Old City Hall Brewery

New Oswego Restaurant Serves Up Classic Beers, Food in Cool Atmosphere

By Julie McMahon

Façade of the new Old City Hall Brewery in Oswego. The structure, built in 1836, was restored following instructions of the New York State Historic Preservation Office.

The Old City Hall Brewery, a new joint in Oswego, is setting the bar with great food and beer offerings in a cool refurbished atmosphere.

The building — which sits near the mouth of the Oswego River where it meets Lake Ontario — traces its history to 1836, when it first served as a market house. In 1848, the building was turned into Oswego’s very first City Hall. Starting in 2022, the team behind Old City Hall Brewery worked with the New York State Historic Preservation Office to restore the building to its historic architecture.

The building is beautiful, an inviting open space with lots of light.

Seeing as we’d found ourselves dining at a brewery, we felt we must try flights of the in-house beer to start off. Our flights ($15 each) came out quickly, each beer accompanied with a chalk-marked sign, a charming touch. We had a lot of fun sipping our samples and comparing notes.

We tried:

Beer flight: “We had a lot of fun sipping our samples and comparing notes.”

• Lighthouse (lager) — simple, crisp and clean, what you’d expect from a lager

• Guardian of the Frontier (Session India Pale Ale) — “crushable,” piney and bitter as described, very smooth for a hoppy IPA

• East Side (New England IPA) — classic fruity IPA

• West Side (West Coast IPA) — less fruity and more floral, “vibrant” as noted

• Iron Clad (stout) — strong coffee flavor, but not too thick on the tongue

• Close the Porthole! (Maibock) — malty, not my favorite but my partner who likes Maibocks more enjoyed this

• Gavel Drop (cream ale) — also not for me, but enjoyed by my dining partner, who said he thought this was a very light and crisp cream ale

They were good beers overall, the level of brewing you’ve come to expect from a local microbrewery in Central New York. They weren’t the best around (yet) but a solid showing for a new brewery in town.

The wait staff was friendly and our server was attentive. All the servers were dressed in denim aprons and white button-up shirts, which match the décor, mostly blue and denim against the wood and brick backdrop of the building. The basic decorations allow the open space itself to shine.

There was a great crowd on a Thursday evening at 9 p.m. Young and old filed inside, but the crowd tilted young. Music and the din of the patrons made it just a tad loud to be able to hear each other, but we enjoyed the people watching and soaking in the space: a huge dining area with a couple dozen tables, along with a large bar with TVs.

We ordered chicken wings (medium hot) as our starter. It did take quite a while (more than 30 minutes) for these to come out, which our server Brooklyn observed quickly as she kept checking on us to offer drinks. She also then insisted on making our wings complimentary, free of charge, due to the wait. This wasn’t necessary, but it was an appreciated move considering how long we waited.

The wings ($15) were piping hot when they arrived, but we devoured them anyway. They came eight wings to an order, and were a decent size, so it felt like a good amount to share for an appetizer. They were spicy, the appropriate heat level for our order. The blue cheese was especially delicious. The meat was tender but crispy and crunchy on the outside.

Our meals came out shortly after we finished the wings, so we didn’t find ourselves waiting throughout the night. It seemed that during our appetizers, the kitchen simply got backed up with orders from the large dining room, but they managed to catch up.

Pulled pork sandwich: Smoky, delicious barbecue sauce, tender melt-in-your-mouth meat, and crunchy slaw.

For our entrees, we ordered the pulled pork sandwich with a side salad ($18), and the OCH BYO burger with fries ($14).

The pulled pork was everything you’d want from this dish: smoky, delicious barbecue sauce, tender melt-in-your-mouth meat, and crunchy slaw. The sandwich was topped with a handful of frizzled onions, which also added an extra crunch to the sandwich, making this an excellent bite.

The side salad was also delicious and fresh. The house vinaigrette dressing was good, the croutons were salty and crunchy, but also soft and chewy, and the vegetables were garden-fresh. The onions came out sliced in large loops, which could have been cut down smaller for ease of eating.

The burger came cooked through although I ordered it “pink” (“pink” or “no pink” being the options offered). Though it was overcooked, the burger was still not too well done, and actually was right around the way I like it served. The cook could have been a bit more precise, but I still thought it was good. The toppings — lettuce, tomato and onion — were served fresh and crisp.

The condiments were all optional and served in side dishes for concocting on your own bite. I chose mayonnaise, ketchup and grain mustard. The burger was tasty, the bun fresh and held up against the moisture of the burger and condiments. Each bite was a good cross-section of flavor.

Finally, the fries were excellent, nice and crispy with a soft tender middle.

Our bill came to $62 plus tax. The wings were comped, but this still felt like a steal.

We enjoyed finishing sips of our beers as we wrapped up our dishes. We decided we’ll be back to check out this place again, whether for drinks or another meal.