24 Best Restaurants in The Catskills, New York

Most of the antiques are gone, but the classic foods for sale—from lollipops to jams and jellies to every kind of cheese imaginable—make this place feel like a blast from the past. You can hang out on the front porch, choose from a selection of more than 300 beers, and dig into a hearty "knish-wich" of potato knish, coleslaw, melted cheddar, pastrami, and turkey. You also can't go wrong ordering one of several cheese plates to share with the table. Drop by in the evening, as there's often live music.

Organic gardens line the restaurant's perimeter, hinting at the fresh ingredients Peter and Rose DiSclafani incorporate into their mostly new American, seasonally driven menu. Dishes may include such favorites as smoked duck with an apricot-apple cider sauce or trout with green-olive pesto. The 26-seat dining room is cozy, calling to mind a diner with its metal-framed chairs and huge windows.

In a pretty red farmhouse at the entrance to Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts, the Dancing Cat Saloon—sister restaurant to the Catskill Distilling Company—is hands-down one of the best eateries in the area and a great place to dine before a concert or after a trip to the museum. The dining room is decorated with musical instruments—appropriate enough, given its location and the fact that the Dancing Cat often has live music. A favorite hangout spot is the deck, where you can sit under umbrellas overlooking the field of “Stray Cat” sculptures in front the of Catskill Distilling Company. The food ranges from expertly put-together burgers to the satisfying main courses, which includes the signature pork chops. Jazz brunch is also popular, especially with locals.

You may want to reserve ahead, as the place is always packed.

The outgoing Powell-Wagner family runs this ice-cream parlor and casual eatery in addition to its sap house and cider mill (in nearby South Gilboa). You can reap the benefits of both with a visit here. Jars of homemade pickles, salsa, and fruit jams jostle for space with freshly baked pies and sweet breads. The Friday-night fish fry—when fresh pollack, flounder, and haddock are beer-battered and deep-fried—is becoming a local tradition.

Low lighting and lots of bare wood give this family-friendly restaurant about 5 mi northwest of Prattsville a roadhouse-like aura. The building dates from the turn of the 20th century and has a storied history; during Prohibition one enterprising owner set the attic on fire when his still blew up. The menu is loaded with well-prepared American favorites such as burgers and fries, steak-and-potato dinners, shareable appetizer baskets, and scrumptious homemade desserts—save room for co-owner Jennifer's apple crisp. Simple, reasonably priced rooms upstairs and a sizable cottage out back are available for rent. You might have company if you choose to stay here; guests have reported benign ghostly visitors.

At this laid-back eatery in one of the prettiest buildings in Tannersville, you will find homemade baked goods piled on the counter and breakfast all day. Mountain bikers and skiers fill the place in the morning to partake of favorites like Eggs McMaggie, with two fried eggs, bacon, and your choice of cheese on an English muffin; challah French toast; steak and eggs; and freshly squeezed juices. Later in the day, organic sandwiches and salads take over. Thumbtacks hold artwork on the white wood-plank walls, and church-pew benches are filled with boisterous families.

This place combines the comfort and fun of a small-town tavern with a broad, ever-changing menu. If you're in the mood for meat, you can't go wrong with the Big Mama Burger, laden with ham, caramelized onions, and cheese on a toasted bun, and a basket of chef Matthew Lanes's hand-sliced potato chips. For a lighter meal, try a cheesy quesadilla and a cup of chunky gazpacho. Service on the deck gives you an eagle's-eye view of the hamlet.

This 1882 country inn has two dining rooms—the wood-paneled Catskill Mountain Room and the bright and airy Greenhouse Room—and one menu, which includes charcoal-broiled steaks, blackened red snapper, and other traditional fare. A hearty country-style breakfast is great fuel for a day on the slopes. The après-ski crowd packs the place on winter weekends, when you can find live music and the bar area warmed by an old-fashioned wood stove.

French doors open into a bright, airy space filled with white wooden booths, marble-top café tables, and a stainless-steel counter where trays of fresh muffins cool. You'll see why it's a local favorite when you tuck into the Blue Monkey, a stack of blueberry-banana buttermilk pancakes, or the savory huevos rancheros and experience the efficient, friendly service. Take a note from the locals—who come armed with newspapers and books—and grab a seat outside under the colorful umbrellas. Note that Sweet Sue's is a cash-only eatery.

At the counter of this luncheonette, locals fill the stools by the griddle at breakfast and lunch. The bright, cheerful dining room, with pale yellow walls and a tin ceiling, has five tables overlooking Veterans Memorial Park. The amiable staff will let you sit as long as you like.

Ostrich, buffalo, and venison are served alongside traditional New York strip steak, pastas, and seafood dishes at this brick-storefront restaurant. At various times the building has housed a bank, a dry-goods store, a luncheonette, and a clothing store; the restaurant takes its name from the date of the building's construction, which appears prominently on the facade.

Locals come to this upscale deli-grocery for breakfast and lunch, or to pick up specialty ingredients. You can eat a sandwich or sip an organic coffee drink at one of the café tables in the simple dining area. While waiting, study shelves of vinegars, olives, old-fashioned candy, and Italian lemonade.