The Depot

Used to LOVE the Depot, but they’ve decided you cannot get the Sampler Platter TO GO… What kind of service is that?!

We are in town to play baseball at Cooperstown Allstar Village and the team and families wanted to have a group dinner. The folks at The Depot were happy to take our reservation for 52 people.
Driving there is best handled by GPS because it’s on the back streets of Oneonta, and upon arrival it looked way too small for our group. Looks can be deceiving. It’s a really big place and it was very busy on a Thursday night.
They assigned 3 servers «the shells» to our group and the servers really worked as a team. We had drinks quickly and they made sure to get the boys and their siblings taken care of quickly with food.
It just so happened to be 20 cent wing night so at the adult’s tables we began with an appetizer of Garbage Can wings. These are very delicious and I recommend them to anyone.
We ordered and the group chose a variety of dishes. I had the fish and chips, which was served on a soft roll and one of the best dill pickle spears I have eaten. (manufacturer’s name please?)
Another parent ordered the pizza which is a square affair with the sauce on top of the cheese. It’s a breadier dough and the sauce is very tasty.
Another had the delmonico steak with glazed carrots an steak fries also well received.
The only item that didn’t seem to hit the right note was the garbage can chicken wrap. My wife didn’t really enjoy it.
All in all, the service was excellent, the food was delicious and the facility was perfect for a big team adventure. If you are in town for baseball, this is the perfect spot to host the team.

I have always loved this place, however recently I went there and was very disappointed. The only thing that was delicious as always were the garbage wings. Other than that I was unimpressed. My pizza was ok, where I have had it previously multiple times and have always loved it. My friends ordered cob salads and their eggs were very over cooked. Another friend of mine ordered a fish sandwich and it was soggy and the fries weren’t fresh. I would like to see this place be great again.

The wings were amazing, I highly recommend the garbage wings! They always have great deals and specials as well!

The food was not bad at all. Very reasonable priced with a friendly staff. The Chicken Alfredo was not all that good. Very «watered down» taste with a lot of garlic. The burger was juicy and very good. Lastly the garbage chicken was great, a must try. Would definitely go back and try out other stuff.

Well… where do I begin? As an avid customer, I am terribly disappointed in the «service» I’ve received the past three weeks. If I could have chosen 0 out of 5 I would have. Two weeks ago my group of six people waited an hour and ten minutes for our order of wings on «wing night» which consists of a mandatory purchase of an $ 8 pitcher of soda/​water. The wings came out prematurely and were pink on the inside. They served us while mopping the floor under our table because they were closing as the food finally arrived. One week ago we gave the restaurant a second chance in which the waiter said «my bad» while handing out the incorrect order to every person at the table. I was also informed that this waiter was under the influence of some sort of controlled substance via another employee of The Depot! Like fools, we gave The Depot one more chance tonight. We were denied of water because «there weren’t any more pitchers» and charged 18% gratuity at the discretion of the waiter. The same waiter I was told takes pills before his shifts! Maybe that’s why he forgot we ordered wings 30 minutes after he took the order… Anyway, upon talking to the manager and «owner» about the judgmental call to include gratuity, I was spoken to very unprofessionally and told to «pay my f*cking bill» and «we don’t want your service.» She cursed several times and raised her arms in an aggressive manner. This was the final straw, I will not be returning and neither should you! No customer should be treated the way we were tonight. Please save yourself the trouble of experiencing extremely poor service and sub-​par food by not going. Overrated!

My boyfriend and I have had their burger multiple times and have never been disappointed. We like our burgers medium-​rare, and they seem to be the only place in town who can cook it to perfection!
My only complaint– the only time I tried the fish sandwich, it was soggy and the bun was way too small for the giant piece of mushy fish.
Despite that, the service is always solid and the prices are reasonable. Two thumbs up from two picky food service workers!

One of my favorite places in Oneonta. The food is delicious, the service good, and the prices reasonable. Get the appetizer sampler– delicious, fried food galore. Garbage wings also a must. Kind of a hidden gem, a few minutes off the «main» road, in an old train depot (as the name suggests). Really cool spot.

Garbage wings, delicious! I love this place, I try to go every once in a while. The meals and beer are good as well, but for some reason all I ever remember is the garbage wings.
I’m actually not a fan of the pizza but they have so much else to choose from you are really not limited to just that! Some people love it so I am not going to let it hurt my review.

The Pizza is different. That’s the first thing to know about. Been coming here since it opened in the 70’s. Upside down pizza is what we called it. Sauce on top. Back then did not even know they made anything else, so that’s all I can comment on.
Was back this weekend after many many years. There’s now a new room in the back. Nicely done. Ordered the sausage pizza, Looks a bit like a Sicilian pan pie. Definite updated a bit on the crust. Thicker and more crisp than I remembered. Tasty sauce, sausage and cheese were generous. Wouldn’t eat this all the time by choice — but it is an experience. The Depot is a cozy bar road house off the beaten path, near the river and the train tracks, If you’re in the area, give it a try. Nice beer selection on tap too. Had the darkest beer they offered, like coffee and Guinness in one glass! Very friendly waitress and service was excellent. Heard plenty of folks talking about the wings. I think of it as an Institution, as is Brooks.
Will be back, as they say!

We all really enjoyed our meals. Glad I found this place on Unilocal. Be forewarned that during baseball season, you may find super large parties with lots of kids being loud and running around. But, they are kids. Parents fault, not the restaurants. I really liked the Mediterranean salad.

I have been going to the depot for at least 30 years. The food is one of a kind and the atmosphere is to die for. Who doesn’t love trains? Sitting in an old train depot just thinking about all that went on in there. And my kids love that the train goes right by there.

Awesome place for a quick burger! Seemed to be in a really weird place, but it’s totally worth it. Service is awesome and our waitress was really sweet and attentive. Loved my burger, cooked perfectly at medium rare.
Would highly recommend!

Enjoyed lunch here on a few occasions. Love the Sailor Jerry specials and the Wimpy burger made my son laugh… it’s anything but wimpy!
The Garbage wings are awesome and the pizza is pretty good too.
It’s hidden in a side street but worth finding!

My husband and I visited The Depot when we travelled through Oneonta. Our lunch of garbage wings and chicken wraps was was tasty and delicious. Our server Tiffany was pleasant, efficient and attentive. We highly recommend The Depot!

Not sure I can fairly give one star since all I got during our 45 minute wait was water and my side salad. We found the place find but after 55 minutes total wait time for no food we wish we hadn’t. Then our waiter began to avoid us. If you are in Cooperstown for your son, don’t make the trip out. We asked for our check but even that took forever with lots of empty tables in the place. Nice menu wish I had tried something.

Heard about this place through the grapevine. My bosses at work said if you want good food in a relaxing atmosphere, go to The Depot. It’s in a tricky location and look kinda odd from the outside but so worth it.
Welp… Food was tasty — the infamous garbage sauce was addictive. My server was attentive. Prices and portion were good. My one gripe — the condition of the parking lot… potholes and unpaved. That could b better.
We will definitely be visiting again. Nice place to take out of town guests due to all the choices. Great job.

A little expensive and it’s always crazy busy but the wings and burgers are phenomenal. It’s worth going to the Depot for the wings alone, they really are the best in Oneonta.

I want to preface this review by revealing that I have had all different types of pizza from all over the country. At heart, I love classic NY style pizza; but also have deep respect and admiration for California-​style, Chicago-​style and even some lesser-​known forms of pizza and artisan creations. That said, the composition of Depot’s pizza was not an issue for me. What was an issue for me, was everything else about it.
Food: I added the preface above because when we were seated, the first question we were asked was, «Have you been here before». When we responded ‘no’, the server went into a two minute explanation regarding their pizza and how it differs from ‘normal’ NY pizza. At the time, I thought she was just being helpful. In hindsight, I believe it is because they receive complaints regarding it and want diners to understand that their pizza differs. The composition of the pizza was of no consequence to me, and honestly, I like a ‘Chicago-​style’, sauce-​on-​top pizza every now-​and-​then; unfortunately, the issues with this pizza had nothing to do with its composition.
The best thing about the pizza was the sauce. I thought it struck an excellent balance between sweet, savory, and salty. It tasted extremely fresh, and I loved the light undertone of basil. The sauce was excellent — possibly 5 stars on its own. Unfortunately, everything else was crap — especially the dough /​crust. It literally tasted like a pre-​made crust that they defrost from frozen. Not only was the texture more reminiscent of stale bread than fresh dough, but there was virtually zero flavor to it. It might be the worst pizza crust /​dough I have ever had. I would take Domino’s or Little Caesars over this. Hell, I’d probably take DiGiorno over Depot.
The cheese is non-​existent. Maybe this is why they put the sauce on top? To hide the fact that they skimp on the cheese and /​or use and inferior grade of it? I don’t know; but this was equally as disappointing as the ‘dough’. We ordered a White Pizza, a Meat Pizza and a Ham and Pineapple. Here is a quick rundown of each
Meat Pizza: The best pizza by far. There was plentiful, and good tasting meat all over it, and it contrasted the freshness of the sauce extremely well. Unfortunately, all of this was on top of their horrendous ‘dough’, and under the nearly non-​existent cheese.
Ham and Pineapple: Where was the Ham? In complete contrast to the plentiful meat on the Meat Pizza, there were no toppings on this. Lastly, the sweetness from the sauce, and the sweetness from the pineapple clashed badly. It over-​powered the whole pizza in sweetness.
White Pizza: No flavor, minimal cheese, poorly seasoned ricotta (thus the no flavor)
Wings: Amazing. Some of the best wings I have ever had — and if you read my reviews, you know this is a comment of the highest praise. The garbage wings were excellent, delivering a unique flavor that melded together very very well. The wings were hot, crispy, and still juicy. In addition, their bleu cheese is undoubtedly house-​made, and it is good — pairing exceptionally well with the wings.
Onion Petals: Bland, under seasoned, uninspired.
Food: ³⁄₅ (Pizza: 1 Wings: 5) — NOTE: I saw a lot of other non-​pizza and wing dishes go by our table and they looked very good. I would be interested to come back and try them.
Service: This was average. Typical, run-​of-​the-​mill casual dining service. It was moderately prompt, slightly friendly, and mostly rushed.
Service: ³⁄₅
Atmosphere: I really liked the divey atmosphere. It had a warm comfort, and a welcoming backwoods-​feel that I could see returning to. It was clean, smelled great, and unique. It is also much bigger than I had anticipated which contributed to a loud and busy atmosphere which was a little much for me.
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅
Price: The pizza was highway robbery. Nearly $ 20 for small pizzas that lacked in every conceivable category except ‘sauce’ is ridiculous. These pizzas were worth about what you would spend on a frozen French Bread pizza. Conversely, the wings were worth every penny.
Price: ²⁄₅
Final Thoughts: As I mentioned above, I saw a lot of good looking entrees coming from the kitchen, and wish that we never ordered the pizza. I very rarely go back to restaurants that have served me substandard food, and Depot definitely served-​up some crap pizza; but based on what I saw coming from the kitchen, I would be willing to come back and try their entrees. I would strongly suggest getting the wings, and trying their entrees; but avoid the pizza at all cost.

This place is tough to find even with a navigation system. However I enjoyed every meal I’ve had here. They used to have a steak that was called the Cowboy! That was a great steak but I guess it was too pricey for up there. The wings, burgers and pasta is really good and the good looking servers are hard working who appear to be recruited from Oneonta college.
I will continue to get lost finding the place but I will definitely be back soon.