Calaboose Grille

I have been here multiple times. I had the misquote chicken sandwich which is always great and I have tried several soups and they are always delicious.

If you are in Owego you need to stop by and check this place out. It’s in an old jail house, and yes you can eat dinner in a cell. It’s been said to haunted, but the only spirits we saw were the happy hour specials. The food is was pretty good and the service was great. It’s really just a neat place to go and hang out.

Dear Callaboose Grille,
How are you!, wanted to say thank you!!, yesterday, around 1:00pm ish, my sister, & her fiancé, mother, & I, came there for the first time!!, well, it was my first time, and couldn’t of been more pleased!!, w/​the food!, I ordered the Callaboose Steak Sandwich (their version of a typical Philly Cheesesteak sandwich), and it was phenomenal!!, & had a cup of their «Cream Of Chicken» soup!!, DELICIOUS!!!, luv the unique atmosphere, friendly service, & comfort!!!, DEF wud recommend this to someone and can’t wait to go back!!, it’s like a half hour drive from Town Of Binghamton to Owego, NY, but it was beautiful fall day out and so glad I made the ride!

We went to Calaboose Grille to celebrate my friend’s birthday. The restaurant has a unique setting. It used to be a jail, and thus the seating is partitioned as such — with the tables each occupying a former jail cell.
As unique as this sounds, let’s be frank: Not everyone wants to eat in a dingy jail cell. This could be a potential turn off to some people. Let me reassure you that it’s not like that. You get a nice sense of privacy from other diners, and while you can tell that you’re sitting in former cell, it’s really clean, nicely decorated, and only elements that lend to the experience are kept from its past life.
There were rumors that this place had some of the best steak around. I was told by a semi-​professional steak connoisseur (I mean this guy travels the world and eats cows left and right), that Calaboose’s Hunter Steak is the best steak he has ever had. In fact, he loves it so much that it’s the only thing he ever orders here, and it’s consistently grilled to perfection.
So if you’re like me, you’d probably doubt such a claim. Best steak around? In a relatively unknown restaurant in Owego??? Yeah okay.
But then the doubts start to creep in. What if it IS the best steak in the universe and I never try it!?? Well…
…CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I ordered the Hunter Steak, cooked medium. It comes with two sides. I read in a previous review that they make their mac and cheese from scratch with smoked gouda cheese and panko crumbs on top, so that’s what I ordered for my sides.
I took a bite… and then another bite, and another… Oh.wow. And the verdict is in:
It was LEGEN… wait for it… DARY!
LEGENDARY!!! Best steak that I’ve ever had!!! It was cooked to a tender perfection with delectable and flavorful mushroom and tomato sauce layered on top. YUM!!!
Ok. So obviously I liked the food. The mac and cheese was pretty good too. But that wasn’t the best part. The service was outstanding. We were warmly greeted when we arrived, and treated like royalty throughout our meal. The server was extremely polite, knowledgeable, and friendly.
This place is an absolute hidden gem inside the quaint town of Owego. If you’re ever in the area, stop by for a meal! Or you could drive half an hour like I did (from Binghamton) to visit. It’s totally worth it. 5 stars! Huzzah!!!

We were visiting family in the area and were uncertain of the number in our group so we reserved a table. A party of seven was accommodated with ease. We opted to dine in one of the cells and were not disappointed. Service was prompt and attentive, our server let us know some of the menu items were unavailable. Out of a number of items on a Saturday night? The bottled beer list was extensive but only a limited draft selection. The region has a number of craft brewers and it would have been nice to sample something produced locally. The food was tasty, well prepared and well timed including the appetizers. A magician fascinated us during the time between the apps and entrees. That was a special treat. Overall experience was A-​OK. We will return.

Not a place I would return to for food. My roasted beet and apple salad came without apples. My boyfriends burger was cooked like a hockey puck. The restaurant is a an old jail building so it has cool décor.

Wow! This is great! Despite some of the negative reviews, everything I experienced was perfect. Apparently the chef take these reviews seriously. Be sure and solicit the input of the server.

Very long wait time for meals. Undercooked burger. Blood red in center. Owner very rude and unapologetic. Would not recommend or go back.

The food is great and the servers are doing their best but the drunken owner wandering around yelling at them and messing up our order was enough to make us not want to return. I truly feel bad for the employees.

Very disappointed in the owner. Party of 16 who had made reservations ahead of time greeted nicely by the staff. Arrived and received drinks and appetizers in a timely matter, however; three times we were interrupted by an incredibly intoxicated owner who was looking for the «office», which was actually an area where she was laying down to «rest». After an hour and a half without entrees we decided to leave. Payment was left with the waitress who did a wonderful job. Very upset that this did not turn out to be a good birthday dinner for our friend. It appears also that the wait staff is aware and that this is not the first time that the owner has acted unprofessionally. It is too bad because I personally was excited to try there burgers, it is unfortunate that our party (and the birthday girl) were unable to experience menu that looked appetizing. :-(

After waiting almost two hours we left without ever getting our food. The service was absolutely horrible. Were told that there would be a half wait for a table. 50 minutes later we were seated at the table that time forgot. Sat another 20 minutes and had to flag down a waitress. When I asked if she was our waitress her reply was I don’t think so. What??? A waitress that is clueless to which tables she is supposed to serve. Another 10 minutes and a waiter takes our order for two hamburgers and fries. Waited another 35 minutes. My husband walked out. I asked to speak to the manager that took another few minutes. The owner gave me the song and dance that her and her husband aren’t getting a pay check that they are are trying to make it. Perhaps they should teach their employees their jobs. We were totally ignored. We walked out so I can’t tell if the food was good or not. While we were waiting another customer tried to pay his bill at the bar because he had to leave and his waitress hadn’t come back to his table.

Food is amazing, love the atmosphere! :) it is so cool eating in a old jail— will be back!

This place is pretty adorable. My sister and I went for lunch one afternoon and I was pretty surprised. It’s an old jail so all the tables are set behind the jail bars in the cells. The potato chip appetizer is pretty good, as was the burger. The service was great. The server was on top of everything and did a great job. We went back a second time and the burger I ordered medium and it came out more than well done and burned so it was tough to eat, however the first time it was perfect. We also had soup which was great. Overall we had a great time. We’ll definitely go back.

Ordered drinks and it took a half an hour to recieve them. Mac and Cheese bites were mediocre with not a lot flavor. Service was slow if not down right poor. Did not get the orders correct, food was bland and not up to par. Got a Caesar Salad that almost no dressing and cheap tasteless croutons. Chicken Buerre Blanc was bland and not very filling. Very disappointed would not recommend. Really cannot believe that I could not get a baked potato with a steak. Prices were outragous for mediocre food. Seemed like we were paying more for the décor than the food.

SUPER loved this place! The food was great and eating in an old jail cell was really awesome. The staff was super friendly too!
I chose four stars because it did take a while for us to get our food and my burger was more medium rare than well done. I still ate it and it was still delicious… But not what I asked for.
I still highly recommend it! Calaboose was fabulous and we’ll be back!

We arrived and attempted to order 1 veggie burger and 1 veggie meatball sub. The waitress came back and said they make the veggie burgers and the veggie meatballs out of the same «stuff» and they only had enough left for one.
I switched my veggie burger to a Thai Salad.
I did not enjoy my Thai Salad. Apparently «Romaine with select greens» = iceberg lettuce.
My dining partner really loved the veggie meatball sub.

Seriously??? What can I say that would adequately sum up our experience? We were in town (we live 2 ½ hours away) and checked Unilocal for a restaurant. Not knowing the theme, we gave it a shot.
WOW! We walked in and were instantly captivated (pun totally intended) by the atmosphere. The bartender was friendly and fun. Well drinks and house wine are 2 for 1 all the time (can you say AWESOME??).
We were seated in our «cell» which was comfy and private. Our waitress Cassie was bubbly and incredibly fun. And then the food came.
Our steaks were AMAZING. Cooked perfectly, full of flavor, and perfectly portioned. The sides were equally scrumptious.
We have dined all over the country, and this restaurant is hands down one of my all time favorites. I am still STUNNED it is on a small town like Owego, and is definitely the gem of the community.
Bravo! We wi be back!

We just waited for 15 minutes without anyone even coming to get our order for drinks… We walked out, hungry and angry. Horrible service skills.

Was in Owego for a short visit and decided to check out downtown with a few friends of mine. We saw the positive reviews on Unilocal and decided to grab lunch.
Apparently it used to be an old prison or jail, which inspired the décor. We ate out on the balcony, and it looks very nice from the outside. But what I saw of the inside looked really nice too — unique décor.
Our server was very friendly and attentive. The restaurant have good drink specials (including BOGO wine and well drinks). I liked the menu variety — wide range of burgers, steaks, chicken dishes, salads, and appetizers. I got Irish pub nachos, my gf got a burger, and my two friends got salads. The pub nachos and burgers were freaking tasty, and I typically do not care for bar food (other than jalapeño poppers, because duh). I didn’t try the salads, because I’m not a rabbit, but my friends really enjoyed them. All four of us were really quite satisfied with the food, service, and prices. If you’re in Owego and want to grab a bite to eat and/​or some drinks, I would definitely recommend this place. I can’t imagine I’ll find myself back in Owego, but I would 100% grab lunch here if I found myself in town. I highly recommend.

If you’re looking for a great new place, new experience, amazing food and drinks, this is THE place to go!
The food:
If you’re looking for something light, or you’re not a big eater, like I am, get the shrimp enchilada. It was so good. Not burnt! Amazing sauce! And top it off with avocado and sour cream! Delicious!
We also ordered the spaghetti with meatballs. Hands down, with their toasted bread, AMAZINGGGG!
And let’s not forget the service!
I had an awesome waitress named Cassie! She explained all the courses, the drinks, and had a great personality! She just added the spunk to the experience!
Amazing ambiance, cool design, and just eating in a prison, now that’s what I call living in the norm!