Main Street Grill and Bakery

The meals and desserts here never disappoint however everything else about it does:
The owners/​workers have been incredibly rude every time I have been there. The service is usually subpar; it’s not awful but there is no above and beyond at this place about anything. If you arrive without a reservation (even when the place is not busy) they treat you like they’re doing you a favor by letting you eat there, rather than the other way around of you bringing them business. If you ask for anything to be changed as far as the menu items go they act like it’s impossible.
I may go back at some point but definitely not one of my top picks!

Food is very healthy! Home made tea, fresh baked bread, SUPER fresh ingredients; however, service was lousy. I think that it was a little expensive but very much worth it (like $ 16 for a pasta dinner, but only the freshest ingredients). They had the best spiced peach tea I’ve ever had in my life. Workers wasn’t that great, all the servers seemed annoyed by the customs. But super clean!

My wife and I went with another couple for Sat nite dinner. The restaurant was busy, the décor was attractive (updated since our last visit), the service was great – attentive, friendly, and well informed, the menu was varied, and the food extremely inventive, tasty, and attractively presented. The only thing that detracted from the experience was the noise level (so 4 of 5 stars). We love dining here and come several times a year for a memorable experience. Great place !

Good food, meat loaf was not very good and vegetables were cold, the waitress did however bring us some hot ones later. I had the steak which was very tasty and cooked the way I like it. Everyone else was happy with there meal.

Best restaurant in Afton. I’ve never had a bad meal here and the service had always been great.

Always busy, it helps to have a reservation. I’m partial to the Garlic Gadzooks sandwich, but the house salad with Liz’s Sassy Salad Sauce is a great choice too.
The atmosphere and service are both welcoming and pleasant.

Best meal I’ve had in years. I ate their for the first time last night and it was outstanding. The paella was varied and flavorful. The candy bar pie was divine. The service was attentive and surprisingly quick. I’ll definitely be returning when I’m back in the area.

PROS
Atmosphere — trendy-​casual
Service — friendly and efficient
Lizzy’s Sassy Salad Sauce — unless you are ordering a salad to which a specific dressing has been assigned, choose Lizzy’s Sassy Salad Sauce to top your salad; this house-​made specialty is good enough to drink (and also available in pint jars to take home)
Bread & Butter — one of the best parts of the meal (it is a bakery, after all); the butter is nothing to talk about, but the bread is stupendous; served hot, the soft, chewy baguette just melts in your mouth (no butter needed!); be sure to sample (or, as I did, eat all four pieces of) the cranberry pumpkin bread; if the deserts weren’t so incredible (more on them below), I would say to get several free refills of the bread and call it a night
Portabello Nirvana — pan seared crab cake stuffed in a roasted portabello mushroom, finished with a garlic white sauce; though I didn’t personally try this appetizer, my dining companion who ordered it seemed to enjoy it very much (he cleaned his plate, anyway)
Harvest Meatloaf — blend of lean ground beef filled with flavors of the harvest, topped with a balsamic brown sugar onion glaze and served with mashed potatoes, gravy, and sautéed vegetables; while the potatoes and vegetables were nothing out of the ordinary (though still good), the meatloaf (and gravy) was solid-​comfort food at its finest; an unknown (to me) ingredient gave it an extra something special
Herb Shrimp Spaetzle — pan-​seared Gulf shrimp served over homemade herb and roasted garlic spaetzle, finished with a citrus fire roasted pepper purée; I also received a serving of the sautéed vegetables with this meal (though, again, they were nothing special); the shrimp were cooked perfectly; while I enjoyed the meal as a whole, I wasn’t blown away by the flavors; good enough to make the pros list, but I wouldn’t order it again
Deserts — being a bakery, the bread and deserts (and, though we didn’t order them during this visit, salads and sandwiches) are the stars of the show; this time, we tried the Peanut Butter Cheesecake, Oatmeal Cookie, Peanut Butter Pie, and Cannoli Cake; each choice was fresh, moist, and perfectly balanced with regard to sweetness and ratio of cake to frosting or filling to crust
CONS
Location — though it was worth it, Afton is nearly 30 miles from Binghamton and this restaurant is the only reason to drive out there
Temperature — despite the vestibule, cold outside air flooded the dining room every time the door was opened (which was often on a busy Saturday night); the temperature in the restaurant itself was comfortable enough when the door was closed, however

I can’t even remember what I ate here because the neglect from our waitress was so significant… I even made sure my husband tipped at 15%…THAT’S HOW BAD THE SERVICE WAS! (for the record, I’ll tip a «limited,» but friendly waiter 20% because the actually give a sh#@!).
I do vaguely remember a chocolate cheesecake that was really good.
I’m giving three stars because I want to believe that this was a one-​time screw up on their behalf and that the next time I go, the food will be memorable, the staff will be PRESENT, and I’ll walk out saying, «first impressions aren’t everything.»
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the restaurant and my first time was a little disappointing.

This place by far is the best in the area. Afton is basically in middle of nowhere and because of that, it;s always packed and it only stays open until 8pm. Definately quality and fresh. There’s a bit of variety from Fish n Chips to Asian Pot Stickers to Ribs. Which by the way are all very good. Great beer and wine selection.
My most favorite aspect of this place is there bakery. It’s very difficult to come by a place that makes homemade cakes and desserts. You will not be disappointed, I truly appreciate it. My only wish was that they had more Mexican Dishes on the menu, Maybe I should tell them I would go in there and teach the Chef’s how to make some of my specialties like Chile Verde, Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Burritos or Tres Leches Cake. :)

Pleasant surprise. Met my daughter here for mid point hand-​off and decided to grab a bite to eat.
Decent wine selection (could add a couple more higher end selections) picked a very affordable Malbec.
I started with a traditional chicken noodle soup and my daughter had a well presented mixed green salad. Both were solid but not spectacular.
My daughter had a perfectly cooked (medium) Sirloin Steak topped w/​caramelized onions, a side of mashed potatoes and grilled squash. All delicious. I had the sauteed sole topped with 2 mini crab cakes. Served with rice and the squash topped with a very nice white wine sauce. Sole was solid but, the crab cakes were great! all crab with little binder. We split a very rich /​delicious desert that I can’t recall the name. By far my best excursion off Rt.88 in a long time. I will be back!

One of the best places to eat in the area.
Great food and especially good deserts.

One of my favorite restaurants in the area. They’ve got a great array of bistro foods.
The back of their menu changes monthly to accommodate the change in seasons: a set of specials is often paired with in-​season vegetables. They always have at least one vegetarian and one fish entrée, in addition to their lovely standard menu with sandwiches, soups, and salads topped with the owner’s homemade dressing.
The owner really has a knack for creating dishes with a balance of flavors. My friends usually twist my arm into ending our meal with the Grill’s homemade desserts, such as raspberry cake, cream puffs, or carrot cake.
The only bad thing about the place is that it isn’t open 7 days a week. (They’re closed Sundays)

I have gotten dinner from here. Tonight. Let me tell you this place is almost always kind fo packed… The dinner menu had decent variety. The wine lsit is all New Yrok Satte. It is very erasonably priced. All bottles were under 20 I think… You can almost say that that could add some more expenisve wines. I went with shrimp/​fettcuine with a lemon sauce (and a glass of Chardonay). It was worthy of 3 stars which is what I ahve already given this place.

My family took a day trip out to Afton to try the Main Street Grill and Bakery for lunch based on recommendations and it did not disappoint! Unfortunately, Afton is in the middle of nowhere and this is the only place worth going for. The restaurant itself is very clean with a nice contemporary feel to it. My mother mentioned that the chef is from the Instinct Restaurant in Endicott so if you liked the food there, chances are you’ll enjoy this place!
I ordered the House Signature Wrap which was a combination of grilled chicken, lettuce, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, feta cheese, mayo & Lizzy’s Sassy Salad Sauce all rolled up in a garlic herb tortilla. I wish I could claim that I remembered all of these tasty ingredients but I cheated and copied and pasted the description from their web site. :) The wrap was delicious — put together very nicely and very moist. I’ve had some terrible wraps where the ingredients all fall out upon taking the first bite but this wrap stayed nicely together. The «Lizzy’s Sassy Salad Sauce» was great and they offer it in take-​out containers so it must be popular! I had the side of potato salad to go with my wrap and it was obviously homemade and very tasty. If you go, be sure to save room for dessert. We ordered various slices of cake and they were all delicious.
I would go back to the Main Street Grill and Bakery in a heartbeat but the 40 minute or so drive does not make that possible. Maybe it’s time to open a sister location closer to Vestal!