4 Central New York Joints Hit Most ‘Iconic’ Restaurant List

There are hundreds of towns in Upstate New York. Which means there are a LOT of restaurants. But the folks at NewYorkUpstate.com (or NYup.com) have identified 13 "iconic" restaurants in the region. Four of the spots are located in Central New York.

Before we get to the eateries, let's try to settle the ages-old debate of exactly what constitutes Upstate New York. According to Wikipedia, it includes Central New York and encompasses over 50 of the Empire State's 62 counties, so it's pretty much everything north of the New York City metro area. NYup failed to precisely define the word "iconic" as it applied to this list, but suffice it say: longevity and uniqueness were implied. Here are "our" famous four:

O’Scugnizzo Pizzeria (Utica)
Opened in 1914 and famous for its tomato pie and upside-down pizza. Nobody outside the Mohawk Valley would have a clue how to pronounce the name.

The Glenwood Pines (Ithaca)
You know they've won numerous “Best Hamburger” awards over the years, because the articles and certificates are lining the walls of the restaurant.

Doug’s Fish Fry (Skaneateles)
Long lines, great fried fish. It was named "one of the Top 100 food destinations in the world" by Saveur magazine in 2002.

Heid’s (Liverpool)
For over 100 years, the Syracuse area staple has served up its one-of-a-kind hot dogs--the Coney and the Snappy.