Armory Square is the best place to eat in downtown Syracuse — a cluster of restored 19th-century brick warehouses filled with independent restaurants and bars. Lemongrass does upscale Thai and Asian fusion here, while Ambrosia covers sushi and eclectic American.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que on Willow Street is a Syracuse institution — a biker-themed barbecue joint that started here before expanding across the northeast. The ribs and pulled pork are genuinely good, the portions enormous, and the wait on weekends long.