West Market Street in Corning, New York, is the definition of quaint. This picturesque street is lined with an array of cafes, shops, and galleries. In the heart of this tree lined street is the Market Street Brewing Company. Inside, you will find a friendly atmosphere, good food, and a selection of beer brewed in house. The biggest drawback to West Market Street is the parking; it took us just over 12 minutes to find a parking spot once we located the restaurant.
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Like many locations on West Market Street, this building is a historic gem and the owners, Theresa and Pelham McClellan, have even won the New York State PAN Award for this renovation project. The historic feel continues inside as you are greeted by a massive wooden bar. The owners of Market Street Brewing Company (MSBC) had this bar built from antique and restored pieces of cherry, walnut, and mahogany. The look is truly impressive as you look from the bar top, to hanging glasses above, and then to the intricate back-bar. This is Corning, New York, the home of Corning Glass and the Steuben Glass Works so there should be no surprise that the mirror in the back bar is engraved by Max Erlacher, a world famous glass artist. If you look around, you will also find antique leaded glass windows in the dining room and stairwell.
This is not a college town so we found the clientele of MSBC to be restrained and quiet overall and the average age in the restaurant was around 50-55 years old. There are several different areas where you can choose to be seated in the restaurant. The bar itself is modestly sized with seating and standing room for a couple dozen patrons. Directly across from the bar are two booth style tables. Around the corner from the bar, in a separate room, is the main dining room.
There are a variety of tables and configurations here to accommodate parties of all different
sizes. Off the main dining room is the biergarten. This outdoor area has heavy clear plastic curtain walls that are present in cooler weather and there are patio heaters to keep the temperature moderate. There are also some outdoor tables beyond this area that could be used on warm days and nights.
The restrooms are centrally located in the building and are clean and well kept. If you go, make sure you look at the humorous beer themed signs in the restrooms. In keeping with a fun and humorous theme in the brew-pub, we enjoyed the staff shirts that say on the back:
We Brew It
We Drink It
We Serve What’s Left
Beside the bar is the brew system that Market Street uses to brew all of their beer sold on site. MSBC does not distribute any of their beer so if you would like to sample it, this is the only place you can. Their seven barrel system keeps up with their selection that features five year round brews and one seasonal. The full list is in the table below.
| Mad Bug Lager | North American Adjunct | 4.6% ABV | 12 IBU |
| Wheelhouse IPA | American IPA | 6.7% ABV | 68 IBU |
| D’Artagnan Dark | Dark Ale | 6.2% ABV | 28 IBU |
| Brisco Bridge Blackberry | Fruit Beer | 4.6% ABV | 12 IBU |
| Wrought Iron Red | American Amber/ Red | 4.6% ABV | 16 IBU |
| Hawktoberfest | Marzen / Oktoberfest | 6.7% ABV | N/A |
We found the beers to be decent but a little lacking in flavor. The Mad Bug Lager, compared to other brews in the craft world, felt a little too “mass market light beer” to us. The seasonal on tap, Hawktoberfest, did boost the level of flavor and complexity and was more enjoyable for sure. If you are a fan of the darker beers, the D’Artagnan Dark was a solid beer as well. We would like to try their other seasonal brews and would encourage more exploration and variety. We sampled all six of their beers by ordering a flight. The flights come in mini 5 ounce pilsner glasses and when served, they are set on a printed placemat that identifies each one. This was a great way to know what you were tasting next.
We felt that the draw for MSBC would be the beer but we were more impressed with the food. The MSBC food menu spans two solid pages. For starters there are eleven options including wings by the pound, sushi nachos, and loaded MSBC chips. There are a variety of soups and large salads also available ranging in price from $4 to $12. The second page features a variety of burgers, tacos, pulled pork, and a selection of nine entrees that are available after 5:00 pm. Surf and turf, pasta primavera, and crab cakes are examples of the offerings. There is a surprisingly large selection of seafood options and judging from the fresh ahi tuna we sampled, MSBC does not skimp on quality.
Our waitress, Alexis, offered the special of the day options and was very helpful with questions about the menu. Waters, flights, and food was served with a smile. We ordered the Sushi Nachos
appetizer as a meal and Beer-B-Q Burger with the MSBC Chips on the side. The presentation of these two dishes was very upscale and appealing. As mentioned above, the ahi tuna in the sushi nachos was very high quality and delicious and served atop crispy wontons with dollops of avocado and a sweet soy reduction. The Beer-B-Q Burger was a half-pound patty of ground angus topped with crispy bacon, provolone, and a tremendous “Beer-B-Q sauce” on a brioche bun. We upgraded the burger with MSBC Chips which are slices of potatoes fried like a French fry and served with a chipotle ketchup that packs some punch. These chips were quite tasty and had an interesting texture, crispy around the edges and soft in the middle. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and unfortunately didn’t save room for dessert, several of which sounded incredible.
On the last page of the menu, there are kid’s menu options including the usual kid fare of chicken fingers, grilled cheese, burgers, pasta, and a hot dog. Kids 12 and under will cost between $3.00 and $6.50 for their meal. All of these meals come with MSBC chips so they won’t be stealing yours.
It’s a Wrap
Once we got past the frustrations of navigating through Corning and finding an available parking spot, we had a nice stroll down Market Street on a chilly fall evening. We had a good time at MSBC and while we found the beer to be a little on the tame side, the food made up for it. The atmosphere was quieter than most brew-pubs and had more of a restaurant feel than a bar feel. Depending on your mood, that can be a very good thing.
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| Quality and Selection of Beer |  |
| Quality and Selection of Food |  |
| Family Friendliness (For those who care) |  |
The Details
| Address63 W Market St Corning, NY 14830 (607) 936-2337http://www.936-beer.com |
HoursWINTER HOURS (NOVEMBER THROUGH APRIL) CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY TUES, WED, THURS 11:30AM – 9:00PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY 11:30AM-10:00PMSUMMER HOURS (MAY THROUGH OCTOBER) SUNDAY NOON-9:00PM MONDAY – SATURDAY 11:30AM-10:00PM |