Garrison Cafe

BLUF: Cozy little diner nearby the Garrison train station which makes it an ideal place to grab a bite if you missed your train.
Garrison Café is one of those places that you can easily pass by without being the wiser but is quite a gem if you give it a try. The staff is local and very friendly and the food is great too. I decided to go with the Biko burger which is a meat patty with cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, and their ‘secret’ Biko sauce. The burger tasted delicious as the patty was grilled affectionately to medium rare, just as I like, and the buns tasted very fresh. I was told they come from a local bakery every morning. Also, there’s indoor and outdoor seating which would be nice if the weather wasn’t so cold right now.
The reason for the loss of a star is the constant flies that are present; however, the employees don’t seem too concerned about them. Granted if it was the summer and the doors were wide open, I would understand a little more but there’s no reason why there should be this nuisance during the winter!

Wait time is out of control. It’s the only place around to get food. Went in place is empty, took 30 minutes to get one sandwich.

Inconsistent the three times we’ve been here over the past year. One was really good on a Saturday afternoon it was tasty sandwiches interesting sodas in the case, and competent staff. Last week stopped in about 5:20 in the afternoon on Sunday. Waited 5 minutes for two distractable girls at the counter to take our order, after taking the one for the person who came in after us. We ordered a pizza, to stay, and then she gestures at the day-​old slices in the case and says how about one of these? Then she checks to see if the oven is still on, which it is. Then she tracks down the cook, who agrees to make a pizza. Cook proceeded to throw away that disgusting cold slices from the case. Pizza comes out at 10 minutes to 6 o’clock at which point she says we’re closing. I told her she should have told us that when she took our to go order at 5:30. Boxed up our pizza and eat it in the car, while the girls speed off in their cars leaving the real staff to close the restaurant. Ridiculous disinterest in customer service. However the pizza was pretty tasty.

Very expensive for what you get! We ordered salad, Mac and cheese and blt with avocado. We waited a long time when it seemed everyone else was getting their food quicker. Place was cute, but bad service for our first time. Food was just ok. Nothing special.

Was passing by Garrison and decided to stop by and get a quick bite here rather than at a national fast food chain.
Most of the sandwiches were already pre-​made and in the refrigerator case, so they weren’t necessarily «fresh». The girl behind the counter offered to heat it up, which was fine. My fiancée ordered a cobb salad, which took literally 15 minutes to make. After we received our food we decided to go ahead and sit outside, which was a mistake. They definitely have a fly problem outside, to the point where you can’t eat comfortably without having to swat your hand often.
My «heated» sandwich was warm on the outside, yet cold still in the middle. My fiancée said her salad wasn’t bad.
I’m not sure if we just caught this place at a bad time, but I’d still be willing to try it out sometime again in the future.

Had to knock it back down a star. Food still great, staff is super nice… but the fly problem outside has to be fixed. I mean, it’s bad. I had to scarf down my food before the flies got at it. We wanted to linger until our train time but we just couldn’t. Really want to come back. Please figure out the sitch. Thanks!

Stopped here for breakfast on our drive back to VA and it was delicious and quick. My husband got a bacon and roasted red pepper omelet with home fries and toast and a coffee. I got an egg sandwich with cheese and chocolate chip pancakes and everything tasted great. It’s counter service style, so you just order at the register and wait for your food at a table. We didn’t realize this when we looked it up online, but it ended up being quicker than we thought, so that was good for our long journey home. The tables were clean and so was the bathroom. The staff was friendly. Their pizza and sandwiches looked good too.

The cook didn’t show up for work. Stale pastries and cold sandwiches are all they had to offer this morning. Not a good indicator of a successful business. Won’t be back.

Perfect little stop over in between hikes in the garrison bear mountain area! Foo was delicious — I ordered a shrimp veggie wrap. It was sooooo good!!! NOM
Staff was wonderful, the place was clean and well equipped with assorted teas chips baked goods! So glad I found this place and left with a full happy stomach! Be sure to stop by if you are in the area! Andddd outdoor seating with a big hammock to enjoy the sunshine while you await your meal! :)

I really appreciate what this place is going for. They have a great template for a superb café, but the inconsistency is infuriating. I’ve eaten here many times, mostly for breakfast sandwiches to go, and the food is very inconsistent, and amazingly, I hear never paid the same price for the same food. I never know what it’ll cost. Most recently I was in for a sit down breakfast with my wife, and asked the ingredients of the Huevos Rancheros Wrap. After hearing them, I ordered it. First bite: chorizo. As a vegetarian, I know to ask ingredients before I order. They were nice about it, but it’s just frustrating. Sometimes, the food is outstanding. Other times, downright disappointing. I have yet to have dinner here, but I’ve had plenty of breakfasts and lunches. Here’s to hoping for more consistency and more attention to detail.

Cons: OVERPRICED
Small portions
Crazy thin, tasteless pancakes
I do not understand the draw to this place. My boyfriend and I stopped here around 1230 on a Saturday. We ordered — the Cobb salad for me, Chocolate chip pancakes and hash browns for me. It took forever for our food to come out. So long that we thought they forgot about us. Eventually we got our dishes and when they were placed in front of us we just stared at each other for a second. His «pancakes» we’re like slightly thicker crepes they were that thin. I honestly don’t even know how you can get pancakes that thin. It was ridiculous. And his «hash browns» was the equivalent of ¼ cup of chopped potatoes. My salad was nothing to write home about. Average Cobb salad with a little too much dressing but edible. Certainly not substantial enough for the 10 $ charge.
All in all a very lackluster breakfast that cost WAY too much. Idk maybe their pizza is good?

This little café is better than in needs to be. I always stop here when I am riding my motorcycle across the Bear Mountain Bridge. They also have very good pastries; even macaroons.

Wow this is such a cute little place. Staff is very friendly and the food is amazing. I was just passing by and decided to have lunch, sure glad I did. Ordered the Biko burger with the secret Biko sauce, which really puts this burger together and side of fries. Very satisfied you can taste the freshness in the burger and it was filled with perfect juices. After my meal I ordered a brownie (now your thinking brownie really) Yes brownie with a Latte, let me just tell you I wanted to cuddle with that brownie and latte it was so amazing. Much better than some of those streamline coffee shops. ;) so with that said here’s what I’m saying. If you don’t check this place out your doing yourself an injustice. You won’t be disappointed.

What an incredible spot. A great local find. The panini was stellar but the prosciutto and fig pizza was by far my favorite. Also great coffees and pretty good beer and wine selection.
Definitely worth discovering this spot.

We were on our way to a Halloween performance at Boscobel, and running late… no time for a leisurely dinner in Cold Spring. Decided to stop at the first place we found, and Garrison Café was it.
We shared a vegetarian pizza and a Mediterranean salad. The salad was very good, and the pizza was fantastic. Super thin-​crispy crust, lots of fresh veggies and cheese. Perfect.
The fact that they have a wine list and a generous pour, was an added bonus. Even the coffee we took to go was delicious.
Highly recommend if you’re in the area. We might drive back just for the pizza!

Cute lil café right near the hiking trails along the Hudson River. Stopped for an ice coffee before hiking up Break Neck Ridge and it was relatively inexpensive. They have soy milk too, you just have to ask!

Just bought a house in the area. Stopped in to try it out. Excellent burger, fries were crazy good, it was very delicious and charming. Look forward to trying the wood fire pizza.

Came here after a hike over on Anthony’s Nose. We were starving and the food didn’t disappoint. Small little café with outdoor seating.
Tasty biko burger and mocha chip ice cream!

This place surprised me for being more gourmet than grease. I wasn’t expecting much for a road-​side stop before an event at the Garrison Institute. But I was pleasantly surprised by really good pizza.
I saw people nearby having what seemed upscale salads, and the desserts were great as well.
I would definitely go here again if I am in the area.

Went back for lunch with my daughter. One Cuban sandwich, one Cobb salad and one bottle of water. Any guesses? $ 25, seriously $ 25. Come on, this is Putnam County.