge over the plain version. Chorong House turns 25 years old in 2026 and in my multiple trips to eat there, I’ve never left without ordering a jeon to share. You shouldn’t either.
Kabul: Mantu
Address: Kabul, 701 S. Crouse Ave., Suite #3
From Jacob Pucci: This Afghan restaurant was short-lived – it both opened and closed this year – but it deserves an accolade for serving excellent food during the months it was open. Mantu, a dish of spiced beef-filled dumplings topped with yogurt, stewed lentils and dried mint, was a particular standout. It’s the kind of hearty dish one craves in the winter, which makes the restaurant’s closure feel all the more unfortunate.
Raj Saffron House: Papri Chaat
Address: Raj Saffron House, 124 Dell St., Syracuse
From Jacob Pucci: Chaat refers to a variety of snacks popular throughout India and South Asia, often sold by street vendors and small cafes. Unlike most snacks, however, which one might describe as “one-note” or “eaten from a bag while sitting on the couch as crumbs fall between the cushions”, chaat is a dazzling display of flavors and complementary textures. At Raj Saffron House, the papri chaat begins with crispy, house-made papri chips, topped with a potato and chickpea curry, chopped onion and tomato, pomegranate arils, fresh cilantro, and drizzles of yogurt and both green and tamarind chutneys. There’s a whole lot happening and it all works.
Colucci: Meatballs
Address: Colucci, 510 Westcott St., Syracuse
From Jacob Pucci: The meatballs, like most everything at this Westcott Street newcomer, are familiar, straightforward versions of Italian-American staples. And like most everything at Colucci, they’re excellent. These all-beef meatballs, available with a bowl of pasta, stuffed into a triangular pocket of warm bread or on their own as a starter, are fried, creating a thin, crisp exterior and tender, flavorful interior. They’re not fancy, but they’re easily some of the best Italian meatballs you’ll find in Central New York.
The Kabob House: Hummus
Address: The Kabob House, 409 Tulip St., Liverpool
From Jacob Pucci: Another example of a simple dish that shines in its execution. The hummus at this Liverpool restaurant is made in-house, a velvety smooth dip that’s far creamier than anything you’d find at most supermarkets. A heavy helping of tahini adds a pleasant nuttiness, with fresh parsley, olive oil and a sprinkle of pleasantly tart sumac serving as garnish. I can only wish all hummus were this light and creamy, I think, as I swipe one piece of warm pita after another through the dip.
Electric Karma: Samosas
Address: Electrik Karma, 306 Hiawatha Blvd. W. (Destiny USA), third Floor
From Danielle Benjamin: Although the shells were not as crispy as I’d like, they had an approachable amount of heat to them with great spices. But what really made this dish shine was the side of Mama Patel’s apple butter sauce. It had a delightful sweetness that paired well with the heat of the samosas, and the perfect touch of cinnamon. I’d go back to the restaurant just for that sauce.
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