Daba

Obviously business is so good at Da ba they feel they can turn customers away.
Although the restaurant door was open, lights were on, and there were lots of people lounging in the back and drinking at the bar, when my family and I walked in a few minutes ago we were turned away.
It was the strangest interaction. The host came forward and told us they opened at 6pm but nothing else. Given that it was 5:45 and things were clearly swinging, we asked him if we could get a drink at the bar (where several people were) while we waited for the kitchen to open. He rudely said «no, this is for family and friends only.»
I would have understood if it was 5pm, or if the door had been locked and we’d knocked to be told not open yet. We likely wouldn’t have even tried. But if you’re going to host a private party you should keep your doors closed and maybe try to be more accommodating to paying customers.
It would have been lovely to eat at this restaurant and no doubt my rating would be higher if I had but I didn’t get a chance. When I return to Hudson, I’ll be eating at Swoon across the street, where even on their busiest evenings they make room for patrons.

Came here for New Year’s Eve dinner with my wife and we had the loveliest time! All in all, it was a lovely environment, festive but not too loud and romantic.
We shared the house pickled plate as an app, and it included quail eggs which were fun to try! She had the fillet mignon which she said was perfect, and it was over a sweet potato purée that was to die for. My arctic char was cooked to perfection and plated over a parsnip purée with asparagus and mushrooms, both of which were tasty and well cooked. We enjoyed 2 (! 750mL) bottles of a local cider that was crisp and not too sweet. For dessert, the chocolate buree was great, and my wife enjoyed the white chocolate cheesecake a lot. Our waitress was friendly, and the service wasn’t the fastest, but we were on vacation enjoying a holiday dinner. If you want faster service, stay in the city; take a breath and slow down out of town :)

Best food in Hudson! Owner and chef is a great guys and boy can he cook! Never had a bad meal or drink there.

No matter what else we order, we always include their Swedish meatballs: authentic and delicious. This is an opportunity to see why people love them, while finding them as good as this is not easy. Overall the menu is replete with inventive farm to table dishes that never fail to impress. On our most recent visit I had the Påron chicken, another delight. We come to Hudson for the Amtrak station, en route to and from the city, but we always seem to end up at DABA, despite many other choices on that beautiful avenue, Warren street.

They do try! We had a very pleasant attentive wait person. However over all we found the experience to be a somewhat odd. To be fair, our experience was limited as we went for a good burger and heard they had one — not really we found out. The meat seemed to be a pre-​formed square patty, lacking flavor, but lots of greasy aftertaste! Very much liked the «old fashioned» toast vs big bun often seen these days! Décor = dimly lit mediocre renovation seeming makeshift. If we had gone for a high end dining experience I think we probably would have walked in… and walked out. Bathroom door opens into the dining room/​bar without transition, which feels wrong. Maybe worth another try but there are tried/​true alternatives in Hudson these days that never disappoint.

There are so many delightful things about Daba! Where to begin? This is a cozy and beautiful restaurant. The lighting is soft but doesn’t make you sleepy; the music is loud enough for ambience but you can still hear the other people at the table. In addition, the service is top-​notch. The wait staff are attentive, friendly and give customers enough time to review the menu and refill water glasses a reasonable amount.
Now, the food. Everything at Daba is palatable. I greatly enjoyed my tempeh sandwich, fries, and sorbet. The sorbet really blew me away. Such texture and taste — divine!

Astonishingly good food. Fantastic salad, great chicken main course, but small portions. I ordered a BLT for dessert.
Definitely no way to eat entrée only here, but it could be the best food you’ll have in town.
Handled our allergies very well. Service was brisk and fast — we liked it.
We arrived at 6:30 PM on a Tuesday and the place was packed by 8 PM, which is always a good sign.

It was good. For the price «just good».
Food was well intentioned but slightly missed the mark for me.
Chanterelle mushroom soup was just a little too creamy and the flat bowl ensured it became cold fast and cold creamy soup isn’t as much fun. Had beautiful pieces of seasoned cooked mushrooms that I wanted more of.
Warm beet, goat cheese & spinach salad was tasty but not tossed. I had finished half of the dish before I tasted the yummy dressing and couldn’t find much more of it on the plate after two bites. The beets were warm and tender but the spinach was cold and a little boring missing the tasty dressing.
Chicken liver pâté was good, aromatic and the apple compote was a nice pair.
I had the Swedish Meatballs for my entrée because our friends who love the joint said they were killer. Again they were good. Not the best I’ve had and honestly not exceedingly better than IKEA’s version which for the 22 bucks they charge and the soggy wimpish mashed tatters that accompanied them made me sad.
Husband had BLT, he says it was good but sometimes he has «guy tastebuds» which means everything is good when he’s hungry.
Best thing of the night was the sweet and tart, creamy and icy, passion fruit sorbet.
The staff was nice and professional but completely without personality. No one noticed my husband’s empty cocktail glass for twenty minutes and they missed the opportunity to get a few more drinks out of him. They never asked if we liked our food or checked in and they dropped the check before we asked for it (which I completely understand if there are folks waiting or we are the very last table but we weren’t closing down the joint and there were plenty of tables).
Décor is nice but the layout is a little odd with a curtain hiding the kitchen, kept thinking the curtains would draw back to a cheesy Swedish dinner show. But no luck, just some shouts here and there and then quiet. Front looks cute but as I said we sat in the back waiting for the curtain to open…

Let me start out by saying, I’ve been to Daba a number of times and it’s rather hit or miss. Sometimes greatness and other times not so much. I go into it with the awareness that the prices are too high for the quantity and creativity delivered– but sometimes I go just for variety sake.
What prompts me to write this review is the event that took place last night–
They had beef tartare on the menu and I would have easily ordered it, but knowing this restaurant’s inconsistencies, I had a little voice in head that inspired me to ask the waitress, «WHEN was the beef tartare prepared?» I was hoping for her to say, «It’s prepared to order.» or even «It was prepared earlier this evening.»
Her answer shocked and mortified me: She returned from the kitchen and said «it was prepared YESTERDAY.»
! ! ! ! ! !
I double checked– maybe it was a communication issue–
No– the beef tartare: raw meat and raw eggs was prepared yesterday.
«But,» she consoled me (seriously), «they keep it in the refrigerator.»
AUUUGH!
I excused myself and went for dinner across the street.
I don’t enjoy my dinner with a side order of bacteria!

Absolutely incredible food– my fiancée and I are the worst kind of snobby foodie who live between LA and NYC– this was the best meal I’ve had in months. We ordered like 4 things and went to town– it’s a MUST for any foodie in Hudson.

I love daba, they have the best burger in Hudson! Daba offers take out service, nice staff, and great food. Prices are reasonable, the burger is the entrée of choice. Try te tacos, they are great, too!

Really surprised by all the positive reviews. I left wanting more and ultimately feeling jipped.
Let me start with the positive. 5 stars for the ambiance/​décor. Very elegant setting and cozy feel. Service was polite and prompt. The cocktail I ordered was also very good. I forget the name but it was a gin/​cucumber mix that was well balanced and quite refreshing.
The food, however, did not match the presentation nor deserved the high prices they charge for it.
We ordered a hummus plate for $ 11. It was comprised of two tablespoons of what appeared to be store-​bought hummus and whole wheat sandwich thins. This is simply not acceptable for the price.
I ordered the entrée special which was a braised lamb shank with a carrot mash and cauliflower tossed with pesto and pistachio. Best thing on the plate was the cauliflower. The lamb shank was bland and unseasoned. It was served luke warm and covered in what tasted like Jack Daniels bbq sauce. My fiancée’s steak was also unseasoned.
Overall we were left unimpressed and disappointed we spent so much on such a mediocre dinner. Will not be coming back.

The food here was excellent.
Everything was fresh and made in house.
Don’t let the Scandinavian thing throw you off.
Great service.
Good wine list.
The only downside is the layout. They have two rooms and if you end up in the back room, like us, you feel a bit left out of the party, so to speak. Not that it is a party kind of place.

Have been to DaBa a number of times with large groups and small. Pro service, great wine selection, food is consistently good. Vegans /​vegetarians: the tempeh sandwich and kale salad are omnivorous crowd pleasers; both are on the reasonably-​priced bar menu.

Went there for my birthday, a surprise from my girlfriend. Intimate atmosphere, excellent food that was prepared well. I had the potato lackies that were very tasty.

My fiancé and I visited DaBa last Friday night and I’m happy to say that we had a wonderful time.
Shawn, our waiter, was pleasant, informative, attentive and focused. His drink recommendations were great (I think he also doubles as a bartender on some nights) and his food recommendations were spot on. We shared the white fish roe and then split the soft shell crab special and a great DaBa burger. Everything was delicious and satisfying. We will be back!

Daba was one of Hudson’s first higher end dining establishments and they are still at the top of my list for a perfect meal. The Swedish meatballs w/​mashed potatoes are pure winter comfort on a snowy evening. Scallops and chicken, which may sound boring are done with flavorful twists — and perfect with the great mixed drinks from the bar.
Daba came through for us recently when we brought an extremely picky friend along one night (after he announced he didn’t want ‘Swedish’ food) and at the end of the meal he declared his filet mignon as the best he’d ever had.
The soup of the day is also a must. It’s usually cream based and poured from a beaker tableside — sublime.
And last but not least, one of the best things about Daba is their lower priced bar menu which is perfect for when we fall into town late in the evening on a Thursday or Friday and don’t want a big meal. I particularly love the kale salad w/​slivered almonds and dates — the chef massages the leaves with homemade tahini. Delish! We also like the BLT w/​sweet potato fries and for our vegan friends, a tempeh sandwich is offered.

i never write reviews, but felt compelled. My family has had a house near Hudson for 40 years. We’ve eaten at most places in the entire area. Just ate here on Saturday night, July 20^th, and had the best meal I’ve had in a long while, including Stone Barns at Blue Hill.
The amuse bouche was great, and the appetizers of Chicken Liver Pâté (the best i’ve ever had… like butter), the Herring, and the Pickles, were all delicious.
For mains, my girlfriend and I shared the Scallops, which were fantastic, with a delicious, cabbage-​filled, egg-​roll-​like gem, and wilted spinach. We also shared the Filet Mignon with Blueberry Vodka sauce, Potato Purée, and a startlingly good Pepper Foam, which altogether was sublime. My mother also loved her Scallops, and my father loved the Swedish meatballs.
The Lemon Meringue dessert was great, and I wish we had more room, such that we could try the Whipped Brie, but I guess it’s an excuse for a return. I highly recommend this place, the wait staff was knowledgeable and friendly, and it would be great for them to stick around for the long term.

I know it’s half a quart of cream and entire stick of butter, but Daniel makes this chanterelle mushroom soup in the winter time that is, at times, the only thing getting me by between snow storms.
What I like most about this place, I think, is that The Dude I Married and I can go out for a terrific, fancy meal by ourselves or with friends on the weekends, but then when we’re just in the mood not to cook on a Wednesday night, we can belly up to the bar for reasonably priced sandwiches and split a plate of fries without breaking the bank. It’s one of the very few places in Hudson where you can have both experiences at the same place. The service is really delightful, and they never mind that this thirsty thelma needs her water glass refilled like a million times.
Seriously, though. That chanterelle soup. Sometimes I dream about it.

Very chilled spot with delicious food.
Kale with Tahini sauce salad was amazing and it’s a huge plate of food.
Swedish meatballs are really goooooood.
I really enjoyed Daba, but only 4 stars because ok… I’m sorry, but they need to keep up the place a little more.
The chair I was sitting on had all these stains, the wall at the end had some paint coming off, nothing major but I don’t get why they don’t take care of those easy fixes since it doesn’t go well with the really cool interiors.