Mahogany Grill

Fifteen dollars for a cheeseburger is obnoxious. End of review.

Great experience with my family including 1 & 3 year old. Excellent NY Strip Steak and Mac-​n-​cheese. Friendly staff. Cesar salad was suggested and certainly fit our meal. Great draft and wine selection too. Again, what made the experience was the clean booster, high chair, kids cups with straws, spare bread plates for kids :)

I wanted to express my sincere apologies to the woman I spoke with at Mahogany Grill one morning a couple weeks ago. I was calling around town for options for dinner during what turned out to be one of the Cornell University’s Graduation weekends. I’m not familiar with the area, but I saw Mahogany Grill had nice reviews. I figured, like most major restaurants in the area, they were probably booked that weekend but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Right?
A woman answers the phone, «Mahogany Grill.» She didn’t give a name and I’m sorry I didn’t notice her initial tone. It should have been my first clue she was not having the best of days but perhaps my hopeful demeanor may help. Some people do say «First impressions are lasting impressions.» I politely asked if there were possibly any available times for the particular date we were looking for. She responded with «how many people?» and I gave her the number expected in our party. Without even a second’s hesitation, she said «we’re booked» and immediately hung up.
I clearly interrupted her day with an inquiry that was most likely wasting her time. My bad. At least she was very efficient with what little time she had to spare for me by giving me quick, succinct and to the point responses. I did get three responses during our conversation after all, which perhaps may be more then some people get in this age of online automation and texting. She does seem very good at her job as she didn’t’ even need a second to look up the date/​time I gave her. I also do appreciate her apparent interest in my limited phone plan to make sure I didn’t stay on line any longer then truly necessary. Caring and Customer Service!
My apologies for my family’s last minute search to find a local business to patron and give our money to. I regret any inconvenience. It’s clearly our fault and my foolish inquiry into availability was a bit disruptive to a staff member’s day.
So to the woman I spoke with, though so briefly, I hope your day improved and became full of sunshine and cute puppies. Perhaps my family will have an opportunity to experience dining at your establishment on another day.
Thanks for your time!

After reading some of the reviews other people have written about Mahogany Grill, I feel lucky that I had such a good experience– perhaps the food was bad other times or perhaps there is a really rude owner (with whom I did not personally interact) but I did not share these negative experiences.
I came with my boyfriend’s family about a month ago and again for graduation weekend (although we just had appetizers and drinks at the bar during graduation).
The first time we came, we were seated immediately and the server was really sweet, friendly, and engaging. I can’t remember the name of the cocktail I got on the first night, and after looking at the list online I think they may have taken it off the menu, but I thought it was really tasty. My boyfriend and his mom both got the French Greyhound (vodka, St. Germaine, grapefruit juice, lime, soda) and it was really good but not super original.
For appetizers we ordered the arancini and the crab cakes. The arancini were amazing (we got them again when we came for graduation weekend and the recipe had changed but they were still really excellent). The crab cakes were tasty and despite being small, had a good crab-​to-​bread ratio. The chutney on top the crab cakes was kinda strange though. If I got them again I would ask for the crab cakes with just the aioli.
A few members of my boyfriend’s family got the gnocchi for their entrée and I believe they all enjoyed it. I got a burger and asked for it cooked medium rare. Realistically, it was probably closer to medium, but considering I’ve been a lot of places where medium rare can be interpreted as «well done», I wasn’t too disappointed. The burger was tasty, huge, and the portion of fries along with it was generous as well.
We didn’t order dessert, and I thought the presentation was really goofy and weird. The waitress brought out a tray of all these like, presentation desserts, and went through describing each one. A menu would have been sufficient.
When we returned for graduation weekend, we didn’t have a reservation (we had an event on Friday night that served heavy hors d’oeuvres and so we only wanted a quick bite late at night) and they had enough seats available at the bar to fit us. As aforementioned, we ordered the arancini again, and also got the calamari to share (amazing, fantastic breading ratio, and contains cherry peppers which I love in my calamari). The two sauces were served underneath the calamari and were great but I would have asked for them on the side next time because I prefer to dip. I had a regular mojito and my boyfriend asked for some drink on the menu that was basically a mojito except with tequila instead of rum which was kinda stupid and wasn’t very good.

I made a reservation at this place two weeks in advance for my graduation dinner. They dropped the reservation entirely, and then just told us they could only seat us much later. No other attempt was made to accommodate us. Needless to say we went elsewhere. Perhaps this restaurant should do what some others do and make graduation reservations entirely through email to make sure they don’t drop the ball.

My meal at Mahogany Grill wasn’t intentional but it was well worth it. We were looking to go to the Tapas Bar right next door but when we walked in no one helped us and the waitress saw us and walked away so we promptly also walked away.
Anyways, the seating arrangement at Mahogany is nice. There are high tops and lower tables. Slightly tight but it’s a restaurant in a crowded downtown area so it’s to be expected.
The server was very nice and very helpful.
I got the Mac and cheese off the shareable sides menu because it sounded phenomenal and I didn’t plan on sharing it. It was delicious. They used shells which are the best vessels for cheese a girl could hope for.
Their bread was delicious as well. Try not to fill up before your meal though.
A little pricy but again, to be expected from a restaurant in a competitive crowded downtown area. Though, if you eat just Mac n cheese it’s more than filling for only $ 9. I’m a bargain hunter.

It all looked good but the food here is terrible. Not worth the price. Portions are small and lacking in flavor. The shareable side dishes are a joke. Really did not expect to be served frozen peas. Two tiny chicken leg/​thighs for $ 25.00, about five bites of actual meat. Small pour on over priced glasses of wine.
There are so many great restaurants in Ithaca don’t bother with this place.
I hate it when I leave a restaurant and feel like I got ripped off.

Really good food!
My husband and I went the day before Valentine’s Day. We had French onion soup for our appetizers. It was very rich and delicious with the right amount of cheese. My main course was the Brazilian baked lobster tail. It was so yummy! My husband had the stuffed pork chop and it was very good. For dessert I had the crème brûlée and it was the best I’ve ever had. My husband had a berry crumble and he loved it.

Food is good and well presented but the restaurant is extremely loud. Last time I had to leave because I couldn’t stand in that noise and couldn’t talked with my friends at all.

I ended up here because the Ithica Ale House was closed. I ordered the mahogany burger. It came quickly but was over cooked. I asked for medium and the party was well done. Everything about the burger was great except for the over cooked beef. I really wanted to like this $ 14 burger but just couldn’t. The fries were perfect. Large cut with a light batter.
The bar tender was all business but friendly. I liked the atmosphere and décor.
I came here a few weeks ago with friends and the host would not let us sit at a table because we only wanted drinks. That plus the over cooked patty on an expensive burger caused me to give mahogany only two stars.

This is really a 3.5 star, because of some redeeming factors.
Spontaneous dinner at Mahogany was actually a pleasant surprise. The last time I was here, I remember getting 1) truffle fries, which is what we did again, and devoured with non-​remorseful pleasure. We were hungry so we started off our appetizer game strong: 2) The arancini balls — also a great appetizer. Crispy, cheesy, mushroomy. There were too many things to try, so I got a side of 4) cauliflower with cheddar. I didn’t expect mac & cheese texture, but it was not bad. I also got 5) Seafood gumbo, which had soooo much potential, but it was soo salty :(I brought this home & ate with rice, which was a good save.
I also took a bit of my friend’s duck sandwich, and THAT was delicious.
So in general, depending on what you got, the food could be stellar or not so much.
I’ve been here for brunch, I wouldn’t be too excited for that, tbh. But dinner is quite alright.

This is a great place to grab a steak, burger, or any main type of entrée. I took my parents here for the first time two years ago and we still keep going back. A big plus is that it it located right on the Ithaca Commons, where you can find lots of shops, and is positioned very close to Cornell University.

Tourists looking for a place to eat late on Sunday night, and we came across this place. Everything was delicious, and huge! From the complimentary bread with tomato oil, to the calamari sitting in a delicious sauce, all the way to the bacon wrapped meatloaf. We were very happy with our find, and left over-​stuffed walking to our car. Although the cocktail we ordered was delicious, the price on that item was ridiculous and that’s the only thing I wouldn’t order again.

Good food but very overpriced for the quality. It is very traditional American with a bit of Italian flare and a nice compilation of meat and fish dishes. But really doesn’t stand out in any way and costs a pretty penny.

Really, really good stuff. Took my parents here this weekend while they were visiting me at Cornell, and they were very happy with the food and nice outdoor seating.
I personally got the prime rib sandwich, which was, although a bit messy and overstuffed, quite delicious.
After much insistence on our waiter’s part, we got the peanut butter mousse pie desert, which was outstanding. I highly recommend that to finish off the meal, but save room for it!
I’ll definitely be back. Great restaurant for special occasions when you want to spend a bit more.

My boyfriend and I stopped by Sunday night because we had been there before and loved it… They were packed though! They told us the wait would be around 40 mins. We checked next door at Just a Taste and were told one hour… So we went back and put our name down at Mahogany and came back in 34 mins and were seated right away! Daisy was an amazing server, attentive, knowledgable and personable and our food was great. The Pork Belly appetizer was perfectly sized for two people and deliciously prepared… We both got burgers (a Chop House and Mahogany) along with truffle fries and regular fries, their whipped Yukon gold potatoes and their Mediterranean salad (half portion– which was more than enough). Our eyes were a tad bit bigger than our stomachs but we walked home happy and full. Definitely will come back soon and try some of their drinks!

This place has what I believe to be the best burger in Ithaca. The Mahogany burger has all of my favorite toppings and is always on a nice ½ lb burger. Comes with a pickle and your choice of fries. The sweet potato fries are really good.
My girlfriend and I usually come here for brunch, and she gets the Southwestern Eggs Benedict, which has always been very tasty and very filling.
Our servers have always been super attentive.

My husband and I enjoyed the Tapas we had last night. We chose to sit inside as it was a warm night and we had spent the day outdoors. Our waiter, Michael, was personable and knowledgable. The room was dark but pleasant. Tables were a comfortable distance apart. Drinks were refilled often, which we appreciate.
Crab cakes were tasty made with lots of yummy crab instead of filler or laden with breadcrumbs. Macaroni and cheese was creamy with a great combo of cheese and a nice dried mustard edge. Grilled asparagus with balsamic was very tasty albeit a bit oilier than I’d like.
I’d recommend dining here for a good meal in the Ithaca area. We haven’t found many places here that we’ve enjoyed, but Mahogany was certainly one of the good ones.

Excellent crab cake benedict, this was my first experience at this restaurant. Very friendly staff, excellent customer service. We will definitely visit again.

We were passing through and picked this based on reviews. Definitely a classy place for an upscale meal. Waiter was very attentive. We opted for the outdoor seating. I had the mahi mahi special with wasabi mashed potatoes and asparagus. Husband had duck plated over diced sweet potato and beet mix. Both were delicious. You get complimentary bread with a sauce that is olive oil mixed with tomato paste which was not our favorite but did not affect our experience. $ 70 for a meal for two with no alcohol.