If you're ever looking for a new place to check out for lunch or dinner, or if you have some friends from out-of-town coming to the area, this map of the best places to go will come in handy.

We have to give a big "Thank You" to Mike Beck over at the Utica Zoo, for putting together this great google map, and the website for the "Utica Food Trail." He was the brains behind this operation, that's going to come in hand whenever you're looking for a place to eat or drink. Or you could try to 'conquer' it, by stopping at all the restaurants on the map.

Beck says this is a great tool for those visiting the Utica and Central New York area. "So many people travel to the Utica Zoo to participate in our Red Panda Encounters. I wanted to be able to give them a link or map to find iconic Utica foods."

The map and website list a ton of places across Central New York that offer our iconic foods like upside pizza, chicken riggies, and greens. Not only that, but you get details on each place, just by clicking on the icons on the map. You'll get the businesses location, hours, rating, and other info. You'll also get a link to the website so you can learn more about each place.

On the website you can click to make the map full screen (in the top-right corner of the map), and this will open up a new page that shows specific categories. If you want to see the places that offer chicken riggies or half moons, you can select those categories. "I tried to do the Top 5 places in each category to keep it simple."

He calls it a "A guide to Utica Foods, curated by local Uticans."

How cool is that?! Mike Beck has really outdone himself, creating this amazing tool for Central New Yorkers and visitors, alike. And don't forget to keep an eye on UticaFoodTrail.com for more updates. They are also accepting submissions, any feedback, and questions through their email: eat@uticafoodtrail.com

Beck would also like to thank Peter Barone of CNY Creative Concepts for helping him put the website together. Although the website is still in its beginning stages, it's ready to be used and will continue to grow with more categories and restaurants as time goes on.

Now, who wants to 'conquer' this map with us, and stop at every single location??


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