Chesterfield Restaurant

I went to Dominique’s Chesterfield Restaurant while in Utica on business. I found this restaurant on Tripadvisor (of course) and decided on it based on their reviews and their menu. I called in my order for Chicken Riggies but the girl on the phone didn’t sound too enthusiastic. She seemed almost irritated that I was placing a take out order. I picked up my food at the bar and was told by the female bartender that some bread had been thrown in to go along with my chicken riggies. I’ve never been to Chesterfield’s before, so I don’t know if those who dine-​in also get complimentary bread. The bread, it turned out, was actually an entire mini loaf of garlic bread. The riggies were delicious and the portion was much larger than I expected. Overall, I would go back to Dominique’s Chesterfield but would next time try eating in the restaurant.

Beautiful interior, foods great. Pizza cooked in view point of seating. Coal oven. Very nice service.

Pizza Review Only: Fantastic ambiance and friendly service. The thin crust pizza approach is a welcomed addition to the upstate pizza scene. Ideally this approach uses wood (think Gruppo in nyc or Pistarios in Frederick, MD). This pizza however is cooked using coal. The benefit of a coal fired oven is that the pizza cooks quickly. The downside is residual charcoal flavor which isn’t quite as welcomed on a pizza as when it’s cooked in a wood fired oven. Dough, sauce, cheeses all rate highly.

The pizza is done in a very different way. It’s over coal and tastes OK but. Would probably taste much better over wood. It’s a great atmosphere inside but could use a little more lighting. It’s a great place to eat pizza at.

Went to this place for my anniversary. Good décor and small bar but very nice. Food was ok. The Tuscan chicken was good but their Alfredo sauce was very cheesy. Also they forgot my pasta… would not recommend this place for a date night

Stopped for lunch on our way to Poughkeepsie. The greens were out of this world delicious. They had the right amount of spices and hotness. The chicken riggies were good and spicy, but the chicken was a little tougher than I prefer. Service was fast and friendly.

Okay so I regret my overrated review previously. This review is based on at least three more visits to this iconic Utica restaurant.
Food over my last two visits has been lackluster. Canned Alfredo sauce. Sausage and broccoli rabe hats literally drenched in oil. Just awful.
Even on an off night bar staff is barely interested in providing more than a mediocre experience. There are just way too many competitors providing better food and service.
I never thought I’d say it but next time I’m in town I’ll just go to Delmonicos.

Amazing atmosphere and food. A perfect place for a date. I got the Chicken Riggies and a glass of White Zinfandel. I will be returning

Great food, but awful wait time with unfortunate circumstances.
My group and I had a reservation at 7:30 on a Saturday for after the Wine and Chocolate festival. We weren’t seated until 8:15pm. The waiting area, which was a bar, was awfully cramped since the place was crowded. The hostess, who was gone half of the time, seemed very skittish. When we first arrived she wasn’t even at her podium. She was constantly running around, cleaning up tables and what not. Maybe they were short staffed or their bus boy called in? Either way, she was very frazzled. My party and I were getting very annoyed at the wait. What is the point of having a reservation if you aren’t seated until 45 minutes later? When we were finally called, she tried seating us (4 people) at a round 8 person table… how awkward is that? We noticed an empty booth in the back corner and asked if we could sit there instead. She allowed it, but the next group of 4 that came in was seated at the huge table. We were lucky, I felt bad for them.
We ended up ordering their Utica Greens (they call it Greens Morelle) for $ 10 to split. They were delicious. My mom wanted to try authentic Utica greens and they did not disappoint. It had a great balance of everything: spice, cheese, breadcrumbs. The cherry peppers were my favorite addition, giving tons of flavor. I would highly recommend this dish. I ended up ordering the Chicken Salvatore for $ 18. It was decent. They gave two pounded out pieces of chicken topped with sliced figs, walnuts and blue cheese garnished with asparagus. It all had great flavor with the demi-​glaze, but it turns out that this dish just wasn’t for me. They also served pasta with sauce to the side of my dish which I found a little strange. It didn’t match the dish at all. I would have preferred my chicken served over noodles instead. My boyfriend ordered the Tuscan Chicken for $ 16: chicken rolled up with prosciutto and cheese served in an Alfredo sauce. It was quite good and they gave a decent amount. My mother enjoyed her Pasta «Purses», which were similar to tortellini in regards to size and taste. My friend ordered the Lobster Ravioli which had actual chunks of lobster rather than a purée of sorts. She only received four of them, but she was super full afterwards.
Our waiter was very pleasant and helpful. All of us just ordered water and he brought over an elegant carafe so we could refill at will. It seemed like time was just not on our side that night though because after we received our appetizer the waiter informed us that the kitchen ran out of cream and they had to go to a store to get more before they could make our dishes. It turned out that we waited a good half hour. Once again, we were getting a little impatient. The waiter seemed to notice and gave our table a round of free drinks! I ordered their sangria which had a nice, but it was very orange-​y, not my favorite flavor. While the service was slow, at least it was friendly.
Overall, the place had a nice atmosphere and decent food, but due to the wait time for our table, as well as the food, it was semi-​torturous. We arrived before 7:30 and didn’t leave until after 9:30 and then I had a drive back to Albany. I really did enjoy their Utica greens and anyone looking for them should definitely consider this place. The place is on the higher side of prices when it comes to Italian, but I thought the value was overall worth it, especially considering we each had a free drink. I would be interested to try other places for their greens though if I was back in the area.

Went there with my family after being referred by friends of ours. Not impressed with this place overall. We were seated right away and everybody seemed pretty friendly but it was cold in there and very drafty. Had a drink while waiting for our food and then another because we were still waiting. They were all out of certain side dishes and after waiting over 45 minutes for one of our meals we were finally served. The substitute side dish came out about 10 minutes after the main meal and the waiter started to get rude and unpleasant. We felt like he was mad at us because the kitchen was under staffed or somehow screwed up. The food was ok once served but the service sucked and Bob or Rob was a horrible waiter. Apparently he’s been talked to about some issues before. At least that’s what we were told from management. Anyway, we won’t be back. Hope others have a better experience.

I go to Utica a couple times a year for work. My colleagues always spoke highly of this place so when I got a chance to try it I did. Now that I’ve been multiple times I’m happy to report that each trip has been worth it.
I’ve never had to wait to be seated so that’s a plus. More important, the food is always really good and the portions large enough that I usually end up taking some back to the hotel for the next day which is nice when you’re away from home.
Try the UTICA GREENS! They’re delicious. The day after I eat here I feel like I have to go for a run since I usually gorge myself.

You’ll never get anything less than GREAT food here.
This time we had chicken riggies and chicken Francois
Both perfect meals.
also served with a loaf of bread with some type of a humus like substance that was made with white canelli beans, olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt — outstanding
Not in a great neighborhood, but don’t let that stop you — parking right in front and the block it’s located on — is pretty safe.
Try the greens too.
Music was nice (jazz) but a little on the loud side.
5 stars !

We love Chesterfield’s! My son loves the meatball here and he doesn’t like it at a lot of places. We loved the truffles oven-​baked pizza. We definitely recommend this place!

Tonight I treated my family to dinner here and as always it was great! I had the Veal Saltimboca which was cooked to perfection. My aunt had the Pork Osso Bucco which was huge, while some had the eggplant parmigiana, Chicken Franchaise and the Haddock. The portion sizes are great and we all had left overs for dinner tomorrow. Thank you chesterfield for making out evening wonderful.

The Chesterfield will not disappoint!
Old world charm but new world sensibility. The service is wonderful and there’s no bad choices in the menu
I recommend the Greens morelle as a appetizer. I had the chicken Salvatore and it was very good. Lots of flavors!
The coal oven pizza looks great and could be a nice appetizer for a table of 4 or more.

Food was amazing and the service was great it was a nice surprise while visiting the cousins. The greens appetizer is so good! The chicken riggies were phenomenal! We look forward to going again next time we are in town. I would recommend it to even the most discerning Italian fan.

Dined here around 6:30 on Saturday evening, April 26, 2014. We were quickly seated in the room to the right, just inside the main entrance. My draft beer was crisp and fresh and served promptly. The bread basket came quickly and was warm and delicious. Sorry to say my soup and EVERY entrée was served tepid, at best. The meatballs were rather pedestrian. The chicken with chorizo was delish, but no potato, pasta or risotto! My steak tasted good and the veggies were yummy. However, all was just luke warm. We know better than to let food be heated up! Unfortunately, the restaurant does not serve decaf tea and NO Italian cheese cake! We passed and prematurely left.
Regarding the cold food, I’m not sure if the fault was with the kitchen or the server. We are not from Utica so we were definitely disappointed with our experience, especially considering the rave reviews given in Unilocal.Don’t know if there ever will be another opportunity.

Come on a Sunday and you will have the best meal in town. The Greens are amazing and the 16″ Mediterranean pizza brick oven pizza off the new pizza menu is off the hook. BEST THIN CRUST PIZZA outside of NYC around if you like it nice and thin. I even eat the edges and I usually don’t! The 15 dollar Pinot Grigio is a bargain and not bad. Split among three ladies, it’s a perfect day to spend a Sunday evening on the patio (yay outdoor space!). Our server usually is an energetic and personable young woman who is fantastic and fun.
However, we have come other days and not sure if it’s a different chef but the same pizza is not spiced the same or as tasty, the pasta wasn’t cooked (and I love it perfectly al dente) – including the portion they sent out after, the salmon came out well done when I asked for medium rare, and the greens portion was smaller. All bummers. Especially knowing what it could be. Friends had the chicken parm and riggies, I think and loved it. So consistency is lacking – therefore four and not five stars.
That being said, I’m so happy they are around and it’s the only Italian place I’ve really liked around here – and there are many to choose from in the area. I don’t even like to go out for Italian generally because I think they are usually mediocre and rely too much on cheese and meat for flavor.
Definitely make this a stop on Sundays!

First off, the food was great. We had the Eggplant Parm, Chicken Riggies, and Greens. Everything was fantastic, big portions, and reasonably priced.
The reason for just 3 stars is the service. As we entered the restaurant we were greeted by stares and whispers from the bartender, and the few twenty-​something girls at the bar. Certainly not a welcoming first step into the restaurant, as we stood there awkwardly waiting for our table.
Thankfully we were quickly seated. Our waiter appeared to be either overwhelmed, or perhaps flustered at the semi-​full dining room, coming to our table multiple times, apologizing for the wait (there wasn’t one) and pushing us for our order.
I asked about the specials, and was flatly told «We don’t have specials».
A few minutes later, we heard him offer the daily specials to a nearby table. I could see if he simply forgot to mention it, but to be asked, and to tell me no? That’s just rude.

This historic East Utica restaurant is hands down one of the best in town. I haven’t been here in years and was excited to meet my Dad for dinner. They are renovating so please excuse the little mess, but that shouldn’t stop you from heading in.
Ordered Utica Greens & Chicken Rigges. PERFECTO!
Portions are large enough to share, but I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to keep it all for yourself. Dad ordered the tuna steak, and my guy got the vodka penne.
Everything was excellent including the service.
Prices are moderate, and actually for the amount of food you get its’ pretty right on.
Can’t wait to come home again so I can enjoy this fine food again.