Oh My Darling owners Ryan and Leigh Ann Benz have hit a sweet spot down on Syracuse’s South Salina Street, despite it being their first-ever restaurant. Opened in 2019 within the Whitney Lofts, the restaurant and bar—which also houses The Fitz, a 1920’s-themed speakeasy below ground—it serves American comfort food with welcome twists like crowd favorites the Hot Honey Dipped Crispy Chicken, the Banana Bread French Toast and the Darling Burger across its brunch and main menus.
Inside, naturally lit by the large front windows, Oh My Darling is as comforting as its food. During our visit in April 2024, the restaurant was buzzing with families and friends enjoying lively conversation, kind wait staff and an aesthetic similar to that of a friend’s dining room (if only it had a bar).
To start, I found that no one could go wrong with the Syracuse poutine ($12). It was the most comforting of the comfort dishes.
For dinner, I ordered Lee Lee’s Chicken Sandwich ($17), a well-cooked piece of grilled chicken topped with avocado, clover sprouts, garlic aioli and melted provolone on a brioche bun. Wanting to avoid fried anything, the sandwich was tasty and well-balanced in its flavors. It’s served with truffle fries that hit the spot and didn’t cross the “too truffle-y line.” The Hot Honey Chicken ($24) didn’t initially come with enough hot honey, making for a drier fried exterior. But once we asked for more hot honey, the chicken was more delicious and struck the perfect balance between fried and spicy. The rich mac and cheese and honey dijon brussels, while also flavorful, were a lot to consider after the chicken. A few bites of the mac and cheese sufficed and the sprouts were not bitter at all.
As for the drinks, we ordered a non-alcoholic mocktail, the lavender lemonade ($8), that was only lightly floral with an expected tangy sweetness. I could’ve ordered another!
We finished with the insane Deep Dish Cookie ($9). It’s a chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream. Ours was awash in melted ice cream just a few minutes into digging into it, making it too much of a mess and oversaturated with cream that we stopped eating it. It was delicious—the cookie warm against the cold ice cream—but we had our fill pretty quickly.
Oh My Darling is a great stop-in if you’re looking for a bite to eat that’s casual and guaranteed to be enjoyed.
Oh My Darling is at 321 South Salina Street and serves its main fare Monday through Friday, from noon to 9pm, Saturday from 4 to 10pm, Sunday from 5 to 9pm; and its brunch menu on Saturday from 11am to 3pm and on Sunday from 11am to 4pm.