Lucky Hare Brewing brings taproom, lakefront dining to Watkins Glen. What to expect.

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Lucky Hare Brewing Company will soon open a full tap room with a food menu at the former Seneca Harbor Marina Restaurant in Watkins Glen.

The project marks an expansion of the Lucky Hare brand, which opened at 6085 Beckman Rd. in Hector, off Route 414, in early 2016. Owner Richard Thiel said once opened, the brewery/restaurant will offer the only lakefront dining year-round on Seneca Lake.

The building is owned by the Schuyler County Industrial Development Agency.

“When the Schuyler County IDA issued a request for proposal to manage the site, we evaluated what the potential was here and decided to submit a proposal,” Thiel said. “We thought it was a great place with a lot of potential.”

Horseheads Brewing Seneca Lake had the previous lease of the property for the last two years, which ended at the end of last October.

Thiel said the Schuyler County IDA put out an RFP in late 2023, and Lucky Hare was selected to take over management of the property.

When will Lucky Hare open?

Lucky Hare is hoping to open sometime this month.

“We are just waiting for the state liquor authority at this point in time,” Thiel said. “The kitchen staff members are hired and working, the bartenders have been hired and training. We are just waiting for the state liquor authority to issue our license, which we expect in the next few weeks.”

Thiel said the brewery/restaurant will be open year-round.

“That's an important thing,” Thiel said. “We love to see people here in January and February, not just July and August.”

During peak summer months the brewery/restaurant will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thiel said. In the early spring and late fall, the hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and in the winter hours will be noon to 9 p.m.

What will be offered at Lucky Hare

Thiel said the brewery/restaurant will have 10 Lucky Hare beer tap choices, a choice of domestic beers, seltzers, cider, wine as well as mixed drinks.

“We will have a whole menu of cocktails,” Thiel said. “Everything from gin and tonic to a margarita.”

Thiel said the food component will start out as a semi limited menu and as the restaurant gets busier options will increase to a more diverse and larger menu that will include everything from salads and burgers to seafood.

“We are going to have specialty cocktails, a rotating beer list, live music on Fridays and Saturdays,” Thiel said. “We significantly expanded seating at the bar. It's going to be a lot of fun, so come on down.”

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Other Lucky Hare locations

Lucky Hare Brewing Company has other locations in Hector and Owego, which opened last year, Thiel said. Both locations offer a full tap room and a food component.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Lucky Hare Brewing brings taproom, lakefront dining to Watkins Glen. What to expect.