Half Rats
343 Main Street Retail 2, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Half Rats, Great Barrington’s new natural-wine bar, brings a scrappy, raw edge to a business district better known for its polish. From the wine selection to the vintage art and exposed brick, there’s a confident chillness inside the recently restored building. The boho, vintage look; endearingly sketchy rodent iconography; and openhearted, unpretentious approach to sharing uncommon wine is the direct expression of the joint’s local Gen Z owner, Abby Pendergist, who learned about natural wine through six years at local behemoth Prairie Whale. Pendergeist encourages people to order by the glass so they can try new things. Prices range from $11 to $18 for a generous pour. Beyond signature corn nuts, the small snacks menu includes mixed olives, truffle chips, Spanish goat cheese with figs and honey, and gildas, the classic Basque skewer with anchovy, olive, and a long hot pepper.
Downstate Cafe
85 Liberty Street, Newburgh
On December 12, Downstate reopened in a freshly painted, butter-yellow brick building . The café debuted its new digs last week to an overjoyed crowd of regulars who had missed its former Lander Street location since the previous Lander Street closed in August. The expanded design-driven space offers standing room plus 17 indoor seats and 36 outdoor spots for when the warm weather returns. In addition to an espresso program anchored by Parlor Coffee and a suite of teas and tonics, in the kitchen, Chef Fernando Cordova turns out Mexico City-style eats. The all-day menu ranges from composed dishes like tamales, chilaquiles, and pozole to tortas, burritos, and blue-corn gorditas with a choose-your-own protein lineup that includes carnitas, achiote chicken, vegan mushroom chorizo, chorizo, and barbacoa.
Dina’s Italian Cafeteria
102 Liberty Street, Newburgh
For Bivona’s Simply Pasta, chef-owner Chuck Bivona initially envisioned a takeaway spot offering fresh pasta, sauces, meatballs, and prepared foods. But fans rapidly bullied him into offering all manner of sandwiches, and the pasta shop turned into a lunch counter. So, in mid-November, Bivona opened Dina’s Italian Cafeteria (a nod to his grandmother, her recipes, and her days as a lunch lady), where he intends to divert lunch traffic so he can return the pasta shop to its original vision. The menu at Dina’s reads like a Bivona’s greatest hits list with all manner of sandwiches including meatball and chicken parm sandwiches; salads; canolis, and house-made pastas. For now, Dina’s offers to-go orders, but come late spring, it will be a relaxing spot to sit down and enjoy a meal, complete with a bar and outdoor dining.
Cornerstone
146 East Main Street, Pawling
Opened on New Year’s Day, Cornerstone is a new fine-casual restaurant from Chef Harris Mayer and the Tomassetti family, longtime locals. Under Chef Harris, the restaurant blends refined American cooking with subtle Italian influences, offering dishes from wood-fired pizzas to Hudson Valley duck. With a strong commitment to the Hudson Valley’s agricultural community, the seasonal menus highlight ingredients sourced directly from a network of regional farms and purveyors, including onion rings made with the prized Black Dirt onions grown in nearby Pine Island. The beverage program focuses predominantly on New York State producers. The space features a welcoming dining room with a stone fireplace, outdoor patio seating, and a second-floor private dining area perfect for events. Cornerstone is currently open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with weekend brunch coming soon.
Nonnina’s
2703 West Main Street, Wappingers Falls
Opened just before Thanksgiving, Nonnina’s is the latest project from hospitality veterans Brendan McAlpine and Marjorie Tarter, who set out to create a neighborhood Italian restaurant built for repeat visits, not white-tablecloth reverence. The cozy 40-seat space in downtown Wappingers Falls feels convivial and European in spirit—warm lighting, a lively bar, and a room that invites lingering. The menu from chef Ralph Bello delivers comfort with polish. Starters include Grandma’s croquettes ($12), burrata with mushrooms ($19), and prosciutto carpaccio ($21). Pastas are the backbone: lasagne bianca ($27), spaghettini cacio e pepe ($22), and gnocchi alla Norma ($26). Roman-style pinsas run $22–$24, while mains like brick chicken ($30) and branzino ($36) round things out. Affordable wines and $15 cocktails reinforce the point: this is a place to come back to—often.
This article appears in January 2026.
