By Don Cazentre | dcazentre@nyup.com
Read the original article on Syracuse.com here.
Syracuse, N.Y. — At a time when many restaurants are closing earlier than normal due to staffing and other issues, the Salt City Market is stepping up to fill the need for late night dining in downtown Syracuse.
Baghdad Restaurant, one of the regular stands in the market, will fire up Baghdad BBQ starting this weekend. It takes place from 9:30 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays in the alley adjacent to the market building at 484 S. Salina St. (across from the Marriott Syracuse Hotel).
The Salt City Bar, which anchors the end of the market building near the alley, will also be open with a late night happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on those days.
The market’s vendors, except for the bar, have typically closed up by 9 p.m. each night.
The plan is to see how it works through the end of July, and continue it through the end of summer “if it generates enough buzz,” said CJ Butler, speaking for the Syracuse Urban Partnership, which operates the market.
It will work like this: After the regular closing time, Baghdad will set up a grill cart in the alley. The menu features grilled steak, chicken, lamb chops, and mushrooms, and sides like fries, rice, and seasoned mixed vegetables. Customers order food from the cart and then find seats at the tables in the alley or in the bar.
Drinks can be ordered at the bar. Salt City Bar’s current Happy Hour specials include $6 wines, $2 off draft beers, and six $6 cocktails.
“You can take your food into the bar, or take your drinks out to the alley,” Butler said. In addition to seating, the alley offers a fire pit and games.
Customers can keep up to date on the hours and menus at the Baghdad BBQ Facebook page.
“There are so few late night food options in Downtown, and even fewer options where you can get food and still have a bit of ambience,” Salt City Market Manager Adam Sudmann said in a news release. “We wanted to create a space where you can have great food and a great time, whether you’re ending your night out or just getting started.”
Salt City Market opened in January 2021 in a new four-story development built on a former parking lot. Its features 10 food vendors, a branch of the Syracuse Cooperative Food Market and the Salt City Bar, all on the ground floor. There are also offices and mixed-income housing units on the upper floors.