When it comes to unique eateries, New York has been known to have quite a few out-of-the ordinary places that are worth checking out. We’ve previously mentioned the Empire State’s cheese themed restaurant down in the Catskills and our cow themed restaurant out on Long Island, but there’s another not-so average themed dining establishment out along our Southern Tier that will give you an interesting taste of nostalgia! A building that has quite a long history, find out how this jail came to be a much-loved restaurant in our state.

Out in Tioga County in a small town that falls along the Susquehanna River, the Calaboose Grille was once the local jail!
Calaboose Grille/Facebook
Located right on Main Street in Owego and still equipped with iron window bars, the Calaboose Grille got its name from the Cajun slang term calaboose meaning jail.
AAA Western and Central New York/Facebook
Step inside what's considered to be one of the most unique restaurants in the Southern Tier and you'll find that there are table and booths actually inside old cells.
Cayuga Tourism, NY/Facebook

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The restaurant was opened by its current owners back in 2011, with the jail dating all the way back to 1910.
AttitudeofGratitude/TripAdvisor
The Calaboose Grille features a Lunch and Dinner menu, full of freshly made dishes like steak, seafood, pasta, burgers, sandwiches and other scrumptious food.
AttitudeofGratitude/TripAdvisor
Giving you a unique chance to dive right into the local history, you won't find any other restaurants in New York that will let you dine in a real jail cell.
snivvy/TripAdvisor
Open Monday through Saturday, the Calaboose Grille makes for the perfect place to dine out with both mouthwatering food and an unforgettable dining setting.
marvi62/TripAdvisor
Not far from the Southern Tier Expressway, the Calaboose Grille is quite easy to find in Owego. Monday through Thursday the restaurant is open from 11AM to 9PM and Friday and Saturday their hours are 11AM to 10PM! To find out more information about this historic restaurant, click here to view their website or take a look at their official Facebook page for more recent updates.

How to get here: 176 Main Street Owego, NY 13827

Rumor has it that this place is even possibly haunted by a couple of spirits that were once inmates at the jail and aren’t ready to leave their cells quite. Have you ever experienced anything unusual while you’re dining at the Calaboose Grille?

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