Tis the season for fun day trips around the area to go holiday shopping and enjoy some festive drinks and dinners!
The Hudson Valley has its fair share of cute areas to explore during the holidays including places like New Paltz, Beacon, and Kingston, but one town in particular has that extra holiday cheer.
While New Paltz is a great spot for getting a ton of holiday shopping done, you don't want to miss out on one town that is so festive it's been the backdrop of a number of holiday movies!
See Also: This Colorful Hudson Valley Town is the Best Place to Do Your Holiday Shopping
Rhinebeck has been the filming location for a number of Hallmark movies in years past. And while one of its biggest holiday celebrations Sinterklaas is cancelled for this year, there are still some festivities on the calendar.
Read More: Rhinebeck's Sinterklaas Celebration Cancelled, Small Celebration to Continue
So, when you make your trip to Rhinebeck this holiday season, it's great to come prepared with an idea of where you'll want to grab a bite. Here's a rundown of some of the highest-rated spots according to Yelp.
Tied for second with a 4.7-star rating is Pizzeria Posto.
The eatery is located in the quaint courtyard of Rhinebeck Main Street. Run by chef Patrick Amedeo, Pizzeria Posto is known for the care they take in every single pizza served. The menu is laser-focused on the main event: terrific wood-fired pizza.
Reviews of the spot echo a similar tone as one diner, Tony Y. from Brooklyn, NY puts it,
"Pizzeria Posto is a solid spot for pizza lovers! The crust here is absolutely fantastic--perfectly crisp on the outside with just the right amount of chewiness inside. The toppings are top-notch, too."
The pizzeria was even featured on the popular Barstool Pizza Review channel by Dave Portnoy.
The other second-highest-reviewed restaurant in Rhinebeck is The Tasting Room.
This spot is run by one Daniel Gendron. Gendron is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He was raised in Tokyo, Japan which is certainly noticeable in the menu at The Tasting Room.
The restaurant focuses on serving locally sourced ingredients and meat, so the menu shifts on a weekly and seasonal basis. The Tasting Room is also known for their Ramen Pop Up. As described on their website,
"You'll never taste ramen the same way again once you've tried the best, made fresh from Chef's original recipe, based on the hundreds of ramen dishes he sampled in Tokyo."
This brings us to the #1 rated restaurant in Rhinebeck according to Yelp: Aba's Falafel. Aba's Falafel sits with a 4.8-star rating according to Yelp. However, if you live in Rhinebeck or have ever visited, odds are, someone has already told you about how amazing this place is.
Options range from Falafel Pitas and Sabich to savory Bureka pastries, soups and desserts.
Some top reviews of this place mirror Erica L.'s description, "This place has crispy, herbal, addictively good falafel."
Now that you've got an idea of where to grab a bite, here's some inspiration for local gifts this year that don't suck!