Merkin Hudson
45 8th Street, Hudson
Merkin Hudson began, fittingly, as a joke. On April 1, Cafe Mutton chef-owner Shaina Loew-Banayan posted what looked like an obvious prank announcement—only for it to materialize days later as a very real restaurant. The new spot, tucked into a converted garage next door, carries forward Mutton’s nose-to-tail ethos but strips it down to something looser, stranger, and more improvisational. Merkin Hudson offers a tight menu of cold sandwiches—bologna, pate, head cheese—alongside oysters, wine, and a rotating “greasy soup of the moment.”
The vibe lands somewhere between a Hungarian ruin pub and a DIY hangout, with counter service and an open invitation to linger. A weekly Sunday “Long Lunch” stretches into a four-hour, family-style affair. It’s part restaurant, part social experiment—“genuine and good and also a deep prank,” as Loew-Banayan puts it.
Doves Diner
1016 Route 82, Ancram
A classic stretch of Route 82 in Ancram has its chrome-and-coffee anchor back. Doves Diner has reopened in the former West Taghkanic Diner, restoring a midcentury roadside stop that had long served as a waypoint for Taconic travelers. The project, led by Lauren Stanek and Emma Rosenbush, leans into the DNA of the American diner while sharpening it with a kitchen attuned to Hudson Valley sourcing. The menu sticks close to the canon—pancakes, eggs, burgers, and melts—but with an emphasis on quality ingredients and careful execution. More than a nostalgia play, the revival taps into the enduring appeal of the diner as democratic gathering place: part pit stop, part community hub, and part culinary time machine, now tuned to the region’s farm-forward sensibility.
Lola’s Cocktails & Kitchen
8 Eastdale Avenue South, Poughkeepsie
At Eastdale Village, chef Ed Kowalski’s expanding Lola’s universe takes a turn toward dinner service with the arrival of Lola’s Cocktails & Kitchen, a more full-service, bar-forward sibling to the original cafe. Kowalski, who launched Lola’s in Poughkeepsie in 2005 before expanding to New Paltz and Lolita’s Pizza, has built his reputation on elevating familiar formats with thoughtful sourcing and big, accessible flavors.
The new concept leans into that approach while broadening the scope. The menu ranges from shareable starters—wild mushroom arancini, Korean fried chicken wings, littleneck clams—to a mix of handhelds, composed salads, and larger plates like seafood pasta, chicken pepperonata, and gluten-free gnocchi. A full bar anchors the space, with cocktails, local beer, and wine extending Lola’s into evening territory. At Eastdale, the project fits neatly into the development’s live-work-play ecosystem: casual enough for a weeknight, polished enough to linger.
Pez
731 Warren Street, Hudson
Chef Efren Hernández expands his Hudson Valley footprint with Pez, a coastal Mexican restaurant opening May 14 in the former Rivertown Tavern space. Where Casa Susanna is built on masa, Pez shifts focus to East Coast seafood and mariscos traditions, with an eye toward sustainability. Expect dishes like whole grilled fish served with sourdough flour tortillas, curtido, and seasonal salsas, as well as snacks inspired by charales—small, fried bycatch fish tossed with chile and lime. Hernández is also experimenting with sourdough tortillas, using a decades-old starter to add subtle acidity. The beverage program, developed with Natasha David, leans into small-batch, Mexican-owned mezcal and tequila producers alongside fermented drinks. One holdover from Susanna remains: the margarita. As Hernández puts it, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
The 100 Food Journey
34 Plank Road, Newburgh
At The 100 Food Journey in Newburgh, the idea of a rotating, regionally expansive Indian menu comes through in dishes that feel both rooted and restlessly inventive. The current lineup opens with streetwise starters like avocado and potato chaat, Punjabi samosas (including a mushroom-and-brie version), and a Changezi duck taco that folds Mughlai flavors into a handheld format.
From the tandoor, dishes like goat cheese chili paneer tikka, fennel-seared sea scallops, and Nashik lamb chops lean into smoke and spice, while mains anchor the menu in richer territory: Daryaganj butter chicken, Patiala lamb shank, branzino moilee, and a slow-cooked 12-hour dal makhani. There’s a playful throughline—burrata saag, keema pao crowned with quail egg—that keeps the menu from settling into orthodoxy. The result is a restaurant less interested in strict tradition than in staging a lively, ongoing conversation with it.
This article appears in May 2026.
