Phoebe’s Restaurant and Coffee Lounge
Bright flavors, café feel solidifies Phoebe’s status as staple near Syracuse University
By Julie McMahon
Phoebe’s, a Syracuse University-adjacent café, provides bright seasonal flavors in an atrium filled with greenery, making this a staple for visitors to nearby theaters and colleges.
The eatery boasts a very appetizing, summery menu and caters to both lunch and dinner crowds, though we visited while they were serving the dinner menu.
We started with Hibiscus Elixir cocktail ($11) and a Beer Tree lager ($6), from a brewery in Binghamton. The lager was typical — light and crisp. The Hibiscus Elixir was a highlight of the meal: not too sweet, great hibiscus and berry flavors. If you’ve ever enjoyed hibiscus tea, you’d enjoy this floral, herbaceous drink, garnished around the rim with hibiscus sugar and a flower.
To start our meal, our server brought us bread, which came with sun-dried tomato basil butter. The bread appeared to be stretch bread, in the mold of the bread made famous by Syracuse’s Pastabilities — and was very good. The butter was delightful. We could taste both the sun-dried tomatoes and basil, for a rich flavor that was not too strong.
For appetizers, we ordered French onion soup ($6.50) and spinach arugula salad ($9). The menu offered small and large portions of each, which was much appreciated to save room for dessert.
The soup came out in a typical cup, on the smaller side which was to be expected, with piping hot broth inside, and crispy charred cheese atop. The croutons had become soggy underneath, and the dish was a little too hot to enjoy at first, but as it cooled down, it grew richer in flavor. You could see and taste the seasoning in the broth. It was a very good soup.
The small portion of the salad was actually quite large, and covered with toppings, including roasted red peppers, queso fresco and corn. I appreciate an arugula-based salad, with the base layer providing such a peppery and fresh flavor. The toppings and dressing were the perfect amount and accentuated the flavors.
We got the summer chicken sandwich ($17) and seared Atlantic salmon ($28) for our entrees.
The summer chicken sandwich was very good overall, and great in concept, but didn’t need the mayonnaise in addition to the barbecue sauce that dressed the chicken. There was altogether too much mayo, and I scraped quite a bit off to be able to enjoy the dish.
Otherwise, the barbecue, onion and spinach made for a nice bite. The roll was a nice fluffy kaiser roll. The chicken was perfectly cooked, not at all dry. The sandwich was served with kettle chips, which was appropriate, as the sandwich was filling enough that we didn’t need a large heavy side.
The salmon, just slightly crispy on the ends with a soft buttery texture inside, flaked off in perfect bites. It was cooked nicely and had a great buttery herby flavor.
The fish could stand on its own, but by far the best part of this meal overall were the vegetables served on the side. The salmon came with corn puree, which was very good, salty and smooth. It also came with sauteed vegetables and smashed potatoes.
The smashed potatoes had the skins on – which left a crispy on the outside, soft in the middle texture. These were buttery but not too greasy at all.
The tomatoes, zucchini and squash were also lightly buttered and delicious. Together, they all blended with the salmon for a beautiful dish.
Phoebe’s has a notable atmosphere.
The dark wooden exterior continues on the inside, but is brightened with florals and greenery. Lots of large windows let in a lot of light. Wooden furniture and brick walls adorn an atrium-style large dining area with high arched ceilings. Tables are also situated along the walls, where it feels like you’re seated in a dining car just outside the restaurant. Phoebe’s also offer lots of bar seating, and a café area with lounge-style seating.
There are several dozen places to sit throughout the building, but each feels unique, like you’re sitting in a cozy nook.
Piano music, playing mostly covers of popular songs, was a nice addition to the ambience.
The service was friendly and quick. Everything came out just as we asked for it, very quickly. When our server became preoccupied serving meals to a large table, another server came over to check on us and get us a to-go box.
To top off the meal, we ordered crème brulee ($8) and peach crisp ($9) for dessert.
The peach crisp came with spiced peaches and large dollops of whipped cream and ice cream. It had a good flavor, but I could have stood to get a bit more of the crisp part. What we did get lost its texture and “crisp” to the peaches that dominated the dish.
The crème brulee was perfectly done, classic. We cracked the top layer and found a delicious custard underneath with a smooth vanilla flavor. We didn’t have much to say but this was excellent.
We also ordered a cappuccino ($3.50) to see how their coffee was. Phoebe’s serves Recess Coffee, a local roastery. This was a good strong espresso, with nice, steamed milk and a good amount of foam. A dash of cinnamon on top was a nice touch.
We left feeling very satisfied at $106 including tax for the bill, and would highly recommend Phoebe’s for a meal before a show at Syracuse Stage, or if you’re visiting a doctor’s office or college nearby.
Phoebe’s Restaurant & Coffee Lounge
900 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, N.Y., 13244
315-475-5154
Restaurant Hours:
Monday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday, 4:30 – 9 p.m.
Coffee Lounge Hours:
Monday, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday, 4:30 – 9 p.m.