Here are the best restaurants in Fishkill, NY and the immediate surrounding areas.
The Hudson Valley in New York State stretches north of NYC from Westchester County to the state capital of Albany. Here, you’ll find many small quant towns, apple orchards, wineries, and hiking trails. The Hudson Valley is a popular destination for people from New York City to escape for a weekend. Places like Bear Mountain, New Paltz and Beacon (home of the Dia Beacon Museum) are especially popular locations.
But there are plenty of lesser-known towns in the Hudson Valley that are worth a visit, and Fishkill is a gem to explore! Fishkill lies just east of the Hudson River, beside the town of Beacon and has a population of just 22,000. The town of Fishkill also contains the Village of Fishkill, which can be super confusing when using Google Maps (NY State towns are confusing to me as you can watch my video when I learn what a Hamlet is). The Fishkill area has some great restaurants, an ice cream stand that has been open for nearly 60 years, an apple orchard that has apple picking, and a top rated brewery. For note, I have included a few restaurants that technically lie nearby in the towns of Hopewell Junction and East Fishkill.
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Getting to Fishkill
Take the “Hudson Line” on Metro North Railroad from Grand Central Terminal to Beacon. See a map here. It’s then a short Uber or taxi just one town west. But having a car to explore this area is recommended.
Hotels in Fishkill
Most of the Airbnbs, Bed & Breakfasts, and boutique hotels are located nearby in Beacon or surrounding towns. But there are several large hotels located just off Rt 84 in Fishkill, including a Best Western, Holiday Inn Express, and a Hilton Garden Inn. These are approximately 1 mile from the downtown area and these Fishkill Hotels are relatively cheap vs the boutique hotels located in towns closer to the river.
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Best Restaurants in Fishkill
Il Figlio Enoteca
Il Figlio Enoteca is relatively new to the area, but quickly became known as one of the best Fishkill restaurants. Although the restaurant itself is new, the owners ran another popular restaurant in town for many years and were already well known.
This is not just one of the best Italian restaurants in Fishkill, but one of the best in all of Dutchess County. The menu features things such as a beef carpaccio appetizer, squash and burrata ravioli, and a 16 oz veal chop. They have a good-sized bar and some great cocktails as well.
The Dutchess Biercafe
Dutchess Biercafe is a Belgian inspired restaurant with a great beer selection. Although the menu of Belgian beers takes front stage, they offer some local beers and an array of foods with European and regional US influences. The Jagerschnitzel is a definite winner. This is one of my favorite spots for a late lunch with afternoon beers, but my one hang-up is that I wish the food was also more Belgian focused. Still highly recommended though as one of the best Fishkill restaurant for a casual meal and great beer.
Stephano's on Main
There is no shortage of Italian restaurants in Fishkill and nearby. But if you ask residents which is their favorite, Stephano’s could get the nod for favorite Fishkill restaurants. And you can see evidence of this with a dining room that tends to fill up barely past 5pm. Sure the first wave is largely older customers, but the age drops as the night progresses. Portions here are large enough to make a lunch with leftovers.
While Il Figlio Enoteca has a smaller more focused menu, Stephano’s menu is larger and they offer some of the traditional Italian-American dishes like spaghetti & meatballs and chicken parmesan. I often get the shrimp scampi. The prices, especially for the portion size, can’t be beat in this area.
Eleven 11
Eleven 11 has a great all-around dinner…. not fine dining, yet not too casual… not an Italian restaurant, but has some excellent pasta dishes… a nice restaurant setting to bring your parents, but also has live music and welcoming bar area to hang with friends. Eleven 11 is a Fishkill restaurant that works for every occasion.
Sotano
Located in a restored old house on Main Street, Sotano is one of the better fine dining restaurants in Fishkill. It has a general Mediterranean menu with pastas, seafoods, and meats. It’s also one of the few places in the area that does a proper Sunday brunch in Fishkill (I live in NYC and I’m still not sure why places in the suburbs don’t always do Saturday brunch too).
Bagels and Deli
Hopewell Hot Bagels
Sure, the best bagels are found in New York City, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find good bagels in the Hudson Valley. The line of people every weekend morning confirms that Hopewell Hot Bagels makes some pretty good ones. Order a bagel with a one of the many cream cheese spreads or do what I do and go right for the breakfast sandwich. If you want something quick before work or to take back to the family on weekends, Hopewell Hot Bagels is the best place for a quick breakfast in the Fishkill area.
Alternative: The Bagel Shoppe in Fishkill is located in a plaza closer to the village. In addition to bagels, they have a larger menu of sandwiches and some prepared foods.
East Fishkill Provisions Smoke Haus & Deli
The best deli around is easily East Fishkill Provisions. They have all the normal cold cuts plus they make German sausages like Bratwurst, Weisswurst, and Bauernwurst that can be served with sauerkraut. Add in their smoked meat selections which include pastrami, beef brisket, and shredded pork and it’s hard to find a better place to grab a quick lunch. They also make breakfast sandwiches with several choices of meat (bacon, ham, sausage, pastrami, corned beef, or steak) and coffee for the morning commute.
They even cater events and do whole pig roasts. Oh, and did I mention they hold car shows throughout the summer? There’s lots of reasons to stop by East Fishkill Provisions.
Ice Cream Shop
Joe's Dairy Bar
Although it was originally named “Uhle’s” when it opened in the 1960’s, Joe’s Dairy Bar continues to be one of the most popular ice cream shops in the Fishkill area. The line can get long in the evenings, especially when Little League games end, but it moves fairly quickly. Joe’s serves a variety of hard ice cream flavors, soft serve, and over the top ice cream concoctions that creates a long line of friends, couples, and families every single summer night. It’s definitely the #1 after dinner go-to spot.
Breweries and Bars
Sloop Brewing Co.
Nevermind the restaurants, a great brewery is enough to make me visit somewhere! And Sloop Brewing Co. is definitely one of the best breweries in the Hudson Valley. If you live in the NY area, you’ve probably tried their flagship New England IPA named “Juice Bomb” before. It doesn’t take long looking at the beer list to see that Sloop puts a lot of focus on hazy IPAs, but don’t sleep on their sours and other styles. Some of my favorites are:
- Juice Bomb: Sloop’s flagship beer. A hazy, unfiltered IPA with notes of citrus. ABV 6.5%
- Sloop Jam: A blackberry and blueberry sour ale. One of my favorite sours in the NY region. ABV 5%
- Fresh Pressed Juice Bomb: Dialed up the ABV and added fresh orange peel. ABV 7.2%
Sloop is located just about 10 minutes from the Village of Fishkill, in an old IBM semiconductor plant.
Side Note: I mention that Sloop Jam is “one of my favorite sours in the region”. If you’re curious, my favorite sours come from Foundation Brewing in Portland Maine and also several from Woven Water in Tampa, which you can read about here.
White House
Sure, the best bar in Fishkill happens to be the only bar on Main Street. But I’d love White House even if it wasn’t the only bar around. To be fair, several of the restaurants do have a bar, but they are restaurants that have a bar as opposed to being an actual “bar”. Make sense?
White House has a pool table, a dart board, and it’s the last spot in town to close for the night…. three things that are important to me when choosing a favorite bar. With a renovation a few years ago the smells of stale beer are gone, so I won’t call it a dive bar anymore. I’ll call it a local bar. There’s a difference. $
Alternative: If you drive east a few miles down Rt 82, the 2nd floor at Handshakes is also a pretty good bar with a pool table. They often have a great early crowd but close earlier at night.
Things to do in Fishkill
Apple Picking at Fishkill Farms
New York State is the second biggest producer of apples in the United States, so it’s no surprise that a big draw to this area is apple picking at Fishkill Farms. Fall is my favorite time of the year to come here, as they also do “pick your own” pumpkins, have a cider donut stand, and have live music and wagon rides on weekends.
They also offer pick your own pears, blackberries, raspberries, and nectarines as they come into season.
Additionally, Fishkill Farms has a year-round hard cider bar where they sell their own brand called Treasury Cider. They also have a market that sells fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season at the time. This is a great place to bring the entire family and hang out for the day.
SplashDown Beach Water Park
SplashDown Beach is a waterpark located just off Rt 9 in Fishkill. They have waterslides, a wavepool, a man –made beach, and other attractions. There is also a section designed for younger kids. Passes for the 2024 season are available now.
Go to a Hudson Valley Renegades Baseball Game
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They play at Heritage Financial Park in Fishkill. As with other minor league teams, they have entertainment in between the innings so it’s not only a great way to see young professional baseball players, but also a great night of fun for the whole family.
Work Out at All Sport Health & Fitness
All Sport in Fishkill is quite simply one of the largest and best health clubs and gyms in the area. In addition to a full gym, they have indoor basketball courts, an indoor pool, and squash and racquetball courts. But what truly separates this fitness club from the others is that in the summer there are two outdoor pools (one for children and one that is adults only) plus a hot tub. They serve food and alcohol at the outdoor bar area.
Although it’s mostly members that pay a monthly fee, All Sport does offer day passes if you are in town for just a short period of time.
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