Lost Dog Café & Lounge

Visit website

Lost Dog Café & Lounge is an upbeat café located in Binghamton, NY.

The venue strikes a careful balance between small, bohemian café and spacious restaurant, boasting a full bar and global fare backed by live jazz.

Owners, Marie McKenna and Elizabeth “Liz” Hughes, moved back to their hometown after spending more than a decade playing in an all-female band in New York City. Working in restaurants to make ends meet, the pair also became regulars in many cafés across the Big Apple whenever they found a spare moment.

Upon their return to Binghamton, they decided to create a comfortable, unassuming venue of their own where people could hang out, eat good food, and drink great coffee.

Lost Dog Café & Lounge first opened in an old garage on Main Street in October 1994. It was named for Liz’s dog, Clarese, a chihuahua who had a reputation for disappearing – often for weeks at a time – but always turning up.

After finding initial success, the café moved to a larger space on the site of an old cigar factory downtown in 1997. The bigger premises meant that Marie and Liz were now able to accommodate more customers and turn their venture into a real, full-scale restaurant where bands could perform and art could be hung.

When it came to their site and online store, Lost Dog Café & Lounge’s owners turned to local WordPress and WooCommerce-focused designers and developers, FreshySites.

“[The site] combines the vibe/feel of the restaurant with the products…along with an interesting Sauce Locator customization.”
– FreshySites

The restaurant sells a variety of tangy sauces – such as Chili Lime Vinaigrette, Honey Hot Sauce, and their signature Vodka Sauce – shipped individually or in six-bottle cases throughout the United States, with Clarese’s face adorning each and every label.

If you ever find yourself looking for a “home away from home” in Binghamton, be sure to stop by the Lost Dog Café & Lounge. It’s more than food, more than coffee, and more than music.