As Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra once crooned, “Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.” Yes, they had it right. And although Christmas is long gone, this cold, snowy weather has not let up, and fireside nights are calling.
While most of us don’t have the luxury of our own fireplace or wood stove at home, many of the inns, lodges, taverns, and restaurants upstate have flaming hot hearths to warm the cockles of your heart. We’ve rounded up 12 Hudson Valley bars and restaurants with fireplaces so you can stay cozy while sippin’ and suppin’ on the town. A heads up, several restaurants are on winter break at the moment, so call ahead or check social media before you get in the car.
Ulster County
1. Lis Bar, Kingston, NY
A soft amber glow illumines the deep emerald walls and artfully mismatched vintage furniture in this Midtown Kingston bar. Serving up classic cocktails and a menu of wood-fired plates, Lis Bar is an elegant place to meet for a drink and a bite. Sit at the long bar and chat to your neighbors, or pull up a chair next to the roaring Jotul wood stove and sink into a reverie. (Don’t forget to try the bison grass vodka (zubrowka), a super tasty, dry, herb-flavored Polish vodka distilled from rye.)
2. Hasbrouck House, Stone Ridge, NY
Since reopening as a hotel and restaurant in 2013, the Hasbrouck House has become a wildly popular nesting place for upstate-bound city birds. The romantic stone inn was refinished with elegant furniture and whimsical wallpaper in all the rooms. Before you dine at Butterfield, the onsite restaurant, order a cocktail or a glass of wine at the marble-top bar and sink into a cozy armchair next to open brick fireplace in the common room, where zeppelins and hot air balloons drift on the walls.
3. Deer Mountain Inn, Tannersville, NY
Tucked away in the hills above Tannersville, a pert c.1891 Arts-and-Crafts house presides over sloping lawns and sweeping valley vistas. The main building of Deer Mountain Inn houses six guest suites and a farm-to-table restaurant. The New American menu makes use of local sourcing with classic dishes like a smoked half chicken, a dry-aged pork chop, and Hudson Valley steelhead trout. While you wait for your table, sip a cocktail by the open stone fireplace.
4. Rough Cut Brewing, Kerhonkson, NY
If you don’t already know Rough Cut, a microbrewery on Route 44/55 in Kerhonkson, it is worth making the trip for the beer alone. The head brewer Kayne is often behind the bar with a friendly smile, ready to answer all your questions and serve you delicious samples. With a solid bar menu, the small roadhouse fills up quickly, but the foyer has a big ol’ woodstove where you can stay warm while you sip a beer and wait for your table.
5. Scribner’s Lodge, Hunter
Like any good ski lodge, Scribner’s Lodge has multiple wood stoves and fireplaces to warm your nose and toes—in the lobby, in the corner of the dining room, a chiminea outside (some of the suites even have their own fireplaces). The restaurant, Prospect, offers panoramic views of Hunter Mountain and a complete menu spanning from drool-worthy brunch fixings to apres-ski cocktails to hearty farm-to-table entrees.
6. Foxfire Mountain House, Mount Tremper
This vintage Catskills inn has been outfitted to bohemian perfection. (See the before and after.) A mix of flat-weave rugs, plants, sheepskins, dark wood, and plastered walls lend this 11-room hotel an eclectic Old World feel. The great room at Foxfire Mountain House boasts a large fieldstone fireplace (previously covered in drywall) that roars all winter long. Thursday through Sundays, the bar room serves a menu of locally sourced and seasonally-inspired rustic cuisine and craft cocktails made with wild-foraged herbs and house-made infusions and bitters.
Delaware County
7. Binnekill Tavern, Margaretville
As part of his renovation of the former Binnekill Square restaurant, owner/chef Bryan Calvert (formerly of James restaurant in Prospect Heights) installed a copper-faced fireplace, which casts a warm glow over the whole dining room. Just minutes from Belleayre ski resort, Binnekill Tavern offers up mountain comfort food for refined palates in an elegant-yet-laidback setting overlooking its namesake creek.
Sullivan County
8. The Arnold House, Livingston Manor
After a day of playing in the snow, unwind in The Arnold House’s pine-clad great room, next to the roaring wood stove. The 11-room inn also has a fireplace in the spacious laid back tavern (plus a pool table and vintage jukebox!). For dinner, choose from hearty, local dishes like the smoked trout dip ($13) and the venison chili ($6/$10), and wash it down with a barrel-aged cocktail or a black currant margarita.
9. The DeBruce, Livingston Manor
At The DeBruce, a renovated boarding house in the Catskills, Executive Chef Aksel Theilkuhl’s draws inspiration from the foodstuffs produced by the farms and forests surrounding the inn as well as the historic cuisine of the region. Kick back a comfy leather armchair in front of the custom-built fieldstone fireplace while you wait for a table in the dining room. Reserve in advance for the chef’s tasting menu (it’s worth it, trust us!).
Dutchess County
10. Beekman Arms, Rhinebeck
Founded in 1766, Beekman Arms claims the title of oldest inn in America. This stately Colonial building is at the heart of Rhinebeck and has long been a cornerstone of the local community. Order drinks at the bar and head to the lobby to sit fireside on the plush couches. Or head to the Colonial Tap Room with its charming bar and open hearth fireplace.
Columbia County
11. Feast & Floret, Hudson
Located in an antique blacksmith shop in Hudson (which most recently housed Zak Pelaccio's Fish & Game), Feast & Floret boasts two fireplaces. The Italian-inspired menu is fresh, savory, presented with warmth, yet still exciting and full of interesting touches that keep you engaged in each complex bite. The kitchen takes a less-is-more approach, aiming to allow the quality of the ingredients to speak for themselves. Order a glass of wine or a classic cocktail and enjoy the warmth of the open fire.
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12. The Maker, Hudson
A self-described “celebration of craftsmanship spanning eras of design, art, and literature, thoughtfully collected from all over the world,” The Maker Hotel is a sensuous labyrinth of rich colors, textures, and materials that feels luxuriously Old World. In lofty lounge, choose from their spirituous cocktail list and contemplate the flames of the open fireplace through the decorative iron grate. There are also fireplaces in the hotel lobby and library, where you can order a drink while you wait for your table in the restaurant. Once seated in the glass conservatory, surrounded by plants, order from an exciting, shifting menu that spans monkfish and maitake to roast chicken, duck breast to squid.
