9 Best Places for Appetizers in New York
Sometimes the best night out is when you and your friends order a round of appetizers, get some drinks, and split the check. Appetizers are the perfect shareable bites and these New York restaurants are dishing up some mouthwatering options. From tuna poke nachos to honey barbecue chicken wings, here are the best places for apps in New York.
Gyu-Kaku, Midtown Manhattan, NY
At Gyu-Kaku, you can enjoy a variety of appetizers from vegetable spring walls to edamame to spicy cold tofu. The fried bacon chips are perfect for anyone looking for something simple to kick off their meal, but you can get as creative and adventurous as their tuna poke nachos—marinated tuna sashimi cubes, creamy avocado, and seaweed salad covered in a yutu basil aioli and sweet teriyaki sauce for just $10!
Ralph’s Tavern, Albany, NY
Ralph’s Tavern offers an appetizer for almost any taste, from the shrimp cocktails to the mushroom caps and even jalapeno poppers and potato skins. Most notably, though, are their chicken wings, which were voted the best chicken wings in the Capitol Region! Every order of wings comes with carrots, celery, and chunky bleu cheese, and order them eight different ways: mild, medium, hot, extra extra hot, BBQ, honey BBQ, lemon-pepper, or garlic parm.
Edibles Restaurant & Bar, Rochester, NY
Whether you’re in the mood for pierogis, truffle tots, crispy duck legs, or lunchbox shrimp, Edibles has an option for everyone! But why choose one of Edibles’ eight dinner appetizers when you can order a sharing platter? The platter is a great choice when you can’t agree on any single starter. The sampling of appetizers is made nightly and perfect for the whole table!
Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, Troy, NY
Dinosaur Bar-B-Q is all about the meat—even in their appetizers. Their delicious barbecue chili nachos are only $9, serving two to four people, and come topped with house queso, pickled onions and jalapenos, tomatoes, and chipotle crema. Cap them off with some added pork or brisket for just $2 extra! Dinosaur also has a swag sampler plate, where you can try their wings, fried green tomatoes, creole deviled eggs, and spicy shrimp roll for one to four people.
Sticks & Stones Wood Fired Bistro & Bar, Schroon Lake, NY
The appetizers at Sticks & Stones are as good as their meals. Enjoy a plate of Cajun-dusted blackened beef tips, seared in a cast iron skillet and coated in a teriyaki glazed Thai slaw, for just $12.99. Their wood-fired wings come in barbecue, buffalo, and garlic parm flavors. And if you’re looking for a vegetarian starter, try their Eggplant Adirondack Stack, which comes with fresh mozzarella and parmesan and is drizzled in a marinara and balsamic mix.
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, Lake Placid, NY
Enjoy some of the craft brew and seasonal selections at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery by complementing the drinks with one of their shareables. Go as minimalist as fried pickles ($9), which come with a peppercorn parmesan dip, or as extravagant as the carnitas nachos, which are made carnitas-style pork, house queso, olives, pico de gallo, scallions, and sliced jalapenos with salsa and sour cream on the side ($14).
The Inn on Gore Mountain Restaurant, North Creek, NY
If you need a place to stay in the heart of the Adirondacks, why not choose an inn with mouth-watering appetizers? The Inn on Gore Mountain’s restaurant serves a variety of starters, from a baked empanada stuffed with kale, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, brown rice, cumin, and garlic to handmade Chinese dumplings that are served with a ginger-soy dipping sauce and come in either pork or vegetable.
The Evergreen, Syracuse, NY
The Evergreen has eight small plate dishes you can choose from, including carrot fritters and fried pickles. If you’re in the mood for something comforting, their vegetarian poutine is made with beer battered fries, fancy cheddar cheese curds, and coated in a house-made red wine and mushroom gravy. Maybe you want something that’s as equally comforting, but has more cheese and sans gravy? The Evergreen’s mac and cheese is the perfect choice, with its house-made cheese sauce, cavatappi, and smoked bacon (and there’s an option to add extra bacon and pork, or make the dish entirely vegetarian).
The Boat Yard Grill, Ithaca, NY
As one of Ithaca’s premier waterfront restaurants, it’s only fitting that a little over half of The Boat Yard Grill’s appetizers are seafood. Choose from three different kinds of sushi (avocado and cucumber, teriyaki salmon, and spicy tuna), the seafood splash down tower (with shrimp cocktail, steamed clams, and fried calamari), crab arancini, coconut shrimp, or freshly fried calamari. And if you’re not a seafood lover, give their buffalo chicken eggrolls a shot for only $10.95.
