Look no further for all the best drinks, dining, and (taco) dive bars to help you plan an evening around a show at the Paramount.
The Hudson Valley boasts a number of destination theaters, from Albany’s Palace Theatre and Bethel Woods upstate, down past Kingston to the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Any one of these would be worth planning a whole night out, with their rich history, high-caliber acts, and proximity to great food and drink. Only one venue, though, packs so many dining options into such a tight radius around its powerhouse performers: Peekskill’s Paramount Hudson Valley Theater. If you’ve already got your tickets in-hand, it’s time to start planning out where you’re going to stop for pre- and post-show eats, and probably a drink or two!
Breweries & Beer Halls
Peekskill Brewery, the town’s namesake suds station, will let you sip a few rounds before your show en plein air thanks to some particularly beautiful modular walls. Plus it’s totally walkable from the train station/riverfront, so non-locals have an excellent reason to leave the car at home for the evening.
River Outpost Brewing Co., though a little farther away, is worth it for sharing space with all the food, games, and activities available at Spins Hudson and food at Fin & Brew, attractions in and of themselves.
Related: Take a Spin on the Hudson
International Cuisine
Taco Dive Bar also benefits from being Metro-North adjacent, so if you’re jonesing for a soft-shell, this is your place. A solid drink menu and some eclectic ingredient choices make this a Peekskill mainstay. Scarf down two or three and then walk uphill to your show (a leisurely 15-20 minute stroll, if you don’t stop for dessert anywhere along the way.)
Just next door, Taormina offers classic Italian and pizza at extremely fair prices, making it perfect for a quick bite or a nice family sit-down either before an evening performance or after a matinee. You can also check out Annabella’s Pizza & Pasta on South Division Street if you’re looking to score just a quick bite practically around the corner from the Paramount.
Best of Westchester winner RameNesque is one of our favorite choices to warm our bellies on a cold winter’s day. Another in our long list of fine dining within two or three blocks of the Paramount, RameNesque is delicious, inexpensive, and popular without being overcrowded.
Pan-Latin
Iron Vine on the corner of Division also deserves a major shout-out not just for their killer tapas and other Latin bistro favorites, but also for its dynamite weekend brunch. (Alright, most of these restaurants have a dynamite weekend brunch, but Iron Vine’s is particularly high up our list of favorites.)
Just around the corner you’ll find La Herradura and Perla de Oriente Panaderia authentic Guatemalan cuisine, but if that’s not your exact style you’ll also find El Conquistador for Ecuadorian, Los Andeas Bakery for Chilean, and Touch of Class for Caribbean fusion all within 500 feet.
Related: A Touch of Class Brings Caribbean Flair to Peekskill
Cafés and Lighter Fare
Peekskill Coffee House has all the latte art and free WiFi you’d expect from a hip Brooklyn coffee house, PCH distinguishes itself with artisanal baked goods, fresh salads, and crepes both sweet and savory that really must be tried to be believed, and being practically next door to the Paramount you’ve really got no excuse not to try. Bean Runner Café marries that same love for international roasts with a penchant for live local and big-name jazz acts. Kurzhal’s Coffee, in the Central Market, boasts a plethora of vegan baked-goods to compliment their blends. You’ll also find Ruben’s Mexican Café next to Annabella’s. (Seriously, there are tons of amazing cafes in Peekskill.)
Speaking of vegan treats, this quaint little shop opened just over a year ago. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up that’ll help you rock and roll all night, a fresh fruit smoothie, protein-loaded açaí bowl, or a wheatgrass shot is a heck of a lot healthier than an energy shot. Plus that’ll help rationalize treating yourself to a vegan s’mores icing sandwich.
Hudson Creamery
Also just next door to Taco Dive Bar, this ice cream shop has a wide variety of indulgences that make it the perfect pit stop on your way to a show after dinner, or just on your way home after (or, you know, both).
Pubs & Grub
Open late to slake your after-party needs, any of these establishments will leave you stuffed, quenched, and thoroughly delighted. Buns-n-Bourbon back by the train station is a gastropub that delivers exactly what it promises: drinks and bar bites with a distinct bent towards buns (burgers) and whiskey. Sign up for reserve bottle service or rent the “bourbon cage” for a memorable evening. The Hudson Room — just around the corner from the Paramount — offers eclectic fare from sushi to linguini, and boasts a well-stocked, upscale American style bar. The Eagle Saloon next door focuses more on beers, shots, and cocktails with a folksier, patriotic Americana vibe, though the nibbles lean particularly pan-Asian.
Gleason’s just down the street offers an elevated American pub menu: well-crafted salads, sandwiches, pub pizzas, and entrée plates to complement their craft beers and craft cocktails. The Quiet Man Public House on South Division offers more traditionally Irish pub, while local Anglophiles will get a kick out of McDonald & Peacock Cider House, the traditional English pub and cider house across the street. 12 Grapes Music and Wine Bar a few doors down is a popular destination for both sit-down snacking and full meals, as is Division Street Grill with its high-end comfort food and fresh ingredients.
We’d be remiss not to mention Birdsall House on Main Street. Incredible food, dozens of local craft beers, specialty cocktails, cool outdoor seating, and its own hip music scene make this Gleason’s sister-site a perennial favorite and Best of Westchester winner.
