The Antlers

Very nice all american food. Great service. Everyone was warm and friendly. We enjoyed the chicken marsala.

Terrible. I wish no stars was an option. For starters the starter salad was not worth $ 4.95. I couldn’t hide my surprise and my family mimicked my response for the rest of the night. We had to send back my husbands food because it was still a patient of the Cornell Vet school. The food was subpar and overpriced. The guy did hang up our jacket when we walked in but that was not with the $ 100 we spent. We rushed out of there to get to Purity before they closed.

Really nice place — everyone enjoyed their food and had a good time.
However, their sanitation practices may be questionable — I got violently ill a few hours after eating their Chicken Amandine. Not necessarily placing the blame on them, but they should be careful about how well they are cooking their chicken and if the chefs are touching cooked food with contaminated hands.

My wife and I were in the area visiting family before the holidays. We wanted a nice dinner, searched around Unilocal and settled on «The Antlers».
Upon pulling in there was nothing but good signs, plenty of cars in the lot, nice decorations outside for the Holidays. Looked busy and promising.
Upon entering the hostess politely asked us if we had made reservations, we hadn’t, but were seated right away at a high top just outside the bar.
This is where the obvious signs of what was to come should have been appreciated, but we failed to do so until after the meal. First we were the only patrons there without a AARP card. Second every transfer from one level to the next, was a ramp/​walkway. All signs that were pointing to what was to come, but we soldiered on.
We started with a bottle of wine. I got the lobster bisque to start, small but appropriate tea cup filled with a bisque with good balance, some small chunks of meat, and nice cream finish on top, and a very faint touch of nutmeg, nice touch for the season.
The bread was a small baguette with tough skin, dripping with butter and garlic. Not appetizing at all due to the toughness of the bread.
For my main, I ordered the baked haddock with steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. My wife ordered the salmon with horseradish and pickled vegetable garnish, vegetable meddly of squash and the garlic mashed potatoes as well.
The dishes came to the table with no presentation taken into consideration at all. The plate was a small 8″ diameter plate, and the portions in respect to the sides, were skimpy at best. Also the rims of the plate hadn’t been wiped after plating, and some sauce and crumbs were left unfinished.
My fish had broken while being plated and the crumb topping with sauce had slid off to the side, if it was on to begin at all, I don’t know. Served with skin on the bottom which was a saving grace, in respect to moisture, due to the fish itself being over cooked and dry.
My wife’s salmon was quite delicious, although similarly plated haphazardly. The pickled vegetable countered the smooth salmon nicely.
As for the sides, the mashed potatoes with garlic might as well have been called mashed garlic with potatoes. Wow what a punch to the palate! We are both lovers of garlic, but this was wayyyy to much garlic. We both swapped our mash for a baked potatoes with sour cream on the side.
My «steamed broccoli» was microwaved and resembled sad mushy left overs. My wife’s meddly was salty and over seasoned and complete mush. When she requested for new sides with less seasoning for both the potatoes and squash meddly, we were told they were all preprepped/​preprepared and nothing good be done. Damn, they cant or wont make fresh sides? Also what with all the dried parsley over everything?
While eating our meal, a couple of the wait staff had congregated near the service station at the end of the bar to wait for their drinks from the bartender etc. Now in fairness, we were sitting right in front of the bar, but we and others audibly heard over the hum of the restaurant the bartender say rather loudly «…and then I got my period again!» A couple scouring «side eye» glances confirmed that they heard it as well.
Now I don’t know about you, but 1. The waitstaff congregating in view of the dining room to chat is just poor service. And 2. Nothing other than work or service related things should be discussed on the dining room floor in front of patrons! We were shocked and rather put off.
Overall, we will most definitely not be returning to the Antlers. From over salty, banquet style food with no finesse, to the nice update on the bartenders menstual cycle. And worst of all, we got it all for the whopping price of 87.00 dollars. Fool me once…

Every year around Christmas, I go out to Utah for an annual ski trip. Stepping into The Antlers this evening made me feel like I had started my trip a little early! The space is decorated like a ski lodge with antlers on the wall, a great fireplace that you can smell from outside, and these adorable light up lanterns. The ambiance is seriously spot on.
They have some great specials for dinner during the week (3 course meal for like $ 21 on a Sunday, discounted meats on Monday and Tuesday and some other cheap specials other days of the week!) I decided to go with my gut and get a shrimp cocktail to start and then the baby back ribs. The shrimp in the cocktail were small but perfectly cooked and the cocktail sauce was delicious and had the right kick! They also start you off with some warm homemade garlic bread which is a lovely addition to the meal. The baby back ribs were DELICIOUS. Seriously. They fall right off the bone so you don’t even need to look like a lunatic gnawing at the bones during a nice dinner. Just tap them with your knife and let the meat fall right off the bone so you can eat it with a fork! I got the garlic mashed potatoes with my dinner which weren’t really creamy enough for my taste (100% potato snob) and the vegetable of the evening was caramelized carrots. They were too soft for me (cooked carrots always reads baby food to me) so I wish I had another option to choose from because carrots wouldn’t have been my first choice.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place. It’s great for dates (and isn’t going to break the bank while still impressing the pants off your date) and family gatherings.

My wife and I were visiting friends who took us to The Antlers last night. It was wonderful. It seemed to me to be sort of family restaurant but even more than that. There were people of all ages. There is a nice bar area as well as the dining area. I began with a Lobster Bisque — as good as I ever had. My meal, Scallops au gratin & Baltimore style crab cakes, was sensational. I have never enjoyed scallops as much. It’s just too bad it’s so far from NJ. This could have become my favorite restaurant.

Always warm and friendly service, always delicious food. The owner /​manager seems to always be on premises and is very kind. Great place to get away from the student crowds. Excellent burgers and crabcakes.

When I travel I’d rather go to local restaurants rather than the chains. This place is a good example. It had a lot of local flavor and the food was just what we wanted. Not over priced but good food. The service was great and we enjoyed the evening.

The antler is an excellent restaurant. The lobster was amazing and the hamburger was cooked perfectly. I recommend The Antler for anniversaries.

Awful. So disappointed. The bread was over cooked. My tea was over brewed and bitter, and the Tuscan fettuccine was so bitter it was practically inedible. I scrapped off about ¾ of a cup of sun dried tomatoes and piled on the parm. The whole meal was sad.

This is one of my favorite places to eat around the Dryden/​Ithaca area. Great atmosphere, delicious food, and awesome service. I always go on Sunday’s for the three course dinner meal special. The Tuscan fettuccine and the lobster bisque are my favorite dishes. Just amazing food! I’ve never had a bad experience here.

Came in on a work trip for dinner. I happened to go on a filet mignon special Tuesday! What a deal. The fillet was cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious. I decided to splurge and get the scallops au gratin as a side which were phenomenal. Will definitely be going back on my next trip.

Solid choice for an excellent meal. Menu is well put together with a variety of options for everyone. The history of the business and the long standing test of time speaks volumes. Hats off to the owners Bill and Toby, job well done.

Had the prime rib special (on Wednesdays). I thought that the food was really delicious. The two sides were a Mexican style corn and garlic mashed potatoes.

Antlers is a great spot to go for the ambiance. In the winter months, the restaurant is very charming on the inside with the unique fireplace, pictures, pine plank floors, etc.
The food is quite good — I’ve had their pasta dishes, salmon, steak and a mix of other items throughout the years.
I do recommend this place but sometimes the service can be a bit slow. Stand by the fireplace in the winter and admire the great panorama shot of Denali National Park in the entrance room.
They also have great wood match sticks to grab on your way out!

I like taking my out of town friends and family. Excellent food, and service. Not many vegetarian options as expected by the name!(Antlers)
Cozy like a hunting camp, and seems like one. We have a newborn, and found there was no place to change him.
I have tried most menu items, and always happy. My last visit I tried the Big Mike. What a burger, probably the best burger I have ever had. I have actually dreamt about this burger since then. The fryless fish is always satisfying. Could use some interior updates, but ultimately that’s not why I go there. The food is worth it, consistent and delicious, Thank You Antlers

I love this place! Their soups, complimentary garlic bread, and salads– especially the Santa Barbara salad– are all delicious. I love the roast duck; not many places serve it and theirs is so delicious– juicy with a crispy outside, moist inside, and the cherry glaze goes great. The side portions (vegetable and potato or rice) are not huge, but I have never left this place without being stuffed full of their yummy homemade food, often with leftovers. They do use a lot of locally-​sourced ingredients as well. I’ve been many times and the service is almost always impeccable– they’re there when you need them, yet don’t constantly hover over you– just how it should be!
The décor, despite the «hunting lodge» theme, is still classy and tasteful. Many of the trophies on the wall were actually harvested by the owners as they both are avid hunters. The fireplace is a really nice touch in the winter and the flower gardens look spectacular in the summer.

Greedy prime rib. The specials are always changing and the prices good.
Lobster night is also good, nice time for a date!

Lobster Bisque, Santa Barbara Salad, and the desserts are excellent. I have been there about 30 – 40 times over the decades as my family likes going there for birthdays and it conveniently located. However the mentioned food dishes are the only memorable items I can think of after all these years. I have been disappointed with Tuscan Fettuccine. It’s description has suckered me in a few times and after I get it and it’s bad I remember «oh yeah I hate that dish». Don’t take any vegans there as they will be horrified by the tacky hunting lodge décor and menu.
The walls are crammed with big, old, dusty mounted heads of bison, elk, deer,“jack-a-lope”, etc. and use poor judgement in commissioning artwork to make fun of a Cornell institution. Usually way too dark and dusty fake plants. We have always had excellent service. The menu hasn’t changed much if at all and no entrees that wow you.
Would be great if they had some fresh and new items on menu.

Another favorite of mine whenever I’m in the Ithaca area. I came here in the middle of graduation weekend at Cornell, and it was obviously booked solid. It did not feel that way at all as the atmosphere gave it a kind of «Home «like feeling no matter how many people there were.
The food has always been top notch and the same can be said of the service. We had a rather larger group but our server was always there when something was needed.
We left around 8:30 and people were still pouring in for dinner. This place is definitely popular and one visit will be enough to show you why.