Utica, NY
For Mediterranean in Utica, the local food press points to Symeon's Greek Restaurant, Lafa Mediterranean by Zeina's, and The Grapevine. Picks from Rome Sentinel, updated July 2026.
Editor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Rome Sentinel. Updated July 2026.
Symeon's Greek Restaurant · Yorkville
A Yorkville Greek restaurant that opened on Oneida Street in Utica in 1973 and moved to Commercial Drive in 1982, still run by the founding Tsoupelis family. The Rome Sentinel marked its 50th anniversary, tracing five decades of Greek cooking in the Mohawk Valley. Order the dolmades and moussaka, or the chargrilled Thracian chicken, with tzatziki and souvlaki alongside.
Lafa Mediterranean by Zeina's · New Hartford
A fast-casual spin-off of the Zeina family's downtown Lebanese restaurant, opened in New Hartford in March 2021 by Elias Zeina. The Rome Sentinel covered its fifth anniversary, and the paper's global-cuisine series named it again. The kitchen builds chicken and steak shawarma into bowls and wraps, with lamb meatballs, falafel, and fresh saj bread to round out an order.
The Grapevine · New Hartford
A New Hartford Mediterranean room owned by Mirna and Louie Zeina, part of the same Lebanese family behind Zeina's Cafe and Lafa. A Rome Sentinel feature on Utica's Lebanese community named it among the area's well-known establishments. The menu runs across Lebanese and Greek plates, so build an order around hummus, grape leaves, and grilled kebabs.
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