The Village Tavern Restaurant & Inn

Bar, Eatery

30 Mechanic St
Hammondsport, New York, 14840-9369
United States

(607) 569-2528 | map
villagetaverninn.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.31
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
8
pDev:
5.34%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 4.41 by SonictheBeerhog from New York

Mar 04, 2015
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Reviewed by TheBeerdedCharmer from Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
The atmosphere of this place was awesome. Pianist playing classical and jazz music, old ornate brass taps, located in the little town square. Food was amazing. Beer selection was decent. Bottle list was overpriced but again, decent selection. They also had the Narragansett hooked up to a keg of Pumking (had to notify them) but overall it's a very nice place. Will definitely be going again. This place is also right down the street from Hammondsport Grocery which has a surprising amount of good craft beer and the Union Block Italian Bistro, which has a bar downstairs with live music and craft beer on tap.
Feb 23, 2015
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Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

3.99/5  rDev -7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4
Stopped here with my girlfriend after visiting Keuka Brewery and Bully Hill Winery.

The place has got a great feel to it. Beautiful looking bar, nice employees.

There was a good, not great, selection of beer, about 10-15 taps in total. Some good local stuff, a few other US crafts, some belgian, etc. The beer was all pretty expensive- the bottle list was extensive, but I didn't bother because of the prices.

The food was very tasty, but again, quite expensive. I would've liked the food better had it been less expensive- meaning I didn't think it quote rose to the level of the price it garnered.

This place does seem like it would be the best option in the area for craft beer. Worth a stop.
Jan 24, 2014
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Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
We enjoyed two lunches here during our visit to the Finger Lakes.

A comfortable 12 seat bar on the right inside the door with tables behind constitute the main room. There is also a smallish dining room in the back. Nice quaint, country inn feel.

About 15 taps with a good lend of domestics and Belgians. A list of 100 or so bottles is also top notch. One gripe: they serve the beer in a frosted glass by default, though they do have unfrosted if you ask.

Food is quite good by any standard, freshly prepared and well executed. Service is very pleasant.

HV
Jun 15, 2009
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Reviewed by slander from New York

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
If you go down to Hammond
You'll never come back
In my opinion you're
On the wrong track
We'll always love you but
That's not the point

My last Mimzy, and I'm taking her out for a spin, down from Rochester the absurdly long way around. Generally, nobody runs 390 unless they're fool schooling Geneseo style or lost a bet. It's like time travel to get out there, maybe that's why they call that stretch "Future 86". Hammondsport, down on the bend where it all comes together waaay out there in no man's land. I wanted to look in on a place there, I've been hearing tales of twelves...

Easy enough to find, kind of sort of, it's a decent looking place on the corner of life in Hammondsport. A glossy lacquer topped wood bar with red leather stools for 10 sits on the wall to the right. The barback counter holds tiered wine in the center and tiered booze to both sides below 3 mirrors separated by panel strips, and cupboards below. The top of the unit ledge is lined with bottled selections from end to end and wrapping around some, mugs on hooks dangling above the bar, a hanging glassware rack down on the end, and a single TV in the other corner. Hanging blackboards list New York State wines and a few others by the glass, plus a new beer board, draft flights, and drink faves.

5 pair of 2 seat tables down the center of the room, 5 booths on the far wall, and a roundie table in each nook to both sides of the front doorway. Wood paneled walls heavily adorned with Glenn "The Father of Naval Aviation" Curtis pieces, wine & brewery mirrors, a large wood airplane propeller, mounted fish pieces, and plane kites overhead. Checkerboard tile floors, large plants in the front window nooks, a tall glass front wine cabinet up front next to a piano and a wine fridge on the rear wall. Drop twin lamps, and lighting on fans spinning over the seating. A rear room holds nearly a dozen tables and 2 more tall glass front wine cabinets. Holding 400+ New York State wines & vintages of, and 30 others from around the world, they boast having the largest selection in the state.

15 taps (2 round copper towers of 6 and a center 3) on the bar. A few micros (Custom BrewCrafters Double Dark Cream Porter, Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA, Sly Fox Helles, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale), the rest a range of imports (Blanche De Bruxelles, Chimay Tripel, Val Dieu Brune, Delirium Tremens, Lindemans Framboise, Kapuziner Weissbier, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Boddingtons, Guinness, Pilsner Urquell, Labats Blue Light). But the real deal here is the bottle list, some 130 in all. 3 dozen Belgians including all, yes, all the Trappists, a dozen German, a dozen English, 3 dozen micros in state (Ithaca, Ommegang, Saranac, Blue Point), regional (Weyerbacher, Harpoon, Sam Adams, Magic Hat) and beyond (Anchor, Great Divide, Rogue, North Coast, Avery, Flying Dog), and the rest beers of the world including some area rarities (Samichlaus '95 & '96, Boon Faro, Thomas Hardy's Ale '95).

And lastly I'm lunching. Had a bowl of Seafood Chowder and a Roast Beef French Dip with Horseradish cream sauce. To help them along, I started with a Custom BrewCrafters Double Dark Cream Porter, 'cause I'm drinking that everywhere I can, and then I opted for a Westy 8. I can see 'ol Yellow Cap up there on the ledge smiling at me but them 12's are long gone, which didn't matter none as I still would've gone with the 8.

Sat and talked with Peter behind the bar for a while about things beer. And wine. And the crazy guy bothering people outside over there across the street. He used to come in but they banned him and he become a catty-corner angry man. Good company, good food, good beer.

If you go down to Hammond
You'll never come back.
Jun 28, 2008
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Reviewed by Newsman from New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I've been meaning to write this up for some time, so as I catch up on my BA reviews, bear with me as I reiminisce about this Finger Lakes gem.

My family and I go to the Finger Lakes each year to get away from the city. This year, we stayed on Keuka, and one day we decided to rent a boat and head on down to Hammondsport. I had seen the banners on Village Tavern boasting of their beer selection, and wanted to put it to the test. I mean, who expects a quality beer bar in the middle of, essentially, nowhere?

Well, expect it. It's impressive. The bar is quite lovely, totally what you'd expect from a small village inn -- they even rent out rooms. The dining area is bright and spacious, and boasts an old-style bar.

But then there's the line of bottles along the shelf near the ceiling. Chimay, Rochefort, Samuel Smith, Old Speckled Hen, Schneider, Rogue, Stone, Brooklyn...wow. And the beers on tap are likewise impressive, with Chimay, Lindeman's Framboise (my wife's fave), and a bunch of good U.S. crafts, including some local micros. Sure, they had Bud Light on tap as well, but that's for the folks with no taste. The menu even boasted some Westvleterens -- with the appropriately inflated price tag for such rarity.

(I passed, out of respect for both the monks of Saint Sixtus and my wallet. I'm waiting for my trip to Bruges this winter and my planned road trip to the abbey to taste my first Westys.)

The barman was extraordinarily knowledgeable, and we were soon discussing a variety of obscure beers as he poured -- into the appropriate glassware, no less. It's rare to find a barman who can really talk about the difference between a saison and a Belgian harvest ale, but there he was. Awesome.

The food was good, too, and the menu had an eclectic selection of American, French, Belgian, Italian and Creole dishes that paired well with beer. For the non-beer drinker, the place also has a nice wine list, intensely focused on the local Finger Lakes wines, and they also make "monster" martinis in a variety of flavors.

But the beer...this is the best beer joint in the Finger Lakes, if not all of western New York. This is definitely going to be a must-stop whenever we're in the area.
Apr 03, 2008
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Reviewed by poundboy from Vermont

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Went on a mid March road trip with my wife and stopped at Bully Hill for a tasting. It wasn't very crowded so we got to chatting with the staff and they recommended this place. Walked in the door and saw Chimay Red on draft. Sold. Looked a little closer and saw Belgian beers I had never seen before anywhere on draft as well as a Nitro Tower(another first for me). The bottle list included Westvleteren 8. I ordered it immediately, saving my guilt for another day. I rationalized that I might never get a chance to taste this beer again, so I'd better taste in now. It lived up to expectations.
Food was darn good and portions large. I got the open faced rueben and left satisfied. Apart from the cheesy plastic airplanes hanging from the ceiling the atmosphere was great. Plenty of beer mirrors and signs, many of them rather rare. All in all excellent stop, especially considering that it is in a smallish town in the middle of wine country.
If you have no conscience, go now, it might be the only place left in NY where you can order Westvleteren and pay less than 13 dollars.

p.s. Later on in the day, down near Stoudtsburg PA, I ran into 2 brewers from Stoudt's at my hotel bar. One of them (who will remain nameless for his own protection) used his key to let me into the brewery at 11:30 at night to give us a private tour. All in all the best single beer day of my life.
Mar 17, 2008
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Reviewed by John from New York

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Update: 11 June 2005

Stopped in here with family for some beers and food. This visit just reaffirms the fact that this place is a must stop when in the area. It's a little pricey, especially the bottled imports, but the list is extensive. The draughts are reasonable. We had a great time with great service and four excellent meals.

Original review:

No beer drinker’s Finger Lakes wine tour would be complete with out a diversion along the way. Among the hundreds of NY Finger Lakes wineries, are a few critical beer oases. One of these is the Village Tavern & Inn, located in Hammondsport at the southern tip of Keuka Lake (about 1:15min. SE of Rochester). While the wives or significant others shop around town in between wine sampling, stop into this very comfortable town center tavern. The friendly staff there will serve you up some tasty chow, some quality brews and provide you with lodging if desired.

The 15 or so draught selections are an incredibly well thought out combination of quality micros and imports. The 120 or so bottled selections cover all the bases – micros and imports including some unique Belgians. A great place off the beaten wine trail. A must when in the area.
Oct 21, 2003
The Village Tavern Restaurant & Inn in Hammondsport, NY
Place rating: 4.31 out of 5 with 8 ratings