Tioga Trails in Owego, NY: Restaurant Review

Tioga Trails in Owego, NY is located in the heart of downtown Owego, on the corner of Lake Street and Main Street. Tioga Trails offers diners affordable quality American-style cuisine in a family-style atmosphere. Tioga Trails stands apart from most other restaurants in town as the food is cooked to order and well prepared, with attention to quality.

One of the first things you will notice when you look into Tioga Trails is that it is very spacious and doesn't quite appear to be a restaurant. Directly in front of the door is a large band stand and oak dance floor. Don't let this fool you. We passed by Tioga Trails numerous times because of the uncertainty of what this place really is. However, once we tried it, we were thrilled with the quality of the food and service, and have gone back numerous times. The place has a bit of an odd feel to it and it is obvious they support local businesses. You will find flyers and advertisements of upcoming town events. They also have music throughout the month and you can hold events such as baby or bridal showers there. This can be weird if you are dining during one of these events because it is right out in the open, but if you can get past that and the oddness of the place, you will not be disappointed with the food.

When you walk into Tioga Trails, you are immediately greeted by one of the owners/hostess who will seat you, provide you with one of the detailed menus. There are separate selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and depending on the time of day you happen to dine at Tioga Trails, your menu will reflect what is available. The dining room is extremely spacious, bright and has an airy feel to it. All the furniture is oak, including the floor and bar. Strings of white lights are hung throughout the restaurant and with the exception of a couple of paintings hanging on the wall from local artists and a few plants, the décor is minimal. Most of the seating is in front of the very large floor to ceiling windows, allowing you a view of the main street and plenty of bright sunlight if you dine there during the day. The chairs are comfortable, which is a big plus in my book. The hostess or waitress/waiter will very quickly take a drink order and you never have to wait for a refill here, which I appreciate.

Beverage choices include iced tea and lemonade (with free refills), soft drinks (with refills for one dollar), a variety of juices, milk, coffee, tea, chai, lattes and cappuccino. In addition, for wine or beer drinkers, Tioga Trails offers a wide selection, many coming from our own region. For about $3.75 a glass, you have a choice of Chardonnay, Merlot, White Zinfandel, Franzia Chablis, and Cabernet Sauvgnion. A few of the wine listings are $5/glass and some such as Yellow Tail Reisling, Pinot Griogio and Yellow Tail Shiraz come in a half carafe for $13. You can also purchase wine by the bottle. There is a large selection of both imported and domestic wines such as Guinness, Bass, Corona, Heineken, Blue Moon, Bud and some local beer such as Ithaca Apricot Wheat and Ithaca Nut Brown. Beer prices range from $2.50 to $4.00, some of the least expensive prices around.

For lunch and about $4.50 you can get a bowl of soup and salad or a bowl of chili and salad. Soups are $2.95 a cup and side salads are $1.95. Other salad choices include Chef salad ($6.95), Greek salad, spinach salad and caesar salad all for $4.95. For $1.75 you can add chicken, hummus, turkey or bacon to your salad. The salads are delicious, fresh, and portions are healthy. Tioga Trails offers wraps, burritos, hot or cold sandwiches are burgers for those who want something a bit more than a soup or salad. Wraps include egg salad, chicken salad, hummus, grilled vegetable, chicken Caesar, ranging in price from $4.25 to $5.25. There is a breakfast burrito which includes scrambled eggs, cheese, sour cream and salsa for $4.50 or a beef burrito with beef instead of the eggs for $5.50. The grilled vegetable wrap is absolutely delicious and filled with perfectly grilled red and green peppers, zucchini, onion and swiss cheese. I did find that it needed a little bit of salt, but I would prefer it that way than too salty!

From $3.95 to $6.95, you can order a cold sandwich such as a club, egg salad, hummus, roast turkey or roast pork loin, or a hot sandwich from $3.25 to $6.95 such as a BLT, grilled cheese, hot dog, carved turkey or roast pork, marinated chicken or beer battered fish. All wraps and sandwiches are served with a pickle and side of potato chips.

The best items on the menu however are the burgers and the French fries. If you like burgers, you absolutely have to try one at Tioga Trails. Plain, Blue, Cheddar and bacon, mushrooms and Swiss or Southwestern (with frizzled onions)-any way you try it, it does not fail to please. The burgers are fresh and served on a thick, sourdough type roll which is toasted, making the burgers even more over-the-top delicious. They are cooked to order and to your liking and Tioga Trails has never overcooked a burger that we have tried. Instead of the chips, or as an appetizer you also must try the French fries. They are fried to perfection and some come with some interesting sauces. In addition to regular French fries (or Trails Fries), you can order Cajun fries (spiced waffle fries with a Cajun style mayo), sweet potato fries (served with sour cream) and there is also a loaded French fry appetizer which includes cheddar and jack cheeses, jalapenos, bacon, tomatoes, chives and sour cream for $4.95. A basket of French fries costs only $1.95 is plenty enough to feed 3 or 4 people.

The dinner menu has most of the same items as the lunch menu, but a few more. Entrees include pork chops,tuna steak, strip steak, angus steak, tilapia, chicken or veal marsala, piccata, shrimp creole, shrimp or chicken curry and salmon. Prices range from $10.95 (tilapia or curry) to $18.95 (for steak). All entrées come with your choice of two: side salad, potato (mashed or baked), vegetable of the day or rice pilaf. In addition for about $12 you can order a past dish including tortellini primavera, chicken riggies (chicken sautéed with garlic in a vodka sauce with rigatoni) or the BLT pasta (bacon, roma tomatoes, baby spinach and gemelli pasta in a parmesan cheese sauce).There is also a children's menu sure to please the little ones, including chicken fingers, grilled cheese, hot dog or pasta.

Overall Tioga Trails has pleased us each time we have eaten there. The only time we were not thrilled was when we tried to Sunday brunch. The high quality food we had come to expect from Tioga Trails was most definitely missing at this slim buffet. For $9.21 per adult, and $4.58 for children under 12 (those under 5 eat for free), you have a choice of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, corned beef hash, yogurt, home fries, assorted fruits, fruit juices and your choice of coffee or tea. We were not happy with the quality of the food or the way it was left sitting in steaming covered pans. The eggs were dry, bacon greasy, toast very cold and hard, and the assorted fruit was nothing more than a few bananas and a couple of apples with some slices of American Cheese on the side.

While I do not recommend the breakfast buffet, I highly recommend you try Tioga Trails for a good lunch, especially if you love burgers and fries. These are the best burgers and fries we have tried in this area. The place is clean, service friendly and attentive and the food of good quality, freshly prepared and affordable.

Parking is available on the streets in front of, behind and at the side of Tioga Trails. Parking can be a bit tedious especially when it is busy in Owego, such as during the weekend. However, I highly recommend you continue to look for a spot to try Tioga Trails out. You won't be disappointed!