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The Clinton Street Pub

The Clinton Street Pub is located on the corner of Clinton and Fayette Street in Downtown Syracuse – right as you enter Armory Square. Check out our events page to see what’s coming up on our schedule, or give us a ring at (315) 424-1187.

“Nobody else has this!”

Be honest – isn’t that what you love a restaurant/pub for providing? I enjoy cooking as much as anyone, but there are times when what I want is that something “special” that I know I’m only going to get by going out, and not just going out, but going out to one particular restaurant.

And that’s what Robb Bidwell and his partner, Doug Balle, aim to provide at The Clinton Street Pub.

When I think of “pub,” that word conjures up a casual, comfortable place where I can enjoy a drink and a hearty meal or tasty snack with family and friends. If I’m really lucky, and there’s a game on, I’ll be able to get a view from any seat in the house. The menu will have something for everyone, in hearty helpings, and offering those specialties that you go there just to enjoy. And with 22 screens strategically placed throughout, you’re going to get a good view of “the game” wherever you’re sitting. The Clinton Street Pub has all of that, and more.

I asked Robb if he and his partner had a “vision” for their enterprise. “No,” he replied, thinking a minute. “No master plan. It’s more like seeing an opportunity, and being ready with an idea when it comes along.” He added that the city has been ready to help willing businesses take advantage of those downtown opportunities, helping Syracuse bustle invitingly once again.

When they first opened the space, it was as a club. But as is the nature of the hospitality industry, tastes are constantly changing, and people are always looking for something new. But what never seems to change, explains Robb, “is good food. Our fish, for example, is to die for!” And that’s quite a statement for a city like Syracuse, where fish – especially great fried fish – is such a favorite. “Seasonings make all the difference, and we’re very careful to offer our customers the best.”

Clinton Street’s wings – maybe the most popular item on the menu – are the famous Sal’s Birdland wings. They come with delicious homemade bleu cheese dressing and Sal’s Sassy Sauce. “We always want to compete with the very best,” says Robb. “Like, Tully’s has great Chicken Tenders, but as I tell my kids, ours are better,” he adds with a chuckle.

“We have 14 drafts on tap,” Robb continues, “with domestic and craft beers. And a full bar. But one of our specialties is our ‘Spinning Wheel.’ We have shots on a wheel, we spin, you get the shot that comes up.”

Another popular menu option is Spiedie chicken, in a sandwich, on a salad, or in a special nacho plate. The lore of the Spiedie is that the recipe traveled to the Binghamton area with Italian immigrant Augustine Iacovelli, who introduced the “Spiedie,” in his restaurant, Augies, in the 1930’s. Most Italian kitchens at the time had a “spiedo,” or cooking spit, and they would grill meats of all kinds, with lamb being a favorite. The sauce, which Iacovelli called “Zuzu,” was a mix of white wine vinegar, water, lemon juice, garlic and mint. The “Spiedie” caught on in Central New York, and it has become as much a traditional local dish as the salt potato. And The Clinton Street Pub makes it just the way Central New York has come to love it!

Would a super CNY restaurant be complete without a super burger? At The Clinton Street pub, “We have awesome burgers,” says Robb. And they are. You know when you’re in the mood for a burger, while you’ll settle for just about any burger you can find, nothing is quite as stomach-and-soul satisfying as biting into a juicy, perfectly prepared nice and thick grilled beef patty, creatively garnished with toppings like melted cheese, bacon, sauteed onions, grilled cheese curds or onion rings, slathered with a variety of specialty sauces – more, some, or just a plain but just-the-way-you-like-it burger.

In fact, a glance at the menu and you know you’ve got the very best of the specialties that Central New Yorkers demand, from the wings, to the Spiedies, the fish ‘n’ chips, the mac ‘n’ cheese. “And,” adds Robb, “we have really great onion petals. Breaded, and deep fried. But like with most of our dishes, it’s our seasoning that makes the difference.”

He takes a beat, and then, with that chuckle of pride and sense of fun, “Nobody else has them!”