From the moment the door opens at Garvan’s Gastropub, the welcome is unmistakable. There’s a smile in the foyer, a sense of ease in the room, and the feeling that you’ve arrived somewhere already in motion—somewhere hospitable in the oldest, most meaningful sense of the word. That instinct to receive guests warmly isn’t an affectation here; it’s the animating principle behind the restaurant, now celebrating its 10th anniversary.
When Garvan McCloskey and his wife Leonie opened Garvan’s in 2016, their goal was simple. “Our business plan was to bring the best of Irish hospitality to the Hudson Valley,” he says. A lifelong host who has worked in hospitality since childhood, McCloskey trusted that if they created a place rooted in welcome, generosity, and community, people would respond. They did—almost immediately. During the early renovation days, neighbors from the village stopped by unprompted, offering help, skills, even wallpapering a bathroom. That spirit of shared investment set the tone for what Garvan’s would become.
Set within a beautifully preserved house dating back to 1759 on the New Paltz Golf Course, the restaurant’s layered rooms—tavern, dining spaces, nooks, and corners—reward curiosity. Guests are often surprised not just by the architecture but by how fully the space invites them in. “Even in the foyer, you start enjoying the restaurant,” McCloskey says. “You meet a smiling face there.”
That welcome carried the restaurant through its most challenging chapter. When Garvan’s closed for several months during the pandemic, the future felt uncertain. But reopening the garden dining area proved transformative. Diners traveled from far beyond the region, sometimes driving up from New York City just for dinner before heading home again. “The response really solidified the business,” McCloskey says. “It put us on the map in a new way.”
The menu, meanwhile, balances tradition with evolution. Irish classics—Guinness lamb stew, cod and chips, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie—anchor the offerings, alongside customer favorites like the slow-braised short ribs and scallops with risotto. The bar is known for its carefully poured Guinness, award-winning wine list, and inventive cocktails, while desserts are entirely housemade, including the much-loved banoffee pie that routinely sells out. In recent years, a full vegetarian and vegan menu has been integrated into the main offerings, reflecting changing tastes without losing the restaurant’s core identity.
But what keeps people returning isn’t just food or drink—it’s the atmosphere created by the people inside. “One thing I always see people talk about is how well the staff get on with each other,” says Garvan’s son Conor McCloskey, restaurant manager. “The staff just like each other, and it adds to the atmosphere when people see that.”
Garvan agrees. “It’s a very happy house,” he says. “If you’re not happy, you can’t work here.” That happiness, he adds, is sustained by a reciprocal bond between staff, guests, and community. Ten years in, Garvan McCloskey remains deeply aware of that privilege. “We wouldn’t be here without our staff or our customers,” he says. “We feel very lucky to serve this community—and very proud to keep that sense of connection going.”
Garvan’s Gastropub
215 Huguenot Street, New Paltz
(845) 255-7888; Garvans.com
This article appears in March 2026.
