The Tappen

We had a fabulous meal tonight at The Tappen. Our actual experience lived up to the reviews we’ve read. From the bread with grape seed oil, to the unbelievably delectable corn «chips» to the mussels with fennel, the chef’s skill was apparent. Perfectly prepared and promptly served. We plan on coming back next weekend wth guests.

A hidden gem that’s too hard to share!
Let’s be honest, when you go to a restaurant, when the appetizers are amazing, the meal tends to fall flat. This place is amongst the top restaurants I’ve been to this year.
We just finished a long hike and wanted to find a place along the way before going home. We Unilocaled a place to eat. It’s not often you find a place with such high reviews, so we thought we’d give it a shot. We didn’t have any expectations. The location is 5 – 7 minutes off of i87. We were sold.
The building is definitely a historical location. You can be as dressed up or relatively causal and feel completely welcomed here.
Ugh this is longer than I expected to write, but it’s worth it. Keep reading.
We live in/​near NYC. This place rivals most restaurants I’ve been to In Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs for a fraction of the cost! It’s completely worth it.
The food is from farm to table obtained from locals as much as possible.
We started with small salads. The endive salad and the Boston green salad. Completely different tastes but both equally good. The Boston salad had pancetta in it that was the perfect amount of crispy to give the salad texture.
We also had the wasabi potato fritters. We knew we were going to start getting full but Wow! I’m not the biggest wasabi fan but these were beyond amazing. If you are on the edge like we were, I’m telling you. Don’t think twice. Get these!
I had the filet with a port reduction. The steak was crispy on the outside but melt in your mouth on the inside. Absolutely perfect. We cleaned all of our plates.
During our entrée, the chef came out to ensure we were satisfied with our meals and ask where we were from. He wasn’t intrusive but genuinely wanted to make sure we were enjoying our meals. The waitress was just as kind and very attentive and pleasant.
Whether you are a local or from out of town, find your way here. You won’t be disappointed!

This place has potential, it’s just not being met. I actually thought they were closed and almost didn’t walk in. When I did I found that we were the only diners on a Friday evening. Awkward. The layout is odd and the space feels cramped. The décor simply doesn’t fit with the historic building. The menu was eh. The staff seemed friendly and attentive. I’d love to see this place get an infusion of energy, but it simply wasn’t there.

Wonderful food and service in a historic stone house. My wife and I went here for a special occasion and were not disappointed. The setting is a lovely, understated room that is welcoming and relaxed. After being seated the chef personally came out to tell us about some minor changes to the menu. He also said that we could make just about any dish on the menu vegetarian or vegan, which thrilled us. The wine list is compact but well chosen and a few of the best top-​shelf spirits are offered for cocktails. We started with an onion ring appetizer that was elevated onion rings to a level I has previously believed impossible. Not greasy or droopy at all with a crisp crunch around the onion and a ketchup glaze underneath. For entrees, my wife had a BBQ tempeh and I had a vegetable fusilli. The tempeh was rich and tangy with roasted potatoes in a rich gravy. My pasta was perfect with wild mushrooms and greens filling out the topping. The portions were not huge and could be a little larger but with food that tastes this good, it is of little consequence. Our server was prompt, friendly, and helpful; he really seemed to be enjoying himself. I look forward to returning to The Tappan.

Not awful, but not an experience I will soon repeat.
My girlfriend and I decided to visit the Tappen for dinner, as the reviews were good.
The server was attentive and was able to answer our questions. I’ll give her that.
The food was good. Not phenomenal, but good.
Portions left a bit to be desired. My girlfriend got the ribs, and I got the steak. Almost $ 50 for the two entrees (which, I’ll reiterate, GOOD, not phenomenal), and between our two meals we probably had 8oz of meat on our plates.
The appetizer left us appetized.
After an $ 80 (plus tip) dinner, we were both still hungry.

A real jewel in uptown. Unassuming and without Airs. Great food and great service. Highly recommended.

We initially went there based on the menu posted on Unilocal only to find out they change menus with the season. We were not disappointed! Warm, cozy atmosphere and the food was sick… (awesome). I had the chicken a la brasa and my husband had the hanger steak. Food was delicious and portion sizes were good. Totally bill for 2 drinks, 2 appetizers and 2 entrées was around $ 80. The chef owner Dan was extremely friendly. He definitely has a passion for food. We will definitely be going back.

What a find! We came here the night before Thanksgiving for dinner, and couldn’t have been more impressed. As others have mentioned, Danny the chef was part of the great experience here. We sat at the bar and he was our bartender, chef, and server for the evening (the server on staff that night had called in with the flu, so Danny single handedly took care of us).
The old house is a charming and sincerely historic gem. The seating area is cozy, and yes, the lights might be bright, but all the better to see the beautiful plates Danny prepares.
We had the beautifully spicy and creamy butternut squash to start, followed by the crispy fried kale with spicy aoli, then split the fabulous gnocchi with beef ragu — the pasta was so pillowy and the sauce so rustic and deep with flavor– and we finished with a simple apple crisp with macadamia nuts. Everything was cooked and presented with great care.
We would absolutely love to return and highly recommend The Tappan!

I have eaten here a few times and never had a bad meal. Try the mushroom soup it’s killer.

The location, food and service are very good all around. My only suggestion-​please change the lighting, seating and wall art. It’s needs more of a rustic, early American décor, lower lighting and less dismal art on the walls. It’s a beautiful historic building, I think diners would feel more comfortable with less modern, stark-​like feel.

This place met and far surpassed any expectations I had. My boyfriend and I were visiting for the weekend and never been to the area before so looking to find a nice dinner at a locally owned establishment. This place was all that and more. Not only was the atmosphere inviting, the cuisine was truly divine. We had the kale chips and aioli sauce for an appetizer and the fried chicken and Mac and cheese for entrees. We were both so delighted with our dishes, so delicious and full of unique flavor. (FYI the spinach that accompanied the fried chicken was like heaven). Good wine, good food, and to conclude an AMAZING friendly helpful staff. Highly recommend this place to anyone in the area.

We had reservations at 7 on a Saturday and happened to be the only ones dining there. We sat upstairs which was very quiet and cozy, especially since no one else was there. I ordered the chicken special which was amazing. BF had a pork dish which came with the most amazing rice either of us have ever tasted! I would definitely come back if ever in the area again!

The service here was unbearably slow when there appeared to be only a few people in the place. The vibe definitely felt off. The food just wasn’t that great for how long we had to wait, it wasn’t horrible but just average. The server took a drink off the bill for the inconvenience which was nice, but overall the entire experience was just very blah. Portions were smaller than I expected so I while I left feeling satiated, I probably could have still eaten something afterwards. I don’t always need a huge meal, especially if it’s super delicious and handcrafted (this attempted that but fell flat).The chicken in my meal was also gristly and very fatty which was a huge bummer considering there wasn’t even that much chicken on the plate ! There are so many new great eats in uptown Kingston, go somewhere else and skip this place.

After much anticipation and hearing good things — we finally made a reservation for this past Saturday night, joined by another couple. We were the only people there — like the entire evening… eventually, another couple showed up. Was just odd — how could we have heard such good things and no one is here? On a gorgeous Summer Saturday evening? It was just weird.
After a cocktail at the bar, we made it to our table where we continued to indulge in wine and drinks — we probably were louder than normal, but it seemed appropriate since — you guessed it — no one was there.
We started w 3 apps — the bacon, egg and cheese bites, Perch bo sushi, and another item that was on special, which was some kind of roll (forgive me — I don’t recall the «what» but def enjoyed the bite I had). The perch was amazing; not fishy, perfect amount of soy, and the special was devoured. I was not a fan of the biscuit bites, as I didn’t taste bacon, egg or cheese — but the plate was loaded with ketchup — and I don’t care of ketchup on my eggs either so there’s that. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad as Meatloaf once sang…
I ordered the Caribbean fried chicken as my entrée — husband had the Ribeye. My chicken was moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside — close to perfect for fried chicken. It came with smashed potatoes and what I thought was going to be grilled cabbage, but it was spinach; both had so much butter I couldn’t tell you what they tasted like. My husband’s Ribeye was huge and cooked perfectly — his sides were also ok (not amazing — not horrible). For me, it was 1 out of the 3 things on my plate that I enjoyed — luckily it was the chicken and not the sides.
When the bill came, we knew that the booz was going to be the prevalent expense since the food was priced reasonably — and honestly, we found the wine list reasonable as well, regardless of what some other reviews had said… 4 adults, each w a pre-​cocktail, 2 bottles of wine, and 2 extra beers for one of our party; 3 apps, and 4 entrees — total was about $ 260; really not that bad. Was I stuffed? No — but I didn’t want to go to the diner either.
So why just 3 stars? We weren’t disappointed; the food was good. Not great, but good. Would we go back? Prob not, but maybe… It was just an odd vibe — something was off and I will be damned if I can put my finger on it… I recommend trying it for sure — the hudson valley has something to offer to everyone, and uptown Kingston is making a nice comeback and offering more and more options. For me, it was the fact that each dish had something I didn’t like, more than the opposite. Maybe will try lunch or a burger if there is a next time as the reviews for those seem positive. Hope that the night we were there was just an «off night» — all restaurants have them, after all.

Well worth the Trip was a little hard to find but with gps made it there to find a nice cozy Dinning upstairs. We were greeted by the owner and he went over the menu and told us about every dish in detail. He also told us he was the Chef, how cool was that, we thought very cool. We had a shrimp dish and a Duck dish both very delishious After dinner we topped off the FABULOUS meal with a Red velvet cake topped with a warm caramelized topping and homemade icecream AWESOME. A great place for dinner Forsure. You will have to check it out for yourself.

Traveling through the area on a day trip and asked a local for a good lunch spot and a glass of wine. Without hesitation the answer was «Tappen». Awesome burger in a late 1700’s intimate space. Kaia was the spot on perfect host. Eat here!

I had dinner here last night with a few friends. Our server was more than accommodating and the food was excellent. The small wine and food menu was not disappointing, and it was obvious everything was carefully selected. I loved the mushroom soup! The chef really has something great happening in a historical building worth checking out. I can’t wait to see what the menu will have in store this spring. I’d definitely prefer the lights upstairs to be lower as they are directly over head. Dim those lights and get some candle light in there!

Writing this as my party of 6 is waiting for our food. We arrived for a 6pm reservation… Appetizers came at 7:00, and it’s now 7:40 and we’re still waiting for our entrees. Really? This place isn’t that new, or that packed. I don’t know if I can cut them any slack for this.
So far, the only thing right has been the food — our appetizers were great. I’ll update the details later. Service has been painfully slow and also unknowledgeable. The server didn’t know anything about how each dish was prepared or about any of the beers. Also, strangest wine list I’ve ever seen — 2 petite sirahs but no merlot or pinot noir? One single BTB listed at $ 130? … Strange.
I ordered a glass of spellbound petite sirah, which I have drank many times. It was SO old — tasted like the bottle had been open for at least a week. Do you not keep track of this?
I’m actually getting heated as I write this. 7:45 and still no entrees… will make sure to update this.

A co-​worker and I were passing through kingston on business and stopped in. We both thoroughly enjoyed the food and the pleasant and charming server. The food was a step above and had the look and taste of gourmet cuisine. Perfectly plated and not over cooked. Every bite was flavorful and appropriate. At the end, the chef/​owner came out and talked with us for a while which gave it a very nice touch. He had a lot of passion for his work and it was nice to see.
I will make it a point to stop in again and recommend to friends if they are passing through the area.

My wife, Charlotte, and son, Harrison, ate at Tappen for the first time last night and we were all wowed by the meal. It’s a charming place, a wonderful reworking of one of Uptown’s old stone homes. Intimate and warm.
We shared three appetizers — chicken wings, drunken clam roll and pork belly. We loved all three.
For entrees, I had the lamb chops with seared Brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes and they had Ahi tuna. We all raved and shared and raved some more.
For dessert, we shared crème brûlée and a bittersweet chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. Again, we were greatly pleased. The portions are generous and we surely over ate.
The bill came to about $ 150.
One additional word: Tappen doesn’t yet have a license to serve alcoholic beverages.