Syracuse, NY
For Southern in Syracuse, the local food press points to The Whiskey Coop and Ruby Begonia's Restaurant and Lounge. Picks from This Is CNY, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in This Is CNY. Updated July 2026.
The Whiskey Coop · Armory Square
The Whiskey Coop is a fried-chicken and bourbon bar in Armory Square that This is CNY's Jared Paventi reviewed at 120 Walton Street. The kitchen leans Southern, running Nashville hot chicken, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and more than ten fried-chicken variations, backed by a bar stocked with a few hundred whiskeys. Order the hot chicken at the heat level you can handle and a side of biscuits, then work through the bourbon list.
Ruby Begonia's Restaurant and Lounge · Chittenango
Ruby Begonia's opened in Chittenango in 2025 under Todd and Jyoti Harris, and This is CNY's food writers named it among Central New York's best restaurants of the year for its upscale Southern menu. Expect fried chicken and fish, a shrimp and scallop cake, and a lineup of from-scratch sides. The chicken fried chicken earned a spot on the writers' best-dishes list, so start there, then save room for a side of greens.
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