Top 5 Places for Hand and On-The-Go Food in Syracuse

Sometimes food doesn't always come accompanied with forks, spoons, or chopsticks. Occasionally, you have to enjoy it without the utensils. The following is a list of some of the best hand and on-the-go food found in the city.

"Pineapple Express" from Darwin

1) Milkshakes @ Strong Hearts Cafe: 719 E Genesee St, Syracuse, NY
Arguably some of the best and sweetest milkshakes you'll ever have, Strong Hearts Cafe serves up some delicious shake concoctions such as blueberry, peach cobbler, dreamsicle, vanilla espresso, pina colada, and my personal favorite, Oreo cookies and cream. Best of all? The shakes are entirely vegan. Shame on you, Strong Hearts for being so good and yet so deceiving. [link] [map]

2) Ice Cream @ Gannon's Isle: 1525 Valley Dr, Syracuse, NY
Gannon's Isle as been offering some of the tastiest ice cream options in Syracuse since 1982. They constantly rotate over 200 ice cream flavors, some of which include Rocky Mountain Raspberry (white chocolate ice cream with raspberry and dotted chocolate almond pieces), Hidden Secret (chocolate ice cream with Gertrude Hawk candies), and Creme Brulee (French Vanilla ice cream with caramel ripple and chocolate covered carmel cups). All homemade, airy, and incredibly rich (due to their slightly higher butterfat content as compared to most other brands). Whether it's 91 degrees outside or -1, it's never a bad time for delicious and homemade ice cream. Also, check out some great pictures and information about Gannon's on Syracuse Guru. [link] [map]

3) Sandwiches @ Darwin: 211 N Clinton St, Syracuse, NY
Though my praise has been high as of late, I can't say enough how wonderful it is to have a high quality sandwich shop in Downtown. Darwin's weekly and ever evolving menu features their Midnight Train to Georgia (roast beef with melted swiss), a muffuletta (a New Orleans classic), Ships Passing In The Night (a veggie option with mozzarella, portabellos, red onions, tomatoes, spinach, basil, and creamy balsamic dressing), and of course the one that I'm partial to, the NYC Lobster Roll, which is one of the biggest and tastiest lobster rolls you'll find anywhere. [link] [map]

4) Coffee @ Cafe Kubal: 3501 James St, Syracuse, NY
To some, coffee is food. Here, whether it's a nutty and sweet espresso or a rich macchiato or latte, it's brewed, pressed, roasted and ground daily and some of the best in the city. Aromatic and flavorful, you'll find influences from Latin America, Africa, and Indonesia, to name a few. You can also order in bulk online. A 12 ounce bag will run you about $12, but well worth it when it's all roasted, packaged, and shipped fresh. [link] [map]

5) Burritos @ Ponchito's Taqueria: 3800 New Court Ave, Syracuse, NY
In what may resemble a small baby wrapped in a flour tortilla rather than a made-to-order burrito, Ponchito's near Eastwood serves up some incredibly huge and tasty burritos - which are great for on-the-go eating. In the location and style of a Mexican roadside stand, customers can fill their burritos with not only beans, cheese, salsas, hot sauces, sour cream, and guacamole, but main ingredients like ground beef, carnitas (seasoned pork in beer broth), marinated and roasted chicken, chile rubbed steak, or grilled veggies. And don't miss their other newer location in the Valley at 401 W Seneca Turnpike at the former Bill's Inn location. [link] [map]

Honorable Mention Hot dogs @ Alliance Bank Stadium: 1 Tex Simone Dr, Syracuse, NY
Doubtful one can imagine a more picturesque late summer evening than one spent at the ball game enjoying a Hofmann hot dog. You can get them anywhere you say? Why is the baseball stadium on this list? Because they're grilled on the spot and even better than most dogs you'll find at the Major League level. Not only are they incredibly fresh and clean-tasting, but you'll find they have no preservatives and come packed inside an unbelievable crispy and snappy casing (A bold statement, but I'd even argue that the hot dogs are better here than they are from Heid's). If you're not a native Syracusan, give the coney a try - essentially a white hot dog made with veal and pork and is slightly more spicy to its red counterpart. Throw some yellow mustard, chopped onions, and pickle relish on there and you're good to go. But don't be fooled: they also sell the steamed-ish packaged hot dogs at the stadium at various locations too, so make sure you go to the actual grilling station found along the 3rd base side. Unfortunately, baseball does not run year-round, so in the fall and winter, you'll have to settle for a Dome Dog. Which are good mind you, but just not the same. [link] [map]

Review: Ponchito's Taqueria

Name: Ponchito's Taqueria
Address: 3800 New Court Ave, Syracuse, NY
Neighborhood: Northside (Lyncourt)
Website: www.ponchitostaqueria.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Mexican, Latin American
Restaurant Hours: Monday-Wednesday 7 AM to 9 PM, Thursday 7 AM to 11 PM, Friday 7 AM to 3 AM, Saturday Noon to 3 AM
Parking: Private Lot
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: Yes

Opened in February of 2007, Ponchito's Taqueria is a family owned and operated Mexican-style roadside eatery that has been serving up huge burritos to Syracusans for a couple of years now. The location is a bit out on the outskirts of the city. Unless I'm mistaken, Ponchito's is technically outside of the Syracuse limits and more specifically in Lyncourt, but for the sake of the blog, I'm including it because it's practically right on the edge (similar situation to Eva's).

OK. Let's be honest - the place is a hole in the wall. A crappy TV hovers over the seating area playing reruns of Seinfeld as you walk in and take in the surroundings. The interior is small, dingy, and fluorescent lights line the ceiling. Honestly, I'm reminded of Joe's office from Joe Versus The Volcano. It's a plastic forks and paper plates joint with cafeteria-style ordering so don't expect to be led to a table that receives waiter service. It's primarily take-out oriented, but there are some tables if you decide to eat-in.

The counter area gives you a good impression of what kind of fillings there are. The meat is fresh here and never frozen. And some of it, like the braised pork, is simmered in a beer broth - which makes the whole place smell so good as you make up your mind on what to order on the board behind the counter.

The menu is pretty cool - you have your standard offerings like burritos, tacos, and quesadillas, and then unique things like gringos and platos. These are all made to order and can come with a choice of ground beef "just like your mom's", carnitas, steak, chicken, or grilled vegetables. And if you have the craving in the morning on your way to work, Ponchito's also offers breakfast burritos (like a chorizo-egg burrito).

The order...

Steak Burrito: $7
Chicken Taco: $4.15
Small Pappas Fritas: $1
Jarritos Fruit Punch: $1.57
Total Money Spent with Tax & Tip: $14.82

Pictured above is a chile-rubbed steak burrito with rice, beans, cheese, salsa, guacamole, and hot sauce in a flour tortilla.

It was a tasty burrito and an insanely large portion size for being just a "regular" but I thought there was way too much meat inside and not enough beans, salsa, sauce, guacamole, etc... Not that all the ingredients have to be perfectly proportioned or anything, but this was close to 80% meat and 20% fillings. This has happened on several occasions, so I suppose if you prefer burritos this way, you may love them here. That all being said, the steak was good: Chile rubbed and very tender and juicy, but also a little salty and greasy. The other ingredients were good - the salsa tasted fresh and the guacamole was good and creamy. But again, I just wish there were more of them as I think it would have balanced out everything a bit better. The meat was just a bit overbearing. (Is that blasphemous?).

I really liked the taco: shredded, marinated, and roasted chicken, pico de gallo, hot sauce, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, and pickled jalapenos all in a hot, corn tortilla. This was great. Also, props for having corn tortillas.

The pappas fritas were interesting (essentially, potato chips). I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered them, but I liked them - fresh, warm, crispy, with just a little bit of salt. It was a really nice accompaniment to the burrito and taco.

All of this was washed down with a fruit punch Jarritos (Mexican pure-sugar cane soda) and it was awesome. I know Ponchito's doesn't necessarily make these, but they get serious props for selling them. It's a not too carbonated soda and just a nice, sweet, subtle and fruity thirst-quencher to the meal.

I don't know why we don't make good soda here in the States. Seems like Coke, Pepsi, and other sodas taste so much better when they come from Mexico and are served in glass bottles. Probably the sugar. But I digress...

A few other things of note...

- Service was so-so. Seems like every review I read online raves about the friendly service, but I just haven't found that. Not that they're rude or anything. They seem nice, but it just seems to come off as semi-oblivious as to what's going on and a tad out-of-touch with trying to make food for the customer. A good example: I was asked three times what kind of beans I wanted. Honestly, it's not really a big deal. Maybe it's just a fluke thing or I'm unlucky on my visits or something.

- You'll probably receive your food in a paper bag, but no worries as they have napkins, forks, and paper plates along the side of the counter.

- If you plan on going to this place during the late hours, they sometimes have run out of meat options by then. (Though, that's good news because that means business is good!).

- Although the tacos and burritos are cheap to start off, they can get a little pricey if you keep adding toppings.

- I love the wall-mounted bottle cap opener at the counter that you have to use to open soda bottles.

- There's various hot sauces scattered around on the tables if you feel like kicking your food up a notch or two.

I suppose f I had to change a few things about this place, it would be....

- You can't see the ingredients / condiments, nor can you see your food being made, as everything sans meat is hidden behind the counter. I tend to be partial to seeing my food being made when it comes to things like sandwiches, salads, burritos, etc... I think it also helps the customer to be a bit more informed of what's going in, how much of each ingredient is going in, and what kind of options there are.

- I understand it's a road-side taqueria and not fine-dining, but I think the interior could use a good cleaning. It's just a really dingy atmosphere. I have no problem eating in a run-down place, but it just struck me as a bit TOO run-down here if you catch my drift.

- Going along with the being-able-to-see-your-ingredients-theme, I feel like they should offer a couple of additional salsas - and maybe even various kinds of guacamole. I mean, yes, it's a small place that primarily focuses on quick, down-home style food, but maybe adding a few more creative toppings could really propel this place a bit further.

Overall, I liked it here - don't let my low rating fool you. It's a great place to stop in for lunch if you are craving large portions and meaty burritos. Ponchito's does get deductions for an awkward interior, being located in the middle of nowhere, and I think it could use some work in making the customer feeling a bit more comfortable and in-tune with what's going on with their order. But gets points for a nice menu, good Mexican and Latin American style food, large portions, and being a good lunch and late-night eats destination.

My rating of Ponchito's Taqueria: