Are you looking for somewhere to celebrate Mother’s Day? Are you in desperate need of a night out?
No matter the occasion, Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge will leave you feeling satisfied.
The restaurant, then called Phoebe’s Garden Café, first opened in 1976 at the intersection of East Genesee Street and Irving Avenue. It would expand a few times in the years that followed, adding the atrium dining room (1980) and coffee lounge (2004), and changing its name to Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge.
Today, Phoebe’s offers lunch (Monday-Friday) and dinner (Tuesday-Saturday). The restaurant’s menus feature a variety of soups, salads, entrees and desserts, including its staple dishes: French onion soup, deep dish quiche and crème brûlée. And it changes fairly often – General Manager Angie Knox estimated that new items are rotated in and out every four to six weeks. I ordered the vegetable raviolis, which featured vegan brown butter mushroom sauce, sautéed leeks and brussels sprouts, followed by the famed crème brûlée (my waitress said the recipe hasn’t changed since 1976). Both were delicious.
But I think my favorite part was the charm and character of the building. A few elements of the original restaurant remain, including the tin ceiling over the bar, and greenery was spread around the atrium dining room. Even though it was raining the day I visited, there was also plenty of light was shining through the windows. I almost forgot I was in downtown Syracuse.
It’s a must-visit destination when you’re in the area.
IF YOU GO
Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge
Where: 900 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.
When: Restaurant hours: Monday from 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Tuesday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday from 4:30 – 9 p.m.
More information: (315) 475-5154. phoebessyracuse.com.
