The Old World Cafe is located in the center of Market St in Corning, NY (in Centerway Square). I have been wanting to go here ever since I peered through the window and saw an ice cream filled pastry being eaten by someone who was not me. My girlfriend Bonnie has been aching to visit here for lunch, so one afternoon we headed inside.
The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the cool candy and ice cream bar. Old and new candies along with a good selection of locally made ice cream. Everything looked pretty tasty, but I wasn’t there for candy this trip, I was looking for lunch. Did they even have lunch? I didn’t see any regular food items on the chalk board. Then I noticed Bonnie was headed past the ice cream counter to another in the back. Here’s where the real stuff is!
Along the back wall was a chalk board with most, if not all, of their menu items and specials. They also had a paper menu that I picked up so I could step out of line and take a closer look. This is mostly a soup and sandwich type of place, with daily homemade soup and quiche specials. The sandwiches here aren’t your normal club on white or wheat. They have things like Shrimp Salad, Chicken & Avocado, Turkey & Berries, on a variety of breads, wraps, or a croissant. They also had salads, grilled paninis, and some specialty items (see full menu on their website).
Bonnie and I both ordered different grilled paninis and sat in a booth to wait for our order. The atmosphere is very cozy. It is also a great view of Market Street from the booths.
The photos you see here, I took on a different day when it was less busy inside so you could see around better.
The paninis we got were very big. The price of just under $8 may seem high, but it was about the size of two large sized sandwiches, made with very good ingredients, and came with a mixed-variety chips. Our panins were served warm, crispy, and full of flavor, but they were also a bit salty. We split a bowl of french onion soup, which was fantastic. Not too salty and not too sweet (but leaning towards sweet). We ended up taking home half our sandwiches for a second meal.
When I went back to snap these pictures, I ordered a Greek Gyro (pronounced “your-oh” according to my girlfriend, who lived in Greece on a few different occasions). Bonnie wasn’t on this visit to approve the gyro’s authenticity, but it was made with beef and lamb and tasted wonderful. I’d order it again for sure. Although I must admit that eating lamb always weirds me out because unlike a cow, lambs are cute and I know more nursery rhymes about them (I also use to be a vegetarian). I ordered a piece of homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie to go. I always have bad luck with pie, especially strawberry-rhubarb (my favorite), but this wasn’t bad. I grew up with a master pie maker in my life, so it’s hard to please me.
My final verdict on this place is that it’s a cozy and fun place to grab a decent lunch downtown. Based on the few menu items I’ve tried so far, I’d say it’s a little better than average. What really makes this place great is it’s unique menu, good ingredients, and the atmosphere doesn’t get much better. You’ll probably end up leaving with a few items from their shop such as tea, candies, and homemade treats (which is probably why they have you pay at the end of your meal).
I wonder why they close their kitchen at 5pm, an hour before the store closes. It would be great to stop by on a winter evening for a sandwich and hot homemade soup (which I tried to do once before I knew their hours). But if you stop by in the evenings now to duck out of the snow while you are shopping, all you can buy to eat is candy and ice cream.? Weird, but maybe they just don’t get the traffic at night. For now, stop in and enjoy what they have. I’ll have to try their homemade quiche someday soon.
Myles Lasco
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Their hours are the main reason I have never tried them. I had a few weeks when I first moved here where I didn’t have a whole lot going on and I explored Market St a lot, but didn’t know the hours then.
Very nice review! I might have to try them for lunch on a Saturday.
I believe they should definitely try a month of staying open nights… or at least busier nights like weekends or when shoppers are expected to be out and about.
I agree. I remember wanting to go get ice cream one night with my husband. We were living in a temp apartment on Pine St so we just walked down the hill and it was locked up.
I’m amazed they’re still in business considering The Bagel Shop that was on the southeast corner of Cedar and Market. The hours just weren’t enough to make enough money. I believe that store front is still empty?
Have you tried Sorges yet?
I don’t expect to get ice cream at night in December, but the hours would be nice because I like the food here. Maybe even a change in food for dinner would be welcome! The competition from more places with more of a substantial dinner menu may be what keeps them from staying open. I imagine it’s hard to pay employees and overhead to keep a restaurant open if people aren’t coming in.
I did try Sorges. I’ll be writing about it in Jan along with the Gaffer Grille and some others.