The Elf In The Oak

The breakfast here was excellent! We ordered the Spicy, the Sausage Gravy, and two cinnamon rolls. The sausage gravy was so good, very hearty. The Spicy was just right with a mild and enjoyable heat. The cinnamon rolls were incredible! They were so flaky and moist and not too sweet. Perfect with a cup of coffee. Highly recommend!

Once you park, walk to back that's where you place your order and pick your spot.
Had the Cuban, which was fantastic.
Bread was especially good.
Has sweet potato fries they give you honey to go with it.
FYI, try the fries with hot sauce.
Also, I had a Turkey sandwich with added bacon.
Excellent food.
Nice Winery a bit further up..

Finally checked this place out. Pretty decent. Food was good. A little confusing picking up the food but overall they seemed to put a lot of thought into the menu. We will definitely be back. We had the Italian sub. Bread was fantastic and ice tea was really good. Nice to have an option that’s not overloaded with booze.

Walk in, order, get delicious food! Service is exceptionally quick (given you walk in and order at a window). The breakfast sandwich I got here was as perfect as I could have asked. My one note is if you're looking for somewhere entirely indoors and warm year round this is not that place (yet) as their main seating is not entirely sealed off from the outdoors but it's got some heating! "Atmosphere" of being right on the lake makes up for it (for me at least, to each their own)

What a find! We were looking for a lunch spot that wasn't at a vineyard because we find that food to be subpar and overpriced. My boyfriend found this place on google and I am so glad we gave it a go, even after we accidentally passed it on the road. These sandwiches were ridiculously good and the back porch looking out at the lake was such a nice touch. We had the Roasted Pork Loin and the Jerk Chicken. The Jerk Chicken was my favorite, though my boyfriend thought it was a little spicy. Don't worry, it wasn't. Definitely add this as a stop along your way to a wine tasting.

The clam po-boy was AMAZING and The bourbon smash was soo good! Can’t wait to come back! Best lunch on Seneca Lake!

Great place to stop for lunch. We got the turkey with caramelized onions and the roast beef sandwich. Both were delicious! Lunch with a view ☀

What a great little find! Fantastic views. The food was delicious. The Italian soda was a game changer. Would highly recommend the Italian sodas! The biscuit sandwich was really delicious but it fell apart when eating (possibly my own fault holding it too hard) tehe but still really yummy!

Heard about this place in an article about Watkins Glen, cute little sandwich shop you would not even know it’s there. Slightly passed hector falls. Simple sandwich menu, able to accommodate. Able to upgrade from kettle chips to fries for $4: Sandwiches reasonable priced and sized. Locally sourced “Fizz” soda. No wait service. Order at the window, then pick up. Able to sit on deck or grass overlooking the lake. It’s a must try, especially after a day at the wineries near by

Delicious! Stopped on our way back from hiking the gorge trail at Robert H. Treman State Park near Ithaca (beautiful and well worth it!) and thoroughly enjoyed our sandwiches. We got the vege panini and turkey panini. Best part was the view of Lake Seneca and the atmosphere of the laid back restaurant. Thank you!

Great place. Top notch. Great food, great service, great view. DOG FRIENDLY. what more can you ask for. This place is a must visit if you are hungry and want to relax as well.

Food was AMAZING. Me and my girl were visiting from long Island and wanted to try this spot. Went there on a Sunday around 9am and I tried the sugar waffle eggs bacon and cheese. It was delicious. Didn't need any hot sauce it was that good. She got the crosiants eggs and cheese and she loved hers as well. The back was a little cold but other then that, the people were really friendly and they even gave us a free cinnamon roll. Will definitely come back when I'm back in the area.

We had lunch at The Elf in the Oak while staying in the area for a wedding. The food was fantastic. It was a beautiful day so eating on the deck was nice. The view was picture perfect from there.

Great place and yummy sandwiches, even had great vegetarian options. Alcoholic drinks and iced coffee were all great too. Pictured is the special scallop Po boy. Delicious.

When visiting Watkins Glenn and asking around for the locals’ favorite place for lunch, it seemed unanimous the folks love The Elf in the Oak. Just the name invokes curiosity and humor. We learned firsthand that it is a unique gem that overlooks Seneca Lake with its lush and expansive lawns. Dining is outside either under their covered back deck or out on the lawn.

The service is top notch. Staff are super upbeat and generate “happiness” with their big smiles and eagerness to make customers’ day great. Maybe it was just the day we were there, but the lady who brought our food to our table made it extra fun and pleasant. The music in the background is super and ideal for the setting.

The bread was fresh, flavorful, and bursting with heartiness. What makes their sandwiches exceptional is that both sides of the bread are generously buttered and grilled. The freshly made garlic mayonnaise sauce made the wrap.

For breakfast, I recommend the bacon, egg, and cheese on a biscuit sandwich; the biscuit if baked to perfection and comes served nice and hot. The coffee is great good; they have a nice serve-yourself station. Also, they have Italian Seltzers – I love mine with mint and basil.

It’s nice that they are open till 9 PM on Friday and Saturdays. We did fine with parking – but then we arrived just after a rain. Within a short time, the place was packed. Advice: come prepared as there are only outdoor porta potties. Prices are a little more than we expected but the ambiance and scenery are worth it! This is a dining out in the Finger Lakes environment you don’t want to miss.

What a great little find! Totally forgot to take pictures of our sandwiches before we demolished them, but you can see we were (mostly) members of the clean plate club! The Brie bird was just an OUTSTANDING sandwich- it was really a great surprise. The staff were incredible, the vibe relaxed and sunny, and the view is beautiful. Thank you elf in the oak crew!

It's a sandwich place and the sandwiches are very good.

Breakfast is only served sometimes and only until 11, and they sometimes open at 11 and do not serve breakfast (which was a sad realization for me because I was hoping to have some of the breakfast food as sandwiches aren't really my thing). With that said, let me reiterate that the sandwiches are very good and if you go with the mindset of looking forward to having sandwiches, you will not be disappointed!

The view is also lovely and sitting on the patio is great. I enjoyed the record player adding to the ambiance.

I'm not sure if the window setup made it hard to hear but two items we ordered were missed (not added to the order) and I was really disappointed about it but the huge line of people that had appeared since we had ordered made it a big deterrent to go to the window and order anything more.

Was also slightly concerned that the bathroom was a port-a-pottie. And although it did have the foot pump water, I guess I'm not well versed enough to know about whether the hand washing water is recycled but it makes me nervous considering that sandwiches are all eaten using hands, but maybe I'm paranoid.

The staff was super nice (if hard of hearing) and deserves bonus kudos.

This sandwich shop at the front it will hard to tell. Once you walk back of their building, that the sandwich. So many unique choice. We got the Reuben and Chicken Schnitzel with upgraded to onion ring and sweet potato fries. It did take some time to get your order and worth the wait. The sandwiches are tasty and you get to enjoy the lake view. Feel so relaxing.. the only thing I would mention is the chicken Schnitzel, the bun, doesn't taste
pretzel enough. I had it in the city the pretzel bun, the pretzel taste is very strong. Otherwise both sandwiches are awesome good ad worth the upgrade as well.

If I could give this place 100 stars, I would! Ate breakfast there Sunday with a Mimosa and lunch there Monday with coffee before leaving the Finger Lakes. Nikki is a gem! She was welcoming, enthusiastic and a perfect hostess! We knew we were someplace special the moment we met her! Then we got the food and it blew our minds. Carl is a genius in the kitchen! Chicken and Waffles is to die for and the raspberry scones were amazing! Thank you both for making our stay an extremely memorable one!

I've been here a couple of times before, so I decided to bring my friends. I really talked the food up, but it didn't backfire because my friends also loved it! Two of us had the chickpea shawarma salad, but as a wrap: highly recommended if you like exotic flavors. One of us had the vegan Greek salad, but she added Feta. My friend had the PMT with grilled chicken, and he was very impressed because both sides of the bread were buttered and toasted. This local kombucha was delicious. The view is gorgeous.