Long summer days and warm summer nights are here, bringing us the carefree feeling of endless time for those post-work hikes and late dinners with friends. And as if that weren’t enough to rejoice over, those warm days herald the return of glorious outdoor dining. When life throws obstacles in your way, you can throw up your hands or find a path around them—and sometimes the detour you take reveals wonderful things you weren’t supposed to miss. Such has been the reality of our region’s deliciously diverse dining scene in the pandemic era. It wasn’t possible everywhere, of course, but just about every restaurant that could do it opened outdoor seating—and many found, once the practical issues were smoothed out, that it was way too well-loved to quit.
There are good reasons for that. There’s nothing like a meal outdoors in the Hudson Valley. Dine on the waterfront and watch the river flow by in all its effortless power, or beside a babbling brook or pounding waterfall. Dine with a panoramic view of a Catskill Mountains sunset, alongside a meadow full of flowers or a pasture, or among an orchard full of ripening buds. Dine and people-watch on a village street, or in an intriguingly tucked-away courtyard. Feast on wood-fired pizza while live jazz wafts its way to the clouds or a zydeco band gets you dancing in your seat. DIY it—pack a basket with the finest to-go treats and head for a summit, a mossy creek-bank, a gazebo at the park beside the swings. Just do take full advantage of our outdoor dining while the weather’s right—everything pairs well with fresh air.
some great al fresco dining options:
Aba’s Falafel, Rhinebeck
Angela’s Pizza, Lake Katrine
Annarella Ristorante, Saugerties
Arkville Bread & Breakfast, Arkville
Bacchus, New Paltz
Bistro To Go, Kingston
Brickmen Kitchen + Bar, Kingston
Brio’s, Phoenicia
Brooklyn Cider House, New Paltz
Cafe Marguerite, Margaretville
Cafe Mio, Gardiner
Colony, Woodstock
Country Inn & Petaly’s Restaurant, Olivebridge
Creekside, Rosendale
High Voltage Creek Bar, Mountaindale
Darlings, Tillson
Eggs Nest, High Falls
Emerson’s Woodnotes Grille, Mt. Tremper
First Capital Poke Bar, Kingston
Gardiner Brewing, Gardiner
Garvan’s Gastropub, New Paltz
Grazery, New Paltz
Hickory BBQ, Kingston
High Falls Café, Kingston
Hoffman House, Kingston
Jar’d Wine Pub, New Paltz
Jessie’s Harvest House, Tannersville
Kelder’s Loading Dock, Kerhonkson
Main Course, New Paltz
Mill + Main Restaurant, Kerhonkson
Ole Savannah, Kingston
Ollie’s Pizza, High Falls
The Parish, New Paltz
The Phoenician Steakhouse, Phoenicia
The Spy, High Falls
Peekamoose Restaurant & Tap Room, Big Indian
Runa, New Paltz
Seconds, Catskill
Sportsman’s Alamo Cantina, Phoenicia
Stone Ridge Orchard, Stone Ridge
Stella Station, Saugerties
Terrapin, Rhinebeck
Tetta’s, Olivebridge
Yum Yum Noodle Bar, Kingston, Red Hook, Woodstock
