TNIAAM 2020 CNY Restaurant Bracket: The Eggcellent Eight! Vote who makes the Final Four!

The Inaugural TNIAAM Restaurant Bracket has reached the halfway point, and while we may not have the same controversy that the bracket unveiling garnered, we do have 16 top notch CNY eateries to talk about and vote on.

As I look at what remains of the field, I admit that I definitely did not take nostalgia/community standing into account with the initial seeding. Two double digit seeds have made it this far, and the committee definitely thought about higher rankings for both, which fans have clearly shown would have been warranted.

To the bracket!

#1 Dinosaur BBQ vs #8 Kitty Hoynes

There’s been plenty of disagreement over which locations should be included, how highly they were initially ranked, but no one quested Dinosaur’s top seed. The BBQ staple of Syracuse has breezed through this tournament so far, and while Kitty Hoynes is a strong contender in their own right, upsetting Dino would be a historic upset.

#4 Tully’s vs #21 Heid’s

Heid’s is pulling a true Syracuse run, skating through their first two matchups even as the “underdog,” leading the committee to admit they under-seeded the Liverpool hot dog joint. However, Tully’s is a strong #4 seed, thanks to multiple locations across CNY (and even into Pennsylvania) spreading the gospel of their chicken tenders.

#6 Varsity vs #14 Brooklyn Pickle

Brooklyn Pickle just eeked past #3 Blarney Stone by 5 votes, setting up the delicious sandwich spot in a matchup versus campus staple Varsity. While Pizza may be the easy identifier for Varsity, my last year on campus saw me hit the wraps and hot food line far more, and I still think the Humdinger is the best thing on the menu.

#2 Alto/Otro Cinco vs #7 Pastabilities

The potentially under-seeded Pastabilities made it past Delmonico’s and now faces my personal favorite spot in Alto/Otro Cinco. Both are student favorites, and it wouldn’t shock me to see this end up as the closest matchup of the round. Mexican or Italian, which will it be?

Polling closes for all matchups on Tuesday Night night at 9 p.m. ET.

Who makes it to the Final Four of CNY food? Do we have a mostly chalk bracket? Will anyone stop Dinosaur BBQ’s dominance? Vote and come back tomorrow to find out!