The Krebs

Had dinner at the Krebs on Saturday night to celebrate my mother’s birthday. This is a beautiful upscale restaurant. Just love the décor and the feel of the place. Our waitress was lovely and just informal enough to keep the dining experience relaxed and not stuffy. The Salmon was excellent as was the tenderloin beef. Only complaint was the bar was terribly slow, and the kitchen not much snappier. Didn’t want to be rushed by any means, but it took 30 minutes to get our first drink. That is particularly bad if your going to make me wait for food. Much easier to wait with a buzz. Just sayin’
Thank God the food was worth the wait!!!

I used to love this place back in the 80s and 90s. Now it has gotten way to fancy for my likes. The food was good but not «WOW». You get better food at Lascas in Auburn. If you are going to spend this much money going out, it better blow your socks off! Skip it and go someplace else.

Absolutely wonderful from start to finish! My boyfriend and I dined there yesterday to celebrate our anniversary and we couldn’t have had a better experience. Adam was our server and he was incredibly attentive and went above and beyond for us. Drinks were fantastic! For my entrée I had scallops and they were perfect and melt in your mouth buttery all the way through, while he had the duck which was also top notch. I seriously cannot say enough good things about this place I was smitten and I can’t wait to go back!

The place is beautiful.
We waited extended amounts of time before receiving menus or having an order taken. They had no Chardonnay by the glass other than a very sweet grapes flavor more like a reisling
Food was ok. But soggy duck skin
3 ½ hours for a 3 course meal. 4 cups of coffee done and no deserts delivered. Whole party left and I waited an extra 15 min for my desert to go only to find a mess at home not resembling other deserts at all. Did the sous chef cook this night?
Or the waitress.
Wait staff was nice but absent. Waters not regularly filled and without food what else did we have.
Won’t go back

This review is primarily for the bar area, where we have eaten several times. Food is consistently great; service is consistently terrible. We have had to ask for water, napkins, and the rest of the bottle of wine we ordered after emptying our glasses. Despite the number of people waiting on us, we could never find them when we realized something was missing.
We’ve been to a meal at The Krebs a dozen times or so, and although we’ll always return for the food and décor, we have struggled with the lack of service. Even at the end of our meal tonight, we had to find our way into the coat room on our own to retrieve the coats we checked earlier in the evening.
Drinks are usually solid (if you can find a server to order one), food is delicious, ambiance is lovely — but service is lacking for a restaurant of this caliber (and price point) otherwise. Hoping they improve!

So we visited last night –our first visit back since August. The Chef has changed to Dan Kennedy — a rising star and the food was again outstanding. The service this time was perfect. The staff were attentive and friendly, without being overly fussy. There was not a missed step all evening. Very professional group. We arrived at 7:45 and the restaurant was about half full. So not the busiest of nights.
We had an long-​time friend with us from NYC — a gourmand and oenophile — who fell in love with the wine list. We choose a lovely (and pricey wine) which was perfect.
The food — my octopus was some of the best I have ever had — equal to anything in NYC. I think the only way it could be better if you caught it yourself in the Aegean and grilled it on the beach. My husband had the four course menu — with blue crab as starter which was wonderful — the house made pickles added just the right touch. The other standout of the night was the garlic soup — amazing. The lobster was wonderful — with just the right touch of fennel. My beef was very good; a minor let down from the octopus. The caramelized onion in a little brioche-​like bun was a wonderful touch.
A good time here will cost but it will be an exceptional time and I doubt that you will regret it.

My boyfriend took me here as a surprise for Valentine’s Day. All I can say is amazing! Staff was wonderful. Food was great. They had a four course meal for Valentine’s weekend. I got the beet salad, octopus, duck and chocolate. My boyfriend had the beet salad, lobster, duck and citrus dessert.
I have a gluten allergy and they catered to that without and hesitation. Homemade gluten free roll was amazing. Pastry chef even gave me the recipe.
I saw other reviews on here and I can’t understand how anyone could not like this place. We will be back!

In all fairness to the Krebs, they have contacted me and asked to make up for one bad night.
I do plan on going back to give another chance.

We dined there for our first time on Saturday night, a much anticipated dinner, and were very disappointed by our experience there. I think we may have experienced a lot of «new chef issues.»
We enjoyed a cocktail at the bar to start with, which we both enjoyed and I loved the curry popcorn at the bar as well. We had brought our own bottle of wine and the somm was happy to decant it for us ahead of time, which we greatly appreciated. We were seated right at our reservation time at a beautiful table. We were so excited for our meal at a restaurant we’d been waiting to try for over a year!
Things quickly went downhill from there. Let me start by saying, we had exceptional service the whole dinner. From the sommelier to our main waiter to the assistant waiter and the bus staff, everyone was friendly and timely and helpful. Our water glasses were always full, our wine glasses were always refilled, the bread service was good.
We decided to do the 4 course pre-​fixe menu. I started with the beets and my husband got the himachi. The himachi was too salty and almost inedible, and my husband likes his food salty, so that is saying a lot. My beets were fine but nothing to write home about. From there I got the lobster course and he got the foie, which he said was fine. My lobster — ugh. I love lobster. The broth had barely any flavor, the pancake was weird and soggy, the ricotta had no business being on the plate (flavors did not go), but worst of all, my lobster was raw in the center. I am pregnant and didn’t feel comfortable eating some of the dish because of that, and my husband said it was so underdone that we should let the wait staff know about it, so we did. The next course, I got the scallops and he got the duck. We don’t eat duck at home so he was looking forward to having it. It was brought out and described as «crispy skin and rendered fat.» It was neither, unfortunately, and inedible. It was soggy, it was fatty, it was not good. My scallops were fine, but no better or worse than what I can get at any other restaurant in the region. We let our waiter know about the duck (again, which was awkward at this point) and he felt horrible and wanted to know if he could get another one or something else which we politely declined at this point (we had waited almost 40 minutes for our entrees, which led us to believe that maybe there was an issue with the duck that they were trying to fix).
Dessert was good, I had the cookies and milk which I loved and my husband got the pine dessert which was good but not great. But my dessert made up for the rest of the dinner, I really enjoyed it.
Overall, dinner was really disappointing. We were refunded the duck and our corkage fee was waived, which was appreciated, but overall we were just disappointed that our dinner was cooked so poorly, flavors were not right, things overall were just not good.
Thank goodness for a good atmosphere and good service. That’s why I’m giving 2 stars overall. I hope they can work out their issues and the chef and the staff can get more on board together to figure out these issues. We’d love to return to give it another shot but it wasn’t just cooking issues, it was also taste issues.

Exceptional dining experience. Had the four course tasting and every course was delicious, beautiful and innovative. The renovation of the space was done beautifully. Every detail of the dining experience is carefully and thoughtfully crafted. I especially recommend the hamachi, the tortellini, the foie gras and the milk and cookies dessert.

This is the place you go when you want everything to be perfect, and it always is. Upon walking in you are hit with the beautiful décor and professional staff that are ready and willing to make your dining experience a great one. We made our way to the bar while we waited for our table– its a smaller area but still beautiful. The bartender was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. His drinks were spot on and delicious.
We were shown to our table where we saw a few different faces who waited on us throughout the night. All very friendly, attentive and you could just see that they enjoyed and cared about what they were doing.
We started the evening with a few glasses of wine which were beautiful and paired well with our meals. The gnudi appetizer was delicious, melt in your mouth goodness. We ordered the beef tenderloin and suckling pig for dinner and they too were just amazing. Every piece of food on the plate paired well with each other. We finished the night with their chocolate dessert and coffees which was the perfect way to end the evening.

The best dining experience that I’ve ever had! Every course was amazing. The service was also amazing. I can’t wait to return.

OK the restaurant is beautiful, there is no argument about that. Fact is more than beautiful, it is downright incredible. The pictures will show that.
The service at this restaurant was not pretentious but their ability could change from point to point. Certainly they were very good at explaining the menu. At the same point, when we were at the restaurant the restaurant was at the best 50% full. Yet it would take forever for us to have a busboy or a waiter come to our table. All of the people there were very likable. YET, after finishing our first bottle of an extremely expensive bottle of wine we explained we wanted to slow down a bit. What we meant, and what we made clear to the waiter was bring us another glass for each of us when we were receiving our entrée. This last glass although not as expensive as our earlier bottle, was not cheap, Regardless, we did not receive the last glass until our meal was almost finished. Not down right bad service, just not as good as it should be.
Food presentation was very pretty, but then I have seen beautiful presentation starting in 1982. So yes from the surface each course was an «A», perfect but not unusual. Presentation, at least for me can only go so far. To me, no matter how beautiful the presentation, the amount of food is just as if not more important. At least to me. I realize it seems the majority of critics are thrilled by the food, my wife and I were not one of those. I am just not impressed by the actual taste off most of what I ate. Nothing was bad, but most of what I ate although presented well did nothing to make me want to come back for.
Although in entertainment it is always better to leave with the audience wanting more. I do not feel the same about restaurant customers leaving wanting more. After two orders of a lobster salad, one order split on a warm appetizer similar to a gnocchi, two entre’ and a dessert split, a bottle of wine, plus two more glasses we were finished ordering. It still took another twenty minutes to receive the bill. As I said service ability changed from moment to moment.
I am giving what I would call a very generous FOUR star, but it really is in my mind closer to 3.5

We were expecting a special evening at the Krebs. Several friends had recommended the restaurant and my parents had eaten there over 60 years ago when they were a young couple. The restaurant is beautiful — lovely setting. Unfortunately, we were disappointed.
We had a 8pm reservation which they had confirmed two days in advance. It looked like there were open tables in the dining rooms yet we waited. We were seated at 8:45pm. We sat for several minutes before anyone approached us — no water glasses filled. We had a few questions about the menu and ordered. Our appetizer arrived at 9:50pm — nearly two hours after we entered the restaurant. When the manager stopped by to ask how everything was — we said «slow» as we were still waiting for our dinners at around 10:20pm. He disappeared and we never saw him again. We had to ask for bread and then had to ask for butter. Water glasses were not refilled unless we asked. No one mentioned nor apologized for the slow service. The tables that were seated after us were eating long before we were — I don’t know was it something we did? How do they handle the summer crowds when there was an issue on a slow Saturday night in November? A restaurant of this caliber and so highly priced should be able to do much better.
On the good news front our meals were wonderful — thoughtfully prepared dishes. Beautiful presentation. The last problem was that they gave our umbrella away to other guests — oh well we took the one that was left behind. We left the restaurant
Too bad that the wait staff spoiled the evening for us. The chef would do well to pay attention to what is going on in the front of the house. Don;t think we will return.

Wow! It was a last minute decision to come here and what a wonderful surprise. We had been lucky enough to enjoy several wonderful meals while in the Finger Lakes region, but this dinner blew us away! No exaggeration– this place is incredible
First of all, the venue is gorgeous. Warm and inviting, and yet sophisticated and elegant at the same time.
We decided to opt for the 7-​course Chef’s tasting menu and it was nothing short of brilliant. With each dish better than the last– it was inventive, artistic, and perfect in every way.
We tend to dine at 5 star restaurants and found The Krebs to be far superior to places like French Laundry, Per Se, and even Danielle. I wonder if people even know just how special this place is.
Our service was wonderful, and while at some times it was a little slow, overall it was great. We especially enjoyed the expertise of the sommelier who’s knowledge was fascinating and helped make the experience fun.
At the end of our meal, the chef came out to say hello– and it was wonderful to have a chance to share our praise with him. This place deserves to be a Michelin Star restaurant. Just excellent.

We went for the tasting menu. I have eaten the tasting menus at 3 star Michelin locations throughout the country – Alinea, Eleven Madison, Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare. The tasting menu last night was definitely Michelin worthy, if only the service could have matched the food – this place is uniquely positioned as definitely the best in our region and a worthy competitor of Manhattan’s finest. The décor – beautiful. The location – fantastic – just a hop skip from the Lake.
Service uneven points – only 2 out of the 7 courses were explained to us. The other 5, we were told «here is your tasting menu.» It was brought to us by a young unseasoned woman – I didnt want to embarass her by asking for details.
The timing of the courses was a bit off. After the first 2 courses, we waited quite some time before the 3^rd and then waited for the 4^th. The 5^th, 6^th came and then we waited on the 7^th. Having done a lot of tasting menus in my life – there is a cadence to it and tonight – it seemed bumpy.
The service staff – formal but not friendly. They seemed stressed, unhappy. Alex, our main server for the evening just seemed unhappy to be there. Never smiled. He barely attended to us from our arrival to departure. Typically, there is some brief dialogue. None.
We asked for bread. Waited. When I inquired again, a young man said he put the order through. This is a management issue. Meanwhile, the young woman with bread whisked by us 3 times but ever so quickly you could not get her attention. There should be enough cross training where the answer isnt «i put the order through», but rather «i will take care of it now.» Part of why we asked for bread was the extended wait between coursew which made us super hungry.
Lastly, the chef buzzed through staring— trying to sort out who in the room he was trying to find. Apparently us. He looked flustered and asked if we were the ones getting the tasting menu. I barely got in a yes, its outstanding — -when he awkwardly exited. We are used to a little more dialogue and conversation. We only had complimentary things to say, but never got the opportunity.
So if its just the food you are after – its fantastic. But like anything else, when the service does not match, it detracts from the incredible, inventive, high level art we consumed. I am confident ironing out these details with a seamless service — the sky is the limit with The Krebs. I am rooting for them to make it towards the top.
Agree with other posts, 5 star for food, 2+ for service

I wish I could give two different ratings– one for the meal and one for the service because the two experiences were very different. We LOVED the dishes (hands down some of the best food I’ve ever had). (Loved that strawberry dessert!)
But the service was mediocre and at times very unprofessional for such an expensive restaurant. You expect much more when paying more than $ 100 a person.
It started with very cold air blowing at our feet from a vent below our seat (not a great place for air conditioning to blow out). We asked to move but instead the host Insisted on turning it down but it never really did. She should have just moved us when we said we were uncomfortable. For a high-​end restaurant– just do what the customer asks! The place was half empty. !
Then the wait staff were not very professional… and at times acted like they didn’t know what to do. Our waiter was extremely chit-​chatty with other diners and took a LONG time to come to our table to even take our drink order. It felt as though the kitchen was backed up and the wait staff were intentionally slowing down service and dragging out every course (if this wasn’t the case on Friday evening, July 31, then you might want to talk to your staff). It was just annoyingly slow. Then the runners switched our meals with the couple next to us. Then our waiter talked over our table to the lady next to me (she and I were both confused as to who he was talking to). Then the waiter mixed up our table’s final bills! Unbelievable.
Not sure I would go back which is unfortunate because the food was amazing. The staff is reflecting very poorly on what should be a phenomenal experience.

The whole evening was perfect. Cocktails on the porch outside, and an awesome dinner with excellent service. We shared The Egg appetizer, recommended by Gabe, our friendly and very competent server, which was an incredible taste treat. The duck was tender, extremely tasty combination of flavors and textures, and a very large portion, in my opinion. My husband had the scallops and wouldn’t stop eating to breathe — enough said? They were amazing. Chocolate soufflé was to die for. Thank you, Chef Austin Johnson, and the whole team for an incredible experience on our tour of upstate NY, from Texas.

Have been to The Krebs for dinner several times and have enjoyed every experience there. Recently went there for their Sunday Brunch. Hands down the best Brunch in the area. Service is top notch. Food is amazing, fresh, creative. They have several creative dishes along with your more traditional brunch items that span from traditional egg dishes and dishes for those who love a sweet brunch. The pecan sweet roll is a must to share. It is a relaxing atmosphere where the food is the star. It is a foodie paradise. The place honestly gets better every time we go there.

This restaurant has been a landmark in Skaneateles for over 100 years and has recently been opened again under new ownership. Hands down, if you are looking for the highest caliber culinary experience, the Krebs is your place! I have been here twice within three months, and the menu was changed a little to offer some variety. The service is top notch and you will be completely doted upon. There is one server that only handles your water, one for breads, etc. Oh, and you to choose between at least three types of freshly made breads, two butter, and three types of water. There is a sommelier to help with your wine selections, and there are plenty to select from! You will feel served when you come in!
The only down side is that the tables are very tightly packed in some areas. The first time I came here, my partner and I were seated in a table that was so close to the next table that we became part of the other couple’s conversation. It was hard not to. We were unable to have a private dinner conversation. This definitely took away from my overall experience. Hence the 4 and not 5 stars. Although, it really should be 4 ½.
The Krebs is pricey, but well worth it.
I would recommend the brussel sprouts appetizer. I have never imagined that brussel sprouts could be like this! Also, I highly recommend the lamb entrée.