Review: Swallow's

Name: Swallow's
Address: 1914 South Ave, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 478-9292
Neighborhood: Elmwood
Website: n/a
Menu: n/a
Cuisine: Standard Bar-Fare, Wings, Burgers
Bar Hours: Monday to Saturday 8 AM - 2 AM, Sunday Noon - 2 AM
Kitchen Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 AM - 2 PM, 6 PM - 2 AM, Friday to Saturday 11 AM - 2 AM, Sunday Noon to Close
Parking: On-street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Takes Reservations: No
Take-Out: Yes
Waiter Service: No
Delivery: No

Swallow's has remained a cornerstone neighborhood pub since opening up in 1935 near the intersection of South Ave and Glenwood Ave. Regarded by some as the crossroads of the Strathmore, North Valley, and Brighton neighborhoods, it lays home in the city's Elmwood neighborhood; essentially located on Syracuse's south side. The area has seen better decades than the one it's in now, as you can tell by looking at the surrounding blocks that have graffiti gracing a few nearby, boarded-up storefronts. The immediate area is very much downtrodden, but that doesn't mean that a successful bar with a friendly atmosphere and delicious food can't exist there.

The vibe inside is old-school and pretty much a standard dive with help from the wood panelling along the walls, black and white checkered flooring, and several 50's-style cocktail tables spread throughout the dining area. There's darts (electronic), a popcorn machine, and a long bar that tends to host the locals chatting away. Mix in about 5 flat screens and some SU athletics memorabilia along the walls (and a surprisingly high amount of Red Sox memorabilia) and you've got a place that emits a cozy, small-town sports bar.

Shameless self-promotion: Swallow's also has a big laminated poster hanging up near the kitchen displaying the Final Four results from my wing tournament I did last year. It's amazing. Kudos, guys! *tips cap*

The menu reads like a typical pub menu (with a few added surprises): burgers, chicken sandwiches, fried appetizers, corned beef, cheesesteaks, wings (hot, medium, mild, hot bbq, and salt and pepper), and fried haddock.

Orders are placed at the bar. Large orders can be placed near the kitchen in the back.

The order... (prices aren't exact...)

12 hot wings: $6
Cheeseburger deluxe: $3.75
Fries: $1.50
Total Amount with tax and tip: $14

In case you're wondering, my friends and I typically designate January to March of each year as "Wing Season", which usually entails eating mass amounts of chicken wings, ordering pitchers of cheap beer, and watching SU Basketball games at sports bars.

This was actually my first order of wings for the blog since finishing the wing tourney last summer. Yes, my buddies rag on me all the time for crowning barbecue wings the "best wings in Syracuse" and yes, I also had my wing playoff idea totally ripped-off by a shall-not-be-named local newspaper a few months ago. Those sonsabitches! It comes with the territory, I suppose. On to the wings. Which as you can see, we ordered a ton of (multiply that first picture by 3).

These babies got 2nd place in the tournament last year, so my taste buds were amped up even before walking into the place.

Overall... I wasn't crazy about the wings this time around. I found them to be quite different from my previous visit. Slightly spongy on the outside with minimal amount of sauce or spiciness and really no hints of chili or garlic like there was before. The meat was still excellent (the wings are bought locally and are never frozen, apparently), but the texture, flavoring, and sauce was lacking. At least from what I was expecting. Even so, I thought they were slightly above average. I'd say 3 out of 5.

Here it is. The best burger in Syracuse. Yup. At least that I've been able to find so far. A thick and juicy patty topped with melted American cheese and fresh veggies and tucked between a soft and buttery bun that was slightly grilled for the perfect amount of crunchiness, juiciness, and greasiness. It was probably the most perfectly tasting burger that I've had in quite some time. And $3.75 is a steal of a value. This is going to come off as blasphemous, but I think it might be better than the Blarney Burger (and only ~$.50 more in price).

Fresh-cut fries were a welcomed surprise, but they could've benefited from maybe a minute or two longer in the frier. Still, they were fresh and starchy with a little bit of the skins on them.

Other notes...

- 25 cent wings on Mondays

It was a solid meal for a fairly classic Upstate New York bar food experience. And I'm willing to cut Swallow's some slack in the wings department due my first visit, which I thought were some of the best and most original wings I've ever had. It's an excellent neighborhood bar with great bar food and a really good place to catch a game, especially if you're willing to distance yourself from the rowdy SU student crowd. The neighborhood itself has seen some better days, but once you step inside Swallow's, you feel like you're home.

My rating of Swallow's:

Wing Tournament Highlights and The Eagle

The tourney was a lot of fun and I really hope people enjoyed it. I may do something similar next year or later this year with some other food. For now, I'm quite winged out and may have to take a break from their deliciousness for a bit. Here's some additional, final notes from the wing tournament...

Best meat: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Biggest wings: Nibsy's Pub
Best skin: Blarney Stone
Best Buffalo sauce: Nibsy's Pub
Best original sauce: (push) Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Swallow's
Hottest wings: (push) Rosie's and Swallow's
Best celery and blue cheese: Dorian's Gourmet Pizza & Deli
Biggest surprise: Swallow's
Biggest let-down: Patsy's Pizza
Best neighborhood score: Tipperary Hill

Also, don't forget that you can read Pulled Into Syracuse in alternating issues of The Eagle newspaper as well as online at eaglenewsonline.com

2011 Wing Tournament: Final Four & Championship

We've come a long way in picking out the best chicken wings here at Pulled Into Syracuse. On my estimation, 180 wings have been consumed in an 8 week span. Needless to say, I'm winged out for the time being. There were some surprises along the way, along with a few disappointments, but 'cuse should be proud of its chicken wing notoriety. More than half of the places seeded in the tournament scored above average in the tallied scores and I've even found a few establishments that I'm looking forward to going back to and getting my face and fingers messy again.

Without further ado, here's how the rest of the 2011 City Wing Tournament shook out...

***

2011 Final Four: Downtown Winner vs. Northside / Eastwood Winner

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings
vs.
Change of Pace's "Hot / Extra Crispy" wings<

The Downtown vs. the Northside/Eastwood match-up pitted Dinosaur's Wango Tango wings against Change of Pace's hot and extra crispy wings. Change of Pace's wings are very good and despite not being outstanding or noteworthy of being extra crispy on this occasion, come coated in a very hot, tasty, and classic Buffalo sauce. It's no match for Dino's Wango Tango though. Dinosaur boasts the most tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken meat of all the contestants with deliciously crispy wings that come slathered in a sweet, sassy, and garlicy sauce that has the perfect mouth-tingling kick. No one likes to see such a lop-sided score in the Final Four, but the wings at Dinosaur give you no choice.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings: 6
Change of Pace's "Hot / Extra Crispy" wings: 0

Winner: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

***

2011 Final Four: Tipperary Hill Winner vs. Southside / SU Hill Winner

Swallow's "Hot" wings
vs.
Nibsy's Pub's "Hot" wings

Another tough battle for Nibsy's and the first real test for Swallow's in a match-up that could've gone either way. There were four categories in which both contestants were evenly matched and near perfect: meat, flavor, heat, balance, and even celery and blue cheese. There were even a few toss-ups that could've gone either way making this by far the most difficult match-up to find a clear-cut winner. Both are winners in my mind and it's a shame to have to cut one. In the end, Nibsy's did have that classic taste that you want from chicken wings and the pool of delicious Buffalo sauce lying in the bottom of the bowl was beyond appetizing for dipping, but Swallow's took the battle with perfect wings covered in a mouth watering yet unorthodox sauce highlighted by some of the hottest wings in the tournament. Technically, it may not be a Buffalo sauce, but it's spicy, garlicy, and finger-licking delicious. Congrats, Swallow's. You've certainly earned your spot in the championship.

Swallow's "Hot" wings: 2
Nibsy's Pub's "Hot" wings: 1

Winner: Swallow's

***

2011 Wing Tournament: Championship Game

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings
vs.
Swallow's "Hot" wings

The first ever 2011 City Wing Tournament Championship was a good battle for sure. Dino was given a run for its money by Swallow's, who along with their tasty and original hot sauce, had wings that were of good size and coated nicely. However, Dinosaur's Wango Tango wings were flawless and had a perfect score in every category in the tournament. Give credit where credit is due to Swallow's. They were the only seed all along to give Dinosaur a real fight. But it wasn't enough to surpass Dino's smokey hot sauce and chicken wings that were of the best quality in the tournament. If you're a purist in your wing beliefs, crown Nibsy's. If you're a slight purist looking for something a little different, crown Swallow's. But if you're looking for the best chicken wings in Syracuse, look no further than the Wango Tango wings at Dinosaur-Bar-B-Que.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings: 3
Swallow's "Hot" wings: 2

Winner: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

***

Congratulations, to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que with their outstanding Wango Tango Wings and earns the title of the first ever City Wing Champion here at Pulled Into Syracuse. Thanks to all the contestants for putting out great wings!

Downtown bracket results
Northside / Eastwood bracket results
Tipperary Hill bracket results
Southside / SU Hill bracket results

2011 Wing Tournament: Southside / SU Hill Results

The fourth and final regional bracket of the tournament encompassing the Southside, Univeristy Hill, and Westcott neighborhoods pits Swallow's against Dorian's Gourmet Pizza & Deli and Varsity Pizza against Chuck's Cafe. For a list of qualifying teams, how the bracket looks, and tournament rules, click here.

Southside / SU Hill Opening Round: Game 1
(1) Swallow's "Hot" wings: 5
(4) Dorian's Gourmet Pizza & Deli's "Hot" wings: 1

This match-up featured two much anticipated wings joints going head-to-head. Swallow's (pictured left), which is a small tavern on South Ave that many people including myself may have heard of but have never ventured to before, brought some serious competition to the tournament with their hot wings. The standout, without a doubt, is their signature hot sauce which blends a bit of peppery spice, garlic, classic Buffalo sauce, and even a hint of an Asian chili sauce mixed in. Not only were they substantially hot, but it's a sauce I had never tasted before and was certainly a welcomed surprise. Dorian's, on the other hand (pictured right), were a slight let-down. Although the meaty wings were a good size and packed a punch in the heat department, its classic hot sauce flavor lacked depth, and more critically, their extremely soggy skins made them unappetizing after about half a dozen. While their tangy and chunky blue cheese and crispy celery was some of the best in the tournament, the wings themselves were no match for Swallow's. My mouth may have remained on fire and the sauce may not be classified as Buffalo despite looking like it was, but Swallow's easily took the match-up with tender wings, perfectly crispy skins, and a surprisingly bold and original flavor.

Winner: Swallow's

***

Southside / SU Hill Opening Round: Game 2
(2) Varsity Pizza's "Hot" wings: 4
(3) Chuck's Cafe's "Hot" wings: 3

Next up is Varsity Pizza (pictured left) taking on Chuck's Cafe (pictured right) in what would turn out to be a less than exhilarating match-up. Chuck's hot wings didn't have much going for them: a thin skin with no crunch, no heat (some of the mildest in the tournament), and a flavor that seemed nonexistent. While its one redeeming quality was its jumbo-style wings, Varsity's wings were able to pick up points where Chuck's could not with good chicken meat and a medium heat. Despite Varsity winning 4-3, I wasn't too keen on the flavor of the sauce, which was a bit thicker than usual Buffalo sauce, and they also suffered the same fate as Dorian's with a slight sponginess to them. While both Varsity and Chuck's may have been underwhelming, Varsity was able to move forward and take on Swallow's in the Southside / SU Hill Championship Game.

Winner: Varsity Pizza

***

Southside / SU Hill Championship Game
(1) Swallow's "Hot" wings: 5
(2) Varsity Pizza's "Hot" wings: 0

Even though Swallow's wings were under-matched, it wouldn't take much for them to pull out a win in this match-up. Varsity's meat and wing size were above average and on par with Swallow's, but suffered a shutout in every other category. It's hard to fault Swallow's in any aspect with a great amount of uniquely flavorful sauce, peppery garlic wings that were some of the hottest in the tournament, excellent crispness, and an separate bin filled with chunky blue cheese and big pieces of fresh celery. No battle in this one. Swallow's wins hands down with completely original, spicy, and superior all-around wings and easily deserve the title of best wings in this bracket.

Winner and champion of the Southside / SU Hill bracket: Swallow's

***

That leaves four places remaining: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que taking on Change of Pace and Nibsy's Pub taking on Swallow's with the winners advancing to the championship game. It should be a tight race. I'll put an actual bracket up this week on the blog with updated brackets and results. Make sure to check for the Final Four results and Pulled Into Syracuse's 2011 City Wing Tournament Champion which will be crowned this Friday.

2011 Wing Tournament: Tipperary Hill Results

Following the Northside / Eastwood and Downtown 2011 wing tournament results, is the much anticipated Tipperary Hill bracket featuring Blarney Stone vs. Rosie's Sports Bar & Grill and Nibsy's Pub taking on Patsy's Pizza. To see a list of qualifying teams, how each neighborhood bracket looks, and tournament rules, click here for the initial post. Let's get rockin'!

Tipperary Hill Opening Round: Game 1
(1) Blarney Stone's "Hot" wings: 2
(4) Rosie's Sports Bar & Grill's "Hot" wings: 1

Kicking off the highly competitive Tipp Hill Bracket, is Blarney Stone's hot wings (pictured left) vs. Rosie's hot wings (pictured right). This was a tight race as both sports bars featured well-above average wings. Rosie's deserves credit for outstanding wings with great meat, great skin, and a slight hint of garlic, but more so were highlighted by an intense heat and some of the hottest wings in the tournament. I also liked the fact that a few wings still had the tips on them, which was a welcomed surprise and leads to the possibility that they cut the 3-joint wings themselves, but some of the drumettes suffered as a result and were boney, small, and in some cases indiscernible. While most categories were a draw (hence the low score), Blarney Stone was able to come up solid in just about each category and pulled out a 2-1 victory over Rosie's wings that had great, slightly crispy and chewy skins, above average meat, great heat level, and delicious wings covered in plenty of flavorful Buffalo sauce.

Winner: Blarney Stone

***

Tipperary Hill Opening Round: Game 2
(3) Nibsy's Pub's "Hot" wings: 5
(2) Patsy's Pizza's "Hot" wings: 0

The next Tipp Hill match-up featured Nibsy's hot wings (pictured left) ushering in the first shutout of the tournament in a 5-0 victory over Patsy's Pizza (pictured right). Patsy's was only able to muster up a fight in the heat department, with wings soaked in plenty of tasty hot sauce that had a great Buffalo flavor, albeit vinegery. Aside from that, uninspiring chicken meat, small wings, dry skins, and a flavorless blue cheese with no celery made it easy susceptible to a defeat by the opposition. Nibsy's wings, served in a wooden basket lined with tin foil and in a pool of mouth-watering hot sauce, easily took the match-up and were by far some of the best wings in the entire tournament. Though its wings had hints of fattier meat and an exterior skin that was slightly thin, Nibsy's were otherwise flawless. Its tasty, jumbo-style wings were coated in a perfectly balanced hot sauce that made them, in my opinion, the definition of classic Buffalo wings that contained just the right amount of heat.

Winner: Nibsy's Pub

***

Tipperary Hill Second Round: Championship Game
(3) Nibsy's Pub's "Hot" wings: 2
(1) Blarney Stone's "Hot" wings: 1

The championship round of the Tipperary Hill bracket featured Nibsy's and Blarney Stone in a fierce battle for the 3rd spot in the Final Four. Blarney's hot wings are truly excellent and admittedly, will always be my biased wing of choice when on Tipp Hill. With a perfect amount of heat, outstanding skins, and tasty and chunky blue cheese, it's hard not to pick them, but the "oldest tavern in Syracuse" barely edged them out. While Blarney's had an excellent amount of sauce that made getting fingers messy enjoyable, Nibsy's overwhelmingly better flavored sauce was the deciding factor and helped by its jumbo-style wings that put Blarney's to shame. A battle royale going down on Tipp Hill between Nibsy's, Rosie's, and Blarney made it difficult on this wing judge, but Nibsy's was able to come up the victor over them all with outstanding Buffalo wings and deservedly earns the title of best wings on Tipp Hill.

Winner and champion of the Tipperary Hill bracket: Nibsy's Pub

***

One division remains and the three teams in the Final Four, Change of Pace, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, and Nibsy's Pub, await the winner of the Southside / University Hill bracket which will be revealed within the next several days. Pulled Into Syracuse's 2011 Wing Tournament Champion will be crowned within the next week so stay tuned!

2011 Wing Tournament: Northside / Eastwood Results

On the heels of the Downtown results, next up on the 2011 Wing Tournament is the Northside / Eastwood bracket. Shifty's Bar and Grill will take on Gianni's Bronx Style Pizza, with Change of Pace taking on Original Italian Pizza. Winner of the bracket will advance to the Final Four and take on the winner of the Downtown bracket. To see a list of all qualifying teams, how each neighborhood bracket looks, and tournament rules, click here for the initial post. Here's how the Northside / Eastwood bracket ended up...

Northside / Eastwood Opening Round: Game 1
(1) Shifty's Bar & Grill's "hot" wings: 4
(4) NY Gianni's Bronx Style Pizza's "hot" wings: 3

The closest match-up to date pitted Shifty's hot wings (pictured left) against Gianni's hot wings (pictured right). While Gianni's "dart" style wings, which almost consist of a hot, garlic, and barbecue mix, should not go unnoticed on any visit, their hot wings were barely edged out by Shifty's - and more specifically, the first time in the tournament where blue cheese actually had to play the tie-breaker.

As a 4 seed, Gianni's puts out strong competition with wings that have a great skin and a good balance of slight crunchiness covered in a very vinegar-based Buffalo sauce. Make sure you have napkins for these! While hotness and amount of sauce may have been in favor of Gianni's, Shifty's homemade sauce was slightly more classic and even contained tiny pieces of tomatoes and chillies hiding around the wings. Shifty's also boasted tender meat (5 out of 5 on my account) and overall, were great bar wings, though with the downsides being that the lack of heat was rather disappointing (which was more like a strong mild) and the sauce tended to dry-out midway through the meal. Gianni's weren't bad for take-out and on this visit, were a winning combo with their delicious sheet pizza, but Shifty's takes the battle with larger and more consistent wings, tender meat, good flavor, and perfectly chunky blue cheese.

Winner: Shifty's Bar & Grill

***

Northside / Eastwood Opening Round: Game 2
(2) Change of Pace's "Hot / Extra Crispy" wings: 5
(3) Original Italian Pizza's "Hot / Char-Grilled" wings: 1

Don't let the lop-sided score fool you, both of these competitors faired very well and were above average in most cases. OIP (pictured right) was able to pull out perfectly tender chicken coated in a char-grilled hot sauce that had a great peppery flavor, but Change of Pace (pictured left) was highlighted by jumbo chicken wings covered in an excellent and traditional Buffalo sauce with a lingering heat that, in terms of this bracket, was refreshing to taste. I'd do OIP again for take-out wings, but this one goes to Change of Pace. While their brand of wings were a bit under-cooked and contained an above average amount of tendons, it's hard to resist their classic flavor and what were otherwise perfect and traditional Buffalo wings in all other aspects.

Winner: Change of Pace

***

Northside / Eastwood Second Round: Championship Game
(2) Change of Pace's "Hot / Extra Crispy" wings: 4
(1) Shifty's Bar & Grill's "hot" wings: 3

Shifty's sure likes a close match-up, but it just wasn't enough to surpass Change of Pace. Both even had excellent blue cheese (some of the best in the tournament) with a slight edge going to Shifty's for a chunky style, which I'm a fan of. Honestly, I was hoping Shifty's would bring the heat with their wings, seeing as how they come in various styles like fatal, xtra hot, and f-bomb, to name a few, but Change of Pace's were actually hotter. Shifty's great chicken meat and excellent homemade sauce flavor wasn't enough to pass Change of Pace's jumbo wings the contained a slightly crispy skin covered in a great, classic wing sauce.

Winner and champion of the Northside / Eastwood bracket: Change of Pace

***

There you have it. Change of Pace will take on Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in the Final Four. Stay tuned for the remaining 2 brackets. And Pulled Into Syracuse's 2011 Wing Tournament Champion will be crowned within the next couple weeks.

2011 Wing Tournament: Downtown Results

And here we go... the Downtown bracket kicks off the 2011 Pulled Into Syracuse Wing Tournament. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que will take on J Ryan's Pub, followed by Bull & Bear Pub vs. Syracuse Suds Factory. Winner of the Downtown bracket advances to the Final Four and will take on the winner of the Northside / Eastwood bracket. To see a list of all qualifying teams, how each neighborhood bracket looks, and tournament rules, click here for the initial post. Here's how the Downtown bracket ended up...

Downtown Opening Round: Game 1
(1) Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings: 4
(4) J Ryan's "Hot" wings: 0

As a 4 seed facing a 1 seed, J Ryan's wings (pictures on the right) put up a good fight against Dino's heavily favored Wango Tango variety (pictured left). A zero in the score shouldn't imply that J Ryan's were bad by any means. They were delicious and fared surprisingly well. They were just no match for Dino's smokey, spicy, and sauce slathered chicken wings. J Ryan's were above average in most aspects despite the sauce having had no indication of Frank Red Hot (which may have been blanketed a bottled brand). Regardless, they still had that great Buffalo-style flavor. If you love crispy wings, look no where other than J Ryan's as these were the crispiest I've ever had. But Dino pulled out the stops with an amazing skin that was slightly charred and had enough crispness to balance the chewiness, a lingering heat that makes you want to eat more, and some of the most tender chicken wing meat ever.

Untraditional, yes. But for perfectly crispy and smokey wings, Dino doesn't mess around.

Winner: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

***

Downtown Opening Round: Game 2
(3) Syracuse Suds Factory's "Fiery" wings: 5
(2) Bull & Bear Pub's "Hot" wings: 2

Somewhat of an under-matched 2 and 3 seed match-up pitted Bull & Bear's hot wings (pictured left) against Suds' Fiery ones (pictured right). For what it's worth, J Ryan's probably could've beat either contestant, but alas, this is what happens in a single-elimination tournament. Since Bull & Bear's wings were advertised as "Award Winning!", some serious competition was expected, but they were certainly the weakest among the Downtown seeds as there was almost little to no Buffalo flavor, or any flavor, going on. Its generally small wings were topped with sliced pickled jalapenos, which were a nice touch and added some much needed heat that was nonexistent otherwise. I'd consider Bull & Bear's wings slightly below average bar wings in most aspects as they picked up a few points where Suds could not. Despite being served on the cold side and a sauce that could've been a notch hotter, Suds Factory's Fiery wings did well. It's jumbo-style sized wings had an excellent skin that was not overly crispy and was perfect on my account. There was a slightly odd flavor to the sauce that was lingering, leading me to believe that it may have been a less than higher-end bottled brand. Suds' main downfall however, was that the meat was incredibly dry; which had it not, and had the sauce had a little more kick, they certainly could've been considered excellent wings.

Overall, Suds' fared better and could probably even do really well in other cities that aren't in Upstate NY.

Winner: Syracuse Suds Factory

***

Downtown Second Round: Championship Game
(1) Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's "Wango Tango" wings: 6
(3) Syracuse Suds Factory's "Fiery" wings: 1

Despite the lopsided score, Suds' are decent wings. But with dry meat, a slightly odd flavor, and blue cheese that was tangy but a bit watery, it never really stood a chance against any 1 seed and its great skin just wasn't enough to overcome Dino's perfectly balanced wings. Dinosaur indeed brought its "A" game: covered in a spicy and smokey barbecue sauce, with a lingering heat that makes you want to eat more in each bite, and a good blue cheese that doesn't cloud its wings.

If my entirely cleaned plate of with Wango Tango wing bones soon thereafter wasn't any indication, these are delicious.

Winner and champion of the Downtown bracket: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

***

Stay tuned for the remaining 3 brackets, the Final Four, and Pulled Into Syracuse's 2011 Wing Tournament Champion which will be crowned later this month. Also, I'll add an actual bracket sheet at some point before the Final Four.

Review: Cosmos Pizza & Grill

Name: Cosmos Pizza & Grill
Address: 143 Marshall St, Syracuse, NY
Phone: (315) 472-6766
Neighborhood: University Hill (Marshall Street)
Website: www.cosmospizzagrill.com
Menu: View Menu
Cuisine: Diner Food, Traditional American, Pizza
Restaurant Hours: 7 AM to 1 AM Monday-Wednesday, 7 AM to 2 AM Thursday-Friday, 8 AM to 2 AM Saturday, 8 AM to 1 AM Sunday
Parking: On-Street
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Take-Out: Yes
Delivery: Yes

Operated out of the same tiny location on Marshall Street since it opened in 1959, Cosmos has been providing late night eats and classic quick-to-order American cuisine to SU student, alumni, and Syracuse locals for decades. For lack of a better description, it's a diner on the inside complete with an open kitchen, small booths, a long counter, jukeboxes at the tables, and quirky colored walls.

The smell of homefries, onions, burgers, and pancakes on the grill is enough to get your stomach growling while you look over the huge list of options on the menu. Offerings at Cosmos include burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings (which can be ordered up to 100), salads, pastas, pizzas, subs, and breakfast options served anytime.

The order...

Vanilla Milkshake: $3.69
6 Hot Chicken Wings: $3.99
Small Mozzarella Pizza: $4.59
Total money spent with tax & tip: $15.50

Though advertised as so, the milkshake was neither "thick" nor "creamy". It did have a subtle sweet flavor, but it wasn't really mixed well and was very much on the watery side.

Pictured here are hot wings served with celery and blue cheese. And yes, I really need a real camera.

These certainly had that nice, classic hot sauce flavor, but the actual wings were meh. They were served extremely hot (temperature-wise) but the chicken tasted a bit old and dry. For what it's worth, the blue cheese was a little off-putting, bland, and had a similar consistency to ranch dressing. A little disappointing dunking a wing into not so great blue cheese and having nothing stick to it. I probably wouldn't get wings again.

Pictured below is Cosmos authentic New York style pizza prepared from fresh dough, special recipe sauce, and topped with 100% whole milk mozzarella and imported Romano cheeses.

The bite marks are mine. I was starving.

There was a lot of sauce and it could have used some more cheese, but I thought this was ok overall. I really enjoyed the thin, flat, and crunchy, almost slightly-charred crust (which is baked on bricks for that uniqueness) and the tangy tomato sauce, but the cheese was pretty bland. I'd get pizza again here, but would try out some other toppings.

Overall, it's a cool place that keeps it simple and has that unique throwback charm. And I'm sure that if I were an SU student, I'd love going there for late night eats. Good menu, value, and portions. Despite the mediocre food experience, I'd go back for breakfast or to try out some other things on the menu. I've heard great things about their Toasted Honey Buns (or THB as they're known - served with a dollop of butter or scoop of ice cream) and am kind of kicking myself for not ordering them, so if do end up going back, I'm most definitely trying them out.

My rating of Cosmos Pizza & Grill: