Gusto

Extremely loud dining room and over priced food. The service is stiff and scattered, definitely won’t be back.

Very disappointing brunch. The pizette is pitiful and should be served as a free appetizer, not a $ 12 entrée. While I didn’t try them at least the apple pancakes looked fulfilling. On the positive side, the drinks are delicious and the atmosphere is inviting.

This is one of the nicest and most friendly places in Poughkeepsie. The food is great the manger and staff the best anywhere I have ever been. Give it a try you will be going back many times
Went there tonight with children and friends. I have heard that it is not child friendly will let me tell you the 11 year old found the burger to be great. Even the two year old was treated great and enjoyed herself

By far my favorite restaurant around! The manager Daniel, is friendly and personable, as well as receptive to his customers. Love sitting at the bar and talking to the barmaid/​tender. The rigatoni is to die for plus the drink list is just right. Highly recommend! They also have burger Wednesday’s for 10 $, grass fed organic beef! Cannot say enough good things about Gusto :)

Gusto is just not what it used to be. The first dinner I had here back in September 2014 was perfect. The menu had life, variety, and the service was perfect. Now, they’ve revamped the menu to be more traditional Italian (ex. Baked ziti and chicken Parmesan) and it is incredibly lackluster. For one, the menu layout itself is really weird. There are no appetizers, just a «to share» section and large salads. For one, calling them large salads makes people think they’re entrée sized which is confusing. While the «to share» section might be an effort to be creative, the selections in it are boring and disappoints people who do want to order an appetizer. The mussels marinara I ordered to start were fine, but I have never seen tinier mussels in my life. Gusto needs to find a fish market that sells wild mussels. I ordered the «large» kale salad and added salmon as my entrée. Both tasted good but what is up with their serving size of salmon? I’d approximate it’s about 3.5 oz which is very skimpy. My friend ordered the salmon from the entrée section and 1. The serving was equally as tiny and 2. For entrees you choose between a house salad and pasta marinara as your side. That is SO boring. Gusto used to have incredibly flavorful, interesting sides to all their entrees. Lastly, the service is disappointing. Our main waitress was very friendly and attentive but the other helping her serve our food gave a plate to the wrong person 3 or 4 times in one meal. I will definitely be going to other spots over Gusto in the future.

I came in last Saturday night and sat at the bar. What an incredible experience, the restaurant is a quite tiny space– dimly light and cozy, the food is tasty and unique, but I have to say the show stealer was the staff. I sat and talked with the sweet bartender savannah who was knowledgable, friendly and engaged. She made me one of their special cocktails with orange juice and it was to die for! A must try! This place is one of my new faves when I come upstate and I look forward to chatting with the bartender again! Five stars!

Have been here a few times and have not been disappointed. Servers are polite, knowledgeable and attentive. Food is excellent and fresh. I had the rigatoni an my wife had the pork pizziaol. We were both very happy and enjoyed our meals.

I love this restaurant! My husband and I probably go every other week. The outdoor seating is great as is the food and service. I order the salmon a lot and it’s always cooked perfectly. The flourless cake for dessert is not to be missed.

Another great meal at Gusto. Enjoyed the burger with rosemary fries (huge portion), and two pizzetta (thin crust pizza) with arugula and prosciutto and a gluten free version. Hubs said topping and flavor was good on the GF pizza, but the crust wasn’t very good.
We especially loved the fried fingerling potato, chickpea and sage small plate which was outstanding. Couldn’t gobble that down fast enough!

The lovely modern décor makes you think this place will be something special, and it does try. But, ultimately, the food is disappointing and doesn’t live up to expectations.
We ordered from the brunch menu in the early afternoon, and perhaps that was part of the problem, as brunch is not inclined to be fascinating. We ordered a bunch of appetizers, and they were tasty but quite small (fingerling potatoes were great but not enough for the price). The mains were fine but pretty standard for brunch. I did taste a pizzette that seemed inventive on the menu (figs, goat cheese) but tasted just so-​so. It’s tough to make truly memorable pizza in a conventional oven.
On the hospitality side, things could be better. They lost our long-​held reservation, but we easily rebooked. When we ordered champagne (immediately following Vassar’s commencement), they demanded to see IDs for everyone, including the obviously-​over-​the-​drinking-​age graduate. Still in cap and gown, she understandably didn’t have one on her. I don’t want to suggest that restaurants break the law, but there was no flexibility and no offer of a festive non-​alcoholic option. It was a missed opportunity to show they cared, but I didn’t get the impression anyone did. Sorry, but the feeling’s mutual.

I’ve had brunch here twice and dinner once, and have not been disappointed. I love the décor, which feels light, contemporary, and warm. It’s on the upscale side but not stuffy or «fancy;» I’ve taken my children here and everyone has been comfortable and happy.
Each time we’ve gone we have been greeted at the door and seated promptly, and the service has continued to be friendly and efficient from there. We had brunch there a few weeks ago and I was suprised to see falafel on the menu so decided to give it a try — it was delicous, fresh and lighter than you would expect. My husband had the omelette special and really enjoyed it. I know it’s been said before, but HAVE THE BUTTERSCOTCH BUDINO. Even if you think you don’t want dessert. Trust me. You have room for this. Gusto is definitely my favorite restaurant in Poughkeepsie and I can’t wait for an excuse to go back!

I ate here yesterday and the food was excellent. I hand the rice and vegetables. The rice was cooked perfectly. I had an cappuccino and the sorbet. My friend had a burger and fries. The fries were thin and good a little on the salty side but good. The bill was 70 for it all. Not to expensive. I’ll be going back.

Gusto is, well, problematic. I think the restaurant’s design gives you a very good synopsis of what to expect: high-​style looks, under-​delivery on substance.
For example: the place really looks beautiful, but noise bounces all over the place. So the idea of an upscale, nice dinner out gets muddled by loud atmosphere.
Similarly, the cocktail list looks terrific. But the drinks are small, and really underdeliver on flavor. A modified Mannhattan with too much orange bitter, served with a single cherry and no implement to fish it out with? What’s the point?
Perhaps most importantly, some spotty kitchen execution. A plate of agnolotti was delivered that was barely cooked (and I love al dente pasta…) and barely seasoned. Not salvagable, and a rare occasion when we asked for something to be sent back. Whisked away and removed from the bill as one would expect, but no real apology from the server — disappointing. Perhaps she was overloaded, but a visit from management would have gone a long way to help.
On the overloaded server front — even on busy Friday night, it should not take 45 minutes to have some bread brought to the table.

Nice small upper scale bistro near Vassar College. Nice menu with variety and local ingredients. Good drink selection and friendly wait staff. Good crowd and many locals which is always a good sign. Had a 3 course option for $ 30. Would definitely go again when in town.

Food is small portioned. We went twice with clients for lunch and once for dinner and each time the place was slow but yet VERY loud to the point where it was obnoxious to hold a conversation. The ambiance is modern and cold with little to no décor. Food was ok tasting but very over priced for what you get.

Gusto is a small, upscale dining establishment right across from the famous Vassar College in Poughkeepsie. I met my friend here for his birthday/​New Years Eve get together. Gusto gave us the option of choosing the New Years Eve menu or the regular yet limited dining menu. Before I came, I checked the online menu but the prices weren’t listed. I always hate when places do that because I never know how to budget. But, rest assured, prices are standard and the $$ Unilocal rating is correct.
For an appetizer, i had a seafood and vegetable medley. It was small but filling. I wasn’t too hungry so I ordered the stracciatella soup as my dinner. The bowl was very long but not too deep, so the depth was deceiving. I shared a salad with my friend which consisted of arugula, blood oranges, and pistachios. There was no dressing but the citrus from the orange served fine as a replacement. My friend ordered a pizza. The crust had somewhat of a matza texture and the cheese was very soft, not greasy whatsoever. Being Italian, I heavily enjoyed it and would come back just for that.
I always keep track of how many times the waiter or waitress refills my drink, and the waitress always refilled my glass almost immediately when she noticed it was less than a quarter full. We were sent two small mugs of hot cocoa with biscotti as compliments from the chef since when we arrived, we were the only ones in there not at the bar. It was really nice. My friend got a small lava cake with ice cream for his birthday, too.
I would go back to Gusto for brunch but the dinner portions were very small. Had I gone here on an empty stomach, I think I would’ve spent much more money than I would’ve wanted to but there’s nothing wrong with the food whatsoever. It’s fantastic.

I have been to gusto three times and each time I am surprised by how flavorless the food is. All the meats taste the same and the sauces might as well be water. Their pizza can’t compete with local pizzerias that cost half the price and offer superior quality. The waiters could also benefit from some lessons on how to read clients and pace the meal.
I don’t expect much, but I expect something comparable to other restaurants in the area. Also, their prices are hilarious for the quality.

This was our first time here and were not planning on eating here we were actually headed to Beachtree down the street. Didn’t even know a restaurant had opened here. So we decided to give it a try. Very happy we did!
Service was very friendly and efficient, without bing rushed or intrusive. We were asked if we would care for something from the bar immediately (nothing I hate more than sitting and waiting to be offered a cocktail). We decided to start with a glass of wine which arrived promptly. I decided on a Panini my wife had an Eggs Benedict (we were here for brunch) special both arrived quickly and were very good. We then decided to spilt the butterscotch dessert!!! OMG it was amazingly good. Coffee was fresh and hot, really couldn’t ask for much more out of a restaurant.
Certainly will go back for dinner very soon.
I had read some of the other reviews on Unilocal and I can see how this place could become very loud if it is crowded so maybe they want to look into some ways to deaden the sound. I also find it amusing when people get all worked up over having to pay for a soda refill… they have to pay for the soda you’re drinking so why shouldn’t you? Someone has to take the order, bring it to the bar, the bartender has to pour it, then someone has to bring it to you… but you want it to be free… here is some free advise, drink tap water…

I really wanted to love this place. Honestly. Like, love it a lot. Unfortunately, it was an incredibly inconsistent experience.
The place itself is clean, well structured, but pretty plain in appearance. Simple grey/​tan walls. It could certainly use a touch or two of décor to add a little bit of something… anything…
It could certainly also use sound panels. Perhaps the least appealing aspect of Gusto (let’s get the negative out of the way first) is the overwhelming noise. The acoustics in this restaurant are horrendous!!! I’m a young adult and hearing is frequently not so difficult for me– but here it is. It was hard to hear the person next to me or across from me without straining. My friends at the end of the table? Forget about it! We had to catch up after our meal to see what the other talked about during dinner.
The only thing that distracted us more than the chatter of everyone in the restaurant was the sound of dishes and glasses smashing on the floor. While we ate dinner, there must have been at least 4 or 5 instances when the staff dropped stuff. During one of these instances the waitress spilled a full water glass on someone at our table. She threw a napkin down and then walked away from the table, as if nothing happened. The employees appeared stressed out and generally frazzled. That being said, our waiter appeared to be the exception and was very friendly.
It took a while to order, but once we did drinks came out quickly and food didn’t take too long either. The appetizers at Gusto are great! My favorite was the calamari. It is one of the best calamari plates I’ve had. Additionally, the salumi (yes, that’s how it’s spelt), and the meatballs are also pretty awesome.
Entrees are a bit more inconsistent. The salmon, chicken, steaks, are generally cooked well, moist, and delicious. The risotto– like swallowing a jar of salt. Mashed potatoes– needing all the salt that went into the risotto! With friends, each person experienced a different level of satisfaction with their main course.
Drinks. Drinks were good. Alcoholic drinks actually contained decent amounts of alcohol-​which was lovely. Sodas, however, are another totally ridiculous story. Gusto charges for every softdrink and does not provide refills. This is incredibly tacky and silly given the social norm in restaurants and the low cost of soda syrup.
Price seemed high provided the quality. Apps were appropriate, but main courses were too high. Drinks are high too.
So overall, my report card for Gusto:
Food: B (excellent apps– get calamari, entrees are inconsistent)
Drinks: C (alcohol is appropriate, but prices are high and sodas/​no-​refill is silly)
Ambiance: D (looks beautiful, but can’t hear anything… needs sound tiles)
Wait times: A (Quick, available, and responsive)
Service: B (we had a nice server, but lots of broken plates/​glasses, frazzled)
As always, this is just an opinion. Feel free to create your own and explore your own experiences here. I am in no rush to return. I wanted to love this place but I didn’t. In all fairness, they’ve been open about 7weeks so I am hoping that kinks will continue to be worked out.

My wife and I shared a pizzetta, the pork chop and brown rice bowl. Best meal we’ve had in years. Younger vibe hence the stuffy reviews I guess, but the place was baby friendly, staff was attentive and courteous and the food was mouth watering.
Will definitely be back!