Where to Find the Best Food & Drink in Westchester in 2021 (2024)

Photo by York Street Photography

No matter whether you’re in the mood for fine dining and white tablecloths or classic diner fare, Westchester County restaurants have it all.

Where to Find the Best Food & Drink in Westchester in 2021 (1)

New Farm-to-Table Restaurant

Heritage 147
Larchmont
www.heritage147.com

Aureole, Felidia, Delmonico’s, and David Burke Townhouse are among the prominent work experiences on the combined résumés of co-owners Rich Perez and Alissa Svorka. Thus, they know what goes into crafting a top-flight dish: top ingredients sourced from small-batch purveyors and an emphasis on different food cultures. Their Modern American menu is replete with thoughtful choices, such as local fluke crudo with aji amarillo and caviar and smoked suckling pig with heirloom beans and chicharrón.

New Cheeseboard Company

Charcuterie Collection
Bedford
www.charcuteriecollection.com

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Your cheese-loving circle (all of your friends?) will delight in these savory boards of meats, cheeses, jams, crackers, and seasonal treats crafted by Laura Zapata, who founded the biz during the pandemic.

New Foodie Destination

9A Eats
Elmsford
www.9aeats.com

A unique concept to our area, this food-truck park brings the best of food-truck culture (variety, relative affordability, and community) to Westchester, with daily rotating trucks serving lunch and dinner. Crazy Taco-Mex, Steak Truck, BBQ & Beyond, Gyro Uno, Poke Motion, Walter’s Hot Dogs, and Westchester Burger Co. are among the many restaurants-on-wheels you may encounter. There are artist-designed picnic tables, plus a pavilion to be completed by summer’s end.

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NYC-Style Steakhouse Experience

Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse
Rye
www.frankieandjohnnies.com

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A righteous carnivore’s cathedral, Frankie & Johnnie’s does everything the way a traditional steakhouse should: bold, big, and beautiful. The dry-aged Prime cuts, tender and served unembellished, the top-class, Cali-leaning wine list, the soaring-ceilinged bank setting with library-esque lounge, mahogany bar, and winding grand staircase all add up to an experience that’ll wipe the Gotham chophouses from your mind.

Italian Ice

Gianfranco Deli Mini Market
White Plains
www.gianfrancodeli.com

Want to delight your taste buds?

Treat them to this homemade Italian ice best described as heaven in a cup: smooth with a creamy consistency and oh so flavorful (lemon, rainbow, cherry, blueberry). Even the presentation is delightful: a clear cup for admiring the contents, with an elegant (and durable) mini wooden spoon cleverly perched upright through the hole of the domed top.

New Mediterranean Restaurant

Meso Mediterranean
Rye
www.mesorestaurants.com

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Freshness, originality, and sustainability are core menu elements at this 140-seat downtown-Rye newcomer, offering dishes that reflect upwards of 22 Mediterranean countries (the Meso dip platter is a must-order). House-made desserts and an airy interior of natural colors, leather-and-suede banquettes, and handcrafted co*cktails from an enticing bar make a reservation here especially fitting for a date night or group-of-friends evening hangout.

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Singular Dining Experience

Kanopi
White Plains
www.kanopievents.com/restaurant

High above Renaissance Square (42 floors to be exact) is a culinary experience that combines a magnificent setting (supreme views of the Hudson Valley, Long Island Sound, and New York City skyline), self-effacing, gracious service, and imaginatively presented plates of American fare with a touch of Portuguese soul. In addition to dinner, Chef Anthony Goncalves and wife Andréia present a five-course high tea ($59 pp), a fine way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

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Shellfish Dishes

KEE Oyster House
White Plains
www.keeoysterhouse.com

From the menu to the decor, the concept at KEE is an homage to old New York and its preeminent oyster history (pre-1920s, the city’s harbor was home to more than half the world’s oyster population). Expect top-flight oysters, including creamy Blue Points and melon-scented Kumamotos, plus F.O.B. catches of expertly cooked lobster, crab, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and statuesque seafood towers both hot and cold.

Sweet Potato Fries

Rye Roadhouse
Rye
www.ryeroadhouse.com

Sweet potato fries are ubiquitous around Westchester, but the sweet, orange spuds at the Rye Roadhouse are the top we’ve tried. The crispy batons of vitamin A goodness are expertly seasoned and have the perfect crisp. Pair with the house-made Cajun remoulade for the perfect fry dive.

Revamped Terrace

Amore Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen
Armonk
www.amorearmonk.com

Owners and brothers Mark and Joe Mazzotta have a Tuscan-inspired oasis behind their restaurant (don’t neglect ordering a brick-oven Bronx-style pie or addictive arancini), featuring a terrazzo with freshwater stream, grapevine pergola, and vegetable garden. The stone terrace has gotten even more alluring with the additions of a firepit and waterfall area. Expect to linger and order a bottle instead of a glass.

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Elevated Appetizer

Tots at The Whitlock
Katonah
www.thewhitlockny.com

These are not the tater tots of your youth. Each golden tot is crispy and pop-in-your-mouth enticing and addictive. But take your time eating these – all the better to savor toppings like caviar and crème fraiche. The former adds a taste of decadence to the dish, while the latter brings a dollop of silkiness.

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New Restaurant

Apropos at Abbey Inn
Peekskill
www.aproposrestaurant.com

Ingredient integrity and local sourcing are touted by many a restaurant billing themselves as farm-to-table. The newish 120-seat Apropos, situated in a handsomely restored 119-year-old abbey, delivers on the agrarian promise. With a kitchen led by Chef John Paidas that utilizes local co-ops for a portion of its ingredients, the Mediterranean-influenced menu has standout dish upon standout dish: swoon-worthy, house-made ricotta with spring peas on crostini; a baby kale Caesar salad with two-year Parmesan; and basted New York strip with salt-baked onion.

Mushroom Pizza

The Burrata at Burrata Wood Fired Pizza
Eastchester
www.burratapizza.com

Combine a wood-fired Stefano Ferrara Forni beaut of an imported oven, dough made with Italian-milled Caputo 00 flour, and a penchant for the freshest toppings, and you can’t go wrong with any of the pies at this Neapolitan-pizza specialist. But, if we had to pick one, the Burrata, with oodles of expertly browned wild mushrooms, porcini oil, Parmigiano, basil, and just a hint of spice (chili flakes), is a creamy, garlicky masterpiece.

Vegan Small Bites

Lasooni Gobi at Little Drunken Chef
White Plains/Mount Kisco
www.facebook.com/littledrunkenchef

Lasooni Gobi — cauliflower florets in a spicy garlic-chili sauce — is a palate-pleasing Indian specialty that delivers a shrimp-like texture amid bursts of fabulous flavor with every bite. And for those foodies who are watching their gluten intake, the dish also happens to be gluten-free.

New Greek Restaurant

The Greekish
Harrison
www.thegreekish.com/harrison

Owned by award-winning Chef Constantine Kalandranis, The Greekish on Halstead Avenue adds foodie cred to the Harrison dining scene. Inside, the color palette is inspired by the Greek islands, and the menu is a modern take on Greek cuisine, with tantalizing, meze-style crowd-pleasers and a signature dish of sizzling octopus. Family-size to-go boxes have proved a popular addition.

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Wine Slushie

The Parlor
Dobbs Ferry
www.theparlordf.com

Don’t even think of limiting The Parlor’s “Blushing Slush” delicious frozen rosé to summer only — this luscious fun drink, perfectly mixed with fresh strawberry puree, refreshes any time of year. It’s tasty, cold, refreshing, and best of all — available for takeout!

Hot Dog Combos

The Dog Den
White Plains
www.thedogdenwhiteplains.com

With hundreds of options on the menu, it’s impossible to get bored while visiting The Dog Den in White Plains. It’s larger-than-life owner, Dennis Rubich, is constantly cooking up new offerings, like the Fickle Pickle: an all-beef dog with fried pickle chips, ranch dressing, chipotle mayo, bacon bits, and scallions. Those who prefer a meatless dish will have no problem: All combos can be substituted with a meatless hot dog.

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Local Cheese Selection

RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen
Tarrytown
www.rivermarketbarkitchen.com

Whether it begins the dining experience or brings it to completion in the most savory way, the finely curated Hudson Valley cheese plate at this Rivertown destination is a turophile’s showstopper with offerings such as Ewe’s Blue, jalapeno cheddar, and goat’s milk cheese infused with fennel pollen — all locally sourced, handcrafted, and accompanied by house-made walnut-cranberry bread.

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Modern Chinese

Goosefeather
Tarrytown
www.goosefeatherny.com

Dale Talde’s spin on Chinese food is arguably the hottest spot in Westchester after being named one of the top 23 new restaurants in America by Esquire. Dishes like dry-aged beef potstickers (with horseradish mustard that’ll clear your sinuses), crab fried rice with trout roe, and Cantonese style garlicky Maine lobster with shrimp all embody Goosefeather’s ethos of transforming takeout fare into exquisite plates using seasonal veggies, fresh seafood, and quality meats.

Modern Italian Restaurant

tredici NORTH
Purchase
www.tredicinorth.com

Chef-owner Giuseppe Fanelli offers inventive takes on traditional Italian dishes, making for a sophisticated yet accessible menu of fresh-as-silk pastas, sparkling seafood, and Pat LaFrieda steaks. House-made ricotta and fresh mozz lie within the Inside Out meatballs, and Kobe beef ravioli with black truffle and fontina elevates the standard to the sublime. Like the menu, the interior design is a fusion of classical and elegant ingredients, with flashes of contemporary (e.g., the bar made of reclaimed terra cotta offset by contemporary copper accents).

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Fish ’n’ Chips

Brothers Fish & Chips
Ossining
www.brothersfishandchips.com

When fish ’n’ chips is in your restaurant’s name, your fried-fish game had better be tight — and at Brothers, it sure is (we swear to cod!). The light, crispy, secretly seasoned beer batter surrounds whichever whitefish you choose, and a heaping pile of salty fresh-cut fries is just what’s needed to sate fried-food cravings. For those looking for a deeper dive into their menu, try their multicourse tasting menu for a beautifully plated, delicious seafood experience.

Peking Duck

O Mandarin Chinese Cuisine
Hartsdale
www.omandarin.com

This centuries-old, celebrated dish, around since Imperial China, gets a royally authentic treatment at owner Peter Liu’s gorgeously designed restaurant. It’s a 24-hour process to prepare the organic duck — including blowing air into it for a minimum of eight hours as part of the drying process before roasting. Even the accompanying crêpes are made from scratch.

Craft-Beer Bar

Bridge View Tavern
Sleepy Hollow
www.bridgeviewtavern.com

Whether you’re parked on a stool at Bridge View Tavern’s dimly lit, cozy bar, or you’re soaking up the sun in the outdoor biergarten, this is where you should be pounding your pints. Expect drafts from the who’s who of New York craft, like Industrial Arts, Other Half, and Hudson Valley Brewery, but don’t pass up the liquid gold they frequently get in from Hill Farmstead and Foam. Pair your beer with smoked-then-fried wings and juicy burgers made with Prime beef, elk, bison, or wild-boar chorizo.

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Stuffed Artichoke

Angelina’s Ristorante & Brick Oven Pizza
Tuckahoe
www.angelinasoftuckahoe.com

Known for spiritually transporting Italians to Sunday dinner at their dear old Nonna’s, this visually fascinating, oddly addicting green veggie is steamed, stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs, and served with garlic and oil. It’s tender; it’s meaty; it’s a delicious down-home classic — and it’s homemade, just like Nonna’s.

Rice Balls

Wood & Fire
Pleasantville/Scarsdale
www.woodandfirepizza.com

Considered a small plate, or piattini, there is nothing teeny about this starter dish from this always bustling, inventive, and authentic hotbed of Modern Italian fare. Fashioned from risotto and blended with beef ragu, mozzarella, and sweet peas, these deep-fried, luscious, oversized golf balls are topped with fresh San Marzano tomato sauce and eat like a meal, even when shared (if you must).

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Readers’ Picks 2021

Approximately 34,247 ballots were submitted online in December and January, determining the winners for the 2021 Best of Westchester Readers’ picks in the Shopping, Home & Garden, Kids, Community & Media, Fun & Leisure, Services, and Weddings categories. Some 48,444 votes were tallied in the subsequent elimination rounds for the Food & Drink and Health & Beauty categories in February and March. The results, your choices, are listed below:

Food & Drink

Appetizers

140 Grand
Croton-on-Hudson
www.140grand.com

American Restaurant

Benjamin Steakhouse
White Plains
www.benjaminsteakhouse.com

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Asian Restaurant (Not Japanese/Sushi)

Haiku Asian Bistro
White Plains (plus three other county locations)
www.haikubistro.com

Avocado Toast

To-Go Fab Food

Take & Bake Cinnamon Buns

Baked by Susan
Croton-on-Hudson
www.bakedbysusan.com

There are many reasons to visit Baked by Susan, but our favorite is to indulge in the take-and-bake cinnamon buns. Throw them in the oven at home (your kitchen will never smell better!), and in 30 minutes, you have piping-hot homemade buns oozing with cinnamony goodness and dripping with just the right amount of sweet icing. Or, store them in the freezer, then surprise the kids on a random Saturday morning and win the weekend.

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co*cktails to Go

Donjito
Mamaroneck
www.donjito.com

Some parts of our new reality are way more welcome than others. And, during a sweltering pandemic summer, a plastic-cupped craft co*cktail from this vibey bar area right off the sidewalk was as close to normal as it got: a mojito, caipirinha, or passion-fruit rum punch (among many others), sipped while strolling to the nearby harbor.

Curbside Cakes

Lulu Cake Boutique
www.everythinglulu.com

Westchester’s cake geniuses came up with a sweet idea: a contact-free pickup/delivery menu with options for flavor, filling (Hello, mocha toffee crunch!), size, and decoration (DIY unicorn kit-fun!). Getting your sweet-tooth fix has never been more efficiently delicious.

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Sushi Home Pop-Up

KUMO Sushi Lounge
Scarsdale
www.kumoscarsdale.com

Want a restaurant sushi experience without actually going out? KUMO did away with guest minimums during COVID (and plans to continue it, post-pandemic), so patrons could have an at-home, buffet-style, Japanese meal with rolls made before you by sushi chefs. An at-home omakase-style meal (10–12 max guests) is also offered.

Pasta & Sauce

Pasta Kit Menu at Pax Romana
White Plains
www.paxromanany.com

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This Roman-style street-food maestro made getting through the pandemic a little easier with its to-go “kit,” which includes a choice of house-made pasta by the pound and 16 ounces of tomato sauce (the vodka sauce with smoked bacon is a marvel).

Meal Deal

The Family Feast at Stone Fire Restaurant
Mount Kisco
www.stonefireny.com

Where can you find a feast that serves a family of four (famished) to six (merely hungry) members for, get this, $50? At neo-Italian specialist Stone Fire, that’s where. Think chicken cacciatore, herb-roasted chicken, Nonna’s Sunday Sauce, or eggplant parm with house-made pasta, a giant garden salad, a loaf of crusty bread, and a bottle of wine.

Good Morning Grub

Power Breakfast

City Limits
White Plains
www.citylimitsdiner.com

Breakfast can be ordered all day at most diners, but most diners are not City Limits. Starting with a sleeker, more sophisticated design than its counterparts, City Limits offers morning starters like orange-lemon waffles, raisin-and-currant challah French toast, and house-smoked Atlantic salmon that are a cut above the rest — and perfect for networking and brainstorming.

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Take on French Toast

The Grange
Larchmont
www.grangelarchmont.com

While it’s possible to say that this cool, new café serving breakfast and lunch elevates everything on its menu, the torched French toast wedge is truly sublime. Layers of baked brioche form a pillowy, yellow interior that then gets the brûlée torch treatment, resulting in a buttery, caramelized exterior that melts in your mouth. Inside and out, it’s honestly unforgettable.

Waffles

Wild Culture Waffles
Hastings
www.wildcultureny.com

You may never settle for ordinary waffles again after trying crisp, air-pocket-filled, sourdough ones made with local flour. Toppings and fillings are equally off the grid — think homemade Nutella and lemon curd; a Creamsicle waffle with orange jam and vanilla whipped cream; a cream-cheese-injected “everything” waffle; or the Southern Belle: bacon, cheddar, and scallion cooked in and drizzled with house-made hot honey.

Scone Score

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Chocolate Chip Scone

Mrs. Larkin’s Bakery
Pound Ridge
www.mrslarkins.com

Liz Larkin, better known as “The Scone Lady,” has earned her title and then some for her moist and a tad cakey cream scones (she uses heavy cream instead of the more common choice of buttermilk). Regular flavors are blueberry, cranberry orange, “cinnful” (cinnamon streusel), and our champion chocolate chip, but be on the lookout for specialty varieties like peach or fig rosemary orange. Available at The Kitchen Table in Pound Ridge and The Farmer’s Grind in South Salem. Contact: 914.262.3896, @sconeladylarkin, Facebook (Mrs. Larkin’s LLC), for special orders.

Cheddar Scallion Scone

The Nutmeg Café
Tuckahoe
www.thenutmegcafe.com

Often regarded as a delicate and comforting accompaniment, the savory scones served here satisfy as the main event. With crisped cheese on top and generously adorning the sides, too, this hearty treat eats like two indulgences in one.

Blueberry Scone

Red Barn Bakery
Irvington
www.redbarn-bakery.com

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Owner Randell Dodge says her blueberry scones “have their own sort of cult following.” The opposite of the stereotypical overly dry, sweetened scone, this toothsome treat is baked with all organic ingredients, including specially tested whole red wheat flour and plenty of fresh blueberries. “Because when the blueberries burst in your mouth,” says Dodge, “that’s the happiness of it.”

Cranberry Walnut Scone

Mast Market + Café
Mount Kisco
www.mastchocolate.com

Fresh flour milled at the store and top organic ingredients, many local, offer nuanced flavors, a beautiful balance of earthy and sweet, to Mast Brothers’ cranberry-walnut scones (a special only offered certain times). Baker Stefania Gioffre uses her own recipe, honed through childhood and culinary school, and says her trick is overbaking the scones a tad, so that “the flavors come out more.”

Full of Beans

Turkish Coffee

The Roaster Café & Bistro
Mamaroneck
www.theroastercafe.com

This rustic-styled chic and family-owned café is influenced by modern, Mediterranean-based cuisine and incorporates many different cultures into its eclectic offerings. The Turkish-themed wood-laden ambience matches the uniqueness and distinctness of the coffee. Similar to an espresso, the Turkish coffee consists of finely ground beans, typically prepared in a cezve, or small, long-handled pot, making for a perfect cup each time.

Beans to Brew at Home

The Black Cow Coffee Company
Croton-on-Hudson/Pleasantville
www.blackcow.com

Stand in line at Black Cow’s Croton-on-Hudson or Pleasantville location, and you’ll hear a queue of requests for a pound of their signature Black Cow Blend of beans, roasted daily in Westchester by in-house master roaster Cole Rivers. Order in-store for a full lineup of roast selections, to have either ground in-house or to take home, or order the staples online for pickup.

New Coffee Shop

Bougie Brews
Yonkers
www.bougiebrews.com

Passionate about better-than-average (or “bougie”) coffee and devoted to the notion that a coffee shop should be a welcoming community-centered space, first-time business owners Charmaine Sanchez and Donte Charlton run this hip, downtown shop where the beans are fair-trade, roasted locally, and silky smooth.

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Cappuccino

Muddy Water
Tarrytown
www.muddywatercoffeehouse.com

Step into the brick-walled neighborhood coffee shop on Main Street, and you’ll see local artists displayed and hear jazz music playing alongside the sound of brewing cappuccinos. The bold, smooth espresso is made with locally roasted Big Bang beans and creamy milk from a collective of Hudson Valley small farms. When you pick up your cappuccino, grab a mini-potpie, steaming samosa, or a gluten-free muffin.

Deserving Desserts

Babka

Martine’s Fine Bake Shoppe
Tuckahoe/Scarsdale
www.martinesfinebakeshoppe.com

Credited with making “babka” a household name, Jerry Seinfeld also put the babka baked at these down-county sister shops on the map when he showed up to film an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. But to those in the know, Martine’s has forever been the place for light, flaky, and ultra-rich chocolate babka, cinnamon nut, and the elusive Nutella-hazelnut varietal.

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New Bakery for Cakes

Wildly Cakes & Sweets
Dobbs Ferry
www.wildlycakes.com

For custom-crafted cakes showcasing impassioned — even wild (thus the name) — designs, try Maria Ramirez’s bakery, which she courageously opened in December amid the pandemic. The International Culinary Center grad’s Instagram page, @wildlycakes, has one showstopper after another (the unicorn cake and the “fluffy” yellow cat are two faves).

Warm Dessert

S’mores Lava Cake at Bona Bona Ice Cream
Port Chester
www.bonabonaicecream.com

You may think you know how delicious warm chocolate cake paired with ice cream is, but you should hold off on any convictions until you’ve had this glorious creation, which covers a Valrhona chocolate cake with brûléed Italian meringue, served with a scoop of subtly sweet and a bit nutty graham-cracker ice cream.

New Latin Bakery

Boleria Brazilian Bakery
Mamaroneck
www.facebook.com/BoleriaNY

Sure, you can try just one brigadeiro — a Brazilian-chocolate truffle made with condensed milk — but you’ll end up with a bow-tied box of sprinkled, swirled, and dotted ones from a chef who hails from Brazil and was trained at Le Cordon Bleu. You’ll then sneak back for flan in a jar, pão de queijo, churro cake, and dulce de leche in all its permutations.