Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe
Regional · Ithaca
About Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe
Located in Ithaca, Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe offers a welcoming atmosphere for diners seeking local specialties by the water. Guests consistently praise the friendly and attentive service that makes every visit feel like home, whether enjoying a quick lunch or a family dinner outdoors. The restaurant i...
Located in Ithaca, Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe offers a welcoming atmosphere for diners seeking local specialties by the water. Guests consistently praise the friendly and attentive service that makes every visit feel like home, whether enjoying a quick lunch or a family dinner outdoors. The restaurant is renowned for its great coffee, fast service, and reasonable prices that accommodate diverse tastes without sacrificing quality. As a family-owned establishment, it provides an accessible, comfortable setting perfect for solo travelers, cyclists exploring the waterfront trail, or groups celebrating after hiking adventures. With reliable hours and a scenic view, this local gem delivers a warm experience where food, ambiance, and hospitality come together seamlessly.
What Customers Say About Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe
Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe is family-friendly with a nice waterfront view. Many reviewers praise the friendly and attentive service. Some found the food inconsistent, with complaints about saltiness, small portions, and occasional issues with food quality and service speed.
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Tip: Sit outside on the back deck overlooking the canal for the best atmosphere.
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What to see nearby
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Explore the area around Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe
Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe is located in Ithaca, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- St. James AME Zion Church (A 769m) — church building in New York, United States of America Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Religious Buildings
- Saint Catherine Greek Orthodox Church (A 972m)
- St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church (A 976m) — church building in Ithaca, New York
Parks & Gardens
- Washington Park (A 507m) — park in Tompkins County, New York, United States of America
- Conway Park (A 617m) — park in the United States of America
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Frequently asked questions about Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe
Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe Ithaca Reviews
Stopped by for brunch. The food was good, a little over priced but definitely good. We’re in town on vacation with our pup so a dog-friendly place was mandatory. Our pup loved her eggs and enjoyed watching the duckies. Our bill came to around $70 for 3 humans and a pup. If we find ourselves in Ithaca again, we would stop by Kelly’s Dock-Side Cafe again.
My daughter and I went camping and exploring all the waterfalls, we decided to stop here for dinner one night and it was great! Very reasonable prices and a great view sitting by the water, the service was excellent and the food came out extremely quick and was delicious! Definitely coming back again.
I had the pleasure to pop in with my girl and grab a lovely lunch yesterday here. The server was very polite, and the service was stellar! It was not busy at all, so our food came out quickly (maybe less than ten minutes after ordering), and the ambiance of the back deck overlooking the creek channels that empty into Cayuga Lake was amazing with watching boats, the water, wildlife, and the buzz of Ithaca. The food was very good, the calamari appetizer was extremely tasty, with the breading coming out perfectly with the squid. I got the breaded scallops plate, and my girlfriend got the breaded shrimp. Both were lovely, with each of us sharing bits of our entrees to try out the other’s. My breaded scallops were delicious, not dry whatsoever, still moist and paired well with the breading. My girl enjoyed the shrimps, as did the ones I got to enjoy from her plate. Will definitely return, it is a lovely seafood spot on the water :)
We visited early for dinner on a weekday after a day of hiking and were made to feel right at home by our wonderful server as soon as we walked in, and had a lovely time seated outside by the water. The owner of 50 years cooked for us—the Cajun blackened catfish was to die for, and we got to try salt potatoes for the first time. The Rachel sandwich and the grilled Cajun chicken sandwich were also delicious. We really liked the seasoned potato wedges and a refreshing cocktail. The pictures may look simple, but the flavors are amazing. The decor, while a little dated, only adds to the charm. We were on the fence about going and are so glad we did. A must stop!
Really nice place to have lunch and a drink and sit by the water. We stop here when we come into Ithaca to ride our bikes on the water front trail and visit the farmers market. Very friendly attentive down to earth service. Great food. My salad was very fresh and the chicken was perfect. My husband tried their grilled chicken sandwich and potatoe wedges and he enjoyed it. If your complaining about prices and portions you obviously haven't been to the grocery store lately. Their prices are on par with other restaurants and the views from the canal seating are great. We really enjoy stopping here!
WehwWe had an amazing time here, stumbled up on it by chance as it is accessible by the trail that wrapping around the lake. We sat outside in the back of the Cafe. Wellcoming waitresses brought our delicious food as we enjoyed the view and ambiance. The cocktails are as good as the food. The waiters are super friendly as we just witness a family coming g with their dog and they did not only bought water around for the people but they bought out a bowl of water for the dog too.It is a must visit if you want to have a good time.
Wonderful Family friendly, Family-Owned restaurant. 6 of us walked in they Susie was super awesome! A must visit! We had burgers and chicken tender. Sorry no pictures of the food we were hungry and it looked and it was so delicious, juicy burgers, very crispy we mentioned fresh tenders when we ate them. We had a fantastic meal well visit again! You should visit too!
Came here on a weekday for lunch and overall had a pretty solid experience! Was seated fairly quickly and the vibes were great - we were right by the water on one of the rare sunny and warm days in Ithaca. The food itself was good. I got the steak burger, which was one of the more expensive items on the menu. The meat was cooked medium rare, like I asked and seasoned very well. However, I do wish the portions were a bit bigger. It also did take quite a while for the food to come out, despite there not being too many people at the restaurant.
It's lovely to eat on the deck overlooking the canal! The Ruben was very good It came with a pickle. Chips would have been nice with it. I love seafood chowder...this was good but a bit salty. I did not like the taco salad. The only taste was from salsa and sour cream. No taco taste at all. I'll go again but try something else.
We got the Corned Beef Hash & Eggs as well as the Caesar Salad with Chicken. The Corned beef is made in house and very good. The Caesar Salad was a bit too salty for my taste. They also included red onions and mushrooms in the salad. Whether that is a good or bad thing I believe is up to you. The place itself is cute, it definitely does not have modern decorum, but I believe because of that it gives the place it's charm.
You can tell that the place has seen better days. It's from the 70's, and it looks like the owner has no interest in keeping it up any more. Look into the corners for the dust and grime (like the electrical power strip at the end of the bar, covered in black caked-on dirt). Even the menus are cracked, tired, and faded. It seemed like morale there had walked out the door and left for good. And the food was...average. And overpriced maybe, but that's not unusual anywhere these days, right? The best part of our meal was the server, who did a great job (thank you!) with what she had to work with.
Hit or miss? This time the coffee was stale, weak and uh. The eggs benedict were not as good, the buttered muffins were soggy, the ham was dry and tough, the poached eggs were almost hard boiled, and the hollandaise sauce was just two spoon fulls but tasty. Order unbuttered muffins, ask for extra sauce, skip the coffee. Great brunch place on river. Excellent egg benedict and other egg options. Nice views, not too crowded, fast service but courteous. No rush. Sit and enjoy.
Such a lovely atmosphere! Sitting by the small canal was the best. It's great that this place is also dog-friendly. I couldn't help but feel that the portion is a little small. And it's a pity that they only have normal coffee (no latte and all kinds of options). Anyway, the service was moderately good and I love the ambiance here, including its indoor decoration. Although the food isn't the best I've had in Ithaca, I'd love to come back to be in this atmosphere.
(I had to hit some stars to get it to let me leave it review.) It seems that this venue is closed, even though the website is still active. None of the phone numbers work, as well as the link to Facebook work, but the website is there and this exists… just fyi.
I ordered eggs benedict for a quick pickup breakfast, and have never been more disappointed in $20 spent. I asked for extra hollandaise sauce - didn't get it. When I asked the cook to put more on he was rude and said he "already did" refusing to accomodate the request. Turns out the hollandaise sauce couldn't even be considered such as bad as it was. Bland, broken, flavors completely missing, watery, and had been sitting out on a counter for God knows how long. Both of my "poached" eggs were boiled through. The giant piece of ham across both English muffins necessitated the destruction of the stacks; It was soured and I 100% believe it was past due for disposal. English muffins were wet, not even from the sauce but because they were untoasted and moist likely from being frozen previously, and the tiny portion of homefries was the single most mind-bendingly stingy I have ever been served in my life. They're charging almost Milkstand prices for garbage food, poor service, and the sanitation is questionable at best as the cook grabs literally everything with his bare hands. Such a shame someone whose pride seems to be having done that job for so many years doesn't care at all about customer service or experience. Not a single nice or positive thing was said through his scowl. Time for him to give it up and retire. 0/10, this place is past-due to go out of business after all these years of poorly food 👎🏼
I came here with my family yesterday and one of the workers just told us to be seated outside. After waiting approximately 25 minutes and unsuccessfully trying to get the attention of three waiters who served other people that came in after us, we left. We went to a nearby restaurant called Ole, Ole, and had a phenomenal meal. I guess it was for the best.
By far, one of the more bizarre dining experiences I have ever had. Nothing spectacular about the food (which took a long time to get (even ordering took too much time)), but the service (friendly waiter who would announce meals when he brought stuff and people would be raising hands, swapping food, fellow diners sharing laughs and glances) was entertaining. Upon arriving, a man barked at us to take menus and find a seat, while departure was welcome because an older man was gruff and complaining while we were paying. Location is excellent if you are on the canal, but otherwise, hard pass. Will probably not dine here again.
One of the most insane dining experiences I’ve had. Ordering took 20 minutes, the food took 40 minutes and was cold and soggy. Then we found a hair in 2 out of the 4 dishes. Our waitress was like maybe on something?and was loudly fighting other servers. She spilled an entire cup of hot coffee on her hand and the table with no reaction. After all of that we were only offered a 50% discount and was told we would have to “Fight Kelly” if we wanted a full comp. The other waitress who helped us was pretty nice but just like what??? We’ve been coming here regularly for months so it was really disappointing. I’ve never written a review for anything before but I felt like I should.
Don’t let the ambiance fool you!!! What you order is not what you get! The bathroom was dirty and paint chipping off the deck! We came to the area for a adventure and a good meal the only thing I was impressed with was the views. When I mentioned it to the waitress she apologized but lied and said I must have had a old menu they haven’t served prime rib in over 2 years so why charge $48 for a tiny piece of meat. I didn’t believe her so as I was leaving I grabbed a menu and checked it along with the billboard it clearly stated the surf and turf was prime rib but it was a thin overcooked piece of sirloin and the lobster was no good one bite and I had to spit it out it was fowl! My friend had the shrimp scampi it was supposed to be jumbo shrimp over rice! Four small shrimp on a scoop of rice it was like a appetizer. $22.00! You don’t get what you pay for! Very disappointed!
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About Kelly's Dock-Side Cafe
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319 Old Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850
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319 Old Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850
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