Cafe Mutton feels like it was made for a rapidly-disappearing version of Hudson—one that remains eccentric, affordable, and connected to the natural world around it. Things like sausages and buckwheat scones are made in house. The country pâté, served in sandwich form, is the kind of dish to go out of your way to eat again and again, and the savory pig head porridge is the perfect way to warm up.

Whether you catch the morning train or have to claw your way through Friday night traffic, Kitty’s should be your first stop when you arrive in Hudson. During the day, you’ll find Vietnamese coffee-glazed crullers, cloud-like hash browns, and a breakfast sandwich with fluffy eggs, tangy sauerkraut, and creamy aioli. At night, they open up the airy dining room for cassis cocktails, oysters, and beef cheek ragu.

Lil Deb’s Oasis is full of serious food and wine in a place that makes a point not to take itself too seriously. Pretty much everyone here is wearing a crop top, and wine descriptions read like cryptic Connections solutions. Always order the whole fried fish—digging into the crisp, piping-hot flaky goodness with your bare hands before dipping it into the citrusy sauce is a sensual experience. Everything is delicious, but don’t leave without getting a slice of kabocha chocolate mousse cake.

New York City bakery fanatics collectively mourned when Mel closed up shop on the Lower East Side. Thankfully, they can flock to Mel’s location on Warren Street, where you can get flaky laminated pastries and boules to pair with the fancy butter you can find in nearby shoppy shops. You can’t really go wrong here, but we especially love the cinnamon roll, which has a thick pat of frosting in the center rather than a pervasive sticky glaze. On Fridays starting at 11am, they also do Italian heroes.

Wm. Farmer & Sons is connected to a hotel, and feels like a much nicer-than-average hotel restaurant. The service is great, and the food menu has all the familiar trappings of a hotel restaurant, like a grass-fed beef tartare or chicken française, but includes tweaks like serving charcoal-roasted beets with rose petals, or topping a fantastic burger with butter-braised onions and tomato relish.

There’s a world outside of Warren St. in Hudson and it’s absolutely worth exploring, especially when you’ll have a sandwich from Quinnie’s to show for your effort. You’ll need a car to get here, but it’s worth it for the schmaltzy chicken salad and saucy tikka masala sandwiches. While waiting for your sandwiches, plop down at one of the picnic tables in their sprawling outdoor area, or kill time at their ping pong table. Always get a buttery, sandy halva shortbread cookie as a post-meal treat.

Be prepared to stand in line at Culture Cream for live probiotic ice creams and sorbets made with kombucha and kefir. Flavors like blueberry thyme sorbet and miso ice cream with honey roasted strawberries are great, but also answers the question of “what if ice cream were better for your gut health?” Interacting with the staff almost feels like you’re talking to a pharmacist, but instead of filling a prescription for probiotics, you’ll end up with a delicious cup of ice cream.

If you’re looking for a backyard where you can eat a simple, extra thin-crust pizza and drink an interesting $25 bottle of wine, head straight to The Half Moon on Front Street. They also serve pizza by the slice in case you arrive to town hungry at 10pm after everything else has closed. The classic cheese pizza is a favorite, but it’s also worth venturing out to try the white pie with ricotta and garlic.

Hudson Brewing Company is great for your friend who named their cat after their favorite type of hops, and has lots of other food and drink beverages for the people in your group who just want to have some wings and fries on the dog-friendly patio. The beer selection has a super wide variety that includes a pineapple cider and a stout made exclusively from ingredients grown in New York State, so get a few flights to share with friends to try a bit of everything.

In recent years, Hudson has become a town where you can’t step outside without spending $50 on a candle. So we’re all the more appreciative of places like Backbar, where you can roll in with friends without booking a reservation weeks in advance or spending $100 per person. It’s easy to make a meal out of Southeast Asian small plates like chicken lemongrass dumplings and sweet chili cauliflower wings on the spacious outdoor patio, but you could also camp out inside with a smoky mezcal.

Feast & Floret feels sort of like a curated playground for adults who like Nice Things, all wrapped up in a gorgeous brick building that would feel at home in the Italian countryside. They sell fresh and dried arrangements of flowers from their very own farm, as well as housemade amaro and flavored salts. The rotating menu of Italian dishes is solid for a romantic dinner, if not a bit predictable with things like burrata and braised beef pappardelle.

Grazin’ is a good, casual option for a burger or weekend brunch in an old-school diner space. If you’d rather get your order to go, you could take your grass-fed beef or goat cheese salad across the street to 7th Street Park. They also have a distillery and tasting room, so you can peruse their selection of liquors and chase your burger with a snifter of whiskey.

Le Perche has been in Hudson for years, but it was revamped in 2018 by the people behind Swoon Kitchenbar. The wood-covered interior and long bar are nice places for a low-key dinner or drinks, and you should keep the greenery-covered patio in mind for all your brunch needs. If you’re here in the morning, get a chocolate croissant—they’re made in house and are super flaky.

The Rivertown Lodge is basically the real-life amalgamation of every well-styled photo of upstate New York on the internet. There’s blonde wood everywhere, mid-century furniture and walls covered in books. They serve one of our favorite Hudson breakfasts on the weekends—highlights of the brunch menu include a maple ricotta Dutch baby and a focaccia egg sandwich with fontina and calabrian chili. It’s worth it to stop by for dinner, too, when you can get grilled pork ribs with sichuan five spice.