Bridge Creek Cafe

Bridge Creek is the best! They did everything to accommodate our big day and their staff was super friendly and easy to talk to. We worked a lot with Jamie, who we loved, and Phil, the owner. What a great team of people. They bent over backwards to accommodate our requests, worked with us on budget and helped our wedding reception to run seamlessly. Looking back, we definitely made the right decision. I would recommend them to anyone because they consistently deliver quality customer service — from the tasting to the big day.

Decided to try this place for lunch on a pleasant Friday afternoon in autumn… home run! It was mild enough that a few people were using the outdoor seating (dogs encouraged), but we chose a booth in the large, airy indoor space. Full of sunlight with a view of the Shawangunk mountains on one side and the neighboring antique barn on the other.
Wanting something light, we chose the soup of the day, a mushroom-​kale vegetarian offering, served with charred peasant bread on the side. My husband got the house salad as well. The soup turned out to be a hearty bowl of shitake-​based deliciousness with generous chunks of fresh kale, seasoned with an aggressive, peppery boldness usually reserved for beef stew. So satisfying! Delicious bread, and hubby’s salad arrived crisp, fresh, and ample.
Friendly service, pleasant space, clean restroom, and definitely a place to visit again.
And, yes, we got soup to go as well, enjoying it at home for lunch the next day. Just as good!

There this weekend, visiting daughter at SUNY New Paltz and meeting friends with a dog who live locally. Chose Bridge Creek because they had outdoor seating and were dog-​friendly, and the location is terrific as it’s on the bike path (and at the Water Street Market). The wait staff were pleasant, gave the dog water, and the food arrived promptly. The quality of the food was really mixed, however. My husband and daughter ordered the french toast, where everywhere else in America, the portions are usually hardy as bread is cheap. For $ 12, the french toast plate featured 4 very small pieces of french toast (french baguette sized) and fake maple syrup. My husband said that there was very little egg mix on the bread. I ordered the falafel-​lentil patty which was served on a mound of rice, and only okay. I would go back for the convenience and/​or if I had a dog, but I wouldn’t go back for the food.

I am from NYC and was visiting for the day. I was hesitant to try this place after checking Unilocal but we had a dog with us so we’re really limited in choices. To my surprise dinner was fantastic. We had short ribs and the farfalle pasta with asparagus. Delicious! They also had a dog menu which was really helpful for us because we forgot the dog’s food at home and had a long drive back. In addition to our great meal, the atmosphere is really nice with outdoor dining on the deck.
Toodly doo amigos

Although on the expensive side, the food is good, and the wait staff friendly. Multiple things to choose from if you are vegetarian or vegan, and the view is nice also.

Wow what a disappointment. Mediocre food with awful service (or at least one really shitty waiter) just left my party feeling like we would have been better off at a cheaper dive down the street.

We were staying at a nearby B&B and they had recommended Bridge Creek Café because they were pet friendly and gluten free. It is hidden in the Water Street Market, there are two dedicated lots but those seemed to fill up pretty quickly so we found a lower lot and walked a bit to get to the actual market.
Bridge creek had both indoor seating and outdoor — although with pets are only allowed outside and it was beautiful out the choice was pretty obvious for us.
They had a pretty simple menu and separate beer, cider and wine selections. As we mulled over the menu they have us popcorn for appetizers, cool concept but our popcorn tasted as if it had been sitting out for a while and was pretty stale.
The mister got the lemongrass chicken wings and the tofu fries as I opted for the burger. They also had a mini selection for the dogs, either grilled chicken or beef — so we ordered one of each for the two to share.
The tofu fries came out first, they were fish stick sized tofu slices that were very vey lightly fried topped with a bit of siracha served with a side of sweetened soy sauce. The sauce was delicious it paired very nicely with the slight spice from the siracha but the fries were a bit on the soggy side. They would have been great had they been a bit crispier.
My burger looked great, the party was thick and smothered with cheese and caramelized onions served with a side of fries. Unfortunately my burger was a bit over cooked and one side of my patty was completely charred giving a very bitter aftertaste.
As for the dog meals I am a bit unsure if the meats were specifically curated for the pups or if it was just cut up human food. The grilled chicken had a spice rub on it and the beef was just a cut up beef patty.
All in all, I was pretty disappointed in the food. Nothing really stood out to me, the coolest part was that they were pup friendly which by the looks of it all of the restaurants in the area with out door seating were. As for gluten free options, they just labeled their foods gluten free — nothing too out of the ordinary.

I am a burger lover and this was the worst burger I’ve ever eaten especially for the price.
The staff was really nice, it’s pet friendly but for a $ 75 (2 burgers and 3 appetizers) I wouldn’t be going back again.

Upscale look but below average taste.
If I could rate only the exterior setting & food presentation, it would get 5 stars.
The outdoor seating area is lovely and the entrees are presented nicely.
But the portions are small + the so-​so flavors don’t match the cost. Needs more oomph. (We were able to get some flavorful Jamaican patties nearby to satisfy our hunger.)
Service:
Our waiter was nice but two dishes came out after everyone else finished (we were a group of about 12).
APPETIZERS
_​Crispy Fried Tofu ($ 8)
_​Tostones ($ 7.50)
SIDES
_​Sweet Potato Fries ($ 7)
SALADS
_​Kale Caesar Salad ($ 13)
ENTREES
_​JL Burger & Sweet Potato Fries ($ 17)
_​Boneless Short Rib ($ 24)
_​Lentil-​Falafel Cake ($ 14)
Probably won’t return unless I’m craving some fries.

My fiancé and I went here for dinner, after having several very good experience with their food at catered events. I have also been here for brunch with girlfriends and had a very positive experience. I was hoping to scope it out and maybe get some info on catering for our upcoming wedding.
Our dinner was incredibly disappointing. The meal started with stale popcorn. We ordered the dumplings for an appetizer. They were clearly homemade, which was a plus, but they were very doughy. Additionally, we have seen Instagram pics of other people’s dumpling orders, and ours definitely lacked the presentation quality of the other ones. Another Unilocal reviewer notes that sometimes dishes are really good, and sometimes the exact same dish is not good. This seems like the case with the dumplings. My fiancé went for the Iraqi-​spiced chicken. It lacked real flavor, and the accompanying couscous was pretty much like a home cook would make – ok, but not exceptional. I ordered the salmon, which came out slightly more cooked than I typically like. Over the course of the dinner, it continued to cook because of residual heat, and by the end, it was quite overdone. Additionally, though it was accompanied by interesting pasta, which was pretty good, the salmon itself lacked seasoning. It seemed like salt & pepper were the «spices» of choice.
Given our great experiences with the catering, the meal was quite disappointing – and incredibly overpriced. We were there during the down-​time before college students were back in town, so I’m wondering if they weren’t really staffed in the kitchen with the top talent. But in a town like New Paltz, where there are so many great restaurants, many of which also feature local ingredients, having such a lackluster dinner on a Friday night is really bad business. And definitely going to look elsewhere for wedding catering.
Good waitress, though. Have no complaints about wait staff.

Inconsistent at best. These are caterers who opened a restaurant and seem to be more interested in the catering part of the business. Menu never changes, not enough selections… and same item changes each time you eat it. One day good, one day bad. They seem to attract crowds for the view and have done little else to make it appealing to customers who enjoy tasty food. Eat there because I live here and can take my dogs on a nice night!

I usually do not write negative reviews, particularly for small business owners, but I feel compelled to share my experience. My meal (vegetable mole) had no taste and was not edible unless you are used to eating canned food; I had a few bites but could not eat the rest but was not refunded. It took so long to get the food that it would not have been worth waiting for anyway. The service is sub-​par at best; the waiter seemed bothered by having to refill our water. The best part, by far, is the view, so I suggest ordering a drink, enjoying the view, and eating in one of the many other fine restaurants in New Paltz.

I don’t like writing bad reviews, I usually don’t say anything at all but in this case I have to. It was 4 of us eating lunch, and THREE TABLES were sat AFTER us and received their drinks… And in all that time no one had still approached us. Finally we asked a waitress for drinks and when she brought them over she took our order. It wasn’t until after that, the girl that was supposed to be our waitress came over… AND ASKED US FOR OUR DRINK ORDER… We told her that someone was already taking our order and later on in our lunch we see her pull the girl aside as if she did something wrong… As we are finishing our appetizers the waitress comes over and asks us if we want to see the dessert menu… We tell her we did not receive our entrees… And she looked confused…
At this point we are just baffled… This all may not sound like a big deal but there is so much more that went on and it was the worst dining experience… Our waitress was very sweet but there was SO much confusion, clearly no communication with the waitstaff and the manager sat there and did absolutely nothing… And I’m pretty sure if we didn’t speak up… We would have never been approached.

Had wonderful dinner at this café with my friend after a beautiful hike. The place is not fancy at all and i would agree that the interior design could use some more sophisticated character, but the food was absolutely delicious! Some surprising ingredients, like millet as a side to a fish, absolutely yummy! The service was very friendly too. If back in the area, i might be tempted to just go back instead of exploring a new place.

We came there a year ago on our annual apple-​picking trip. We enjoyed it and decided to come back again this year. Too bad we sat for an HOUR without receiving anything other than drinks (3 of which were WATER). When I asked about our food, our waitress said she was sorry, told us it would be out «shortly,» and brought us some popcorn. While my children behaved admirably given how hungry they were, I was really disappointed in the fact that it seemed par for the course when I asked to simply pay for my drinks and cancel our meals. We were offered a small, halfhearted apology and the owner then had the audacity to take my money! Don’t get me wrong. I should pay for what I consumed, but it would have been a nice gesture on his part to say he was sorry for the inconvenience and that the drinks were on the house.
It won’t hurt their establishment to lose my once a year business, but how utterly disappointed we were.
(For anyone else who may find themselves in the same position, go see the Kosiner Organic Hot Dog guys downstairs at the entrance to the market instead. Save yourself some money and I don’t think it was just my hunger — those dogs were GOOD!)

My mother and I came here after I looked up dog friendly eateries for us to go after doing the charity dog walk for Pet’s Alive. The staff at the café were beyond friendly and lavished our dog with attention, giving him a bowl of water and doggie bones. The café is small, a few tables inside, a little more spread out outside, but very cute. We started with the kale ceasar salad, which I’m not even much of a kale fan, and it was really good. It was served with glazed walnuts and dried cranberries and the ceasar dressing was very tasty, and even better, no onions, ’cause my mom’s allergic to them. For lunch I had the burger; which was very good, and my mother had the lamb patties, which she said were great. It was definetely on the pricey side but as they utilize local produce for their meals, it didn’t see it as unreasonable. Perhaps my only gripe was that they serve beverages in TINY little glasses. We’d walked a lot and were very hot and thirsty and it took about three glasses to finally feel refreshed, luckily re-​fills are free.

We were hungry and thirsty after spending the day at Minnewaska and kinda happened upon this place. Originally, we were planning to go to the brewery across the street, but they refused to allow us to have my sister’s two dogs anywhere close when we dined. So, we walked across the street, found the café welcoming the dogs, and were pleasantly surprised.
Our order was just appetizers and beer. Got the pork and scallion dumplings, the bacon wrapped dates, the blistered red curry green beans (with smoked bacon, and dried shrimp). For drinks, my sis and me go the Troegs Java head stout (really tasty and coffee) and the boys got lemonades.
Price was reasonable for our selections. Not sure how dinner would be, but all the dishes were excellent, and the bacon wrapped dates were definitely the biggest hit.
Fun place and good food.

Great flavorful food! I’m happy with this new addition to the New Paltz scene! Good job!

i live in new paltz and make a habit of visiting as many of the new restaurants as possible. i was expecting a wonderful meal outside overlooking the rail trail and mountains, i loved this venue prior to the purchase by bridge creek. i was very disappoint with every aspect of my experience v. v the indoor décor was a bit too fru fru like dinning within a great ball of cotton candy, outdoor the dinning area seemed oh so unfinished unkempt and just plain olé run down. there were electrical cords running under and around the tables in a poorly lit (no not atmospherically lit, no lights but one bright floodlight) the paint needed some «touching up» and although some tables had umbrellas others had only the pole stuck in the middle of the table, it was all so disheveled and unfinished. onward to the service and food…
as a vegetarian i was happy to see the indications for gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan items on the menu, which btw appeared to be printed on a printer that was running out of ink. i asked if a green bean dish could be made without the bacon and was told yes «of course,» i ordered that among other things ordered from my group of three. service was slow, and it was not a crowded night, a max of 5 tables, and although the severer was pleasant enough she appeared to be ill suited to wait tables or at the very least poorly trained. my beans came with loads of bacon, (they tried to make amends by bringing me some burnt popcorn) my friend asked 3 times for sugar for his tea, portions were tiny tiny tiny, a $ 12 salad and $ 14 appetizer, and the aforementioned beans all incredibly undersized, not a good value at all. our entrees came after a wait, and again we were disappointed… a soft polenta with no taste, likewise for a lentil falafel and again, tiny portions, the food itself appeared to be not much more than a «garnish» for our empty plates T. T
the only real positive thing i can say is that the dessert my friend got, a chocolate cake with a rum sauce was quite good.
the experience cost $ 110 NOT a good value at all for the service, atmosphere, and serving size… i eat often at another new platz italian restaurant, one that is thought to be «expensive» my bill there usually comes to about $ 125 and i leave happy and pleased. my best suggestion is… don’t go to bridge creek café, new platz has many restaurants choose another.

Great new addition to the Water Street Market. Bridge Creek has been successful in the catering business for many years so I fully expected a positive experience and I was not disappointed in the least.
My daughter, my friend and I met for lunch and we were glad to get a table in this buzzing place. My daughter ordered off the kid’s menu (grilled cheese made from cheese offered at the Cheese Plate, downstairs at the WSM). I ordered the seafood bisque (lovely, indulgent flavor with chunky bits of seafood) and the crab cake as my lunch entrée. The crab cake was tasty, full of crab and, much to my surprise, a big hit with my daughter who ate half. The salad, served with the crab cake, was one of the best I’ve had and although the portion was perfect, I could have had even more. For desert, my friend and I each ordered the maple flan with the shortcake base. Oh. .. my. .. goodness. The sauce and flan were delicate yet infused with a lovely maple flavor. This went very well with a well brewed cup of coffee.
We will be back. .. . very very soon!