WHERE TO EAT IN POUGHKEEPSIE: 3 PLACES TO KNOW
Poughkeepsie is more than just easy access to the city via Metro-North. Downtown investment, the custom-built Eastdale Village + a riverfront revival are reshaping Poughkeepsie for casual dining.
Photos: Susie Davidson Powell/The Dishing
From a renovated riverfront former icehouse on the banks of the Hudson to a French-Cajun restaurant in the custom-built Eastdale Village, and an award-winning downtown Poughkeepsie pizzeria we rate among the best in the entire Hudson Valley, these are 3 spots we think you should try for dinner or one epic day/night out.
BARBUE
30 Eastdale Ave N., Arlington (Poughkeepsie) | barbuebar.com | IG: @barbuebar
Channeling New Orleans’ Cajun flavors, Louisiana native Ryan Viator and business partner Sean Weeks (the pair also own Buns’ Burgers next door) have brought the bayou to Poughkeepsie. Though “barbue” is French-Cajun for catfish, alligators are a recurring theme on brass door handles, pink bathroom wallpaper and wearing a top hat in the logo. The interior, by design firm Maverick & Muse, has vintage charm in dark green tufted leather banquettes, black-and-white checkerboard floors, brass fixtures and a concrete bar, while a playlist growls jazzy Fats Domino and B.B. King.
The menu rolls in with Cajun boudin balls, fried oyster po’ boys, chicken-and-andouille gumbo, spiced pork belly cracklins, salted okra fries with cayenne, lime and a buttermilk dip, head-on Gulf shrimp and Louisiana hand pies filled with local Kilcoyne farm beef. The drinks list spans old world with a rye-cognac-Benedictine Vieux Carré, sweet iced tea and mint julep and new school with a pink peppercorn vodka, soda, strawberry Pink Gator. Beautifully styled, Cajun-spiced and open all day, Barbue is ideal for lunch, happy hour, date night or a sweet treat at the bar. A patio with heat lamps extends the outdoor season for fireside bayou vibes. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
THE GOVERNESS
1 Main St., Waryas Park| thebaronessbar.com/thegovernessbar | @thegovernessbar
Steps from the Poughkeepsie train station, The Governess in Waryas Park is a former brick ice-house turned river view lounge. Broad windows frame the Hudson River and a seasonal patio affords views of cruising boats and bike-and-pedestrian Walkway Over the Hudson. (Add that to your itinerary, if you can.) Inside, the nanny-themed décor includes a 7-foot-wide metal umbrella suspended in a corner, vintage Singer sewing machines repurposed as table bases, and the long bar stretching nearly the length of the space. There’s a piano for live music and karaoke and flatscreen TVs masquerading as framed art on the bar wall.
A menu is grounded in the chef’s French-Canadian roots starts at jambon-beurre baguettes and ends with lobster thermidor, but we’d recommend raw-bar oysters on crushed ice, house-smoked wings, a hefty steak selection and their award-winning burger served on a wooden plate. A pub-like, communal feel makes it casual enough for Sunday brunch, large enough for group meals with friends, family friendly or ideal for a pre-train tipple. The younger sibling of The Baroness and The Huntress, both in Queens, NYC, The Governess channels New York and Montreal vibes with seasonal Hudson Valley views.
HUDSON & PACKARD
29 Academy St., Poughkeepsie, NY | hudsonandpackard.com | @hudsonandpackard
Inside Hudson & Packard, a small, lively and industrially-styled pizzeria, the exposed brick walls, tin ceilings and open kitchen are all part of the chill, buzzy vibe. A neon signs, two-tops and a large communal table fit with a soundtrack that skews indie and retro. Collectively it’s the right backdrop for some serious pie. There’s a reason people drive an hour for chef Charlie Webb’s award-winning Detroit pizza with its thick, cushiony crust and golden edges, tangy tomato sauce, mozzarella caramelized to a frilled crisp, and adventurous toppings like hot honey pepperoni cups, jerk-chicken, kofta, pepperoni or chef’s whim seasonal specials that all seem to land. Their Mediterranean-inspired pie placed third in the world at the International Pizza Expo & Conference.
Dine in and you’ll be part of the hustle with take-out pizza flying out the door, pizza pans and ovens in full view and a lively crowd discussing crust texture like it matters. (It does.) Unlike most pizzerias, this is a destination and a place to linger, but as it’s right next door to cocktail bar Goodnight Kenny, you can make it a one-two punch for your night out: Start off with craft cocktails before diving into deep-dish ‘za or order it ahead and bring it back to enjoy at the bar. (Pizzas made to order take a good 30-minutes.) If you love it here, you should know the combined teams behind Hudson & Packard and Goodnight Kenny joined forces and opened Sorry, Charlie, a pizza and cocktail bar, in Kingston with thinner bar-style pies but the same easy-going vibe.