Tiny’s Grill

Originally built in 1931, Tiny’s was a hotspot for the miners who worked on the railroads on Whitesboro Circle. Around 1960, the original location of the restaurant was taken by the current Utica Memorial and Tiny’s moved and took over the old State Street Grill building but it wasn’t quite the Tiny’s we know yet. It was just a smaller bar and grill until Joanne Gerace took over in 1990. From designing the new and iconic neon sign for Tiny’s to starting the second largest nutcracker collection in the country, Gerace did everything and more for Tiny’s. The original sign was so aged and deteriorated and unsalvageable so she drew and planned out and worked with a local sign maker to make her vision come true. When the restaurant was one of the biggest jazz and blues joint in the whole country, Gerace built a new room in the back where the jazz players would have played and a deck area behind the restaurant. In the year 1994, Gerace was called multiple times before receiving a surprise visit from someone who wanted to sell her the Blues Brothers who stand side by side the custom made neon sign and accompany the annual parade float. Tiny’s Grill’s environment during the winter can only be described as a close relative’s inviting home during the holidays. It’s a space full of hearty laughs from the humble and friendly locals. The bartender calmly and kindly greets everyone and all the regulars seem to be on a first name basis with the employees. As the previous home of the Utica Devil’s, the walls of the restaurant are decorated from top to bottom with photographs of local hockey and other athletes like a wall of photos at a grandparent’s house. They take pride as a fun family establishment with great customer relations and certainly uphold their word. It’s a place you look forward to going to for the people, the environment, and the food. Tiny’s Grill became one of the oldest continuing establishments in Utica with it’s welcoming environment and the amount of love and care that goes into the restaurant and its customers. Gerace is a proud owner that puts her own personal touch onto the restaurant that makes Tiny’s a truly unique place. There is so much history packed in every square foot of the restaurant that implores you to be curious and learn with open arms. The amount of dedication that this restaurant has to its town and to the locals is something that really makes Utica proud.