Yolo Bistro

Got to check this place out. Great food at reasonable prices! Nice ambiance and attentive service!

We just went for the first time. We enjoyed the hummus appetizer and our pasta entrees (nice size potions and flavorful). We felt very rushed through our experience, possibly because they had a three piece band setting up to start at 8am. Since the place is tiny, the entertainment sound took over the entire place. We finished quickly since we couldn’t hear ourselves think. It needed to start later or turn volume wayyyy down. It truly rushed us out and dampened our overall experience.

Friday, 8:30 PM.
Quickie:
+ Food quality
+ Friendly staff
+ Hygiene
+ Menu variety
— Turnaround
And then???
Yolo Bistro has great customer service, an interesting menu, and band night.
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. Pasta of the day: Mediterranean shrimp scampi
+ Juicy pieces of shrimp.
— Sauce: ingredients ratio.
2. Proscuitto with goat cheese flatbread
+ Sweet and savory dish.
— Charred bread.
Constructive comments:
*Do you compost?
*Source ingredients

Just a quick update. We continue to enjoy Yolo. Joe and the staff are really working hard to make sure everyone has a great time and great food. We recently asked Joe and his team to cater our Christmas party and they truly went above and beyond. The food was delicious and plentiful. This wasn’t simple fare either, there was truffled Mac n cheese bites, Yolo’s amazing take on crab rangoon, sushi rolls, sliders, bruschetta and an assortment of flat breads. We fed 40 people with plenty left over and hopefully a few new fans of Yolo Bistro.

Definitely properly named a Bistro despite location.
Great interior, wonderful and efficient staff.
Ordered graham cracker crusted calamari appetizer: delicious and great presentation
Husband ordered the pappardelle with sausage (which wasn’t homemade.) but the noodles were, sadly they were covered in a sad, thin wine sauce.
I ordered the Salmon Napoleon which was paired with braised red cabbage and soba noodles, an odd pairing but it worked, definitely worked! Salmon could have been cooked a little less as it was charred and slightly dry but the flavors fit so well together.
Waitress took notice that the pappardelle dish was barely touched and offered to take it off the bill, when we said that wasn’t necessary she insisted that it’s what the chef would want.
Instead, we ordered duck pizza, not the biggest fan of duck, but if you are, definitely give it a try!
PRO: Nice place to grab a glass of wine and an order of that delicious calamari

My husband and I had dinner here last night. We were the first patrons for the night. The hostess/​waitress was very friendly and gave us recommendations. They were out of a lot of food from the specials and menu that night for some reason, even steak! We got there in time for happy hour so we got two for one on the drinks. Had the yolo punch which was smooth and sweet. Hubby got stella on tap. For app, we got the calamari. It was chewy and rubbery but the seasoning and the sauces that came with it were good. However, I don’t think I can justify paying $ 11 for such small serving. about half of a chinese take out box. I wouldve gotten a lot more from cosimos and done the right way. I got the oven roast chicken ($ 19) for my entrée which was excellent, it had crisp skin exterior and juicy inside and the sauce is good. The mashed potatoes were just so-​so, nothing spectacular. My husband got the pulled pork sandwich with fries special ($ 14) which was very tasty and made with their homemade bbq sauce. We both finished our meals. Unfortunately, no room for dessert! Alas, we just realized they forgot to give us bread in the beginning! We’ll probably come back again. maybe.

This place is amazing. Joe is a fabulous chef. Being a new restaurant I think this place rocks. Being from Dallas Tx where everyone eats out a lot, if I lived here if would be a main stay for me. You all need to check this place out if you live in Poughkeepsie. I will be back the next time I’m in town for sure.

Our first time there. It was pretty good. We had the oven roasted chicken. My only criticism is the dish had way too much pepper flavor.

Went for lunch with a friend and liked it so much, I returned with my husband for dinner! Lunch consisted of potstickers, which many previous reviewers mentioned, and a cup of the soup of the day, a delicious Moroccan chicken soup. In fact, I liked it so much, I had it again for dinner, along with a pork chop special with veggies, homemade BBQ sauce and (wait for it…) cheddar bacon mashed potatoes. Yum! My husband’s Asian-​inspired salmon was also reported to be equally delicious, but disappeared before I could get a taste. Sadly, no room for dessert, as I had my eye on the chocolate and raspberry bread pudding, so we’ll just have to go back again!

At Yolo for the best burger without question in the Hudson Valley. The crème brûlée is also to die for!

The New England clam chowder and salmon salad were both delicious! Went there for lunch and enjoyed my experience very much… Highly recommended for all people and families!

So, I try to find the positives in restaurants, but I really didn’t have a good experience at Yolo. My boyfriend and I decided to check it out and, based on other reviews, I’m just going to hope that they were having an off day.
To start, we ordered duck wings. We received a pretty large portion, which at first we thought was great because we were starving. We started eating and as time went on, we both noticed that the other had only really nibbled on the first one. Finally, we had to say it: they were just not good. They had hardly any meat on them, but were covered in a thick layer of breading and absolutely drenched in orange sauce. We didn’t even end up putting a dent in them, unfortunately.
For our entrees, I ordered the Zen Salad and he got the YOLO Burger. The salad was couscous, quinoa, bulgar wheat, edamame, corn, carrots, all tossed in carrot juice, ginger vinaigrette, over mixed greens. I kind of tasted the ginger, but the carrot juice was really lost on me and the salad was generally underdressed. I felt like I was eating a $ 13 serving of random salad ingredients that were just tossed in a bowl.
The burger (Black angus ground beef, stuffed with bacon and brie on a pretzel roll) was supposed to be the meal’s saving grace and it was alright. I think I ended up eating more of it than my boyfriend did and I thought it was a pretty standardly ok burger.
I did appreciate that our waitress was the perfect amount of attentive. It was pretty slow when we went and I believe we were her only table. Rather than forget about us (or, worse, be really overbearing on her only customers), she only approached us when need be and she was quick about everything.
I really want to like them because their menu is creative and, if executed properly, promises a really great meal. Again, I’m going to assume that on this particular day things were just off in the kitchen that day. They’re super, conveniently close to my house and everyone else I know who’s eaten there has really loved it so I’ll likely try it again.

The food and drinks are excellent here! I def recommend coming! The atmosphere and our server Jessica was awesome! The food was fresh and soooo good. Can’t wait to go back!

Our party of 4 ate there last night and everything was delicious. We started with sharing the duck wings and crab Rangoon appetizers, then had 3 different entrees: 2 had the salmon, one pasta and one buffalo chicken (deconstructed sandwich). They were all very good and priced reasonably. We had made it in a little before 6pm and were offered the 2fer happy hour drinks. Our hostess/​waitress, Sarah, was very accommodating and friendly. No one rushed us. As the evening went on, there was a full bar area crowd, but pleasantly surprised how quiet the dining area remained. Nice decore. Would definitely go again when back in the area!

Great food at reasonable price. Love the wraps and french fryes.
Very nicely decorated.

Pleasantly surprised after my first experience !
Fast and excellent service
Great quality tasting interesting and innovative food!
Graham cracker calamari was spectacular!

We found this restaurant after walking over the Hudson. It appears to be new. Very nice décor with clean bathrooms. We were one of two parties/​customers in the restaurant. The maître d’ was the waiter and bartender. She appeared to be new because she was unsure of how to make their signature cocktails. The owner?/chef made our cocktails.
The kids sliders, flat bread sausage pizza and salad were excellent. See attached photos.
Good find via Unilocal

Yolo is a place I first learned about through help of Unilocal while looking for an option for a Saturday night dinner. After a quick view of the menu, we discovered there were vegetarian options for the wife, and good meat ones for me, so off we went!
They are located in Poughkeepsie off of Route 9 and sandwiched between Marist College and St. Francis (Mid Hudson Medical Center) Hospital. There was plenty of parking out front and by the Mexican restaurant located adjacent.
The inside setting is pleasant and I actually liked the frosted windows not allowing you to see outside. To me they make you to focus more on the people you’re with (although you’ll never prevent people from being on their phones at dinner as a bigger distraction) instead of the outdoors.
We began our meal with «The Dip» for appetizer. This was a 3 cheese and spinach/​artichoke Dip served with tortilla chips. I liked that it wasn’t overly «cheesy,» and my wife appreciated that there weren’t big chunks of artichokes in it. Since we usually opt for a appetizer her and I can share (veg friendly) it was perfect.
For the main course I followed the waitresses recommendation of the «Yolo Burger.» A burger with bacon, cheddar, and brie cooked within the burger (a feature I very much enjoy in burgers). I was not disappointed. The brie was not overpowering and every bite was perfectly juicy. The wife went with the «Lentil Veggie Burger.» As someone who considers herself a veggie burger aficionado, she was quite pleased with this burger and exclaimed it to be her favorite in the Hudson Valley so far!
Overall, the food was quite good, and the staff was friendly and quick. I will absolutely be back and hope this place thrives and succeeds. I feel like this area needs more spots like this, and hope they do well!

I have eaten her twice since it opened and have to say that I am extremely impressed.
Yolo is located across from Marist College and tucked away on North Road. The first thing that I noticed when I walked in was that I immediately felt transported… away from the bustle of the street, noise of outside and into an oasis… a place that whispers… relax and enjoy! The staff was fantastic and we sat at the bar and ate flat breads, The bonsai tree and Calamari. They were all fantastic but I was extremely impressed with the calamari which was light and airy… delish!
Came back this past weekend for brunch and left fat and happy! Started off with their version of a Bloody Mary called Bruised and Bloody. It is made with Soli O and Jim Beam Fire! WHAM!!! Soo good! I had the egg white omelet with local goat cheese and spinach and my date had the eggs Benedict. Both dishes came with potatoes which were mouth watering. Chef Joseph said that it was basically Lyonnaise potatoes… however I am sure that he added something else to them as they were just out of this world. The omelet was fantastic but the eggs benedict stole the show! The chef uses thick cut bacon and tops it all off with his version of Hollandaise sauce which includes his little secret that adds a bit of sweetness; reduction of merlot. That is killer!!! My date finished up her morning with a drink that is not too sweet but extremely refreshing… like breathing in the ocean air. Aptly named… Sun Bather (I think.)
I highly recommend getting yer butt to Poughkeepsie to check this place out!

Came here for dinner with my husband. We had a plate-​licking delicious meal. Modern yet warm atmosphere. Service was attentive. I had the Oven Roast chicken … The fresh herb reduction was simply outstanding. Husband enjoyed the Pappardelle pasta. We didn’t have room for dessert, but the choices all looked really good.
The restaurant is across from the south entrance of Marist college — and across from the doctor’s office building.
Will come back and try lunch. So happy to have a new local favorite!