We decided to go out for dinner last night after talking to a friend about great places to go and we realized we hadn’t been to Angry Garlic in quite some time after it came up in conversation. So we threw on our shoes and coats since it was bitter cold out, jumped in the car and went to eat. Every time we have been to Angry Garlic, which was maybe twice before this excursion, the food had been great. But this is definitely my first time writing about it.
So the restaurant is VERY small and cramped due to the limited space, but they make the most of the area with properly spaced tables and putting them at angles to allow a bit more seating than parallel slots. Custom paintings and hand-written special boards are everywhere featuring their logo, specials and beers on tap and there is adequate seating at the full-service bar, so even if there isn’t an available table you can still sit at the bar and order from the entire menu.
We were seated extremely promptly despite the restaurant being packed at 6:30pm on a Sunday evening, but that was also due to serious luck that there wasn’t any reservations ahead of us and a table got up right as the hostess was telling us it was going to be a little bit of a wait. Our server, Jessica, came over immediately after we were seated with waters and to introduce herself. Jessica was fantastic the entire night, extremely pleasant to talk to and very engaging about the menu and just fun to be around. There aren’t enough servers in the world like her, to be honest.
We started off initially with the Garlic Cheese Dip appetizer, which is cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, sour cream and roasted garlic baked together and served with garlic crostinis. The dip had a great flavor, but it could have been a touch hotter and crispier bread for our preferences. We still ate the entire thing and loved it, but if it was hot, it would have been perfection in a dish instead of the kinda hot dip we got. No complaints from either of us in the end.
We were going to order our entrées when Chelsea realized they had PB&J wings available and, despite not being a chicken wing person, really wanted to give those a shot because of how ridiculous of a concept peanut butter and jelly wings are. So we ordered those at the same time as our entrées and they actually came our before, which was nice. I’m genuinely angry at those chicken wings. They were PERFECTLY crispy and moist throughout. Honestly the best cook on a chicken wing I have experienced when dining out. The sauce was very weird, purely because you expect savory or spicy when eating chicken wings, and instead we were greeted by warm, sticky house-made grape jelly sauce and peanut butter drizzled wings. The flavors were wild and it was genuinely tasty, but I’m not sure if I would order them again just off of a personal preference. Perfect cook, good flavor, just weird for my tastes.
For an entrée, Chelsea got their Chicken Salad Wrap, which is house-made chicken salad with almonds, tarragon, craisins, bacon, mixed greens, tomato, chicken and garlic mayo but ordered sans the onions. The flavor was mild on the garlic mayo, which was nice to not get absolutely rocked with an overwhelming aioli like some recipes make. Overall, it was a relatively simple chicken wrap but still very good and something she would order again. The house-fried potato chips that come with all sandwich items by default were also delicious with a really nice salty, peppery, garlicy flavor and wonderful crunch.
My entrée was the Cat Fish Tacos with garlic oiled soft taco flour tortillas, romaine lettuce, cajun battered cat fish, avocado, and charred corn salsa topped with garlic chipotle cream, but ordered with no avocado. Now, I’m PICKY with cat fish overall, but I have been spoiled by eating authentic southern fried catfish in Alabama. This cat fish was a solid contender for top 5 cat fish I have ever had, beaten only to the Irondale Cafe in Birmingham, Alabama, Southern Fare in Oswego, New York and my own. Perfect crunch, perfect cook, perfect flaky texture. 10/10 execution on the cat fish. Now you go and add all of the accoutrements and you have an absolutely beautiful plate. I got weak in the knees at the first bite of the cat fish and the roasted corn salsa gave a nice, cool, sweet flavor to go along with the crunch of the romaine and mild heat from the garlic chipotle cream. Once again, perfectly crunchy and seasoned house chips came as the default side.
Overall, we had a great meal and wonderful night out at Angry Garlic. Parking is a pain due to the lack of a parking lot in the heart of Baldwinsville, so plan ahead. A reservation during busier times is a good idea to try and alleviate any wait time you may have before being seated as there isn’t ANY room inside the door to wait without blocking the entrance/exit, but there is a set of benches in the back dining area to wait at if they aren’t already taken. Staff all around were extremely pleasant, with Jessica being a major standout. Modern, trendy decor and beer/cocktail selections and delightful food all based around various ways to eat garlic. 10/10, we will absolutely be back for further meals and to try more of the menu.
cajun battered catfish, avocado, and charred corn
salsa, topped with garlic chipotle cream
29 Oswego St, Baldwinsville, NY 13027
(315) 303-0453