I love to ask questions of our listeners and readers. One question I asked earlier in February 2024 was what restaurant do you think is the most famous in the Southern Tier of New York? A restaurant that stands out from all the rest, and is popular with locals and those from out of town.

99.1 The Whale logo
Get our free mobile app

Well, I received a lot of responses, thank you, and I was able to pick out the top five choices from all that chimed in. This time, I wanted to be more personal. I asked what ONE (not two or three or more) restaurant in Broome or Tioga County New York is your absolute favorite.

Again, I was flooded with responses, and I loved it. Even better, most everyone held their response to one restaurant as I asked, even though I knew it might be a tough call from many since we have so many great, local restaurants in the two-county area.

Cool takeaways from this question? Well, first, 99 percent of the responses were for locally-owned restaurants, and second, there were a lot of locally-owned diners mentioned. I love diners!

Sure, there were the usual heavyweights that are most popular, but for this question, I was pleased to see such a variety of Broome and Tioga County restaurants mentioned.

For most of my restaurant-type questions, I have received very few, if any responses for Tioga County restaurants, so I'm glad I included the county in my question. MJ's Bar & Restaurant was the hand's down most mentioned for Tioga County. Other popular restaurants in Tioga County include The Cellar Restaurant and Mario's Pizza in Owego, Donoli's, The Blue Dolphin, Bud's Place, Chat-A-Whyle, and The Dugout in Apalachin.

In the popular diner section, we have The Union Diner, Janes Diner, Danny's Diner, Chris' Diner, The Skylark, Park Diner, Little Red Oak, The Blue Dolphin, Clinton Street Cafe, and the Broadway Diner to name a few.

A few restaurants mentioned that were just outside the top 10 include Binghamton restaurants - Remlicks, The Beef, The Lost Dog, Amici, Parlor City Vegan, and PS.

Also, McCoy's Chophouse in Endicott, Moxie in Conklin, Coppertop Tavern and California Grill in Vestal, Joey's Pizza and Oak's Inn in Endicott, Our Country Hearts in Endicott, Phil's Chicken House in West Corners, and Moon Star in Endwell.

And there were many more great local restaurants mentioned. As for, the top 10 most mentioned favorite restaurants, it's interesting to note that the top 6 specialize in Italian food.

The Top 10 Most Mentioned Favorite Restaurants

#10 - Aiello's Ristorante, Whitney Point

Aiello's Ristorante
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#9 - Tony's Italian Grill, Endicott

Tony's Italian Grill
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#8 - Fat Cowboys BBQ, Port Crane

Fat Cowboy's BBQ
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#7 - MJ's Bar & Restaurant, Owego

MJ's Bar & Restaurant Owego
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#6 - Nick's, Endicott

Nick's Pizza & Restaurant
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#5 - Franks Italian Restaurant, Maine

Frank's Italian Restaurant
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#4 - Little Venice, Binghamton

Little Venice Restaurant
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#3 - Cortese, Binghamton

Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News
Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News
loading...

#2 - Michelangelo's, Binghamton

Michelangelo's Pizzeria
Google Maps Street View
loading...

#1 - Cacciatores, Johnson City

Cacciatore's, Johnson City
Google Maps Street View
loading...

Every Room in this Binghamton Listing is Remarkably Blue

Every Room in this Binghamton Listing is Remarkably Blue 

Gallery Credit: eXp REALTY, Samantha Rigo via Zillow

39 Acre Dream Log Home For Sale

39 Acre Dream Log Home For Sale 

Gallery Credit: Listing by: Coldwell Banker Timberland Properties via Zillow

Then & Now: Oakdale Mall Transforming To Oakdale Commons

Then & Now: Oakdale Mall Transforming To Oakdale Commons

Gallery Credit: Google Maps Street View

 

More From 99.1 The Whale