Sag Harbor’s Corner Bar Gets a New Life on Main Street

After nearly five decades, the Main Street institution has reopened as The Corner, keeping the mahogany bar and forest-green trim while giving the old neighborhood tavern a distinctly new menu.

The forest-green trim still lines the windows at The Corner Bar, and the polished mahogany gleams behind the bar as it always has. But almost everything else is new. After nearly half a century as a family-run tavern, the Sag Harbor staple now goes by The Corner, and its old-school vibe pairs with $44 lobster rolls, mahi-mahi tacos, and—because the Hamptons can’t help itself—a strawberry basil habanero margarita.

John and Kelly Piccinnini are the new stewards. They picked up 1 Main Street for $4.4 million back in February, teaming with Hildreth Real Estate Advisors on the real estate but keeping the restaurant business all to themselves. John calls the opportunity “an honor.” He insists The Corner will stay a local spot where everyone’s welcome, and actually wants it “affordable,” which feels like a statement around here.

Kelly knows the local food scene. Her family ran The Clam Bar out on Napeague, a late-summer rite for anyone who’s ever migrated east. Richard Ehrlich, her stepfather, started it in 1981; her mother, Betsy Flinn, took over before handing off to Kelly and John just last year. The pair also own Sett Coffee, because nobody survives the summer season without caffeine.

The Corner Bar, as everyone knew it, closed up in February after 46 years. Jim Smyth, who co-founded the place with Dan Locastro, ran the show until he died in 2017. His portrait, bearing the words “his true wealth was in his generous heart,” hung on the wall until the very end. This was the kind of joint where half the village cycled through as staff—Rhodi Winchell, sister to the last family trustee, started the first night and worked until the final shift.

The last call in February was heavy with nostalgia. The old Sag Harbor Police Chief gave a speech. Nancy Atlas—a local music legend who once waited tables there—climbed on top of the bar and played a set. At that moment, you couldn’t ignore how much this place meant to the community.

Transitions, of course, are messy. Ahead of the Piccinninis taking over, longtime managers and bartenders got word their jobs weren’t guaranteed. People talked. The new owners eventually opened up interviews to old staffers, so not everyone is new behind the mahogany.

As for the vibe, it’s a mix of old ghosts and new spirits. The green trim and that beautiful bar still anchor the room, now lined with leather banquettes. Vintage sports pennants and sailing flags nod to Sag Harbor’s maritime DNA.

The new Corner Bar Menu

The menu takes a turn toward “coastal gastropub”—think pork chops with roasted asparagus, warm charcuterie pretzels, and house potato chips with French onion dip. They’ve still got wings ($20), chicken sandwiches ($21), and a French dip ($28), but also lobster rolls ($44), mussels with chorizo, lobster soup, French onion soup, and a handful of pretty salads. T

he drinks list is pure Hamptons: martinis with blue-cheese-stuffed olives, a smoky mezcal gimlet with blood orange, side by side with local brews from Kidd Squid, Springs, and Montauk.

The Corner throws open its doors just as Main Street’s entire real estate map is shifting. The sandwich shop Cruust popped up down the block after its building cycled through lenders and developers, the latest casualty of high rents and relentless turnover that’s hit almost every Sag Harbor institution.

For now, The Corner is serving dinner and pouring drinks most nights at 1 Main. If you want to snag a seat—old-timer or first timer—you’ll find the info at cornerbarsagharbor.com or (predictably) by calling them yourself.

Ty Wenzel

Ty Wenzel is an award-winning writer, designer, and marketing professional with a career spanning fashion, publishing, media, and digital innovation. A recent breast cancer survivor, she began her career as a fashion coordinator for Bloomingdale’s before serving as fashion editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine. Her work has appeared in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, and she is the author of a memoir published by St. Martin’s Press. In 2020, Wenzel co-founded James Lane Post, where she covers lifestyle, real estate, architecture, and interiors. She previously served as a writer and marketing director for The Independent. Her work in journalism, social media, and design has been recognized with multiple PCLI and NYPA awards, including best website design and best magazine. Wenzel is also the founder of the Hamptons-based social media agency TWM Hamptons Social Media, where she develops high-level branding and digital strategy for luxury clients.