Modern Malt - Syracuse (NY)

4 /5 J Jeon: First time having brunch at Modern Malts, and it was pretty satisfying. 1) Food We ordered the Ranch Chicken Sandwich with tater tots and the Hot Cocoa Waffles. I really liked the chicken sandwich—the crispy bun, nicely cooked chicken, and the sauce and vegetables were harmonious. For me, the cocoa waffles were a bit too sweet. However, for those who enjoy sweet foods, I believe they will love them as well. 2) Service Considering that there weren’t too many guests and there seemed to be a relatively large number of servers, I had to wait a bit upon entering the restaurant, and the time it took to receive the food was a bit long. Yet, the server was nice :) So, I’d say it’s more of an operational efficiency issue. 3) Atmosphere I didn’t get the window seat I wanted, but overall, the atmosphere was very nice!

4 /5 Dakota: I first came here during Syracuse Dining Week and have subsequently eaten here a handful of times. The Canadian Gold poutine is a great take on the classic Quebecois delight. The Pot Roast Poutine that was a special was absolutely out of this world. That along with the Short Rib Patty Melt were my favorite two dishes I’ve had here. The juicy, tender braised short rib between the crispy pieces of bread smothered with melted cheddar and caramelized onions is to die for. The poutine had the pot roast, cheese, along with pot roast braised carrots and celery. It made a delicious salty, meaty take on poutine. My friend who I ate with is actually from Montreal and they absolutely loved their poutine. Everything about those dishes are just heavenly. Both times I’ve eaten here, I have felt forgotten about in terms of service. It seems you should either pay soon after you receive your food or you’re waiting to be cashed out my a server. One time I was actually late back to work from my lunch break because the server could not be found.

2 /5 Lydia Hall: Unfortunately I would not recommend Modern Malt. We entered and were hopeful since it was pretty empty when we entered that we would get our food fairly quickly. It was around 9:45 am. My sister sat across from me and unfortunately her booth seat was covered in syrup, and she had to go wash in the restroom. We moved seats, and put in our order, though our food didn’t come until over an hour later. It was packed by then, but three tables who came in after us and ordered after us got their food and finished before ours came. We only ordered two small plates of food. My plate had the wrong style egg, as I asked for fried over medium, and received very hard omelette style scrambled. I think my side of ham was just deli ham that was seared on a pan. My pancake was really yummy though! Unfortunately my sisters scrambled eggs were very dry and crumbly. The general diner needed to be cleaned, especially the floors. Our waitress was very nice, her name was Victoria.

2 /5 C Hudson: Ordered the General Tsos Chicken and Waffles and was so disappointed. The chicken was too salty (overly seasoned chicken covered in a soy-based sauce does not lead to a balanced flavor profile). One of the chicken strips was also strangely mushy, and I’m not sure if it was the breading that absorbed too much sauce or if it was undercooked. Either way, it killed my appetite for the chicken. I tried to salvage the meal by focusing on the waffles, but they were also underwhelming. They tasted like the Belgian waffles with sugar crystals you can buy at Costco, just reheated. Overall, I left still hungry and disappointed.

5 /5 Ally Orbeck: We went in as a group of 9, they pushed a couple tables together and we were seated pretty quickly. Our server was really great, I didnt catch her name, she was really on top of water refills. I ordered plain Jane pancakes, and tater tots. The tater tots were absolutely fantastic! The pancakes reminded me a lot of the fair. Overall good meal and fair price. Also wasnt too busy for a Saturday night. Went again got the Oreo stuffed French toast, it was so delicious, I would definitely recommend. I look forward to eating here again! (Also the music they had playing was so good old&new alt)