Old Gristmill

We have lived in the immediate area for over 30 years, yet until last evening, had never before visited The Old Gristmill. We never had an inkling of what we had been missing! Absolutely beautiful décor, with an old farmhouse vibe to it. There is a European influence, for sure, to the restaurant, along with the old time Orange County, NY feel, that I remember so well. The views from the dining room are beautiful, and the atmosphere relaxed. I, for one, will avoid a restaurant where I feel rushed. My expectations are, that I will be able to fully be allowed the time to absorb the menu before I order; that I will be able to dine at a leisurely pace, and not be rushed with various dinner courses arriving before I am able to enjoy the prior course. And add to that, I expect my server to be knowledgable, and not try to bowl me over with over-​inflated, value-​added, high profit so-​called specials. A Daily Special, at the Old Gristmill, is exactly what it should be, a Daily Special. Our waitress, was extremely knowledgable and created a very pleasant dining experience for our dining party.
Did I mention the food? The dinners ordered by our dining party were outstanding! The French Onion Soup, with Gruyère, is not to be missed. And, this is coming from someone involved in the food industry since my youthful days, in the 1960’s.
Unfortunately, there was no room for desert. We will leave room for that the next time we visit The Old Gristmill. Or the next time. Or the time after that. Yes, readers, we will definitely be returning often, to The old Gristmill Restaurant!

The food was very good. It had a great Austrian flare. The service was good but needs to let the people get know you. Because once you do was a really charming. The owners are very down to earth. Will definitely be back

A true treasure! The food is alway fresh and delicious! Very warm & inviting! Cocktails, appetizers, dinner & desserts. Service is immaculate! Beautiful view over the river.
A must try!

My husband and I visited some friends in the Orange County, NY area a week ago and they took us to the Old Grist Mill for dinner. What a treat! The meal was absolutely delicious from appetizer to dessert, the service was prompt, attentive and courteous, and the atmosphere inside and out was warm and inviting. We totally enjoyed our dining experience, and did not feel rushed in between courses being served like other restaurants do nowadays. It was a perfect, relaxing evening with good friends and great food. The next time passing through this area, we will certainly be repeat patrons.

The service was absolutely terrible. The waitress reeked of booze and treated us like an inconvenience even though we were the only table in the entire place.
The food? Spectacular! I had the Cassoulet special. Pork tenderloin, lamb and duck over a white bean ragout served in a copper pot. It was perfect. It was flavorful, cooked perfectly and beyond delicious. I savored every single bite. Dessert was a homemade apple crisp with rum raisin, pumpkin ice cream. This was the absolute best meal I’ve ever had (minus the service)
From the previous reviews, they need to seriously change the server.

My girlfriend and I wanted a nice evening out but we were greeted by the rudest waitress ever in my life. I asked for refill on my water and she rudely grabbed the glass and over filled it … The food was good but couldn’t enjoy it because we lost our appetite from how rude this waitress was … I was in disbelief on how we were greeted when she took our order… it took almost 40 min to flag someone down to wrap our left overs … I would of got better service and Burger King and a better dinner … If u don’t get rid of your waitress you are gonna lose a lot of buisness!!! shes lucky she got a tip !!! Fyi: wards bridge inn is better !!!

I have to say I was skeptical to try this place but glad I did it’s true the décor is a little old but not that bad. The food was really good and the staff was very friendly, the view is gorgeous,
they have to get a bigger sign or put more lights to the one they have we missed it twice that street is very dark and it’s hard to see the sign at night. Thats my only negative comment about the place.
If you like quiet places to eat like I do this is the place for you A+

My wife & I tried the Old Gristmill two years ago and had a wonderful experience. We were surprised by food quality and portion size. She ordered duck… was served half a duck! I ordered pork loin over gnocchi with an incredible sauce… got the whole loin! One could say the décor is out dated. I’ll be nice & say «old-​school elegant». :)
We enjoyed ourselves so much two years ago, we decided to bring friends with us while visiting the area last Friday. A home run with all 7 of us. The drinks, appetizers and entrees were all very good. Knowing portion sizes, each of the couples split their entrée. The $ 10 charge to split was more than worth it. We each received full sides. Two couples still couldn’t finish and the poor single guy, well, he had no chance of finishing his. We would recommend the shrimp scampi, bluepoint oysters, oysters Rockefeller, chowder, pork, duck, lamb shank & rack of lamb. Not a weak link in the bunch.
Considering food quality and portion size, I would say the meal was WELL worth the money. Our service was good, albeit borderline stereotypical New Yorker. Not the Southern Hospitality we’re used to, but quite palatable. No complaints.
We would not hesitate to return next time we’re visiting the area. (And, yes, bring a GPS!)

The river views make this restaurant a winner, and the food is excellent, if a bit pricey.
The décor is dated (very dated) — but, so what? It’s so out if style it’s in style again — it works.
The food is a European cuisine /​old school American blend with classic on the menus that are well prepared.
The staff is a little uneven, but they are all knowledgable, even if a few are not the most charming.

As much as I would like to give this place atleast 4 stars for the food, I had to knock down 2 for the service. Our party was celebrating a special birthday and after a great hike at Sam’s point, we were excited to dine here. We had called in advance to change our reservation to about an hour later and requested outdoor seating. Upon our arrival, we were met with an unwelcome greeting from the main waitress. Our party felt very uncomfortable but decided to stick it out. After a few minutes outside, we politely asked if we can move inside due to the extreme heat affecting us and a baby in our party. She again showed her annoyance to us that she had to put a table together inside. We were the only customers there at the time. When she finally finished setting our table which probably only took 5 minutes, she barked at us that it is ready and to bring our menus. I am a big foodie and was appalled about how we were treated. Positive note is the food portions were large and some apps were delicious. I would most likely never go back. Every customer who walks into an establishment should be treated with respect– The Old Gristmill put a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended).

Food is good, location and décor nice. Giving it one star due to the absolutely terrible way we were treated by the staff when we went there a while back. Went to celebrate a birthday and were seated next to a window overlooking the Shawangunk Kill. Very nice. Being late June, the air conditioning was on. Unfortunately, it was set WAY too high and we were freezing. Other tables were occupied, but the dining room was by no means full. We politely asked if the AC could be turned down a little and the waitress said «no, everyone else will be uncomfortable then». Excuse me??? So we opened the window a crack, just to take the edge off the icicles that were forming. The waitress then very rudely told us off for opening the window an inch, that it was letting the AC out. She then brought over some lady, don’t know if she was the manager or not, but this lady then proceeded to berate us for opening the window. I have never been treated so appallingly by staff in a restaurant. I wouldn’t have left that witch of a waitress a penny tip, but my sister, generous fool that she is, left her usual 20%. I will never set foot in this restaurant again.

We were looking for a place to have Easter dinner for our family and this turned out to be the perfect place. There were 7 of us and we all tasted each others food so had a chance to sample a variety of appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts, and everything they made was excellent. The service was perfect — they brought everything very promptly and but didn’t rush us along in any way. The view of the creek and waterfall is superb. This would also be a great place for a romantic dinner. Overall we would highly recommend this restaurant.

Great Find!
I am starting to notice a trend with these upstate NY restaurants. The more obscure and harder to find the better the restaurant is. The name of this restaurant is given a whole history on the menu, but to shorten the story the restaurant sits right on top of an old gristmill. The dinner room contains a breath taking view of the short falls and can be very enchanting to encourage romance.
The service was very high end for the environment and the staff was well informed like any other inner city upscale restaurant would be. We had a lobster appetizer that had huge lobster claws and amazing flavor. The chef had specials that include great cuts of meat and seafood. Our table orders 6 different dishes and every one just fawned over how delicious they were.
The décor is very very dated, but at this point at think it adds to the unique environment of the restaurant. Our group just went with the 1800’s tea party vibe.
I look forward to returning, but make sure you have a GPS or you may never leave.

Pâté great, lobster tails good, portions always good size everyone happy!
I think they could use more traditional desserts on holidays BUT OPEN!
Side by river
redecorate out of date in big dinning area, but bright food for families, couple i like the rustic bar side much better!

Wow! In the middle if nowhere but charming. One if the best dinners I’ve had in the HV. I like my steak well done and burnt and it was still so incredibly tender. This is one for the books! Chocolate cake was Delish!

THis is our favorite restaurant in the Hudson Valley.

Ok, the décor is from 1983. So what? The food is absolutely amazing. The menu is different everytime me and the girls go. I, being boring usually order the same thing. Fish stuffed with something, chicken braised someway… and if something on the menu that night does not strike my basic pallette they always have King Crab legs.
And for my daughter they always have chicken fingers with french fries!
This is by far and away mine and my girls’ favorite place to eat. They treat my 6 year old as if she is a little adult and she just eats it up (pun intended). The wait staff is super attentive, refills without asking, absolutely no complaints about the wait staff and that is looms large for me as I rank Food 1. and Service 1A.
Word of warning however: It is expensive. (But so worth it.) Great food, great service, great views.
As I type this, I think I am going to make a reservation for this Friday. :-)

By far the best restaurant in the area.
The food is simply outstanding, with portions that could satisfy an offensive lineman.
Drop in early and enjoy a drink at their bar before entering the dining room with panoramic views of the waterfalls and river. It really was a working Grist Mill at one time.
Definitely a cant miss meal!

Go there for the view of the crick and the nature outside. It’s an old fashioned restaurant with average food.
We went on a Saturday night and although I was expecting more, I can say it was not terrible by any means either. Reservations on the weekends are usually required.