Best of Westchester: Food & Drink in 2024

Editor’s Picks: Food & Drink • Readers’ Picks: Food & Drink

Editor’s Picks: Food & Drink

Bubble Tea Shop

PickUp Bubble Tea

Mount Kisco

Bubble tea lovers will appreciate this fresh and bright shop devoted to the internationally beloved sweet drink. The independently owned café focuses on high-quality boba, or tapioca pearls, made in-house several times daily. Those pearls are added to a variety of teas, smoothies, and slushies with flavor options such as brown sugar, banana cookies ‘n’ cream, caramel apple, and piña colada.

Creole Restaurant

Crawdaddy’s Creole Kitchen

Pleasantville

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It’s a bit of the Big Easy in Westchester at this Creole restaurant that blends the owners of a classy cocktail lounge, a down-and-dirty dive bar, and a mega mixologist, all bound with a little roux, filé, and sassafras. Jambalaya, crawfish mac ‘n’ cheese, crispy popcorn shrimp, and bulging beignets are among the must-orders. If you are in the mood for a house Hurricane or smooth Sazerac, you can boogie down in the adjacent Voodoo Lounge.

Restaurant Dedicated to Local Ingredients

RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen

Tarrytown

Adorned with menu items using 914-familiar agricultural names like Westchester Mushroom Co. and Hemlock Hill Farms, RiverMarket remains dedicated to building on local ingredients. Feast on freshly picked mushrooms, pasture-raised lamb ragu, and roasted chicken, all sourced from purveyors in the county.

New Barbecue Restaurant

Br’ers BBQ

Bedford Hills

Don’t be fooled by the nondescript white building (formerly a bodega) in the middle of a residential neighborhood on Church Street. This mostly takeout barbecue spot brought to you by the folks at Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish and Bistro De Ville serves up mouthwatering baby backs, a 14-hour smoked Angus brisket, chopped pork shoulder, and a pork shoulder sandwich with bacon chicharron. Don’t sleep on the specials, like massive barbecue burritos and stacked fried chicken sandwiches, either.

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Tableside Presentations

Sapori of Scarsdale

From start to finish at this neighborhood restaurant with an NYC vibe, you will be treated to dinner and a show. Start with the opening act, tableside preparation of Caesar salad featuring a vibrant house-made dressing and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Follow that with expert filleting of your whole fish, or the signature cacio e pepe swirled to a magnificent creaminess in a wheel of imported Parmigiano cheese. The stunning finale is zabaglione whisked to perfection or the chef’s indulgent take on bananas Foster — either one prepared at your table for a decadent finish to a wonderful meal.

New French Restaurant

Cenadou/La Bastide

North Salem

Provence natives and husband-and-wife team Chef Andrea Calstier and GM Elena Oliver give a double dose of French cuisine bliss with 45-seat bistro Cenadou and the fine-dining La Bastide by Andrea Calstier in a downstairs space. Chef Calstier’s culinary pedigree (i.e., Michelin-starred Daniel in NYC and Christophe Bacquié in Le Castellet, FR) shines through in dishes that range from flavor-packed (artichoke and arugula risotto, citrus-cured Long Island fluke) to the flawlessly produced classic (steak frites). There’s a top-rate pastry chef and sommelier, too, so the formula is in place for a total meal experience you’ll return for repeatedly.

Cafe Concept

The Pamplemousse Project

White Plains

Experience the delectable delights of The Pamplemousse Project, a unique café dedicated to serving ethically sourced coffee and scrumptious baked goods. What sets it apart? All profits are channeled toward supporting local charities, making each sip and bite a contribution to worthy causes. Named after a beloved shelter rescue dog, Pamplemousse, this café embodies a mission of spreading joy while nourishing both body and community.

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Bean Bliss

Boho Vibe Coffee Shop

Mimi’s Coffee House

Mount Kisco

Warm a mismatched seat here for the sense of community, free books, local announcements, live music and events, lush plants, and a children’s toy section enabling caffeinated self-care for adults. Feel welcomed by colorful signs such as “Everyone Belongs,” “In a World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind,” flags of many countries, and rotating art for sale from local artists.

New Coffee Shop

Harpoon Hanna’s

New Rochelle

The nautical coffee shop in the Queen City on the Sound is dishing out more than the average cup of java. Relax among the seafaring flourishes (like the giant black light squid mural) and sip on lattes crafted with house-made syrup, cold brew as strong as a kraken, or nosh on the variety of toasts and sweet bites. Who could say no to a pirate’s life that involves pastries?

Harpoon Hanna's — Photo courtesy of Harpoon Hanna’s

Latin-Inspired Coffee Shop

Espresso Cafeto

Larchmont

Serious coffee — house-roasted beans, masterful espresso — is the heartbeat of this woman-owned café where everything from oat milk to bread is house-made and much is locally sourced. But the owner’s Colombian heritage also shines in arepas (the “egg-ado” boasts a sunny-side-up egg with crema, chives, and hogao or Colombian Creole sauce), pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread), Mexican baked eggs, and Colombian hot chocolate. Other international flavors also get the love: Don’t miss the mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and arugula sandwich on pillowy, moist olive focaccia.

Patty Paradise

Restaurant Burger (Not Smashed)

Freddy’s

Pleasantville

Christina and Matt Safarowic fashioned their Tavern Burger in the spirit of New York City establishments like Peter Luger and Red Hook Tavern: It’s free of frills and gaudy toppings. Folded into an already high-fat-content patty blend of brisket, chuck, and short rib are freshly ground pieces of dry-aged steak giving this burger a rich, distinctive beef flavor. This fatty boy hits the grill for a perfect char and is topped simply with melted cheddar and raw onion on a sesame-seed brioche bun. Pro tip: For $3 more, add Freddy’s house-made bacon-onion jam, a recipe from Matt’s brother.

Restaurant Burger (Smashed)

Pizzeria La Rosa

New Rochelle

Circle Thursdays on your calendar and in permanent marker write in, “Busy for Pizzeria La Rosa’s smash burger pop-up.” What began as a Father’s Day special, this burger, inspired by George Tappi’s Gotham Smash, is now a permanent, popular fixture just one night per week. PLR’s smash is two Pat LaFrieda patties, smashed into the flat top for a hard sear, double American cheese, a heap of caramelized onions, plenty of pickles, and a sauce that’s an ode to In-N-Out, all on a butter-toasted Martin’s Potato Roll.

Wagyu Burger

Café Deux

Harrison

As you’d expect from this all-day café’s name, French comfort fare is on order but mixed in with the moules frites, escargot, and tuna niçoise are modish New American plates. A must-have among them is the adroitly textured wagyu double patty burger consisting of a 75/25 ratio of lean-to-fat meat, and topped with a double dose of sunlight-hued tangy cheddar and creamy aioli.

Sandwich Sensations

Breakfast Wrap

The Granola Bar

Rye

Healthy doesn’t have to mean muted flavor as is the case with The Granola Bar’s The Dana wrap, a top-rate fusion of fluffy egg whites, savory turkey bacon, creamy avocado, and cooked spinach snugly nestled in a whole-wheat wrap. Perfect for a quick bite or a leisurely meal, it’s a harmonious balance of protein, healthy fats, and nutrients without compromising on taste.

Mexican Sandwich (Pambazo)

El Poblano Cafe

Yonkers; 914.963.0062 (no website)

Follow the word “LUNCHEONETTE” over the door to the counter or takeout window, home of what’s been called (New York Magazine’s Grub Street) New York’s best pambazo. Telera bread (a soft oval Mexican bread), dipped and lightly fried on both sides in smoky red guajillo pepper sauce, busts out with papas con chorizo (potato cubes cooked with Mexican chorizo), jumbled with cotija cheese, shredded lettuce, and crema — all crying out for one more bite until you’re the one who’s stuffed.

Cuban Sandwich

Matanzas Cuban Cafe

Hartsdale

You’re not wrong choosing any of Matanzas’ sandwiches, but a Cubano is something sought after and not always done right. Owner Annarella Hernandez-Dias has one on her menu that’ll live rent-free in your mind long after you first grip it with two hands and devour it. Layered between fresh Cuban bread is griddled ham, Swiss cheese, savory melt-in-your-mouth pernil, thinly sliced lengthwise pickles, and a slathering of tangy yellow mustard. The bread gets a generous lather of butter before it’s wrapped in foil and pressed so it all marries together the way a proper Cubano should.

Mediterranean Restaurant

Greca Estiatorio

White Plains

The beautifully presented plates at this 150-seat, tri-level restaurant are set in a 6,000-square-foot soaring space with lots of glass and crisscrossed metal beams. Those plates introduce new flavors and techniques while preserving the essence of Mediterranean dishes (with a particular focus on Greek cuisine). Try the flash-fried zucchini chips, pan-seared sesame-encrusted feta, ground lamb and beef gyro carvings, and imam baldi or stuffed, slow-roasted eggplants. Dazzlingly creative cocktails like the fig martini and baklava old-fashioned plus house-made desserts (the ekmek kataif, i.e., shredded phyllo, custard, crème fraîche, and toasted almonds, is a showstopper) will round out a memorable meal. There’s even complimentary valet parking across the street at The Opus Westchester.

Greca Mediterranean Kitchen + Bar — Photo courtesy of Greca Estiatorio

Weekday Specials

The Rye Roadhouse

Rye

No need to stay in during the week when there are deals like these at this Cajun-Creole neighborhood haunt. Mondays are for build-your-own overstuffed quesadillas; Tuesdays are well, you guessed it, for tacos, but also Cajun nachos, burritos, and $10 margaritas; Wednesdays mean award-winning fried chicken; and nosh on half-priced burgers on Thursdays.

Non-Traditional Lasagna

Butternut Squash Lasagna at Le Fontane

Katonah

This light-but-decadent (plus vegetarian) lasagna, best enjoyed on the covered patio, has all the power of traditional lasagna to unleash gluttony: house-made pasta, fresh butternut squash cooked with shallots, garlic, and fresh seasonal herbs; roasted zucchini, carrot, and eggplant, and bechamel, topped with mozzarella and Parmesan and swimming in pink tomato cream sauce. If you’re the only person at the table who didn’t order it, back off — there will be no sharing.

Peking Duck

O Mandarin

Hartsdale

When you can’t get to Chinatown but are craving this dish most symbolic of Chinese cuisine, try O Mandarin’s standout version with a melt-in-your-mouth dark amber crackling skin and succulent meat. Served with thin flour crêpes, thinly sliced scallions, cucumber, and the chef’s exceptional hoisin sauce, these wraps burst with flavor and texture. Assembled by diners, it’s a culinary masterpiece that harmonizes crispy, savory, and sweet notes.

Plant-Based Restaurant

The Pureganic Cafe

Harrison

A vegan’s dream and a foodie’s delight, The Pureganic Cafe is a plant-based restaurant that is healthy, kosher, gluten-free, vegan, and delicious. Serving up items like a mushroom “cheezesteak,” overnight oats, a lentil burger with beet ketchup and sweet potato fries, and homestyle lasagna, care is taken to use more healthful ingredients (e.g., olive oil and coconut sugar as opposed to canola oil and refined sugars).

Tuna Appetizer

Crispy Rice Tuna at Saltaire Oyster Bar

Port Chester

Priding themselves on building an old-school seafood joint with modern and chic flourishes, Les and Beth Barnes’ sleek style extends from the decor to the menu. Their appetizers are not excluded from the party, with the crown jewel being the crunchy and decadent crispy tuna rice. Freshly caught fish atop a throne of golden-brown buoyant rice is the perfect bar-side nibble after a long day.

Chilean Sea Bass

One Rare Steakhouse

Scarsdale

It feels out of sorts for a steakhouse to have something down to a science that isn’t a piece of meat, but Chef Admir Alibasic has bested the odds. Served beside a silky potato gratin and grilled asparagus, the fork-tender, buttery-soft fish melts in your mouth with resplendent awe from your tastebuds. Filet mignon who?

Fried Chicken

Smokehouse Tailgate Grill

Mamaroneck/New Rochelle

You don’t need a plane ticket down South for quality, well-seasoned chicken thighs with an audibly echoing crunch. The boneless and juicy thighs are rolled in agave for a kick of sweetness and topped with Alabama white and Nashville hot sauce; it will take all your strength not to lick your fingers (and your plate, for that matter) squeaky clean.

Potent Potable Pursuits

New Brewery

Simple Motive Brewing

Yonkers

The latest microbrewery to hit the county, Simple Motive is churning out clean and crisp brews with its seven-barrel system. Women, veteran, minority, and service member-owned, the welcoming space tucked into the heart of Yonkers’ Art District currently crafts eight beers, with an expanded lineup to come. Community-forward from the reclaimed wood of its historical building to the live music and trivia nights it hosts, Simple Motive should be your next local haunt.

Classic Cocktails

Pour

Mount Kisco

Those not sipping on a fine glass of white or red inside Pour’s low-light, lounge-y Victorian confines are likely enjoying a Negroni, Manhattan, muddle method old fashioned, or the like. No stranger to our “Best Of” bar and cocktail wins, Pour won’t give you free pours, rushed mixology, and over creativity. Instead, bartenders rely on technique, time, and some minor tweaks to classics resulting in an unparalleled experience.

Seasonal Cocktail List

tredici NORTH

Purchase

This chic bar has the perfect storm of stunning aesthetics and expertly crafted cocktails to make it hard to leave. Ebbing and flowing with the seasons, the menu has unique twists on crave-worthy fresh ingredients in tandem with creative spirits. Smoked cocktail, anyone?

Original Brews

Run & Hide Brewing Co.

Port Chester

A quaffable Italian pilsner, a juicy, hazy IPA called Larry’s Liquid Love, and a spicy, earthy saison sweetened by the addition of strawberries are a trio of anchors in brewer-owner Tim Shanley’s starting beer lineup. Other usual suspects include a Kolsch and a pastry stout that’s brewed with UTZ pretzels, cacao husks, vanilla bean, brown sugar, lactose, coffee, sea salt, and cocoa powder, all of which should be expanded when R&H opens its 15-barrel brewhouse and full kitchen at 30 Broad Street this coming fall.

Brewery Food

Marlowe Artisanal Ales / New York Craft Coalition

Mamaroneck

When brewer Zac Ross brought his lineup of refreshing lagers and ales to the former Decadent Ales space, he also brought with him a short menu of street tacos that he started serving years ago at Twelve Percent in North Haven, CT, including one of Korean influence, a kimchi-brined brisket taco. There’s an exquisite burger here, too, that’s a dry-aged blend by way of using koji — a fungus that boosts the beef’s flavor and makes it juicer and more tender. Topped with aged cheddar, house-brined pickles, a leaf of bibb, and house-made garlic aioli, it’s one not to be missed, with a pint by its side, of course.

Whiskey Selection

Whiskey River

Peekskill

Home to more than 70 whisk(e)y varietals, this hometown bar is a craft liquor connoisseur’s dream. Sip on special selections like Suntory The Yamazaki 12-Year Single Malt from Japan, Talisker 10-Year Malt from Scotland, or even as approachable and stateside as Buffalo Trace. Pull up a barstool for a good time and a better snifter.

House-Made Pasta

L’inizio

Ardsley

The ultimate comfort food is given a sophisticated bump at L’inizio, taking on new forms as the seasons change. From the talents of Chef-owner Scott Fratangelo, local and fresh ingredients come together to dress the delicately made, melt-in-your-mouth pasta dishes. All made in-house (without any blue boxes in sight) and prepared daily, this pasta may require a moment to remember that you haven’t teleported to Italy.

Stuffed-Crust Pizza

La Lanterna

Yonkers

What cheesy dreams are made of, the fluffy stuffed Sicilian is piped to the crust with house-made ricotta filling. Topped with roasted garlic and marinara made from classic Mutti tomatoes, the pie offers the perfect balance of crunchy corners and airy centers. Add some toppings if you’re feeling rowdy, but in our opinion, this pie’s simplicity is its strong suit.

White Pizza

Beekman Ale House

Sleepy Hollow

Dave Portnoy’s One Bite review of Beekman Ale House’s pizza didn’t include this former “Pizza of the Week” special that was too good to not be offered on the regular. This sauceless pie won’t make you miss the marinara as the strands of 80-minute sweet, caramelized onions give it a soupy effect when married with melty mozzarella and Gruyère cheeses.

Olive Loaf

Bread Factory LLC

New Rochelle

Squishy and savory, with a buoyant crust and briny bites, it’s best to buy this olive loaf in excess. A New Rochelle staple for more than 115 years, Bread Factory’s calling cards are its namesake, but the most beloved carb of all is the olive iteration. Draped in decades of tradition, the wafting cascade of confections can be smelled from across town. After it’s handed to you fresh and warm from the oven, we dare you to resist tearing into this bread on your ride home.

Sourdough Loaves

Bella’s Bake Shop

Mount Kisco

The perfectly golden-brown, crunchy crust protects a soft, bubbly interior, revealing an impressive expertise with a French Pavailler oven. Helmed by husband-and-wife team David and Tatyana Chiappinelli, this bakery (named after their first child) pumps out classic loaves adorned with the shop’s name stenciled in flour, plus cranberry-walnut, organic wheat, or everything sourdough. Just add butter.

Burrata

A&S Marketplace

Mount Kisco

If you are looking for chef-inspired, artisan burrata, walk past the dizzying array of prepared foods and perfectly butchered meats, and head for Joe Sirena’s house-made delicacy, a blend of farm-fresh cream, ricotta, and stracciatella filled with anything and everything from figs and truffles to artichokes and strawberries. Available daily during the summer months and by special order at other times.

Sugar Rushes

Banana Pudding

The Tasty Table

Ossining

The problem with a restaurant having a standout dessert is you’ll be hard-pressed to order any other desserts, as tempting as they might sound. Such is the case at this neighborhood café where the top-tier banana pudding is served at brunch (no rez for this service BTW), lunch, or dinner (Fridays and Saturdays). Silken custard, Nilla wafers, and sliced bananas unite to form a dessert better than the sum of its parts. There are small ($7) or large ($11) orders, but if you get the former, you’ll quickly regret not having the extra luscious spoonfuls.

Over-the-Top Milkshakes

Mega Milkshakes

Mt. Kisco Diner, Mount Kisco

With 143,000 followers on Instagram, the Mt. Kisco Diner has become popular for its over-the-top offerings like deep-fried wraps, chicken-cutlet tacos, and other comfort foods. But the mega milkshakes with epic displays of toppings are in a category of their own: Try the Fruity Pebbles cereal shake, the Oreo Blast, Funfetti, or the salted caramel — seeing (and tasting them) is believing.

Sorbet

Penny Lick Ice Cream

Hastings-on-Hudson (plus two other county locations)

The most refreshing companion to a hot summer day (or any day, really), a Penny Lick’s sorbet’s first ingredient is always fruit. Peanut-and tree-nut-free while also being vegan, these luscious scoops (mango, strawberry lemonade, and raspberry lime) are a crowd-pleaser for everyone, flavored to perfection by founder and iced-confections master Ellen Sledge.

Italian Dessert

Peach and Mascarpone Torta Rustica

Via Garibaldi, White Plains

Traditional Italian dishes (many from Southern Italy) in a classy setting of black leather tufted banquettes, white linen-clad tables, and gold-tiled ceiling are what to expect at this spacious restaurant. End your meal with an outstanding torta rustica (or tart) where the sweetness of ripe peaches harmonizes with the delicate richness of mascarpone cheese atop a buttery, flaky crust. Each bite is a tantalizing journey through orchards of bliss and creamy indulgence.

Babka

Martine’s Fine Bake Shoppe

Scarsdale/Tuckahoe

Martine’s perennially popular pastry comprises a glossy twist of deep, dark chocolate tucked amid buttery dough with a glistening, crunchy exterior. The babka Jerry Seinfeld selected for an episode of his show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” this treat (there are cinnamon-nut and Nutella versions) is a decadent mosaic of flavors and textures with a blend of crunch, chewiness, and syrupy bliss in each bite.

New Gelataria

Mimi’s by Martine’s

Scarsdale

Smooth, creamy, and available mere steps from its parent shop, Martine’s Fine Bake Shoppe, this gourmet gelato is made in-house and fresh daily with natural ingredients, free from preservatives, artificial colors, and artificial flavors. There are 20-plus flavors to choose from; we love the hazelnut, Milky Way, and Nutella.

Personal-Sized French Desserts

La Tulipe Desserts

Mount Kisco

The pastries by Chef Maarten Steenman are so meticulous in craftsmanship that you’d think he was a fine jeweler in a former life. There is no bad choice among the rotating daily options but the Mon Cheri (praline milk chocolate mousse, tart cherry crémeux with a pistachio dacquoise in a gleaming cherry glaze) and the Big Mac (hazelnut macaron with layers of lemon mousse, citrus cream, and a crispy milk chocolate praline) are most representative of beautiful acts of balance between presentation and luscious flavors.

Singular Baked Goods

LMNOP Bakery

Katonah

Anne Mayhew’s inventive baked goods can enchant you in a single serving with unusual flavor combinations and freshly milled, regionally sourced grains such as rye, millet, wheat berry, einkorn, emmer, freekeh, and spelt. Don’t even try to resist the changing daily delights, like the preserved lemon and sumac crinkle cookie. And her Sunshine Danish adorned with a nasturtium flower will brighten a dismal day.

Waffles

Wild Culture Waffles

Hastings-on-Hudson

Husband and wife Miguel LaCruz and Gaby Montiel create crispy sourdough waffles (almost 20 flavors) so delicious they may put an end to the pancakes or waffles breakfast debate. Served either savory (goat cheese, sesame, and cherry-fig sauce; bacon, Gruyère cheese, and scallions) or sweet (chocolate hazelnut; toasted coconut caramel), you will be sure to think about these wonders long after the last bite.