How to Eat Local NY

Written by Meg Aprill Photography by Corey Henry

Oh My Darling offers both a full restaurant and bar

If you consider yourself to be a foodie, then you know that adventuring to local restaurants and trying out the menu is an important part of supporting small business owners. During COVID-19, many restaurantes struggled to stay open with the multitude of regulations put in place by the government. Curfews, ever changing capacity rules, and being able to only do delivery or pick up severely impacted the restaurants across the country, but especially in the state of New York.

These past two years have hit many small family owned restaurants hard, and it is our job as foodies to keep those local businesses alive. Initiatives like the Eat Local NY were built to encourage food lovers in Central New York to eat at and support local restaurants in order to keep these small family owned businesses alive.

What is the Eat Local NY Card?

According to their website, Eat Local NY is a marketing campaign founded by Anthony Tringale in 2016 in Syracuse, NY. Their mission is to dedicate their services to help local restaurant owners grow their business through advertising and helping customers find the best restaurants in Central New York. The way it works is an Eat Local NY Card offers a $5 discount on purchases of $25 or more at participating restaurants. Cards cost $25 per person and they can be ordered online or bought in local CNY stores like Wildflowers in downtown Syracuse. When you visit an Eat Local New York restaurant, show your card to receive the $5 discount.

A busy Friday morning at Water Street Bagel Co.

Glazed and Confused makes these fun donuts fresh everyday

Peaks Coffee is a trendy spot below the 505 What Restaurants are Participating in Eat Local NY?

The Eat Local NY website indicates that there are over 145 restaurants across New York that are a part of the campaign. Many restaurants can actually be found in Syracuse and the Central New York area because that is where the initiative originated, but Eat Local NY has expanded to restaurants in Western New York, the Hudson Valley, and even some select locations in New York City. Syracuse favorites including Water Street Bagel Co., Recess Coffee, Oh My Darling, Glazed and Confused, Phoebes, Peaks Coffee, and more all are included in the Eat Local NY Card. To know which restaurants are participating members, cardholders can check out the Eat Local NY website or download the app as well.

The Eat Local NY campaign has been an important step in helping local restaurants stay afloat during COVID-19 and throughout this post-COVID era foodies are attempting to navigate. Initiatives to support small businesses is an important way to allow restaurateurs and chefs to continue doing what they love while also inspiring the people of New York to try new things and adventure to different places. As a state that prides itself on its food and restaurants, there is no better way to learn more about New York than to eat local and dive into the diverse local food scene.

Peaks' take on a seasonal avocado toast with sprouts and pickled onion