Canoe Hill

Cute restaurant with very interesting dishes. The pork on polenta was my favorite because the meat was tender and very flavorful, and the polenta was creamy. The clam dip was fine, but I couldn't taste the clams. The staff was super friendly, and the space was tight and loud, but also cozy.

Best food in Hudson valley! Very cute place, super friendly bartender, extended cocktails and really good mocktail (important for non drinkers). We tried beet salad (amazing), whole branzino (most amazing branzino ever), half chicken (also amazing). Can’t wait to come back to try other things on the menu!

My girlfriend and I went up to Columbia County for a weekend away and decided to stop in at Canoe Hill on the way up for some Happy Hour drinks and bites after finding the place by chance just looking at the map for dining options. We came for the $2 happy hour oysters and stayed for the service and atmosphere. The oysters are chef’s choice, so we recommend ordering in small quantities so you can continuously try different types (we ordered 4, then 6, then 4, and got three different types of oysters). We had a couple of delicious drinks and a very tasty bar grilled cheese, and had great service from Valerie (also my girlfriend’s name!) who took care of us the whole time. The place was also virtually empty, which makes it a great spot for some alone time with a loved one. It’s not the cheapest place, but with the price comes an incredibly high quality experience. Highly recommend!

Staff is stuffy. Bar has limited options. Food selection is minimal and food itself is banal. They never answer their phone. Owner's smug responses to bad reviews mock the reviewers instead of addressing the shortcomings of the bar. See response below.

We have loved Canoe Hill ever since they graced this small town. What a lovely, cozy, well thought out atmosphere. Very solid food and cocktails. Sam at the bar is such a pleasure and other waitstaff (like Abby, who recently left) just made the experience all you might want it to be. It's cozy, unpretentious, quality in multiple food and drink aspects, and a place we hope stays for a VERY long time.

Trying-quite-hard restaurant. Food was good. We were sat in the bar area, around 7pm, just us and the bar tender, couldn’t hear my wife speaking with the volume of the music “can you please turn it down a bit?”…receives a pretty curt ”we have a policy to keep it at that level”…not a “maybe we could seat you elsewhere?” or attempt to solve the issue for the client …better to stick with the policy as opposed to anything customer centric I suppose! When WE asked to go outside it was better, at least we could hear ourselves talking. But hey: Stick with the formula!

Had such a fun time over at Canoe Hill on Saturday! Toned down lighting and staff that know exactly when to chat with you and when to let you be. O, did I mention the phenomenal original cocktails? Superb!

Not a restaurant. Pre-made food ToGo. Plenty of overpriced jams and country store items. IPA’s and Cocktails to also go; which are very expensive. Couple of tables before entering the “store.” Service nice enough. Purchased a wooden honey dipper for $11 as souvenir.

Great little place for an intimate dinner; It's located next to the Millbrook diner. Rustic entrance and decor with a long stretched bar upon entering. The dinning room is in the back. We were here on a Monday night so it wasn't busy. Got seated right away and learned that Monday Night is Burger & a Beer special for $19. Great deal! Unfortunately they don't have beers on tap, but do have a decent bottled beer selection. I had the burger and hubby had the lasagna. The burger was cooked with duck fat, which really brings out the flavor. It was delicious. Hubby's lasagna was great too. Then we ended the dinning experience with a spiced ginger cake. It was very fitting for winter holiday, delicious but could be even better if served warm ala mode. Solid place and they change their menu often so it's always a new experience.

The Service was excellent. Super friendly bartender named Ian, welcoming and ready with drink suggestions. The Food was excellent. Best oysters I've had in a long time, sweet and briny and extraordinary. For happy hour, oysters are $2 at the bar. And there are wine and cocktail specials too. This was a little, cozy place with delicious food and really great service. What more could you ask for?

The service was great, the food was delicious, and the restaurant felt warm and cozy on a cold winter evening. We loved canoe hill and we would be happy to come back.

Somehow, this fantastic restaurant fell off my radar for a couple of years. Rediscovered it and so happy I did. Love the vibe, the interior, the ambiance, and the happy hour specials. Food is excellent and staff are super nice and helpful. We had oysters and a cheeseburger. The drinks are well made. Overall, A++++++ experience.

I dropped by on my way home from Millerton. This place is super cute on the inside. I sat at the bar and was quickly attended to. I had a mixed drink which was delicious (and mighty strong!) and then had a beer. Great drink and beer selection. They also had an oyster special so I had a few. They were delicious!

Exceptionally cute / Wes Anderson-esq vibes from this gem. The impressive organic wine list and cocktail menu makes for a great start followed by the carefully curated food menu. The clam chowder is an absolute treat (as a native Bostonian that's high praise), the wedge was fresh and terrific, and the brown butter polenta as rich and tasty as the name suggests. Dessert was the chocolate pots de crème and a scoop of gelato - decadent without being overwhelming. Throughout it all the service was absolutely top notch resulting in a superlative experience I hope to repeat in short order!

Having never been to the area, we booked based on the recommendations of our AirB&B host. Unfortunately, everyone else we met suggested other places and we didn't listen! The atmosphere is interesting .. they sat us at an end table. No, not at the End of a Table.. a little round end table! lol a little odd but maybe they were expecting a late crowd?? (It never came by the way.) The food menu is limited and not what you see online. The chef seems to be trying really hard to create something unique which is admirable. I wish him luck because he didn't find it yet. After much deliberation, we settled on a couple of cheeseburgers.. safe options that no one messes up .. well challenge accepted. We had to have special permission to order anything but medium rare .. and then they came out medium rare .. when we sent them back, the waitress was generally offended. When they came back a second time, they were a little better but still red. We could feel the eyes of every food snob that worked there judging us. It actually got uncomfortable as our waitress wrote us off as unworthy of any additional attention. Alas, we paid our $200 bill for raw hamburgers, a shared salad and some drinks and took our food shame out to the car. :-(.

A local favorite. Charming setting and food hits the mark every time. Team is knowledgeable and service is on point.

I am consistently impressed with the food in the Hudson Valley, and Canoe Hill is just the latest reason why. I've only had the one meal so far, but this warm and inviting space is the perfect place to gather for that haphazard, always-later-than-you-wanted it-to-be meal on Friday night, after you've all battled traffic getting out of the city. By that I mean that there's something for every appetite. If you're starving, the porchetta is the real thing, and the burger is about as good as you can hope for (and only $12 with a beer on Mondays). The roasted half chicken makes great use of the preserved lemon, and the oysters are fresh and briny. Frustrated by idiots on the road? Canoe Hill has cocktails. My old fashioned was perfect, and the This One Time In France is quite nice as well. We opted out of wine, but the list seemed quite nice, and Narragansett is only $3, if you want to roll old school. If you inhaled several bags of chips on the car ride and only need a few snacks, you could do infinitely worse than cobbling a meal together of the chicken liver mousse, the whipped salt cod, the burrata, the ricotta toast (anything with bread and something to spread on it is excellent), the brussels sprouts (excellent with eggs in the morning if you can't finish them off), and the oysters. If you think my friends and I are gluttons for ordering that much in one meal, you're probably right. I regret nothing, until the inevitable cardiac arrest...by which time I fully expect science to be able to insert my brain into some sort of bionic body, so I'm living it up now.

This place is DEFINITELY worth visiting. They serve big portions for some seriously good prices. Well kept and with great atmosphere. I highly recommend this place, and the next time I'm in Millbrook I will be stopping by!

Food is very good. Just love the country feel. Casual and elegant. I really liked the pulled pork bbq sandwiches and cheese fries.

Did not call to let us know that they were closed because of a plumbing emergency. We had a reservation made 10 days earlier. Drove 35 minutes each way. Worst of all they said they called when I complained, but when I asked what number they admitted they did not. Btw it was an anniversary. Sigh.

Strange place, it might be me, micro oysters, no horseradish or cocktail sauce, no cranberry juice, no orange juice but plenty of vodka hamburger raw almost mooing unless you ask for something different, however, friendly crew great beet salad. Not a good fit for me...

Great place, great service, food was delicious. Bar maids where great. I recommend this place to my friends and family.

You need to look closely, or else you'll pass this place. Once you're in, you'll find a very nicely designed bar area which leads towards the dining room. Sabrina guided us thru the menu, shared her favorites and gave us some great suggestions for cocktails and wine. We ordered a toasted bread with a ricotta spread topped with a mint & pistachio "pesto," and Swedish meatballs as apps. Gnocchi, which was one of the fluffiest and most delicious we've had in a while, and a cheese burger (the bacon jam spread sold me) which was cooked to perfection. We had an apple crisp for dessert, which I normally don't like, but these folks turned me. I'm in and I'm a believer. Thank you for a great dinner and experience, given the horrible experience I had elsewhere the night before. We will be back to Canoe Hill.

Love. Great food. Inventive drinks. Nice staff. Crowded bar but tight passage to the dining area when the bar is full. Otherwise a great place.

Have been to Canoe Hill a couple of times now, and boy is it good. First, and I'm going to put this first because it's important: their service staff is absolutely terrific. Super friendly and helpful and have their timing down perfectly. The food is also pretty darned stellar. We've done the small plates thing on both visits, and did different sets of plates each time. And everything that came out was a winner. A+ marks for creativity, execution, and best of all -- flavor. The room is small but cozy. The drinks are excellent (try a Sazerac if you are feeling bold!). They don't do reservations for small parties, but we've never had trouble getting a seat on Saturday night for 2. I expect once word gets out more broadly about the place that this will certainly not be the case...but I can think of worse fates than having to spend a little time at the bar waiting for a table!

Love this place. Great place to stop for an amazing coffee and much more. It's no longer a restaurant.. has a whole produce and shopping part now. Overall enjoy going in every time. Very nice lady who works there.

What a unique restaurant with great food and service....highly recommend.... Very cozy.....

A small place with small plates that are well done. The atmosphere is cozy-- not to be confused with comfy. It's a quality-style cozy. Nicely done cocktail and small plate vibe. At night it is very dimly lit by candles

If you are ever close to Millbrook, NY make this your destination for dinner. The inside of the restaurant doesn't have any WOW factor - they save that for the food. Service was more than fine. Our waitress was friendly and helpful. The food is the true standout here. Every dish we had was sublime. I had very high expectations once we started with an app for olives with our drinks. They were really done well. The mussels were done perfectly and the grilled cheese was a great compliment. Chopped kale salad was a decent choice. The skirt steak was outstanding as well as the side of spinach which we shared. We over ordered and couldn't finish the steak. They don't take reservations for parties under 6, but we were able to walk in and get seated right away.

Outstanding service. Thank you Kima. I had the burger. It was very good. Not your typical American burger. Very unique flavor. My wife had the steak. She said she like it a lot.

The food here is top-notch creative and delicious small plates. Very expensive and I did not care for the maitre d'/owner/manager. I almost left because he was unwelcoming -- he told me I could sit in the bar if I wanted because they are filled with reservations. I told him: I'll go elsewhere and he misunderstood and responded: You want to sit outside? So I considered and said yes. That was a good move. I had an excellent kind waitress who did not make me feel uncomfortable dining solo on a Saturday (on my drive home). I ate: peel and eat warm shrimp with remoulade, roasted artichoke, and roasted potatoes with duck fat, latter two served with aioli. For a whopping $48 with tax and tip -- for 3 small plates and no alcohol. The food is cutting edge creative and interesting. If you can get over the non-hospitable manager/host you'll enjoy this casual hip eatery. And oysters are $1 at the bar during the two-hour happy hour and after 9 pm; otherwise $3 each. And some good-sounding desserts made in-house. Hats off to the chef extraordinaire! (Boo to the host who needs an attitude adjustment.)

My Wife and I love it here for a happy hour drink and small plate. It is warm and inviting and so far the food has been superb. Tonight my wife had the mushroom and kale toast and I had the pork rillett, both were excellent and the $5 glass of Bordeaux happy hour wine was a perfect match. The menu is everchanging and we look forward to next Saturday.

Such a welcome addition to the area! Everything about it was fantastic. To start, the atmosphere is incredible. Amazing decor, very minimalist and intentional. You feel like you have been transported to Brooklyn! The food was excellent!! We got the trout pate which was some of the best pate I have had. Waitress very nicely brought us more toasts when we ran out. We tried the half chicken (very moist and flavorful) and then braised pork (melt in your mouth good- you feel like your in Quebec!) Lastly, cocktails were fantastic! Tom Collins was perfection!!! We will definitely be coming back soon!

We had a lovely dinner at this classy, tiny place. The Branzino was perfect. Small menu means fresh and it was very fresh. What a great find. We will be back.

I love Canoe Hill! I wish I lived in Millbrook so that it could be my "local", as I would hang out at the bar a few nights a week. There's a great happy hour every night (4-6pm), with $5 white and red wine (and $1 oysters!) That's at the bar only. I can never find happy hours at restaurants upstate, so I really love this. You can also get $1 oysters at the bar after 9pm. Plus it's just an amazing cozy/hidden bar (down an alley off the main street) and Loren makes amazing cocktails. The small plates and snacks are perfect for the bar area. Even though I live 45 minutes away, I make the trek to Canoe Hill. Now that they are open all day on the weekends, I like to bring my kids for brunch or lunch and tie it in with strolling around Millbrook or going to the awesome town playground. The food is amazing, the dining area is what you want your house to be like, and the wood-burning stove is so warm and cozy. In warmer weather, they have a cute outdoor dining area. The staff are so nice and welcoming. Canoe is a special little hidden gem in Millbrook. My go-to for adult night-time drinks at the bar, yet also a place I can bring my kids or meet friends for a relaxed weekend brunch. (And with fantastic coffee!) Highly recommended!

Not sure where those 2 guys who rated 2 stars ate, but it was NOT Canoe Hill. The food was awesome!! Trout Mouse - yum! If I have one complaint, it was how long it took to get drinks (over 15 minutes). It was not busy and we waited a very long time. But all was forgiven when the jalapeno margarita arrived and was DELISH. We can't wait to go back :)

I was turned on to this place by a bartender named L.B. at Crew in Poughkeepsie. The decor and lighting are quaint and relaxing. Chef Sara does an amazing job creating menu items that aren't pompous but simple, elegant and well prepared. We had the Chicken Liver Pate, The Grilled Trumpet Mushrooms, The Skirt Steak, The Half Chicken with a side of turnips and greens, the Pot de Creme and the Warm Blondie. Everything was excellent. The wine list was excellent and our whole party enjoyed the choices of food and drink. I'll definitely go back next time I'm in the Hudson Valley!

I have since Canoe Hill opened been there many times and had delicious food and enjoyed everything. They have a very good thing going and I am thrilled they have come to Millbrook. This evening we were seated by one of the speakers. We asked for the loud music to be turned down. They said they could not do so. We moved and it was still equally loud. It was Sunday night and the restaurant was nearly empty. The meal was delicious and the experience quite unpleasant. I think they could work on their hospitality!

The owner is such a great host, always welcoming. The food is fresh, inventive and delicious. Drinks are really good and progressive The oysters are some of the best I've ever had. Definitely try the Kale salad too!

We stopped here just based on the yelp reviews and I wasn't disappointed. The drinks were nice and had unique names. We ordered the cheeseburger and the gnocchi. Both the items exceeded our expectations. The portion size was just right and we savored each bite. The burger was juicy, one of the best cheeseburgers we have had. The gnocchi was light and pillowy and complemented the lamb ragu. For dessert, we had the apple crisp which was a nice blend of sweet land tart

I liked the food, the waitstaff and the ambience (think rustic chic) was very good. However, I would've given 5 stars but the value for the dollar was not the tops. I'd say the price was 25-30% higher than my group felt was reasonable.

Great news!! Shortly after posting my original review the chef informed me that he was adding nine new menu items that weekend. Additionally he informed me that the reason for the lack of changes was mostly because of the limited selection of fresh veggies during late winter. I am very excited to go in and try out the new options!

One of my favorite spots in Millbrook! Great bar, equally impressive menu and friendly staff. I love the atmosphere here! Definitely a must try if you're in the area looking for somewhere to have a nice dinner or a few drinks!

Very limited menu. About 3 entrees. You would think that each would be exceptional. The Chicken was dry and maybe a little better than a Costco rotisserie. The Branzino was acceptable but nothing special. The Apps were very disappointing. AND THEY WERE DELIVERED WITH THE ENTREES. I mentioned this to the manager on the way out and he did not seem to care very much. The shrimp cocktail consisted of 4 tiny shrimp. The sausage was fair. The service was slow and we will never visit again.

We stumbled upon this cute hidden gem in Millbrook NY center on a Friday night. It is tucked away off the main strip (and by main strip I mean a quaint old-school feeling road w a diner hardware store pharmacy etc.). The bar is spacious enough for oysters (happy hour rocks!) and about 10 people. The small plates are amazing. We loved it so much we came back for brunch on Saturday and had an amazing perfectly cooked (medium) cast iron skillet cheeseburger and polenta with sunny egg. Both were to die for. Wish it was closer to our home. We'd be back every weekend!!! Must try. Prices are reasonable and staff is attentive. 5 stars plus!!!

Cozy restaurant with great a atmosphere. We loved the music which was funky and lively albeit subtle in the dining room. Cocktails were great. Highlights of our meal were the Branzino, Salted Cod appetizer, duck fat potatoes, and the Burger was VERY good!!

Porchetta. That is all I need to say. We planned a short get-away trip to Millbrook and stumbled upon this hidden gem on our first night in the city. Having been tainted by the fancier-than-thou food culture of NYC, where the worth of a restaurant gets decided by the notoriety of the chef(s) manning the kitchen or the pedigree that it receives, we were not expecting much as we walked into this cozy, once-a-dive-bar-but-born-again restaurant. Shame on us; we were blown away. Each dish was well prepared and thoughtful. Polenta & Eggs took us for a joyride and made us renewed believers in polenta. But Porchetta stood on its own. At its core, the dish was a simple celebration of pork - perfectly roasted and complimented. We had a hard time communicating while eating this. We couldn't resist the urge to come back to Canoe Hills on our third (and last) night in the city. We loved the hiking, drinking wine at a local vineyard and interacting with the friendly locals. But Canoe Hills made Millbrook a food destination for us.

Hip young crowd. Excellent food, deserts, ambiance! Glad to find such a downtown place in Millbrook!

This place was amazing. The service was great and the food was outstanding. Highly recommend the burger. Made with their own "bacon jam", and home made bourbon in the sauce elevated all the flavors. Probably the best burger I have ever had. Incredible!

If you haven't been here, you are missing a hidden gem in the Hudson Valley. We stopped for lunch and sat outside on the patio. The owner (Mike) and his wife (Lauren) could not have been more accommodating for our family, including 2-year old twins. And the food was top-notch! We drove up from Manhattan and would do so again just for the oysters and the burger.

I don't write many reviews but I feel the need to compliment this wonderful hidden gem in an area without many great places to eat. Dining at Canoe Hill is a bit like going to eat at the house of a good friend. The atmosphere is calm, comfortable and relaxing. As for the drinks, they are are inventive and delicious takes on classics. The food is simple, well executed, fresh and delicious. Also, the oysters are half price after 9!

Excellent food, excellent atmosphere, delightful crowd. The owner Mike has put it all together with meals that are individual and delicious. I like putting together the small plates as suits my mood. Others may like ordering entrees that are the larger single plate serving. The staff and bartender can suggest drinks that match your meal or pallet. Great mix of people including the occasional Rock or Movie star or Wall St biggie..regardless great food super place.

Very good food and drink. I am impressed, I did not expect to find such a high-end kitchen with craft cocktails in Millbrook, NY. Great selection of oysters, excellent bar, interesting and courageous menu. I would give 4.5 stars but Yelp doesn't allow it.

Super quaint and tucked away location in the middle of millbrook. The bartender Loren was very friendly and knew a lot about the food, and made an excellent old fashioned. The grilled cheese was super delicious!! Oysters were freshly shucked. Potato gratin and short rib sandwich were also delicious. What a great new location :)

I came here last night for the first time and was very impressed !! It's tucked away on the Main Street, you could walk right bye it not even know it was there. Very cool atmosphere, clean design and comfortable. Food was very good, the Burrata was excellent ! Service was good, not great and the menu print was very small! Drinks were great, over all highly recommend and can't wait to come back! What a hidden gem!

Excellent cocktails, local fresh ingredients, cozy atmosphere serving $1 oysters after 9pm

Hidden Gem on Franklin! We were looking for a place to eat after a visit to the Millbrook Winery and my daughter found this place through yelp. Cannot say enough good things about it. Food is great. People are great. We ate at the bar because there was a $1 Oyster special and because the bartender was great--a real mixologist!!!! We will be back.