New Vassar Foodie: Where to eat in/ near Poughkeepsie?

[ateenfoodie_17]

Does anyone have any rave reviews or suggestions for where to eat in the Poughkeepsie, New York area?

[ryanallday]

Hobnobin Pub has great food

[applesauce23]

Everything but Crave is reasonably priced for a student:

My recommendations:

Vassar area:
Twisted Soul: empanadas, dumplings, salads, bubble tea, cupcakes (!!!), Vietnamese sandwiches (not traditional, but delicious...some w/BBQ pulled pork), arepas, etc.
Babycakes Cafe: good pancakes and French toast
Krafted Cup: pretty good coffee and tea, Moxie cupcakes
Tokyo Express: decent sushi

Marist area:
Formosa Cuisine: bubble tea, great Taiwanese cuisine...love their grilled pork chops and noodle dishes
Cafe Lola: delicious sandwiches (near the Walkway Over the Hudson)
Crave: pricey, but great
El Ameer: great Mediterranean cuisine

Near Poughkeepsie train station:
Soul Dog: GF menu items, great hot dogs, cool ambience (you can play Connect Four)
Kavos Gyros: great chicken gyros
Rossi's Deli: fantastic Italian deli (as a former Staten Island resident, I have to say that I'm very impressed by their food)
Akari Sushi (a little pricier than Tokyo Express, but delicious)

Near Arlington High School/Planet Fitness (Rt. 55) area:
Amedeo's Pizzeria: good Italian dishes, brick oven pizza
Seasons' Cafe: nice lunch items, great pastries, nice breakfast
Yogee's: frozen yogurt, similar to Pinkberry and Red Mango

The Arlington farmer's market across the street from Vassar takes place on Thursdays from 3-7 p.m. It would be a good place to check out some of the local offerings. The Greek festival (https://www.facebook.com/GreekFestiva...) is also a Poughkeepsie fave. You should definitely go early, or else they're run out of everything.

Hope this helps! This a great foodie area. Enjoy your time at Vassar!

[ateenfoodie_17]

Whoa! Thank you so much!!! Thanks for taking the time to make such a great list of recommendations :) Definitely will be investigating most if not all

[applesauce23]

No problem!

If you don't mind driving and want a nice night out, I would also highly recommend A Tavola in New Paltz (expand the thread to see my review here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/808241). Phenomenal meal.

[MisterBill2]

Have your parents take you to Crave when they (I assume) drop you off at school :-). Get there early so you can walk on the Walkway Over the Hudson, although since you'll be there full time you can do it any time.

[Leslie]

Twisted Soul, one of my favorite places, is right across from Vassar. Unusual mix of food. Dumplings, noodles and bubble tea and then arepas and empanadas. Somehow the mix works and is perfect for a student on a budget. Also over by Vassar are Babycakes Cafe and Beech Tree Grill. Both are very popular and are frequented by students and college staff.

[debmom]

The CIA is 15 minutes away

[ateenfoodie_17]

I had no idea you could go there to eat! But how hard is it to get a reservation there?

[priscilla56]

They have a few restaurants. In my experience it is not as difficult to get a reservation as it used to be.

[debmom]

When we visited Vassar we went there to the Apple Cafe where they don't take reservations. It was fun, we liked some of the food and not others but it was definitely worth going

[bob gaj]

also, search this board for the towns surrounding poughkeepsie, you'll find tons of places.

[ateenfoodie_17]

okay :) I guess my main problem is that I am a student so money is tight and I want to make sure the restaurants I try are the best one first

[Elisa515]

If you have access to a car, one great place is the dumpling joint on Rte. 9 in the same strip shopping center (looks semi-abandoned) with the Family Dollar. There is a whole thread about it, if you have trouble finding it. The dumplings are freshly made for each order. Not at all doughy, with really interesting fillings.

We found it because people wrote about it on Chowhound, and now make detours to go there whenever possible (we're in northern Westchester).

[ateenfoodie_17]

is it Palace Dumpling?

[applesauce23]

Yes, that's Palace Dumpling.

[homeihead]

MSP hounder dropping off nephew at CIA. Stopped for dumplings at the Palace, and they were some of the best I've had stateside. Clearly handmade. Tried beef, chicken, and pork - some steamed, some fried- ALL good. Can't wait until the next time I visit him!

[applesauce23]

IMHO, after trying Caterina 'de Medici, American Bounty, and St. Andrews Cafe, I would save my money and go somewhere else. The food is good, but there are better restaurants run by CIA grads in the area (http://culinary.imodules.com/s/898/al...). Apple Pie Bakery Cafe is great for lunch, but the lines can be long. Maybe Escoffier is good, but I've never eaten there.

[ateenfoodie_17]

thanks for the link, there are quite a few really awesome looking places

[MisterBill2]

Agreed on your CIA comments. When their prices used to be more reasonable, it was worth going. Apple Pie Bakery is quite good. Sadly they are only open M-F.

[iluvcookies]

Hi and welcome!
Chowhound has a wonderful regional board for this:

http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/82

Check it out and feel free to post!