Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series that features things to do in Upstate New York while we still experience the Covid-19 pandemic. Before venturing out, please take proper precautions and check for any changed business hours, park hours or availability. Safe travels!
Any state with the geographic diversity of New York is replete with waterside dining possibilities. Upstate, we are not, of course, talking about the oceanside venues of Long Island or the Big Apple waterfront icons, but we do have an abundance of river-side, lake-side, pond-side and creek-side choices that can put those to shame.
Unless we’re talking about creating a two-inch thick guidebook of such places, let’s envision a more manageable look at places one can try in their own backyard, or in day-trip or overnight jaunts, something that travel experts predict will be the “new norm” when it comes to travel as we gradually emerge from the pandemic, thanks to vaccinations and common sense practices.
That understood, here are just 20 examples of the literally hundreds of places around Upstate NY worth your time to visit. Many are off the beaten path. Some already have reopened from either normal seasonal closures or pandemic-forced pauses.
Be advised to call ahead to check out the current situation of each venue, which in this pandemic era can quickly shift, given the shifting vagaries of re-staffing in a time when unemployment pays better for some than working, when the supply chain can be erratic, and when state and local government decrees affect hours and seating capacity.
ALBANY COUNTY
Chef Mark Yanni’s seafood-centric venue has just begun its 23rd season in Coeyman’s Landing, a tiny Hudson River port 15 miles south of Albany. It is the successor to his original, and smaller, Yanni’s in nearby Ravena. Yanni has long billed himself “The Calamari King,” and even offers an entree of four calamari preparations to prove it. But, his extensive menu is a lot more than that without a surrender to the latest culinary fads. This is a spot you can take anyone and they’ll find something to like.
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY
In addition to having one of Upstate’s longer names, this seasonal spot is located an hour’s drive north of Jamestown on a five-acre plot on the Lake Erie shore. As well as plenty of sand between the toes for visitors, it offers a full comfort food restaurant and a “beach bites” snack bar.
DUTCHESS COUNTY
This Poughkeepsie spot is quintessential Hudson Valley. The waterfront restaurant is perched on a cliff 40 feet above the Hudson River, just 50 feet from its eastern bank. It offers both indoor and outdoor dining spaces, a full fine-dining menu and Sunday brunch with a view of a marina and The Walkway, a steel cantilever bridge spanning the river. The menu ranges from Buffalo calamari to filet mignon, and numerous dishes in between.
ERIE/NIAGARA COUNTIES
With the looming presences of Lake Erie and Niagara Falls, numerous spots in the cities and immediate suburbs abound. The Public House has three locations -- in Buffalo on the waterfront, as its name says, and a bit inland in both Hamburg and Ellicotville. The lakeside spot, remodeled last year, offers indoor and outdoor bars with a rotating line of 20 beers on tap, a long list of handheld and app items, and a menu with an entree list that runs the gamut from a 14-ounce ribeye and prime rib to duck confit ramen, shrimp and grits, seafood platter, and a steak-and-pasta dish.
Charlie’s offers the only dining option on the Outer Harbor south of the city. Its menu features Buffalo comfort food, including wings and stuffed peppers along with seafood-centric items, burgers, and brunch. The patio offers an unobstructed view of Lake Erie and the boat traffic at the nearby marina.
GREENE COUNTY
The historic Athens building that is home to the Stewart House restaurant/boutique hotel turns 138 this year and has undergone a series of owners and renovations in that time. The current incarnation may well be the best of them. The waterside dining attraction is The River Grille, a patio restaurant on the bank of the Hudson River across the street from the hotel. The main building also is home to an elegant taproom and the Ca. 1883 Tavern. The venue is a bit more secluded than riverside eateries usually are because of an island that obscures most of the main river traffic. The Tavern is open for dining and to-go meals when the River Grill closes due to inclement weather. Its menu is cooked on a wood-fired grill, with options for outdoor seating and curbside or dockside pickup.
The Port of Call marina venue in Catskill, one of several restaurants Guido and his family operate in the region, has sweeping views of the Hudson River and surrounding highlands. It features a glass-enclosed main dining area, with 360-degree views from the 2,800-square-foot rooftop deck and overall seating capacity for more than 200 patrons. Lots of comfort food, with Italian dishes dominating.
Attractive restaurants, most of them seasonal, abound in the Thousand Islands, a group of more than 1,800 islands in the St. Lawrence River, straddling the border of the U.S. and Canada. This spot on Wellesley Island on the west bank of the St. Lawrence is just one example. It offers a yacht club and the TI Club upscale/casual restaurant that is open to the public. It has been around since 1923, and features a mahogany-and-copper bar, a 135-seat outdoor-enclosed patio dining space, and a menu that offers fresh seafood flown in from around the U.S.
Lots of outdoor seating set up at the Brewster Inn in Cazenovia. July 31, 2020.Jacob Pucci
MADISON COUNTY
This venerable 1890 Cazenovia location overlooking gorgeous Cazenovia Lake holds a DiRoNA award that denotes a top-notch venue on many levels, as well as a Wine Spectator “Best Award of Excellence.” The comfortable ambiance is the result of a combination of mahogany woodwork, aged quartered-oak moldings, imported carpets, stained glass, and clever lighting. The eclectic menu ranges from the much-lauded but controversial HudsonValley foie gras to apricot- and almond-crusted salmon, New Zealand lamb, truffle-crusted tuna, Thai calamari with pineapple and peanut glaze, and escargot with smoked bacon, feta, and baby arugula.
MONROE COUNTY
Interested in a scenic spot straddling a spit of land dividing Irondequoit Bay and Lake Ontario? Look no further than this waterfront tavern on the north end of the bay in Webster. In the recent past, this space next to a marina was home to Jack Daniels and The Clam Shack. Comfort food is the order of the day, but its specials lean toward Amer-Italian offerings.
ONONDAGA COUNTY
The Sherwood hostelry in Skaneateles is one of Upstate’s oldest, having been an operating inn since 1807 when Isaac Sherwood constructed it as a stagecoach stop and tavern. Today, it remains a 25-room inn, many of them overlooking scenic Skaneateles Lake, with a dining room popular with non-guests as well as lodgers for both lunch and dinner. The menu is as varied as the tales of its history, with such appetizers as poutine, chicken wings, crab cakes, and calamari appetizers, and Yankee pot roast and cracker crumb-coated scrod entrees.
The Canal View Cafe in Sylvan Beach, on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake about 14 miles west of Rome, just opened for its 44th season. It sits at the junction of the Erie Barge Canal and the lake. Its drinks star a wine and beer bar featuring Finger Lakes products. The food menu offers the usual waterside comfort dishes, but has some offerings not so common these days -- coquilles St. Jacques, battered cauliflower, a large variety of mix-and-match seafood dishes, and a batch of frozen desserts.
Alex's on the Water offers both an inside bar and one outdoors. (Jane Marmaduke Woodman/jane.woodman@gmail.com)Jane Marmaduke Woodman
OSWEGO COUNTY
This is a classy looking spot in Oswego, a town too often overlooked except for its SUNY campus. It is located on the Oswego River overlooking the city’s harbor and Lake Ontario, and offers indoor and outdoor seating. It’s a part of the Best Western Plus Hotel & Conference Center. The menu is a mix of American and Italian fare.
ONONDAGA COUNTY
Lakeside Vista Restaurant & Tavern
Lakeside Vista is in Marietta, 17 miles southwest of Syracuse, and offers a panoramic view of Otisco Lake, the easternmost and smallest of the Finger Lakes. Even in the uncertain Central New York spring weather its two fireplaces can overcome the chill, and its wine list features New York and California labels. The casual menu offers the usual sandwiches, salads, burgers, and plenty of seafood items. The deck offers a scenic view, although its eastern-faced aspect rules out sunset views.
Rather than the usual riverside or lakeside locations, the Canal View Cafe sits at the point where the Erie Barge Canal enters Oneida Lake, a double whammy of New York maritime history. Its comfort food menu fits in well with its casual ambiance.
RENSSELAER COUNTY
This is a “three-fer” on downtown Troy’s River Street, clustered around the Green Island Bridge just above Albany. The three establishments are lumped together in this roundup because each has a terrific view of the Hudson River and they are within a stone’s throw of each other.
The10-year-old Dinosaur barbecue joint, located just south of the bridge, is a sprawling, rustic affair that despite its size inside and out manages to provide an intimate atmosphere. It is part of a seven-location brand that consistently fares well in barbecue competitions and has one of the best-stocked bars in the Capital Region.
Ryan’s Wake is located just north of the bridge from where you can get gorgeous sunset views. Its “public house” description is supported by the dark woods and mood lighting inside as well as nicely-distanced table seating on the deck. The menu is strictly comfort food -- baja shrimp tacos, burgers, quesadillas, and a nostalgic chicken teriyaki dinner that became a local icon when the now-gone iconic Albany diner called Quintessence offered it. Ryan’s Wake meticulously recreated the glazed chicken wrapped around scallions and carrots, served with cold spinach noodles.
Brown’s is just a few doors further on, and also offers great river views from its large deck. The company is the oldest craft brewer in the Greater Capital Region (it also has a satellite brewery and riverside taproom 20 miles northeast of Troy in a very rural part of Rensselaer County, but that spot’s river view is of the humble Waloomsac, not the mighty Hudson.) The menu is an eclectic one with changing weekly special and a wide range of house-made brews, many of which are incorporated into the food.
SARATOGA COUNTY
Known until last year as Clark’s Steakhouse, this casual spot is part of the Schuyler Yacht Basin on the west bank of the Hudson River in the tiny village of Schuylerville (population 1,400), 10 miles east of Saratoga Springs. It affords a closeup view of the passing boat traffic that immediately evokes a relaxed atmosphere. It had won top steakhouse honors in several Saratoga County polls, but when meat prices soared in the early days of the pandemic, everything changed -- new menu with seafood emphasis, new name, new addition to the deck.
WARREN COUNTY
The Queen Anne-style stone mansion on the shore of Lake George was built in 1898 for a Brooklyn lawyer as a vacation retreat. Once visitors navigate down a steep, winding drive, the formerly hidden three-story edifice looms into view. This is the Inn at Erlowest, which has gone by various names bestowed by various owners over the decades. There are many gems here, from rolling lawns to a lakeview veranda to a library-style bar and four dining rooms that are studies in elegance with coffered ceilings and rich draperies.
(William M. Dowd, a longtime journalist, is the author of Notes On Napkins, a food-and-drink blog covering the Greater Capital Region and western New England, with seven zoned Facebook editions.)
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