HVGuide
The Best Restaurants In Woodstock, New York
Here's where to eat in that upstate town where that music festival happened.
Woodstock is a lively combination of city folk who bought land in 2020, people who were at the festival in 1969 and are back for their yearly visit (in tie-dye), and people who were at the festival in 1969 and never left. This means that there will likely be live music at every bar you enter, and the vibe will be a little bit more relaxed than other fancy-schmancy Hudson Valley towns.
Most of the spots on this list are on Tinker Street (the main street in Woodstock), so in-between finding that swimming hole and going to the farmers market, you can really see (and eat) it all. Grab a few tacos and a margarita, have some seasonal Italian food on a wraparound porch, and end the evening in an old train station-turned-bar where you can play pool on a large patio while watching people perform songs they actually wrote themselves.
THE SPOTS
The team behind Phoenicia Diner opened this barbecue spot in Woodstock, and it’s perfect for outdoor dining in the covered patio or picnic area. The menu has a bunch of meat (brisket, fried chicken sandwiches, pulled pork, etc.), as well as daily specials and not-boring options for vegetarians, like an oyster mushroom bánh mì. Make sure to get a side of baked beans made with molasses and thick-cut bacon.
Part Asian grocery store and part Filipino takeout spot, Harana Market is where you should go to grab a post-hike snack or gather cooking supplies for a big family dinner. The rotating menu of homestyle Filipino food is all delicious, and they’ve set up some chairs and hammocks outside where you can eat. They’re also always doing specials, like halo halo, beef machado, and fried chicken with Filipino fish sauce, which you can find out about on their Instagram. On Sundays, they offer free meals for people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
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This classic-feeling bar is one of our favorite places to grab a drink in Woodstock. They have a pool table, a jukebox, and a fairly large outdoor area with tables where you can drink a beer that was made somewhere in New York state. The last time we were here, we discovered our new favorite reggae artist, got invited to a pool party, and met a man named Clark who goes to Station Bar nearly every night. It’s quite possible you’ll meet Clark, too.
If the idea of the L’Artusi of upstate New York is exciting to you, then you should make it a priority to go to Cucina. And if it’s not, then we’re curious and a little nervous to hear what does excite you. The seasonal Italian food, converted farmhouse, and wraparound porch makes this place easily one of the best dinners you can have in the Hudson Valley—and a perfect place to have a romantic meal with your partner after a day of lounging around your Airbnb.
Sure, there’s no bad place to drink a good margarita, but some places are objectively better than others, like on a picnic bench next to a stream with a plate of barbacoa tacos on homemade tortillas. This counter-service Mexican spot is great for lunch, and also happens to be connected to Peace, Love & Cupcakes if you want to get something sweet on your way out.
Oriole 9 has inspirational quotes written on chalkboards and a big vegan menu—in other words, it’s not the spot to bring someone who you’re trying to convince that Woodstock isn’t all tie-dye and Birkenstocks. But it is the place to bring someone who wants a great burger, bucket of fried chicken, or huevos rancheros. They also have Balthazar pastries in the morning, which somehow taste better here in Ulster County than in Soho next to people selling “original” film scripts.
Bread Alone
You might buy this brand of bread at the Union Square Greenmarket, but maybe you didn’t know they have brick-and-mortar cafes sprinkled around upstate. The location in Woodstock is small, but it’s a good stop for coffee and a pastry. Their other locations are in Kingston and Rhinebeck, if one of them suits your weekend getaway better, and all of them have things like specialty chocolate and small-batch jam.
The Mud Club is the perfect morning stop for coffee and some bagels. It’s basically in a gorgeous Hudson Valley backyard, with a bunch of benches and giant rocks where you can spend a couple of hours planning an afternoon hike or your inevitable move upstate. If you’re in Beacon, check out their second location where they do sourdough pizzas for dinner on Friday and Saturday.
This funky-looking wine bar and small-plates spot is from the same team as Mud Club (and also located right next door). It’s open later than most other spots around town, and is therefore the perfect place to sit and drink outside with someone you do coupley things with. Get a spot next to the fire pit so your clothes smell like beef jerky the next day, or hang out inside under the disco ball.
If you want to snack on something, we like the dips that come with crunchy Mud Club bagel chips that you won't be able to stop eating. You’ll have to stop by Thursday through Sunday, since they’re closed during the week.
In Woodstock, you’ll find the political conspiracy theory hippie, the artisan jewelry-making hippie, and the Garden Cafe hippie, who’s posted up at this spot on Old Forage Road. This place makes really good vegetarian and vegan food, and it feels authentic to the Woodstock spirit without being kitschy.
While a lot of the dishes include meat substitutes like tofu or tempeh, there are also vegetable-heavy plates that won’t make you miss meat at all (like the spinach basil pesto pasta and the portobello panini). Go for brunch or dinner, and sit in the outdoor area if it’s nice out.
There’s a little taco spot between two shops on Tinker Steet called Taco Juan’s, but your first priority here should be their ice cream counter where they serve Jane’s Homemade. This Kingston-based ice cream company makes the creamiest dark chocolate flavor that has ever graced our stomachs. It’s called Killer Chocolate, and we’d encourage you to try it (along with another scoop flavor like mint chip or salty caramel pretzel). This spot is cash-only, but there’s an ATM inside.
