CL
Cesar Losada
Aug 2, 2026
I had high expectations for City Winery Hudson Valley. From the moment you arrive, the building itself is absolutely stunning. The architecture, historic character, and overall atmosphere are beautiful. The location and décor are easily a 10/10 and are the main reason I'm giving this place three stars instead of fewer. Unfortunately, that's where the praise largely ends.
We started with the calamari and the CW Wedge Salad. Both were good, but nothing memorable. The calamari was cooked properly with a light breading and served at the right temperature. The salad was fresh and well prepared. Neither dish had any unique or exciting flavors—they were simply good, basic appetizers done correctly.
For our main course we ordered the Margherita Pizza, and that's when the experience went downhill.
Calling this a Margherita pizza is generous. It should be called a sauce pizza. The tomato sauce completely dominated the dish, while the mozzarella and basil—two of the defining ingredients of a true Margherita—were barely present. The pizza was cut into six slices, yet not every slice even had cheese on it. The basil looked as though they took one leaf, sliced it into tiny strips, and scattered it around the entire pizza. The dough was actually very good, but the sauce overpowered everything. It could have used a little more sweetness, and because there was so little cheese and basil, all you really tasted was tomato sauce. A Margherita pizza should be about balance, and this one completely missed the mark.
After the pizza, we decided to end our meal. We paid the full bill without asking for a discount or speaking to a manager because we simply didn't feel it was worth continuing. Instead, we finished our dinner and had dessert at another restaurant. City Winery didn't lose money on our table—we paid our bill—but they lost the opportunity to earn much more. Had the experience been enjoyable, we would have stayed for more food, dessert, and additional drinks.
The wine program also left me confused. For a place that proudly calls itself a winery, I expected more flexibility with the wine flights instead of predetermined selections. I was also surprised to see wines from California featured so prominently.
The service was just as disappointing as the pizza. When we arrived, there were three hostesses at the front. The best word I can use to describe them is weird. They didn't smile, looked uncomfortable, and when you spoke to them, it felt like they didn't really understand what you were saying. They seemed afraid to interact, lacked confidence, and appeared completely lost. The restaurant was nearly empty, yet we were escorted to what was arguably one of the worst tables in the dining room. I politely declined it and asked for another table.
Our waiter wasn't much better. At one point I honestly felt like I was at McDonald's because I wondered if I needed to get my own drink. I had to ask two different employees before I finally received it, even though there were only two occupied tables in the restaurant, one of them being ours.
After leaving, I read through other customer reviews expecting our experience to be an isolated incident. Instead, I found many of the same complaints, especially about slow service and inconsistent food quality. That raises an obvious question: if customers have been pointing out the same problems for so long, why hasn't management addressed them? Every restaurant can have a bad day, but recurring complaints suggest a management issue. Ironically, the only thing that seems consistently excellent is the building itself, while the only thing that seems consistently disappointing is the service.
City Winery Hudson Valley has tremendous potential. The atmosphere is five-star, but during our visit the food and service simply didn't match the beautiful setting. I hope management takes these recurring concerns seriously because this place deserves an experience that lives up to its incredible location.
I never write negative reviews, so this feels completely out of character for me. My boyfriend and I arrived excited for what we thought would be a great night together. The atmosphere was beautiful, and we had high expectations based on what we saw when we walked in.
Unfortunately, the service was unacceptable. We sat at our table for approximately 30 minutes without a single greeting from our server, without being offered water, and without any acknowledgment that we were even there. It appeared that multiple other tables were experiencing the same issue.
After waiting that long with no communication whatsoever, we finally gave up and left. We literally had to find another place to eat because no one ever came to our table. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
What’s most frustrating is that this place has so much potential. The atmosphere is lovely, but good ambiance can only go so far when guests are being completely ignored. It was awkward, uncomfortable, and honestly a huge disappointment.