Daybird - Syracuse

Excellent little place providing a quick and inexpensive lunch without compromising flavor. Also very friendly service.

Come down here at least once a week. Not only is the food phenomenal, but the couple who owns and runs the place are SO sweet!

I came here while searching for new breakfast places. I never pass up a chance to feel smug, so seeing it hidden in an office building downtown made me feel like I was in on something. For my first two trips I tried the Chorizo breakfast sandwich with pepper relish, and the corned beef hash, both with egg and cheese. I loved how soft the bread was, but everything else just vastly underwhelmed my senses. Except for the pepper relish, which was just a blast of tangy with no back up. Something new to try maybe, but I was ready to write the place off after trying breakfast, at least when there are so many other options. Then I was directly in the area just after 10:30 when they transition into lunch, so I figured I'd see what they offered for lunch. I went with the Guajillo Chili Braised Short-Rib, and got a side of their Chipotle Lime Pasta Salad. I'm pretty sure you could see my pupils dilate with the first bite. I was not ready to be absolutely moved by a sandwich. I'll be honest, I didn't take much time to single out the flavors or understand what was going on in my mouth. There was slow-cooked, flavorful meat, fresh greens, a very distinct melty cheese taste mixed in, brought back to earth with a creamy, crunchy slaw. And I could never have a problem with their bread, or the way they toast it so softly but crispy. I ate the sandwich so fast I felt sick, but I had absolutely no control over it. I took a minute and recovered from the sandwich. Caught my breath, wiped my face, restored my dignity the best I could. Then I moved on to the little condiment cup of pasta salad that came as a side. I've never seen a full on southwest style pasta salad, but this is another permanent thing to come back for. Black beans, bell peppers, corn, and shell pasta with a spicy chipotle taste. This is completely different from any normal pasta salad I've tried, and something I'll have to come back here to get. I came back a few more times to try a few remaining things on the menu. The Cumin Garlic Chicken sandwich was really good, and I feel like if I had tried it before the short-rib sandwich ruined other sandwiches for me, this would have been a bigger deal. Just a more straightforward experience. Cumin, Garlic, Chicken, Grilled Sandwich, exactly as promised. The Ancho Caesar Salad is hands down the best Caesar Salad I've tried around here. It came with two things of dressing, two more of croutons, a full layer of what tasted like freshly grated parmesan. The chicken is seasoned with cumin I think, and it's pulled apart instead of cut. The dressing is incredible, and it was a classy move including two of them. If you're looking for a great chicken Caesar salad, you have to try this one. On my last visit I made sure to get the potato salad and the baked beans. The sound of blueberry baked beans didn't grab me, but at this point I'm willing to try anything they'll stand behind. Unfortunately, my first impression was right on these. Maybe it's a thing you get used to, but to me this was a bowl of decent baked beans with a bunch of blueberries mixed in. Their flavors together meant nothing to me, and I couldn't get it out of my head. The potato salad was very fresh, with just enough fresh dill to elevate the taste. Despite the freshness, this was a pretty simple dish, and I'll always side with the extra noise if it's available. So now I have three priority menu items I can bank from here. If I ever need to deliver on an absolutely top of the line sandwich, I will come looking for the short-rib from here. I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for my food here. The only downside to this place is that it closes at 3 PM, but that seems to be the case with most downtown lunch places.

Good breakfast sandwiches, haven't made it for lunch. Fresh baked coffee cakes and delicious cookies.

Nice little place. Friendly and upbeat staff (I got the feeling they were the owners, but I did not ask). Good breakfast sandwich and coffee. Pleasant atmosphere.