The Market Street in Corning, New York is a lovely little downtown area with lots of neat shops and restaurants. I like to stop there whenever I have the chance. During the COVID pandemic, the street was shut down to traffic^*, making it a pedestrian only area. I think the result was great; a perfect place to go out, shop, and dine.

Mooney’s Sports Bar & Grill

Mooney’s Sports Bar & Grill is a regional chain combining a sports bar with the feel of an Irish Pub. It has several locations all over Western New York. The one in Corning is right in the center of market street. Indoor seating was available, but on a pleasant day it is nice to be able to sit outside.

Mooney’s is known for their Macaroni and Cheese, and they have signs everywhere proclaiming “Home of the Mac ‘n Cheese.” So I had to try that. But I also love Hungarian Hot Peppers and I noticed they had that in their appetizers section. But I felt having both peppers stuffed with cheese and the macaroni would be too heavy. What to do?

Then I noticed that in the soup section, they have a Stuffed Hot Pepper Soup, consisting of Italian sausage, peppers and cheese. Furthermore, it was a Buffalo Soup Fest winner. So my decision was made. I would have the award winning soup, satisfying my craving for hot peppers, and a Mac n’ Cheese. It was the best of of both worlds.

The soup was every bit as good as I expected it to be. Rich and creamy with plenty of sausage and peppers, it was delicious.

Now for the Mac N’ Cheese. Mooney’s has almost two dozen different flavors. These include: the Original, Buffalo Chicken, Philly Cheese Steak, Reuben, and even Pizza. I went with another award winner, the Bomb, which won the Binghamton Mac Fest in 2017. Filled with chopped steak, stuffed banana peppers, and plenty of mozzarella, I have never had Mac n’ Cheese so good. It was a lot of food, though. As tempting as it was to eat the whole thing, I practiced some self control and took half of it home for another meal.

Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed my lunch at Mooney’s. The food was superb and the service was quick and friendly. I plan on going there again, perhaps in Corning or maybe one of their other locations. I definitely want to try some of their other menu items.

Old World Cafe and Ice Cream

For a fun place to eat at, I recommend the Old World Cafe and Ice Cream. It has a bit of the ambience of a European style bistro, but with plenty of knick-nacks giving it an American flair as well.

I’ve mainly gone there for ice cream there. I’ve gotten a cone on my first trip and a brownie sundae. Both were very good. The sundae contained a generous amount of a very fudge-like brownie, topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. It was high quality ice cream, although the whipped cream tasted like it came from a can. Still, I recommend it. Old World has a couple dozen flavors to choose from. They have standards such as vanilla and chocolate; classics flavors like Butter Pecan, Coffee, Cookie Dough, and Moose Tracks ; and seasonal flavors such as Peach, Strawberry, and Raspberry Truffle.

As for meals, they have a selection of soups, salads, and sandwiches. Sandwiches include vegetarian (Veggie Layer with carrots, cukes, tomatoes and sprouts or The Globe with cheese, avocado, cuke, and sprouts) ; deli meats such as Roast Beef , ham, or turkey (with berries, avocado, or Mediterranean), chicken (salad or baked); tuna; or shrimp. Old World Cafe also has a selection of paninis which include The Big Cheese, Honey Ham, Steuben Ruben, and Saltimbocca. It’s a nice selection with some real flare.

I ordered the Turkey Tost, which consists of turkey, cheddar, bacon, and tomato. It is a big sandwich with generous portions of ingredients. I found it quite hearty. And also a bit greasy. It reminded me a bit of a grilled cheese sandwich, but where the cheese is not the dominant ingredient. I ate the whole thing, but half would have been filling enough.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a cafe without some coffee drinks. It has a small selection containing items such as Espresso, Cappuccino , and Lattes. I am not a coffee drinker, so I cannot comment on the drinks.

Hand + Foot

I have walked by Hand + Foot many times not realizing it was a restaurant. On a recent trip, I noticed the menu on the front window. Intrigued by the offerings, I decided to have lunch there and found out the food is awesome!

While the place is new to me, Hand + Foot has been around for a decade. Dan and Laurie Morton opened it in 2014 when they moved back to Corning. They even had a kickstarter. The name comes from a card game played by their family for generations. The location has an interesting history. Previously, it had been a plastics outlet, an Irish bar, a chocolate factory, and a pizza parlor.

The menu, both food and beverage, is sourced from local suppliers. It has an eclectic mix of cuisines: German (pretzels), Hispanic (tostones), Korean (rice cakes), Hawaiian (poke), Indian (durban curry), Thai (sesame noodle/fried rice), Vietnamese (Banh Mi), and Greek (Gyro). They also have beer brisket, fried buttermilk chicken, and vegetarian (hippie be good) sandwiches, as well as a couple of salads.

I went with the curried beef sandwich. It consists of chopped steak with a green curry sauce. Other toppings are jicama fries and pickled baby corn. I never would have thought to have put green curry on steak, but the combination is amazing!

Along with sandwich, I ordered a side of the jalapeno pickles. I was expecting pickles in a spicy brine. Turns out they were actually pickled jalapenos! They are a little bit spicy and had a good crunch. Other pickle options are bread & butter, dilly onion, kimchi, and red wine beet. All the pickles are made in house.

I also had the Kale Slaw, which is a salad. It’s a decent salad. The Kale, a very sturdy leaf, was softened by the vinaigrette but still a bit tough. The kale has a strong taste and dominates the dish, but I liked it.

Hand + Foot had 8 bears on tap, having names such as Glen Ale (from Lucky Hare), Bavarian (Von Trapp) and Mean Old Tom (Maine). I got the impression that many of them were local, as I did not recognize any of the breweries. The draft beers were a mix of pilsners, IPAs, Ales, and stouts. They had one sour, Naked Llllipop from Froth. It’s a very good sour.

Hand + Foot has the ambience of a neighborhood bar. For some reason, it was very crowded the day I was there (I blame the eclipse, which was the day before.) For that reason, service was very slow. It took 10 minutes for my beer to come out; another 30 for my salad. The rest of my meal came out 10 minutes later. Not too bad, considering the crowd, but more time than I normally would take for a lunch. Regardless, the food is fantastic and the servers are friendly. I recommend going on a less crowded day.

Nine Elephants

I have long been meaning to try the Thai restaurant on Market Street, Nine Elephants. I recently did this. I arrived at 11:30 AM, well before the lunch rush, and was the only one there. However, by the end of my meal, other people started to arrive.

Nine Elephants has a typical Thai menu, with curries (Panang, Yellow, Green, Massaman), noodle dishes (Pad Thai, Drunken Noodle), stir fries (Thai Basil, Cashew Nut, etc..), and fried rice (Pineapple, Thai). The noodle dishes include one I had not seen before, Pad See We, which is stir fried rice noodles. All of their menu options come with a choice of protein. Their signature dishes all involve fried seafood, most notably a Fried Whole Fish. They also have several Cajun spiced dishes.

I decided to go with one of “Chef Recommended” dishes, the Panang Curry Scallops. Panang is one of the milder dishes, and this was no different. But it did have a bit of kick. The scallops were big and tender. The dish was exactly what I was hoping for.

The service was quick ; my food came out in about 5 minutes. The ambience was quite and subdued and the restaurant is elegantly decorated. It’s a good place for a quick meal with great food.

Other places in Corning.

Market Street has a wide variety of restaurants, with cuisines that include Pizza, Italian, Barbecue, or Indian. I guarantee you will be able to find one that you like. The ambience of the location is wonderful: quite relaxed and very family friendly.

Notes

Market Street was closed to traffic during the Summer of 2020 and July 1- July 6, 2021

Dearly Missed

In the past couple of years, some of my favorites have closed. The first is Market Street Brewing Company, which closed in early 2024. It had been operating for 27 years. The second is Poppleton Bakery and Cafe. There is a new bakery in that location, Homestead Baking Company, but it has a very different menu. The change happened in April 2025. Below you can find my write-ups of both places.

Market Street Brewing Company (closed 2024)

One of the many restaurants on the street is a local brewery called, appropriately enough, Market Street Brewing Company. With plenty of beers to choose from and a small food menu, it is a good place to eat. And they have ample outdoor seating including a lovely rooftop patio, which is where I ate. Note that these pictures are from pre-COVID times.

Here is what they had on tap when I visited:

• Mad Bug Lager
• Wheelhouse iPA
• D’Artagnan Dark
• Brisco Bridge Blackberry
• Wrought Iron Red

Being a fan of both stout beers and the Three Musketeers, I went with the D’Artagnan. I found it a very good stout.

For my meal I had the soup of the day, a vegetable bisque, and the Barbecue Burger. Both were excellent. The soup was rich and flavorful and the burger was thick and juicy. I would get either again. I was not a big fan of the pasta salad though, as lacking much sauce it was a bit dry.

Poppleton Bakery and Cafe (closed 2025)

Another place that caught my eye is Poppleton Bakery and Cafe. Through the window I saw an array of baked goods that looked amazing. Now closed, it has been replaced by another bakery, Homestead Baking Company.

I was there for lunch, so I needed to get an entree. The menu mostly consisted of crepes and paninis. I have a fondness for crepes, so I ordered that. However, the paninis were definitely more popular as that was what most of the other customers were ordering. (And there were plenty of people coming in.)

On the recommendation of the server, I ordered a BLT turkey and cheese crepe. This was a hefty crepe; more like a burrito with a crepe wrapping. But it was good. Filled with lettuce and big chunks of turkey, I got my money’s worth.

But I could not go to a bakery and not get a baked good. They have plenty to choose from, with a selection of brownies, cupcakes, and cookies. But on that day I was saving room for ice cream, so I wanted to get something light. I ended up getting a Buckeye, that delightful combination of peanut butter and chocolate. It was as good as I anticipated .

On another visit, I had a slice of peanut butter chocolate cake.

I was surprised with the size of the slice I got. It was enormous! A chocolate layer cake with a peanut butter icing and a thin layer of ganache on top, it is sinfully delicious. I plan on getting more of Poppleton’s backed goods. They are first rate.

Updated July 22,2021, July 1, 2022, May 8, 2024, and Sept 30, 2025