Lil' Deb's Oasis

Hudson Restaurant Lil’ Deb’s Oasis Fosters a Community of Queer Artists and Cooks | Eater

"Located on a side street in Hudson, New York, this beloved restaurant and queer cultural hub—opened in 2015 and reopened after pandemic hibernation in May 2021—pairs ever-changing, tropical-meets-neon interiors (tennis balls dangling from the ceiling, pineapples and wild floral arrangements, sunset-toned walls, glowing purple lights) with reliably fantastic food like fried fish and rotating specialties such as spicy chorizo larb, garlicky shrimp, and mojo chicken. More than a place to eat, it operates as an incubator and mentorship space: cooks and front‑of‑house staff have used the kitchen and support to launch projects from postmodern pizza nights and a bagel project called Circles to a mobile performance stage called High Beam, while Queer Night of Performance turns the dining room into a strobing runway for drag and art. The off‑beat, nontraditional, non‑patriarchal kitchen culture and a scrappy crew foster creative freedom, and the wine program leans delightfully strange and approachable, with tasting notes that read like hallucinogenic haiku (for example, a chenin blanc described as “whale watching, church shoes, beach cruiser, crescent roll” and another wine as “lemongrass slap, cornbread batter, close shave, Clarice Lispector”). Despite growth, renovation, and wider acclaim, the core ethos—queer hospitality, artistic experimentation, and actively supporting staff to grow and move on—remains central to its identity." - Elazar Sontag