HVGuide
Where To Eat & Pick Up Fancy Provisions Upstate
photo credit: Anne Cruz
Even if you plan to exclusively eat out on your trip to the Hudson Valley or the Catskills, you’ll probably end up in a general store at some point, browsing luxury pantry staples like tinned fish alongside linen tea towels that are probably also in your cottagecore AirBnB. Here are some of our favorite spots for things like small-batch spices, fancy gouda and farm eggs, and ready-to-eat snacks and sandwiches for a post-hike treat.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Anne Cruz
Tivoli is a town that’s beautiful enough to make you consider buying and restoring an old farmhouse à la The Notebook, but its biggest attraction is Tivoli General’s sandwiches on housemade focaccia. Classic options like Italian ham and turkey will be a welcome addition to any picnic spread, but they also do some great specials, like a dolma sandwich with smashed grape leaves, red pepper cream, and sundried tomatoes. On weekend nights, you can stop by for small plates and natural wine, which is the perfect date situation to discuss your favorite types of ceramics and make future plans to check out the yarn shop down the street.
OK Pantry is a turducken of Upstate charm. It’s located in a quaint Dutch village inside a renovated 19th-century textile mill that also houses an art gallery and small-batch perfumery. Maybe you popped in because you need a belated birthday gift for your niece, or the line for coffee at Morningbird is out the door. Either way, you can easily find something that sparks joy, even if that something is a tiny handheld desk broom. There are simple baked treats like slices of berry pie and seasonal housemade seltzers that you can sip at the window tables. Plus, you can shop for $300 quilts or get some fancy salts and condiments to go with the farmers market spread you plan to whip up at your vacation house.
This little deli looks like what would happen if Pixar made an animated movie set in Upstate New York, right down to the flawless natural light. The baked goods and excellent sandwiches are worth waiting in line for (and you definitely will wait on the weekend). They’re best known for their thick-cut, grilled pastrami sandwiches, but the smoked trout with dill and mayo on sourdough represents everything we love about the Hudson Valley. The bread is some of the best in the area, and you’ll find lots of picnic goods like bright, snappy giardiniera and miso potato salad.
Stop into Para Casa for a quick pastry and coffee before you take a morning jaunt around the Windham Path: they sell lots of small treats like fluffy milk buns and flaky pepperoni pockets that will keep you energized until it’s time for a full meal. Para Casa also has more provisions than your average Hudson Valley general store: You can grab entire bone-in ribeye steaks and sliced mortadella for campfire meals, or a bag of homemade granola to sprinkle on your morning yogurt. After your hike, have pancakes or a patty melt for lunch next door at Day June.
photo credit: Anne Cruz
Circle W’s is one of the last places you can stop in for a sandwich and some dry pantry goods for your AirBnB before you get to Hunter Mountain or Kaaterskill Falls. Their foil-wrapped, warm paninis are great for throwing into your hiking bag before checking out the falls, and their store shelves are well-stocked with everything you need to make a morning dutch baby or a charcuterie board with local cheese. You’re more likely to find standard grocery goods like bleached flour or canned tomatoes rather than design-y boxes of pasta here, but they do have some fancy provisions if you know where to look. Specifically, there’s a whole fridge of craft beer and a display of expensive water bottles that look like they’re made of wood.
