Despina's Mediterranean Cucina

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Despina's Mediterranean Cucina Family run fast casual restaurant, serving classic Greek & Mediterranean fare, plus catering.

10/20/2026

**A Day Off in the Life of a Restaurant Owner 🍨**

Nobody asked, but here's how I spent my day off. You're welcome.

Day off. Couch. Pint of Perry's Parkerhouse. Living my best life.

Three spoonfuls in, I notice something. Or rather, I *don't* notice something. Where are the maraschino cherries? I dug. I excavated. I found maybe two, and one may have been a hallucination.

So naturally I started drafting a strongly worded letter. "Dear Perry's, I write to you today with a heavy heart and a light cherry count…" 📝

Halfway through, it hit me. I'm a grown adult. I own a restaurant. I have a walk-in. I have *jars* of maraschino cherries.

So I got up, grabbed my own, and fixed it myself. Problem solved. 🍒

Perry's, I still love you, but you need to do better. The letter is saved in drafts. Watching you. 👀

Anyway, that's my day off: eating ice cream, getting mad at ice cream, and then stealing from my own business to fix the ice cream. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk that nobody requested.

Speaking of fixing things with food: **come see us tomorrow for Stifado!** Shiitake mushrooms from our friend Tom at Forest Canopy, chickpeas and pearl onions, slow-simmered in a rich tomato base with warm spices. No cherries were harmed in its making. 😅

10/18/2026

**Okay, okay. We hear you. 🙌**

You've been asking (some of you *daily*… you know who you are), and we got the message loud and clear: **Stifado is officially on the menu for the winter!**

Slow-simmered, rich, cozy, and made for exactly the kind of Binghamton weather that's coming for all of us. Jessie's been perfecting this one, and it's the bowl you'll want in your hands when the snow starts flying. ❄️🍲

And as always, a huge shoutout to our friends at **Forest Canopy** for the gorgeous mushrooms that make this dish what it is. Local, beautiful, and the real MVP of the pot. 🍄

Come warm up with us. You asked for it. Now you have to eat it. 😉

📍 8 Main St, Downtown Binghamton

10/16/2026

A quick word from the Despina's family ❤️

We believe nobody in our community should go hungry. If you're having a hard time, come talk to us. No questions, no judgment, no awkward explanations needed. We will feed you. That's always been who we are, and it always will be.

What we can't accept is theft. Today someone came in, deliberately kept our staff distracted, and used that moment to grab as many of our grab-and-go meals as he could. Those meals are made by hand by a small family team, and every one of them matters to us.

The difference between the two is simple: all you had to do was ask.

We have the whole thing on camera and are handling it through the proper channels. To that person, if you're reading this: our door is still open if you need help. Just come to the counter next time.

To everyone else: thank you for supporting a small family business that's trying to take care of this town. 🙏

10/11/2026

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💗 **Join us today at Mirabito Stadium!** 💗

We're heading out to support the fight against breast cancer, and we'd love for you to come stand with us. **All proceeds** from today go toward research, care, and support for the patients, survivors, and families who face this disease every day.

So many of us have someone in our lives who's been touched by breast cancer: a mom, a sister, a friend, a coworker. Today is about showing up for them.

Come say hi, grab some good food, and help us make a difference for our community. Every plate counts!

📍 Mirabito Stadium, Binghamton
🕘 Starting at 9 AM

You can also follow on Instagram to see more of our in house hyjinx.
10/10/2026

You can also follow on Instagram to see more of our in house hyjinx.

**Introducing the Despina's Community Closet 🧥❤️**Winter's coming to Binghamton, and we know a lot of our neighbors coul...
10/10/2026

**Introducing the Despina's Community Closet 🧥❤️**

Winter's coming to Binghamton, and we know a lot of our neighbors could use a little extra warmth. So we're starting a Community Closet right here at Despina's.

**Have something to give?** Drop off clean, gently used clothing during our regular hours. Coats, hats, gloves, sweaters, boots, and kids' sizes are especially welcome as it gets colder.

**Need something?** Come in and take what you need. No questions asked, no explanation needed, and no purchase required. That's it.

We've always believed a good table feeds more than just your stomach, and this felt like the natural next step. Please share this so it reaches the folks who could use it most.

Thank you, Binghamton. Let's keep each other warm this winter. 💙

10/06/2026

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**A little news from the Despina's family 💙**

First, a huge THANK YOU. Your support, your kind words, and all those 5-star reviews mean the world to us. You're the reason we get to do what we love every day.

And "every day" is kind of the problem. 😅 Seven days a week was a lot. So we've decided that starting **today**, Despina's will be **closed on Tuesdays**.

Jessie needs a day to tackle the projects around the house and the mountain of paperwork that's been staring at her. (The paperwork is winning. For now.)

**Catering is still on for Tuesdays!** Got an office lunch, a party, or a family gathering? Reach out and we'll take care of you.

Thanks for understanding and for being the best customers a family restaurant could ask for. See you Wednesday through Monday! 🇬🇷🇮🇹

10/04/2026

Back on chaos. Per my last post. 🙃

Today's plan was simple. Up at 6 AM with nothing but good intentions: set up the market, go to church, run the market. Easy. Wholesome. Organized, even.

Fate read that plan and said "that's cute."

My car died. Not a gentle "I'm feeling a little tired" kind of death. A full, dramatic, Sunday-morning, no-thank-you death.

The final tally:
🚗 Two borrowed cars (one courtesy of Grandma, who saved the day without even blinking)
🔋 One new battery
👨‍🔧 One husband, installing said battery in a parking lot like a pit crew of one
⚡ One car with juice again

So if you saw me today looking a little windblown and running on pure caffeine and spite, now you know. The market happened. Church happened (with extra prayers for the car). And we're still standing.

Huge thank you to Grandma for the wheels, and to my husband, who is apparently also our mechanic now. Put it on his résumé.

Chaos: 1. Despina's: still open. 💪

I'm officially back on my chaos. 🌪️ I somehow managed to log myself out of ALL my accounts… and it's been a WEEK since I...
10/03/2026

I'm officially back on my chaos. 🌪️ I somehow managed to log myself out of ALL my accounts… and it's been a WEEK since I could get back in. Passwords? Gone. Memory? Also gone. So I did what any strong, independent restaurant owner would do… sat there helplessly for seven days waiting for my husband to come rescue me from myself. 🙃 (Randy, if you're reading this, yes, I know. Please don't say it.)

Now for the actual news: Despina's is CLOSED today, Saturday, October 3rd. 🚪

BUT if you're missing us, you can find me at Jennie F. Snapp today, rolling pitas like my sanity depends on it (because it kind of does). 🫓💪 Come say hi, grab some food, and maybe remind me what my passwords are.

See you there! ❤️

09/18/2026

🎂 **BIRTHDAY TWINS!** 🎂

Turns out the universe has a sense of humor — today is my birthday, AND it's the birthday of the former owner of this very restaurant. Same day, different decades of somebody stressing about the lunch rush in this kitchen. 😂

So we're celebrating in the best way we know how: **any order over $40 today gets a FREE dessert on us.**

Come help me turn 40 in style — and let's be honest, at this point cake counts as a vegetable. 🍰

Address

8 Main Street
Binghamton, NY
13905

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 6pm
Tuesday 11am - 6pm
Wednesday 11am - 7pm
Thursday 11am - 7pm
Friday 11am - 7pm
Saturday 11am - 6pm

Telephone

+16072352406

Website

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