New restaurants come and go in the Hudson Valley, but the most exciting arrivals are the ones that introduce an entirely new cuisine to the region’s already rich dining landscape. While options have been expanding, noticeable gaps remain—good luck finding a local spot for khachapuri, tagine, or injera. (For Georgian, you’re heading to Badgeoni in Mt. Kisco; for Moroccan, it’s a trek up to Tara Kitchen in Albany; and for Ethiopian, New York City still reigns supreme.) But the tide is turning. In the last few years, a wave of restaurants has brought underrepresented cuisines into the mix, from Central Asian and Middle Eastern to Levantine and Himalayan. Here’s a roundup of the new and notable spots filling those long-standing culinary voids.
Alons Halal Grill
3650 Route 9W, Highland
Every few years, we have the pleasure of writing about a strip mall restaurant that exceeds all expectations. The latest is Alons Halal Grill, which opened in the Bridgeview Plaza on Route 9W in Highland in September 2024. A love letter to Uzbek cuisine, the food reflects a blend of Persian, Turkic, Russian, and even Chinese influences, with hearty, spice-laden dishes that highlight the region’s agrarian bounty. With big, shareable portions, dishes include classics like the lamb, chicken, or veggie shish kebabs, which you can order as a platter with sides; chebureki, a deep-fried meat turnover; or the large, juicy Uzbek dumplings called manti. Located in Central Asia at the heart of the Silk Road, and with more recent history as a Soviet satellite, Uzbekistan has a wide range of culinary influences, which you can see reflected on Alon’s menu with dishes like Ukrainian borscht and sambusak, a savory pastry that is cousin to the Indian samosa, plus falafel and dolma.
Nansense
2 Eliza Street, Beacon
With stunning turmeric-toned Zellige tiles, a live-edge walnut counter, brass stools, penny tiles, and hanging rugs, the recently opened Nansense in Beacon is swankier than your standard burger bar. But touches of neon, legible signage, and playful art keep the Afghan restaurant, which opened in July 2024, casual. The chapli kebab smash burgers are made with ground beef with diced onions, tomato, cilantro, and traditional Afghan seasoning. Order yours single, double, or triple and add masala fries. The small bites include crispy bolani (stuffed flatbread) with a mint-garlic yogurt dipping sauce and banjan, an eggplant dish with a tomato and onion base, topped with the same yogurt and served with naan. The customizable bowls come with a base of basmati rice, kabuli, and salata, and you can choose either beef, eggplant or bean as your protein and designate your spice level. Add sauces and flatbread for extra. The Mehmani plate is perfect for sharing.
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Nansense in Beacon is the Mid-Hudson Valley’s First Afghan Restaurant
Momo Garden
51 Burnett Boulevard, Poughkeepsie
Nepali restaurant and bar Momo Garden opened in December 2024. Though named for the famous Himalayean dumplings, the new spot offers a whole range of Nepali dishes from curries and stews to thaali platters and sides. Given its landlocked position between Tibet and India, it is no surprise that flavors, spices, and dishes from these neighboring countries have mingled in Nepal. The menu included plenty of dishes you probably associate with the Indian subcontinent—biryani, palak paneer, chana masala, and pakoras—to name a few. For a crash course on authentic Nepali flavors, order the Thaali platter, which comes with a mix of chicken, seafood, and vegetables or goat and lamb. Momo Garden’s menu even features modern Nepalese favorite Chinese classic chow mein. But back to the dumplings for a moment. The momo comes fried or steamed, stuffed with chicken or vegetable, and you can pick from sauces like jhol, a rich, tangy sesame-tomato broth; or the spicy Chilli option. The bar offers up craft cocktails like Himalayan Spice and Nepali Winter.
Momo Valley
455 Main Street, Beacon
Literally from the base of Mt. Everest to the base of Mt. Beacon, at the new restaurant Momo Valley on Beacon’s Main Street the Lama family dishes up Himalayan cuisine from momo dumplings to traditional curries, soups and stews, platters, and beverages. Momo Valley serves both Tibetan and Nepali dumplings, both pan-seared and steamed, definitely their most popular item. Those little pockets of dough take two full days of rolling, pressing, filling, twisting, and pinching before they hit the plates. To try something even more expansive, there’s the vegan Dal Bhat Tarkari or the chicken Dal Bhat, dubbed here as the Everest Platter. As Nepal’s national dish, each order is served on a round, gold platter, with the vegetable of the day, like garlicky greens; a cold relish, like the achar, which is a carrot or daikon radish relish with sesame and lemon; then lentil soup; and a mound of jasmine or brown rice, topped with a few delicate strands of saffron.
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Momo Valley is Now Open in Beacon
Harana Market
5125 Route 209, Accord
After three wildly successful years in a shoebox space on Wittenberg Road in Woodstock, in 2023 Filipino deli and Asian grocer Harana Market moved to a much larger barn space on the side of Route 209 in Accord. Inspired by generations-old family recipes, chef Chris Mauricio’s hand-rolled lumpia, impossibly crispy patis citrus fried chicken, garlicky arroz caldo, and fiery tofu sisig put Harana Market on the map as a food destination quickly, earning accolades from the New York Times as a must-visit new restaurant in the Catskills and a James Beard nomination for best chef in New York State. In the new location, Mauricio and team continue to offer all of Harana’s classic, seasonally rotating dishes, as well as a few new menu items and an expanded Asian grocery selection.
Hapag Bistro
58 Vineyard Avenue, Highland
In April 2022, Filipino restaurant Hapag Kainan opened in Highland, just the latest of a growing enclave of businesses by Filipino-American entrepreneurs in the small hamlet. Since simplified to the name Hapag Bistro, the restaurant dishes up rich Filipino comfort food classics like adobo (soy- and vinegar-braised chicken or pork), varieties of pancit (noodles), lumpia (eggrolls), pork sisig, plus a selection of seafood like fish, shrimp, and calamari. If you don’t know about Filipino breakfast and brunch foods, you’re in for a savory treat when you try the variations on sinigang (garlic rice and egg), which you can customize with your protein of choice, including beef, pork, and fish.
Masa Midtown
666 Broadway, Kingston
Masa Midtown doesn’t try to dazzle you with theatrics—there are no gimmicks, no overwrought plating. What you get is deeply satisfying Turkish/Crimean food, made with care and served without pretense. Owner Ozlem Oguzcan-Cranston (AKA Chef Oz), a veteran of the New York City catering scene, turns out dishes that feel both homey and refined. The borek is crisp and golden, the kebabs perfectly charred, and the hummus is the kind that demands a second basket of bread. Start with simit, a sesame-encrusted bread ring that could be cousins with the bagel, paired with a smooth yogurt dip—or served as an open-faced sandwich. There are pita sandwiches including kofta and chicken shawarma, and classic regional sides from babaganoush to hummus and the red pepper-based muhammara. Mains rotate seasonally, but include options like the soslu kofta, mini beef meatballs, baked in a spiced tomato sauce and served with crumbled feta. Karides duvec offers jumbo shrimp cooked in an earthenware dish called a guvec along with peppers, onions, and tomatoes, topped with kasseri cheese and served with rice. Kuzu tandir is a lamb shank slow-roasted with Turkish spices, topped with chickpeas and served with rice. Highlighting the rich and varied flavors of Chef Oz’s heritage, the menu offers a bright taste of Turkish in shareable tapas.
Nilufer’s Home Kitchen
135 Main Street, Beacon
Nilufer Goodson has worked around the world on cruise ships, as a personal chef, and at the helm of hotel kitchens. Now settled in Beacon, last winter, the Istanbul native opened Nilufer’s Home Kitchen, a Turkish restaurant and pastry shop that serves the flavors of her homeland. Pastries are a main focus at Nilufer’s—alongside cakes and eclairs, Turkish-style baked goods feature delicate frostings and fillings that scratch the sweet spot but go easy on the sugar. In general, Turkish cuisine revolves around the staples of eggplant, lamb, mussels, turbot, sardines, and other seafood. Take the roasted eggplant dish, which is stuffed with braised lamb and served with rice and salad. Other common ingredients used throughout the Mediterranean region appear here as well, like feta cheese, tahini, pita bread, curry, cumin, and turmeric. But the star of the show is the Turkish breakfast, which offers 18 different delicacies, including eggs, nuts, olives, sun-dried apricot, four kinds of cheese, a spring roll with cheese, sucuk (spicy beef sausage), and unlimited tea. The point is to sit, savor, and linger. And don’t forget your Turkish coffee.
Tiwantiwa
544 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Though Tiwa N Tiwa, which opened last July on Main Street in Poughkeepsie, simply bills itself as serving “African deliciousness,” the rotating dishes on offer skew strongly toward West African fare. Dishes like fufu, egusi, ayamase, efo riro, and ofada are ubiquitous in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. Soups and stews, both vegetarian and meat-based, are the primary fare here with sides like jollof rice—a savory blend of rice cooked in a rich tomato sauce and spices—and fufu or poundo—doughs made from pounded starchy tubers like yam and cassava. A popular pick is egusi, melon seed stew, stewed with vegetables and served alone or with goat meat, beef, turkey, or chicken. For a pescatarian option, the peppered fish comes with a tilapia fillet seasoned with black pepper and spices, topped with a vibrant red pepper sauce. Chinchin, fried sweetened dough, make a great snack or dessert.
Ziatun
244 Main Street, Beacon
Ziatun celebrates the food Kamel Jamal grew up with as the child of Palestinian immigrants. While the country’s cuisine shares much in common with other Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Arabic countries (expect familiar favorites like falafel, kebab, shawarma, and tabouleh), there are also a handful of Palestinian specialties that are rarer to find in the Hudson Valley. Mansaf—Jordan and Palestine’s national dish—offers lamb cooked in fermented dried yogurt (jameed) and served with rice and toasted almonds. Shorba labna offers a lamb bone broth and yogurt soup, served with rice (and lamb for extra). The vegetarian dish mujaddara features brown lentils and rice cooked with crispy onions and served with a tomato cucumber salad. Addas soup, made with pureed red lentils, and the perfectly seasoned falafel showcase the depth of Middle Eastern flavors. While the vegan shawarma, crafted from pan-seared portobello mushrooms, is a testament to the restaurant’s innovative approach to traditional recipes.
Basbousa
81 Main Street, Mountaindale
Basbousa, located in Mountaindale, New York, is a distinctive restaurant that harmoniously blends Middle Eastern and Southern culinary traditions. Inspired by the chef-owner Samara’s grandmothers—one from Kentucky and the other from Lebanon—the menu reflects a fusion of these rich culinary cultures. Buttermilk biscuits and gravy and fried chicken happily coexist on the menu alongside shakshuka , stuffed grape levees, and slow-cooked lamb shank with Lebanese spices. Sabsi Kuku, a Persian frittata, is chock full of rich herbs and served with Basbousa’s signature pink hummus and salad. Sides like batata harrah (potatoes tossed with rich spices), the classic Lebanese salad fattoush (with pomegranate vinaigrette!), and grilled halloumi bring a taste of the Levant to Sullivan County. There are koftas and kebabs aplenty, and the platters offer a good way to sample a range of dishes reasonably.
