14 Iconic New York State Dishes And What Locals Eat Outside NYC
New York State is often overshadowed by the city that never sleeps, but outside the bright lights and endless pizza slices, there’s a whole world of iconic dishes locals hold dear.
From hearty comfort foods to regional specialties that tell stories of generations past, these meals show what New Yorkers enjoy when they step away from the city’s hustle.
It’s a taste of the Empire State’s diverse flavors, proving that great food isn’t just a city thing—it’s a statewide celebration.
1. Chicken Riggies
Born in Utica’s Italian-American kitchens, this spicy pasta dish packs a serious flavor punch.
Rigatoni noodles swimming in a creamy tomato sauce get jazzed up with sautéed chicken, bell peppers, and a kick of hot cherry peppers.
Family recipes are guarded secrets, with fierce debates over proper heat levels and whether cream belongs at all.
The dish even has its own festival – Riggiefest – where local restaurants battle for bragging rights each year.
2. Garbage Plate
College students’ midnight salvation comes in this magnificent mess from Rochester.
Imagine a mountain of home fries and macaroni salad topped with your choice of hot dogs, hamburgers, or sausage, then smothered in meat sauce, mustard, and onions.
Created at Nick Tahou Hots in the 1980s, this hangover-busting behemoth has spawned countless imitators with names like “Trash Plate” or “Rubbish Plate” due to trademark concerns.
One plate delivers a day’s worth of calories in glorious, sloppy fashion.
3. Beef on Weck
Buffalo’s unsung hero sandwich features thinly sliced roast beef piled high on a kummelweck roll – a kaiser bun crusted with coarse salt and caraway seeds.
The top bun gets a quick dip in au jus before assembly, creating the perfect moisture balance.
Horseradish provides optional nasal-clearing heat. While wings get the national spotlight, Buffalo natives measure a good pub by its beef on weck quality.
The sandwich dates back to German immigrants in the 1800s who brought their bread-making traditions to western New York.
4. Spiedies
Binghamton’s claim to culinary fame comes in these marinated meat skewers that transformed from Italian immigrant food to regional obsession.
Cubes of chicken, lamb, pork, or beef soak in a tangy vinegar-herb marinade for days before hitting the grill.
The magic happens when the sizzling meat slides off the skewer directly onto a slice of soft Italian bread. No condiments needed!
The annual Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally draws over 100,000 people each summer, proving these simple skewers have serious staying power.
5. Salt Potatoes
Syracuse’s signature side dish emerged from the city’s salt mining history, when workers would boil small potatoes in the region’s ultra-salty brine during lunch breaks.
Today’s version uses baby white potatoes boiled in water with obscene amounts of salt.
The result? Potatoes with uniquely creamy interiors and a distinctive salty crust. Served swimming in melted butter, they’re a summer staple at clambakes and barbecues throughout Central New York.
The salt-to-water ratio is crucial – about 1 cup salt to 6 cups water creates the perfect balance.
6. Tomato Pie
Utica’s version of pizza flips the script by starting with a thick, focaccia-like base topped with a simple crushed tomato sauce seasoned with herbs.
What’s missing? Cheese – at least as a topping. Some bakers mix a bit of Parmesan or Romano into the sauce, but mozzarella is noticeably absent.
Served at room temperature and cut into squares, tomato pie appears at every Central New York gathering from graduations to funerals.
Bakeries like Napoli’s and Roma’s have been making their secret-recipe versions for generations, fueling fierce loyalty among locals.
7. Utica Greens
Tough, bitter greens transform into a crave-worthy dish in this Italian-American creation.
Escarole sautéed with prosciutto, hot cherry peppers, garlic, breadcrumbs, and Pecorino Romano creates a perfect balance of spicy, bitter, salty and crunchy.
Originally a way for frugal immigrants to use every scrap of food, today’s restaurant versions often add chicken stock or even chicken pieces.
The dish gained national attention when celebrity chef Rachael Ray, a native of nearby Lake George, featured it on her cooking show.
8. Rochester White Hots
These uncured pork, beef, and veal sausages look alarmingly pale but pack distinctive savory flavor that’s uniquely Rochester.
Unlike regular hot dogs, white hots contain no nitrates, giving them their ghostly appearance and shorter shelf life.
Zweigle’s has produced these local favorites since 1925, serving them at family cookouts and baseball games.
The proper way to eat one? On a toasted New England-style bun with mustard and Zweigle’s famous meat hot sauce – never ketchup, which locals consider sacrilege.
9. Grape Pie
The Finger Lakes region transforms its abundant Concord grape harvest into these intensely flavored desserts each fall.
Unlike any pie you’ve tried, grape pies balance sweet and tart with a distinctive winey depth that showcases the region’s fruit.
Monica’s Pies in Naples sells thousands during the brief harvest season. The labor-intensive process involves separating grape skins from pulp, cooking them separately, then recombining them for the filling.
Many bakers add a streusel topping to complement the fruit’s boldness.
10. Cornell Chicken
Developed by food science professor Robert Baker in the 1950s (who also invented chicken nuggets!), this tangy grilled chicken marinates in a mixture of egg, oil, vinegar, poultry seasoning, and salt.
The result? Incredibly juicy meat with crackling golden skin that’s irresistible.
You’ll find Cornell Chicken at fire department fundraisers and county fairs throughout upstate New York, often served with salt potatoes.
The marinade doubles as a basting sauce, with chicken cooked on special brick pits designed for optimal heat distribution.
11. Half-Moon Cookies
Not to be confused with NYC’s black and white cookies, Utica’s half-moons feature a soft, cake-like base topped with half chocolate, half vanilla buttercream frosting – never fondant.
The cookie base has a subtle lemon flavor that perfectly complements both frostings. Hemstrought’s Bakery created these treats over a century ago, and locals still line up for them.
The debate rages on: should you eat the vanilla side first or the chocolate? Some purists insist on alternating bites for the perfect flavor balance.
12. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Ribs
What began as a biker bar in Syracuse has evolved into New York State’s barbecue institution.
Dinosaur’s fall-off-the-bone ribs get a 24-hour dry rub treatment before slow-smoking over hickory, then finishing with their signature sauce – a perfect sweet-spicy-tangy balance.
The original location still sports its rough-and-tumble atmosphere with motorcycle memorabilia covering the walls.
Even with expansion to other cities, upstate New Yorkers consider waiting in Dinosaur’s perpetual line a rite of passage, especially before Syracuse University games.
13. Buffalo Wings
The worldwide phenomenon started in 1964 at Buffalo’s Anchor Bar when Teressa Bellissimo improvised a late-night snack using unwanted chicken wings.
Her simple preparation – deep-frying wings then tossing them in a mixture of Frank’s RedHot and butter – created culinary history.
True Buffalo wings come only with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing (never ranch!).
Local establishments like Duff’s and Bar-Bill have their devoted followers who argue passionately about sauce consistency and drumettes versus flats.
The annual Wing Festival draws competitive eaters from around the globe.
14. Apple Cider Donuts
Fall in upstate New York means joining the line at your local orchard for these cake donuts made with fresh-pressed apple cider.
The dense, moist treats get rolled in cinnamon sugar while still warm, creating an irresistible crunchy exterior.
Indian Ladder Farms near Albany and Beak & Skiff in Lafayette produce some of the state’s most celebrated versions.
The donuts’ intense apple flavor comes from reducing the cider to a concentrated syrup before mixing into the batter.
The ultimate autumn experience? Enjoying them with a steaming cup of hot cider while watching the leaves change.