The Shelter

GREAT FOOD GREAT SERVICE GREAT PLACE BUT–
The band last night fucking sucked so badly I left early. The band members were total pricks to customers afterwards and one even seemed to be drunk. Never going back there when Big Ego is playing.

The feel of the place is great. It has a great vibe, but the food and drinks are a bit overpriced for what you get. The live entertainment is consistently great and the bartenders are top notch. I feel like they cater to the rich locals and NYC visitors.

drinks are great, atmosphere is warming and band that plays here on friday is awesome. The bartender really helps you find the best drink for you and the chef on the floor is fun to interact with. very welcoming atmosphere…

Great place, has a really cool atmosphere. We went there to get food and drinks but this place is not really made for a «dinner date». The portions were very small and a little bit expensive. On another note the drinks were fantastic. I’m definitly going back for drinks with some friends, but not for dinner.

Nice setting in stone post and beam basement. Food crafted to order, unique and considered. Pleasant pace and atmosphere.

So it’s finally time to stop avoiding writing a review for my local watering hole. I’ve been avoiding because I keep coming back to give it more chances, and it just never lives up. So what’s the problem? Here we go:
Ambiance: Beautiful and cozy and charming. They did a great job renovating the place.
Food: Delicious small plate tapa menu. I’ve never had anything bad. I love it and I love their Saturday $ 1 Oysters.
Cocktails: They are a mixology place after all and I love a well crafted cocktail. Yes they do it well. I had a Thai influenced Gimlet last night that was fantastic. They make a mean Negroni. It’s great stuff.
The Live Music: Just fantastic. I love everything I’ve ever heard there.
So where’s the criticism you’re wondering?
They have THE WORST F***ING SERVICE. Like so so so bad. Like I have only once ever had good service and it’s when I showed up and 11:00 on a week night with my brother and we and another guy were literally the only 3 people there. Like so bad that I avoid going unless I really want to see the band or I’m really in the mood for half shell oysters. Like so bad it will put a dark cloud over an otherwise lovely evening.
When the place is full it is impossible to get a drink. And not like a normal busy bar difficult, it’s a whole other level. They take the drink mixing very seriously and spend a looooong time per cocktail. Which is fine, IF THERE WASNT JUST TWO OF THEM AND 100 000 000 OF US! It’s not their fault, it’s a management issue. They need to get a guy who does just beers, maybe even has a shirt on that says «just beer guy», so that the beer drinkers don’t have to wait 35mins for something that is sitting 2 feet away across the bar in the fridge. They need to hire another 2 mixers to work once things pick up after 9:30−10. They need to get a more streamlined drink system. I appreciate the care they take, but I’ve been to mixology bars where they don’t take a lifetime per drink. I imagine they lose quite a bit of money this way. I give up even attempting to order anything at a certain point in the night because it’s just maddening.
The table service is unfortunately no better. Twice now I’ve thought, «If I go early and beat the crowd and get a table, then I’ll be able to get some food and a couple drinks in in a reasonable time before things go to their enviable service hell.» HAH! Silly me.
There were 2 servers working the tables and only 4 tables to serve. The service was still embarrassingly terrible. Never checked in on us, did that intentionally avoiding our eye contact thing to not have to deal with us, took them a full FORTY MINUTES from when I started looking for the girl to when I told her I wanted the tab to when she finally showed up with it, (you thought I was joking about the service huh?). She’s not mixing drinks! She’s not cooking! As a former server myself I don’t understand how one would be in the weeds with so few tables but I must be missing something.
Anyways, I’m going to keep going back because I feel like there’s so much potential if they just worked out the staffing kinks and maybe someday they will.

Good drinks. Nice little spot with live music. I didn’t try the limited food menu although it looked great.

I really love this place. The wife and I always end up here after going out to dinner in Rhinebeck then wonder why we didnt just go there in the first place. The food is great, all made behind the bar + $ 1 oysters. But where they really shine is the cocktail menu. This place advertises as a wine bar but it seems you can find a great wine list almost anywhere these days. What you dont find that often is a long list of carefully crafted cocktails made in a traditional style. The barmen there are excellent and make it hard to ask for the check.

Hard to believe this used to be part of the hardware store I’d go to with my parents, when living in Rhinebeck — the town has certainly changed a lot in 30 years!
The Shelter was kind enough to host our 30^th Class Reunion recently, accommodating 20+ loud and boisterous 40+ year olds. I didn’t drink any wine, but the list looked very enticing — good variety even for the the most discerning wine snob. They made my mezcal mule perfectly, and frankly that’s a winner for me, because I didn’t have to explain not to add vodka, etc., etc. And I got it in a proper Moscow Mule copper cup — so super Hooray!
The food was decent — a little hit or miss on some of the plates, but overall pretty good. They could probably go a little more upscale on the cheeses — I hate getting cheddar — no matter how upscale on a cheese plate — I want stinky, nutty delicious cheeses I’ve never thought about eating at home. The aged meats were pretty decent. Also, try the lamb meatballs.
The atmosphere and superior service at The Shelter are dangerously good — makes it hard to leave.

Love this place! Yummy food, great drinks, generally awesome but PLEASE spring for a spotify or pandora subscription guys! Listening to loud commercials every 15 minutes seriously kills the vibe of my fave bar in the area.

I would recommend this place with one caveat… Don’t go during a busy weekend
Night… Too crowded. I went early on fondue night (Thursday) and thought it was great. All their menu items sounded good and cocktails were made well. Give it a try

This place gets my vote for best kept secret in Rhinebeck! I can see how folks might miss it, the doorway is recessed and takes you downstairs — was it an actual fallout shelter once or did they put the sign there for decoration? I can also understand why some folks might not want this place to become too well known.
I’ll get my inevitable comparison of the small plates here versus the bistro side of Terrapin out of the way now. I think the small plates at Terrapin might be a slightly better value, but what they serve here is much more authentic. Plus you get something else here that is rare at Terrapin: ELBOW ROOM!
I like their innovative take on classic cocktails.
If I could live on their chorizo, I would, just sayin’. Fantastic flavor. We ordered a little bit of everything: cold plates, hot plates, meats, and cheeses. I could also become easily addicted to their aged ham croquettes. The crab jicama tacos were the most pleasant surprise. I was expecting the jicama to be shredded inside the taco, like a slaw. Instead the shell was a thinly sliced round of jicama itself — something I have not seen elsewhere. The plates came out quickly, 1 or 2 at a time, and the meats, cheeses, and hot plates came with plated sauces or side sauces and mustards in small ramekins.
Dinner here was a very satisfying experience. I’m already looking forward to future visits and sampling more items.

Great bar underground.
I liked the vibe but sitting on the couches by the fireplace will make you fall asleep :)

Good drinks and tapas. Very cool atmosphere.

Most talented bartenders in the area. Great creative and old school cocktails. A really unique experience.
I frequent this gem a few times a month. Never anything less than exceptional.

The Shelter is my favorite spot in Rhinebeck. Mike the chef is amazing and bit is inspiring to watch him create his masterpieces. The bartenders/​waitstaff are extremely welcoming and fun to chat with. My absolute favorite fish is the Patatas Bravas. I love going there with my honey and sharing a plate of oysters and a couple of glasses of wine! Enjoy!

Awesome food and amazing drinks! You’ll be left wanting to see items at the local or vice versa but never be disappointed at either. The owners are proving they can have more than one business and show the same amount of love in both. KUDOS as this is something hard to accomplish!

So Valentine’s Day rolled around and my sister was in town visiting and my boyfriend was also home. We decided to go out for dinner when we remembered. Certain we would be out of luck. So we called a few places in the village to assure seating. We really wanted to try The Local but they didn’t have any seating until after 9pm. The hostess encouraged us to try The Shelter, a new wine bar in town owned by the same people and assured us there would be seating if we went. We were pretty excited because we had wanted to stop here for a few weeks but you know, life gets in the way and it had slipped our minds.
It is a pretty bar — exposed brick, lots of dark wood located, under the honey store. The bar is situated in the center and there are a few tables scattered about the area — not crowded — a definite plus. The perfect place to unwind comfortably after work with a few friends. The bartender acknowledged us right away and directed us to sit where ever we wanted. We found a table in the corner near the fireplace. It is a lovely looking establishment with a warm cozy feeling.
We ordered a few tapas and a few specials — they were all delicious! We had two cheeses — a cheddar on special and Ewe’s Blue. We ordered soppressata that was sliced very thin. We tried the back bacon special and the Marcona almonds. The exception to this delicious nosh was the cod cakes — they tasted a bit over done, thick in batter and fried. None of us really liked it but I think we were expecting a fish and chips kind of flakey cod. I guess we needed to ask more questions about the item but 1 out of 8 orders isn’t bad!
The food and the cocktails were very tasty and well done but as a new establishment there were some expected and not so expected hiccups.
First and most importantly — Service: there was only one girl working the whole floor and 2 bartenders — she was very friendly but our drink orders took a long time to come to the table. Our second round faired no better in time and when the delicious Bloody Valentine cocktail arrived the second time it tasted only of bitters. She replaced it but the amount of time waiting for drinks was well beyond my usual walk out time. You should address your table with in 2 minutes and drinks shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes. She greeted us timely but I don’t know if the drinks were forgotten or if the bartenders put servers guests after their own — all I know is it took way too long — its not like they were swamped with people! **Update: The owner contacted me and assured me that they have made the servers/​bartenders aware and for a new bar — there is a learning curve.
I feel I must preface this next comment with I am a dog lover — big or small — lovable and not so lovable breeds — I love dogs. I do not, however, love eating my dinner near a dog that is standing on the couch yapping and occasionally lunging at people. After our drinks came, a couple came in with their bull terrier or boxer type dog and commandeered the couch in front of the fireplace. At first I thought cool — dog friendly… interesting! I also must confess I thought it was a service dog, it had a vest — but after its behavior it was apparent that it was either a fake or ill trained! The dog proceeded to whine for food and when another guest approached the dog owners for permission to pet the dog the owner stated quite clearly not to pet him because he has food issues. Another guest, familiar with the dog owners, also antagonized the dog — jeering at it and making it bark. When the dog was approached by yet another guest it lunged and barked scaring my sister who forgot the dog was there. I feel that if you are in a restaurant in an enclosed area and your dog has shown aggression you should leave, but the owners (of the dog) didn’t seem phased. We didn’t feel comfortable and were actually turned off by the whole thing. ** Update: the owner also said she asked if it was a service dog and was uncomfortable with the behavior but also stated it was an awkward situation to be in.
Will I go back — like I said the food and drinks were delicious — the bar itself is rustically beautiful and warm — so I would recommend it so long as there isn’t a «service» dog misbehaving making the customers uncomfortable.
**See the ADA law and FAQ here:
Please note #10.