Morgans Grocery & Deli

Penny Carlton • January 13, 2026

A Seat at the Counter:

Memory, Comfort & Community

at Morgan's Grocery & Deli

There are places that feed you — and places that hold you.
Morgan’s Grocery in Penn Yan is firmly the latter.


Morgan’s has been part of this village since 1958, and truthfully, it feels like it has been here for as long as memory itself. It has certainly been around as long as I can remember, quietly anchoring everyday life in Penn Yan. Long before conversations about nostalgia and heritage became common, Morgan’s was already doing the work — serving good food, welcoming neighbors, and showing up day after day.


Today, Morgan’s calls the old depot home, and somehow that feels exactly right. A building once devoted to arrivals and departures now invites people to slow down instead. Trains may no longer pass through, but stories still do — carried in by regulars, newcomers, and generations who know this place by heart. History settling gently into history.


Step inside and you quickly realize Morgan’s is more than its beloved lunch counter. It remains, at heart, a true neighborhood grocery store — the kind built for real life. Shelves stocked with everyday essentials. Familiar brands and local favorites. A place you can run into without a list and still leave with exactly what you needed.


Then there’s the butcher shop — a cornerstone of Morgan’s identity. This is where skill and trust still matter. Cuts are trimmed with care. Questions are welcomed. Recommendations are offered honestly. Whether you’re planning a Sunday supper, a summer cookout, or just need something comforting for tonight’s dinner, the butcher counter carries both quality and quiet confidence — the way it always has.


At the lunch counter, that same sense of care carries through. The stools offer more than a seat; they offer a front-row place in village life. Coats are shrugged off, coffee cups refilled, and conversations unfold naturally. Farmers, shopkeepers, retirees, and visitors find themselves shoulder-to-shoulder, bound together by simple moments and shared familiarity.


And the food — honest, old-fashioned comfort food — needs no reinvention. Plates arrive hearty and familiar. Breakfasts that warm you clear through. Lunches that taste like they’ve always tasted, in the very best way. No frills. No fuss. Just food that knows its purpose.


For me, Morgan’s has always represented continuity. The world outside changes. Storefronts come and go. Life moves faster than it should. But Morgan’s remains — steady, familiar, reliable. A place where memory and the present sit side by side at the counter, sipping coffee and watching the day unfold.


In a small town, places like this matter more than we sometimes realize. Morgan’s isn’t just a grocery store, a butcher shop, or a deli.


It’s a gathering place.


A keeper of stories.


A reminder that some traditions are worth keeping just as they are.

If you find yourself in Penn Yan, you’ll find Morgan’s right where it’s always been — ready to welcome you.


Morgan’s Grocery & Deli
📍 100 Hamilton Street, Penn Yan, NY
📞 (315) 536-6612
🌐 morgansgrocery.com


So take a seat at the counter. Pick up something for dinner. Say hello to someone you know — or someone you don’t yet.


Some places don’t just serve food — they serve belonging.


Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka.

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