Hudson was arguably the first bright star on the Hudson Valley culinary map, drawing acclaimed New York City chefs ready for a change of pace and hordes of weekenders, ushering in a new era in local gastronomy that continues with James Beard Award-nominated restaurants like Cafe Mutton and Lil Deb’s Oasis. In the last 15 years, the food scene in the Hudson Valley has continued to mature and evolve, and Hudson along with it. In recent years, the Columbia County hotspot has seen its fair share of turnover, including the closure of Zak Pelaccio’s storied Fish & Game, both Crimson Sparrow and its successor Hudson Food Studio, American Glory, Ca’Mea, DaBa, and the brief and mysterious tenure of John DeLucie’s Merchant Social.
But as they say, where one restaurant closes, another opens. Here is a list of new Hudson eateries that have opened in the past year.
Banque
544 Warren Street, Hudson
Wine, gelato, chocolate, coffee, croissants—all life’s pleasures mingle at the newly opened Banque in Hudson. As you might guess, the space was formerly a bank and its large windows and high ceilings flood the elegant, reinvented space with light. Deep blue velvet banquette seating pairs elegantly with pale blue marble bistro tables and a terrazzo floor. For food, croissants are the most popular choice, with a variety of flavors from classics like plain or pain au chocolat to housemade pistachio praline filled with ganache. A short menu of breakfast and lunch items includes the essentials—egg sandwich, avocado toast—but made with French techniques. Evening menu options offer an a-la-carte selection of six modern European dishes, plus cocktails and wine. And don’t forget the house made chocolates and gelato.
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Saint Florian
342 Warren Street, Hudson
Located in a century-old firehouse that was formerly home to American Glory, Saint Florian offers what at a glance appears to be classic steakhouse fare, but don’t be fooled. While interning with Zak Pelaccio, chef-owner Robert Finn learned how to elevate simple American dishes using a subtle infusion of South Asian flavors blended with French techniques. Which is why the bacon is cured with palm sugar, Indian coriander, and turmeric, and Saint Florian’s house Caesar dressing sneaks in Vietnamese nuoc cham. Order in the bar, or head upstairs to the dining room on weekends, where a different menu offers grown-up options like stuffed clams, 22-ounce ribeye, and a 14-ounce strip steak with a peppercorn crust and sides like creamed spinach and scallion and panna potato gratin.
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Manor Rock
746 Warren Street, Hudson
Manor Rock is an end-to-end concept, beginning with a regenerative agricultural project and culminating in a restaurant that showcases the products fresh from the farm. It’s a classic story of a homesteading project gone off the rails (in the best way). Ivy Nallo and Zack Nussdorf’s farm property in Taghkanic started in 2021 with a handful of ducks and a kitchen garden and grew into a full-blown, one-acre fruit and vegging farm with a silvopasture operation for pigs, sheep, ducks, and chickens plus high tunnels and greenhouses galore. Launched last year out of a historic townhouse in Hudson, Restaurant Manor Rock is the pinnacle of farm-to-table dining. As you would expect from a place that harvests its own supplies, the menu changes frequently based on the weekly harvest at the farm. Think headcheese with pickled green tomatoes; young pork confit with mirepoix and watercress; sunchokes glazed with white miso, carrot veloute, hazelnuts; grilled duck breast with dried citrus, hoshigaki, beets.
Taiga
119 Warren Street, Hudson
In the former (p.m.) wine bar space, Taiga proposes a dining concept “inspired by the wild forest” for which it is named. While that description may not be that useful of a reference for some of us, we can confirm that there is a focus on organic produce, game, and meats from local farms. Appetizers include options like roasted carrots served with pear and pear extract, goat cheese, and pine nuts; brussel sprouts with wine sauce,garlic, dill and parsley, pineapple, and Georgian pomegranate seeds; and a forest mushroom cream soup. For mains, expect plenty of fish, deer, and game made with classic recipes (deer dumplings anyone?). With dark colors, rich wallpaper, and a marbletop bar this new spot is an elegant date night choice at an elevated price point.
Via Cassia
214 Warren Street, Hudson
When Hudson fixture Ca’Mea closed last year, the restaurant passed to a chef committed to continuing and elevating the tradition of Italian cuisine. Chef Gaetano Arnone has trained in some of New York City’s top Italian ristorantes before living in Tuscany for the past four years. Via Cassia is his homage to Italy’s casual side-street eateries where you can get an aperitivo or a housemade pasta to blow your socks off and a glass of exceptional wine. Like all good Italian food, the dishes are simple, focusing on execution. With Arnone’s direct connection to Tuscan vineyards, this isn’t a spot to skip wine.
Neverstill Wines Tasting Room
739 Warren Street, Hudson
OK, so this one isn’t quite a restaurant, but you can build your own girl dinner. The women-led brand Neverstill Wines emerged on the market in 2024 with two Finger Lake whites—a Chenin Blanc and a Riesling—and added a Gamay Noir in time for the opening of their Hudson tasting room last September. On Warren Street, the elegant, water-inspired space showcases the brand’s wines as well as local artisanal cheeses and charcuterie, and other goods like imported tinned fish. Starting in February 2025, they will also be doing periodic pop-up dinners with local chefs that include thoughtful wine pairings.
Klocke Estate
2554 County Route 27, Hudson
While outside of downtown Hudson, we’d be remiss not to mention the luxurious, larger-than-life distillery project that is Klocke Estate. Set on 160 rolling acres with views of the Catskills, the distillery is a sumptuous sense experience beyond just the housemade line of spirits, chief among them brandy. The $21 million project harnesses the best of old and new with modern, sustainable building methods and traditional, old-world distilling techniques. The bar and restaurant are a lush, sensual riot of color and texture, making Klocke as much of a design destination as a drinking one. The distillery specializes in brandy, vermouth, and eau de vies.
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Mel the Bakery
324 Warren Street, Hudson
Here’s another not-quite-restaurant for you. In January 2024, acclaimed baker Nora Allen moved her pandemic-era project Mel the Bakery from the Lower East Side to the former Breadfolks space in Hudson with its many accolades in tow. The artisanal bread and gleaming pastries, like sourdough croissants, made from freshly milled flour and heirloom grains have the place constantly buzzing. Recently, the bakery rolled out rotating breakfast and lunch sandwiches to the menu (BEC, smoked salmon focaccia, an Italian hero, ham baguette to name a few). Allen is a James Beard semifinalist, among other recognitions, so don’t snooze on this bakery.
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The Meat Hook x Mel the Bakery (TBD)
717 Warren Street, Hudson
Tipped off by an Instagram story, we dug in to find out that Mel the Bakery and local butcher the Meat Hook teamed up to take over the vintage chrome-clad diner on Warren Street that was previously Grazin’ (originally Columbia Diner). There’s no timeline and no deets yet on the future menu, but the Meat Hook will be prepping the meat cuts while Allen invariably oversees the bread program. We smell a sandwich shop in the works.
