After a brief delay, on November 1, Kestrel Tavern officially opened its doors in Midtown Kingston. Owner Steven Ives, who cut his teeth behind bars across the US and published his debut novel Even After Always last year, brings 33 years of bartending experience to the former Dear Kingston space at 21 O’Neil Street.
With a strong focus on local brews, the opening night tap list debuted with beer selections from Return Brewing, Equilibrium, Kingston Standard, Arrowood, Industrial Arts, Union Street, West Kill and Millhouse. Beyond the bar’s inherited a 14‐tap draft system, Ives has curated a spirits list that blends commercial mainstays like Tito’s and Jack Daniels with local small‐batch spirits from distilleries like Tenmile, Denning’s Point, Taconic, and Cooper’s Daughter Spirits, plus wine from Red Maple Vineyard.
A handful of well-named, inventive beer-shot combos run in the $9 to $11 range, with offerings like the Larry Lawrence (PBR + fernet), Bierocracy (Pils Urquell + Becherovka), and Flight 151 (Bud + Jager). Take your pick of $7 picklebacks—regular, spicy, or horseradish. The house cocktail list displays the mixological fluency of a seasoned bartender who doesn’t take himself too seriously. The Spaghett combines Miller High Life and Aperol ($9); the colorful High Coop is a hibiscus gin tonic with “somehow edible flowers” ($13); while the Dark & Stormy professes to offer darkness both real and imagined ($12). You can also order all the classic bar standards off-menu.
“For the most part, I’ll be mixing and matching for the rest of the calendar year with pop-ups and food trucks until early 2026,” Ives said of the culinary offerings. Last weekend, Big E BBQ did a pop-up, and in the coming weeks customers will also be able to order Matteo’s Pizza (from around the corner) for bar delivery via QR code within the half-hour. “I feel Matteo’s pizza and beer should be a winning combination,” Ives says.
A revamped sound system with ambient-noise sensing speakers improves on the chaotic acoustics of Dear Kingston, while soft diffuse lighting makes the space inviting to lounge for a few hours. In the massive backyard, biergarten picnic tables have been swapped out for groups of Adirondack chairs and fire pits, a space that holds promise for future pop-ups, live music, lounge nights, and events like outdoor theater, movie nights, and dog-centric happy hours.
With hours stretching into the early morning (Monday–Thursday 3pm to 2am, Friday 3pm to 4am, and a Saturday opening time of 11am to late), Kestrel is positioning itself as nightlife anchor for Kingston.
Kestrel Tavern and the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce will do a ribbon cutting ceremoney on Friday, November 14, at 2PM.
Kestrel Tavern
21 O’Neil Street, Kingston
