New York's Hudson Valley Town Locals Call 'The Village' Is An Eclectic Melting Pot Brimming With Diverse Eats

Located at the widest part of New York's Hudson River with views of a famous mountain called High Tor and the steep rock escarpment of the Palisades, the town of Haverstraw is a melting pot of cultures with the restaurants to prove it. The picturesque Hudson Valley is known for charming towns like Rhinebeck and walkable villages like Cold Spring. Add natural beauty, great food, and cultural attractions like one of America's largest outdoor sculpture parks, and then place these idyllic locations within commuting distance to Manhattan, and you have a recipe for outstanding places to live and visit.

A little over an hour by car from Midtown Manhattan, Haverstraw is home to just under 39,000 residents, 30 percent of whom were born in a different country. Nearly half are Hispanic and speak a language other than English at home. Settled by the Dutch in 1616, its early immigrants were European — Dutch, English, French Huguenots, Irish, and German — with its more recent arrivals including people from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other Latin American countries.

Known as "the Village," downtown Haverstraw is a two-square-mile commercial district with restaurants, small businesses, and places of worship that's so walkable that many people don't have cars, even if they work in Manhattan. You can take a ferry across the Hudson to Ossining to catch a Metro-North train to Grand Central, a journey that takes two hours. The Village is also less than two hours from Manhattan's Port Authority and just over an hour from LaGuardia Airport.

When it comes to eating out while visiting Haverstraw, Don Coqui's location on the Hudson, right next to a small beach, can't be beat. Start with empanadas or tuna and watermelon ceviche, followed by a Puerto Rican specialty like mofongo (garlicky mashed green plantains with steak, shrimp, or pork) or rabo guisado (oxtail in sofrito sauce). In the summer, sitting by the water under an umbrella by the beach while sipping a tropical drink like a frozen piña colada or a Coquitini with coconut vodka and cream of coconut, you'll almost feel like you're in the Caribbean.

Another spot on the water, the Hudson Water Club, has large spaces for both indoor and outdoor dining with dishes like mussels fra diavolo, crispy pizza from their wood-fired pizza oven, and sesame crusted tuna tataki. On the weekends, drop in for a breakfast pizza or live music. Union Restaurant, an area standout for Latin fusion, has an eclectic menu featuring fish tacos with chipotle aioli, roasted Long Island duck with pineapple fried rice, and carne asada in a dining space with copious natural light. Receiving five stars on TripAdvisor, La Cascada is an Ecuadorian restaurant where you can try bandera ecuatoriana (shrimp ceviche, beef tripe, and roasted pork on one plate) or cazuela de mariscos o pescado (seafood casserole with shrimp or fish).

For dessert, indulge your sweet tooth at Lucas Candies, which has been making artisanal chocolate since 1896. They've more recently opened a Tasting Tavern where you can sample regionally produced craft alcoholic beverages like strawberry lemonade hard cider and kolsch.

For some non-culinary Haverstraw activities, you can hike High Tor mountain, the subject of a 1936 play of the same name that was turned into a 1956 TV movie, or head to the riverfront recreational site Bowline Point Park. Although it's open year-round, this community gem is most lively in summer, with its Olympic pool, a toddler pool, water slides, and water sprinklers packed on hot summer days. The park also has playgrounds and workout equipment as well as courts for tennis, pickleball, and volleyball.

The history of Haverstraw is tied to the brick industry, which you can explore at the Haverstraw Brick Museum. The Hudson River shoreline was rich with clay, and, in the 1880s, there were 40 brickmaking factories around town that supplied builders with hundreds of millions of bricks. Many immigrants and African Americans were drawn to Haverstraw, once known as the "Brickmaking Capital of the World," for the steady work the brick industry provided.

A lovingly restored Italian Renaissance home built by a brickyard owner in the 1850s, Casa Hudson has three guest rooms and views of the Hudson River for those who want to stay in the area. Elegant architectural details like a portico and, of course, exposed brick walls add to its charm. The inn is within walking distance of Union Restaurant, La Cascada, and other eateries and attractions in the Village.