Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Utica by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Utica area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Utica were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

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Top of the Morning Café

1 / 29

#29. Top of the Morning Café

- Rating: 3.8/5 (112 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 414 Trenton Road Utica, New York
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

Bagel Grove

2 / 29

#28. Bagel Grove

- Rating: 3.9/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7 Burrstone Road Utica, New York
- Categories: Bagels, Breakfast & Brunch, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

Charlie's Place

3 / 29

#27. Charlie's Place

- Rating: 3.9/5 (43 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8170 Seneca Tpke Clinton, New York
- Categories: American
- Read more on Yelp

Pho Vietnam

4 / 29

#26. Pho Vietnam

- Rating: 3.9/5 (107 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4479 Commercial Drive New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Vietnamese, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp

O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria

5 / 29

#25. O'Scugnizzo Pizzeria

- Rating: 3.9/5 (180 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 614 Bleecker St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Debbie's Cafe

6 / 29

#24. Debbie's Cafe

- Rating: 3.9/5 (44 reviews)
- Address: 3963 Oneida St. New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

Georgio's Village Cafe

7 / 29

#23. Georgio's Village Cafe

- Rating: 4.0/5 (186 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 62 Genesee St. New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Ancora!

8 / 29

#22. Ancora!

- Rating: 4.0/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 261 Genesee St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Tapas Bars, Italian, Mediterranean
- Read more on Yelp

Cafe CaNole

9 / 29

#21. Cafe CaNole

- Rating: 4.0/5 (61 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1 Campion Road New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Bakeries, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

Iconic

10 / 29

#20. Iconic

- Rating: 4.0/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: 102 Lafayette St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, New American, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

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Chowder House

11 / 29

#19. Chowder House

- Rating: 4.1/5 (40 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 57 Burrstone Road New York Mills, New York
- Categories: Seafood
- Read more on Yelp

Mangia Macrina's Wood Fired Pizza

12 / 29

#18. Mangia Macrina's Wood Fired Pizza

- Rating: 4.1/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 410 Canal Place At The Stonemill Bldg Little Falls, New York
- Categories: Pizza, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

Utica BBQ

13 / 29

#17. Utica BBQ

- Rating: 4.2/5 (38 reviews)
- Address: 244 Roosevelt Drive Utica, New York
- Categories: Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp

Big Jays Pizzeria

14 / 29

#16. Big Jays Pizzeria

- Rating: 4.3/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 9250 River Road Marcy, New York
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

Sheri's Eastside Diner

15 / 29

#15. Sheri's Eastside Diner

- Rating: 4.3/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 2199 Bleecker St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Diners
- Read more on Yelp

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Rio Grande Tex Mex Grill

16 / 29

#14. Rio Grande Tex Mex Grill

- Rating: 4.3/5 (77 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3913 Oneida St. New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Tex-Mex
- Read more on Yelp

Cantina Catrin

17 / 29

#13. Cantina Catrin

- Rating: 4.4/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 700 Oriskany Blvd. Yorkville, New York
- Categories: New Mexican Cuisine, Mexican, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

The Grapevine Restaurant

18 / 29

#12. The Grapevine Restaurant

- Rating: 4.4/5 (99 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 120 Genesee St. New Hartford Shopping Cente New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Mediterranean, Caterers
- Read more on Yelp

Knead to Eat Bakery and Cafe

19 / 29

#11. Knead to Eat Bakery and Cafe

- Rating: 4.4/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 53 Franklin St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Bakeries, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

City Cafe

20 / 29

#10. City Cafe

- Rating: 4.4/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: 131 Oriskany Blvd. Ste 4E Whitesboro, New York
- Categories: Gluten-Free, New American, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

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The Tailor and the Cook

21 / 29

#9. The Tailor and the Cook

- Rating: 4.5/5 (365 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 311 Main St. Utica, New York
- Categories: New American, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

Lafa Mediterranean by Zeina's

22 / 29

#8. Lafa Mediterranean by Zeina's

- Rating: 4.5/5 (38 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4666 Commercial Drive Men's Warehousse Plaza New Hartford, New York
- Categories: Mediterranean, Lebanese
- Read more on Yelp

Willie's Bagel Cafe

23 / 29

#7. Willie's Bagel Cafe

- Rating: 4.5/5 (122 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 219 North Genesee St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Bagels, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Greek Gyros Yorkville

24 / 29

#6. Greek Gyros Yorkville

- Rating: 4.6/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 260 Oriskany Blvd. Yorkville, New York
- Categories: Greek
- Read more on Yelp

Nina's Pizza

25 / 29

#5. Nina's Pizza

- Rating: 4.6/5 (140 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 100 Genesee St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp

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Motus

26 / 29

#4. Motus

- Rating: 4.6/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $$$$
- Address: 234 Genesee St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Gastropubs, New American
- Read more on Yelp

Mello's Subs

27 / 29

#3. Mello's Subs

- Rating: 4.7/5 (28 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 242 Genesee St. Utica, New York
- Categories: American, Turkish, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

Zeina's Cafe

28 / 29

#2. Zeina's Cafe

- Rating: 4.8/5 (281 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 607 Varick St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Lebanese, Mediterranean, Turkish
- Read more on Yelp

Yummilicious Cafe & Bakery

29 / 29

#1. Yummilicious Cafe & Bakery

- Rating: 5.0/5 (45 reviews)
- Address: 1600 Rutger St. Utica, New York
- Categories: Cafes, Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.