There’s a version of a pasta dish that plays it safe — inoffensive, forgettable, something you eat and move on from. And then there’s the seafood czarina at The Cellar in Owego, which is none of those things.
I ordered it during my trip down to the area, courtesy of Experience Tioga, and it stopped me mid-bite. It’s a hearty pasta cooked in a spicy cream sauce with scallops, shrimp, and lobster. The sauce had depth and heat. The seafood was the real deal. The whole thing came together in a way that made it feel intentional — like someone in that kitchen has been thinking about this dish for a while.
The Cellar has the kind of energy that makes you want to settle in. Not a place you rush through. A place you let the meal happen and you soak in the town’s history displayed in photos on the walls.
The Cellar is participating in Eat Local New York Restaurant Week presented by Summit Federal Credit Union. Head down to Tioga County, find this restaurant, and order the czarina. You’ll thank yourself.
A huge thank you to Experience Tioga for bringing me down to explore everything this region has to offer, and to The Summit Federal Credit Union for sponsoring Eat Local New York Restaurant Week (April 13–26, 2026). If you haven’t checked out the participating restaurants yet, head to our Restaurant Week page to find a spot near you.
