Tyler Gorman/Contributing Photographer Cookies and cream milkshake and pumpkin cheesecake milkshake.
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Located immediately in the center of Downtown Binghamton on Washington Street, Craft is both hip and timeless at first glance. Wood-paneled walls and classic rock give the restaurant a relaxed vibe, but the atmosphere is decidedly young and fun, something that comes through in Craft’s Restaurant Week menu.

As I walked into the restaurant with my photographer, Tyler, we were quickly greeted by the hostess and showed to our table, where we met our server, Morgan. She took our drink orders and departed for the kitchen, leaving us to contemplate our options. For Restaurant Week, Craft is offering two sliders, one side and one dessert for lunch and dinner. Lunch costs $12 and dinner costs $20. We went for dinner.

To start, my companion and I ordered our sliders and sides. Tyler went for the classic Craft and crispy chicken sliders, while I ordered the grilled shroom and fried burrata sliders. For sides, he chose tater tots and I went for fries. When our meals came out, the sliders looked amazing, and the sides were massive. After taking some photos, Tyler and I dug in.

He was more than satisfied with his options, and finished them quickly before digging into his tater tots. I found the grilled shroom slider to be the more interesting of the two, with the combination of arugula, mushroom and onion making my mouth tingle. It tasted like the mushroom had been marinated in some sort of vinegar beforehand, and I was all for it. The fried burrata slider was more expected, but still delicious and surprisingly light.

As we ate, we remarked on the beauty of our surroundings. We were seated inside but close to the patio, and we could see the twinkle lights that were strung overhead. Tyler compared it to an English pub, and said the atmosphere reminded him of a community hangout that was affordable and welcoming.

After polishing off the sliders, Morgan came back over to check on us and take our dessert orders. It’s important to note that although lunch and dinner have different menus at Craft, the options are essentially the same, with one big exception — dessert. While the lunch menu is fairly limited, Craft’s dinner menu offers doughnuts with dipping sauce and two different milkshakes. As we ordered our last course, I found myself wondering if those desserts could make up for an $8 difference.

The answer was yes, they could. This time around, Tyler ordered a pumpkin cheesecake milkshake and I stuck with a cookies and cream milkshake. The shakes were huge, and loaded with whipped cream and toppings. Drinking the milkshake through a giant straw, I immediately understood the price difference. The shake was ridiculously creamy and as someone who loves ice cream, I was definitely impressed. Much to my surprise, I was able to drink the entire thing.

Tyler and I left Craft full and happy. The menu offered lots of options, and the restaurant’s vibe is busy, but casual. If you want a solid meal in a great atmosphere, Craft is the first place you should head to.