When you own a restaurant that comes with the word “iconic” attached to it, you have to be careful about making changes.

So says Joe Spaziani, co-owner and chef for Lib’s Supper Club in Elmira. For seventy years, Lib’s has provided diners with a classic Italian restaurant experience, complete with rich colors, dim lighting, and a killer red sauce.

“When I add something to the menu, I watch it carefully,” Joe says, while keeping an eye on the front door traffic. “If it gets a good response, it stays.” Fan favorites include 16-ounce aged filet mignon, chicken parmesan, shrimp scampi, and prime rib. Takeout containers are standard, as Lib’s is famous for portions that cannot be eaten in one sitting.

The building at 106 West 5th Street began as an upscale hotel, including a ballroom. Joe remembers the family stories about vaudeville acts and bands playing at the restaurant. Maybe that’s how the celebrities got wind of Lib’s. The walls are covered with autographed photos of everyone from Tommy Hilfiger to Laurel and Hardy to the cast of Frasier. Joe’s brother Bob, the other half of the team, has a fondness for the famous, and the collection is his.

Joe says he’s had offers to open other Lib’s in major cities, but he’s too hands-on to leave Elmira. “You have to love this work. I’m dead tired on Saturday night, but by midday Monday I can’t wait to be back in the kitchen.”

He knows Lib’s was fortunate to survive the pandemic. “The community really came through for us. I figured we’d do maybe 100 takeout dinners a night. It was actually 300 or 400.” The establishment did not lose a single employee, many of whom have logged thirty or forty years of service.

Visitors from across the northeast make pilgrimages to Lib’s, and when companies bring in outside vendors, their first question off the plane is often, “Are we going to Lib’s?”

In 2023 Lib’s won Best of the Twin Tiers in several categories: Fine Dining, Steakhouse, All-around Restaurant, Italian Food, Meal for the Money, Romantic Restaurant, Carry Out, and Bloody Mary. All of this makes reservations an absolute necessity, especially on weekends.

The family has purchased the building next door, and Joe says they are still debating on the best use for it. “Maybe a cigar bar. Or maybe just more tables. We can seat 350 if we use all the space now, but last night we did 450 meals. So, yeah, maybe just more room.”

Lib’s is closed on Sunday and Monday, opening at 4 p.m. the rest of the week until 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit libssupperclub.net, follow them on Facebook, or call (607) 733-2752.