REVIEW: LITTLE GOAT, Rhinebeck

Jan 25

Little Goat, Rhinebeck

6380 Mill Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572 | littlegoatny.com

We like it for: Drop in for the all-day café & bakery, date night, group dinners.
Must try: Craft cocktails (especially the martini service,) grilled Hudson Valley steelhead trout with charred local greens, house-made rigatoni pasta with pork ragu, Sparrowbush bread, pastries, Basque cheesecake
Vibe: Warm and inviting with modern-farmhouse, neighborhood feel
Sound: Relaxed conversational, easy dinner chatter as evening settles
Style: Beautifully restored 18th-century townhouse with layered creamy interiors, warm wood accents, woven accessories, vintage ceramics, and curated pantry shelving.
Service: Servers are friendly, plates come out surprisingly fast, but we’re not hurried.

Little Goat opened in 2025 in the former Amsterdam restaurant with a broad identity as all-day bakery-café, community gathering spot and cozy evening restaurant. An interior in warm creams with curated shelves gives modern French farmhouse, (and a dash of Martha Stewart at-home,) whether you linger over morning coffee, a three-course dinner or share a few plates with a glass of wine. Don’t skip the signature martini service, a highlight of Little Goat’s bar program by mixologists Natasha David and Jeremy Oertel, with—surprise!—a blended gin-and-vodka martini on a silver tray with sidecar and pickled garnishes on ice. It’s lovely + easily one and a half martinis, hence the $25 price. A rye Matchstick Old Fashioned with smoked date syrup and verino tentura antica cinnamon is seasonally on-point but sweeter than hoped. Other options like The Holiday (sloe gin, campari, sweet vermouth) and the Caravan (blanco tequila, liqueur de piment oiseau, pomegranate, lime, cardmom) picked up on Mediterranean flavors but also skewed slightly sweet. There are a couple of nice spirit-free options and an accessible wine list by the glass (priced $14 to $17.)

Architect Taavo Somer, an architect-turned-restaur-preneur, and business parter Erin Winters, the duo behind Inness, a Hudson Valley boutique hotel and spa, as well as their work on Hotel Kingsley and Isa in Kingston, have created something polished but community-oriented at Little Goat. Equally convenient for baked goods and provisions to go, comfortable for simple meals, and arguably more farm-to-table than most, Executive chef Brian Paragas (Blackberry Mountain, Vetri Cucina and Zahav) lends Mediterranean flavors to regional, seasonal produce through a streamlined menu. You can pick-and-mix for a shareable feast of vegetable-forward small plates, house-made pastas, and one of four simple entrees of built around local chicken, pork, beef or fish. Standouts include grilled harissa carrots with farmer’s cheese, mint and cilantro; charred local greens, and a lively beet-grapefruit and grilled kale salad with sesame pesto and ricotta salata.

Parking: Street parking and nearby municipal lots downtown
Nearby: 1. Cinnamon Restaurant (Indian) 2. {pretty to think so} (Modern American, craft cocktails) 3. Le Petit Bistro (French) 4. Terrapin (Modern American)