9 Best Restaurants in Hudson Valley, New York

This clean and classic restaurant serves northern Italian fare. A mahogany ceiling and cherrywood floor in the dining room give way to a lighter, more elegant, birch-maple motif in the main dining room. The homemade pastas and raviolis are local favorites; the ravioli with beef or veal ragout is sublime. During warm weather, enjoy a romantic candlelight dinner in the tiered garden. The owners also run an inn housed in three impeccably restored houses close by.

This elegant and rustic boulangerie/bistro features handmade artisanal breads and sophisticated pastries and fruit tarts. The dining room serves classic French dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Standouts include housemade sausages and pâtés, crostini topped with artichoke and feta or roasted garlic rosemary hummus, and moules frites. The brick patio is a welcome oasis in warm weather while the zinc bar is an intimate spot for a rendevous with wine, craft beer, or cocktails.

Fatty Crab and Fatty 'Cue founder Zak Pelaccio decamped from Manhattan to Hudson to set up shop in a former blacksmithing shop, where he serves a delicious seven- or eight-course tasting menu. Be advised there's no vegetarian or pescatarian option, and dietary restrictions aren't accommodated so picky eaters should think twice. But more spontaneous eaters will enjoy the frequently changing menu and kitchen that will only use the highest quality and freshest ingredients. You could get lightly smoked salmon one night and rotisserie-roasted duck breast the next. Pelaccio's wife Jory Jayne Emde creates the restaurant's vinegars, pickles, and condiments. Reservations are tough to get, but a small selection of à la carte dishes is available at the bar and on the brick patio.

The team at Helsinki Hudson melds the delights of the chef's southern upbringing with the bounty of the Hudson Valley. Meats and fish are cured in Atticus, the resident wood-fired smoker. Fan favorites include low country shrimp and grits served with housemade andouille sausage and Great-Aunt Theo's fried chicken. For dessert, don't miss the good ole Georgia sweet potato pie.

Come off Warren Street into this slice of contemporary Mexico—an outpost of Manhattan's Mexican Radio. High ceilings mean there's plenty of room for thematic art on the orange-hue walls, which are dominated by wrought-iron crucifixes and augmented by Mexican art. The cuisine is hearty, high-end Mexican; Cajun burritos filled with chorizo and shrimp and topped with jalapeno salsa, and steak and shrimp fajitas stand out. Some of the produce (like the tomatillos) is grown specially for the restaurant by local farmers.

A trendy spot in the heart of the gallery district, this sleek restaurant offers a varied menu, from hamburgers and quesadillas to soft-shell crabs. The dining room has a large picture window overlooking the garden. The bar is open until 2 am most nights.

Ask locals where to eat and most will say Swoon, where James Beard Award–nominated chef Jeffrey Gimmel can create a delicious delight from a simple carrot as easily as from freshly-caught black bass. Gimmel is justly famed for his seafood dishes. The menu changes daily but the popular roasted beet salad with local goat cheese and spice rubbed skirt steak are always available. The country-chic brasserie design is elegant and comfortable; the staff is friendly and attentive.

Lured by the bountiful produce available in the Hudson Valley, chefs John McCarthy and Ben Freemole moved to Hudson to open the Crimson Sparrow, where they now serve a tasting menu filled with exotic ingredients like foie gras, sweetbreads, and octopus. There's a wide range of wines as well as an interesting cocktail and sake list. Brunch, with your choice of four small plates for $16, is a steal.

The restaurant is a casual place to mix and mingle without putting too much of a dent in your wallet. The menu includes hearty Austrian dishes, including braised beef with potato dumplings as well as chicken and sirloin burgers and pasta combos. There's live music on Saturdays.