Aleeya Witzke

This place is so cute inside. To start we ordered the Arancini which was very good. It came with a marinara sauce which was great. For entrees we got the Cavatelli with shrimp and the pasta entree with pomodoro sauce. For desert we got the tiramisu that came with chocolate ice cream. Everything was delish. We will definitely be coming back if we are ever in the area again.

Roberta Steele

Intimate space with excellent menu and stellar service! Calamari was breaded perfectly and served with a nice spicy horseradish cocktail sauce. Fig prosciutto flatbread was delicious, hints of Gorgonzola coming through the balsamic glaze. Caesar salad perfectly dressed! And for dessert the bananas foster was outstanding!!!

Jeff O

Amazing place right in the heart of Utica! The food is hot and delicious with HUGE portions. Plenty of food for tomorrow... if it survives the night! Lol... We ordered too much food, and knew it as soon as the appetizers came out. We had the parmesan fries and the parmesan polenta fries. The fries were good, and the polenta was something I've never had before...unique and delicious. They are fried with a tasty, crispy batter, and the inside the polenta is creamy. An excellent start to the meal. I had the homemade cavitappi as my entrée. It is served in a cream sauce with peas, prosciutto, and onions. I added chicken to it and it was absolutely delicious. Glad I couldn't finish it... more for tomorrow! My wife had the chicken riggies, and she enjoyed them immensely...and that says something as she is a riggie snob...also a huge plate of food with plenty left over. Our waiter, Greg, was efficient, attentive and very nice...a good representation of the restaurant. The ONLY thing is that it's a crowded place...tables are close... that's nothing that would keep me from coming back at all. We've been here one before, and I'm glad we went back. It was a solid reminder that I need to visit more often.

+1

Adam Hovak

Great place for a quick bite right in the heart of downtown. Make sure you have reservations for Friday or Saturday because they fill up quick. The atmosphere is great and the staff is friendly. The bar is fully stocked! You can’t go wrong with the appetizers and the filet is always tasty. For reference, a table of 4 takes 60-90 min with dinner and drinks

+7

Kenneth Etter (Ken)

In town on business in Utica and after eating 2 nights in the hotel restaurant decided to explore the area. Discovered Ancora in the theater district. EXCELLENT choice in literally ever way I could think of. From the Bruschetta for the appetizer, to the house special Mushroom Stuffed Raviola, to the oversized glass of tea, topped off with one of the best margaritas (Silver Petron of course), this was one of the best meals I've had in quite some time. And considering this is located in the theater district, the price vs value was off the charts. Highly recommend if you're in the Utica area, you seriously consider this for your dining choice. You won't regret it!!

Jason Pogar

Visiting from out of state. A few locals recommended it to us. Made reservations same day. It's located right next door to the Stanley theater. Sat at a high top near the bar. Greg was our server and bartender. His choices were home runs and drinks were awesome. Had an old fashioned and wife had a spicy watermelon (something) both were great! Went with Greg's choice of the daily special spicy creamy shrimp. Had a creamy pasta sauce with some chorizo sausage and shrimp over penne. It was awesome! For desert we had crepes and creme brulee also recommended by Greg. They were perfect! By the time we left the front patio was packed and no open tables outside! Great service, great food! Dinner for two, with drinks, and desert just over $100. Definitely worth going!

Alexander Fletcher

A bit of an underwhelming atmosphere, think Tavern style complete with chalkboards. Food pricing was incredible, very affordable and very tasty. The calamari were incredibly crispy and very tender served with cocktail sauce, was definitely a unique choice. The paella was served, hot, and served concerning really quick, leading me to believe that it was previously frozen. Nonetheless, it tasted delicious and was loaded with sausage, some of the seafoods seemed a little bit fishier than to be expected however, overall it was a good dish. The desserts were the main attraction, all of the crêpes looked fantastic, but the tiramisu was delicious, and perfectly creamy. Our service staff was fantastic. He was very attentive and took great care of us.

Abi Santos (AbiSanz)

The Service and the steamed mussels were great. We were seated immediately. We came for my birthday. We ordered the paella. It was very tasty and moist. The downfall was that it was a little too spicy for my wife. We felt like it lacked on the amount of meat, particularly the seafood and chorizo. My wife also ordered a bruschetta. She was very disappointed because the tomatoes were cold and the bread was super crunchy. Whenever she would bite into it, the bread would fall apart. She also ordered filet mignon and potatoes. The potatoes tasted amazing. They seem to add a little bit of cheese to the potatoes. The problem was when she ordered the filet mignon extra well done; just to make sure that it was cooked (Usually when she orders it well done it usually still rare on the inside) This filet mignon came back looking burnt and dry. I gave the Place a four star because we were sitting outside and the mosquitoes started biting my Son and we requested a chair inside and they were able to move us inside immediately.

+2

Gregg Ruoti

Our daughter recently moved from Boston to Utica for an excellent opportunity in the healthcare industry. Boston has no shortage of amazing food options, so our palates have been a bit spoiled. While exploring Utica for some culinary gems, we stumbled upon Ancora—and what a find! We started with the roasted beet salad, and both agreed it was one of the best we've ever had. My daughter ordered the paella, which she loved and was excited to have leftovers for the next day. I had the gnocchi Pomodoro with a side of salmon. The sauce was fresh with a hint of sweetness, and the salmon was simply seasoned but one of the best I’ve tasted in years. The wine list, though small, features excellent choices, including some West Coast wines and, of course, great local beer. We can’t wait to go back!

Krista F

We ate on the patio, and the bugs and flies were obnoxious! But there was great music playing in the background. The waiter was fantastic, checking on us frequently, and making great suggestions on beer. He was entertaining, and kept us laughing. I ordered the NY Strip Dreak, which was fantastic! It came with a big heaping serving of mashed potatoes. They were dry and flavorless, amd I wished it had come with some sort of gravy. But it was definitely worth the price! My friend had the Rack of Lamb, which she was very impressed with. The presentation was fantastic on that meal! She also ordered the Creme Brulee which was also delicious. Oh, and she ordered a side of gnocchi, which was fantastic!

Katy

I wouldn’t recommend this establishment to anyone who values their time or money. From the moment my boyfriend and I arrived and politely asked to sit outside, we were met with irritation and dismissiveness from Suzanne. She appeared annoyed, gave us attitude, and treated our simple request as if we were asking for something unreasonable. After seating ourselves on the patio—a beautiful evening, by the way—Suzanne proceeded to ignore us completely. Over the next hour, multiple parties arrived after us, were seated outside, and received their meals promptly. We ordered a drink, water, and greens, yet were never once asked if we wanted refills or checked on. Our drinks and water sat empty while we watched table after table—seated much later—get served. Feeling frustrated and overlooked, we finally asked another server if the kitchen was backed up. He plainly said they were not. At that point, we asked to close out and leave. When Suzanne finally reappeared, we calmly explained that we had waited over an hour with no service or updates. Her response? Blinking, a smug attitude, and repeatedly saying “okay” “three minutes”with no apology, acknowledgment, or attempt to resolve the situation. Then came Dan Loconti, who said “it would be a few extra minutes “ and even offered to pack our food “TO GO.” We declined and voiced our concerns. He brushed it off, claiming the kitchen was “a little behind.” We pointed out the obvious—guests seated well after us were already eating (almost Finished) and we hadn’t even been offered more water. The indifference was astonishing. When I requested a receipt to speak with the owner the following day, the bartender immediately relayed that to Suzanne, who responded—with blatant rudeness—that she didn’t care and that the owner had been outside and spoke to us. I didn’t know Dan was the owner. She clearly didn’t realize I was standing nearby. Bottom line: this restaurant demonstrated shockingly poor customer service, unprofessional behavior, and zero accountability—from the waitress to management. We spent $40 for two drinks and greens and walked away disappointed, insulted, and aggravated.