I’ve decided that my favorite restaurant in Ithaca might just be ABC Cafe. I find this slightly odd, as I wouldn’t imagine myself choosing a vegetarian/vegan place as my favorite. Not because I’m such a huge meat-eater, but you know. I just don’t have a veggie agenda or anything. Also, the chance that someone might be randomly playing a djembe drum is quite high. That sort of thing can grate on me (even though I own congas and took Afro-Cuban and Ghanaian drumming classes in college), but it hasn’t stopped me from visiting. I guess that just proves that ABC is a nice place for all.

ABC is located on Stewart Ave. in Ithaca, just down the street from the famed Chapter House bar in the Collegetown area (which is near Cornell). The decor is eclectic with a variety of table and chair styles, a pressed tin ceiling, a changing display of art on the walls, and an equally changing variety of diners including locals, students, and tourist-types.

I’ve mostly had breakfast and brunch at ABC, along with a few lunches, and one dinner. Each meal has been tasty and the room is always cozy. The service is probably not the greatest in the world (sometimes a little slow and minor mistakes like dressing on the salad instead of on the side), but the staff is always friendly and in a place like ABC, that’s ok.

A place like this is not the sort that you would first think of for great french fries, but the fries, which come in a basket in either a small or large size, are almost impossible to stop eating. Nicely salty, the shoestring potatoes alternate between soft and potatoey with crispy edges and ends. Remarkably addictive. I’ve also had their split pea soup for lunch, which some friend have declared bland, but I find to be light-tasting with subtle spicing. I’ll leave it up to you to decide where you stand on that distinction. There is, of course, no meat to be found on the menu, but they do offer eggs and some fish dishes and also mark vegan dishes as such, so you can be confident in what you are ordering.

Joe and I also shared a slice of the chocolate dome cake, a vegan option, after a light dinner of salad and couscous this past weekend. The piece was large enough that we were glad we were sharing it. Rich and gooey chocolate frosting enrobed chocolate cake that also had notes of cardamom. Remember, folks… vegan doesn’t equal healthy! The cake was excellent though and a good end to the meal.

As I said though, the meal I’ve had most often at ABC is breakfast/brunch. I tend to go for the usual eggs/toast/homefries combination with a bowl of fruit, but I have been tempted by the Belgian waffles, French toast, fruit mandela, and/or huevos rancheros many a time. Joe (whose charming midsection you can see in this photo) most often chooses an omelette, of which there are usually two or three options on the board. A photo of the insides of his tomato, pesto, and mozzarella omelette is further down this page.

Again, ABC works some potato magic, with umamitastic homefries. Many places serve them undercooked, which I hate, but ABC’s are nice and soft, with crispy edges. The whole wheat toast was good, but I should have gone with the Italian whole wheat sourdough. I’m also an egg white person, so you won’t see any yolks on my plate.

Overall, ABC offers a wide-range of options for any meal, providing you aren’t looking for chicken or steak. The prices can’t be beat, the atmosphere is relaxing, and the food is both well-prepared and hits the spot quite nicely. Weekend mornings start off nicely with a walk from South Hill over to Stewart on the footbridge and a leisurely brunch at ABC Cafe.