Noble Cellar, an upscale restaurant in downtown Syracuse, is serving wine and American cuisine in a historic location.

Co-owners Robert Zaccaria and Sarah Pelligrini, who previously worked together in real estate, decided it was time for a change. Both wanted to contribute to the revitalization of Syracuse.

“We just didn’t know what that was going to be, but we knew we wanted to create an experience for people and, in some small way, make Syracuse a better place to live,” Zaccaria said.

As they brainstormed ideas, they had one rule.

“No restaurants!” the co-owners said.

However, that changed when they came across an old church for sale.

“She actually reached out to me because this building had been on the market,” Zaccaria said. “She’s like, ‘Let’s go look at it,’ and I was like, ‘Ugh, I know it’s going to be a restaurant. Fine, let’s go look at it.’”

The pair ended up purchasing the building, and after 18 months of renovations, Noble Cellar opened in January 2024.

One reason the co-owners were drawn to the space was its historical significance. Beneath Noble Cellar is a key part of Syracuse’s history — a history that inspired the name.

“We are walking through here in the Underground Railroad,” Pelligrini said while giving a tour. “I’ll give you a little bit of a visual.”

According to the Onondaga Historical Association, the owners of the building in the 1850s harbored an average of 30 escaped slaves each month as they made their way to Canada.

“This is actually the area in which they rested and waited patiently, quietly,” Pelligrini said, “It’s really unbelievable being in here, and you can see the stone. You can really just sense it and feel it. It’s crazy — the energy in here is remarkable.”

The owners plan to share this history with patrons.

“In the front, we’re thinking of creating some kind of plexiglass floor where you could see it. Just see it—that’s enough,” Pelligrini said.