Hudson Clearwater

Always good, always different, fresh ingredients with mellow, consistent service. Tell only your best friends. Don’t want to ruin it!

Went here for a friend’s birthday on a Saturday. We were able to get the private area downstairs which is fantastic. I’m not too sure of the requirements to be seated in that area but it was great for a really hot, summer night since it offered a cooler setting to enjoy our company. Food was good– not the best I’ve had; however, the garden area outside seating and the private dining area would definitely be a reason to come back. Bit pricy but can be expected for virtually anywhere in NYC. I would definitely come back.

Booked a reservation for two and was sat when we arrived. Very cool space with seating out front and a courtyard in the back.
Ordered our drinks which came out fast. Waitress was very nice and attentive through the meal. Was disappointed in fhe amount of food in the scallop app but it tasted great, as did the lamb tacos. We had the gnocchi and the duck… Both portions were sizeable and both delicious.
Thought it was expensive… That food plus two drinks was 140 before tip but it was great spot and would go again

Just finished dinner here in the outdoor area, very nice ambience. However, drink service was severely slow and I understand there was some kind of party but it seemed that the slow service continued after the party was over. For the amount of money that I’m spending at that place on drinks and dinner, I’d at least appreciate a free drink or 2 which would have made the difference of me coming back here since I live in the neighborhood.

This place has everything I want in a upscale– casual dinner. I’m not sure if we went on a slow night but there was no wait around 7pm. It was one of the first nice days we had in New York this year so we decided to sit outside.
The garden is very cute. It is closed off and surrounded by a bunch of flowers and herbs. We ordered two drinks to start. The volver ($ 14) which is tequila based with mezcal, green chartreuse, lime, ginger, agave, basil, and grapefruit bitters. It was good but I liked the duchess ($ 14) better which had gin, plum, early grey tea, blackberries, lemon, and agave. Luckily my boyfriend liked the tequila one better so we switched.
To start we shared the burrata $ 16 which was so good. You really can’t go wrong with cheese. We also got the roasted golden beets which were good but I wouldn’t order it again. For the main courses they had two fish entrees and we got both. Mine was a red snapper $ 29 with green peas, fiddlehead ferns, and morels. It was super delicious but a little on the well done side. Next time I would specify on how I want it. I really enjoyed the other fish as well I just can’t remember what it is. Regardless, the fish options change but I would highly recommend them as both were great.
Our waitress was also helpful when we ordered wine and the service was great. The atmosphere is cute, intimate, and laid back but also nice enough where you could dress up a little more. I would highly recommend it here. It was one of the better restaurant experiences we had as we have been on a search and stumbled into many mediocre places recently.

We went for dinner on a slightly chilly/​rainy Saturday and this restaurant did not disappoint.
Outdoor ivy-​walled patio closes at 10 but it’s a great date spot. We tried the following:
Burrata — the pickled habanero peppers were a nice touch
Steak — very nicely seasoned and cooked, could have had more chimichurri sauce
Fish of the day — generous portion, nice sauce
Cheesecake — decadent but not too dense, it was a great end to a nice meal with the poppyseeds and fresh berry compote.
Decent wine list also with good variety of price points. Also, there is a private dining room in the basement which looked nice for larger parties.
I can’t wait to go back!

Food wasn’t very good. The portions are so small. The duck hash had no duck. The fruit bowl was 1 sliced apple with 4 blueberries. The huevos rancheros was just chips with eggs and beans.
Wouldn’t come back again.

TLDR: beautiful, cozy nook with delicious entrees and dessert!
Food: so yummy! I got the jalapeño-​coriander roasted short ribs which rests on a bed of fingerling potatoes and roasted jalapeño (not spicy at this point). The meat was tender and well seasoned while the portion size was enough without sides. Dessert was the warm chocolate pot with honeycomb and peanut butter gelato. Quite rich but not too sweet. The chocolate was gooey/​fudgey and the honeycomb provided a sweet crunch. The gelato was nothing special but delicious combined with the rest.
Value: the short ribs were $ 28 and the chocolate pot was $ 10. It’s about average for West Village but it was truly delicious.
Service: we went on a busy weeknight, so service was a bit slow but the environment was so nice so it wasn’t a huge deal.
Ambiance: if it’s a nice day, try to get a table outside. They have a nice backyard patio with string lights which gives it a cozy feel. Otherwise, the back of the restaurant has large open windows that still offer the same vibe.
Location: about a 5 minute walk from the ACEBDFM West 4^th Street stop. The area is beautiful so it’s a pleasant walk.

Having actually lived down the street from Hudson Clearwater for a summer but not actually knowing what it was (this is when the patio entrance was the only entrance), I was really excited to give this restaurant a try. After coming here, I feel like this is one of those restaurants that’s suitable for a variety of occasions, whether it’s a girls’ night out (which I came here for), date night, birthday dinner, drinks… you get the idea.
My friends and I came here on a Tuesday evening with a reservation. Restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived, but it filled up throughout the night. We split the burrata and savory bread pudding for the table — the burrata was your standard delicious ball of cheese, but bread pudding was a hit with everyone. It’s not on the menu anymore, but do get it if it ever returns. I chose the Long Island duck breast for my main course, which was seared to a perfect medium. For desserts, we split the chocolate pot and the pear cake which were both sweet notes to end the meal
Since I always arrive absurdly early to anything, I also had the chance to grab some cocktails at the bar. The name of my drink escapes me now, but it was well-​balanced and strong.
I wouldn’t say this meal is the best I ever had, but everything was solid, the service was friendly, and the ambience is quintessential West Village charm. I would love to come back in warmer months and sit in the patio.

This place has a cool factor given by the great staff and the well mixed crowd. The food is great for brunch but my salmon in the southern eggs Benedict was terrible (very chewy). I almost gave it 3 stars but the extra star goes to the very hot Barman.

Always a solid weekend brunch option. I first came here when the line at Jane was a little too unbearable. However, after eating here a couple times, the brunch is by no means an inferior product. The crowds are much more manageable, in my opinion, which is one of the best things about Hudson Clearwater, along with the general quality of the food. The place has a pretty rustic look, with a full bar, and multiple levels of seating. The once unassuming entrance has now been replaced by a front door that is much more conspicuous, facing Hudson Street.
I most recently got the grass-​fed burger, with jalapeño cheddar. Cooked to a nice medium rare, the burger was the right amount of juicy and rich. The fries are hand-​cut, crispy and come with a nice jalapeño aioli (jalapeño everything), as well as the standard ketchup. The short rib hash, with two fried eggs on top, is also excellent, although not quite as well-​portioned as I’d personally like. Such is the life of a fatass. Additionally, none of the dishes are terribly innovative, but the food and preparation has never let me down in terms of quality, and that’s what keeps me coming back.
It’s a little on the pricier side for brunch, as a lot of the dishes trend towards $ 20 straight up, but the quality has always been pretty good, so it ain’t too bad. Service is generally pretty attentive throughout the meal. An oddity was that one of the waiters was trying to pour our waters from very high up above the glass to perhaps impress us with his pouring skills. It would have been very impressive, had he not splashed everywhere on the table. The thing is, even after splashing everywhere the first time, he came back and did it again, splashing even more the second time. Just do a normal pour, buddy.
In all, an incredibly reliable place for some really good food. Will definitely be back for a hearty, no-​nonsense brunch, or perhaps dinner one of these days. One of my friends swears by the duck dinner dish, so I’ll have to come back and give that a try.

This place is super cute. I’ve been here twice and it’s still one of my favorite places to dine. Very cozy and romantic. The service was amazing and the food was outstanding. My friend and I shared:
— Oysters. Fresh!
— Grilled octopus (with fingerling potatoes, spinach purée, preserved lemon yogurt, watercress): Cooked perfectly.
— Pan-​Seared Local Hake (market fish of the day) with sautéed savoy cabbage, salsify, champagne cream, soft herbs. The hake was moist, flaky, and so delicious. My favorite bite of the night.
— Roasted parsnips with local honey, lemon, thyme, cumin. A good side for our meal. Light and flavorful.
— For dessert, we opted for the assorted cheeses (comes with toasted marcona almonds, local honey, fresh breads). Can’t go wrong with cheese.

My buddy use to be the executive chef here, but I have visited since and it is still bangin’! Unique menu, great intimate atmosphere, wonderful drinks. It’s not cheap, but it is well worth it. Food is cooked to perfection and drinks are on point. Great date spot to mix things up. Make a reservation!

ooolala this place is super dreamy and trendy. the design/​layout/​vibe is definitely something to appreciate. service is provided by caring, hip types. food is 150% edible. the patio is great in the summer but don’t go out there right now or you’ll get frostbite! MAKE RESSIES you’re an adult now (and it gets crowded).

Get the Duck. And a glass of red wine. You’ll be in heaven. Sit in the secret courtyard.

Writing a review based on this particular visit, but with the benefit of visiting pre-​Yelp (you know, when I just went out and ate and enjoyed the experience without taking a picture and writing a review no one will read about a place you’ll probably visit anyway.)
Food, superb.
Dining room, cool and quirky.
Laid back vibe.
Superb tucked away private dining room.
If you read this (and you won’t) — go.

Great service and the friendly staff, but the food (at least my own) was not as great as I had hoped for. The cod was flaky, but lacked the flavor I’d expected. The waiter was awesome and attentive. The cocktails were nicely made and I would say the highlight of the night for us.

For a classic ‘American’ meal head to Hudson Clearwater. Their menu is fairly straight forward but packs some great choices. Having been a couple of times I tend to oscillate between their duck and their market fish but always get the brussel sprouts, which are out of this world amazing.
I’m a huge fan of the ambiance and between the open kitchen and the cozy tables the overall vibe is super trendy. Plus prices for entrees which are not ridiculously overpriced as some NYC restaurants makes for an all around solid night out with friends or a date w/​o breaking the bank.
And definitely try the Hudson Mule, my friend thought it had too much ginger but I thought it was just right.

Very attentive service. Enjoyed all of my courses. Amazing cocktails. Salad was awesome and loved the gnocchi. I like the open kitchen aspect so you can see your food come alive before your eyes.

The bar has some interesting cocktails. The menu is diverse and has some good vegetarian options. service is efficient and attentive. Food quality is excellent. If possible have an english muffin. It will likely be the best one you have ever had.

The «secret door» is no longer. Now you just enter from a completely conspicuous door on Hudson Street (though there’s still very little in the way of signage at least).
Still, it’s cute and cozy spot with friendly service. They had space to space, so they even let us take an actual table for drinks only on a Sat night. The food all smelled divine, though a look at the menu indicated it’ll cost you a pretty penny.
Also, the bartenders all resemble well-​groomed, plaid-​clad lumberjacks. You know, if that’s your thing.

lunch time:
house smoked ham sandwich and fries 3 stars
ambiance and service 4 stars
value 3 stars

Friendly staff. Not too crowded. Great breakfast (I got blueberry cornmeal johnnycakes). The hot chocolate is rich and not too sweet, and also large portion.

Only judging the service:
1) We get in with a reservation at 6.00 pm first table in the dinning room. The next couple gets seated right next to us in the empty room.
2) We order, entrees come out wrong!! We wait another 30 min for the new entrees to come out.
3) In the mean time one of the servers ask we like another drink I ask what kind of bourbon you have. He says I will get your server… No one in sight for another five minutes (remind you we are one of two tables in the entire place).
4) Before dessert my napkin gets taken away but doesn’t get replaced.
5) The check came the price on the menu for the drink I ordered was less than what they charged me for. I asked them to correct it. The waitress proceeded to talk about the issue with other employees. Pretty unprofessional.
Given our entrees were brought out wrong and late and they priced the drink wrong I assumed they would have at least comped the coffee (which was not good) but we got nothing comped. Instead the table right next to us got a dessert comped because their food come out late (in fact they got their check right after we got ours).
Food was four stars. It is unfortunate. May come back in one year but in the mean time we will just keep going back to Bell Book and Candle = Great service and great food.

A fine restaurant. No matter if you want to take your date there or have a business dinner.
The Ambiente is cozy. If it’s a warm day you can enjoy the lovely outside space in the back. It can be a little loud inside depending on the people.
Food and service are fantastic and the prices are fair. One of my favorite restaurants in NYC.

Went to dinner here with a friend of mine and we were excited to try a new restaurant neither of us had been to. We split the ceviche appetizer, which was on the small side and really heavy on the onion, and we each got our own entrees and split a side of vegetables. I ordered the duck breast, which was phenomenal, and my friend ordered a Halibut special, also very nicely prepared. The ratatouille side dish was large enough to share and very flavorful.
The service was good but not great. It took an extremely long time (over 30 minutes) for our appetizer to arrive, at which point we’d both finished our glass of wine. As a former server, I see this as a tactic to make people have to order another glass or bottle. Our entrees took an additional 30+ minutes, which definitely isn’t the servers fault, but an explanation would have helped.
The best part of the dining experience at Hudson Clearwater was the outdoor garden seating area. It felt like an ethereal secret garden hidden in the West Village.
All in all an ok dining experience. I’d probably be more likely to go back just for drinks.

My favourite restaurant in NYC! (okay, I haven’t been to a ton, but I’ve definitely been back here twice)
It can be a bit tricky to find (seriously, the second time I came here I was standing on a sidewalk with my friend when we decided we should go back to Hudson Clearwater. I google mapped it on my phone and it turned out to be LITERALLY across the street from us. but it was completely invisible even though we knew it was there), but that just adds to the fun.
I recommend bar seating because watching them create the salads is absolutely amazing. Get a couple of different small items to share — this way you can try lots.

Oh yes, oh yes. Our new spot. Now while I can’t comment on food (Boozy Sunday – who eats?), I trust that it’s right on.
I’m so rarely in this hood, but had a family event close by. My friend came to meet me and after some deliciously lazy walking and chatting, we actually stopped at Hudson to use the loo. I was struck by the appeal of the place! From the outside you really don’t get a sense of how… inviting (for lack of a better word) it is. It’s larger than I expected and has a fantastic garden space.
The lovely easy on the eyes bartender was so nice about me running in (LouLou needed the loo!), we decided to sit at the bar and have drinks. Sha ordered one of the house specials while I requested my own easy design of vodka, seltzer and fruit salad garnish. Dollyface bartender was speedy with our drinks while simultaneously training a new bartender (also lovely to look at)…it was impressive. Drinks were refreshing and tasty. The spot was so comfortable, we hung for a few hours. We both thought it would be a great place to host a group of friends or a small party… really great spot!

As you may know now, I am a huge fan of hidden restaurants. Hudson Clearwater, during the summertime at least, is characterized by an unmarked façade and a green door hidden in a red brick wall. People go through the secret door and are welcomed by a well lit terrace and steps leading into the restaurant.
Due to the weather, the terrace is actually closed and I entered through the Hudson Street entrance. This brought me to the lower level of the restaurant that held the bar. There are stairs on the right side of the room that leads to the upper deck with the exposed kitchen. Every time I have gone to Hudson Clearwater for dinner, I have requested to sit around the kitchen. Watching the chefs is mesmerizing and a great conversation starter.
Today, I sat by the window overlooking the terrace. Since I am a huge fan of the hangar steak, I gravitated towards the hangar steak ragu topped with parmesan. My friend ordered the 8oz angus burger.
My dish was delectable and my only complaint is that the portion was too small! The ragu was cooked to perfection — not too soft and soggy but not too hard either. The hangar steak was braised and despite being cooked, still extremely tender. The cheese was sprinkled over the dish but did not overpower it. The sauce brought the dish together.
The burger looked solid and it was accompanied by fries. The fries were served with ketchup and mayonnaise aioli. I felt the ketchup tasted better than the aioli, which seemed a little tasteless but super oily.
Finally, I really enjoyed getting to know the bartender Boz. He made us a few off the menu cocktails based merely on our tastes and nailed it.
Can’t wait for the weather to warm up and come back here for dinners in the garden.

We popped in for brunch on a Sunday (starts at 10am) as it was a short walk from our hotel.
We were greeted and seated promptly, along with a bunch of neighborhood folks lined up outside, and welcomed into a comfortable, casual space. We chose an upstairs seat across from the open kitchen.
The menu is short but sweet (see below).We had the Grapefruit Brulee (terrific if you like grapefruit) and cold-​smoked salmon and (for me) the smashing Brioche French Toast with some Applewood smoked bacon.
Decaf coffee came by way of French press and was rich and delicious.
Service was spot on and we left full and happy.
Starters
House-​made Ginger Agave granola $ 8
Burrata, baby beets, watercress, toasted hazelnuts, confit shallot vinaigrette $ 12
Arugula, gala apples, shaved fennel, toasted pine nuts, crumbled ricotta salata, balsamic $ 10
Fried Egg Sandwich, cheese & bacon on house-​made english muffin $ 8
Tomato, avocado, spinach & fried egg on house-​made english muffin $ 8
Mains
Brioche French Toast
maple-​bourbon baked apples, crème anglaise, spiced pecans, cinnamon $ 12
Organic Cold-​Smoked Salmon w/​lemon cream cheese, multi-​grain pullman toast, caperberries, dill $ 15
Southern Eggs Benedict poached eggs, house-​cured ham, sautéed spinach, jalapeño hollandaise, biscuit $ 16
Herbed French Omelette w/​mushroom, Tomato, aged cheddar, mixed greens $ 13
8 OZ. ANGUS or VEGGIE BURGER bibb lettuce, tomato, red onion, jalapeño aioli, sesame brioche bun $ 14
Grilled Hanger Steak & Eggs w/​herb-​roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, thyme, two fried eggs $ 18
Sides
Fresh fruit bowl $ 6
Grapefruit brûlée, Fresh MINT $ 5
Multi-​grain pullman toast with
Fruit preserves & local maple butter $ 4
or avocado & Chili Flakes $ 6
Blueberry cornmeal johnnycakes $ 6
maple butter, maple syrup
Two Eggs Any Style $ 5
Applewood smoked bacon $ 4
House-​Cured Smoked Ham $ 6
Maple butter
Southern Biscuit & Gravy $ 4
Rosemary Pomme frites $ 5

Come hell or high water, you gotta try this hidden west village gem. While it popularity is rising exponentially and getting a impromptu reservation is nearly impossible, the staffs are friendly and the service is attentive.
The menu is relatively small and creative and the nightly specials are equally impressive. Try everything (I hate it when I sound cliché) and that includes all 7 flights of cocktails… or was it 8? Lost count…
As for dessert the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake is the winner. I can eat 5 pieces in a row.
During the summer, do plan ahead and enjoy an intimate dinner in the courtyard. If you have a large party, they also have a lovely semi private room downstairs.

The Quick: Such a great meal with an excellent staff– everything we tried was better than the previous dish (which is saying something!)
The Details: To start, we had the salmon special and the grilled octopus special which were both out of this world. Next, we had the pork chop and the risotto– both extremely good although I would say the Pork-​chop was good but I’ve had more memorable dishes. The risotto was incredible. We also had sides of brussels sprouts and the carrot dish which were outstanding — who knew a side dish could really still the show?
As for drinks, we had the Hudson mule which was out of this world good, if you like ginger of course. With dinner we got the house wine and the label had a picture of the back door which we thought was very genuine and cute. The wine was very good– I recommend. Overall we had a great experience at this restaurant I would return. Great for a date!
The Damage: unclear since I didn’t pay. It definitely wasn’t cheap but manageable for a date night!