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Dining Weeks 2024 20th Anniversary

Not all that long ago, if you wanted the New York experience in dining, you had to GO TO NEW YORK (city, that is). It was expensive, a longish drive, and never mind going back and forth the same day, or having to book a hotel if you wanted a couple of special nights out.

Thanks to Dining Weeks, brought to you by the Downtown Committee, you can have New York – and eat it, too!

Cooked up in 2005 by their enterprising minds, downtown restaurants and the Downtown Committee wanted to create an excuse for Syracuse and Central New York to take advantage of the “tween” time of no-longer-Christmas-not-quite-springtime and enjoy some new and different dining experiences. Now, the 2-week event is 20 years old and better than ever!

Looking at the list of restaurants, we were immediately struck with one observation: what a lot of variety this smallish but vibrant city has to offer! In a way, you can map the world and especially the waves of people who have come here to live, work, pray and play, by simply reading the names of the various eateries. Irish, Italian, Ethiopian and Thai; quick snacks, full and hearty, sweets, pasta and Vietnamese. Whatever you’re in the mood for, you’re likely to find it – and more – on this extensive and fascinating list.

You can “enter” Dining Weeks – 14 full days! – by reviewing the restaurant listings (check out the listings on the Downtown Committee website: https://downtownsyracuse.com/) and choosing a venue you love or perhaps have wanted to try. Or you call some friends, say “Let’s go out for lunch, dinner or a snack,” and then find an offering that suits your mood. Restaurants offer two-course lunches for $15 (or less), three-course dinner options for $40 (or less), and Sweets & Treats from participating businesses.

“When this event started in 2005,” says Vanessa Szwejbka, Communications Associate at the Downtown Committee, “dinners were priced at $20, and we had 17 restaurants involved. Now we have 46 restaurants, a wider variety, and still a great price.”

Adds Merike Treier, Executive Director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, “I think 20 years is a testament to the popularity of this event from both the participating restaurants and the community. When we launched Downtown Dining Weeks in 2005, I don’t think anyone imagined how much it would grow year after year, but with the variety of amazing places to dine in Downtown Syracuse, we’re excited to see this event continue to thrive.”

Downtown Syracuse has, in the past 20 years, displayed a willingness to re-invent, and a creativity in drinks-and-dining offerings that is truly a marvel. The Armory Square area certainly heralded the Renaissance of Downtown, with its walkable restaurants and pubs. That rebirth has grown and developed into some exciting and creative businesses and locations – sometimes multiple locations – offering foods and experiences you truly will not be able to duplicate anywhere else. And today, the Downtown footprint extends further still, and encompasses coffee breaks, business and fun lunches, take-outs, drinks after work, a Saturday night on the town, and a nightcap and dessert – as we noted, the New York experience, but right here in your home town!